On Thursday, December 5, in Chicago, Illinois, former president Barack Obama gave the third in an annual series of lectures he has delivered since 2022 at his foundation’s Democracy Forum, which gathers experts, leaders, and young people to explore ways to safeguard democracy through community action.
I miss President Obama more than ever these days. But I'm glad he is still actively involved, still speaking up. I can only hope that eventually, We the People on the side of the rule of law and democracy can bridge the divide towards those on the other side who are not so well-informed; for the hardcore MAGAts and the bigots and 1% and others willingly following tffg, leave them and focus our efforts on the misinformed, uninformed, and possibly apathetic, and be willing to listen and inform without preaching. We must remember that tffg did not win by a majority but rather because so many were just not interested or were misinformed. We must keep hope alive and keep working together at the local and state levels to move forward in 2026 at the midterms.
I confess to feeling despair most days, though. Time will tell.
I miss the Obama's also. And note that Michelle brought down the house at the convention, and Barak admitted he couldn't live up to it!
Unfortunately, I'm very cynical regarding the ability to reach across the political divide. I've repeatedly tried to to so in my family. But if you think the Bible is absolute truth and also Fox News, nothing I can say will change your mind!
If you think the Bible is Truth, then you have to care for people who are poor and people who need help. “Care for” is not the same as “make a profit caring for”. **the Bible” does not direct people to hate and does not prescribe hatred as a solution to problems! Rather it directs people to care for each other. People who teach the beliefs you refer to while claiming that they come from God, are replacing truth with falsehood and are deliberately painting a picture of the word of God that is incorrect. You have heard of a wolf in sheep’s clothing? The people teaching these lies are wolves rather than angels
Absolutely. This is exactly the reason that I abandoned what the sorry excuse for "Christian" religion is these days. Too many self-anointed "Christians" are greedy and cruel. One of my favorite bumper stickers reads: "Good Without a God". Thank you, Ron Reagan.
Linda, I love that. It brings to mind a quote attributed to Lincoln: "When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That is my religion".
And, as an atheist myself, I also applaud Ron Reagan Jr who has the courage to appear in commercials espousing the separation of Church and State and declaring his atheism, and that he's not going to Hell.
Apparently, for some reason - too many "christians" are skipping over that! There are lots of different "authors" throughout the Bible. And it would appear that these christians pick and choose only the pieces they like. Which seems exactly what radicals of other faiths do - Isis for instance? And exactly what the current repubs are doing with the Constitution and Bill of Rights! Radicals.
Maggie, I am not a Bible expert, far from it, but it seems to me that the first three Gospels contain the message that Jesus has for us. I think the OT is not the same.
What is the OT? (Please do not use acronyms unless they are in common parlance, like MPG and DNA. Obscure acronyms do to the flow of prose what a dead cow does to the flow of a stream.)
Actually Michele the OT is the same Jesus got ALL of his teaching from the OT and he was raised with the Torah from age 12 When the sages in the temple were surprised at what he said it wasn't necessarily any different from what they were teaching It was the wisdom at his age
Remember that Jesus taught Primarily to the Jews and his followers were Jewish disciples
The big problem is mis interpretation of the Bible down through the years
I try not to judge anyone's Christianity The Christian Nationalists are teaching an unfamiliar Bible
They are trying to take over God's role They better look out
ISIS was inherently evangelical, and we know where that got them. There are literally over 600 different versions of the Bible, according to a minister with whom I spoke several years ago. Everyone refers to the King James as the Bible of choice, I suppose. And of course, MAGA folks will refer to it as the Supreme word of God. I'm sorry, but for me, it's all nonsense. That is not to say that there are not many truths in the Bible; however, there are also some fantasies. For those who are believers, I only hope they follow:
Feed the hungry
Shelter & clothe the homeless
Care for the afflicted
Welcome the stranger
that KMD quoted. Should they do that, it matters not a whit to me that they are of any religion. I will love them as I love my family members who are believers in the same spirit.
Got that right Maggie lots of "authors" & lots of religious epiphanies (Matthew 2:1-12} that as far as I know did not make it into the "Bible" anthology nor into Gentile's heads.
True, and that is why atheists like me may be more "Christ-like" than those who claim to be Christians, particularly Trump Christians, because we think that Matthew 25 34-46 is a great prescription for humans interacting with one another. It's a core principle of Democratic politics.
And there's the rather famous Ten Commandments with Thou shalt not kill, not covet thy neighbor's wife or good, not steal, etc.. If people really believed in the Bible's teachings, they cannot ignore just part of it. They are, in fact, hypocrites. But not everyone who voted against Harris voted for Trump and not all of those who did voted for hate or bloodshed, etc.
I was raised in the Catholic faith and it has taught me good values that I still use today. If Jesus does come back to us in this era, I believe his 1st words will be Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot
Martha, don’t confuse the Catholic Church with the faith. I deplore the institution for the reasons—and others—you note. But my faith in Jesus is just fine.
I was raised in the Episcopal church, and although I’m a devout atheist, and have been so since I was 8, I still follow the teachings of a compassionate Christ.
The Biblical Jesus we know by the surviving record that his teachings (that have been judiciously selected and edited with many contemporary parts discarded - see Gnostic Gospels), certainly would not be welcome at a MAGA evangelical church service today - all the loser talk about doing good to those that would harm you, turning the other cheek and welcoming the stranger - would be laughed at and rejected as it is by those who make religion a political weapon.
Thomas, I too was raised in the catholic faith due to my mother’s insistence as an Italian American catholic. I’m not only well versed in the hypocrisy of this church from a historical perspective, but my personal recollections as well. I believe the only thing that saved me from priestly molestation when I requested to be an alter boy was that darn Latin text that I had to memorize. I looked at it and ruminated I would never be able to memorize this stuff. So instead, I joined the choir where the priests were not invited to hang out with the boys, lol. The choir saved me and hey, later in life I became a singer/songwriter writing about the woes of life. Maybe that early musical experience did plant something in my brain I think so.
I’m proud and very proud indeed, to say that the school expelled me in 7th grade. But if I could go back in time and meet those strict sisters of mercy who taught me and were sometimes mean to me, I would hug each one and thank them for their dedication to education. We were ahead of the public schools by a mile. But the church as a whole is so very corrupt. All religion is. This is no God. It was invented by early man who looked up at thunder and lightening and judged that the supernatural were sending messages to the primates that had recently climbed down from trees and entered caves. We humans are doomed to believe in myths as well as the desire to kill others for land expansion.
I think religion is a way to deal with death, particularly to children who have lost a parent or someone else close to them. It promises life after death and that we will see our loved ones again. If we are law-abiding, we will get to heaven. If not we'll burn in hell. So it's also a way of trying to control people's actions in this life. Comfort and control. Maybe Buddhism is the only religion that does not use those emotions and instead requires that you reflect on your thoughts, words and deeds and try to improve all three.
I was wondering how a Katz got steeped into Catholicism until I reread your first sentence. l'm Jewish on both sides, and I've been an atheist since I was 9.
Hell, it'll be "out of the sky" sweeping up the faithful, per Paul... well, i speak in jest, though millions of Americans still subscribe to the millenial, in my mind, delusion.
Frank, there are many new realities the Sunday morning -- no joke. Headline for Tulsi Gabbard: 'After 24 years of dictatorship Bashar al-Assad has resigned & left the Syria'. Bashar's father ruled for about 30 years. So ... Regime Change.
Moscow has confirmed Bashar is gone but no word as to where. But, it is very cold in Moscow this time of year. Ask Tulsi.
****************
Sunday Update:
Confirmed by MOSCOW announcement, Assad did flee to Moscow & "asylum" was GRANTED by Putin..
Per ABC's Martha Radatz, the al-Assad kidnapped American, AUSTIN TICE, is thought to be still alive by his family.
Although uncertain to make an understatement, U.S. national intelligence access to the defunct Regime's security files for citizens and/or ex-patriots working for the ex-Syrian government is a high priority in the 40 days or so the Biden Team has left.
The U.S, conducted 75+ air strikes 💥 today inside Syria & the border with Iraq. The U.S. still has about 900 troops deployed on the Eastern side of Syria. Raf Sanchez of MSNBC reports Israel has some troops in Syria but, no specifics.
Eggzactly! Hate got us where we are today. It does not work! It hurts the hater even more than the hated. We have been manipulated to turn on each other while our manipulators reap huge profits and gain even more power, buying up politicians and judges. And a lot of hatred, especially towards the marginalized, has been spread from pulpits across the nation, instead of love, caring, peace, and forgiveness. Billions have been reaped by the rich, and spent on campaign ads while many of us go hungry and homeless, unable to pay medical bills. We, as a people, are naturally giving, caring individuals who seek the same things; safety, security, good health, decent wages, opportunity to realize our dreams, and good, supportive relationships. We all want ourselves and our kids to have basic needs met, to breathe good air, drink good water, and eat nutritious food, have access to a good education, and have the freedom to live our lives in peace, prosperity, and good will toward each other. We seek the individual freedom to live our lives as we choose, as long as it doesn't curtail the freedoms of others. We need a government that supports this, and protects us from those who would trample on all we hold dear for more profit and power. There are many obstacles in our path, and if we tackle them together, we can overcome them. Divided, we fall into the hands of our manipulators.
The manipulating forces that are hardest to deal with are the
lies embedded in religious interpretations that compete with each other, and the very notion of some people profiting off of others, along with the glory part of each that gets promoted as some kind of success - by the hypocrites that engage in these lies, as if happiness was embodied in some people overcoming others. Capitalism in a democratic setting appears to be self-defeating in the long term - at least the corporate part that is tearing at our roots.
So much of American politics since our beginnings has reeked of over-simplification of problems and over-extension/polarization of ideas to their farthest extremes. This hyped up matrix contributes to the nearly unquestioned acceptance of competition-rather than cooperation-
as the rule for the playground of this highly Capitalist country. This winner-take-all ethos spoils everything it touches and is the enemy of the longterm view, which barely has a foothold in the U.S.
It's akin to wearing blinders when what's needed for human happiness is wide-angle 180° vision of the whole and the possible.
Everything points to the need to stop big money from buying the attention of the voters, and directing them with lies. Money is not speech, and political money should be outlawed, not given free reign to hide behind a veil of PACs.
If you are familiar with the Gnostic Gospels, it's easy to understand that the surviving records of the early Christian church have been selected, edited or rejected to exclude the Divine Feminine to elevate the Divine Masculine. There are many ancient mythologies of the dying and resurrecting god that have been adapted to be the Christian Trinity - Father Son and Holy Spirit. The Great Goddess became the subservient and obedient Virgin Mary, who is still revered and loved as more relatable but whose power has been greatly diminished. The balance of the archetypes of masculine and feminine have been abandoned in favour of the church militant, dominated by the all-powerful, masculine God. This happened in most world religions except for some surviving forms of paganism still practiced by some aboriginal people. The imbalance has opened the door to the domination of warrior politics which has brought the planet to the brink of the Great Extinction.
Remember both the prophets and the New Testament pro-Christians were adamant, i would say fanatical, about their exclusive claims to religious truth, and that was what motivated them with energy to spread the word, one which had no limits to its claims on social allegiance. More humanitarian preaching was secondary to that. Without one God, you are lost, without Christ, your are even more lost. As for the wolves in sheep's clothing, that was purely doctrinal, nothing to do with down to earth caring for others.
Frank I appreciate your observations! Despite a long and fairly thorough Christian education (Methodist then Episcopalian) it seems to me more and more that native Americans had the right approach in recognizing that no-one "owned" the earth or parts of it or places on it, that we are all a part of a larger entity or whole who must find ways to share it. Our environment has been trying to remind us of this more loudly and dramatically than ever before!
John, I started reading this thread and decided not to get involved, because I have fairly recently recognized all religions for what they are: systems used to control the behavior of people, based on deities originally IMAGINED by ancient men to explain the inexplicable. I was born into evangelicalism and renounced it in favor of Methodism, but had issues with Methodism's racism and homophobia.
On my way to atheism, I studied Native American spiritualism, and concluded that they have the best belief system of all. There are other indigenous peoples globally who have similar systems. I am not of Native American descent, so it's not feasible or ethical for me to try embracing their spirituality. However, I can try to live under the guidance of their spiritual principles, chief of which is that humans do not hold dominion over anything; we are part of a whole, living creation.
It is interesting to note that all the troublesome, trouble-making religions of the world always hold up their sacred texts as the "final word" on everything, whereas Native American spirituality relies on oral tradition.
Equally bothersome is all the organized religions' relentless proselytizing and demands for money. Compare that religious imperialism to indigenous spiritualists' profound lack of interest in increasing their numbers.
JohnM. A lot of people have recommended Braiding Sweetgrass by a Native American biologist. She has a new book out called The Serviceberry which I have not read. I am helping edit a book by my garden person which, although she is not a Native American, speaks to the same things. I see the coming regime as the antithesis of this view and am sure we will see more destruction. I take joy in projects like the removal of the dams on the Klamath done with much input by the Native Americans. Now salmon swim freely up the river for the first time in a century.
Your last two sentences--great to hear! And in this article is a reason most people probably havne't heard as to why the dam removal is an environmental good
The Bible and any religious texts, written when mankind knew nothing about the workings of the universe, are the SOURCES of our problems, not the solutions. Just look how much damage radical Islam and evangelical Christianity has done to our world and country, respectively, People, just rely on your basic innate knowledge of goodness, not irrational superstition.
Yes, one only has to read “The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory” by Tim Alberta to clearly understand how some have used and abused Christianity to gain power and influence.
Let me add to the comments below: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are a wonderful source of wisdom, in my (humble, of course) opinion, and without the smiting of one's enemies that occurs in the Old Testament and in the Koran (according to what I've read). Depending on your preference, either God or Nature has given us various wise people, Marcus Aurelius, Jesus, Gandhi, Buddha, many others, who have given a very clear and simple message about how to live a good life, both individually and collectively. We humans are very slow learners.
Actually here you are describing American Judaism (Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Renewal, Wilderness Torah...) with its emphasis on the peoplehood of us all, no competition involved, and we do not recruit.
Thank you Robin. I was raised Presbyterian. I’ve always believed in God and Jesus. I am 72 but my journey has been long straight and fruitful. In HS I got involved in what we called radical politics and was a believer in almost all of what I learned. With no compromise
Forty years ago I found the 12
steps and they are still my foundation.
A few years later my second wife led me back to church. One of the things I learned is to set the captives free. Religion when it is religiosity holds us captive. In order for the jailer to go home he has to set the
Captive free. I am both the jailer and the captive. This is basic 12 step
A little over 20 years ago I ended up in a church they taught what is called Jewish Roots. That term is a catch all and groups disparate groups together
The best way I can describe it is IMHO Christianity is a branch of Judaism that believes the Messiah has come
The best example I can give is I was having lunch with a Conservadox (between Conservative and Orthodox) one day. Towards the end of our lunch a pastor we both knew came up and said you guys think alike. My friend said the only difference is he believes the Messiah has come. I believe He is yet to come
Many years ago I started to study the weekly Torah (first five books) and commentaries I was blown away. This was everything Jesus taught and I learned in 12 step
Judaism is more eastern. There is a lot of gray. Most of the 613 mitzvot are gray, not absolute
As a manager, my first rule was to treat everyone like I would want to be treated. Of course, that isn't always feasible, but it sets the tone. And that goes for clients as well as associates. The second rule is to treat everyone the same regardless of your feelings towards them.
During my 25 years as a manager, I fired 7 people out of around 300 that reported to me. I always offered at least 6 weeks of severance plus any unearned vacation days. Only once was I angry when I fired someone, but I still gave him the same severance package the others.
Vietnam opened a hard divide within the US. At the outset it seemed unbridgeable. People who had been through the Depression and then WW2, were in the main convinced that supporting this conflict was a moral duty. Opponents to the war largely faced an impenetrable wall. It was inconceivable that this conflict was a horrible mistake. It didn’t help that some anti-war individuals thought that attacking our individual soldiers was an intelligent tactic and that waving Mao’s Red Book at people symbolized something worthwhile.
We all know people who served in that conflict. We all know many who died, were maimed, and those with unrecoverable PTSD. Many of them went to war because they thought it was the right thing to do. Others went simply to escape the tedium of the neighborhood day-to-day. The mistake made here was treating fellow citizens as if they were the enemy. That’s a no-win. And that isn’t what turned the tide of public opinion on that war. It was the heaps of dead and crippled that returned, the shocking mental condition of returning combatants., the suicides, and the public assaults on young men and women by police. No mere exchange of words … so many thought balloons … could have made this sea change.
Bill, would the War in Afghanistan lasted 20 years if there had been a draft and oligarch's kids and grandkids were drafted?
What did we accomplish in Afghanistan in the last 20 years? Was it worth it?
Over 5000 Americans dead and many times more than that wounded or mentally disturbed.
Getting out of Afghanistan was one of Biden's greatest accomplishments and the corporate media shit all over it, just like Trump, Fox and the MAGAs are shitting all over Ukraine.
Agreed, Gary, Afghanistan was another big American military mistake. The 5000 or so deaths was only 1/12 that of Vietnam. In both cases, far more indigenous died than American, by a couple orders of magnitude. In both cases, Americans threw technological overkill at them, and still... lost.
Frank, I am reminded of Apocalypse Now when the guy on the boat in Viet Nam is shot by an arrow and he can hardly believe it. Technological overkill is the correct way of describing these types of wars.
Yes, America has had NO problem killing Asians by the bucketload by unleashing technology. This, by the way, was also the imperial European approach to suppressing native uprisings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Machine guns worked wonders for imperial powers ... until the WW1 that is!
Yes, please. A national public service program for ALL young people. Could be military. Could be in healthcare, education or infrastructure. Some good work could be accomplished. Some young people would meet and learn about people they would have normally demonized.
And there would be no exceptions. Got bone spurs? I bet your hands still work. Have a disability? We'll work with that. Come from a rich family? Great! You'll enjoy meeting some resourceful people.
And require 12-18 months of living in another country! It's ridiculous and embarrassing how many Americans are convinced (without proof) that our way is the only correct way. A chance to live with others who are unlike you is humbling, builds empathy and broadens the mind.
Absolutely, Bill! I have been saying this for years also. Mandatory service for two years after high school: military or something like Peace Corps or Vista. For all the reasons you state, with no exceptions as you point out. What a difference it would make for individual citizens to experience it, but also for the betterment of our country.
Yes, and many other things. The draft was a double edged thing. For parents and in particular mothers, it could be a painful occurrence on a few levels. Yet duty calls. For many others, it created a class of draft dodgers and young men moving to Canada.
In my recollection, it wasn’t until the legitimacy of the war came into question for many, that the burden of the draft was basically the last straw. But, I’m sure experiences differ as do viewpoints. I know of a tank commander who upon rolling out of the bush announced with proud of irony of defending Normal, Illinois from invasion by the North Vietnamese Army.
And it didn't help that Nixon caused the war to extend another six months so he could make LBJ look bad by sabotaging the peace talks.
"In the end, the Chennault episode shut a window that, with the help of the Soviet Union, Johnson and his aides thought they had opened. A moment of genuine hope, and a chance—however slight—to settle this ugly war was stolen."
Lots of death everywhere. Rise of the Khmer Rouge. The refugees who lost everything. Well, we can lament the past forever, we share in the failings that come with our humanity and moreover with our power. This is not a story. It is not a destiny.
Of all the great many people I have encountered throughout my life, most are far better and more generous people than they have any good reason to be. No matter what, it is key to realize and try to understand this.
We cannot surrender to despair, hopelessness and defeat. Soul to soul is how we encounter even the most emotionally well armored individuals. Don’t be fooled by the bluster fear.
The assassination of JFK created the military/industrial empire that took the Republic into our war in Vietnam. Our worship of money over our belief in the Republic obscures this.
Wow, that sure over simplifies if not entirely misleads on the military industrial complex. WW2 then the advent of the not so cold Cold War got all that going. Eisenhower if not coining the expression certainly warned of the dangers in his final term.
Or how about the Republican response to the FDR administration policies that rescued the Republic from the Great Depression? The economy of the Republic has always been a work in progress. In my life JFK’s assassination has been the defining moment in a way that was not apparent until some radically good history became available after the millennium.
FDR's social and infrastructure support certainly helped, but the kicker was the war economy of WW2. That huge investment was then switched to satisfy pent up consumer demand, also helped by the technological advances in part spurred on by the war. I'm not sure where you're going with this, Alec.
We were in Vietnam long before JFK showed up. FDR probably would have gotten us out if he hadn’t been so busy with a bigger war than the penny-ante little battle the French were so insistent on pursuing to maintain their colonial interests in Vietnam, even though they completely collapsed when their home territory was overrun by Nazis. Eisenhower should have gotten us completely out and let the Vietnamese run their country by their own lights. He knew better but bamboozled himself with anti-communist flim-flam and left our Vietnam operations in place, which eventually led to the tragedy that caused so much suffering in Vietnam and quite a lot here, too, in families that did not or could not manage to keep their loved ones out of the battle. Most of the blame lies with Eisenhower. JFK was seduced by anti-communist flim-flam, too, but inherited a nasty involvement from his predecessor.
The industrialization of war had already begun in Nazi Germany in the early '40s, 20 years previous. We had already imported Nazi scientists by the bucketful. Many histories on this in YouTube.
Good essay, Bill. USA capitulated as American lives lost reached 58000, despite the enormous and very expensive pummelling of Vietnam with mega tons of bombs and artillery, not to mention napalm. For all that, the south Vietnam government imploded. Most of all, something like a million and a half Vietnamese lost their lives. Not that many more than Americans who went down to Covid.
My husband was not drafted. He signed up to go in the Army because at that time, he was pushed by his parents to go to college and study accounting. That was not his forte. He dropped out and enlisted. Needless to say, he did not know they were sending him to Nam. He was there from 1968-1969, just enough time to live through horrors, get Agent Orange, and falciparum malaria. Then 30 years later, PTSD set in. He will be 78 in January. Has taken him 54 years for the VA to acknowledge that he had Agent Orange, malaria, PTSD, and thyroid and sleep deprivation problems. They’ve deemed him 90% disabled. Takes losing an arm or a leg to get to 100% as the rating system is convoluted.
True. Though consider the mindset of many draftees. I am unaware of any number of reliable studies. My thoughts are both localized and, beyond that speculative. Teenaged kids throughout stretches of the country are trapped. They might like to be elsewhere, but how. An involuntary escape valve appears that promises nearly automatic hero status. The opposing pressure is that:
A) one remain in place and feeling trapped, small, aimless and lost
B) one relents to perceived pressure and rises amongst peers to interesting status; amongst many elders, the status of a serious person and possible hero.
C) F! Yeah! Let’s talk sh*t and F someone up. Later they say, I’m gonna frag that Officer.
D) I want to serve when duty calls and my family shares this nationalistic sentiment.
Likely a dozen or more other personal scenarios.
In a sense, response to being drafted has always been a tough form of voting.
We lost the election because we spent more time fighting Trump than selling ourselves as leaders, especially when it comes to the economy. I can easily find Trumps top ten accomplishments after his last presidency. Where are Biden’s. Although I think Fox “news” should be taken down.
Can you really find Trump's top 10 accomplishments? If so, what are they?
I have asked on several different forums, both left and right leaning to name just 4 things that Trump accomplished that made America great. All I get are crickets.
Trump made a lot of promises and broke them all. Most of them were terrible ideas anyway or just lies.
But I agree Sandra that the media dwelled on Trump's BS ad nauseam during Biden's term. Every time the Biden organization accomplished something Trump either took credit for it or denigrated it or went after a group of people he marginalized.
The Biden administration has approved, started and/or completed over 74000 infrastructure projects- over 74,000 of them so far and counting.
Look at today. The election was a month ago, with 2.5 months until tfg’s inauguration. Since then, all we have heard in any media is Trump, Trump, Trump. He demands it and he gets it.
I completely agree, Gary. It infuriates me that Biden and his cabinet have not been given credit for all that they have accomplished. But that's the power of the right-wing media.
Thank you for reminding us of President Biden’s cabinet. When we are reminded of a different member of it, I marvel every time. There are people who don’t know that the Secretary of the Interior is, for the first time, a Native American, Deb Haaglund. And Majorkas, enemy of the right, is always impressive. Yet we are learning with Trump’s criminals. (I count people who don’t care about their fellow Americans’ lives as criminals.)
