I’m glad and scared at the same time. This is so messy and dangerous because of Trump. He is the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler.
I’ve suggested before….be afraid, but not scared. I am afraid about the threats to our democracy. That is a normal reaction for someone that loves our democracy. However, I will not allow that feeling to freeze me into inaction. I will not be scared. I will stand up to every authoritative attempt to curb my rights and my citizenry. I will fight for community and the common good. I will support our current leaders of democracy at every level even though they might not have been my choice at the polls. My vote will be for democracy, whoever represents it best in my opinion. I will not give an iota of passion in argument with someone who supports traitors of democracy and authoritarianism. I will not support misinformation. I will not be involved with wishing for an orange jumpsuit for Mr. Trump. I will remain in confidence that rule of law will prevail in litigating any of the myriad of his gross offenses and crimes against the people and institutions of this country in a decision that he may not run again and gain entry into the White House. Ever again. That will suffice for me. My only wish regarding Mr. Trump is that a day will come where I do not hear his name or read the name of this naked emperor. That is the greatest threat to his psyche. No attention given to a loser.
United, ScannyDo! For the People, all of us this time. 🙋🏻🙋🏼🙋🏽🙋🏾🙋🏿
And for good measure, if I want to wear a mask anywhere, I will. And if a mask-less someone stares at me in a mocking or stupid or threatening way, I will stare back, toss my head and flounce my hair, reach into my jeans pocket and put a second mask on. And then stare again.
There is not a single authority that can force me not to wear a mask or to wear one.
I support the common goods of our democracy. Optimal health for everyone is a biggie.
Christine, I may have to put that in my arsenal. NYS has just dropped the mask mandate and every covidiot is out in spades degrading those that continue to be safe. Grocery shopping the other evening I was told 4 times " you know you don't have to wear that anymore".
I hear you Linda loud and clear. I’m glad I’m a professional educator because the wearing a mask or not has become a playground brawl for some kind of “cred”.
When actually asked by a stranger in a grocery store “you know you don’t ‘have’ to wear that anymore?”, I reply, “you know that not wearing a mask is the same as being a bully about not protecting yourself and others, right?” And then I toss my head.
Christine, I find that saying, "what, there is no more covid, it's gone!" Generally that stops them in their tracks as well as saying " I'm wearing my mask because I'm smart" . They can take it from there. I do have others I use, but we're in mixed company.....😉
In Oregon the mask mandate is supposed to go away at the end of March and I am already prepared for that. Fortunately we shop at a store, who won't let anyone shop there now without one. I doubt anyone will bother us at that store. I intend to wear one whenever I am indoors in a public place.
I agree - there were people in the grocery store before the mandate was lifted - in fact I stopped & asked one of the employees "isnt there still a mask mandate in effect" - she of course at that time was wearing one. Then next time still several like me wearing one but majority not!
But not this. Which seems fearfully self contradictory. "There is not a single authority that can tell me not to wear a mask or to wear one. I support the common goods of our democracy. Optimal health for everyone is a biggie."
You seem by almost every measure sincere *and strategic* in your activism for good government - and then personal feelings seem to take priority over shared goals.
Government mask mandates serve optimal health for everyone, in a big way. And therefor use the democratic process to serve the common good. I am sure it would not take a mandate for you to follow the science - but it does for many others.
I believe a mandate for vaccines is completely necessary. Masking has taken center stage politically and tarnished the primary science regarding the efficacy and safety of vaccines.
All are based on provisional truths derived through reasoned debate of empirical evidence. All are compromised by emotionalism.
We know masks are a most effective defense against viral spread. And usually in a shared crisis people of differing opinions unite. But our entire pandemic response was/is undermined by anti science opportunism - a convergence of antivaxx, religious extremist, and Republican intransigence.
I got called a sheep in the grocery store by a non-masker. I laughed heartily, and said, "Me a sheep??? You follow and do whatever the orange idiot says. Hahaha!" She walked off.
I'm called a sheep idiot and much worse including b**** and c*** by my in-laws for wearing a mask and getting vaccinated. A person I volunteer with who I sort of respected told me today vaccines don't work and it's natural immune systems that keep you from getting the virus
Not true but I have to see this woman every day. Do I educate or just stay away from her? In these new times not alway easy to decide.
I am really so sorry. ThankYou for posting this. We need to hear these stories to know what people are up against.
I had a MIL like that. The issue was second hand smoke - with a newborn with respiratory problems and who later developed asthma. Stay as far away as possible. For the rest, you can lead by example and keep as disengaged as possible.
I have sadly given up on a long time colleague and friend. Over the past decade she has gone down the antivaxx rabbit hole and that is her happy place. She is in total denial and bitterly angry at everyone who can't see she is right. I brought up vaccination exactly three times - when they were first available, when boosters came available, when Delta emerged. Rage, rage, rage.
Nothing constructive to be done. Keep away. The information is widely available. Wearing a mask shows where you stand. If anyone asks politely for your opinion the share it. Otherwise protect your physical and mental health.
What boggles the mind, they actually do know masks work. They cover their face when they sneeze and taught their kids to do it too! But NOW it doesn’t work. Don’t argue with then, there lies annoyance, at best. You do you. Stay safe.
And, just yesterday I was laughed at for providing a visual on how masks work. The two responders stated firmly with zero evidence that masks don't work. I'm over the top sick of belligerence.
