Two snapshots today illustrate the difference between the economic—and therefore the societal—visions of the Biden-Harris administration and of the incoming Trump administration.
When you look at the facts as you have eloquently presented Heather it is a wonder why everyone ran from Biden instead of promoting the accomplishments. The Democratic Party cannot exist without a total war mentality about the truth. Having said that we have much to do.
Agree! This is great news about the achievements of the Biden-Harris administration, but why are we hearing about these triumphs now? It would have been better if the current administration had taken more victory laps along the way to tout its impressive accomplishments.
We're in agreement, but Biden, Harris, every member of Biden's cabinet, and other leaders in the Biden administration could and should have been shouting from the mountaintops about all of these accomplishments over the past 4 years.
I posted several comments with similar points of how the Democrats seemed not able to communicate 'good news' coming out of the Administration. As well, where were the Governors and business executives who were recipients of some of the capital that was released to start new businesses or expand existing businesses. It's a little late now for the Harris campaign to have that kind of news be publicized.
It's never too late. Once the economy goes to shite, the Magats will be blaming the former, Democratic government. Shouting from the rooftops now about those achievements, means average Joe's will have something to compare their unexpected losses to.
That is because they don't own the platforms that people listen to. See article by Aaron Roper's Public Notice Substack discussing where people get their information from and how they voted. If it was owned by Trump friendly oligarch this message was not going to go to anyone. See X, TikTok (we know Trump cozied up to them) and what about Reddit. Do you think that is a forum that would have amplified Biden's accomplishments or amplified disinformation about Biden and Harris? Oligarchic ownership includes the corporate and most social media. https://www.publicnotice.co/p/how-tiktok-x-helped-trump-beat-harris-2024
So, one thing is to not support these media.
My contractor here in Germany said, Musk paid 5 mil to buy Trump the election, and now he is going to make billions off of government contracts. The details of his information are not correct, but his basic premise is. And, here is Prof. Timothy Snyder telling us that by selling out Trump is now owned by Putin, who is owned by Jinping, which means Trump and we are now going to be owned by Jinping too in an analogy he calls The Submission Chain.
This is not what the Republican Hawks thought they were doing when supporting Trump and who will get this information to them? I mean, what do they know? They also get their news from the disinformation machine.
Now I am just hoping that the DOD and the Intelligence Community do not cotton to Trump's humiliation of them by his picks for DOD and Intelligence Community leaders and take matters into their own hands and refuse this leaderships command as it defies the constitution they swore to defend.
Shouting in which medium that would have been heard by the people inundated with disinformation on the platforms they use which the oligarchs owning Trump own too.
Mark, maybe they could have if there had been a state-media to report what the “leader” is doing….they actually were sharing the information, only it wasn’t click-bait sexy as the *squirrel!!* offerings, ahem, elsewhere—weird & crazy & “out there” sells. True that they weren’t out there banging the drums & cymbals to announce/alert us, but instead had their heads down focused on the job. Personally I am kinda tired of our leaders needing a publicly agent to progress….to me this means we aren’t paying attention. Oh, never mind….we really aren’t, are we?
You beat me to it Aslo. It is not that the administration was not reporting on progress it was the constant equating the economy to the price of eggs. Since deregulation the government has very little control on corporate greed which is why eggs cost so much. But no one seemed to care about clarifying that element of economy. Believe me the corporate world was happy with their ability to make absurd profits.
Unfortunately, main stream media reported more on Trump than Biden and Harris. MSNBC for example gave more free airtime to Trump the first time around, and they did the same this cycle even though the news was negative. Bad news and scandal mean more clicks and a greater audience and more income. They never even came close to spending as much time in the good news about policy coming out of the Biden White House. The only hope we have going forward is if enough of our legislators are brave enough and self interested enough to be a firewall to stop the Trump presidency from its worst excesses. I
You are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, major paper editorial members never understood the difference. They kept focusing on the defects of Trump that sold their papers but voters did not care as much. They were more interested in prices of daily goods.
I have been hearing about these triumphs all along. That is why I supported Biden and then Harris. In fact, I was in awe of Biden taking on Reaganomics, which I have considered the most backwards thing the US ever did which is destroying the planet. Read Losing Earth: A Recent History by Nathanial Rich.
In it Rich documents how the fossil fuel industry after hearing about global warming was going to switch to investing in other sources of energy, and then Reagan came in and said, don't worry about this thing in the future called global warming because I am going to put in industry insider in oversight of you and let those in the future solve the problem when it occurs. It turns out the best move would have been to go back in time and get rid of Reagan. However, it is too late now, and Trump will just finish off the planet while he is at destroying our lives in other ways.
We've heard that right here for at least a year! HCR has not only kept pointing out the amazing things this administration is doing, but has also decried the lack of legacy media coverage over and over. Add that to the stats in today's Letter about which voters read which media, and there's no need to slam progressives for this election. We weren't able to stop the well-funded firehose of disinformation, yes, and we all need to try to figure that out going forward.
You know Kamala often cited (touted) specific programs she and the entire Biden team passed. But I think you know, too, that one can't talk to people, with people, without some accompanying signs of human respect for them as individuals in their communities.
Citing apt novels, films, songs could make those apt human connections -- but those arts long departed U.S. schools, where the priorities of standardized testing dropped far heavier baggage instead.
So in the campaign it was easy for Dem priorities to reduce to money-dunning and wealthy celebrity-fronting. Nothing human need apply. Let alone working class human.
As HCR said, “…a new study out today from Data for Progress showed that people who paid “a great deal” of attention to political news voted for Vice President Kamala Harris +6, while those who paid “none at all” went +19 for Trump.
That explains it. The educated, I.e. “informed” voted for Harris. The uneducated or “uninformed” voted for Trump.
many educated ENTITLED WHITES chose to be "uninformed" because they didn't like that icky feeling of having their self professed "values" being put to the test. Many others slipped into the Jones/Limbaugh mire by saying "it's just shock radio," and then Trump's, by excusing it as "just locker room talk" and the ever popular "I'm just voting my pocketbook" as if their Red vote doesn't Screw Over Every Woman In their Life Every Single Time. (plus everyone who else who is not an Entitled White Male)
Christopher, for this I blame many so-called progressives who decided he was a corporate or establishment D. I suggested that they ought to be pointing out the good things he has done....his cabinet and judicial selections for one as well as the economic programs. They are just as stubborn as any MAGA about being pure despite the fact that we always go backwards when they vote third party or do not vote. I had one person talk about Not Voting(his caps). And racism, misogyny, and the economy are esoteric. Now two people calling themselves Democratic Socialists did win two seats in very blue areas on the new 12 person Portland cit council. They would never win state wide races with that label unfortunately.