We as a country are immature and right now we are showing it at its most basic level of childhood, in a time where self-education of whatever sort is definitely needed just to sustain a moderacy of civic-responsibility-as-behavior, for starters. No matter what your beliefs. Why would we give all this attention to a bully if we ourselves were mature enough to see through him, and give him no attention at all.
That’s very true. And now the cheating that republicans are doing in North Carolina to take the Supreme Court reelection away from Allison Riggs is not getting in the news. Her opponent, a judge, is trying to disqualify 60,000 ballots. 💔🤮💩. Shouldn’t that be in the msm headlines? Here’s a local report but also read Mark Elias of Democracy Docket. They are hand counting right now.
And how much grift and graft came from this calamitous wall.
Republicans quickly point out how much we can get from cutting SNAP benefits and Medicaid, when Trump just spend $10 million to go meet with Macron for a photo-op. And every time he golfs it costs us big bucks.
There was so much disinformation by Extremist outlets including Musk and his x machine, last minute lies by his RBG PAC, voter suppression, bomb threats, fires in ballot boxes. Did I leave anything out?
Biden is a tremendous president with many accomplishments, especially when looking at the macro level. But the gains were uneven when looking at the micro/individual level. And it ALWAYS takes much longer to build than it does to destroy. I noted that legacy media rarely talked about the macro while constantly talking about the feelings of people still disaffected.
And media constantly brought up the very badly defined poll question "Do you like the direction the country is headed?" What a meaningless question with an even more meaningless answer. There is no way of defining what "direction" means to a respondent; it could be any number of things, and it could change in a whim.
Kamala could have spent more time earlier sending home the positive side of her message and less time giving into his muck-raking. I fear she shot herself thus in many respects in the foot. I feel your point, though we will never know the actual truth, is definitely valid.
I respectfully disagree. While the "Joy" message resonated with me and those that "have", it was a slap in the face for those who can't afford the basics and are one small emergency away from financial disaster - including homelessness.
In the 40 years - 1981 to 2021 - $50 TRILLION went to just a few people. And despite some recent small gains, wages have stagnated for everyone else. Stagnated as the costs of housing, health care, education, child care, FOOD all have escalated. American life is unaffordable. Ain't no JOY in that.
People have lost faith in the "American Dream". Young people are still living in their parents basements because they can't afford or find a rent - let alone buy a little starter house.
No, with complete respect, I suggest that she did not COMPLAIN enough! The financial pain and economic injustice of this time in America is what lost us this election.
It is long past time that Democrats harked back to its roots of FIGHTING for the common person - the people who do all those jobs many look down upon. Those jobs that hold the civilization together but pay crappy wages and have little or no benefits.
One target could be the "gig" workers. Good grief. A person who drives a vehicle (arguably an essential service for many) until he can barely stay awake gets paid bupkis with no benefits because he is an "independent contractor"? I call that bullshit.
If we want to know why 90 million didn't vote and over 75 million voted against their "better interests" - we need to get out of our bubbles and find a new populism that redistributes the National Treasure. We need to get ANGRY for the people who are being short changed and abused by modern capitalism.
I love the Obamas. I slept well when he was president. But Barack is in a bubble of privilege. We need new leaders who can feel and express the pain of American life as it really exists for most.
YES! It's hard to turn around 40 years of neoliberalism in 2 years (of Democratic trifecta) or 4 years of a presidency. And this time mirrors that of the industrial revolution in terms of job disruption. We need a government willing to cushion some of those systemic blows hitting individuals through no faults of their own.
I don't remember Harris spending much time bashing Trump at all. But I agree that we Democrats have failed to articulate a positive vision for ourselves, and have let the MAGA Republicans define the terms of the debate; by attempting to refute their arguments, we reinforce them. George Lakoff proposed this idea years ago, but the Dems have not yet heeded his message.
Exactly right! So glad someone else has read and understood Lakoff. Obama doesn’t seem to have noticed the Harris-Cheney campaign stops were greeted with disdain by the legacy media. If reaching accord on democracy while continuing to insist on policy differences is treated as a mere stunt or natural alliance of “Trump haters” the coalition isn’t really seen as such. And people only see what the media “sees”.
I came here to say this too. Thanks for writing it better. After the election, there was so much blame casting on the Democratic outreach to non MAGA Republicans, even though Biden did even more of it. If that wasn't an attempt at coalition building and reaching for centrism I don't know what is. And she did so with "good feelings" to counter the negativity of MAGA. But more Democrats didn't get out the vote, in spite of massive efforts and the need to counter all the Republican gerrymandering. I think enough Dems equated all politics with MAGA dystopia and washed their hands of the conflict exactly at the wrong moment. Or possibly, they feared retribution and left it up to others. If only 120,000 voters across three swing states had voted differently, the entire world would be safer.
A 'Leader' Leads... Comedians Muck Rake... The Polls showed for a long time that the Economy, the 'Felt' Economy, and the Border were the leading concerns... Kamala should have asked her High-Priced Consultants to devise a Simple 'Bumper Sticker' Message to Hammer home the Message that Help was coming... 'Joy' is Nice, but when over 1/2 of the Country is living Paycheck-2-Paycheck, Tangible Plans Matter....
What were Trump’s tangible plans? He simply said that he would “fix things.” This coming from a white man was enough to convince many that he was the better choice of the two. Also the other choice was a woman.
If Harris spoke about Biden’s successes in anything other than generalities she was accused by those on the left of having no original ideas and (like Biden) not being progressive enough, while getting hammered by Maga politicians as embracing Biden’s “failed policies,” despite their claiming money brought to their districts by the Infrastructure Bill and the Chips in Science Act as personal accomplishments.
Traditional news media, fearful of being accused of “liberal bias” constantly embraced Trump’s rhetoric, his blatant lies, as legitimate talking points.
For instance, after weeks of complaining that Harris was being “vague,” she published her detailed 80-page plan to continue and expand Biden’s historic rebuilding of the economy the headline in The (failing) New York Times was “Harris Now Has an Economic Plan. Can It Beat Trump’s Promises?”
Still, nothing was as detrimental to Harris’s campaign as the purity tests imposed by those like, MSNBC’s “Ben Burgis [who] condemned… “centrist liberalism” as inadequate to address the real problems of inequality.”
The repeated claim that Democrats could only beat Trump by being more progressive flies in the face of the reality that roughly two percent of voters believed the policies are already too liberal, not to mention the legions of cultists who actually believe Trump’s inane accusations of Democrats being radical communists determined to destroy the country.
Progressive critics like Burgis would have stayed on the Titanic crying about their being an insufficient number of lifeboats disproportionately filled with First Class passengers, instead of recognizing that the best chance for survival would be teaming up with a crew trying their damndest to build more, larger lifeboats as quickly as possible.
No. We lost the election because Biden was asleep at the border for three long years. But our side will never understand it. We keep our blinders on because this is the way we can live with ourselves. A retired cop friend at lunch looked at me and stated it was the border. I knew it was when I vied the stories day after day of thousands rushing over hot sands. Snap out of it. It was mainly the border.
And Biden preserved most of Trump’s policies there and acted additionally to find alternatives for desperate people. If that is perceived as “asleep” then the real problem is with what people get to see in the media and how effectively Trump’s continued repetition of lies worked.
I firmly believe those votes were shredded, dumped or misplaced and machines were tampered with. How convenient that bomb threats closed dozens of locations. Who stayed behind and what did they do? Time for those in the know to make a full confession. I find it hard to believe that so many Americans admire a cheating, lying, greedy unhuman who is mentally, physically and morally challenged.
Nope. Not Biden. Congress refused to act on the 'crisis'. But border agents kept on working, aid workers kept trying to keep people alive, courts continued struggling with case loads, and people from other lands, who won the lottery of safe entry, contributed to keeping this economy grinding along, keeping food on the shelves and packages on doorsteps.
Bill, where are the stories about Trump promising to add 15,000 additional border and ICE agents and only added about 400 in 4 years? Or about the grift and graft from building only 49 miles of new wall? Or how the wall has been breached over 5000 times? Or how there are dedicated crews to fix the daily breaches of the wall.
I live about 80 miles from the Canadian border and there are still crossings that are only open M-F. There was a great story about a Mainer who lives a few blocks from one such crossing and for years, he walked to church on the Canadian side, illegally crossing the border. When he was arrested during the Trump administration, and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine AND use the closest 24/7 crossing there was an huge outcry from the public. The closest 24/7 crossing was an hour away so it would have added 4 hours to his worship service commute. ICE backed down and waived the fine and allowed him to walk across the bridge.
My point being that if he had been Hispanic, no outcry, but being a white Christian, it was ok to break the law.
I've crossed the Canadian border from Maine at Coburn-Gore several times. If there was someone waiting to pick me up on either side, it would be easy to cross the border. I'm sure there are hundreds of miles across the northern border, where this is the case. But no one seems to give a damn.
The corporate media and Trump ONLY focused on what Biden was not doing, and never on what a total cluster fuck the border was during the Trump years and will likely be again.
We lost due to Russian psy ops. Hate of the "other."
Trump was the poster boy for employer sanctions for hiring illegals on his job sites. Uses (to this day) temporary foreign workers on his properties so he doesn't have to hire the locals.
Trump was know in New York circles for hiring illegal workers on his building project then stiffing them knowing they would have no legal recourse. He was also know for stiffing his creditors. This is the prince of a man who once again fooled so many.
Biden and Harries worked a three pronged approach regarding border issues: turning people away at the border itself, working with origin countries to reduce the violence causing emigration (dropping Venezuelan emigration by 75%) and working with Mexico to prevent crossings on Mexico's southern border. Biden/Harris also instituted an in-country application and border appointment app that reduced asylum seekers just showing up and a deportation penalty that reduced repeated border crossing attempts.
We lost the election because of multiple factors, especially because Harris was seen as an incumbent and not a candidate of change. Even though Biden was definitely an agent of change, although you wouldn't know if by listening to the corporate media, who didn't want change threatening the oligarchs. Incumbent governments worldwide have been taking a hit. Misinformation was a huge factor. There was also misogyny and racism involved. Despite all that, Harris barely lost the election. People want systemic changes, which Biden was working on (moving away from Reaganomics, etc.). Unfortunately, many low information and misinformed voters don't know that what they voted for was the opposite of what they wanted -- they wanted change the benefits middle- and lower-class Americans, not change that helps the oligarchs and the religious fanatics.
I would ask how did “the border” hurt you and your friend? How did it affect your daily life? I am not interested in your actual experience, not how some news outlet told you to feel.
Have a look at the "What did President Biden Do Today" Substack and you will get an idea of the reaching out, acknowledging and talking he does every day to keep things running. Not to mention the things he has started - US manufacture of chips, improved roads and bridges, new company startups, higher wages......
i thought i heard quite a bit of Biden accomplishments myself. On inflation, maybe that was the killer, since although it had finally reduced to 3-4%, all the price increases still remained 10% plus higher, esp food, and American household wages mostly remained tighter. Incumbency under that, and the border surges which played right into Fox/Maga hands between them likely turned to trick, and only marginally so, to Trump .
and that a lot of people were not going to come out to vote for a woman of color... I heard a 'learned' analysis - maybe on a NYT podcast - trying to explain how Missouri could approve a pro-choice law at the same time as voting for Trump. The disinclination of people of Missouri to want a Black woman as president was not mentioned. Bizarre!
Inflation wasn't the killer, the media and Republicans bitching about it was and not accepting responsibility for the Covid-19 disaster which caused the supply and supply chains to go wonky.
When people complain about food prices, many of them don't even go to the grocery store. They get fast food from Subway, Taco Bell, McDonalds, etc. And then complain because it cost $40 bucks for a meal that they could make for $20 or less.
Everyday I go to the local convenience store/gas station to get coffee. (Don't judge me). More often than not, there are people in line that buy cigarettes or booze. Does someone that spend $300-$600 a day on cigarettes and $100 a week on booze really have a right to complain about food prices?
Per HCR’s letter: “Most of all, though, Obama noted, American pluralism worked well because it largely excluded women and racial, gender, and religious minorities.”
We lost the election, Sandra Simpson, because Democrats value systemic fairness under the law and in the workplace for black Americans and other marginalized groups. Republicans promise to preserve systemic unfairness, and, they deliver by garnering the votes of people whose top political priority is to preserve system advantages for white Americans. That accounts for every Republican victory since 1968.
:I have the same issue, Matt. " but I am willing give it another try because what alternative do we have? Go into battle with our neighbors and families. I will try anything reasonable before I do that and while I am resisting the Trump regime.
That is certainly true for the "hard core", the Dems lost at the margins, and among their own electoral support, just enough to throw the Electoral College the other way. Back and forth thus now for 3 presidential elections.
I’m skeptical about that too, Matt, but we had an experience while door-knocking for Democrats in Oct. My wife and I talked to a mother and her 19 year old son who were leaning toward Trump and gave them our talking points which you can probably imagine. We talked long enough to correct some misinformation they had about the Covid vaccine and Obamacare and they were receptive even though their husband and father was a strong Trumper. That wasn’t our typical experience, but reaching out sometimes works.
If you know people who think the Bible is absolutely true, try reminding them that for that to be so, not only would the Almighty have to have guided the hands if all those who wrote the original Bible, but also the hands of all those who have translated it since. A friend from college did a new translation of the Pentateuch yeas ago. I wanted to see if I could get an autographed copy. How many people have a signed copy of the Torah?
Matt, if the Bible is absolute truth, then it’s on your side and against their side.
Ask them to state Christianity’s founding principle. If their statement is to Jesus’ statement what up is to down, then ask them who you are supposed to believe.
Jesus’ statement is in Luke 10:27. Translation: When your heart (intuition) conflicts with your mind (logic), don’t follow one or the other and instead work to resolve the conflict. Also, when your opinion conflicts with your neighbor’s opinion, don’t follow one or the other and instead work to resolve the conflict.
Did Jesus say Luke 10:27 is Christianity’s founding principle? Yes. See Matthew 22:40.
What is “Christian” Nationalism’s founding principle? “‘We’ are right, ‘they’ are wrong, and this conversation is over.” Amirite?
The problem is not so much that these "Christians" have no compassion or fail to understand the basis of the teachings of Jesus, but that Fox and other rightist media have given them a view of Democrats as atheistic, unChristian heathens, out for a good time and as many abortions as they can find. Once the thought of Hilary running a pedophile cult in pizza shops is put into their minds, it's hard for them to forget, and it colors all their other views about the issues.
Despair, yes, and frequently a deep welling of rage, something I've never experienced before in a long life. It's like watching the outbreak of a deadly contagion. The sight of Elon Musk in the cathedral in Paris - Elon Musk! looking around him as if calculating how much he could buy it for. Trump patting the arm of the heir to the British throne and saying, "Good man! He's doing a great job!" After which they sat smiling on plush furniture while the cameras clicked and clicked and they pretended to be conversing. I think that for once Prince William's preparation must have deserted him - what could he possibly have found to talk about other than the wet weather?
Sorry, but this is a fantasy. Bridge the divide with MAGA?
I really don't care about bridging a divide. I want things to change. If that means playing rough and simply rolling over the MAGA then I'm all for it.
No, we must be assertive, resist, and march if necessary to not enable fascism. They want us to roll over and give them a "mandate" to do what they please, including, once "criminals" are deported, to go after dissidents, anyone who disagrees, as history and other countries have proven. However, I feel that Obama is touting DEMOCRATIC pluralism, and isn't suggesting it give into ignorance and intolerance and lack of inclusion. IF WE LET THEM, LIFE AS WE KNOW IT MAY BE OVER FOR A WHILE. But if we consistently not cooperate, I hope and feel there can be a productive election in 2028, if still possible in this country, if our country is still recognizable. It's up to us. Other countries like Ukraine have gone through this constantly and time and time again survived. And fascism once Trump is gone for good will rear its ugly head again. Trump is a symptom, a figure head of people wanting to escape freedom during economic uncertainty, real or imagined. Look at it throughout history. It happens repeatably, for which education and political training of our youth is so important and so critically crucial. Don't give up- or in.
And even as I try to work with my family members, I agree with you, but why not try both. I feel uncomfortable with not resisting because of what we saw in the 1930s in Germany. The brutal repression happened to those who sought appeasement. You can’t appease a guy like Trump, you have to resist.
Obama is touting mature and practical ideas. For the people who think about that stuff. Philosophically nice stuff. But he is in the clouds.
He needs to go back to his organizing roots and find the people who are about to be evicted because they haven't paid the rent, because two or three jobs still doesn't pay for the whole package of life that is infinitely more expensive than it was.
There were factory jobs where you were paid a modest wage, but there was a pension, there was health insurance. There was hope. Now there are jobs as "independent contractors" with no benefits and shit for pay. No hope. No joy.
Most Americans didn't vote Democratic because we didn't stand for CHANGE. They view things not through the lens of history, but through eyeglasses that don't work as well as they did five years ago - but can't afford new ones.
Americans are broke. The system is broken. We need to campaign on fixing it. The rich are TOO rich and the poor need some serious HELP.
The rules have been broken by both “sides” in my opinion. Democrats are nearly as bound to billionaire overlords and corporations as the GOP. The pluralism Obama was alluding to ( I hope ) is a recognition that the obscenely wealthy are the outliers, and that we have much more in common in the middle. In many instances now left and right have a hefty Venn diagram of agreement. That’s our battle for the future if this nation.
We bridge the gap by providing stories of democratic success. The news and most of us are in the trap of bad mouthing Trump so much our message is lost. Why do you think he talks about immigrates eating pets? It made more news than the billions Biden is saving us by ramping us the IRS or creating 1.6 million jobs. How many of us have posted how many jobs Biden created? We really need news that is in short burst
“Our message is lost”. This is a very important point!! Barbara McQuade in her book Attack From Within writes about the many tactics being used to manipulate us and it is kind of shocking how pervasive they are. Even in this forum. Trump has even said that bad news coverage is good for him.
I can’t figure out how to edit what I just said. So I will add that we need to do a lot more thinking about the things McQuade writes about and how they are affecting how and what we are communicating.
Patricia, if you are on a laptop, you can go to the three dots at the right edge of where your name is, click on those, and if it is your post, you can get an edit option. If you're on a mobile device (at least on Apple products) there isn't an "edit" option that appears.
Obama is correct in emphasizing “the better angels” of our nature and cultivating them. So let’s not assume it was Harris who failed to do so. I still think the main themes of her campaign were correctly chosen. The harder issue is dealing with information manipulation and that is not what Madison was focused on. I think understanding more about Adams and the Alien and Sedition Acts and more about Thomas Paine and the circulation of pamphlets will tell us more about the threats and responses than preaching comity will. Obama did and Harris did, and to some degree it worked. Had Obama been running 24/7 against Trump’s lie machine his appeal to core pluralist values (which Harris echoed) would have faced the same problems (minus the enhanced misogyny) she did.
But that’s the point. It’s one issue at a time in which we are in agreement. Which leads to the next issue on which we can find agreement. And so on. And the other person has people on which some agreement can be found. We can’t expect wholesale capitulation. Like, you know, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step and all.
David, no one is asking you get a red hat and start beating women! The idea that HCR is written about today is the common fabric that has held communities together for centuries. The division is created by the .01% billionaire class to divide us through social media and crap TV news. There IS a common thread that weaves the fabric. We all want to make a living wage, give our children opportunities, breathe clean air. We all want social security, and healthcare. We all love our families even if we can’t understand why they voted differently. If we can’t find that thread and weave it back onto the fabric of America 🇺🇸… we are totally fucked. Think about that.
"The power of pluralism, he [Obama] said, is that it can make people recognize their common experiences and common values. That, he said, is how we break the cycle of cynicism in our politics."
But obama did say without appeasement where there is no common ground like project 2025 and all the other crap he is doing. I also think Obama was saying to seek pluralism on a local scale. We’ve already seen that it doesn’t work with Trump on a federal scale. Just look at all the bipartisanship he quashed
I agree. We should have and should now going forward concentrate on pluralism on the local and state level. This was an error in the Democratic Party during the last election.
Stephen Covey, from his 7 Habits book - I used to have a Franklin planner themed around his philosophy, and while I haven't kept one in years, from time to time his mottos pop up. Another one I still repeat to myself is, "Begin with the end in mind."
That book helped me manage the chaos of innovating and of doing more than I knew how to do. My anxieties decreased and agency increased. Overwhelm eased as I used Covey's suggestions for planning time naming my roles and goals for each role in a week (day/year). His directions for writing a personal mission statement served me well too.
It seems like people here are struggling to understand what Obama meant. I interpreted it to mean “go ahead and work with your Republican neighbors at the community center distributing meals or Christmas presents for kids.” Maybe that group, both Rs and Ds, then recognizes that the city needs a different approach to affordable housing. We become allies at least on one issue.
Once these anti-democratic extremists take power and begin to enact their radical changes to benefit their oligarchic henchmen we should see the parting of ways between the unknowing voters who put them into office. Then the pluralistic coalitions can begin to form.
Obama and Biden were underrated candidates who knew how to win elections and connect with people directly while being pragmatic. A lot of progressives can't even win an election in their own districts yet want to constantly impose purity tests and tear down our party. They want to remake the Dem party similar to how MAGA has remaken the GOP. It won't happen and that's why they are infighting right now and seeking blame instead of responsibility. We need more Democrats to speak up like Obama is right now and for us to own and craft the narrative of what we stand for as opposed the people who are chronically online crafting it for us.
We cannot, cannot even begin to think of any kind of opposition rebuilding until we stop name calling. "MAGAts"? Seriously?
"Think of American democracy like a marriage. You have to actively work to make it healthy and functional. Neglect those basics – or ignore the forces seeking to pull it apart – and by the time you finally realize or admit you have a problem, it might be too late to fix. That prospect should scare every American – no matter your party affiliation. That it doesn’t suggests we are already in some real trouble."
And what should we do about the cheating and constant lies? Read up on what’s going on in the North Carolina Supreme Court race where the republican challenger, a judge(!), is trying to get 60,000 votes decertified. Democrat Allison Riggs won reelection. Also they have passed laws to take away the powers of the newly elected Democratic governor and lt. governor. Shouldn’t the justice dept be making some noise?? Cheating fat fingers on the scales of justice is illegal, isn’t it??
JustRaven. Agree in all aspects of your post. We should direct our energies to the persuadable because the others will not be turned away from supporting death star and the hatred he espouses. A lot of this, unfortunately, is wrapped in the flag.
Not convinced that President Obama was a great President; not sure that he had the chance to be. 🤔
But, one thing that is certain to my little mind: President Obama was one of our finest Presidents. 😇
"The Federalist Papers" -- nearly gave me glaucoma the first time I read them -- is edging its way onto my 'to re-endure' list along with "1984" as per Ms Vance's rec. 🙏
Unfortunately Democratic voters didn't gave a damn about the midterm elections in 2022 and didn't even show up to vote but Republicans did and took control of the house. We can't afford to let that happen again.
Per Wikipedia the first 77 Federalist Papers (1-77) were published as a "Collection of Essays" in 1788 in New York. The remaining 8 Federalist papers (78-85) were written & published in May 1788.
Time for Barack Obama to write & digitally publish Federalist Paper #86. I recommend publishing on 1/19/25 or 1/2125. 🇺🇸
Those people wearing the red hats at those rallies are having fun. They are bonding. Trump gives them false but sure info in which to bond. And our message is lost on criticizing Trump. Obama is doing the right thing. Focusing on facts and truth.
Do you know what they say about the word assume and you would be wrong. That would be Barack Hussein Obama, along with his accomplishes BLM and antifa. And Trevon could be my son and the police acted stupidly and on and on and on. And by the way, Ron calling Trump names did not work for you and if you keep it up, the Republican Party will be in the White House for the next 12 years.
The difference between Madison and Obama is that Madison's goal was to escape the tyranny of a pre-existing monarchy. His concern about future tyranny was just that: a future possibility. Now, we are trying to escape a newly formed insurrection consisting of treason against our own pre-existing and time-tested democracy. Mr. Obama's outlook is logically sound. But it does not recognize that we are now immersed in a home-grown fascism that shows no sign of being reversed. Big difference.
Correct. I was simply referring to the recent date of the Trump insurrections. Not ignoring the principles of fascism (and religious tyranny) which have existed for thousands of years. The Founders got the core principle of democracy right. The Heritage folks just don't get it.