I guess I don't mind being called a b****, but the c*** is a deplorable name to be called. I can't imagine the type of person that would use that word toward anyone. Idiot is a runner up on deplorable name-calling. As for the person who is ignorant of COVID vaccine protection, I'd print of a short, precise info sheet and hand it to her. Then you can say you tried and leave the will to learn up to her. She can be belligerent and refuse or willing to give it a go. The odds are very high that she learned her misinformation from someone else.
"My vote will be for democracy, whoever represents it best in my opinion."
OK. That scares me.
There is no personal wiggle room for the opposition. Unite behind Democratic candidates to preserve/expand the Democratic majority in Congress and in the states.
Other than introducing the danger of sacrificing the opportunity of achieving our shared goal to expressing a personal opinion, I'm with you.
Yes! Don't let fear freeze you into inaction. But also, please don't let feelings/personal opinion drive your vote.
In my opinion, Biden was not the primary contender who best represented democracy - and then the brilliant student of American history and political strategist Rep. Jim Clyburn opened my eyes.
Agree, lin. I am an NPA. Don’t let my vote for democracy scare you. I am very proficient in voting for the candidate who best can be a voice for the common good, not just politics….whether it’s a local vote for school board or a vote for President-VP.
Of course I will be voting to preserve the Democratic majority this year.
And no, I will not join in trashing any of the candidates or incumbents that we must vote for nor will I join in the incessant criticism of our current leaders, and in particular, our attorney general.
When I say the word “Unite” or “United” on this forum, I mean it.
ThankYou. I was pretty sure you meant that. But my experience with left wing independents committed to 'putting person over party' has over sensitized me.
Here in Maine, left wing voters - following self funded pied piper political gadfly Elliot Cutler - handed the governorship to Trump before Trump racist TeaParty Paul LePage. Twice. LePage is back from Florida tanned, ready, and rabid. I am dreading Cutler or a Cutler showing up.
We instituted RankedChoiceVoting to mitigate the 'person not party' Cutler effect - but a quirk of wording in our state constitution prohibits its use in the gubernatorial race ...
Yes. Technically. In Maine the status is Unenrolled.
But there are voters who are registered in a party, often to participate in primaries, but self identify as independent voters who will always put person over party.
Universal open primaries and Ranked Choice Voting might go a long way to more representative government. It would depend on states instituting them ...
I have a nephew who its representative of others in my family in that he wants so badly to change the way things are into the ways things should be that he often fails to see that - in a democracy - you still need agreement. It doesn't mean that everyone has to agree yet (or before anything can be done), but enough people (voters) do have to agree to make it work and have a lasting affect. *sigh* So, we all need to keep standing up, respectfully speaking out (vocally or in writing) as we move toward being good influencers ourselves. Have you noticed how often HCR repeats things? It's on purpose. Have you noticed how much more aware and progressive many of us "feel" as our own eyes slowly open? As other readers of HCR recommend books, articles, and organizations? This really is how it is most effectively done. There's a certain amount of serendipity involved, like HCR has been out there writing and speaking for more than 20 years before most of us tripped over her. The last administration pulled so many of us out of our complacency. Lots of bad things have been being built and laid out already (throughout much of our history, as we see now) and many of us simply didn't know about or notice it before. It took these years of truly egregious behaviors to make it happen and to - literally - wake many of us up. It still won't be easy, but I sure am hopeful and excited about us, the sleeping dragons who are determined to make a difference - for all of us this time.
You are so right on the agreement aspect. That's why the Republicans need to pass laws that overrule the agreements that elections may communicate. Not many people agree with them.
Coming to consensus through reasoned debate of empirical evidence. How we transfer power through elections. How we pass legislation. How we interpret the constitutionality of laws and legal decisions. How we amend the Constitution. Good governance as translating the Scientific Method and the Golden Rule into civic communal life.
I live in a Red state… there aren’t many strangers I feel comfortable talking politics with. We all must vote. Take nothing to chance. I find articles like these sad (for the waste of human life) but more clearly the numbers may have shifted in some areas … https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/25/covid-partisan-divide/
In 2012, I repeatedly canvassed for Democrats in a red district of Virginia, an hour or so SouthWest of NoVA.
Many people, in this fairly new planned suburban neighborhood, leaned or stood Democratic - but told me they never talked to their neighbors about it and asked me not to mention their support to any neighbor who might ask. Just saying ... you may not be as alone as you think. I hope not.
In 2012, I did speak to many people…this was in the days before we actually heard “can we start killing Democrats?” There are allies here, people I know like me. But I’m not expanding my circle today.
Yes. Exactly. Your dilemma spotlights the bravery of Democratic candidates and others who step up in the open. But they also get some protection by their public visibility.
Your stance in the voting booth and in your circle is a significant contribution. ThankYou.
I live in a military community (Navy) which I have been told heavily leans Red and yet, I receive verbal positive remarks about my bumper sticker "Nasty Women Vote" from the Clinton campaign and even more about the sticker well attached to the back of my winter (red) jacket which is the picture of Trump behind bars with an "Impeached" banner across the picture. (Sounds pretty Democrat to me.) 90% of these remarks come from women. Cashiers give me a Thumbs Up signal but quietly whisper they best not say more while on the job. Maybe there are more voters moving to a better if not "right" position than we think.
ThankYou. Heartening. I did letter writing to Norfolk and Virginia Beach for Sierra Club. I don't think they would have done GOTV for that state race were there not some hope:)
HaHa. I have learned from each person I have volunteered with and every voter I've spoken with.
Be nice, be respectful, be positive, and listen. Use the script when you feel tongue tied, tweak it as you gain confidence. Don't argue - it only makes people dig in. Find common ground and work from there. Where people agree with you, ask questions which give them the opportunity to reinforce and expand on the agreement.