Labeling me and my fellow activists "so-called progressives" shows an incomprehension of what we progressives understand about our fellow citizens compared with the continuing willful blindness of the corporate folks who have been unsuccessfully running the Democratic party into the ground. The Democratic Socialists you criticize, people like Bernie Sanders, connected with voters, but the DNC folks ignored their needs and left Trump free to scoop them up. If we are going to heal as a country, my party first needs to acknowledge that you can't just promote democracy without listening to the people. We didn't give them a seat at the table, and we lost their votes in the election.
Bernie Sanders made it difficult by clearly stating his refusal to work well with others. I was so disappointed when he came out with that and it cha ged the way I thought about what he could accomplish.
The problem is the finger pointing and blaming that creates the inability to work together. Come to one table with ideas and work through them instead of insisting my way or the highway.
Do you have a citation for that? As far as I can remember, Bernie has always worked openly with anyone who will sit down with him. I think that you've got it backwards--it was the Party that refused to include him.
Me too Betsy. I met Bernie at Coffee house in the village of Montclair in the Oakland Hills the day after he gave his "Medicare for All" speech in SF. Bernie looks you right in the face & listens carefully.
The Democratic Party and Bernie Sanders have collaborated well together on numerous issues for years. The claim that the Party refused to include him stems from the Party’s decision not to let him run as a Democrat. He’s good man, and an excellent member of Congress, but he is not a Democrat. He’s a Democratic Socialist. Republicans have smeared Democrats for decades by claiming they are Socialists, despite the fact that Democrats have never advocated public ownership of the means of production. Imagine how nominating a Democratic Socialist as the Democratic nominee would be played by Republicans. Bernie wanted to run as a Democrat because he couldn’t be elected as a Democratic Socialist. Should the Party have let Bernie run as a Democrat of convenience, pulling support from people who had worked hard for the party as Democrats for years?
Did Bernie "advocate[ ] public ownership of the means of production"? Citation, please. I think he advocated taxing the rich, providing Medicare for all, and including at the table those whom the Democratic Party didn't have the time or the interest to listen to. As I already said, the MAGAs call any Dem a socialist or a communist, so that's hardly a reason to be afraid of having them call Bernie a socialist..
Bernie CAMPAIGNED for Hillary. Bernie teamed up with Biden to create good policy that only Manchin & Sinema (turncoat Dems) shot down. Progressives try to work for good policy. Corporate Dems try to convince Repubs they aren’t Progressives.
I hope we can unite, but if people wonder why the message about the good things Biden was doing didn't get out, part of it, at least locally was the dissing of him by local progressives., their label. They clearly did not understand that calling oneself a Democratic Socialist was not a formula for a successful race in most areas. They did change their tune at one point, but I had some disagreements with them and one of them constantly wanted her way or the highway on the Facebook page. One of them also made a friend of ours, who has long been very active in trying to work in land use for example and has given years and most of her energy to fighting the Chamber of Horrors and unending sprawl, so sick that she had to go to the hospital. Not every D was a corporate D even when they did not support Bernie. I know they would have all voted for him if he had been the candidate.
I'm sorry that you had bad experiences with your local socialists, but that's barely anecdote, and definitely not data. Our local DSA group regularly cleans up the beaches on the Cape. They do work that needs to be done.
And why wasn't Bernie the candidat4e? It was because the corporate Ds were too afraid of his being called a socialist and a communist, but that didn't stop the MAGAs from using those labels for Biden and Harris.
Bernie Sanders fails to acknowledge how Obama's approval of unpopular auto bailout saved auto workers' jobs and the ACA Medicaid Expansion provided affordable insurance to working people who could not get affordable insurance. This saved my friend's life. HCR has documented extensively how Democrats in Congress and Biden administration have supported working people. His constant drumbeat of criticisms is popular with media because media hate Democrats but love "Liberals" who hate Democrats. They get most of the air time. His voice was boosted by "The Squad" on cable and social media.
Constant criticism of Democrats is a business model of the professional political pundit complex. What actual legislation have the critics introduced/shepherded to President's signature?
One more note. Sherrod Brown was one of the the most prominent pro working class champions in the House and Senate. I thought his campaign ads did an excellent job of showcasing his accomplishments (saving workers' pensions and veterans' benefits, cracking down on drug trafficking at the border.) Republican law enforcement officials endorsed him and thanked him for his help. He lost the election to a guy who stole money from his workers and shredded the evidence..
I'm tired of hearing pols and pundits who don't acknowledge how Dems have helped the working class then claim Dems have a "messaging problem". I guess it doesn't matter as long as they can write books/Substacks and host podcasts based on "Dems In Disarray" business model.
No, it doesn't. I am not talking about every progressive, but i resent being told for example, as a woman, that misogyny is esoteric. i agree with progressive values, but under the system we have which is, for good or ill, basically a two party system, protest votes like those for Jill not Green Stein, only result in what progressives want to take a step backward. Now many people that I care about are at risk. I am delighted those two people in Portland won, but socialism has been for many years acquired for many people a very negative connotation. I have argued against this view many times. However, as a pragmatic person, I know that people with such a label, at least at this point, are not going to win statewide races. And Biden has done in his term, many good things which progressives should be able to applaud instead of dissing him ad nauseam. I am sorry, but while I like many of Bernie's ideas, I have never liked him. And some of his followers are just plain arrogant and many are on my blocked list. When I was at a meeting of the local county D party, there was an election and two Bernie types were trying to take over. First, they pulled a fast one by one of them resigning as the candidate, but instead nominating a poor young girl who didn't stand a chance and was just being used. Then came the vote and a call for volunteers to count it and one person volunteered who was one of many in that room who had worked for years to make things better for people, not corporations. The Bernie types then implied that she would cheat and the gasp in the room was audible. I will not countenance this kind of insulting behavior. Every person in that room was and many still are if they haven't passed, long time activists, so do not think that you have some kind of monopoly on that label. FYI, I have never donated to the DNC and never will. We did donate to Perez in WA 3 who has some of what you are talking about. I am all for Ds like her. I loathe what corporations do and the Supreme Court decision which decided they were people. And I would have voted for Bernie had he been the candidate and would not have done some kind of protest thing which results in someone like death star winning.
Good golly, Michele, your prejudices are showing. For someone who "will not countenance this type of insulting behavior," you are fairly liberal with your own insults. When you're writing a tirade, it's maybe best to read it over, for content and for grammar and for spelling, before you post it.
No, they aren't. Roosevelt was wealthy, but he knew he had to do something to help end the depression. His wife and people like Frances Perkins were much more understanding of the needs in many ways.
Dear Betsy...all fine and good, but irrelevant now. The Bear is upon us! Who is going to lead us out of this, because we cannot be the "loyal" or shadow opposition. We must peacefully resist now. It is a completely different situation than 10 days ago.