And all your liberals can keep calling it an insurrection, which, technically by the definition of the word it might have been, but when you indicate that it was for the purpose of overturning the government of the United States it’s so foolish to make it sound that way. 1000 unarmed citizens overthrowing the United States government NAH I’m not buying that story.
No, they were not peaceful tourists. They were upset over the results of the election and had every reason to be suspicious about the results of the election, which I have already mentioned in a previous post.
But I I am in utter amazement that people keep posting that this was about overthrowing the government of the United States. 1000 people armed or unarmed we’re not gonna overthrowing the government.
And by the way, the only person that was killed on that day Was an unarmed female who’s family is now suing the government
You say you're a political independent for 40 years and vote with facts and logic, not with feelings and hate. Your absurd comments belie your claim. A thousand unarmed citizens overthrowing the US government? The thousand armed thugs on J6 were the tip of the iceberg. The coup has been out in the open since Gingrich, Limbaugh, Florida 2000, the Tea Party, and now MAGA psychopaths at all levels of the government including the Supreme Court. They are all literally insane. Trump's former loyalists now call him a fascist -- not to see if it would 'work' -- but because they know it is true! But enough. I won't bore you with any more facts and logic.
Well, nothing above had anything to do with fax or logic. So I’m not sure what you were talking about. Let me put in this to contacts for you James you’re telling me that 1000 unarmed citizens we’re going to overthrow the government of the United States is that what you’re saying? And that’s a fact and logic. 1000 I don’t care if it’s 1000 Citizen’s armed with tanks. It wasn’t gonna happen that wasn’t the purpose. And if you want to know, the reason look at the election results on November 5 of 2019 and that’s why January 6 happen Joe Biden the cadaver got 13 million more votes than Obama the God and if that doesn’t cause you a reason for curiosity, I’m not sure if anything ever will And where were those 13 million votes this time around?
Gingrich doesn’t run the government Limbaugh doesn’t run the government and Clarence Thomas doesn’t run the government And the tea party doesn’t run the government and in fact has petered out
The left just needs a little bit more introspection, and honesty
They hid the fact that Biden didn’t have his mental faculties anymore, and then they pulled a coup in the United States of America, an actual factual coup and they put in a DEI candidate and DEI in this sentence means didn’t earn it The entire event was a joke of global scale.
You’re gonna tell me that you were going to vote for this woman to be the leader of the free world she would do nothing but cackle them to death. I hear many people like you that are severely stricken with TDS.
I suggest you wait till January 21 and watch the results that occur for the benefit of all Americans and then you’re free to comment on anything that you feel is amiss.
But I’ll ask you one question honestly why do you think Donald Trump got elected back to the White House after everything you accuse him of doing in his first term or before?
Everything you say is delusional. The answer to your last question as to why Trump got elected in the last election is pure, simple stupidity. Enough people were stupid enough to vote for him. Of course there were many contributing factors to that stupidity, but the bottom line is pure unadulterated stupidity. I have nothing further to say to you.
Fascism does not exist in the Trump administration, nor will it no matter how much you want to twist the words or the actions that you see forthcoming what you will see is American reborn democracy restored safe streets, safe world, low prices, and a bustling economy, right after the law of January stock markets
Pluralism requires more than two national political parties. Madison when he wrote his comments about the new constitution wrote his believes with no understanding that this new government would become one of two major political parties. It is a winner takes it all.
And
The current two party system financed by corporate entities of no limits destroys any and all realities of pluralism.
Hurrah!!! I’m so heartened you’ve brought that up. Our 2 party “system” is a kind of political cartel. Each party will point out that there are subgroups within each. Yet the party machinery crushes these. The parties gerrymander with impunity, pass laws that make it very difficult for another party to get off the ground. They are by nature undemocratic. I don’t know what could cause this to significantly change.
But that is not necessarily what happens at the local level and in the smaller states. So there are pathways more at hand for many to become involved and engage with the issues directly impacting their lives.
We need more protection for the voting rights of people—each person’s vote protected. We need to get rid of the Electoral College for a start. Then improve things so every vote counts and primaries are unnecessary (final five? ranked choice?). I think corporations should be boxed out some how. We need to get big $ out of our politics. I think lobbying groups and corporations should be prevented from influencing elections—no campaign donations and no endorsements. It will be the collective will of individual persons. Campaign season should be shorter (the last 6 mo of a term?). I think U.S. Supreme Court judges should be elected and have term limits and maybe all judges should. We need a lot of reform. While I do not believe the 2020 election was stolen I do think folks know they are up against corruption. I think they picked the wrong guy in DJT to make their stand but they are not wrong in their gut feelings that voting needs an overhaul. We need to renovate this old house, not burn it down. Of course now the religious zealots are insisting on adding a chapel. Nuts!
OK then, find your local Ranked Choice Voting organization, join up, participate. Open primaries and elections with multiple candidates and RCV voting can be grown from a local base to statewide as in Alaska and Maine. Start now by posting this everywhere!
The reply was an offered as a helpful suggestion to a reader who hated your reality that there is an “either side of the aisle”. Regardless, RCV is liked where it is used and has recently withstood referendum challenges in Alaska and Minnesota. MN Governor Tim Walz is a big backer and I’m sure that Alaska is delighted that they were able to choose Nick Begich without him getting primaried out by the Palin faction of the party.
John for your information RCV is only liked by the winners and as I said to another gentleman here a little while ago, RCV is like a miniature elimination of the electoral college, which then totally controlled by the majority and eliminates the other side. It locks the state in to be beholding to one party for decades literally as it has in any state that’s where it has been implemented. I think it’s sickening that people vote by party. People should be voting for the policies that will best benefit most Americans. Period. And despite most of the protestations on this blog, many people here voted for Trump, but didn’t like him, but they like his policies that worked for almost all Americans during his administration, despite a once in a century, global pandemic, and that’s why he’s back in office
If you actually “think it’s sickening that people vote by party” you are exactly the person that should be backing RCV. it allows people to vote their issues without concern that their vote is wasted. Actually, a number of your points seem to indicate that you may be confusing something else with ranked choice voting.
No, here’s what happens in rank choice voting, and I’ll give you California as an example which I live there 30 years and finally fled the disaster that the state turned into. In the near future, there will never be another republican governor. Because the state is dominated by Democrats two to one. people go to the polls and vote for the top two Democrat names on the ballot end of story a Republican will never reach the final vote. And just so you know, I live in a state where the majority party here are the independent party/non declared who are 40% of the electorate . The Democrats are than the next 30 or so and then they’re the Republicans for the next 25 or so. And then there is the rest is scattered. I believe there are two states who is electorate is like that
My point was I just wish people would vote for the person not the party
I welcome a contrasting point of view if I’m interpreting RCV wrong please let me know
Secondly, humans conquered the planet and each other through the power of stories. Collective fictions are our superpower. We absolutely need to harness unifying stories:
The American Dream - the enduring belief that through hard work, determination, and equal opportunity, anyone can build a better life for themselves and their children, regardless of where they started.
We need to tell how the other side is destroying this, and how we intend to rebuild and reclaim it with plenty of honest mea culpas along the way.
Conservative voters like loyalty, tradition, and security. We can offer a better version of all three. We have to meet them respectfully in the echo chambers and the dragons’ lairs.
Yes, we have to keep approaching neighbors, as angry as we are with them. Ok, maybe not the really entrenched, racist, misogynist ones just yet…
But Obama won on a story. A story of him, and a story we all share about hope. It was sincere as hell, and just enough people believed it, too.
Ryan, we shouldn’t overlook his emphasis about active, engaged pluralistic work. Ideas as verbs. I recently revisited Bowling Alone and watched the doc, Join or Die… both drawing on Robert Putnam’s work. My sense is that Obama has drawn from this research as well as Madison.
The genesis of Obama's storytelling was Lincoln. The breadth and depth of his grasp of things was never more evident than in his great Berlin speech - and even that was partially misunderstood. And who can forget "Obama out!" with a literal mic drop.
Is anyone else tired of the constant blaming? Harris and Walz lost because of: pick an excuse and run with it.
They lost because too many voters didn’t bother to vote. From intimidation of voters with threats of violence, to the recklessness of not voting because the non-voters “don’t like either candidate” (as if that will teach a lesson to politicians), too many people stayed home.
And now we all have to live with it. A felon goes unchecked, sexism and racism and all of the isms become permissible, even encouraged; threats are proclaimed with such ferocity, and promised with such conviction that those who are threatened don’t even recognize their vulnerability.
Yes, it’s important to evaluate what happened. But blaming the candidates for falling short is childish, a way of avoiding accountability.
It worked for Hitler. And it has worked for djt TWICE.
We are in deep trouble. This will become obvious immediately after the inauguration.
Can we, and our Constitution survive? Can we remain strong and tireless in the fight for democracy?
One of my sons, insists he's teaching the politicians a lesson and voted for 3rd party. The other son, my husband and I voted for our granddaughters's future! But it is so important to remember and act on some very important FACTS about this election. Muskrat spent 238 million dollars and used his media platforms to spread deliberate LIES to buy the Republican presidential election! Fox news and Russian, possibly the Chinese government and who knows, who else decided it would be fun and profitable to bring down the largest and biggest democracy and economic power in the world.
We haven't even talked about voter suppression. Texas removed a million and a half names from their voter roles. How many of those names belonged to dead people??? What obstacles did those people face if they wanted to re-register to vote?
Georgia removed people too. How many states removed voters that didn't get the media coverage?
Carol, the way I see it, we lost partially due to the factors you cited and partially due to missteps and blind spots by the Democratic Party. The lies were definitely spread by the winning side. But here's the thing. They now own their victory and will have to live with the responsibility that brings. The pendulum will swing back.
See this is the reason you lost when you state things like you did above if you wanna talk about the lies as a reason that a party loses. : the border is secure bidenomics is working.
Inflation is under control and transitory Those were not posted by the Republican side
Rick, I've been reading all your comments on this thread. Welcome to this dialogue. I can only comment that the reality and facts I hold to be true are mostly quite different from yours. By all measures, Bidenomics has been working well. Inflation has come down, and it really was transitory. The US economy is doing quite well. Real wages have gone up, and minority employment has been rising. However, the border was never secure, and the Biden administration should have done more. However, when they finally put forward a bipartisan border bill, Trump and Republicans killed it be abuse they wanted to keep the issue as a campaigning talking point. That obviously worked with you, at least from my point of view.
So, since we have two different realities, how can we have a dialogue here without calling the other stupid? You obviously care deeply about our country, as do most other commenters here. Your candidate won and I sincerely hope your predictions are accurate. However, his rhetoric was indeed scary to this former pro-Republican voter. I hope my worries are unfounded.
OK, let me start here by dynamics is not working and you know how we know that just Google the price of every day items that people are complaining about every single day that have doubled or up 20 to 40%, depending upon the commodity. Nobody, but you thinks that Bidenomics has worked. By the way, the average citizen has no idea what the word inflation means nor the word economy what they know is when they go to the grocery stores and they can’t afford to buy what they want that’s called inflation to them when they go to the gas station and gas is four or five dollars a gallon or even seven like it was in California that’s inflation to them. You probably haven’t seen the news on your networks, but people were going to the checkout stand at the grocery store and had to return items to the shelf and take them out of their cart because they couldn’t afford to buy them.
People are being interviewed on the street and we talked about how they couldn’t afford what they used to buy at the grocery store and had to even skip meals. And fast food restaurants have been dying and going out of business because people are going to the grocery stores because they can’t afford to eat out
We don’t live in two different realities we live one. The reality is that 70%
Of the US citizen said that this country is moving in the wrong direction. Look it up yourself, please. There’s war is breaking out all over the world. There were none during Trump’s administration prices were less expensive during Trump’s administration for Gasoline in California went up to over seven dollars during Biden‘s administration And As recently as last week, gasoline in Nevada was four dollars and in many places here during Trump it was $1.80. That’s what inflation means
The worst thing to me is that most people who seem down about this election forget that Donald Trump was already president If not for Covid, he would be leaving office On January 20. There were no wars the border was closed as much as the Democrats would allow it because they stopped the wall from being built Which cost about $10 billion to build versus 150 we’ve paid so far for a legal immigration and it’s gonna cost another hundred billion to Deport them.
There will be a small role in the group in the stock market the beginning of January like there is every year, but after that judge what happens based on January 21 on, I’d be more than happy to have an additional dialogue with you anytime along the way
And I haven’t even mentioned the political issues that the Democrats caused having an actual coup in the United States when they’re the ones that kept talking about a threat to democracy
JE the border was not secure, but it would’ve been had the Democrats not blocked the bill allowing the wall to be continued to be built. And by all estimation, there’s been over 20 million illegal immigrants come into this country. There are 1.4 million in this country who are on deportation order and are still here. You can Google yourself the number of criminals known illegal criminals that that had records of felonies in their country and now they’re here now they’re 17 states that have this gang from Venezuela that in that have raped women that have killed people such as lake and Riley and are taking over apartment buildings by force. Just google it and you’ll see that side of the real the border would be closed if the wall had been built for all intents and purposes you have to be honest with yourself. Google these things see how many illegal immigrants came into this country and how many got away there even have. There are currently 350,000 illegal immigrant children where the government doesn’t know their whereabouts and the suspicion is that many of them are now being trafficked not to mention the fentanyl that is entered our country in the meantime.
Rick, please provide proof of non-citizens voting. Ditto for dead people voting. Accusations are not the same as proof. The 2020 election wasn't stolen.
( Where most people agree is that proper ID must be used to vote. My opinion: How to get that ID is where the debate should be.)
What am I your research assistant? There is plenty of news that you can Google to verify that. I didn’t say the election was stolen in 2020 I said it was rather unusual for a semi cadaver named Joe Biden with no major legislation in his name to get 13 more million votes than Obama the God. That’s what I said curious to say the least. And it’s amazing for people who keep talking about. You have to accept the results of the election. I believe there was an issue with the Senate race in Pennsylvania with a democrat protesting the results. Then there was Al Gore then there was Jill Stein, who actually had a recount in five states while the Democrats cheered. And then, of course, that Hillary Clinton still says her election was stolen.
Just google evidence of non-citizens voting keep in mind that every state has its own policies as to voter ID and you might want to know that there are a number of states that do not require proof of citizenship to vote
And with one click of my iPad, I found 15 states that do not require proof of citizenship to vote. And many more use loopholes in addition to that to allow others to vote. And you might not know this but about over 1 million or more people were removed from the voter rolls because they were dead then they’ve been on the voter rolls for any anywhere from 15 to 20 years still being dead.
Trump has said he will prosecute over 100 people including Biden, Pelosi, Harris and Cheney. But, he has to get an indictment from a grand jury and then get past a judge that will allow the prosecution of said indictment.
And then, when the DOJ's case is built on lies instead of facts, the indicted parties can sue for 1) malicious prosecution, 2) defamation of character, 3) tortious interference, 4) maybe something else cause I'm not a lawyer.
None of the issues you pointed to is why you lost not one of them
If you paid attention, 70% of the country thought that this country was headed in the wrong direction and indeed it was. That's the main reason you lost. It didn't help that you kicked Biden out of Office and you appointed someone who didn't earn it.
Obama is charismatic... and wrong. The old guard Democrats failed over and over for decades. On their watch the middle class and everyday people suffered. Obama consistently screwed up by trying to meet Republicans half way. And over and over he got the short end of the stick. Remember the horrible Grand Bargain? Remember the horribly insufficient stimulus of 2009? That resulted in the Republican tsunami of 2010. We're still reeling from that.
Good Lord will the old guard never learn?
Pelosi, Clyburn, Biden, Schumer, Obama and Harris - get out of the way. These are Democrats enamored of the top 5%. These are Democrats that wanna play nice. They come unprepared to do battle. They bring a smile to a gun fight.
Pluralism only works if the other players aren't rancid, lying weasels.
I don't care one iota about bipartisanship. I want to roll over the enemy - the Republicans.
Obama: "2023 he discussed ways to address the extraordinary concentration of wealth that has undermined support for democracy globally."... Nice Speech... In Deeds, Not Words, in 2009 Obama Bailed out the Bankers that Crashed the Economy... The Bankers even received their Annual Bonuses... Meanwhile Union Workers lost their Jobs, or Benefits... Millions Lost Their Homes... The Rich Got Richer... MAGA Foundations were helped laid... When Obama ended his Administration, Wealth Disparity had Increased... Deeds, Not Words Matter... Pretty Speeches Are Just A Sugar High...
And the dems in the Senate re-elected Schumer to be their leader again (still). They haven't learned a thing. Or, am I missing something about Schumer's amazing talents? If anyone has a good article about why they did this, please share.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. And it's good that the people on this website read if your side want to win again. Obama is as good as dead.
And when you guys talk about diversity, have you seen the picture of the leadership group of the Democrat party? All white and elderly today. With a little bit of Cory Booker in the background, but that's it.
Timothy Snyder, interviewed today by Jonathan Capehart, said it all.
The orange felon, the convicted criminal – but not by any federal court – proved impunity. Then, too, the Clarence court ruled him above the law. But in all those four years no one at the Department of Justice, no congressional Dems, no federal court could touch him.
Why no urgency? Why just obvious dilly-dallying?
Think about what you would do if someone you loved were in danger. A father, wife, girlfriend, long-best-friend, child, or a democracy – if someone or something you loved were in danger, you would feel it, you would act.
Trouble is, Dems, federal officials, and the courts all showed “love” for them all is only theoretical. Nothing human, nothing personal. “Love” reduces for all of them only to abstraction.
This, finally, is the danger we reached by letting our schools void all our humanities.
We’ve no idea of the personal in real love. We can’t really love. Can’t really act.
One question I have is why the heck did Biden appoint Merrick Garland to Attorney General? Lots of problems would be solved without his obvious stalling and delays.
Did you read the above Letter? Why are you picking a fight all over again?
AG Garland has little time left. Historians will be picking at his actions for a long time to come. There is not one definitive action that got us where we are today.
"For Dems It's A Time for Re-imagination, Re-invention and Innovation -Thoughts on The Path Forward" Simon Rosenberg
Sadly, I saw she left out any role of schools, education, humanities -- all of it, just gone, ignored, as it was for movement-action-friendly Obama.
There was a guy named Thomas Jefferson, a bit older than Madison, who did articulate the vital role of schools, education, and wider referencing abilities -- vital, key, necessary to the democracy.
Nobody believes that anymore. Just give it all up. To the "Christian" nationalists. To the billionaire standardized testers and corporate textbook packagers.
The reason he appointed Garland as Attorney General is because he couldn't get his original nomination of him to the Supreme Court to the Senate for confirmation.
We have Mitch McConnell and his obstructionist tactics to thank for that.
I suspect it was to give him a position that McConnell had denied him. He had the resume for it, but somewhere along the way he lost the prosecutorial fire in his judicial restraint.
Merrick Garland was the CAUSE of the first two years of delay on the federal cases against Trump. He didn't even appoint a special prosecutor until (jack Smith) until November 2022, almost 2 years after he took office as Attorney General. From February 2021 until Smith was appointed, Garland's Justice department basically sat and waited while the House judiciary committee took its time in their Jan 6 hearings.
To say he was "hit" with delays is a compete misstatement of what actually happened. He CAUSED most of the delays and while there is no proof of this, I expect Biden covid with that decision.
When Smith finally took his place as the Special Prosecutor, he had charges filed against Trump within 8 months, but that was already mid 2023, and Trump had already started his campaign for the white house.
Assume for the moment that Smith had been brought in just ONE year earlier. Much of the time-line would have been moved up at least 8 months possibly more. Even with the long delay in getting a decision out of the Supreme Court on immunity, we would be almost a year ahead of the schedule we have been on. It is almost certain that Smith would have had time to file his case against Trump and bring him to trial for Jan6.
Sorry, in the end the real fault in not bringing Trump to justice falls on Biden and Garland for their totally unnecessary delays. The delays they caused were NOT imposed by others but were self inflicted, and while it is true that delays later were caused by others, the entire debacle could have been avoided if Biden and Garland had done their duty immediately rather than procrastinating for almost two years.
But that is pretty dystopic, no? "We can't really live" because you allege that your perceived illusion of the elimination of humanities in the schools leaves us incapable of ANY feeling? SERIOUSLY?
Wow, no wonder you keep reiterating the same old tired point you can't let go of even for a moment. But honestly I think it is because you don't want to even consider what Obama (and Heather I think) suggests, i.e. that the world is complex and that we don't all share the same views but that we can find common ground.
I recognize that the world doesn't always march to my drum. If I could change everything with the wave of my hand, we would all be socialists who love one and other and the world would live in harmony.
But of course that's not reality. So while maintaining my personal view of how things should be in an ideal world, I also recognize that compromise is needed. I am willing to meet others half way.
Agree. Digging in and doing the tired same old scapegoating is a formula for entrenchment. And that certainly closes all the doors for any of the kind of pluralism Obama (and probably) Richardson are talking about.
Stopping the name calling would be a start. That was begun in earnest by him in 2016. Why adults picked up that childish communication is beyond ridiculous. It is wildly divisive. This isn't about hanging out with fascists and being "besties." This is about finding a way to accept the plurality of our Country today. This is about chilling out for a minute.
Can everyone put down their weapons for a darn minute?
Jon, the notion of compromise has been painted by bullies in a derogatory sense; demonized
On the contrary, Compromise is the recognition that opposing sides can each move toward progress in smaller steps where each side gets something they need as they sacrifice getting everything they want. Neither side actually moves forward, in the long run, when ine side is shut out on the conclusion of negotiation
Compromisers are the Great Leaders of a diverse population
Please let me tell you something about humanities, Jon.
None preaches so "we would all be socialists who love one [another] and the world would live in harmony."
All decent, true, and humanly honest humanities deal in complications, contradictions, and inordinate difficulties.
If you want consistency, correct categories, proper fit to groups, and units in nicely chronological order, the place to go is standardized testing.
Americans aren't the only people where no one reads any book in full even at elite universities. It's true, too, in Japan, where I live.
Gutting humanities has a deep, deep, grievously deep cost, Jon. The last four years marked a massive American impotence. You can pretend the dismantling of humanities has nothing to do with it. But if you read some really good books -- in full -- you could see etiology of any society that dumps on, ignores, those who handle complications best, and instead flock to such conceits as let standardized testing concede all to our most vulgar and predatory.
This point really jumped out at me. Our next door neighbor is going to college and only taking courses that will serve her bottomline financially. She only talks about how much money she can make upon graduation. I think, coming from a multicultural family, she’s savvy about the world, politically. But, I do believe there is something missing in her education overall. And your point speaks to this.
Phil, books are good for taking us into the lives of different people, but nothing is better than experiencing life with people who are different from us. We need to find time to interact and share experiences face-to-face and along-side-of people who can open our eyes to other perspectives…it takes time together. Reading a book consumes hours of our time. Time is our most precious commodity. Do we spend enough time with others who are different from us?
Change you are so right and I am constantly attacked because I have different views and most people here. Just trying to keep peoples minds open that in fact, there are people that think differently than the folks here. And if you pay attention to those and work to the middle, everyone will be a lot happier.
If I could change everything with a wave of my wand, I'd give politicians and business leaders and owners a sense of compassion for workers living paycheck to paycheck. I'd remove the thread of jealousy inherent in progressive rhetoric, which assumes all inequality is equally evil in formation, and which annoys too many of us because it's only partially and not fully true. I'd grant the grace of patience to minorities struggling to thrive and create a better future for their children, because progress has been measured in decades, not elections. I'd grant privileged whites the wisdom to see their own privilege and to modify their behavior accordingly. I'd grant Christian Nationalists tge sense of confidence and security that they will remain free to practice their religions even as others practice their own.
What else, domestically? Oh yea. Lots. But those should be reserved for honest political processes conducted by sane and rational actors. They exist, don't they?
"... honest political processes conducted by sane and rational actors. They exist, don't they?"
And you believe in Santa Claus too, Virginia? 🙃
Je, I apologize for that snarky reply... I totally understand your plea although I have no actual answer. At least for the moment, sanity seems to have left us.
We can hope it is only temporary but the dangers of not recovering quickly are like being in a stall in an airplane... Recovery is almost always POSSIBLE but the further you get into the stall and the closer you get to the ground, the more difficult things become. At some point (often referred to as the point of no return) there is no remedy that is not worse than the failure itself.