You are intruding on someone's life. Sometimes they will want to tell you more than you have time for. Politely get back on topic. Take 'no' for an answer. Don't ever go inside a house or apartment, especially when canvassing alone. If you feel uncomfortable on the doorstep, smile, back away, and leave. On the very rare case of an irrationally angry or threatening person, mark it down to warn others - in decades, this has only happened to me a few times. I was shaken but nothing bad happened.
And whether canvassing or phone-banking, make sure to keep hydrated. Seriously.
We can flip a Republican Congressional seat in Michigan! "Dr. Bob" Lorinser is a superb Democratic candidate with not only public health experience but 10 years of sevice in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps overseas. https://www.votedrbob.com/
I recommend Robert Hubbell, who is also on Substack, for many concrete ideas and suggestions for how to work to ensure that Democrats keep the majority.
He’s just a symbol of the collective consciousness that was brewing anyway. It’s now had the light shone on it. He is not the problem. He’s just the logo.
Absolutely agree. When he won it was a wake up call of the peril. That so many voted for him a second time... There is a dangerous ugliness that has settled into the soil of America. Growing.
The confederacy, just a part of the white supremacy mindset in the US, lives on in the hearts of a country that has never told itself or its children the sordid truth of its founding.
Rosalind - they could be told and it would not matter very much IMO. We find this week in the hate crime trial that the perpetrators of the Armond Arbury killing indeed have exhibited plenty of racist rhetoric and behavior prior to the murder. Duh. Anybody surprised? Not me. I see it in my own family. Anyone who has lived in the deep south (I certainly have), knows just how pervasive racism against blacks has been, and to only a slightly less extent, still is. It colors everything; not a day goes by where the average Georgia whitey doesn't at least mutter some derogatory word about blacks. It is a fundamental component of white peoples' psyches - something that doesn't seem to go away. In too many anyway. Well that element of human behavior is alive and well not just in the deep south - it's just more overt and more concentrated there. And I believe that racism is a very important element of the Trump appeal nationwide. He exploited it just as he has exploited religion to jazz up the religious right. As a result these people became emboldened. It is evil, corrupt, soulless. I am afraid that as long as racism is alive and well in this country, we are going to have to contend with Trumpy people at the voting booth and Trumpy people in power. The best thing to do IMO, is what we did to the south in the civil war. And that is to forcefully beat them into submission and keep them there. That can be done in the voting booth and also in the department of justice. Only this time don't let them sneak back into power. For this reason, it is time for our Democratic controlled government to stick it to the perpetrators of the insurrection - the evidence is obvious. Give them what they deserve. Perhaps more racists will crawl back under the rocks they were hiding under before Trump won in 2016.
Jay, I’m a native Georgian, and have long referred to racists as the roaches that crawled out of the woodwork. But here’s the thing. The Tangerine Terrorist didn’t start this. The Tea Party and its advocates did, in 2008. Suddenly, it was A-OK to say the quiet parts out loud, not to mention stringing up the president in effigy in front of a gas station, or a church. By the time 2016 rolled around, the seedbed had been well fertilized by rampant racism against a man who DARED to president while black. These idiots were scared s***less that their supremacy was at stake, and they still are. Trump was just another load of manure.
AND...while Georgians are holding forth...in an area that is still overwhelmingly pro-T***p, it must be noted that a large proportion of them may not use the N-word per se, but the new monikers are "hoodlum" or "thug". And then around here, they will tack on "Atlanta" before it, since all these hoodlums and thugs, of course, are coming up from Atlanta to prey on us. Uh-huh...right. There are sites aplenty one can go to and read this kind of language, one of the worst being the "NextDoor" one. I use it for its practical side (things for sale, businesses and individuals to refer to for services, etc.), but the right-wing trolls do regularly show up and turn even the more benign topics into politics. (It's also remarkable to read it and see what people do to the English language...) Now I'm reading more and more about people who are moving here from other parts of the country because "...people around here still love America and have the right kinds of values..." and crap like that. The bulk of the people I keep in my circle are like-minded, so we kind of keep a low profile, but it is galling when you still see evidence of so much hatred and ignorance and feel surrounded by it.
Jay, my great grandfather's gravestone in the Palatka, FLA "White" cemetery proudly boasts, "A Lover of Christ and a Friend to his Fellow Man." The footing boasts in large letters: KKK. 200-plus years of white racists in my maternal family. I agree with what you say. Believe me, as we say in the South, you're preaching to the choir.
I’ve been thinking about trump as a logo. The discontent has been there. He’s just found a way to monetize it - for his personal benefit, of course. How terribly sad that his most successful use of branding (think unsuccessful steaks, wine, university) has been to undermine our democracy.
Speaking of logos, Josh Halsey is selling a coffe mug with his infamous 1)6 photo complete w/ fist raised high in a solidarity with the rioters. Anything for attention and profit!
More profit (and cover) being president than running casinos, a university, prime time contests, or selling steaks and wine. Regulation you can ignore with impunity, free advertisement, and income that gets laundered at government expense. Perfect business model. And you breed an endless stream of customers without ever having to create an actual product. And, finally you get Congress to stand behind you all the way and a Supreme Court to rewrite the constitutionality of the Model for perpetuity. Couldn't be better. Yep, Raskin is write. Institutionalized Authoritarianism.
He may fit the politicians who are Republican right now but Disagree with you that he fits all Republicans. It’s so easy to throw everyone in a basket. I know a lot of great Republicans who want the same things I do, Who are good solid people and who care about others deeply.