I have to disagree, Bruce. If we can't honestly diagnose where we went wrong, how are we going to modify our behavior in the future?
But that's it for me for tonight. I'm on the east coast and I have an early meeting tomorrow about how to connect with people of color so that we can work collaboratively in finally making Medicare for All the law of the land in MA.
Elon Musk's Department-Of-Govermental-Efficacy, ( DOGE ), has put out a call for Individuals that have very high I.Q.s, and are willing to work 80+ Hours a Week... DOGE expects to completely turn-over the U.S. Government.... I think that Elon is still Micro-Dosing, and taking Amphetamines... Why am I worried that DJT will find a way to 'Shotgun' DOGE's recommendations?
There is a Segment of Silicon Valley Tech Culture that takes Stimulants such as Ritalin, and Micro-Doses Hallucinations for their Tech Work... Move Fast & Break Things Is Their Motto... Elon Musk's hiring, and work practices at Tesla, and X, are very Darwinist...
By the way, ¿where in the hades-Hell is Veep-elect shady J.D.? 👻
Joyce Vance is on-the-money with her observation that President Trump's proposed rogues' gallery for the Cabinet is meant to test the loyalty of G.O.P. Senators. 🤫
Time for the Republican Senators -- at least, the brave ones -- to respond: "¿F*ck me? Well, ¡fuck you! 🥳
Lastly, ¿should the cost-cutting not be handled through the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Management and Budget rather than be the screen-play of "Revenge of the Nerds Part III: the Final Retribution"? 🔍
Is she as good as she seems? And if so, how could she say such things about her husband: who is described in Wikipedia as being "a Paleoconservative who advocates restrictions on immigration, a reversal of multicultural programs and large-scale demographic changes, the decentralization of federal policy, the restoration of controls on free trade , the adoption of certain economically nationalist measures , and U.S. non-intervention in conflicts involving countries such as Ukraine or Israel . [ 7 ]"
Mrs Vance has the three bees: beauty, brains, and breeding. She is also utterly inscrutable. I often wonder how she stomachs her husband's raw ambition.
It is not a wonder if you talk to the people that voted for Trump, or voted for Kamala seeing her as the less of two evils (my nephew) who at 23, is basically not that bothered by Trump. Everyone where he attended college, in Chef school, was horrified by Gaza and did not approve of Biden sending weapons to Israel. He views both Harris and Trump as evil, and does not think Trump stands for anything he says. Naivety of youth. Still, I decided to listen to him instead of just protesting what he was saying and so I got a better picture of the images in the media that have effected him, and also how he heard the words of the candidates. It was clear that he bought into a lot of Trump talking points. This was the kind of selective listening that if amplified in a different family would have led to voting for Trump. Then, I also know people who do not vote. They claim their vote does not count, but on some level I think that they have always been comfortable, and assume they always will be no matter what. Their not voting ties into their generally being conflict averse. Their wives and girlfriends vote, and they are the "nice" guy, but really not so nice because on some level I think they buy into rhetoric that people who suffer somehow brought it upon themselves. I am not even going to point out what they have brought on their wives and children because they think by not voting they have stayed out of it.
The Democratic party needs its own social media platform. I don't know if Blue Sky will do it because it was started by an oligarch. I am suggesting something that is collectively funded by Democrats, and others who support the party. I was thinking a way to attract youth is to forbid it to them and then attract some cool media personalities to it. Taylor Swift and Beyonce would be a catch. For young males, not sure who is out there. It is clear that disinformation, the way it is packaged by the right, sells to young men. The Onion buying Infowas is a start if the Supreme Court lets the sale stand, but we also need a Democratic version of TikTok, and other social media platforms to compete with X.
Owning "the truth" is not helpful if it is not delivered in ways that people hear it. That is what the democrats have to start figuring out now, so that in 2 years they can Reclaim Congress and through that put breaks on SCOTUS and the President.
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
Such a powerful message - but we never heard from the main stream media
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
I don't think everyone did. I think the election was called too quickly. I think PA needs a hand recount in key districts NOW before the Repo Men take took much ground. And I don't mean for Casey (go Bob!) I mean for the Presidency!
So, Christopher. Who is leading given I agree with "Having said that we have much to do." completely? Who is organizing the passive resistance to what Trump has set in Motion? Where are the people in the streets. I am sick and old, but I will join them. Who is leading?
🎶And I think it's going to be a Long time, yes, I think it's going to be Long Long Long Long time, Before the dawn. ... You got to speak out, speak out against madness if you surely want to see the Light of Day🎶
I’ve had “The Idiots are taking over” (NoFX) running through my head since last Tuesday. It was originally written about Shrub’s administration, but still fits.
The Dems have always been the ‘nice’ party, then came the internet - screeching about ‘lamestream media’, etc. Now here’s a chance to take the bull (horn) by the horn. The Onion employs great writers - I hope they also have a good plan -
I love this. Such an irony and with the help of those parents. I also saw the Haka (hope this is the word) which Maori members did as a protest to a bill in New Zealand's Parliament and I loved that too even if it is elsewhere.
Various Republican congresspeople have already done that when back in their home state -- taking credit for what they, in fact, voted against in Congress
This. 10000%. All the bridges being built, the jobs created. The Dems are not good at being loud. Who will do this? And where are our leaders right now? People are scared. Devastated. Hurt. We are hearing from a few governors but... that's it.
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
Such a powerful message. Never saw this on TV or the papers
Sadly, I really don't believe they will regret their votes. We must remember that their ranks consist of millions of low-information voters... those who don't know the truth, those who don't bother to know, and those who don't want to know. So anything that starts to happen with the economy sliding downhill will be spun by Trump's spinmeisters as "this is the way we found the economy left in shambles by Biden-Harris." I guarantee it. These voters had ample opportunity, except for the failures of the Democratic Party to trumpet it loudly enough, to see the successes as Heather describes; and to see the jobs and dollars being brought into their states by the bills that were shepherded under the Biden administration. They couldn't connect the dots then and they won't be able to do so going into the future. They will continue to drink the Kool-Aid.
I'm guessing that folks who expect that after Trump's inauguration eggs will cost $1.50/dozen and gas will cost $1.50/gallon will be mightily disappointed when they go to the grocery store.
I read somewhere that about 1/2 of High School Seniors read at less than a 6th Grade Level... This explains a lot... Elon Musk is now Warring on all News Sources that are not 'X'... Elon, who is now getting obviously more erratic, is definitely a Dark Sith now....
These are the people who refused to follow public health guidelines during a pandemic. People who think vaccines cause autism. People who think germs don’t exist. People who think the earth us 6,000 years old. People who think pedophiles operate out of pizza-parlor basements. It is hopelessly delusional to imagine that they will figure out who is responsible for their “bad luck.”
a lot of military folks voted for Trump despite his open contempt for them ... and if they lose their medical insurance because of him, they will regret the votes (I hope!)