I don't think we are there yet, but we are a lot closer than we were before this most recent election. .
Sorry Rick you are 100% wrong on that. This election was a disaster for democracy and your head will be swimming in a few months when you see the monstrosities Trump and his minions will inflict on our country and our rule of law. I am old and I live in California so I will probably be safe but we do need to get every person we can working to reverse this catastrophic failure of our democracy. Trump should be in prison right now for 5-10 years for the crimes he has committed but Biden and his AG failed dismally hoping that Trump would just go away. But he didn't and by the time they figured it out and got Jack Smith going, it was sadly too late. Democrats are always too timid, and now we are all going to pay the price. It is going to get a lot uglier before it gets better (hopefully during the 2026 elections). The only saving grace is that most of his henchmen seem almost completely incompetent and will probably screw up the first 12 months of their terms and Trump will probably end up firing quite a few as he did in 2017 and 2018.
Nothing good will come out of this election, that is certain.
Sorry you completely misunderstood my post. I am in favor of finding common ground with intelligent people on both sides but nobody Trump has selected even comes close to being intelligent, just filthy n rich.
And by the way, I am very old and retired 12 years ago. And I like another half 1 million people flooded California because they could no longer take the politics there. And RCV is a disaster the only people who like RCV despite someone else’s post here are the people that win but what happens with RCV is it lock the state up literally forever by one party it’s kind of a miniature eliminating the electoral college which protects all people instead of just the ruling majority
Well, Jon , that’s your opinion. I left California 15 years ago after living in Calabasas for 25 years and seeing the city of Los Angeles, be destroyed by incredibly rampant ridiculous Democrat rule. The street smell like urine there’s homeless everywhere crime is horrible and feel free to walk into a 7-Eleven and steal $890 worth of stuff and walk away.
I’m really kind of at a loss for people on the left side of the aisle to be so horrible at predictions I’m not sure if the crystal ball or is the Ouija board that fail, but as Stephanie rule said Democrats need to stop hallucinating and stop the histrionics because pretty much 80% of what they think is gonna happen never happens. Liberals also seem to Forget that Donald Trump was already president and did an amazing job and if not for Covid would still be an office today and leaving on January 20
This comment isn't directly related to your post. Indulge me a moment: I got myself so upset and sick over the election that I absolutely cut my news consumption by about 80% or more. I read the letter, and a few substacks, and I do keep up with Belle of the Ranch (former Beau of the 5th column) and their channels. I stumbled upon Rick Beato's youtubes. I am NOT even remotely a musician (although I paid for many band instruments, a piano, a keyboard and private lessons for all, for my kids). Rick has been online for about a decade so there is PLENTY of clips to listen to, and I enjoy them and his enthusiasm tremendously.
I happened upon this one, and while watching it I thought of you and wanted to send you a link since you talk about humanities so much.
Anyone whose read any amount of my comments knows I have HS English teacher daughters, and 3 teacher nieces. Smart phone scrolling, in particular TIK TOK, is destroying our children. I applaud Australia! I also read this Yahoo article just the other day:
One of my daughters said that she can't assign ANY reading homework because they simply DON'T DO IT. Period. It is a fight to find an administration that will support the teachers, especially in rural areas where the school board is frequently parents who will fight the administration to get what they want for their kids. She also has said it is near impossible to get them off their phones. I could elaborate on the many issues she and the other teachers in the family have related to me in the last year or two.
This issue, like politics, climate, etc., make me want to throw up--or at least throw up my hands. Sometimes, it's good to be old.
I'm really sorry I have to say this, but if you love America, you'll be thrilled at the outcome of this past election and if you'll wait and be patient and see what the results bring, you may change your mind at least be open minded to that rather than pessimistic and negative in advance
The U.S. has been repeating what China did to itself in the era of Mao. Then, China's "cultural revolution" killed thousands of intellectuals and imprisoned and sent to work farms millions more. The result has been catastrophic since.
Same in the U.S., though American self-destruction came originally with the Powell memo of 1971, and U.S. elites in finance and commerce who just wanted to kill humanities in schools to pave the way for rule by the commercially vulgar.
It worked. They spent hundreds of millions of dollars, and used the concerted schemes of several new far-right foundations, but they killed humanities at all levels in U.S. education. And to make sure the human and personal elements were dead, they added standardized testing and its group, abstracted categorical, and linear conceits to kill literacy.
I'd months earlier seen the Rick Beato video whose link you sent. So true.
I'd known of the anecdotes and research in the other link you sent. It's all so bleak, Miselle.
And now, or soon, we have a convicted criminal as president, and all his vulgar lot.
So pathetic how U.S. elites so blindly followed China's deadly lead.
Phil--probably 12 or so years ago, our HS school district was in trouble and badly needed to pass a referendum. The administrators asked each of the 3 schools to compose a list of "movers and shakers" of the parents. My husband and I were shocked to be on that list--all we did was be on the Music Parents Association, and were two of about perhaps 8 parents (out of a school of 380 or so kids) who attended the Booster Club (primarily for athletics, but the school had dissolved their PTSA years before. (I was told a parent embezzled money from it, but that could be rumor).
The threat was, if the district couldn't pass a referendum, the arts would be eliminated which would include the bands and choirs. (Also, they would eliminate classes like the woodworking shop and the auto mechanic classes. Pretty stupid thinking as the trades need workers.)
Anyhow, we worked our tail ends off. By "we" I mean the music parents. NOT ONE PARENT OF AN ATHLETE helped. Oh wait, our daughters were on the tennis team, so I guess that "counts" eh? The referendum did pass, and it was honestly my very first experience on learning about elections in terms of breakdown of precincts, percentage of people that vote, etc. I stood outside a precinct to hand out flyers. NO fun. People are NASTY. I also made phone calls, not quite blind, as it was all to parents of students. Most were pretty nice, probably because my voice sounded shaky asking them to support the cause.
It's always, always, always, the arts that are the first to go. It's disgusting. And I say that as a big believer in needing STEM education.
Phil, I see the troll has struck us both. I don't engage with him, but it seems the option to block him has disappeared. I was able to block people in the past.
I'm sorry that you see it that way but I believe you're actually about 90% incorrect if you look at the numbers 90+ percent of all university professors are registered Democrats and I believe the number is probably closer to 95%
I watched Obama‘s speech and was happy he finally got into “what we should do” at about the 30 minute point, because the old expression “without a vision that people will perish“ is as true today as it ever was. And while I was happy Obama talked about people coming together to do things, I was not happy that he didn’t suggest doing anything truly bold or maybe even transformational.
We have a huge crisis of confidence in America. I think people saw the Harris campaign as being willing to make marginal improvements around the edges. But we need to organize around taking America back from the oligarchs who are running it today. Had Obama spoken about that kind of goal, his speech would have been historic rather than just prescriptive. Yes, he told us we should work together, but he didn’t suggest anything truly inspiring for us to work together on. He played it safe.
I’m old enough to remember when America sent three men to the Moon and did that multiple times. The era of America during inspirational things must not be over. We need to “boldly go where we’ve never gone before,” as the opening narration of Star Trek talks about doing!
Obama is correct in talking about plurality. He simply does not give concrete ways forward. Lofty ideals and rhetoric did not stop a coup right here in America.
I am for plurality. We need to find concrete, sensible ways forward.
President Obama's POV is nice and it's extra nice that Prof. Richardson ties it back to the Founders, especially Madison. But both Obama and Richardson ignore that forming coalitions and making compromises of the sort that allowed the Constitution to emerge included things like the 3/5 compromise and the equal representation of states in the Senate regardless of population.
The 3/5 compromise and the overall acceptance of slavery into the framework of a society expressly devoted to the equality of all people remains America's "original sin," bedeviling us in ways both obvious and subtle. The structure of the Senate and the related math of the electoral college have become huge structural impediments to majority rule and have in fact perversely allowed a *minority* to control the government and overreach as a matter of course.
Obama, Madison, pluralism...it all sounds good, it's all consistent with my understanding of the way things are supposed to be. But I look out my window and into my screens and it's not the world I see.
Jeff, that "original sin" is two-fold: not just the enslavement of Blacks but the almost total extermination of the Indigenous Peoples and the theft of their land.
Yes, indeed, Jeff. I recall that when FDR's New Deal enraged Gilded Age Rs, the new laws were also the result of compromises which included segregation of racial minorities and frustration of women. Realism, or true liberalism, in politics often leaves out too many who should also be part of "our" progress.
Thank you, Dr. Richardson. The one point I have always disagreed with James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton is their fear of majority rule. Which is the major reason we have the electoral college; instead it has brought us the tyranny of the minority, It was minority (slave owners) who brought us the Civil War and now it is the minority oligarchs who are bringing the end of democracy to be replaced by an authoritarian (supposedly religious based) dictatorship.
We must fight back - and no I don't mean by use of weapons. By standing up for our rights as American Citizens. Another larger rally in support of democracy by all persons who are able, in DC on January 19, 2025, 2 or more million people who prefer democracy to dictatorship. Who want to keep Social Security and Medicare (into which all of us who have worked have paid into, and still pay for Medicare after retirement), These are NOT government handouts, we paid for them all our working lives.
Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are given in support of the very needy. But they're a grain or two of sand on the beach compared to the billions in support given to the top 10% wealthiest in the nation in the form of tax breaks, inflated government contracts, oil depletion allowances, farm subsidies (NOT for small family farms, oh no, they go to mega corporate farms)
The oligarchs whine about giving their "hard earned dollars" to the needy - yeah playing 18 holes of golf, partying on their yachts, sipping mint juleps at the Country Club - that's really hard work. And don't give me that bullshit about what a genius Musk is - his daddy left Elon and baby brother Kimball several million dollars as a start up money, they invested in PayPal and used those gains to buy into Tesla an already existing electric car. Like trump (but smarter) good ol' elon is world class con artist.
“Ben Burgis condemned Obama’s “centrist liberalism” as inadequate to address the real problems of inequality and warned that his political approach is outdated.”
Obama speaks with the gravitas of a black man who won two presidential elections, and who, I believe, keeps as good an eye on the current political landscape as anyone, including Ben Burgis. I give Obama’s observations a lot of weight, and I’m grateful to HCR for bringing them to my attention. I saw no mention of Obama’s remarks in the NY Times, The Guardian, or the MeidasTouch Network on YouTube, my other sources of national political news.
Because Obama isn't George W. Bush, who, when his term was done, went off to paint pictures and forget about the mess he left, and whose opinion on anything is just about worthless.
Pluralism is what just happened in South Korea and Syria in finally stopping their authoritarian leaders from destroying their countries. (Unfortunately through both violence and resolve). Even the responses of the awful murder of UHC’s CEO has brought out pluralistic responses from so many who were universally abused by an unfair system. I believe Obama is correct IF we can course correct to find common ground here in America that will preserve our laws we so dearly need to protect everyone from tyrants and grifters. It must start with a GOP congress willing to see clearly the danger ahead. S Korea just did. We can too.
Regarding Trump's reelection, many hypotheses, speculations as well as theories are circulating. To sort out the reasons or causes why Trump was successful despite many negative dubious characteristics that Trump possess and many of them are serious enough to be able to disqualify a candidate in an election in a normal situation successfully should be the most important element of satisfactory explanations.
Here first for readers' convenience, I would like to line up these unique and unprecedented unfavourable and dubious characters that Trump possesses. These negative points are not exhausting all Trump's dubious features but are the main characters I notice.
1. Trump calls climate change a hoax.
2. Trump repeatedly says he admires Putin as well as Ovan. Both are notorious autocratic leaders.
3. Trump repeatedly hints there will be no election after he reelected, suggesting he plans to be a US president forever.
4. He was found guilty of raping a woman.
5. Many of his comments are full of lies.
6. He kept the US government's top secret document in his private home and tried to block the investigation conducted by the US government.
7. Mainly due to his mismagements during Covid-19 pandemic, over 1 million Americans lost their lives.
8. He repeatedly hinted he will use the US army against what he calls an internal enemy.
9. He repeatedly hinted he will use the US justice system for prosecuting what he calls his enemy who criticized or tried to investigate him.
10. His age. Occasionally he confuses in his speeches and says incoherent things. However he never takes a thorough medical exam nor makes it available to the public. There can be the risk he will pass away or develop dementia during his term as well he can push a doomsday button that triggers WWIII in his confused mental state.
11. He is directly responsible for the Jan. 6th riot attack on the parliament which is unprecedented in US history .
12.Judging from his revengeful, vicious and often impulsive behaviours and speech, apparently he doesn't possess the stable, balanced, and level headed nature which are minimum requirements for one of the most important jobs in the world.
13. spreading a lot of harmful and malicious misinformation continuously.
14. He has a tendency to stir people's aggressive attitude or orientation.
15.He doesn't show any intention of stopping the business with foreign nations even though this is a requirement when people apply for public jobs including the US president.
Some theories are explaining adequately why Trump was reelected despite some aspects of these dubious characters. Others are picking up other points of these infamous characters and elucidating why these points have not influenced his reelection. However none of them can explain why these minus characters didn't prevent Trump from being reselected across a whole spectrum. Ideally successful hypotheses must be capable of explaining why all of these infamous characters Trump possesses didn't stop Trump from reelected. Most plausible
hypothesis must be able to elucidate why these negative features which usually can prevent a candidate from being selected in a normal election didn't stop Trump.
Here I would like to present the following my own hypothesis which can adequately explain why possessing so many negative features didn't prevent Trump from being re-elected as far as I see. I assume that the most plausible hypothesis which can explain the reason why voters ignore so many of his dangerous and dubious characters is that US voters' are losing the ability to make sound judgements and becoming not suitable for maintaining a sound democracy. As many specialists as well as political theories indicate, maintaining a sound democracy needs substantial effort on the voter's side. Sound democracy demands as its foundation that voters are capable of making sound and balanced judgements concerning judging policies as well as political candidates. What is happening in the USA at this moment clearly indicates the majority of US voters are losing these basic requirements for maintaining a sound democracy. I propose the majority of US voters have abandoned these efforts whatever the reason is. Another major index of American democracy is declining is the unbalance between 3 basic foundations of democracy that are the administration branch, judicial branch and the law making branch. For maintaining a sound democracy, these three sections must keep being independent with each other as well as not invading nor influencing nor interrupting with each other. These are the most vital and important conditions for keeping a democracy system functioning in a healthy, safe and sound way. Very clearly under current US situation, admin branch has started invading and eroding judicial branch. From this aspect we can see US democracy is not functioning properly also. No nation ever lasted for ever. This phenomena can be the beginning of the fall and decline of USA as a nation.
We are also the only nation in history ( as far as I know) to allow an insurrectionist to go unpunished. We have a government unable or unwilling to defend itself from a destructive force from within. We have been let down badly.
I agree wholeheartedly and also blame the voters. Including not just Trumpers that voted for him but also all of those that stayed home on the Dem side and didn't think voting is actually fracking important.
If the Dems in positions of power would grow a pair, maybe the voters would show up. Frankly, WTF am I voting for? Bad decisions, ineptitude and corruption allowed a second term to come about. Now they are considering pardoning all the Trump opponents. They better just do it. This is serious.Yes McConnell and the like are responsible for Trump 2.0 but so are the Dems.
Nevertheless, there is hope and intense commitment to mobilize and correct, to overcome oppression. Trump's margin of victory was slim, as were many R congressional and state wins. National legislation from MAGAs will not be easy, but will get firm resistance from not only the Ds but also from moderate Rs. We citizens really can influence, especially with the numbers that well-organized groups have. Courage! We're really a majority.
After the inauguration we might be a majority, but it will be without the power of the Presidency, the Congress and the military. We have willingly abdicated our freedom to a madman because they KNEW without a doubt we wouldn't respond as the insurrectionists and their leader did. We proved them right, didn't we?
The insidious involvement of Musk and the billionaires who have their own agenda significantly lowers our chances of keeping life as we know it.
Thank you for your thoughtful and inspiring reflection on President Obama’s lecture at the Democracy Forum. His historical framing of pluralism as both a guiding principle and a practical tool for navigating the complexities of democracy resonates deeply, especially in these turbulent times. Yet, as you noted, his words invite us to ask hard questions about whether pluralism, as envisioned by James Madison or President Obama, is enough to withstand the crises we face today.
Pluralism, as Obama describes it, thrives on coalition-building, compromise, and a shared commitment to the rules of democracy. But how do these principles function when those in power flagrantly disregard norms and weaponize state institutions to consolidate authority? Authoritarianism thrives on division, the silencing of dissent, and the systematic dismantling of the very institutions that protect minority rights and ensure accountability. When the judiciary, independent agencies, and social safety nets are hollowed out, pluralism’s promise of inclusion and shared purpose risks becoming a façade that conceals deep injustices.
This concern is particularly acute as we witness cruel plans by oligarchs to cut the social safety net—the lifelines for veterans, seniors, and the disabled. These cuts are not mere policy debates; they are an assault on the very idea of “We, the People.” Our vigilance and response must be loud and clear: we cannot allow these attacks on the vulnerable to pass unnoticed or unchallenged. The collective force of “We, the People” must rise to defend these lifelines, for they are the moral foundation of any society that claims to value equality, justice, and compassion.
Obama’s optimism about coalition-building and shared projects is inspiring, but as you astutely observe, it can feel inadequate in the face of such deliberate undermining of democratic principles. Pluralism presumes a baseline respect for the rules of democracy and a willingness to engage in good faith, but what happens when the other side has abandoned those principles? How does pluralism survive when one side has no interest in compromise and instead uses its razor-thin margin of power to dismantle the very structures that enable democracy to function?
Obama’s call for action is essential. Pluralism must evolve from being a philosophical ideal to an active practice of resistance and renewal. It requires “We, the People” to organize, to resist authoritarian overreach, and to rebuild the institutions that uphold democracy. It is not enough to form coalitions around shared values; we must forge alliances that deliver real justice and restore trust in our systems.
In many ways, the survival of pluralism depends on reclaiming the spirit of Madison’s vision—not as a passive process of shifting coalitions, but as a fierce commitment to democracy itself. This moment demands that we stand firm against those who undermine pluralism while remaining open to unlikely allies who may share our belief in fairness and the rule of law.
Thank you, Heather, for sharing Obama’s powerful words and for encouraging us to think critically about their relevance to our current challenges. His call to action reminds us that pluralism is not just about enduring differences but about building a democracy where every voice matters. The stakes have never been higher, and our collective efforts, as “We, the People,” are more critical than ever.
Elaine, you absolutely nailed it. And of all the things that have shocked my patriotism these last few years and pushed me towards cynicism, it's the hollowed out judiciary. Thank you for mentioning that.
I miss President Obama more than ever these days. But I'm glad he is still actively involved, still speaking up. I can only hope that eventually, We the People on the side of the rule of law and democracy can bridge the divide towards those on the other side who are not so well-informed; for the hardcore MAGAts and the bigots and 1% and others willingly following tffg, leave them and focus our efforts on the misinformed, uninformed, and possibly apathetic, and be willing to listen and inform without preaching. We must remember that tffg did not win by a majority but rather because so many were just not interested or were misinformed. We must keep hope alive and keep working together at the local and state levels to move forward in 2026 at the midterms.
I confess to feeling despair most days, though. Time will tell.
I miss the Obama's also. And note that Michelle brought down the house at the convention, and Barak admitted he couldn't live up to it!
Unfortunately, I'm very cynical regarding the ability to reach across the political divide. I've repeatedly tried to to so in my family. But if you think the Bible is absolute truth and also Fox News, nothing I can say will change your mind!
If you think the Bible is Truth, then you have to care for people who are poor and people who need help. “Care for” is not the same as “make a profit caring for”. **the Bible” does not direct people to hate and does not prescribe hatred as a solution to problems! Rather it directs people to care for each other. People who teach the beliefs you refer to while claiming that they come from God, are replacing truth with falsehood and are deliberately painting a picture of the word of God that is incorrect. You have heard of a wolf in sheep’s clothing? The people teaching these lies are wolves rather than angels
It's not that complicated. In Matthew 25 :35-40, Jesus told us exactly how we should treat other human beings :
Feed the hungry
Shelter & clothe the homeless
Care for the afflicted
Welcome the stranger
Absolutely. This is exactly the reason that I abandoned what the sorry excuse for "Christian" religion is these days. Too many self-anointed "Christians" are greedy and cruel. One of my favorite bumper stickers reads: "Good Without a God". Thank you, Ron Reagan.
Linda, I love that. It brings to mind a quote attributed to Lincoln: "When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That is my religion".
And, as an atheist myself, I also applaud Ron Reagan Jr who has the courage to appear in commercials espousing the separation of Church and State and declaring his atheism, and that he's not going to Hell.
And the Dalai Lama said: My religion is simple, it is kindness.
I have a sticker on my dining room window that reads “To do good is my religion.”
Love that quote! I could believe he said it, too.
I didn't know about any of that. thanks!
Unfortunately, once again, we have to clamber over a raft of religious claptrap to get to commentary that adds value to the discussion.
Ron: "I am an Atheist & proud of it".
Likewise, Bryan, likewise!
Apparently, for some reason - too many "christians" are skipping over that! There are lots of different "authors" throughout the Bible. And it would appear that these christians pick and choose only the pieces they like. Which seems exactly what radicals of other faiths do - Isis for instance? And exactly what the current repubs are doing with the Constitution and Bill of Rights! Radicals.
Maggie, I am not a Bible expert, far from it, but it seems to me that the first three Gospels contain the message that Jesus has for us. I think the OT is not the same.
Although I'm no Bible expert either, my favorite quote is from the Old Testament - Micah 6:8
"What does the Lord require of you, O man?
That you act justly,
Love mercy,
And walk humbly with your God."
The word "mercy" also translates to "charity" and "forgiveness", so I take it to mean all three.
What is the OT? (Please do not use acronyms unless they are in common parlance, like MPG and DNA. Obscure acronyms do to the flow of prose what a dead cow does to the flow of a stream.)
Actually Michele the OT is the same Jesus got ALL of his teaching from the OT and he was raised with the Torah from age 12 When the sages in the temple were surprised at what he said it wasn't necessarily any different from what they were teaching It was the wisdom at his age
Remember that Jesus taught Primarily to the Jews and his followers were Jewish disciples
The big problem is mis interpretation of the Bible down through the years
I try not to judge anyone's Christianity The Christian Nationalists are teaching an unfamiliar Bible
They are trying to take over God's role They better look out
The OT is more like preparation for the NT. From rules of behavior to love as the center of the well-lived life.
ISIS was inherently evangelical, and we know where that got them. There are literally over 600 different versions of the Bible, according to a minister with whom I spoke several years ago. Everyone refers to the King James as the Bible of choice, I suppose. And of course, MAGA folks will refer to it as the Supreme word of God. I'm sorry, but for me, it's all nonsense. That is not to say that there are not many truths in the Bible; however, there are also some fantasies. For those who are believers, I only hope they follow:
Feed the hungry
Shelter & clothe the homeless
Care for the afflicted
Welcome the stranger
that KMD quoted. Should they do that, it matters not a whit to me that they are of any religion. I will love them as I love my family members who are believers in the same spirit.
Got that right Maggie lots of "authors" & lots of religious epiphanies (Matthew 2:1-12} that as far as I know did not make it into the "Bible" anthology nor into Gentile's heads.
And we can challenge those who are Pro-BIRTH, and not really Pro-LIFE, when they don't support well woman and well baby care, education, health etc.
True, and that is why atheists like me may be more "Christ-like" than those who claim to be Christians, particularly Trump Christians, because we think that Matthew 25 34-46 is a great prescription for humans interacting with one another. It's a core principle of Democratic politics.
The term "Trump Christians" is an oxymoron.
And there's the rather famous Ten Commandments with Thou shalt not kill, not covet thy neighbor's wife or good, not steal, etc.. If people really believed in the Bible's teachings, they cannot ignore just part of it. They are, in fact, hypocrites. But not everyone who voted against Harris voted for Trump and not all of those who did voted for hate or bloodshed, etc.
Don't forget that Jesus was murdered.
I was raised in the Catholic faith and it has taught me good values that I still use today. If Jesus does come back to us in this era, I believe his 1st words will be Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot
The Catholic faith has deeply hurt my family
Besides its horrific scandals the Catholic Church refuses to give women any form of contraception of birth control in its hospitals and clinics
When you refuse to ordain women and refuse to give them a seat at the table abuse follows
I have a different Jesus
Martha, don’t confuse the Catholic Church with the faith. I deplore the institution for the reasons—and others—you note. But my faith in Jesus is just fine.