So the barrel I am talking about is those who put and kept Trump in power and would do so again - no matter how he might offend their image of themselves. Or as Clinton said 'the deplorables.'
There are many good solid caring Republicans who had to hold their collective nose to vote for Trump, for the sake of what they most profoundly care about - guns, zygotes, the primacy of religious creed, GOP small government, dominating the Supreme Court.
There were Republicans who voted for Biden. But not enough.
I despise the man and his antics, but he is not the worse in the world since Hitler -- look at Al Bashir, Milosevic, Putin, al-Sisi, XinJinping, etc., etc.
Yes, many horrible controllers and manipulators. Trump’s impact —making it clear to the other dictators of the world that America would no longer stand in their way —seems greater to me. But that might be because I’m affected personally now and wasn’t before. All my privilege showing.
That there are or were worse autocrats is certainly a source for lessons to learn from on what to do. No equivalence or well that's how the world of politics goes thinking for me though. Trump is leading the destruction of OUR democracy. I'm past the stage of understanding and theorizing about who and how we got here. Time is not on our side, you think?
I want to remind people that the Republicans have been patiently, slowly, and mercilessly building toward anti-democratic rule for decades. As a formerly right leaning moderate, I have not yet sorted my feelings about how unseriously I took those actions.
Trump is the monster that came out of their systematic undermining of what most of us hold dear in this country. They did not pick him; almost none of them wanted him; and they feared him. They wanted to continue their dirty work on the quiet, in a controlled manner and PICK their dictator. But in the worst kind of way, he catapulted the right wing's agenda to the point where only those consumed with the most depraved self-interest, a chilling disregard for anyone or any law that gets in their way, with an "ambition" unleashed that would murder and maim in the name of maintaining this malignant power are in control of their so-called party.
He IS the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler. A very different personality with none of Hitler's *long term* strategic abilities (short term, he's a master; long term he's hopeless), he has, with lots of help from our enemies within and without, unleashed something akin to what Hitler unleashed. I still, however, hold out hope that the explosive revelation of what has really been going on in our cherished country can yet save us. If the quiet march had continued, would millions of us know as we do now??
Please don't misunderstand me. I know that at BEST we are in for many many protracted legal fights in 2022, violence of an unknowable level. And at worst, well, I do not need to write out those words, and, frankly cannot. I am terrified. Four months ago, in yet another acute state of panic, I stopped reading or listening to all political news with the exception of Heather's letter. I had no choice if I wanted to preserve some part of my ability to function.
I still get panicked. But at least I'm not spending hours a day down Twitter rabbit holes nearly incapacitated. And I can remember just a little more easily that we do not know what is going to happen. Ever. At any moment. And to try now to stay in the present. That doesn't mean I've stopped doing what I can to help, but in a manner that doesn't destroy me every moment, every breath.
Interesting point about Trump and how he shone a light, in the most horrifying way, on the malevolence of what Republicans were doing quietly for decades. While he fired up so many followers and inspired so much hatred and division, he also woke us up, made us pay attention. I just hope it’s not too late.
Isn’t it ironic that someone can say “he is the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler” and you realize that it doesn’t sound like hyperbole?
What an horrendous scenario looms before us should the GOP take control of Congress! While we all want to see tfg and his clan behind bars, the mayhem such a reality now portends is nothing short of disturbing -- ominous, to be more precise.
"[T]here is a twist to it: if Republicans can convince their voters that Democrats have engaged in partisan prosecutions of Trump and his allies, the Republicans can justify partisan prosecutions of Democrats as soon as they get the opportunity, just as Gingrich suggested. If this rhetoric works, Trump can undercut legitimate prosecutions, while Democrats will become fair game for partisan prosecutors.
This is indeed, ... the language of authoritarianism."
Many thanks to you, Heather, for being our truthsayer with incomparable truthsense -- no ifs nor buts.
Thanks for the link. I also always think of Indigenous and Black peoples who have endured unspeakable horrors and are, like the mountains and rivers, still here.
I’m glad and scared at the same time. This is so messy and dangerous because of Trump. He is the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler.
I’ve suggested before….be afraid, but not scared. I am afraid about the threats to our democracy. That is a normal reaction for someone that loves our democracy. However, I will not allow that feeling to freeze me into inaction. I will not be scared. I will stand up to every authoritative attempt to curb my rights and my citizenry. I will fight for community and the common good. I will support our current leaders of democracy at every level even though they might not have been my choice at the polls. My vote will be for democracy, whoever represents it best in my opinion. I will not give an iota of passion in argument with someone who supports traitors of democracy and authoritarianism. I will not support misinformation. I will not be involved with wishing for an orange jumpsuit for Mr. Trump. I will remain in confidence that rule of law will prevail in litigating any of the myriad of his gross offenses and crimes against the people and institutions of this country in a decision that he may not run again and gain entry into the White House. Ever again. That will suffice for me. My only wish regarding Mr. Trump is that a day will come where I do not hear his name or read the name of this naked emperor. That is the greatest threat to his psyche. No attention given to a loser.
United, ScannyDo! For the People, all of us this time. 🙋🏻🙋🏼🙋🏽🙋🏾🙋🏿
And for good measure, if I want to wear a mask anywhere, I will. And if a mask-less someone stares at me in a mocking or stupid or threatening way, I will stare back, toss my head and flounce my hair, reach into my jeans pocket and put a second mask on. And then stare again.
There is not a single authority that can force me not to wear a mask or to wear one.
I support the common goods of our democracy. Optimal health for everyone is a biggie.