Fox plays non-stop on military bases, which is why they support T despite his character and actions.
John, I think that military culture which can be very misogynistic and racist also has something to do with this. I can remember one of my husband's colleagues who was in Viet Nam making terrible remarks.
Thank you, again, for putting so many current and historical elements together to clarify what is going on now—and what we have to be ready to fight against.
You have detailed what the American electorate was never made aware of. The Democrats did a terrible job of selling Joe Biden’s successes. If they had celebrated him, Kamala could have been cheered on and the GOP could not have described her as being a failure.
Add to that the round-the-clock drumbeat of disinformation about the supposedly horrible economy, “urban crime,” and the “immigrant hordes” and we never had a chance to get the real facts out to those low information voters.
Not only that but the maga side doesn't listen to the very good news about the country under Biden/Harris. They are too busy listening to trump's bullshit, saying the economy is terrible , the stock market its about to crash and Biden is the worst president ever. Confirmation bias on both sides is tearing us apart.
We cannot lose track of the fact that Fox "News" and similar outlets were apparently created to spout wall-to-wall propaganda to "low-information" people and that they carry out this mission very well. Some have suggested there may be room in our information economy for a Democratic or liberal propaganda machine as well. However it might have relatively limited success if it aimed always to speak the truth rather than enticing the audience with lies and innuendo.
The fact that Trump may not even have made 50% needs to be given big publicity. Now he's trying to destroy Congress without a mandate and without legal power. Get UP, Republicans! P.S. I see that Deepak Puri has already covered this in a nearby post I hadn't yet seen.
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
Such a powerful message. Never saw this on TV or the papers
Thanks you for your YouTube chat today. It did give me a little hope. I'm reading Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny and much of what you said is cut from the same cloth. I'd love to see the two of you in a joint appearance to reassure us of our agency.
I assume that Biden (and Harris?) had most of those statistics about new small businesses 4 months ago? Why weren't they shouting it from the rooftops? And, I know that Harris needed to distance herself from Biden during the campaign, but wasn't there a way for her to say: "Biden has done x, y, z" but I am going to build on that and here is what I am proposing for the next for years"? It would have put her promise to increase tax credits for small businesses into a reasonable perspective and clarify why that was so important to her.
Unfortunately, MAGAs and undecideds were clearly not looking for accurate information, so shouting from the rooftops doesn't help if everyone else is wearing earplugs.
"Although the Senate ultimately acquitted Trump, according to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) all the Republican senators agreed he had done as the House charged. "
The Republican senators openly acknowledged that Trump had violated his oath but acquitted him anyway, thus violating their oaths. The whole lot of them should have been impeached and removed from office.
Always. Good satire wins as good satire is an elucidation of invincible truths. JD Vance and Trump’s attempts at it fall flat as they are merely snide comments aimed at abstractly brutalising Others.
I’m reminded of an ages old commercial, “You asked for it , you’ve got it!” I personally will resist this American Illness in any/every way possible. We have met unethical, illegal & aggression with gentility and Grace. We have allowed ourselves to be pushed around literally & metaphorically. I do not advocate or condone violence. We must now accept that to defeat this menace we must make their economics unbearable. Stop feeding the economy!
When you look at the facts as you have eloquently presented Heather it is a wonder why everyone ran from Biden instead of promoting the accomplishments. The Democratic Party cannot exist without a total war mentality about the truth. Having said that we have much to do.
Agree! This is great news about the achievements of the Biden-Harris administration, but why are we hearing about these triumphs now? It would have been better if the current administration had taken more victory laps along the way to tout its impressive accomplishments.
That would happen only if the media reported it, which it failed to do.
We're in agreement, but Biden, Harris, every member of Biden's cabinet, and other leaders in the Biden administration could and should have been shouting from the mountaintops about all of these accomplishments over the past 4 years.
I posted several comments with similar points of how the Democrats seemed not able to communicate 'good news' coming out of the Administration. As well, where were the Governors and business executives who were recipients of some of the capital that was released to start new businesses or expand existing businesses. It's a little late now for the Harris campaign to have that kind of news be publicized.
It's never too late. Once the economy goes to shite, the Magats will be blaming the former, Democratic government. Shouting from the rooftops now about those achievements, means average Joe's will have something to compare their unexpected losses to.
That is because they don't own the platforms that people listen to. See article by Aaron Roper's Public Notice Substack discussing where people get their information from and how they voted. If it was owned by Trump friendly oligarch this message was not going to go to anyone. See X, TikTok (we know Trump cozied up to them) and what about Reddit. Do you think that is a forum that would have amplified Biden's accomplishments or amplified disinformation about Biden and Harris? Oligarchic ownership includes the corporate and most social media. https://www.publicnotice.co/p/how-tiktok-x-helped-trump-beat-harris-2024
So, one thing is to not support these media.
My contractor here in Germany said, Musk paid 5 mil to buy Trump the election, and now he is going to make billions off of government contracts. The details of his information are not correct, but his basic premise is. And, here is Prof. Timothy Snyder telling us that by selling out Trump is now owned by Putin, who is owned by Jinping, which means Trump and we are now going to be owned by Jinping too in an analogy he calls The Submission Chain.
https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-submission-chain
This is not what the Republican Hawks thought they were doing when supporting Trump and who will get this information to them? I mean, what do they know? They also get their news from the disinformation machine.
Now I am just hoping that the DOD and the Intelligence Community do not cotton to Trump's humiliation of them by his picks for DOD and Intelligence Community leaders and take matters into their own hands and refuse this leaderships command as it defies the constitution they swore to defend.
Like it, Linda. "The Submission Chain."
Shouting in which medium that would have been heard by the people inundated with disinformation on the platforms they use which the oligarchs owning Trump own too.
Mark, maybe they could have if there had been a state-media to report what the “leader” is doing….they actually were sharing the information, only it wasn’t click-bait sexy as the *squirrel!!* offerings, ahem, elsewhere—weird & crazy & “out there” sells. True that they weren’t out there banging the drums & cymbals to announce/alert us, but instead had their heads down focused on the job. Personally I am kinda tired of our leaders needing a publicly agent to progress….to me this means we aren’t paying attention. Oh, never mind….we really aren’t, are we?
You beat me to it Aslo. It is not that the administration was not reporting on progress it was the constant equating the economy to the price of eggs. Since deregulation the government has very little control on corporate greed which is why eggs cost so much. But no one seemed to care about clarifying that element of economy. Believe me the corporate world was happy with their ability to make absurd profits.