In some circles, Jesus was a communist.
I was raised in the Episcopal church, and although I’m a devout atheist, and have been so since I was 8, I still follow the teachings of a compassionate Christ.
"I still follow the teachings of a compassionate Christ."
Bingo.
The Biblical Jesus we know by the surviving record that his teachings (that have been judiciously selected and edited with many contemporary parts discarded - see Gnostic Gospels), certainly would not be welcome at a MAGA evangelical church service today - all the loser talk about doing good to those that would harm you, turning the other cheek and welcoming the stranger - would be laughed at and rejected as it is by those who make religion a political weapon.
NL. I am convinced that even if he walked on water, he would be deported.
Thomas, I too was raised in the catholic faith due to my mother’s insistence as an Italian American catholic. I’m not only well versed in the hypocrisy of this church from a historical perspective, but my personal recollections as well. I believe the only thing that saved me from priestly molestation when I requested to be an alter boy was that darn Latin text that I had to memorize. I looked at it and ruminated I would never be able to memorize this stuff. So instead, I joined the choir where the priests were not invited to hang out with the boys, lol. The choir saved me and hey, later in life I became a singer/songwriter writing about the woes of life. Maybe that early musical experience did plant something in my brain I think so.
I’m proud and very proud indeed, to say that the school expelled me in 7th grade. But if I could go back in time and meet those strict sisters of mercy who taught me and were sometimes mean to me, I would hug each one and thank them for their dedication to education. We were ahead of the public schools by a mile. But the church as a whole is so very corrupt. All religion is. This is no God. It was invented by early man who looked up at thunder and lightening and judged that the supernatural were sending messages to the primates that had recently climbed down from trees and entered caves. We humans are doomed to believe in myths as well as the desire to kill others for land expansion.
I think religion is a way to deal with death, particularly to children who have lost a parent or someone else close to them. It promises life after death and that we will see our loved ones again. If we are law-abiding, we will get to heaven. If not we'll burn in hell. So it's also a way of trying to control people's actions in this life. Comfort and control. Maybe Buddhism is the only religion that does not use those emotions and instead requires that you reflect on your thoughts, words and deeds and try to improve all three.
God dog it.
I was wondering how a Katz got steeped into Catholicism until I reread your first sentence. l'm Jewish on both sides, and I've been an atheist since I was 9.
Hell, it'll be "out of the sky" sweeping up the faithful, per Paul... well, i speak in jest, though millions of Americans still subscribe to the millenial, in my mind, delusion.
Frank, there are many new realities the Sunday morning -- no joke. Headline for Tulsi Gabbard: 'After 24 years of dictatorship Bashar al-Assad has resigned & left the Syria'. Bashar's father ruled for about 30 years. So ... Regime Change.
Moscow has confirmed Bashar is gone but no word as to where. But, it is very cold in Moscow this time of year. Ask Tulsi.
****************
Sunday Update:
Confirmed by MOSCOW announcement, Assad did flee to Moscow & "asylum" was GRANTED by Putin..
Per ABC's Martha Radatz, the al-Assad kidnapped American, AUSTIN TICE, is thought to be still alive by his family.
Although uncertain to make an understatement, U.S. national intelligence access to the defunct Regime's security files for citizens and/or ex-patriots working for the ex-Syrian government is a high priority in the 40 days or so the Biden Team has left.
The U.S, conducted 75+ air strikes 💥 today inside Syria & the border with Iraq. The U.S. still has about 900 troops deployed on the Eastern side of Syria. Raf Sanchez of MSNBC reports Israel has some troops in Syria but, no specifics.
that is a dramatic change for Syria! tba
Bryan. This is quite the story. I did think about Gabbard as one of her buddies is gone.
Well said.
So true,Thomas!!
Sad that I had to think about that!!! And I agree.
Eggzactly! Hate got us where we are today. It does not work! It hurts the hater even more than the hated. We have been manipulated to turn on each other while our manipulators reap huge profits and gain even more power, buying up politicians and judges. And a lot of hatred, especially towards the marginalized, has been spread from pulpits across the nation, instead of love, caring, peace, and forgiveness. Billions have been reaped by the rich, and spent on campaign ads while many of us go hungry and homeless, unable to pay medical bills. We, as a people, are naturally giving, caring individuals who seek the same things; safety, security, good health, decent wages, opportunity to realize our dreams, and good, supportive relationships. We all want ourselves and our kids to have basic needs met, to breathe good air, drink good water, and eat nutritious food, have access to a good education, and have the freedom to live our lives in peace, prosperity, and good will toward each other. We seek the individual freedom to live our lives as we choose, as long as it doesn't curtail the freedoms of others. We need a government that supports this, and protects us from those who would trample on all we hold dear for more profit and power. There are many obstacles in our path, and if we tackle them together, we can overcome them. Divided, we fall into the hands of our manipulators.
The manipulating forces that are hardest to deal with are the
lies embedded in religious interpretations that compete with each other, and the very notion of some people profiting off of others, along with the glory part of each that gets promoted as some kind of success - by the hypocrites that engage in these lies, as if happiness was embodied in some people overcoming others. Capitalism in a democratic setting appears to be self-defeating in the long term - at least the corporate part that is tearing at our roots.
So much of American politics since our beginnings has reeked of over-simplification of problems and over-extension/polarization of ideas to their farthest extremes. This hyped up matrix contributes to the nearly unquestioned acceptance of competition-rather than cooperation-
as the rule for the playground of this highly Capitalist country. This winner-take-all ethos spoils everything it touches and is the enemy of the longterm view, which barely has a foothold in the U.S.
It's akin to wearing blinders when what's needed for human happiness is wide-angle 180° vision of the whole and the possible.
Thank you for that. Wisely put.
Everything points to the need to stop big money from buying the attention of the voters, and directing them with lies. Money is not speech, and political money should be outlawed, not given free reign to hide behind a veil of PACs.
The Bible was written by men and for men.
If you are familiar with the Gnostic Gospels, it's easy to understand that the surviving records of the early Christian church have been selected, edited or rejected to exclude the Divine Feminine to elevate the Divine Masculine. There are many ancient mythologies of the dying and resurrecting god that have been adapted to be the Christian Trinity - Father Son and Holy Spirit. The Great Goddess became the subservient and obedient Virgin Mary, who is still revered and loved as more relatable but whose power has been greatly diminished. The balance of the archetypes of masculine and feminine have been abandoned in favour of the church militant, dominated by the all-powerful, masculine God. This happened in most world religions except for some surviving forms of paganism still practiced by some aboriginal people. The imbalance has opened the door to the domination of warrior politics which has brought the planet to the brink of the Great Extinction.
Check out Oren Lyons, a member of the Onondaga tribes who has been representing them at the UN and many other places.
You Tube. Many Native
Americans still hold with the wholeness of nature and honor the women as their leaders.
Remember both the prophets and the New Testament pro-Christians were adamant, i would say fanatical, about their exclusive claims to religious truth, and that was what motivated them with energy to spread the word, one which had no limits to its claims on social allegiance. More humanitarian preaching was secondary to that. Without one God, you are lost, without Christ, your are even more lost. As for the wolves in sheep's clothing, that was purely doctrinal, nothing to do with down to earth caring for others.
Frank I appreciate your observations! Despite a long and fairly thorough Christian education (Methodist then Episcopalian) it seems to me more and more that native Americans had the right approach in recognizing that no-one "owned" the earth or parts of it or places on it, that we are all a part of a larger entity or whole who must find ways to share it. Our environment has been trying to remind us of this more loudly and dramatically than ever before!
John, I started reading this thread and decided not to get involved, because I have fairly recently recognized all religions for what they are: systems used to control the behavior of people, based on deities originally IMAGINED by ancient men to explain the inexplicable. I was born into evangelicalism and renounced it in favor of Methodism, but had issues with Methodism's racism and homophobia.
On my way to atheism, I studied Native American spiritualism, and concluded that they have the best belief system of all. There are other indigenous peoples globally who have similar systems. I am not of Native American descent, so it's not feasible or ethical for me to try embracing their spirituality. However, I can try to live under the guidance of their spiritual principles, chief of which is that humans do not hold dominion over anything; we are part of a whole, living creation.
It is interesting to note that all the troublesome, trouble-making religions of the world always hold up their sacred texts as the "final word" on everything, whereas Native American spirituality relies on oral tradition.
Equally bothersome is all the organized religions' relentless proselytizing and demands for money. Compare that religious imperialism to indigenous spiritualists' profound lack of interest in increasing their numbers.
AMEN says I, Dale! 🙏
Thank you for this comment Dale.
Thank you for the book recommendations, Dale!
Dale, kudos to you.
JohnM. A lot of people have recommended Braiding Sweetgrass by a Native American biologist. She has a new book out called The Serviceberry which I have not read. I am helping edit a book by my garden person which, although she is not a Native American, speaks to the same things. I see the coming regime as the antithesis of this view and am sure we will see more destruction. I take joy in projects like the removal of the dams on the Klamath done with much input by the Native Americans. Now salmon swim freely up the river for the first time in a century.
That's Robin Wall Kimmerer, " a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and member of the Potawatomi Nation." Serviceberry is short and sweet.
Your last two sentences--great to hear! And in this article is a reason most people probably havne't heard as to why the dam removal is an environmental good
https://www.snexplores.org/article/big-animals-poop-out
Linda, as I reported here earlier, a MAGA when reminded that Jesus is love, responded that Jesus is wrong. To me this is the ultimate hubris.
The Bible and any religious texts, written when mankind knew nothing about the workings of the universe, are the SOURCES of our problems, not the solutions. Just look how much damage radical Islam and evangelical Christianity has done to our world and country, respectively, People, just rely on your basic innate knowledge of goodness, not irrational superstition.
The bible has been re-written several times. The harm done in the name of religion (I think all religions I am aware of) is abysmal.
"the Bible” does not direct people to hate and does not prescribe hatred as a solution to problems!"
What are you talking about? The bible is chock full of references to "smite thine enemies".
Dan, I think that is OT, but I am not an expert.
Well, the fact that you have to distinguish between OT and NT makes our point! 😊
Yes, one only has to read “The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory” by Tim Alberta to clearly understand how some have used and abused Christianity to gain power and influence.
Unfortunately the Bible is not always direct, and that may be a problem for some, CNs in particular. For example, the parables are … well, parables.
Let me add to the comments below: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are a wonderful source of wisdom, in my (humble, of course) opinion, and without the smiting of one's enemies that occurs in the Old Testament and in the Koran (according to what I've read). Depending on your preference, either God or Nature has given us various wise people, Marcus Aurelius, Jesus, Gandhi, Buddha, many others, who have given a very clear and simple message about how to live a good life, both individually and collectively. We humans are very slow learners.
May religion be replaced by strong communities who adhere to the golden rule.
Actually here you are describing American Judaism (Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Renewal, Wilderness Torah...) with its emphasis on the peoplehood of us all, no competition involved, and we do not recruit.
Thank you Robin. I was raised Presbyterian. I’ve always believed in God and Jesus. I am 72 but my journey has been long straight and fruitful. In HS I got involved in what we called radical politics and was a believer in almost all of what I learned. With no compromise
Forty years ago I found the 12
steps and they are still my foundation.
A few years later my second wife led me back to church. One of the things I learned is to set the captives free. Religion when it is religiosity holds us captive. In order for the jailer to go home he has to set the
Captive free. I am both the jailer and the captive. This is basic 12 step
A little over 20 years ago I ended up in a church they taught what is called Jewish Roots. That term is a catch all and groups disparate groups together
The best way I can describe it is IMHO Christianity is a branch of Judaism that believes the Messiah has come
The best example I can give is I was having lunch with a Conservadox (between Conservative and Orthodox) one day. Towards the end of our lunch a pastor we both knew came up and said you guys think alike. My friend said the only difference is he believes the Messiah has come. I believe He is yet to come
Many years ago I started to study the weekly Torah (first five books) and commentaries I was blown away. This was everything Jesus taught and I learned in 12 step
Judaism is more eastern. There is a lot of gray. Most of the 613 mitzvot are gray, not absolute
As a manager, my first rule was to treat everyone like I would want to be treated. Of course, that isn't always feasible, but it sets the tone. And that goes for clients as well as associates. The second rule is to treat everyone the same regardless of your feelings towards them.
During my 25 years as a manager, I fired 7 people out of around 300 that reported to me. I always offered at least 6 weeks of severance plus any unearned vacation days. Only once was I angry when I fired someone, but I still gave him the same severance package the others.
You damn right they are, well said.
Patience.
Vietnam opened a hard divide within the US. At the outset it seemed unbridgeable. People who had been through the Depression and then WW2, were in the main convinced that supporting this conflict was a moral duty. Opponents to the war largely faced an impenetrable wall. It was inconceivable that this conflict was a horrible mistake. It didn’t help that some anti-war individuals thought that attacking our individual soldiers was an intelligent tactic and that waving Mao’s Red Book at people symbolized something worthwhile.
We all know people who served in that conflict. We all know many who died, were maimed, and those with unrecoverable PTSD. Many of them went to war because they thought it was the right thing to do. Others went simply to escape the tedium of the neighborhood day-to-day. The mistake made here was treating fellow citizens as if they were the enemy. That’s a no-win. And that isn’t what turned the tide of public opinion on that war. It was the heaps of dead and crippled that returned, the shocking mental condition of returning combatants., the suicides, and the public assaults on young men and women by police. No mere exchange of words … so many thought balloons … could have made this sea change.
Bill, would the War in Afghanistan lasted 20 years if there had been a draft and oligarch's kids and grandkids were drafted?
What did we accomplish in Afghanistan in the last 20 years? Was it worth it?
Over 5000 Americans dead and many times more than that wounded or mentally disturbed.
Getting out of Afghanistan was one of Biden's greatest accomplishments and the corporate media shit all over it, just like Trump, Fox and the MAGAs are shitting all over Ukraine.
Agreed, Gary, Afghanistan was another big American military mistake. The 5000 or so deaths was only 1/12 that of Vietnam. In both cases, far more indigenous died than American, by a couple orders of magnitude. In both cases, Americans threw technological overkill at them, and still... lost.
Frank, I am reminded of Apocalypse Now when the guy on the boat in Viet Nam is shot by an arrow and he can hardly believe it. Technological overkill is the correct way of describing these types of wars.
Yes, America has had NO problem killing Asians by the bucketload by unleashing technology. This, by the way, was also the imperial European approach to suppressing native uprisings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Machine guns worked wonders for imperial powers ... until the WW1 that is!
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The draft certainly played a part in public perception.
The Republic needs public service.
Yes, please. A national public service program for ALL young people. Could be military. Could be in healthcare, education or infrastructure. Some good work could be accomplished. Some young people would meet and learn about people they would have normally demonized.
And there would be no exceptions. Got bone spurs? I bet your hands still work. Have a disability? We'll work with that. Come from a rich family? Great! You'll enjoy meeting some resourceful people.
And require 12-18 months of living in another country! It's ridiculous and embarrassing how many Americans are convinced (without proof) that our way is the only correct way. A chance to live with others who are unlike you is humbling, builds empathy and broadens the mind.
Absolutely, Bill! I have been saying this for years also. Mandatory service for two years after high school: military or something like Peace Corps or Vista. For all the reasons you state, with no exceptions as you point out. What a difference it would make for individual citizens to experience it, but also for the betterment of our country.
Yes Alec. Yes!
Agreed, Alec.
Yes, and many other things. The draft was a double edged thing. For parents and in particular mothers, it could be a painful occurrence on a few levels. Yet duty calls. For many others, it created a class of draft dodgers and young men moving to Canada.
In my recollection, it wasn’t until the legitimacy of the war came into question for many, that the burden of the draft was basically the last straw. But, I’m sure experiences differ as do viewpoints. I know of a tank commander who upon rolling out of the bush announced with proud of irony of defending Normal, Illinois from invasion by the North Vietnamese Army.
That's almost funny. Makes about as much sense as our foreign policy did.
In war that is funny. XA
And it didn't help that Nixon caused the war to extend another six months so he could make LBJ look bad by sabotaging the peace talks.
"In the end, the Chennault episode shut a window that, with the help of the Soviet Union, Johnson and his aides thought they had opened. A moment of genuine hope, and a chance—however slight—to settle this ugly war was stolen."
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/06/nixon-vietnam-candidate-conspired-with-foreign-power-win-election-215461/
Lots of death everywhere. Rise of the Khmer Rouge. The refugees who lost everything. Well, we can lament the past forever, we share in the failings that come with our humanity and moreover with our power. This is not a story. It is not a destiny.
Of all the great many people I have encountered throughout my life, most are far better and more generous people than they have any good reason to be. No matter what, it is key to realize and try to understand this.
We cannot surrender to despair, hopelessness and defeat. Soul to soul is how we encounter even the most emotionally well armored individuals. Don’t be fooled by the bluster fear.
The assassination of JFK created the military/industrial empire that took the Republic into our war in Vietnam. Our worship of money over our belief in the Republic obscures this.
Wow, that sure over simplifies if not entirely misleads on the military industrial complex. WW2 then the advent of the not so cold Cold War got all that going. Eisenhower if not coining the expression certainly warned of the dangers in his final term.
Or how about the Republican response to the FDR administration policies that rescued the Republic from the Great Depression? The economy of the Republic has always been a work in progress. In my life JFK’s assassination has been the defining moment in a way that was not apparent until some radically good history became available after the millennium.
FDR's social and infrastructure support certainly helped, but the kicker was the war economy of WW2. That huge investment was then switched to satisfy pent up consumer demand, also helped by the technological advances in part spurred on by the war. I'm not sure where you're going with this, Alec.
We were in Vietnam long before JFK showed up. FDR probably would have gotten us out if he hadn’t been so busy with a bigger war than the penny-ante little battle the French were so insistent on pursuing to maintain their colonial interests in Vietnam, even though they completely collapsed when their home territory was overrun by Nazis. Eisenhower should have gotten us completely out and let the Vietnamese run their country by their own lights. He knew better but bamboozled himself with anti-communist flim-flam and left our Vietnam operations in place, which eventually led to the tragedy that caused so much suffering in Vietnam and quite a lot here, too, in families that did not or could not manage to keep their loved ones out of the battle. Most of the blame lies with Eisenhower. JFK was seduced by anti-communist flim-flam, too, but inherited a nasty involvement from his predecessor.
The industrialization of war had already begun in Nazi Germany in the early '40s, 20 years previous. We had already imported Nazi scientists by the bucketful. Many histories on this in YouTube.
Good essay, Bill. USA capitulated as American lives lost reached 58000, despite the enormous and very expensive pummelling of Vietnam with mega tons of bombs and artillery, not to mention napalm. For all that, the south Vietnam government imploded. Most of all, something like a million and a half Vietnamese lost their lives. Not that many more than Americans who went down to Covid.
They were drafted. Most of them did not volunteer to go to war.
My husband was not drafted. He signed up to go in the Army because at that time, he was pushed by his parents to go to college and study accounting. That was not his forte. He dropped out and enlisted. Needless to say, he did not know they were sending him to Nam. He was there from 1968-1969, just enough time to live through horrors, get Agent Orange, and falciparum malaria. Then 30 years later, PTSD set in. He will be 78 in January. Has taken him 54 years for the VA to acknowledge that he had Agent Orange, malaria, PTSD, and thyroid and sleep deprivation problems. They’ve deemed him 90% disabled. Takes losing an arm or a leg to get to 100% as the rating system is convoluted.
True. Though consider the mindset of many draftees. I am unaware of any number of reliable studies. My thoughts are both localized and, beyond that speculative. Teenaged kids throughout stretches of the country are trapped. They might like to be elsewhere, but how. An involuntary escape valve appears that promises nearly automatic hero status. The opposing pressure is that:
A) one remain in place and feeling trapped, small, aimless and lost
B) one relents to perceived pressure and rises amongst peers to interesting status; amongst many elders, the status of a serious person and possible hero.
C) F! Yeah! Let’s talk sh*t and F someone up. Later they say, I’m gonna frag that Officer.
D) I want to serve when duty calls and my family shares this nationalistic sentiment.
Likely a dozen or more other personal scenarios.
In a sense, response to being drafted has always been a tough form of voting.
Huge scar on this country....visible and invisible. We'll said 💔
We lost the election because we spent more time fighting Trump than selling ourselves as leaders, especially when it comes to the economy. I can easily find Trumps top ten accomplishments after his last presidency. Where are Biden’s. Although I think Fox “news” should be taken down.
Can you really find Trump's top 10 accomplishments? If so, what are they?
I have asked on several different forums, both left and right leaning to name just 4 things that Trump accomplished that made America great. All I get are crickets.
Trump made a lot of promises and broke them all. Most of them were terrible ideas anyway or just lies.
https://robertreich.org/post/627457685714010112
But I agree Sandra that the media dwelled on Trump's BS ad nauseam during Biden's term. Every time the Biden organization accomplished something Trump either took credit for it or denigrated it or went after a group of people he marginalized.
The Biden administration has approved, started and/or completed over 74000 infrastructure projects- over 74,000 of them so far and counting.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/11/15/fact-sheet-biden-%E2%81%A0harris-administration-transforms-nations-infrastructure-celebrates-historic-progress-in-rebuilding-america-for-the-three-year-anniversary-of-the-bipartisan-infrast/
Over 20 million new business applications filed and over 17 million jobs created.
https://www.sba.gov/article/2024/11/14/record-shattering-20-million-business-applications-filed-under-biden-harris-administration
All of these things were reported by the administration but they were drowned out by Trump, Fox News and the corporate media.
Look at today. The election was a month ago, with 2.5 months until tfg’s inauguration. Since then, all we have heard in any media is Trump, Trump, Trump. He demands it and he gets it.
And his cabinet picks as well as his advisors are the worst EVAH!
He really boxed the Republicans in with Gaetz, Gabbert, Hogsbreath, Bondi and even Kennedy. And then there's the co-President Musk.
These picks are meant to dominate the news cycle. Meanwhile, the Biden administration continues to do amazing things and turn in incredible numbers.
If only Biden wasn't so damn modest. If there was ever a better cabinet in history, please tell us when.
I completely agree, Gary. It infuriates me that Biden and his cabinet have not been given credit for all that they have accomplished. But that's the power of the right-wing media.
Thank you for reminding us of President Biden’s cabinet. When we are reminded of a different member of it, I marvel every time. There are people who don’t know that the Secretary of the Interior is, for the first time, a Native American, Deb Haaglund. And Majorkas, enemy of the right, is always impressive. Yet we are learning with Trump’s criminals. (I count people who don’t care about their fellow Americans’ lives as criminals.)
Love the “EVAH”, Gary!
We as a country are immature and right now we are showing it at its most basic level of childhood, in a time where self-education of whatever sort is definitely needed just to sustain a moderacy of civic-responsibility-as-behavior, for starters. No matter what your beliefs. Why would we give all this attention to a bully if we ourselves were mature enough to see through him, and give him no attention at all.
That’s very true. And now the cheating that republicans are doing in North Carolina to take the Supreme Court reelection away from Allison Riggs is not getting in the news. Her opponent, a judge, is trying to disqualify 60,000 ballots. 💔🤮💩. Shouldn’t that be in the msm headlines? Here’s a local report but also read Mark Elias of Democracy Docket. They are hand counting right now.
https://search.app/4g1i9rJN9pjN96yK8
Pretty close to how it went down, Gary.
Again…
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Beautiful wall...shame it fell down so quick...
And how much grift and graft came from this calamitous wall.
Republicans quickly point out how much we can get from cutting SNAP benefits and Medicaid, when Trump just spend $10 million to go meet with Macron for a photo-op. And every time he golfs it costs us big bucks.
And private golf courses are notorious money laundering havens...don't know what that says about Queens Man, but can speculate...
The ten million to spend time with Macron, if it buys us time to save Ukraine and NATO from Putin, is a bargain!
YES!
There was so much disinformation by Extremist outlets including Musk and his x machine, last minute lies by his RBG PAC, voter suppression, bomb threats, fires in ballot boxes. Did I leave anything out?
Biden is a tremendous president with many accomplishments, especially when looking at the macro level. But the gains were uneven when looking at the micro/individual level. And it ALWAYS takes much longer to build than it does to destroy. I noted that legacy media rarely talked about the macro while constantly talking about the feelings of people still disaffected.