Christine, I may have to put that in my arsenal. NYS has just dropped the mask mandate and every covidiot is out in spades degrading those that continue to be safe. Grocery shopping the other evening I was told 4 times " you know you don't have to wear that anymore".
I hear you Linda loud and clear. I’m glad I’m a professional educator because the wearing a mask or not has become a playground brawl for some kind of “cred”.
When actually asked by a stranger in a grocery store “you know you don’t ‘have’ to wear that anymore?”, I reply, “you know that not wearing a mask is the same as being a bully about not protecting yourself and others, right?” And then I toss my head.
Christine, I find that saying, "what, there is no more covid, it's gone!" Generally that stops them in their tracks as well as saying " I'm wearing my mask because I'm smart" . They can take it from there. I do have others I use, but we're in mixed company.....😉
Loud and clear. Have a great weekend, Linda. And as you always close, “Be safe. Be well”. Exactly the point!
I have a silly image in my mind when envisioning mask wearing at a nudist camp!
Hahahahahaha!
Thanks for the comic relief 😅
Its called a condom.
I just tell them that I don’t know if there’s someone near me who’s vulnerable. I don’t want anyone to get sick or die because of me.
In Oregon the mask mandate is supposed to go away at the end of March and I am already prepared for that. Fortunately we shop at a store, who won't let anyone shop there now without one. I doubt anyone will bother us at that store. I intend to wear one whenever I am indoors in a public place.
I agree - there were people in the grocery store before the mandate was lifted - in fact I stopped & asked one of the employees "isnt there still a mask mandate in effect" - she of course at that time was wearing one. Then next time still several like me wearing one but majority not!
May I 'like' most of your comment? A lot?
But not this. Which seems fearfully self contradictory. "There is not a single authority that can tell me not to wear a mask or to wear one. I support the common goods of our democracy. Optimal health for everyone is a biggie."
You seem by almost every measure sincere *and strategic* in your activism for good government - and then personal feelings seem to take priority over shared goals.
Government mask mandates serve optimal health for everyone, in a big way. And therefor use the democratic process to serve the common good. I am sure it would not take a mandate for you to follow the science - but it does for many others.
My personal feelings about shared goals are exactly what makes shared goals my utmost priority in the upcoming elections at every level.
Which Side Are You On, archival
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BEwE0R_7TDc
Bread and Roses, film Pride
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jDdvbqbmM4o
StepAfrika Mask Up
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9rpW1V8-H4g
I believe a mandate for vaccines is completely necessary. Masking has taken center stage politically and tarnished the primary science regarding the efficacy and safety of vaccines.
Yes.
Science. Public Health Policy. Politics.
All are based on provisional truths derived through reasoned debate of empirical evidence. All are compromised by emotionalism.
We know masks are a most effective defense against viral spread. And usually in a shared crisis people of differing opinions unite. But our entire pandemic response was/is undermined by anti science opportunism - a convergence of antivaxx, religious extremist, and Republican intransigence.
I got called a sheep in the grocery store by a non-masker. I laughed heartily, and said, "Me a sheep??? You follow and do whatever the orange idiot says. Hahaha!" She walked off.
I like to call him the Manchurian Canteloupe.
Carla, yeah, but his followers won't know who you are talking about.
I'm called a sheep idiot and much worse including b**** and c*** by my in-laws for wearing a mask and getting vaccinated. A person I volunteer with who I sort of respected told me today vaccines don't work and it's natural immune systems that keep you from getting the virus
Not true but I have to see this woman every day. Do I educate or just stay away from her? In these new times not alway easy to decide.
I am really so sorry. ThankYou for posting this. We need to hear these stories to know what people are up against.
I had a MIL like that. The issue was second hand smoke - with a newborn with respiratory problems and who later developed asthma. Stay as far away as possible. For the rest, you can lead by example and keep as disengaged as possible.
I have sadly given up on a long time colleague and friend. Over the past decade she has gone down the antivaxx rabbit hole and that is her happy place. She is in total denial and bitterly angry at everyone who can't see she is right. I brought up vaccination exactly three times - when they were first available, when boosters came available, when Delta emerged. Rage, rage, rage.
Nothing constructive to be done. Keep away. The information is widely available. Wearing a mask shows where you stand. If anyone asks politely for your opinion the share it. Otherwise protect your physical and mental health.
What boggles the mind, they actually do know masks work. They cover their face when they sneeze and taught their kids to do it too! But NOW it doesn’t work. Don’t argue with then, there lies annoyance, at best. You do you. Stay safe.
And, just yesterday I was laughed at for providing a visual on how masks work. The two responders stated firmly with zero evidence that masks don't work. I'm over the top sick of belligerence.
I guess I don't mind being called a b****, but the c*** is a deplorable name to be called. I can't imagine the type of person that would use that word toward anyone. Idiot is a runner up on deplorable name-calling. As for the person who is ignorant of COVID vaccine protection, I'd print of a short, precise info sheet and hand it to her. Then you can say you tried and leave the will to learn up to her. She can be belligerent and refuse or willing to give it a go. The odds are very high that she learned her misinformation from someone else.
HaHa. You might have said " Baaah - to your humbug."
Maybe we need N95s that say "COVID". Let them wonder.
(If they ask, I will just nod).
"My vote will be for democracy, whoever represents it best in my opinion."
OK. That scares me.
There is no personal wiggle room for the opposition. Unite behind Democratic candidates to preserve/expand the Democratic majority in Congress and in the states.
Other than introducing the danger of sacrificing the opportunity of achieving our shared goal to expressing a personal opinion, I'm with you.