Unfortunately, main stream media reported more on Trump than Biden and Harris. MSNBC for example gave more free airtime to Trump the first time around, and they did the same this cycle even though the news was negative. Bad news and scandal mean more clicks and a greater audience and more income. They never even came close to spending as much time in the good news about policy coming out of the Biden White House. The only hope we have going forward is if enough of our legislators are brave enough and self interested enough to be a firewall to stop the Trump presidency from its worst excesses. I
From Trump's perspective all publicity is good as long as his name is out there.
that's the media's perspective as well. Especially in the age of dopamine expert algorithms
It’s worse excesses and stand against the appointments of Trump’s clearly unfit nominees.
Fox reached more viewers with their fabrications. Money delivers.
Point taken
You are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, major paper editorial members never understood the difference. They kept focusing on the defects of Trump that sold their papers but voters did not care as much. They were more interested in prices of daily goods.
I have been hearing about these triumphs all along. That is why I supported Biden and then Harris. In fact, I was in awe of Biden taking on Reaganomics, which I have considered the most backwards thing the US ever did which is destroying the planet. Read Losing Earth: A Recent History by Nathanial Rich.
https://youtu.be/HJMxwg7Tb9k?si=UprB3_QjmQOMk_-X
Here is another book on the topic. https://www.google.de/books/edition/Losing_Earth/U2x-DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover
In it Rich documents how the fossil fuel industry after hearing about global warming was going to switch to investing in other sources of energy, and then Reagan came in and said, don't worry about this thing in the future called global warming because I am going to put in industry insider in oversight of you and let those in the future solve the problem when it occurs. It turns out the best move would have been to go back in time and get rid of Reagan. However, it is too late now, and Trump will just finish off the planet while he is at destroying our lives in other ways.
We've heard that right here for at least a year! HCR has not only kept pointing out the amazing things this administration is doing, but has also decried the lack of legacy media coverage over and over. Add that to the stats in today's Letter about which voters read which media, and there's no need to slam progressives for this election. We weren't able to stop the well-funded firehose of disinformation, yes, and we all need to try to figure that out going forward.
You're asking why, Mark?
You know Kamala often cited (touted) specific programs she and the entire Biden team passed. But I think you know, too, that one can't talk to people, with people, without some accompanying signs of human respect for them as individuals in their communities.
Citing apt novels, films, songs could make those apt human connections -- but those arts long departed U.S. schools, where the priorities of standardized testing dropped far heavier baggage instead.
So in the campaign it was easy for Dem priorities to reduce to money-dunning and wealthy celebrity-fronting. Nothing human need apply. Let alone working class human.
As HCR said, “…a new study out today from Data for Progress showed that people who paid “a great deal” of attention to political news voted for Vice President Kamala Harris +6, while those who paid “none at all” went +19 for Trump.
That explains it. The educated, I.e. “informed” voted for Harris. The uneducated or “uninformed” voted for Trump.
The corolary is that but for psy ops we would have won. They targeted visceral, not rational people. Goes directly to hatred of "the other."
No rational person would vote for a criminal, a grifter, would vote againt their own economic or physical health.
many educated ENTITLED WHITES chose to be "uninformed" because they didn't like that icky feeling of having their self professed "values" being put to the test. Many others slipped into the Jones/Limbaugh mire by saying "it's just shock radio," and then Trump's, by excusing it as "just locker room talk" and the ever popular "I'm just voting my pocketbook" as if their Red vote doesn't Screw Over Every Woman In their Life Every Single Time. (plus everyone who else who is not an Entitled White Male)
Christopher, for this I blame many so-called progressives who decided he was a corporate or establishment D. I suggested that they ought to be pointing out the good things he has done....his cabinet and judicial selections for one as well as the economic programs. They are just as stubborn as any MAGA about being pure despite the fact that we always go backwards when they vote third party or do not vote. I had one person talk about Not Voting(his caps). And racism, misogyny, and the economy are esoteric. Now two people calling themselves Democratic Socialists did win two seats in very blue areas on the new 12 person Portland cit council. They would never win state wide races with that label unfortunately.
Labeling me and my fellow activists "so-called progressives" shows an incomprehension of what we progressives understand about our fellow citizens compared with the continuing willful blindness of the corporate folks who have been unsuccessfully running the Democratic party into the ground. The Democratic Socialists you criticize, people like Bernie Sanders, connected with voters, but the DNC folks ignored their needs and left Trump free to scoop them up. If we are going to heal as a country, my party first needs to acknowledge that you can't just promote democracy without listening to the people. We didn't give them a seat at the table, and we lost their votes in the election.
Bernie Sanders made it difficult by clearly stating his refusal to work well with others. I was so disappointed when he came out with that and it cha ged the way I thought about what he could accomplish.
The problem is the finger pointing and blaming that creates the inability to work together. Come to one table with ideas and work through them instead of insisting my way or the highway.
Do you have a citation for that? As far as I can remember, Bernie has always worked openly with anyone who will sit down with him. I think that you've got it backwards--it was the Party that refused to include him.
Me too Betsy. I met Bernie at Coffee house in the village of Montclair in the Oakland Hills the day after he gave his "Medicare for All" speech in SF. Bernie looks you right in the face & listens carefully.
The Democratic Party and Bernie Sanders have collaborated well together on numerous issues for years. The claim that the Party refused to include him stems from the Party’s decision not to let him run as a Democrat. He’s good man, and an excellent member of Congress, but he is not a Democrat. He’s a Democratic Socialist. Republicans have smeared Democrats for decades by claiming they are Socialists, despite the fact that Democrats have never advocated public ownership of the means of production. Imagine how nominating a Democratic Socialist as the Democratic nominee would be played by Republicans. Bernie wanted to run as a Democrat because he couldn’t be elected as a Democratic Socialist. Should the Party have let Bernie run as a Democrat of convenience, pulling support from people who had worked hard for the party as Democrats for years?
Did Bernie "advocate[ ] public ownership of the means of production"? Citation, please. I think he advocated taxing the rich, providing Medicare for all, and including at the table those whom the Democratic Party didn't have the time or the interest to listen to. As I already said, the MAGAs call any Dem a socialist or a communist, so that's hardly a reason to be afraid of having them call Bernie a socialist..
I don’t have it anymore.
Bernie CAMPAIGNED for Hillary. Bernie teamed up with Biden to create good policy that only Manchin & Sinema (turncoat Dems) shot down. Progressives try to work for good policy. Corporate Dems try to convince Repubs they aren’t Progressives.
I hope we can unite, but if people wonder why the message about the good things Biden was doing didn't get out, part of it, at least locally was the dissing of him by local progressives., their label. They clearly did not understand that calling oneself a Democratic Socialist was not a formula for a successful race in most areas. They did change their tune at one point, but I had some disagreements with them and one of them constantly wanted her way or the highway on the Facebook page. One of them also made a friend of ours, who has long been very active in trying to work in land use for example and has given years and most of her energy to fighting the Chamber of Horrors and unending sprawl, so sick that she had to go to the hospital. Not every D was a corporate D even when they did not support Bernie. I know they would have all voted for him if he had been the candidate.