And media constantly brought up the very badly defined poll question "Do you like the direction the country is headed?" What a meaningless question with an even more meaningless answer. There is no way of defining what "direction" means to a respondent; it could be any number of things, and it could change in a whim.
Kamala could have spent more time earlier sending home the positive side of her message and less time giving into his muck-raking. I fear she shot herself thus in many respects in the foot. I feel your point, though we will never know the actual truth, is definitely valid.
I respectfully disagree. While the "Joy" message resonated with me and those that "have", it was a slap in the face for those who can't afford the basics and are one small emergency away from financial disaster - including homelessness.
In the 40 years - 1981 to 2021 - $50 TRILLION went to just a few people. And despite some recent small gains, wages have stagnated for everyone else. Stagnated as the costs of housing, health care, education, child care, FOOD all have escalated. American life is unaffordable. Ain't no JOY in that.
People have lost faith in the "American Dream". Young people are still living in their parents basements because they can't afford or find a rent - let alone buy a little starter house.
No, with complete respect, I suggest that she did not COMPLAIN enough! The financial pain and economic injustice of this time in America is what lost us this election.
It is long past time that Democrats harked back to its roots of FIGHTING for the common person - the people who do all those jobs many look down upon. Those jobs that hold the civilization together but pay crappy wages and have little or no benefits.
One target could be the "gig" workers. Good grief. A person who drives a vehicle (arguably an essential service for many) until he can barely stay awake gets paid bupkis with no benefits because he is an "independent contractor"? I call that bullshit.
If we want to know why 90 million didn't vote and over 75 million voted against their "better interests" - we need to get out of our bubbles and find a new populism that redistributes the National Treasure. We need to get ANGRY for the people who are being short changed and abused by modern capitalism.
We need some Norma Rae!
https://youtu.be/45CX8W9peTs
I love the Obamas. I slept well when he was president. But Barack is in a bubble of privilege. We need new leaders who can feel and express the pain of American life as it really exists for most.
YES! It's hard to turn around 40 years of neoliberalism in 2 years (of Democratic trifecta) or 4 years of a presidency. And this time mirrors that of the industrial revolution in terms of job disruption. We need a government willing to cushion some of those systemic blows hitting individuals through no faults of their own.
I don't remember Harris spending much time bashing Trump at all. But I agree that we Democrats have failed to articulate a positive vision for ourselves, and have let the MAGA Republicans define the terms of the debate; by attempting to refute their arguments, we reinforce them. George Lakoff proposed this idea years ago, but the Dems have not yet heeded his message.
Exactly right! So glad someone else has read and understood Lakoff. Obama doesn’t seem to have noticed the Harris-Cheney campaign stops were greeted with disdain by the legacy media. If reaching accord on democracy while continuing to insist on policy differences is treated as a mere stunt or natural alliance of “Trump haters” the coalition isn’t really seen as such. And people only see what the media “sees”.
In theory shouldn’t the Harris-Cheney appearances have modeled bipartisanship? But apparently they weren’t received that way.
I came here to say this too. Thanks for writing it better. After the election, there was so much blame casting on the Democratic outreach to non MAGA Republicans, even though Biden did even more of it. If that wasn't an attempt at coalition building and reaching for centrism I don't know what is. And she did so with "good feelings" to counter the negativity of MAGA. But more Democrats didn't get out the vote, in spite of massive efforts and the need to counter all the Republican gerrymandering. I think enough Dems equated all politics with MAGA dystopia and washed their hands of the conflict exactly at the wrong moment. Or possibly, they feared retribution and left it up to others. If only 120,000 voters across three swing states had voted differently, the entire world would be safer.
A 'Leader' Leads... Comedians Muck Rake... The Polls showed for a long time that the Economy, the 'Felt' Economy, and the Border were the leading concerns... Kamala should have asked her High-Priced Consultants to devise a Simple 'Bumper Sticker' Message to Hammer home the Message that Help was coming... 'Joy' is Nice, but when over 1/2 of the Country is living Paycheck-2-Paycheck, Tangible Plans Matter....
Tangible gullibility trumps plans, tangible or otherwise.
But yes, a black woman lost an election in a white man's world. And we are all so, so surprised...
What were Trump’s tangible plans? He simply said that he would “fix things.” This coming from a white man was enough to convince many that he was the better choice of the two. Also the other choice was a woman.
If Harris spoke about Biden’s successes in anything other than generalities she was accused by those on the left of having no original ideas and (like Biden) not being progressive enough, while getting hammered by Maga politicians as embracing Biden’s “failed policies,” despite their claiming money brought to their districts by the Infrastructure Bill and the Chips in Science Act as personal accomplishments.
Traditional news media, fearful of being accused of “liberal bias” constantly embraced Trump’s rhetoric, his blatant lies, as legitimate talking points.
For instance, after weeks of complaining that Harris was being “vague,” she published her detailed 80-page plan to continue and expand Biden’s historic rebuilding of the economy the headline in The (failing) New York Times was “Harris Now Has an Economic Plan. Can It Beat Trump’s Promises?”
Still, nothing was as detrimental to Harris’s campaign as the purity tests imposed by those like, MSNBC’s “Ben Burgis [who] condemned… “centrist liberalism” as inadequate to address the real problems of inequality.”
The repeated claim that Democrats could only beat Trump by being more progressive flies in the face of the reality that roughly two percent of voters believed the policies are already too liberal, not to mention the legions of cultists who actually believe Trump’s inane accusations of Democrats being radical communists determined to destroy the country.
Progressive critics like Burgis would have stayed on the Titanic crying about their being an insufficient number of lifeboats disproportionately filled with First Class passengers, instead of recognizing that the best chance for survival would be teaming up with a crew trying their damndest to build more, larger lifeboats as quickly as possible.
No. We lost the election because Biden was asleep at the border for three long years. But our side will never understand it. We keep our blinders on because this is the way we can live with ourselves. A retired cop friend at lunch looked at me and stated it was the border. I knew it was when I vied the stories day after day of thousands rushing over hot sands. Snap out of it. It was mainly the border.
And Biden preserved most of Trump’s policies there and acted additionally to find alternatives for desperate people. If that is perceived as “asleep” then the real problem is with what people get to see in the media and how effectively Trump’s continued repetition of lies worked.
Trump rejected the Republican inspired border deal. Manufactured an issue.
But psy ops tipped the election. 85 milliion didn't vote. In key states, Trump only won by 1.5%. Too many inconsistencies. MSM will not report it.
I firmly believe those votes were shredded, dumped or misplaced and machines were tampered with. How convenient that bomb threats closed dozens of locations. Who stayed behind and what did they do? Time for those in the know to make a full confession. I find it hard to believe that so many Americans admire a cheating, lying, greedy unhuman who is mentally, physically and morally challenged.
Nope. Not Biden. Congress refused to act on the 'crisis'. But border agents kept on working, aid workers kept trying to keep people alive, courts continued struggling with case loads, and people from other lands, who won the lottery of safe entry, contributed to keeping this economy grinding along, keeping food on the shelves and packages on doorsteps.
Bill, where are the stories about Trump promising to add 15,000 additional border and ICE agents and only added about 400 in 4 years? Or about the grift and graft from building only 49 miles of new wall? Or how the wall has been breached over 5000 times? Or how there are dedicated crews to fix the daily breaches of the wall.
I live about 80 miles from the Canadian border and there are still crossings that are only open M-F. There was a great story about a Mainer who lives a few blocks from one such crossing and for years, he walked to church on the Canadian side, illegally crossing the border. When he was arrested during the Trump administration, and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine AND use the closest 24/7 crossing there was an huge outcry from the public. The closest 24/7 crossing was an hour away so it would have added 4 hours to his worship service commute. ICE backed down and waived the fine and allowed him to walk across the bridge.
My point being that if he had been Hispanic, no outcry, but being a white Christian, it was ok to break the law.
I've crossed the Canadian border from Maine at Coburn-Gore several times. If there was someone waiting to pick me up on either side, it would be easy to cross the border. I'm sure there are hundreds of miles across the northern border, where this is the case. But no one seems to give a damn.
The corporate media and Trump ONLY focused on what Biden was not doing, and never on what a total cluster fuck the border was during the Trump years and will likely be again.
We lost due to Russian psy ops. Hate of the "other."
Trump was the poster boy for employer sanctions for hiring illegals on his job sites. Uses (to this day) temporary foreign workers on his properties so he doesn't have to hire the locals.
Immigrants are only a small part of "the other."
Trump was know in New York circles for hiring illegal workers on his building project then stiffing them knowing they would have no legal recourse. He was also know for stiffing his creditors. This is the prince of a man who once again fooled so many.
Biden and Harries worked a three pronged approach regarding border issues: turning people away at the border itself, working with origin countries to reduce the violence causing emigration (dropping Venezuelan emigration by 75%) and working with Mexico to prevent crossings on Mexico's southern border. Biden/Harris also instituted an in-country application and border appointment app that reduced asylum seekers just showing up and a deportation penalty that reduced repeated border crossing attempts.
Media only reported MAGA histrionics.
I have a simpler version...As long as there is an 'us' and a 'them', without compromise, we are screwed.
We lost the election because of multiple factors, especially because Harris was seen as an incumbent and not a candidate of change. Even though Biden was definitely an agent of change, although you wouldn't know if by listening to the corporate media, who didn't want change threatening the oligarchs. Incumbent governments worldwide have been taking a hit. Misinformation was a huge factor. There was also misogyny and racism involved. Despite all that, Harris barely lost the election. People want systemic changes, which Biden was working on (moving away from Reaganomics, etc.). Unfortunately, many low information and misinformed voters don't know that what they voted for was the opposite of what they wanted -- they wanted change the benefits middle- and lower-class Americans, not change that helps the oligarchs and the religious fanatics.
I would ask how did “the border” hurt you and your friend? How did it affect your daily life? I am not interested in your actual experience, not how some news outlet told you to feel.
Have a look at the "What did President Biden Do Today" Substack and you will get an idea of the reaching out, acknowledging and talking he does every day to keep things running. Not to mention the things he has started - US manufacture of chips, improved roads and bridges, new company startups, higher wages......
What are trumps top ten? I only remember the huge tax cut and separation of children (even babies) from their parents. I would live to see your list.
i thought i heard quite a bit of Biden accomplishments myself. On inflation, maybe that was the killer, since although it had finally reduced to 3-4%, all the price increases still remained 10% plus higher, esp food, and American household wages mostly remained tighter. Incumbency under that, and the border surges which played right into Fox/Maga hands between them likely turned to trick, and only marginally so, to Trump .
and that a lot of people were not going to come out to vote for a woman of color... I heard a 'learned' analysis - maybe on a NYT podcast - trying to explain how Missouri could approve a pro-choice law at the same time as voting for Trump. The disinclination of people of Missouri to want a Black woman as president was not mentioned. Bizarre!
The elephant in the room.
Inflation wasn't the killer, the media and Republicans bitching about it was and not accepting responsibility for the Covid-19 disaster which caused the supply and supply chains to go wonky.
When people complain about food prices, many of them don't even go to the grocery store. They get fast food from Subway, Taco Bell, McDonalds, etc. And then complain because it cost $40 bucks for a meal that they could make for $20 or less.
Everyday I go to the local convenience store/gas station to get coffee. (Don't judge me). More often than not, there are people in line that buy cigarettes or booze. Does someone that spend $300-$600 a day on cigarettes and $100 a week on booze really have a right to complain about food prices?
Give me a break.
Per HCR’s letter: “Most of all, though, Obama noted, American pluralism worked well because it largely excluded women and racial, gender, and religious minorities.”
We lost the election, Sandra Simpson, because Democrats value systemic fairness under the law and in the workplace for black Americans and other marginalized groups. Republicans promise to preserve systemic unfairness, and, they deliver by garnering the votes of people whose top political priority is to preserve system advantages for white Americans. That accounts for every Republican victory since 1968.
:I have the same issue, Matt. " but I am willing give it another try because what alternative do we have? Go into battle with our neighbors and families. I will try anything reasonable before I do that and while I am resisting the Trump regime.
A few apropos quotes:
Dale Carnegie, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."
"All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to stand by and do nothing.”
Edmund Burke:
Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead had a line in one of his songs, “ You ain't gonna learn what you don't want to know.”.
Easier to fool people, than to convince them they have been fooled" - Mark Twain
“Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities” - Voltaire
That is certainly true for the "hard core", the Dems lost at the margins, and among their own electoral support, just enough to throw the Electoral College the other way. Back and forth thus now for 3 presidential elections.
I’m skeptical about that too, Matt, but we had an experience while door-knocking for Democrats in Oct. My wife and I talked to a mother and her 19 year old son who were leaning toward Trump and gave them our talking points which you can probably imagine. We talked long enough to correct some misinformation they had about the Covid vaccine and Obamacare and they were receptive even though their husband and father was a strong Trumper. That wasn’t our typical experience, but reaching out sometimes works.
If you know people who think the Bible is absolutely true, try reminding them that for that to be so, not only would the Almighty have to have guided the hands if all those who wrote the original Bible, but also the hands of all those who have translated it since. A friend from college did a new translation of the Pentateuch yeas ago. I wanted to see if I could get an autographed copy. How many people have a signed copy of the Torah?
Matt, if the Bible is absolute truth, then it’s on your side and against their side.
Ask them to state Christianity’s founding principle. If their statement is to Jesus’ statement what up is to down, then ask them who you are supposed to believe.
Jesus’ statement is in Luke 10:27. Translation: When your heart (intuition) conflicts with your mind (logic), don’t follow one or the other and instead work to resolve the conflict. Also, when your opinion conflicts with your neighbor’s opinion, don’t follow one or the other and instead work to resolve the conflict.
Did Jesus say Luke 10:27 is Christianity’s founding principle? Yes. See Matthew 22:40.
What is “Christian” Nationalism’s founding principle? “‘We’ are right, ‘they’ are wrong, and this conversation is over.” Amirite?
Check out Adam Kinzinger for an excellent example of how a coalition of left and right can come together for common cause.
The problem is not so much that these "Christians" have no compassion or fail to understand the basis of the teachings of Jesus, but that Fox and other rightist media have given them a view of Democrats as atheistic, unChristian heathens, out for a good time and as many abortions as they can find. Once the thought of Hilary running a pedophile cult in pizza shops is put into their minds, it's hard for them to forget, and it colors all their other views about the issues.
Michelle certainly gave one of the best speeches I've ever heard. EVER!
I see this too in my family and some friends Matt.
Despair, yes, and frequently a deep welling of rage, something I've never experienced before in a long life. It's like watching the outbreak of a deadly contagion. The sight of Elon Musk in the cathedral in Paris - Elon Musk! looking around him as if calculating how much he could buy it for. Trump patting the arm of the heir to the British throne and saying, "Good man! He's doing a great job!" After which they sat smiling on plush furniture while the cameras clicked and clicked and they pretended to be conversing. I think that for once Prince William's preparation must have deserted him - what could he possibly have found to talk about other than the wet weather?
Putin
I'm almost surprised he wasn't there as well. Short - he'd have vanished in the crowd.
He was very well represented
This is true. He'll enjoy reading the various reports. I didn't spot Tucker - but the crowd was very dense. In the "numerous" sense.
Sorry, but this is a fantasy. Bridge the divide with MAGA?
I really don't care about bridging a divide. I want things to change. If that means playing rough and simply rolling over the MAGA then I'm all for it.
No, we must be assertive, resist, and march if necessary to not enable fascism. They want us to roll over and give them a "mandate" to do what they please, including, once "criminals" are deported, to go after dissidents, anyone who disagrees, as history and other countries have proven. However, I feel that Obama is touting DEMOCRATIC pluralism, and isn't suggesting it give into ignorance and intolerance and lack of inclusion. IF WE LET THEM, LIFE AS WE KNOW IT MAY BE OVER FOR A WHILE. But if we consistently not cooperate, I hope and feel there can be a productive election in 2028, if still possible in this country, if our country is still recognizable. It's up to us. Other countries like Ukraine have gone through this constantly and time and time again survived. And fascism once Trump is gone for good will rear its ugly head again. Trump is a symptom, a figure head of people wanting to escape freedom during economic uncertainty, real or imagined. Look at it throughout history. It happens repeatably, for which education and political training of our youth is so important and so critically crucial. Don't give up- or in.
And even as I try to work with my family members, I agree with you, but why not try both. I feel uncomfortable with not resisting because of what we saw in the 1930s in Germany. The brutal repression happened to those who sought appeasement. You can’t appease a guy like Trump, you have to resist.
Agree. Appeasing aggressors and fascism is setting ourselves up to be railroaded- literally.
Obama is touting mature and practical ideas. For the people who think about that stuff. Philosophically nice stuff. But he is in the clouds.
He needs to go back to his organizing roots and find the people who are about to be evicted because they haven't paid the rent, because two or three jobs still doesn't pay for the whole package of life that is infinitely more expensive than it was.
There were factory jobs where you were paid a modest wage, but there was a pension, there was health insurance. There was hope. Now there are jobs as "independent contractors" with no benefits and shit for pay. No hope. No joy.
Most Americans didn't vote Democratic because we didn't stand for CHANGE. They view things not through the lens of history, but through eyeglasses that don't work as well as they did five years ago - but can't afford new ones.
Americans are broke. The system is broken. We need to campaign on fixing it. The rich are TOO rich and the poor need some serious HELP.
Every time I hear about the debt, the billionaires’ paying fair taxes is the first thing that comes to mind.
The rules have been broken by both “sides” in my opinion. Democrats are nearly as bound to billionaire overlords and corporations as the GOP. The pluralism Obama was alluding to ( I hope ) is a recognition that the obscenely wealthy are the outliers, and that we have much more in common in the middle. In many instances now left and right have a hefty Venn diagram of agreement. That’s our battle for the future if this nation.
Trump Likes Man Dates! Spread it around!
We bridge the gap by providing stories of democratic success. The news and most of us are in the trap of bad mouthing Trump so much our message is lost. Why do you think he talks about immigrates eating pets? It made more news than the billions Biden is saving us by ramping us the IRS or creating 1.6 million jobs. How many of us have posted how many jobs Biden created? We really need news that is in short burst
“Our message is lost”. This is a very important point!! Barbara McQuade in her book Attack From Within writes about the many tactics being used to manipulate us and it is kind of shocking how pervasive they are. Even in this forum. Trump has even said that bad news coverage is good for him.
I can’t figure out how to edit what I just said. So I will add that we need to do a lot more thinking about the things McQuade writes about and how they are affecting how and what we are communicating.
Patricia, if you are on a laptop, you can go to the three dots at the right edge of where your name is, click on those, and if it is your post, you can get an edit option. If you're on a mobile device (at least on Apple products) there isn't an "edit" option that appears.
Obama is correct in emphasizing “the better angels” of our nature and cultivating them. So let’s not assume it was Harris who failed to do so. I still think the main themes of her campaign were correctly chosen. The harder issue is dealing with information manipulation and that is not what Madison was focused on. I think understanding more about Adams and the Alien and Sedition Acts and more about Thomas Paine and the circulation of pamphlets will tell us more about the threats and responses than preaching comity will. Obama did and Harris did, and to some degree it worked. Had Obama been running 24/7 against Trump’s lie machine his appeal to core pluralist values (which Harris echoed) would have faced the same problems (minus the enhanced misogyny) she did.
But that’s the point. It’s one issue at a time in which we are in agreement. Which leads to the next issue on which we can find agreement. And so on. And the other person has people on which some agreement can be found. We can’t expect wholesale capitulation. Like, you know, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step and all.
He did not say it would be easy or that it would be a four year and it's done effort. He did imply finding vommon ground within your principles.
David, no one is asking you get a red hat and start beating women! The idea that HCR is written about today is the common fabric that has held communities together for centuries. The division is created by the .01% billionaire class to divide us through social media and crap TV news. There IS a common thread that weaves the fabric. We all want to make a living wage, give our children opportunities, breathe clean air. We all want social security, and healthcare. We all love our families even if we can’t understand why they voted differently. If we can’t find that thread and weave it back onto the fabric of America 🇺🇸… we are totally fucked. Think about that.
Agreed . I have yet to meet one who’s interested in that.
- Pulled Quote -
"The power of pluralism, he [Obama] said, is that it can make people recognize their common experiences and common values. That, he said, is how we break the cycle of cynicism in our politics."
Let's hope and pray he's right.
But obama did say without appeasement where there is no common ground like project 2025 and all the other crap he is doing. I also think Obama was saying to seek pluralism on a local scale. We’ve already seen that it doesn’t work with Trump on a federal scale. Just look at all the bipartisanship he quashed
I agree. We should have and should now going forward concentrate on pluralism on the local and state level. This was an error in the Democratic Party during the last election.
Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
I don’t know where the saying came from, but I learned in the 1980s-90s.
Stephen Covey, from his 7 Habits book - I used to have a Franklin planner themed around his philosophy, and while I haven't kept one in years, from time to time his mottos pop up. Another one I still repeat to myself is, "Begin with the end in mind."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People
That book helped me manage the chaos of innovating and of doing more than I knew how to do. My anxieties decreased and agency increased. Overwhelm eased as I used Covey's suggestions for planning time naming my roles and goals for each role in a week (day/year). His directions for writing a personal mission statement served me well too.
Thanks. It’s not always easy to do.
I believe it came from the prayer of St. Francis Assisi.
Your comment helped me recall a song I loved very long ago - “Make me a Channel
Of your Peace”- prayer of St Francis of Assisi. 💕 https://youtu.be/fYz14jEoaeU?si=CgkHkXZ6D59KDwq7
I love that song, too! I learned it way back in the 1960s around the same time we were singing, “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
Oh! Another lovely song!
Correct, Cindy, along with several other prayers.
That was my favorite prayer as a kid.
See JustRaven, above, link and all. I’m sure that where I learned it.
It seems like people here are struggling to understand what Obama meant. I interpreted it to mean “go ahead and work with your Republican neighbors at the community center distributing meals or Christmas presents for kids.” Maybe that group, both Rs and Ds, then recognizes that the city needs a different approach to affordable housing. We become allies at least on one issue.
Yes, there is a huge area of connection between left and right that transcends politics. That’s where the community wins.
Once these anti-democratic extremists take power and begin to enact their radical changes to benefit their oligarchic henchmen we should see the parting of ways between the unknowing voters who put them into office. Then the pluralistic coalitions can begin to form.
It come from the Prayer of Saint Francis. The entire poem is worth reading. It's a hymn and the message is quite beautiful.
St Francis of Assisi
I think it comes from the St Francis prayer.
Obama and Biden were underrated candidates who knew how to win elections and connect with people directly while being pragmatic. A lot of progressives can't even win an election in their own districts yet want to constantly impose purity tests and tear down our party. They want to remake the Dem party similar to how MAGA has remaken the GOP. It won't happen and that's why they are infighting right now and seeking blame instead of responsibility. We need more Democrats to speak up like Obama is right now and for us to own and craft the narrative of what we stand for as opposed the people who are chronically online crafting it for us.
We cannot, cannot even begin to think of any kind of opposition rebuilding until we stop name calling. "MAGAts"? Seriously?
"Think of American democracy like a marriage. You have to actively work to make it healthy and functional. Neglect those basics – or ignore the forces seeking to pull it apart – and by the time you finally realize or admit you have a problem, it might be too late to fix. That prospect should scare every American – no matter your party affiliation. That it doesn’t suggests we are already in some real trouble."
Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large 2021
Well, I suppose that MAGAs with out the "t" could work. It wouldn't be obvious that it stood for most awful gas...
What took him so long?
And what should we do about the cheating and constant lies? Read up on what’s going on in the North Carolina Supreme Court race where the republican challenger, a judge(!), is trying to get 60,000 votes decertified. Democrat Allison Riggs won reelection. Also they have passed laws to take away the powers of the newly elected Democratic governor and lt. governor. Shouldn’t the justice dept be making some noise?? Cheating fat fingers on the scales of justice is illegal, isn’t it??
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf7MfQ-VHKY
Grrr!
Don't forget the money Elon Musk poured into the campaign. (Unfortunately, he got citizenship in 2002--I just googled.)
And given some of their decisions this year, it's as if the reactionary Supreme Court justices never read the Constitution.
JustRaven. Agree in all aspects of your post. We should direct our energies to the persuadable because the others will not be turned away from supporting death star and the hatred he espouses. A lot of this, unfortunately, is wrapped in the flag.