Yes! Don't let fear freeze you into inaction. But also, please don't let feelings/personal opinion drive your vote.
In my opinion, Biden was not the primary contender who best represented democracy - and then the brilliant student of American history and political strategist Rep. Jim Clyburn opened my eyes.
Agree, lin. I am an NPA. Don’t let my vote for democracy scare you. I am very proficient in voting for the candidate who best can be a voice for the common good, not just politics….whether it’s a local vote for school board or a vote for President-VP.
Of course I will be voting to preserve the Democratic majority this year.
And no, I will not join in trashing any of the candidates or incumbents that we must vote for nor will I join in the incessant criticism of our current leaders, and in particular, our attorney general.
When I say the word “Unite” or “United” on this forum, I mean it.
ThankYou. I was pretty sure you meant that. But my experience with left wing independents committed to 'putting person over party' has over sensitized me.
Here in Maine, left wing voters - following self funded pied piper political gadfly Elliot Cutler - handed the governorship to Trump before Trump racist TeaParty Paul LePage. Twice. LePage is back from Florida tanned, ready, and rabid. I am dreading Cutler or a Cutler showing up.
We instituted RankedChoiceVoting to mitigate the 'person not party' Cutler effect - but a quirk of wording in our state constitution prohibits its use in the gubernatorial race ...
What does NPA mean?
Independent voter is what is common nomenclature. No Party Affiliation is status assigned to neither a registered Dem or Repub.
Yes. Technically. In Maine the status is Unenrolled.
But there are voters who are registered in a party, often to participate in primaries, but self identify as independent voters who will always put person over party.
Universal open primaries and Ranked Choice Voting might go a long way to more representative government. It would depend on states instituting them ...
I have a nephew who its representative of others in my family in that he wants so badly to change the way things are into the ways things should be that he often fails to see that - in a democracy - you still need agreement. It doesn't mean that everyone has to agree yet (or before anything can be done), but enough people (voters) do have to agree to make it work and have a lasting affect. *sigh* So, we all need to keep standing up, respectfully speaking out (vocally or in writing) as we move toward being good influencers ourselves. Have you noticed how often HCR repeats things? It's on purpose. Have you noticed how much more aware and progressive many of us "feel" as our own eyes slowly open? As other readers of HCR recommend books, articles, and organizations? This really is how it is most effectively done. There's a certain amount of serendipity involved, like HCR has been out there writing and speaking for more than 20 years before most of us tripped over her. The last administration pulled so many of us out of our complacency. Lots of bad things have been being built and laid out already (throughout much of our history, as we see now) and many of us simply didn't know about or notice it before. It took these years of truly egregious behaviors to make it happen and to - literally - wake many of us up. It still won't be easy, but I sure am hopeful and excited about us, the sleeping dragons who are determined to make a difference - for all of us this time.
You are so right on the agreement aspect. That's why the Republicans need to pass laws that overrule the agreements that elections may communicate. Not many people agree with them.
Wow! Thanks.
Coming to consensus through reasoned debate of empirical evidence. How we transfer power through elections. How we pass legislation. How we interpret the constitutionality of laws and legal decisions. How we amend the Constitution. Good governance as translating the Scientific Method and the Golden Rule into civic communal life.
Thank you, Christine!! United for the People, all of us this time!!
What a manifesto! Thank you!
Love it, Christine❣️Onward and upward!
WOOO! HOOO! Christine!
PLEASE VOTE AND SUCCESSFULLY PURSUADE MANY OTHERS TO VOTE INTELLIGENTLY PLEASE
I live in a Red state… there aren’t many strangers I feel comfortable talking politics with. We all must vote. Take nothing to chance. I find articles like these sad (for the waste of human life) but more clearly the numbers may have shifted in some areas … https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/25/covid-partisan-divide/
In 2012, I repeatedly canvassed for Democrats in a red district of Virginia, an hour or so SouthWest of NoVA.
Many people, in this fairly new planned suburban neighborhood, leaned or stood Democratic - but told me they never talked to their neighbors about it and asked me not to mention their support to any neighbor who might ask. Just saying ... you may not be as alone as you think. I hope not.
In 2012, I did speak to many people…this was in the days before we actually heard “can we start killing Democrats?” There are allies here, people I know like me. But I’m not expanding my circle today.
Yes. Exactly. Your dilemma spotlights the bravery of Democratic candidates and others who step up in the open. But they also get some protection by their public visibility.
Your stance in the voting booth and in your circle is a significant contribution. ThankYou.
I live in a military community (Navy) which I have been told heavily leans Red and yet, I receive verbal positive remarks about my bumper sticker "Nasty Women Vote" from the Clinton campaign and even more about the sticker well attached to the back of my winter (red) jacket which is the picture of Trump behind bars with an "Impeached" banner across the picture. (Sounds pretty Democrat to me.) 90% of these remarks come from women. Cashiers give me a Thumbs Up signal but quietly whisper they best not say more while on the job. Maybe there are more voters moving to a better if not "right" position than we think.
ThankYou. Heartening. I did letter writing to Norfolk and Virginia Beach for Sierra Club. I don't think they would have done GOTV for that state race were there not some hope:)
I’d like to canvass with you next time. I’d learn so much!
HaHa. I have learned from each person I have volunteered with and every voter I've spoken with.
Be nice, be respectful, be positive, and listen. Use the script when you feel tongue tied, tweak it as you gain confidence. Don't argue - it only makes people dig in. Find common ground and work from there. Where people agree with you, ask questions which give them the opportunity to reinforce and expand on the agreement.