I'm sorry that you had bad experiences with your local socialists, but that's barely anecdote, and definitely not data. Our local DSA group regularly cleans up the beaches on the Cape. They do work that needs to be done.
And why wasn't Bernie the candidat4e? It was because the corporate Ds were too afraid of his being called a socialist and a communist, but that didn't stop the MAGAs from using those labels for Biden and Harris.
I wonder, Betsy: wealthy whites ever clean up black neighborhoods?
They could team up with local activist & party-affiliated blacks of various ages, occupations.
Bernie Sanders fails to acknowledge how Obama's approval of unpopular auto bailout saved auto workers' jobs and the ACA Medicaid Expansion provided affordable insurance to working people who could not get affordable insurance. This saved my friend's life. HCR has documented extensively how Democrats in Congress and Biden administration have supported working people. His constant drumbeat of criticisms is popular with media because media hate Democrats but love "Liberals" who hate Democrats. They get most of the air time. His voice was boosted by "The Squad" on cable and social media.
Constant criticism of Democrats is a business model of the professional political pundit complex. What actual legislation have the critics introduced/shepherded to President's signature?
One more note. Sherrod Brown was one of the the most prominent pro working class champions in the House and Senate. I thought his campaign ads did an excellent job of showcasing his accomplishments (saving workers' pensions and veterans' benefits, cracking down on drug trafficking at the border.) Republican law enforcement officials endorsed him and thanked him for his help. He lost the election to a guy who stole money from his workers and shredded the evidence..
I'm tired of hearing pols and pundits who don't acknowledge how Dems have helped the working class then claim Dems have a "messaging problem". I guess it doesn't matter as long as they can write books/Substacks and host podcasts based on "Dems In Disarray" business model.
No, it doesn't. I am not talking about every progressive, but i resent being told for example, as a woman, that misogyny is esoteric. i agree with progressive values, but under the system we have which is, for good or ill, basically a two party system, protest votes like those for Jill not Green Stein, only result in what progressives want to take a step backward. Now many people that I care about are at risk. I am delighted those two people in Portland won, but socialism has been for many years acquired for many people a very negative connotation. I have argued against this view many times. However, as a pragmatic person, I know that people with such a label, at least at this point, are not going to win statewide races. And Biden has done in his term, many good things which progressives should be able to applaud instead of dissing him ad nauseam. I am sorry, but while I like many of Bernie's ideas, I have never liked him. And some of his followers are just plain arrogant and many are on my blocked list. When I was at a meeting of the local county D party, there was an election and two Bernie types were trying to take over. First, they pulled a fast one by one of them resigning as the candidate, but instead nominating a poor young girl who didn't stand a chance and was just being used. Then came the vote and a call for volunteers to count it and one person volunteered who was one of many in that room who had worked for years to make things better for people, not corporations. The Bernie types then implied that she would cheat and the gasp in the room was audible. I will not countenance this kind of insulting behavior. Every person in that room was and many still are if they haven't passed, long time activists, so do not think that you have some kind of monopoly on that label. FYI, I have never donated to the DNC and never will. We did donate to Perez in WA 3 who has some of what you are talking about. I am all for Ds like her. I loathe what corporations do and the Supreme Court decision which decided they were people. And I would have voted for Bernie had he been the candidate and would not have done some kind of protest thing which results in someone like death star winning.
Good golly, Michele, your prejudices are showing. For someone who "will not countenance this type of insulting behavior," you are fairly liberal with your own insults. When you're writing a tirade, it's maybe best to read it over, for content and for grammar and for spelling, before you post it.
Are the Democratic-Socialists really Modern Roosevelt-Democrats?
No, they aren't. Roosevelt was wealthy, but he knew he had to do something to help end the depression. His wife and people like Frances Perkins were much more understanding of the needs in many ways.
I didn't realize that you can't be wealthy and also be a socialist. Citation, please.
Yup. : )
Dear Betsy...all fine and good, but irrelevant now. The Bear is upon us! Who is going to lead us out of this, because we cannot be the "loyal" or shadow opposition. We must peacefully resist now. It is a completely different situation than 10 days ago.
I have to disagree, Bruce. If we can't honestly diagnose where we went wrong, how are we going to modify our behavior in the future?
But that's it for me for tonight. I'm on the east coast and I have an early meeting tomorrow about how to connect with people of color so that we can work collaboratively in finally making Medicare for All the law of the land in MA.
Well said, Betsy, but looks like you are "doing", not just "diagnosing" and that is good now. Go get 'em.
Michele, who cares now. That is "spilled milk" now. Where is the resistance to Trump's opening salvo?
Rather than being Democratic Socialists, we should strive for Social Democracy, like they have in Europe.
Because his accomplishments were not considered as 'newsworthy' or click-worthy as his error-prone speeches.
Elon Musk's Department-Of-Govermental-Efficacy, ( DOGE ), has put out a call for Individuals that have very high I.Q.s, and are willing to work 80+ Hours a Week... DOGE expects to completely turn-over the U.S. Government.... I think that Elon is still Micro-Dosing, and taking Amphetamines... Why am I worried that DJT will find a way to 'Shotgun' DOGE's recommendations?
Will they have to dump Trump and JD for their low IQs?
That could be Recommendation #1!!!
Amphetamines, eh? Well, if so, maybe that's why he can propose that his hires work 80 hours a week.
There is a Segment of Silicon Valley Tech Culture that takes Stimulants such as Ritalin, and Micro-Doses Hallucinations for their Tech Work... Move Fast & Break Things Is Their Motto... Elon Musk's hiring, and work practices at Tesla, and X, are very Darwinist...
Will be convenient, Nevoustrumpezpas, if Elon can find workers with as messed-up families as he has always left behind.
For no pay, was Elon’s offer.
Well stated, Christopher. 🤝
By the way, ¿where in the hades-Hell is Veep-elect shady J.D.? 👻
Joyce Vance is on-the-money with her observation that President Trump's proposed rogues' gallery for the Cabinet is meant to test the loyalty of G.O.P. Senators. 🤫
Time for the Republican Senators -- at least, the brave ones -- to respond: "¿F*ck me? Well, ¡fuck you! 🥳
Lastly, ¿should the cost-cutting not be handled through the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Management and Budget rather than be the screen-play of "Revenge of the Nerds Part III: the Final Retribution"? 🔍
I thought you asked a good question, so...