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7259852498906025984/
Not convinced that President Obama was a great President; not sure that he had the chance to be. 🤔
But, one thing that is certain to my little mind: President Obama was one of our finest Presidents. 😇
"The Federalist Papers" -- nearly gave me glaucoma the first time I read them -- is edging its way onto my 'to re-endure' list along with "1984" as per Ms Vance's rec. 🙏
It's so nice to find a corner of the internet where people are so civilized.
Yes , I agree with your comment.
Unfortunately Democratic voters didn't gave a damn about the midterm elections in 2022 and didn't even show up to vote but Republicans did and took control of the house. We can't afford to let that happen again.
Per Wikipedia the first 77 Federalist Papers (1-77) were published as a "Collection of Essays" in 1788 in New York. The remaining 8 Federalist papers (78-85) were written & published in May 1788.
Time for Barack Obama to write & digitally publish Federalist Paper #86. I recommend publishing on 1/19/25 or 1/2125. 🇺🇸
Obama surely embodies America's brightest ideals, while Trump personifies its darkest impulses.
Those people wearing the red hats at those rallies are having fun. They are bonding. Trump gives them false but sure info in which to bond. And our message is lost on criticizing Trump. Obama is doing the right thing. Focusing on facts and truth.
Most of the dissension and division of our country started with Barack Obama
Most divisive racist president in recent American history
I assume you’re talking about Trump!?
Do you know what they say about the word assume and you would be wrong. That would be Barack Hussein Obama, along with his accomplishes BLM and antifa. And Trevon could be my son and the police acted stupidly and on and on and on. And by the way, Ron calling Trump names did not work for you and if you keep it up, the Republican Party will be in the White House for the next 12 years.
Accomplices
The difference between Madison and Obama is that Madison's goal was to escape the tyranny of a pre-existing monarchy. His concern about future tyranny was just that: a future possibility. Now, we are trying to escape a newly formed insurrection consisting of treason against our own pre-existing and time-tested democracy. Mr. Obama's outlook is logically sound. But it does not recognize that we are now immersed in a home-grown fascism that shows no sign of being reversed. Big difference.
I wouldn't call the GOP’s and Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 principles newly formed.
Correct. I was simply referring to the recent date of the Trump insurrections. Not ignoring the principles of fascism (and religious tyranny) which have existed for thousands of years. The Founders got the core principle of democracy right. The Heritage folks just don't get it.
And all your liberals can keep calling it an insurrection, which, technically by the definition of the word it might have been, but when you indicate that it was for the purpose of overturning the government of the United States it’s so foolish to make it sound that way. 1000 unarmed citizens overthrowing the United States government NAH I’m not buying that story.
"Unarmed"?? Yes, they were peaceful tourists. Sure.
No, they were not peaceful tourists. They were upset over the results of the election and had every reason to be suspicious about the results of the election, which I have already mentioned in a previous post.
But I I am in utter amazement that people keep posting that this was about overthrowing the government of the United States. 1000 people armed or unarmed we’re not gonna overthrowing the government.
And by the way, the only person that was killed on that day Was an unarmed female who’s family is now suing the government
You say you're a political independent for 40 years and vote with facts and logic, not with feelings and hate. Your absurd comments belie your claim. A thousand unarmed citizens overthrowing the US government? The thousand armed thugs on J6 were the tip of the iceberg. The coup has been out in the open since Gingrich, Limbaugh, Florida 2000, the Tea Party, and now MAGA psychopaths at all levels of the government including the Supreme Court. They are all literally insane. Trump's former loyalists now call him a fascist -- not to see if it would 'work' -- but because they know it is true! But enough. I won't bore you with any more facts and logic.
Well, nothing above had anything to do with fax or logic. So I’m not sure what you were talking about. Let me put in this to contacts for you James you’re telling me that 1000 unarmed citizens we’re going to overthrow the government of the United States is that what you’re saying? And that’s a fact and logic. 1000 I don’t care if it’s 1000 Citizen’s armed with tanks. It wasn’t gonna happen that wasn’t the purpose. And if you want to know, the reason look at the election results on November 5 of 2019 and that’s why January 6 happen Joe Biden the cadaver got 13 million more votes than Obama the God and if that doesn’t cause you a reason for curiosity, I’m not sure if anything ever will And where were those 13 million votes this time around?
Gingrich doesn’t run the government Limbaugh doesn’t run the government and Clarence Thomas doesn’t run the government And the tea party doesn’t run the government and in fact has petered out
The left just needs a little bit more introspection, and honesty
They hid the fact that Biden didn’t have his mental faculties anymore, and then they pulled a coup in the United States of America, an actual factual coup and they put in a DEI candidate and DEI in this sentence means didn’t earn it The entire event was a joke of global scale.
You’re gonna tell me that you were going to vote for this woman to be the leader of the free world she would do nothing but cackle them to death. I hear many people like you that are severely stricken with TDS.
I suggest you wait till January 21 and watch the results that occur for the benefit of all Americans and then you’re free to comment on anything that you feel is amiss.
But I’ll ask you one question honestly why do you think Donald Trump got elected back to the White House after everything you accuse him of doing in his first term or before?
Everything you say is delusional. The answer to your last question as to why Trump got elected in the last election is pure, simple stupidity. Enough people were stupid enough to vote for him. Of course there were many contributing factors to that stupidity, but the bottom line is pure unadulterated stupidity. I have nothing further to say to you.
Actually, James, you may not like the actual translation or the actual words spoke because they were AutoCorrect.
What I was saying to liberals was you know calling Trump fascist didn’t work
During this election, and if you keep it up, you’ll lose the next election as well. Sorry, not an excellent selection.
Fascism does not exist in the Trump administration, nor will it no matter how much you want to twist the words or the actions that you see forthcoming what you will see is American reborn democracy restored safe streets, safe world, low prices, and a bustling economy, right after the law of January stock markets
You know fascism didn't work before and if you keep it up, you'll lose an excellent selection as well
Pluralism requires more than two national political parties. Madison when he wrote his comments about the new constitution wrote his believes with no understanding that this new government would become one of two major political parties. It is a winner takes it all.
And
The current two party system financed by corporate entities of no limits destroys any and all realities of pluralism.
Hurrah!!! I’m so heartened you’ve brought that up. Our 2 party “system” is a kind of political cartel. Each party will point out that there are subgroups within each. Yet the party machinery crushes these. The parties gerrymander with impunity, pass laws that make it very difficult for another party to get off the ground. They are by nature undemocratic. I don’t know what could cause this to significantly change.
But that is not necessarily what happens at the local level and in the smaller states. So there are pathways more at hand for many to become involved and engage with the issues directly impacting their lives.
Per yesterday's thread....https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/12/democratic-states-new-anti-trump-strategy-federalism/680868/?utm_campaign=this-week&utm_content=20241208&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=This+Week+on+TheAtlanticcom
We need more protection for the voting rights of people—each person’s vote protected. We need to get rid of the Electoral College for a start. Then improve things so every vote counts and primaries are unnecessary (final five? ranked choice?). I think corporations should be boxed out some how. We need to get big $ out of our politics. I think lobbying groups and corporations should be prevented from influencing elections—no campaign donations and no endorsements. It will be the collective will of individual persons. Campaign season should be shorter (the last 6 mo of a term?). I think U.S. Supreme Court judges should be elected and have term limits and maybe all judges should. We need a lot of reform. While I do not believe the 2020 election was stolen I do think folks know they are up against corruption. I think they picked the wrong guy in DJT to make their stand but they are not wrong in their gut feelings that voting needs an overhaul. We need to renovate this old house, not burn it down. Of course now the religious zealots are insisting on adding a chapel. Nuts!
First, I'd like you to hear your understanding of the electoral college in the first place then we can discuss the rest. Thank you.
OK then, find your local Ranked Choice Voting organization, join up, participate. Open primaries and elections with multiple candidates and RCV voting can be grown from a local base to statewide as in Alaska and Maine. Start now by posting this everywhere!
Worst idea in modern politics on either side of the aisle.
The reply was an offered as a helpful suggestion to a reader who hated your reality that there is an “either side of the aisle”. Regardless, RCV is liked where it is used and has recently withstood referendum challenges in Alaska and Minnesota. MN Governor Tim Walz is a big backer and I’m sure that Alaska is delighted that they were able to choose Nick Begich without him getting primaried out by the Palin faction of the party.
John for your information RCV is only liked by the winners and as I said to another gentleman here a little while ago, RCV is like a miniature elimination of the electoral college, which then totally controlled by the majority and eliminates the other side. It locks the state in to be beholding to one party for decades literally as it has in any state that’s where it has been implemented. I think it’s sickening that people vote by party. People should be voting for the policies that will best benefit most Americans. Period. And despite most of the protestations on this blog, many people here voted for Trump, but didn’t like him, but they like his policies that worked for almost all Americans during his administration, despite a once in a century, global pandemic, and that’s why he’s back in office
If you actually “think it’s sickening that people vote by party” you are exactly the person that should be backing RCV. it allows people to vote their issues without concern that their vote is wasted. Actually, a number of your points seem to indicate that you may be confusing something else with ranked choice voting.
No, here’s what happens in rank choice voting, and I’ll give you California as an example which I live there 30 years and finally fled the disaster that the state turned into. In the near future, there will never be another republican governor. Because the state is dominated by Democrats two to one. people go to the polls and vote for the top two Democrat names on the ballot end of story a Republican will never reach the final vote. And just so you know, I live in a state where the majority party here are the independent party/non declared who are 40% of the electorate . The Democrats are than the next 30 or so and then they’re the Republicans for the next 25 or so. And then there is the rest is scattered. I believe there are two states who is electorate is like that
My point was I just wish people would vote for the person not the party
I welcome a contrasting point of view if I’m interpreting RCV wrong please let me know
First of all, love both Obamas.
Secondly, humans conquered the planet and each other through the power of stories. Collective fictions are our superpower. We absolutely need to harness unifying stories:
The American Dream - the enduring belief that through hard work, determination, and equal opportunity, anyone can build a better life for themselves and their children, regardless of where they started.
We need to tell how the other side is destroying this, and how we intend to rebuild and reclaim it with plenty of honest mea culpas along the way.
Conservative voters like loyalty, tradition, and security. We can offer a better version of all three. We have to meet them respectfully in the echo chambers and the dragons’ lairs.
Yes, we have to keep approaching neighbors, as angry as we are with them. Ok, maybe not the really entrenched, racist, misogynist ones just yet…
But Obama won on a story. A story of him, and a story we all share about hope. It was sincere as hell, and just enough people believed it, too.
Ryan, we shouldn’t overlook his emphasis about active, engaged pluralistic work. Ideas as verbs. I recently revisited Bowling Alone and watched the doc, Join or Die… both drawing on Robert Putnam’s work. My sense is that Obama has drawn from this research as well as Madison.
The genesis of Obama's storytelling was Lincoln. The breadth and depth of his grasp of things was never more evident than in his great Berlin speech - and even that was partially misunderstood. And who can forget "Obama out!" with a literal mic drop.
I’m going to retire in a couple years. I dream of that mic drop as I plan my exit.
That’s all Obama did was speak divide the country time and time again the most divisive and racist president in our recent history
"We have to meet them respectfully in the echo chambers and the dragons' lairs." Beautifully stated. But hard.
Is anyone else tired of the constant blaming? Harris and Walz lost because of: pick an excuse and run with it.
They lost because too many voters didn’t bother to vote. From intimidation of voters with threats of violence, to the recklessness of not voting because the non-voters “don’t like either candidate” (as if that will teach a lesson to politicians), too many people stayed home.
And now we all have to live with it. A felon goes unchecked, sexism and racism and all of the isms become permissible, even encouraged; threats are proclaimed with such ferocity, and promised with such conviction that those who are threatened don’t even recognize their vulnerability.
Yes, it’s important to evaluate what happened. But blaming the candidates for falling short is childish, a way of avoiding accountability.
It worked for Hitler. And it has worked for djt TWICE.
We are in deep trouble. This will become obvious immediately after the inauguration.
Can we, and our Constitution survive? Can we remain strong and tireless in the fight for democracy?
We’re about to find out.
One of my sons, insists he's teaching the politicians a lesson and voted for 3rd party. The other son, my husband and I voted for our granddaughters's future! But it is so important to remember and act on some very important FACTS about this election. Muskrat spent 238 million dollars and used his media platforms to spread deliberate LIES to buy the Republican presidential election! Fox news and Russian, possibly the Chinese government and who knows, who else decided it would be fun and profitable to bring down the largest and biggest democracy and economic power in the world.
We haven't even talked about voter suppression. Texas removed a million and a half names from their voter roles. How many of those names belonged to dead people??? What obstacles did those people face if they wanted to re-register to vote?
Georgia removed people too. How many states removed voters that didn't get the media coverage?
Carol, the way I see it, we lost partially due to the factors you cited and partially due to missteps and blind spots by the Democratic Party. The lies were definitely spread by the winning side. But here's the thing. They now own their victory and will have to live with the responsibility that brings. The pendulum will swing back.
See this is the reason you lost when you state things like you did above if you wanna talk about the lies as a reason that a party loses. : the border is secure bidenomics is working.
Inflation is under control and transitory Those were not posted by the Republican side
Rick, I've been reading all your comments on this thread. Welcome to this dialogue. I can only comment that the reality and facts I hold to be true are mostly quite different from yours. By all measures, Bidenomics has been working well. Inflation has come down, and it really was transitory. The US economy is doing quite well. Real wages have gone up, and minority employment has been rising. However, the border was never secure, and the Biden administration should have done more. However, when they finally put forward a bipartisan border bill, Trump and Republicans killed it be abuse they wanted to keep the issue as a campaigning talking point. That obviously worked with you, at least from my point of view.
So, since we have two different realities, how can we have a dialogue here without calling the other stupid? You obviously care deeply about our country, as do most other commenters here. Your candidate won and I sincerely hope your predictions are accurate. However, his rhetoric was indeed scary to this former pro-Republican voter. I hope my worries are unfounded.
OK, let me start here by dynamics is not working and you know how we know that just Google the price of every day items that people are complaining about every single day that have doubled or up 20 to 40%, depending upon the commodity. Nobody, but you thinks that Bidenomics has worked. By the way, the average citizen has no idea what the word inflation means nor the word economy what they know is when they go to the grocery stores and they can’t afford to buy what they want that’s called inflation to them when they go to the gas station and gas is four or five dollars a gallon or even seven like it was in California that’s inflation to them. You probably haven’t seen the news on your networks, but people were going to the checkout stand at the grocery store and had to return items to the shelf and take them out of their cart because they couldn’t afford to buy them.
People are being interviewed on the street and we talked about how they couldn’t afford what they used to buy at the grocery store and had to even skip meals. And fast food restaurants have been dying and going out of business because people are going to the grocery stores because they can’t afford to eat out
We don’t live in two different realities we live one. The reality is that 70%
Of the US citizen said that this country is moving in the wrong direction. Look it up yourself, please. There’s war is breaking out all over the world. There were none during Trump’s administration prices were less expensive during Trump’s administration for Gasoline in California went up to over seven dollars during Biden‘s administration And As recently as last week, gasoline in Nevada was four dollars and in many places here during Trump it was $1.80. That’s what inflation means
The worst thing to me is that most people who seem down about this election forget that Donald Trump was already president If not for Covid, he would be leaving office On January 20. There were no wars the border was closed as much as the Democrats would allow it because they stopped the wall from being built Which cost about $10 billion to build versus 150 we’ve paid so far for a legal immigration and it’s gonna cost another hundred billion to Deport them.
There will be a small role in the group in the stock market the beginning of January like there is every year, but after that judge what happens based on January 21 on, I’d be more than happy to have an additional dialogue with you anytime along the way
And I haven’t even mentioned the political issues that the Democrats caused having an actual coup in the United States when they’re the ones that kept talking about a threat to democracy
JE the border was not secure, but it would’ve been had the Democrats not blocked the bill allowing the wall to be continued to be built. And by all estimation, there’s been over 20 million illegal immigrants come into this country. There are 1.4 million in this country who are on deportation order and are still here. You can Google yourself the number of criminals known illegal criminals that that had records of felonies in their country and now they’re here now they’re 17 states that have this gang from Venezuela that in that have raped women that have killed people such as lake and Riley and are taking over apartment buildings by force. Just google it and you’ll see that side of the real the border would be closed if the wall had been built for all intents and purposes you have to be honest with yourself. Google these things see how many illegal immigrants came into this country and how many got away there even have. There are currently 350,000 illegal immigrant children where the government doesn’t know their whereabouts and the suspicion is that many of them are now being trafficked not to mention the fentanyl that is entered our country in the meantime.
Correcting the voter rules was covered extensively but probably not on your networks enough
And there's reasons to correct the voter roles, especially when you have illegals dead people wrong information and people who have moved years ago
Rick, please provide proof of non-citizens voting. Ditto for dead people voting. Accusations are not the same as proof. The 2020 election wasn't stolen.
( Where most people agree is that proper ID must be used to vote. My opinion: How to get that ID is where the debate should be.)
What am I your research assistant? There is plenty of news that you can Google to verify that. I didn’t say the election was stolen in 2020 I said it was rather unusual for a semi cadaver named Joe Biden with no major legislation in his name to get 13 more million votes than Obama the God. That’s what I said curious to say the least. And it’s amazing for people who keep talking about. You have to accept the results of the election. I believe there was an issue with the Senate race in Pennsylvania with a democrat protesting the results. Then there was Al Gore then there was Jill Stein, who actually had a recount in five states while the Democrats cheered. And then, of course, that Hillary Clinton still says her election was stolen.
Just google evidence of non-citizens voting keep in mind that every state has its own policies as to voter ID and you might want to know that there are a number of states that do not require proof of citizenship to vote
And with one click of my iPad, I found 15 states that do not require proof of citizenship to vote. And many more use loopholes in addition to that to allow others to vote. And you might not know this but about over 1 million or more people were removed from the voter rolls because they were dead then they’ve been on the voter rolls for any anywhere from 15 to 20 years still being dead.
Trump has said he will prosecute over 100 people including Biden, Pelosi, Harris and Cheney. But, he has to get an indictment from a grand jury and then get past a judge that will allow the prosecution of said indictment.
And then, when the DOJ's case is built on lies instead of facts, the indicted parties can sue for 1) malicious prosecution, 2) defamation of character, 3) tortious interference, 4) maybe something else cause I'm not a lawyer.
He said no such thing.
None of the issues you pointed to is why you lost not one of them
If you paid attention, 70% of the country thought that this country was headed in the wrong direction and indeed it was. That's the main reason you lost. It didn't help that you kicked Biden out of Office and you appointed someone who didn't earn it.
Obama is charismatic... and wrong. The old guard Democrats failed over and over for decades. On their watch the middle class and everyday people suffered. Obama consistently screwed up by trying to meet Republicans half way. And over and over he got the short end of the stick. Remember the horrible Grand Bargain? Remember the horribly insufficient stimulus of 2009? That resulted in the Republican tsunami of 2010. We're still reeling from that.
Good Lord will the old guard never learn?
Pelosi, Clyburn, Biden, Schumer, Obama and Harris - get out of the way. These are Democrats enamored of the top 5%. These are Democrats that wanna play nice. They come unprepared to do battle. They bring a smile to a gun fight.
Pluralism only works if the other players aren't rancid, lying weasels.
I don't care one iota about bipartisanship. I want to roll over the enemy - the Republicans.
Obama: "2023 he discussed ways to address the extraordinary concentration of wealth that has undermined support for democracy globally."... Nice Speech... In Deeds, Not Words, in 2009 Obama Bailed out the Bankers that Crashed the Economy... The Bankers even received their Annual Bonuses... Meanwhile Union Workers lost their Jobs, or Benefits... Millions Lost Their Homes... The Rich Got Richer... MAGA Foundations were helped laid... When Obama ended his Administration, Wealth Disparity had Increased... Deeds, Not Words Matter... Pretty Speeches Are Just A Sugar High...
And the dems in the Senate re-elected Schumer to be their leader again (still). They haven't learned a thing. Or, am I missing something about Schumer's amazing talents? If anyone has a good article about why they did this, please share.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. And it's good that the people on this website read if your side want to win again. Obama is as good as dead.
And when you guys talk about diversity, have you seen the picture of the leadership group of the Democrat party? All white and elderly today. With a little bit of Cory Booker in the background, but that's it.
Weaknesses in our republic?
Timothy Snyder, interviewed today by Jonathan Capehart, said it all.
The orange felon, the convicted criminal – but not by any federal court – proved impunity. Then, too, the Clarence court ruled him above the law. But in all those four years no one at the Department of Justice, no congressional Dems, no federal court could touch him.
Why no urgency? Why just obvious dilly-dallying?
Think about what you would do if someone you loved were in danger. A father, wife, girlfriend, long-best-friend, child, or a democracy – if someone or something you loved were in danger, you would feel it, you would act.
Trouble is, Dems, federal officials, and the courts all showed “love” for them all is only theoretical. Nothing human, nothing personal. “Love” reduces for all of them only to abstraction.
This, finally, is the danger we reached by letting our schools void all our humanities.
We’ve no idea of the personal in real love. We can’t really love. Can’t really act.
One question I have is why the heck did Biden appoint Merrick Garland to Attorney General? Lots of problems would be solved without his obvious stalling and delays.
Did you read the above Letter? Why are you picking a fight all over again?
AG Garland has little time left. Historians will be picking at his actions for a long time to come. There is not one definitive action that got us where we are today.
"For Dems It's A Time for Re-imagination, Re-invention and Innovation -Thoughts on The Path Forward" Simon Rosenberg
I read Heather's "Letter," Barbara.
Sadly, I saw she left out any role of schools, education, humanities -- all of it, just gone, ignored, as it was for movement-action-friendly Obama.
There was a guy named Thomas Jefferson, a bit older than Madison, who did articulate the vital role of schools, education, and wider referencing abilities -- vital, key, necessary to the democracy.
Nobody believes that anymore. Just give it all up. To the "Christian" nationalists. To the billionaire standardized testers and corporate textbook packagers.
I collapse your comments.
You'll have to excuse me, but the education department has been in control of the Democrats for three decades
The reason he appointed Garland as Attorney General is because he couldn't get his original nomination of him to the Supreme Court to the Senate for confirmation.
We have Mitch McConnell and his obstructionist tactics to thank for that.
I suspect it was to give him a position that McConnell had denied him. He had the resume for it, but somewhere along the way he lost the prosecutorial fire in his judicial restraint.
Merrick Garland didn't expect to be hit with many of the delays that prevented the DOJ from getting the Federal cases to court.
Is there another American walking around that has stolen Top Secret documents in their possession and never been held responsible?
Let's get our facts straight here folks.
Merrick Garland was the CAUSE of the first two years of delay on the federal cases against Trump. He didn't even appoint a special prosecutor until (jack Smith) until November 2022, almost 2 years after he took office as Attorney General. From February 2021 until Smith was appointed, Garland's Justice department basically sat and waited while the House judiciary committee took its time in their Jan 6 hearings.
To say he was "hit" with delays is a compete misstatement of what actually happened. He CAUSED most of the delays and while there is no proof of this, I expect Biden covid with that decision.
When Smith finally took his place as the Special Prosecutor, he had charges filed against Trump within 8 months, but that was already mid 2023, and Trump had already started his campaign for the white house.
Assume for the moment that Smith had been brought in just ONE year earlier. Much of the time-line would have been moved up at least 8 months possibly more. Even with the long delay in getting a decision out of the Supreme Court on immunity, we would be almost a year ahead of the schedule we have been on. It is almost certain that Smith would have had time to file his case against Trump and bring him to trial for Jan6.
Sorry, in the end the real fault in not bringing Trump to justice falls on Biden and Garland for their totally unnecessary delays. The delays they caused were NOT imposed by others but were self inflicted, and while it is true that delays later were caused by others, the entire debacle could have been avoided if Biden and Garland had done their duty immediately rather than procrastinating for almost two years.
Yes his name is joe biden
NO!
But that is pretty dystopic, no? "We can't really live" because you allege that your perceived illusion of the elimination of humanities in the schools leaves us incapable of ANY feeling? SERIOUSLY?
Wow, no wonder you keep reiterating the same old tired point you can't let go of even for a moment. But honestly I think it is because you don't want to even consider what Obama (and Heather I think) suggests, i.e. that the world is complex and that we don't all share the same views but that we can find common ground.