You are intruding on someone's life. Sometimes they will want to tell you more than you have time for. Politely get back on topic. Take 'no' for an answer. Don't ever go inside a house or apartment, especially when canvassing alone. If you feel uncomfortable on the doorstep, smile, back away, and leave. On the very rare case of an irrationally angry or threatening person, mark it down to warn others - in decades, this has only happened to me a few times. I was shaken but nothing bad happened.
And whether canvassing or phone-banking, make sure to keep hydrated. Seriously.
A very good article. Have shared it to my FB groups.
Vote strategically.
Vote Democratic.
Keep the majority and reform the party from within.
We can flip a Republican Congressional seat in Michigan! "Dr. Bob" Lorinser is a superb Democratic candidate with not only public health experience but 10 years of sevice in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps overseas. https://www.votedrbob.com/
Thank you for info on this race, MaryPat. On it.
Thank YOU!
Thanks for the info and the link!
I recommend Robert Hubbell, who is also on Substack, for many concrete ideas and suggestions for how to work to ensure that Democrats keep the majority.
Thank you.
He’s just a symbol of the collective consciousness that was brewing anyway. It’s now had the light shone on it. He is not the problem. He’s just the logo.
Absolutely agree. When he won it was a wake up call of the peril. That so many voted for him a second time... There is a dangerous ugliness that has settled into the soil of America. Growing.
Yes. As I said last week, Tr. is the Pandora who opened the box of the ugliness that is destroying our ever-fragile democracy.
Can I resist?
Growing. Fertilized by a whole lot of right wing BS being spread around.
and watered by money from oligarchs, foreign and domestic
The confederacy, just a part of the white supremacy mindset in the US, lives on in the hearts of a country that has never told itself or its children the sordid truth of its founding.
Rosalind - they could be told and it would not matter very much IMO. We find this week in the hate crime trial that the perpetrators of the Armond Arbury killing indeed have exhibited plenty of racist rhetoric and behavior prior to the murder. Duh. Anybody surprised? Not me. I see it in my own family. Anyone who has lived in the deep south (I certainly have), knows just how pervasive racism against blacks has been, and to only a slightly less extent, still is. It colors everything; not a day goes by where the average Georgia whitey doesn't at least mutter some derogatory word about blacks. It is a fundamental component of white peoples' psyches - something that doesn't seem to go away. In too many anyway. Well that element of human behavior is alive and well not just in the deep south - it's just more overt and more concentrated there. And I believe that racism is a very important element of the Trump appeal nationwide. He exploited it just as he has exploited religion to jazz up the religious right. As a result these people became emboldened. It is evil, corrupt, soulless. I am afraid that as long as racism is alive and well in this country, we are going to have to contend with Trumpy people at the voting booth and Trumpy people in power. The best thing to do IMO, is what we did to the south in the civil war. And that is to forcefully beat them into submission and keep them there. That can be done in the voting booth and also in the department of justice. Only this time don't let them sneak back into power. For this reason, it is time for our Democratic controlled government to stick it to the perpetrators of the insurrection - the evidence is obvious. Give them what they deserve. Perhaps more racists will crawl back under the rocks they were hiding under before Trump won in 2016.
Jay, I’m a native Georgian, and have long referred to racists as the roaches that crawled out of the woodwork. But here’s the thing. The Tangerine Terrorist didn’t start this. The Tea Party and its advocates did, in 2008. Suddenly, it was A-OK to say the quiet parts out loud, not to mention stringing up the president in effigy in front of a gas station, or a church. By the time 2016 rolled around, the seedbed had been well fertilized by rampant racism against a man who DARED to president while black. These idiots were scared s***less that their supremacy was at stake, and they still are. Trump was just another load of manure.
AND...while Georgians are holding forth...in an area that is still overwhelmingly pro-T***p, it must be noted that a large proportion of them may not use the N-word per se, but the new monikers are "hoodlum" or "thug". And then around here, they will tack on "Atlanta" before it, since all these hoodlums and thugs, of course, are coming up from Atlanta to prey on us. Uh-huh...right. There are sites aplenty one can go to and read this kind of language, one of the worst being the "NextDoor" one. I use it for its practical side (things for sale, businesses and individuals to refer to for services, etc.), but the right-wing trolls do regularly show up and turn even the more benign topics into politics. (It's also remarkable to read it and see what people do to the English language...) Now I'm reading more and more about people who are moving here from other parts of the country because "...people around here still love America and have the right kinds of values..." and crap like that. The bulk of the people I keep in my circle are like-minded, so we kind of keep a low profile, but it is galling when you still see evidence of so much hatred and ignorance and feel surrounded by it.
I came to metro Atlanta in 1995 thinking I was moving to the "New South." I was wrong, with some, but nowhere near enough, exceptions.
Jay, my great grandfather's gravestone in the Palatka, FLA "White" cemetery proudly boasts, "A Lover of Christ and a Friend to his Fellow Man." The footing boasts in large letters: KKK. 200-plus years of white racists in my maternal family. I agree with what you say. Believe me, as we say in the South, you're preaching to the choir.
True. Trump creates chaos. But for the rest, he just put his brand/logo on the GOP. Trump fits Republicans to a T.
I’ve been thinking about trump as a logo. The discontent has been there. He’s just found a way to monetize it - for his personal benefit, of course. How terribly sad that his most successful use of branding (think unsuccessful steaks, wine, university) has been to undermine our democracy.
Speaking of logos, Josh Halsey is selling a coffe mug with his infamous 1)6 photo complete w/ fist raised high in a solidarity with the rioters. Anything for attention and profit!