Watch "J.D. Vance's wife, Usha Vance, introduces her husband at Republican National Convention" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/-BFDbzfz5QE?si=hEr8Dp83yf9T6SMn
Is she as good as she seems? And if so, how could she say such things about her husband: who is described in Wikipedia as being "a Paleoconservative who advocates restrictions on immigration, a reversal of multicultural programs and large-scale demographic changes, the decentralization of federal policy, the restoration of controls on free trade , the adoption of certain economically nationalist measures , and U.S. non-intervention in conflicts involving countries such as Ukraine or Israel . [ 7 ]"
Mrs Vance has the three bees: beauty, brains, and breeding. She is also utterly inscrutable. I often wonder how she stomachs her husband's raw ambition.
Usha Vance - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usha_Vance
It is not a wonder if you talk to the people that voted for Trump, or voted for Kamala seeing her as the less of two evils (my nephew) who at 23, is basically not that bothered by Trump. Everyone where he attended college, in Chef school, was horrified by Gaza and did not approve of Biden sending weapons to Israel. He views both Harris and Trump as evil, and does not think Trump stands for anything he says. Naivety of youth. Still, I decided to listen to him instead of just protesting what he was saying and so I got a better picture of the images in the media that have effected him, and also how he heard the words of the candidates. It was clear that he bought into a lot of Trump talking points. This was the kind of selective listening that if amplified in a different family would have led to voting for Trump. Then, I also know people who do not vote. They claim their vote does not count, but on some level I think that they have always been comfortable, and assume they always will be no matter what. Their not voting ties into their generally being conflict averse. Their wives and girlfriends vote, and they are the "nice" guy, but really not so nice because on some level I think they buy into rhetoric that people who suffer somehow brought it upon themselves. I am not even going to point out what they have brought on their wives and children because they think by not voting they have stayed out of it.
The Democratic party needs its own social media platform. I don't know if Blue Sky will do it because it was started by an oligarch. I am suggesting something that is collectively funded by Democrats, and others who support the party. I was thinking a way to attract youth is to forbid it to them and then attract some cool media personalities to it. Taylor Swift and Beyonce would be a catch. For young males, not sure who is out there. It is clear that disinformation, the way it is packaged by the right, sells to young men. The Onion buying Infowas is a start if the Supreme Court lets the sale stand, but we also need a Democratic version of TikTok, and other social media platforms to compete with X.
Owning "the truth" is not helpful if it is not delivered in ways that people hear it. That is what the democrats have to start figuring out now, so that in 2 years they can Reclaim Congress and through that put breaks on SCOTUS and the President.
Sec. Pete Buttegieg told Lawrence O'Donnell tonight that he has a Bidenesque term for the Biden-Harris programs of accomplishments: The Big Deal
https://www.threads.net/@lastwordmsnbc/post/DCYNbZTRJKB?xmt=AQGztWI0JHNvyd-rvCnDrrez7sy3StrBOYwBIWNWRX1VuA
And 12 months to do it in.
There will be economic hardship so I say make money as fast as you can and do not spend it. Or spend as little as possible. It’s not looking good.
And put it in where, credit unions and insurance companies where they have the money to back it?
Duh. Under your mattress. :)
Exactly.
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
Never saw this on TV or in the papers
That is exactly my question too
Such a powerful message - but we never heard from the main stream media
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
I don't think everyone did. I think the election was called too quickly. I think PA needs a hand recount in key districts NOW before the Repo Men take took much ground. And I don't mean for Casey (go Bob!) I mean for the Presidency!
So, Christopher. Who is leading given I agree with "Having said that we have much to do." completely? Who is organizing the passive resistance to what Trump has set in Motion? Where are the people in the streets. I am sick and old, but I will join them. Who is leading?
ABSO-F**CKING-LUTELY!!!
😭 As Bob Marley sang,
“ Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Stand up for your right
Get up, stand up
Don't give up the fight.”
🎶And I think it's going to be a Long time, yes, I think it's going to be Long Long Long Long time, Before the dawn. ... You got to speak out, speak out against madness if you surely want to see the Light of Day🎶
Hat tip ... CS&N
Saw The Wailers play this exact song live last Saturday night. EXHILARATING!
(Truth be told: only one surviving original member...still, excellent.)
Off my rant...only for a moment JP. I saw the original band 1979. Irie Mon, Rastafari.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMUQMSXLlHM&ab_channel=BobMarleyWailersVEVO
I was singing this song all day yesterday!
I was thinking his song "Small Axe" fits here too.
I was thinking "Put de heathen back dere 'pon de wall" was pretty apt, myself.
I’ve had “The Idiots are taking over” (NoFX) running through my head since last Tuesday. It was originally written about Shrub’s administration, but still fits.
https://genius.com/Nofx-the-idiots-are-taking-over-lyrics
As well as “Leaving Jesusland” (also NoFX from about 2005)
https://genius.com/Nofx-leaving-jesusland-lyrics
While reading today’s letter, I briefly forgot that Joe and Kamala have to leave the White House soon. It’s just too painful to really take in.
It’s unbelievable
We're still living under the Biden/Harris administration. Too many people will be SHOCKED at how things devolve when Jan 21 comes.
Yes depressing beyond words.
Biden still has time to clean up his legacy..which at the end of his 50 years of service, needs a little correction.
The Dems have always been the ‘nice’ party, then came the internet - screeching about ‘lamestream media’, etc. Now here’s a chance to take the bull (horn) by the horn. The Onion employs great writers - I hope they also have a good plan -
I love this. Such an irony and with the help of those parents. I also saw the Haka (hope this is the word) which Maori members did as a protest to a bill in New Zealand's Parliament and I loved that too even if it is elsewhere.
Every little thing will help (I hope - along with millions of others)
Indeed it is. The Māori
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgwve4j176o
Guarantee you that Trump will take credit for every good thing bestowed by Biden
Not gonna let him - without LOUD RESPONSE!!!
Various Republican congresspeople have already done that when back in their home state -- taking credit for what they, in fact, voted against in Congress
Pete Stauber in Northern Minnesota is a perfect example. :(
This. 10000%. All the bridges being built, the jobs created. The Dems are not good at being loud. Who will do this? And where are our leaders right now? People are scared. Devastated. Hurt. We are hearing from a few governors but... that's it.
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
Such a powerful message. Never saw this on TV or the papers
It was very telling that those who paid the least amount of attention to politics and government, were most likely to vote GOP.
And they are going to regret their votes!
Sadly, I really don't believe they will regret their votes. We must remember that their ranks consist of millions of low-information voters... those who don't know the truth, those who don't bother to know, and those who don't want to know. So anything that starts to happen with the economy sliding downhill will be spun by Trump's spinmeisters as "this is the way we found the economy left in shambles by Biden-Harris." I guarantee it. These voters had ample opportunity, except for the failures of the Democratic Party to trumpet it loudly enough, to see the successes as Heather describes; and to see the jobs and dollars being brought into their states by the bills that were shepherded under the Biden administration. They couldn't connect the dots then and they won't be able to do so going into the future. They will continue to drink the Kool-Aid.