I recognize that the world doesn't always march to my drum. If I could change everything with the wave of my hand, we would all be socialists who love one and other and the world would live in harmony.
But of course that's not reality. So while maintaining my personal view of how things should be in an ideal world, I also recognize that compromise is needed. I am willing to meet others half way.
Maybe you Phil should give that a try yourself.
Agree. Digging in and doing the tired same old scapegoating is a formula for entrenchment. And that certainly closes all the doors for any of the kind of pluralism Obama (and probably) Richardson are talking about.
Stopping the name calling would be a start. That was begun in earnest by him in 2016. Why adults picked up that childish communication is beyond ridiculous. It is wildly divisive. This isn't about hanging out with fascists and being "besties." This is about finding a way to accept the plurality of our Country today. This is about chilling out for a minute.
Can everyone put down their weapons for a darn minute?
Jon, the notion of compromise has been painted by bullies in a derogatory sense; demonized
On the contrary, Compromise is the recognition that opposing sides can each move toward progress in smaller steps where each side gets something they need as they sacrifice getting everything they want. Neither side actually moves forward, in the long run, when ine side is shut out on the conclusion of negotiation
Compromisers are the Great Leaders of a diverse population
If we take a defeatist attitude, that's what they want. For us to roll over. That's how they win. That's how ignorance wins. Is that what you want?
Please let me tell you something about humanities, Jon.
None preaches so "we would all be socialists who love one [another] and the world would live in harmony."
All decent, true, and humanly honest humanities deal in complications, contradictions, and inordinate difficulties.
If you want consistency, correct categories, proper fit to groups, and units in nicely chronological order, the place to go is standardized testing.
Americans aren't the only people where no one reads any book in full even at elite universities. It's true, too, in Japan, where I live.
Gutting humanities has a deep, deep, grievously deep cost, Jon. The last four years marked a massive American impotence. You can pretend the dismantling of humanities has nothing to do with it. But if you read some really good books -- in full -- you could see etiology of any society that dumps on, ignores, those who handle complications best, and instead flock to such conceits as let standardized testing concede all to our most vulgar and predatory.
This point really jumped out at me. Our next door neighbor is going to college and only taking courses that will serve her bottomline financially. She only talks about how much money she can make upon graduation. I think, coming from a multicultural family, she’s savvy about the world, politically. But, I do believe there is something missing in her education overall. And your point speaks to this.
Phil, books are good for taking us into the lives of different people, but nothing is better than experiencing life with people who are different from us. We need to find time to interact and share experiences face-to-face and along-side-of people who can open our eyes to other perspectives…it takes time together. Reading a book consumes hours of our time. Time is our most precious commodity. Do we spend enough time with others who are different from us?
Change you are so right and I am constantly attacked because I have different views and most people here. Just trying to keep peoples minds open that in fact, there are people that think differently than the folks here. And if you pay attention to those and work to the middle, everyone will be a lot happier.
Not "either-or," Jane.
Sorry. Jane
Very well said
If I could change everything with a wave of my wand, I'd give politicians and business leaders and owners a sense of compassion for workers living paycheck to paycheck. I'd remove the thread of jealousy inherent in progressive rhetoric, which assumes all inequality is equally evil in formation, and which annoys too many of us because it's only partially and not fully true. I'd grant the grace of patience to minorities struggling to thrive and create a better future for their children, because progress has been measured in decades, not elections. I'd grant privileged whites the wisdom to see their own privilege and to modify their behavior accordingly. I'd grant Christian Nationalists tge sense of confidence and security that they will remain free to practice their religions even as others practice their own.
What else, domestically? Oh yea. Lots. But those should be reserved for honest political processes conducted by sane and rational actors. They exist, don't they?
Really do you see the Jews practicing safely?
"... honest political processes conducted by sane and rational actors. They exist, don't they?"
And you believe in Santa Claus too, Virginia? 🙃
Je, I apologize for that snarky reply... I totally understand your plea although I have no actual answer. At least for the moment, sanity seems to have left us.
We can hope it is only temporary but the dangers of not recovering quickly are like being in a stall in an airplane... Recovery is almost always POSSIBLE but the further you get into the stall and the closer you get to the ground, the more difficult things become. At some point (often referred to as the point of no return) there is no remedy that is not worse than the failure itself.
I don't think we are there yet, but we are a lot closer than we were before this most recent election. .
Sigh...
This last election was a success for the American people and for the world.
There are already promising things happening all over the world and the President elect hasn't even taken office yet
Sorry Rick you are 100% wrong on that. This election was a disaster for democracy and your head will be swimming in a few months when you see the monstrosities Trump and his minions will inflict on our country and our rule of law. I am old and I live in California so I will probably be safe but we do need to get every person we can working to reverse this catastrophic failure of our democracy. Trump should be in prison right now for 5-10 years for the crimes he has committed but Biden and his AG failed dismally hoping that Trump would just go away. But he didn't and by the time they figured it out and got Jack Smith going, it was sadly too late. Democrats are always too timid, and now we are all going to pay the price. It is going to get a lot uglier before it gets better (hopefully during the 2026 elections). The only saving grace is that most of his henchmen seem almost completely incompetent and will probably screw up the first 12 months of their terms and Trump will probably end up firing quite a few as he did in 2017 and 2018.
Nothing good will come out of this election, that is certain.
Sorry you completely misunderstood my post. I am in favor of finding common ground with intelligent people on both sides but nobody Trump has selected even comes close to being intelligent, just filthy n rich.
And by the way, I am very old and retired 12 years ago. And I like another half 1 million people flooded California because they could no longer take the politics there. And RCV is a disaster the only people who like RCV despite someone else’s post here are the people that win but what happens with RCV is it lock the state up literally forever by one party it’s kind of a miniature eliminating the electoral college which protects all people instead of just the ruling majority
Well, Jon , that’s your opinion. I left California 15 years ago after living in Calabasas for 25 years and seeing the city of Los Angeles, be destroyed by incredibly rampant ridiculous Democrat rule. The street smell like urine there’s homeless everywhere crime is horrible and feel free to walk into a 7-Eleven and steal $890 worth of stuff and walk away.
I’m really kind of at a loss for people on the left side of the aisle to be so horrible at predictions I’m not sure if the crystal ball or is the Ouija board that fail, but as Stephanie rule said Democrats need to stop hallucinating and stop the histrionics because pretty much 80% of what they think is gonna happen never happens. Liberals also seem to Forget that Donald Trump was already president and did an amazing job and if not for Covid would still be an office today and leaving on January 20
More to come in my next post
Thank you.
Was a brilliant, far reaching interview. Here’s the link for those who want to watch it…
https://youtu.be/tybz2h94P74?si=KLJCg6JzyTn4LND0
What a clear-headed straight-talking person. Thx Steve.
You’re welcome, Joan.
🙏
‘People as things, that’s where it starts…sin, young man, is when you start treating people like things. Including yourself’
Captain of the police Watch Sam Vimes from Terry Pratchett’s novel Carpe Jugulum
Phil,
This comment isn't directly related to your post. Indulge me a moment: I got myself so upset and sick over the election that I absolutely cut my news consumption by about 80% or more. I read the letter, and a few substacks, and I do keep up with Belle of the Ranch (former Beau of the 5th column) and their channels. I stumbled upon Rick Beato's youtubes. I am NOT even remotely a musician (although I paid for many band instruments, a piano, a keyboard and private lessons for all, for my kids). Rick has been online for about a decade so there is PLENTY of clips to listen to, and I enjoy them and his enthusiasm tremendously.
I happened upon this one, and while watching it I thought of you and wanted to send you a link since you talk about humanities so much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU96wCDHGKM
Anyone whose read any amount of my comments knows I have HS English teacher daughters, and 3 teacher nieces. Smart phone scrolling, in particular TIK TOK, is destroying our children. I applaud Australia! I also read this Yahoo article just the other day:
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/teachers-opening-kids-cant-read-141602176.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
One of my daughters said that she can't assign ANY reading homework because they simply DON'T DO IT. Period. It is a fight to find an administration that will support the teachers, especially in rural areas where the school board is frequently parents who will fight the administration to get what they want for their kids. She also has said it is near impossible to get them off their phones. I could elaborate on the many issues she and the other teachers in the family have related to me in the last year or two.
This issue, like politics, climate, etc., make me want to throw up--or at least throw up my hands. Sometimes, it's good to be old.
I'm really sorry I have to say this, but if you love America, you'll be thrilled at the outcome of this past election and if you'll wait and be patient and see what the results bring, you may change your mind at least be open minded to that rather than pessimistic and negative in advance
Thank you, Miselle.
The U.S. has been repeating what China did to itself in the era of Mao. Then, China's "cultural revolution" killed thousands of intellectuals and imprisoned and sent to work farms millions more. The result has been catastrophic since.
Same in the U.S., though American self-destruction came originally with the Powell memo of 1971, and U.S. elites in finance and commerce who just wanted to kill humanities in schools to pave the way for rule by the commercially vulgar.
It worked. They spent hundreds of millions of dollars, and used the concerted schemes of several new far-right foundations, but they killed humanities at all levels in U.S. education. And to make sure the human and personal elements were dead, they added standardized testing and its group, abstracted categorical, and linear conceits to kill literacy.
I'd months earlier seen the Rick Beato video whose link you sent. So true.
I'd known of the anecdotes and research in the other link you sent. It's all so bleak, Miselle.
And now, or soon, we have a convicted criminal as president, and all his vulgar lot.
So pathetic how U.S. elites so blindly followed China's deadly lead.
Phil--probably 12 or so years ago, our HS school district was in trouble and badly needed to pass a referendum. The administrators asked each of the 3 schools to compose a list of "movers and shakers" of the parents. My husband and I were shocked to be on that list--all we did was be on the Music Parents Association, and were two of about perhaps 8 parents (out of a school of 380 or so kids) who attended the Booster Club (primarily for athletics, but the school had dissolved their PTSA years before. (I was told a parent embezzled money from it, but that could be rumor).
The threat was, if the district couldn't pass a referendum, the arts would be eliminated which would include the bands and choirs. (Also, they would eliminate classes like the woodworking shop and the auto mechanic classes. Pretty stupid thinking as the trades need workers.)
Anyhow, we worked our tail ends off. By "we" I mean the music parents. NOT ONE PARENT OF AN ATHLETE helped. Oh wait, our daughters were on the tennis team, so I guess that "counts" eh? The referendum did pass, and it was honestly my very first experience on learning about elections in terms of breakdown of precincts, percentage of people that vote, etc. I stood outside a precinct to hand out flyers. NO fun. People are NASTY. I also made phone calls, not quite blind, as it was all to parents of students. Most were pretty nice, probably because my voice sounded shaky asking them to support the cause.
It's always, always, always, the arts that are the first to go. It's disgusting. And I say that as a big believer in needing STEM education.
Sigh.
Phil, I see the troll has struck us both. I don't engage with him, but it seems the option to block him has disappeared. I was able to block people in the past.
What a sad, deluded guy.
I'm sorry that you see it that way but I believe you're actually about 90% incorrect if you look at the numbers 90+ percent of all university professors are registered Democrats and I believe the number is probably closer to 95%
As soon as you start out a conversation by saying the Orange felon, nothing else is meaningful.
I watched Obama‘s speech and was happy he finally got into “what we should do” at about the 30 minute point, because the old expression “without a vision that people will perish“ is as true today as it ever was. And while I was happy Obama talked about people coming together to do things, I was not happy that he didn’t suggest doing anything truly bold or maybe even transformational.
We have a huge crisis of confidence in America. I think people saw the Harris campaign as being willing to make marginal improvements around the edges. But we need to organize around taking America back from the oligarchs who are running it today. Had Obama spoken about that kind of goal, his speech would have been historic rather than just prescriptive. Yes, he told us we should work together, but he didn’t suggest anything truly inspiring for us to work together on. He played it safe.
I’m old enough to remember when America sent three men to the Moon and did that multiple times. The era of America during inspirational things must not be over. We need to “boldly go where we’ve never gone before,” as the opening narration of Star Trek talks about doing!
Obama is correct in talking about plurality. He simply does not give concrete ways forward. Lofty ideals and rhetoric did not stop a coup right here in America.
I am for plurality. We need to find concrete, sensible ways forward.
Obama is gone and should be forgotten move on with younger more Progressive younger thinkers.
President Obama's POV is nice and it's extra nice that Prof. Richardson ties it back to the Founders, especially Madison. But both Obama and Richardson ignore that forming coalitions and making compromises of the sort that allowed the Constitution to emerge included things like the 3/5 compromise and the equal representation of states in the Senate regardless of population.
The 3/5 compromise and the overall acceptance of slavery into the framework of a society expressly devoted to the equality of all people remains America's "original sin," bedeviling us in ways both obvious and subtle. The structure of the Senate and the related math of the electoral college have become huge structural impediments to majority rule and have in fact perversely allowed a *minority* to control the government and overreach as a matter of course.
Obama, Madison, pluralism...it all sounds good, it's all consistent with my understanding of the way things are supposed to be. But I look out my window and into my screens and it's not the world I see.
Jeff, that "original sin" is two-fold: not just the enslavement of Blacks but the almost total extermination of the Indigenous Peoples and the theft of their land.
Yes, indeed, Jeff. I recall that when FDR's New Deal enraged Gilded Age Rs, the new laws were also the result of compromises which included segregation of racial minorities and frustration of women. Realism, or true liberalism, in politics often leaves out too many who should also be part of "our" progress.
Thank you, Dr. Richardson. The one point I have always disagreed with James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton is their fear of majority rule. Which is the major reason we have the electoral college; instead it has brought us the tyranny of the minority, It was minority (slave owners) who brought us the Civil War and now it is the minority oligarchs who are bringing the end of democracy to be replaced by an authoritarian (supposedly religious based) dictatorship.
We must fight back - and no I don't mean by use of weapons. By standing up for our rights as American Citizens. Another larger rally in support of democracy by all persons who are able, in DC on January 19, 2025, 2 or more million people who prefer democracy to dictatorship. Who want to keep Social Security and Medicare (into which all of us who have worked have paid into, and still pay for Medicare after retirement), These are NOT government handouts, we paid for them all our working lives.
Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are given in support of the very needy. But they're a grain or two of sand on the beach compared to the billions in support given to the top 10% wealthiest in the nation in the form of tax breaks, inflated government contracts, oil depletion allowances, farm subsidies (NOT for small family farms, oh no, they go to mega corporate farms)
The oligarchs whine about giving their "hard earned dollars" to the needy - yeah playing 18 holes of golf, partying on their yachts, sipping mint juleps at the Country Club - that's really hard work. And don't give me that bullshit about what a genius Musk is - his daddy left Elon and baby brother Kimball several million dollars as a start up money, they invested in PayPal and used those gains to buy into Tesla an already existing electric car. Like trump (but smarter) good ol' elon is world class con artist.
there was only one subject in the election:
A: Do you want a dictatorship like Hitler using Project 2025 under Trump
B: Do you want a democracy under Harris and Walz
It was not stressed enough. Check A or B
“Ben Burgis condemned Obama’s “centrist liberalism” as inadequate to address the real problems of inequality and warned that his political approach is outdated.”
Obama speaks with the gravitas of a black man who won two presidential elections, and who, I believe, keeps as good an eye on the current political landscape as anyone, including Ben Burgis. I give Obama’s observations a lot of weight, and I’m grateful to HCR for bringing them to my attention. I saw no mention of Obama’s remarks in the NY Times, The Guardian, or the MeidasTouch Network on YouTube, my other sources of national political news.
MeidasTouch Network has reported on Obama's remarks cited in HCR's letter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNER6lhOZuk
Why do yu think that is
The media will not cover Obama. trump despises Obama. The media is terrified of trump.
"Why do yu (sic) think that is [?]"
Because Obama isn't George W. Bush, who, when his term was done, went off to paint pictures and forget about the mess he left, and whose opinion on anything is just about worthless.
I meant why do you think the press did not report on the forum.
See Barbara Mullen above.
Pluralism is what just happened in South Korea and Syria in finally stopping their authoritarian leaders from destroying their countries. (Unfortunately through both violence and resolve). Even the responses of the awful murder of UHC’s CEO has brought out pluralistic responses from so many who were universally abused by an unfair system. I believe Obama is correct IF we can course correct to find common ground here in America that will preserve our laws we so dearly need to protect everyone from tyrants and grifters. It must start with a GOP congress willing to see clearly the danger ahead. S Korea just did. We can too.
Regarding Trump's reelection, many hypotheses, speculations as well as theories are circulating. To sort out the reasons or causes why Trump was successful despite many negative dubious characteristics that Trump possess and many of them are serious enough to be able to disqualify a candidate in an election in a normal situation successfully should be the most important element of satisfactory explanations.
Here first for readers' convenience, I would like to line up these unique and unprecedented unfavourable and dubious characters that Trump possesses. These negative points are not exhausting all Trump's dubious features but are the main characters I notice.
1. Trump calls climate change a hoax.
2. Trump repeatedly says he admires Putin as well as Ovan. Both are notorious autocratic leaders.
3. Trump repeatedly hints there will be no election after he reelected, suggesting he plans to be a US president forever.
4. He was found guilty of raping a woman.
5. Many of his comments are full of lies.
6. He kept the US government's top secret document in his private home and tried to block the investigation conducted by the US government.
7. Mainly due to his mismagements during Covid-19 pandemic, over 1 million Americans lost their lives.
8. He repeatedly hinted he will use the US army against what he calls an internal enemy.
9. He repeatedly hinted he will use the US justice system for prosecuting what he calls his enemy who criticized or tried to investigate him.
10. His age. Occasionally he confuses in his speeches and says incoherent things. However he never takes a thorough medical exam nor makes it available to the public. There can be the risk he will pass away or develop dementia during his term as well he can push a doomsday button that triggers WWIII in his confused mental state.
11. He is directly responsible for the Jan. 6th riot attack on the parliament which is unprecedented in US history .
12.Judging from his revengeful, vicious and often impulsive behaviours and speech, apparently he doesn't possess the stable, balanced, and level headed nature which are minimum requirements for one of the most important jobs in the world.
13. spreading a lot of harmful and malicious misinformation continuously.
14. He has a tendency to stir people's aggressive attitude or orientation.
15.He doesn't show any intention of stopping the business with foreign nations even though this is a requirement when people apply for public jobs including the US president.
Some theories are explaining adequately why Trump was reelected despite some aspects of these dubious characters. Others are picking up other points of these infamous characters and elucidating why these points have not influenced his reelection. However none of them can explain why these minus characters didn't prevent Trump from being reselected across a whole spectrum. Ideally successful hypotheses must be capable of explaining why all of these infamous characters Trump possesses didn't stop Trump from reelected. Most plausible
hypothesis must be able to elucidate why these negative features which usually can prevent a candidate from being selected in a normal election didn't stop Trump.
Here I would like to present the following my own hypothesis which can adequately explain why possessing so many negative features didn't prevent Trump from being re-elected as far as I see. I assume that the most plausible hypothesis which can explain the reason why voters ignore so many of his dangerous and dubious characters is that US voters' are losing the ability to make sound judgements and becoming not suitable for maintaining a sound democracy. As many specialists as well as political theories indicate, maintaining a sound democracy needs substantial effort on the voter's side. Sound democracy demands as its foundation that voters are capable of making sound and balanced judgements concerning judging policies as well as political candidates. What is happening in the USA at this moment clearly indicates the majority of US voters are losing these basic requirements for maintaining a sound democracy. I propose the majority of US voters have abandoned these efforts whatever the reason is. Another major index of American democracy is declining is the unbalance between 3 basic foundations of democracy that are the administration branch, judicial branch and the law making branch. For maintaining a sound democracy, these three sections must keep being independent with each other as well as not invading nor influencing nor interrupting with each other. These are the most vital and important conditions for keeping a democracy system functioning in a healthy, safe and sound way. Very clearly under current US situation, admin branch has started invading and eroding judicial branch. From this aspect we can see US democracy is not functioning properly also. No nation ever lasted for ever. This phenomena can be the beginning of the fall and decline of USA as a nation.
We are also the only nation in history ( as far as I know) to allow an insurrectionist to go unpunished. We have a government unable or unwilling to defend itself from a destructive force from within. We have been let down badly.
I agree wholeheartedly and also blame the voters. Including not just Trumpers that voted for him but also all of those that stayed home on the Dem side and didn't think voting is actually fracking important.
If the Dems in positions of power would grow a pair, maybe the voters would show up. Frankly, WTF am I voting for? Bad decisions, ineptitude and corruption allowed a second term to come about. Now they are considering pardoning all the Trump opponents. They better just do it. This is serious.Yes McConnell and the like are responsible for Trump 2.0 but so are the Dems.
Nevertheless, there is hope and intense commitment to mobilize and correct, to overcome oppression. Trump's margin of victory was slim, as were many R congressional and state wins. National legislation from MAGAs will not be easy, but will get firm resistance from not only the Ds but also from moderate Rs. We citizens really can influence, especially with the numbers that well-organized groups have. Courage! We're really a majority.
After the inauguration we might be a majority, but it will be without the power of the Presidency, the Congress and the military. We have willingly abdicated our freedom to a madman because they KNEW without a doubt we wouldn't respond as the insurrectionists and their leader did. We proved them right, didn't we?
The insidious involvement of Musk and the billionaires who have their own agenda significantly lowers our chances of keeping life as we know it.
Dear Heather,
Thank you for your thoughtful and inspiring reflection on President Obama’s lecture at the Democracy Forum. His historical framing of pluralism as both a guiding principle and a practical tool for navigating the complexities of democracy resonates deeply, especially in these turbulent times. Yet, as you noted, his words invite us to ask hard questions about whether pluralism, as envisioned by James Madison or President Obama, is enough to withstand the crises we face today.
Pluralism, as Obama describes it, thrives on coalition-building, compromise, and a shared commitment to the rules of democracy. But how do these principles function when those in power flagrantly disregard norms and weaponize state institutions to consolidate authority? Authoritarianism thrives on division, the silencing of dissent, and the systematic dismantling of the very institutions that protect minority rights and ensure accountability. When the judiciary, independent agencies, and social safety nets are hollowed out, pluralism’s promise of inclusion and shared purpose risks becoming a façade that conceals deep injustices.
This concern is particularly acute as we witness cruel plans by oligarchs to cut the social safety net—the lifelines for veterans, seniors, and the disabled. These cuts are not mere policy debates; they are an assault on the very idea of “We, the People.” Our vigilance and response must be loud and clear: we cannot allow these attacks on the vulnerable to pass unnoticed or unchallenged. The collective force of “We, the People” must rise to defend these lifelines, for they are the moral foundation of any society that claims to value equality, justice, and compassion.
Obama’s optimism about coalition-building and shared projects is inspiring, but as you astutely observe, it can feel inadequate in the face of such deliberate undermining of democratic principles. Pluralism presumes a baseline respect for the rules of democracy and a willingness to engage in good faith, but what happens when the other side has abandoned those principles? How does pluralism survive when one side has no interest in compromise and instead uses its razor-thin margin of power to dismantle the very structures that enable democracy to function?
Obama’s call for action is essential. Pluralism must evolve from being a philosophical ideal to an active practice of resistance and renewal. It requires “We, the People” to organize, to resist authoritarian overreach, and to rebuild the institutions that uphold democracy. It is not enough to form coalitions around shared values; we must forge alliances that deliver real justice and restore trust in our systems.
In many ways, the survival of pluralism depends on reclaiming the spirit of Madison’s vision—not as a passive process of shifting coalitions, but as a fierce commitment to democracy itself. This moment demands that we stand firm against those who undermine pluralism while remaining open to unlikely allies who may share our belief in fairness and the rule of law.
Thank you, Heather, for sharing Obama’s powerful words and for encouraging us to think critically about their relevance to our current challenges. His call to action reminds us that pluralism is not just about enduring differences but about building a democracy where every voice matters. The stakes have never been higher, and our collective efforts, as “We, the People,” are more critical than ever.
Sincerely, Elaine Cimino
Elaine, you absolutely nailed it. And of all the things that have shocked my patriotism these last few years and pushed me towards cynicism, it's the hollowed out judiciary. Thank you for mentioning that.
I agree completely about the judiciary, most notably SCOTUS. They don’t even pretend.