Entirely unrepentant tassel loafer insurrectionist.
More profit (and cover) being president than running casinos, a university, prime time contests, or selling steaks and wine. Regulation you can ignore with impunity, free advertisement, and income that gets laundered at government expense. Perfect business model. And you breed an endless stream of customers without ever having to create an actual product. And, finally you get Congress to stand behind you all the way and a Supreme Court to rewrite the constitutionality of the Model for perpetuity. Couldn't be better. Yep, Raskin is write. Institutionalized Authoritarianism.
Brilliant.
He may fit the politicians who are Republican right now but Disagree with you that he fits all Republicans. It’s so easy to throw everyone in a basket. I know a lot of great Republicans who want the same things I do, Who are good solid people and who care about others deeply.
So the barrel I am talking about is those who put and kept Trump in power and would do so again - no matter how he might offend their image of themselves. Or as Clinton said 'the deplorables.'
There are many good solid caring Republicans who had to hold their collective nose to vote for Trump, for the sake of what they most profoundly care about - guns, zygotes, the primacy of religious creed, GOP small government, dominating the Supreme Court.
There were Republicans who voted for Biden. But not enough.
Logo - great if unattractive way to describe him.
Yes.
I despise the man and his antics, but he is not the worse in the world since Hitler -- look at Al Bashir, Milosevic, Putin, al-Sisi, XinJinping, etc., etc.
Yes, many horrible controllers and manipulators. Trump’s impact —making it clear to the other dictators of the world that America would no longer stand in their way —seems greater to me. But that might be because I’m affected personally now and wasn’t before. All my privilege showing.
Well in fairness to Trump /s, he doesn’t live in a country where it is easy to become “the worst in the world since Hitler”.
Give him the opportunity and he could very well outdo all those whom you named.
That there are or were worse autocrats is certainly a source for lessons to learn from on what to do. No equivalence or well that's how the world of politics goes thinking for me though. Trump is leading the destruction of OUR democracy. I'm past the stage of understanding and theorizing about who and how we got here. Time is not on our side, you think?
Jamie Raskin's personal travels in Unthinkable is a must read. I fear we could be repeating the mistakes of the impeachment efforts.
Jeffrey Edward Epstein
I want to remind people that the Republicans have been patiently, slowly, and mercilessly building toward anti-democratic rule for decades. As a formerly right leaning moderate, I have not yet sorted my feelings about how unseriously I took those actions.
Trump is the monster that came out of their systematic undermining of what most of us hold dear in this country. They did not pick him; almost none of them wanted him; and they feared him. They wanted to continue their dirty work on the quiet, in a controlled manner and PICK their dictator. But in the worst kind of way, he catapulted the right wing's agenda to the point where only those consumed with the most depraved self-interest, a chilling disregard for anyone or any law that gets in their way, with an "ambition" unleashed that would murder and maim in the name of maintaining this malignant power are in control of their so-called party.
He IS the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler. A very different personality with none of Hitler's *long term* strategic abilities (short term, he's a master; long term he's hopeless), he has, with lots of help from our enemies within and without, unleashed something akin to what Hitler unleashed. I still, however, hold out hope that the explosive revelation of what has really been going on in our cherished country can yet save us. If the quiet march had continued, would millions of us know as we do now??
Please don't misunderstand me. I know that at BEST we are in for many many protracted legal fights in 2022, violence of an unknowable level. And at worst, well, I do not need to write out those words, and, frankly cannot. I am terrified. Four months ago, in yet another acute state of panic, I stopped reading or listening to all political news with the exception of Heather's letter. I had no choice if I wanted to preserve some part of my ability to function.
I still get panicked. But at least I'm not spending hours a day down Twitter rabbit holes nearly incapacitated. And I can remember just a little more easily that we do not know what is going to happen. Ever. At any moment. And to try now to stay in the present. That doesn't mean I've stopped doing what I can to help, but in a manner that doesn't destroy me every moment, every breath.
Interesting point about Trump and how he shone a light, in the most horrifying way, on the malevolence of what Republicans were doing quietly for decades. While he fired up so many followers and inspired so much hatred and division, he also woke us up, made us pay attention. I just hope it’s not too late.
It is breathtakingly frightening, Nomi. But we must, however we can, overcome the darkness.
Isn’t it ironic that someone can say “he is the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler” and you realize that it doesn’t sound like hyperbole?
We need to include Putin too!
I did!
No. The worst thing that has happened since Hitler is the 74 million voters who think Trump and hus sycophants are patriots.
Until January 6, 2021, I would have called this an exaggeration. After January 6, I have to agree.
What an horrendous scenario looms before us should the GOP take control of Congress! While we all want to see tfg and his clan behind bars, the mayhem such a reality now portends is nothing short of disturbing -- ominous, to be more precise.
"[T]here is a twist to it: if Republicans can convince their voters that Democrats have engaged in partisan prosecutions of Trump and his allies, the Republicans can justify partisan prosecutions of Democrats as soon as they get the opportunity, just as Gingrich suggested. If this rhetoric works, Trump can undercut legitimate prosecutions, while Democrats will become fair game for partisan prosecutors.
This is indeed, ... the language of authoritarianism."
Many thanks to you, Heather, for being our truthsayer with incomparable truthsense -- no ifs nor buts.
"We are the mountains and rivers..." Please read Hubbell, https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/persisting-during-challenging-times?utm_source=url
Thanks for the link. I also always think of Indigenous and Black peoples who have endured unspeakable horrors and are, like the mountains and rivers, still here.