I'm guessing that folks who expect that after Trump's inauguration eggs will cost $1.50/dozen and gas will cost $1.50/gallon will be mightily disappointed when they go to the grocery store.
Trump’s bureaucrats will be able to lie about the economy, but people will notice and believe what they have to pay for food, especially.
My cohort seems to be disinformed voters who hate anything that liberals are for.
Yup. It will be a very long “blame the Dems” game.
I read somewhere that about 1/2 of High School Seniors read at less than a 6th Grade Level... This explains a lot... Elon Musk is now Warring on all News Sources that are not 'X'... Elon, who is now getting obviously more erratic, is definitely a Dark Sith now....
These are the people who refused to follow public health guidelines during a pandemic. People who think vaccines cause autism. People who think germs don’t exist. People who think the earth us 6,000 years old. People who think pedophiles operate out of pizza-parlor basements. It is hopelessly delusional to imagine that they will figure out who is responsible for their “bad luck.”
Good point. They certainly won’t take any personal responsibility for the mess that awaits us.
Blame the libs!
Is the economy bad? Blame the libs!
Eggs are expensive? Blame the libs!
Your car doesn’t start? Blame the libs!
You can’t get any sex? Blame the libs!
people in that deep are a lost cause. Not everyone is in that deep though… but I get what you’re putting down 😔
Will they? I’m not sure that’s true.
a lot of military folks voted for Trump despite his open contempt for them ... and if they lose their medical insurance because of him, they will regret the votes (I hope!)
Fox plays non-stop on military bases, which is why they support T despite his character and actions.
John, I think that military culture which can be very misogynistic and racist also has something to do with this. I can remember one of my husband's colleagues who was in Viet Nam making terrible remarks.
Some already are.
Not the least surprising to me. They’re the least educated, for the most part.
It was disgusting
Thank you, again, for putting so many current and historical elements together to clarify what is going on now—and what we have to be ready to fight against.
Ditto
You have detailed what the American electorate was never made aware of. The Democrats did a terrible job of selling Joe Biden’s successes. If they had celebrated him, Kamala could have been cheered on and the GOP could not have described her as being a failure.
You may have noticed that the MSM is not really fond of “good news”. Hence we had Trump and his depressing craziness in our faces 24 hrs a day.
Add to that the round-the-clock drumbeat of disinformation about the supposedly horrible economy, “urban crime,” and the “immigrant hordes” and we never had a chance to get the real facts out to those low information voters.
Not only that but the maga side doesn't listen to the very good news about the country under Biden/Harris. They are too busy listening to trump's bullshit, saying the economy is terrible , the stock market its about to crash and Biden is the worst president ever. Confirmation bias on both sides is tearing us apart.
We cannot lose track of the fact that Fox "News" and similar outlets were apparently created to spout wall-to-wall propaganda to "low-information" people and that they carry out this mission very well. Some have suggested there may be room in our information economy for a Democratic or liberal propaganda machine as well. However it might have relatively limited success if it aimed always to speak the truth rather than enticing the audience with lies and innuendo.
The fact that Trump may not even have made 50% needs to be given big publicity. Now he's trying to destroy Congress without a mandate and without legal power. Get UP, Republicans! P.S. I see that Deepak Puri has already covered this in a nearby post I hadn't yet seen.
When is the final count for the presidential election expected to be available? And where will it posted?
You can’t get information to people who refuse to listen. It’s not a matter of poor communication. It’s a matter of willful ignorance.
Exactly
“Biden and Harris returned the U.S. to the model that both parties had embraced until 1981: the idea that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. That system had reduced extremes of wealth in the U.S. after the Great Depression and given most Americans a path to prosperity. “
Such a powerful message. Never saw this on TV or the papers
A huge round of applause for The Onion 👏👏👏
Many thanks Professor ⭐
I'm off topic, but certainly timely, and I wanted to share:
Deportation
by Lynn Geri
“Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning
to breathe free.”
An elderly French woman is loose in New York
spreading pro-immigration propaganda.
She didn’t say these words when we let her in
now she attracts too much attention.
Her incendiary promotion is subversive
she’s the most dangerous woman in our land.
ICE says it’s doubtful she is eligible for entry
under the Republicans’ immigration plan.
The woman does not speak English well,
holding a torch in the air is not a needed skill.
Neither she nor that blind Italian,
with her now tinny scales and sword,
are white, nor are they vulgar.
They need to be asked to leave.
Thank to Andy Borowitz
Love this parody-praise on Lady Liberty!
And she arrived by sea, but not even on a boat! What does that make her?
Thanks you for your YouTube chat today. It did give me a little hope. I'm reading Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny and much of what you said is cut from the same cloth. I'd love to see the two of you in a joint appearance to reassure us of our agency.
Just today bought the graphic novel version. From a local bookstore! Excited to dig in. Also follow him here on Substack. Recommend.
I assume that Biden (and Harris?) had most of those statistics about new small businesses 4 months ago? Why weren't they shouting it from the rooftops? And, I know that Harris needed to distance herself from Biden during the campaign, but wasn't there a way for her to say: "Biden has done x, y, z" but I am going to build on that and here is what I am proposing for the next for years"? It would have put her promise to increase tax credits for small businesses into a reasonable perspective and clarify why that was so important to her.
Unfortunately, MAGAs and undecideds were clearly not looking for accurate information, so shouting from the rooftops doesn't help if everyone else is wearing earplugs.
She was soaring like a rocket, and then a very rich jack-in-the-box took over Trump's miserably failling gimmicks...
Yup
"Although the Senate ultimately acquitted Trump, according to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) all the Republican senators agreed he had done as the House charged. "
The Republican senators openly acknowledged that Trump had violated his oath but acquitted him anyway, thus violating their oaths. The whole lot of them should have been impeached and removed from office.
Agreed. Complete abdication of their constitutional responsibilities.
May we be rescued by satire!
Loud laughter aimed at Trump is a bit like sprinkling salt on a snail.
We certainly need something after that freaking vote ! Bring it (please) !!!!
Always. Good satire wins as good satire is an elucidation of invincible truths. JD Vance and Trump’s attempts at it fall flat as they are merely snide comments aimed at abstractly brutalising Others.
I’m reminded of an ages old commercial, “You asked for it , you’ve got it!” I personally will resist this American Illness in any/every way possible. We have met unethical, illegal & aggression with gentility and Grace. We have allowed ourselves to be pushed around literally & metaphorically. I do not advocate or condone violence. We must now accept that to defeat this menace we must make their economics unbearable. Stop feeding the economy!