Republican state legislatures are gerrymandering districts to elect members to the House of Representatives. The results are extreme. According to voting expert Ari Berman, in Ohio, where former president Trump got 53% of the vote in 2020, the new maps would give Republicans 86% of seats. In North Carolina, where Trump won 49.9% of the vote, Republicans would take 71–78% of seats, which translates to a 10–4 advantage if the voters split the vote evenly. In Wisconsin, where Trump won 49% of the vote, the new maps give Republicans 75% of the seats. In Texas, where Trump got 52% of the vote, Republicans would take 65% of the seats.
I can already hear the cries of hypocrisy after the Republican Party regains complete control in 2024 and immediately abolishes the filibuster the first time the Democrats try to use it. The Democratic Party is fiddling as Rome burns and singing Kumbaya as the Titanic sinks.
Those are remarkably discouraging numbers on the extreme gerrymandering. While with effort one could still get elected once you have a six or eight point disadvantage, I don't see how one can ever win with 20 or more point disadvantage. This is worse than I thought by a lot. Now our "elections" will be just like Russia's -- totally predictable and meaningless. Think I will go reread Tim Synder's book On Tyranny and George Lakey's book "How We Win" and see if there is any hope. We have to have the Freedom to Vote Act become law!!
A friend started sharing her subscription to "Letters" well over a year ago to a small group of like minded people who termed us a tribe. We are a mere subset of those who read and comment here. I was thinking yesterday about this month of Thanksgiving and what I am thankful for. A little over a year ago I was fretting that the former guy would be reelected--a year later, that fear seems almost simple after all that has been revealed.
I am very grateful for these letters, so I decided it was time for my own subscription as a thank you to Heather, and also that I might thank a number of you who I have come to know and respect. There are certainly more than just these I will list as I know I am missing a few in this list, but profound gratitude and admiration to Ellie Kona (thanks to you, I have emailed and called a number of people in Congress and started writing postcards). Also to TCinLA whose astute comments I have often copy/pasted/sent to my little tribe. And for Lyneel, Stuart Atewell, Fern, Ally House, Rowshan Nemazee--thank you. To Sandy Lewis--often the stream of consciousness posts confuse me, and sometimes your hostility seems misdirected, but I do believe you are trying to fight the good fight, so I thank you for that.
I also have a comment of a thought I had which I've not seen discussed: regarding the recent spread of "Let's go, Brandon"--I must say when I heard about this I thought "seriously?" I recall junior high/high school when there were code words that held some meaning to those that were "in" and now hearing about this, it seems that there is the same juvenile mentality, a snickering about seemingly getting away with saying something rude. To me, it doesn't convey any power, it just seems........childish. I might not agree with it or like it, but I actually would hold more respect for someone holding a sign with the real words.
The only power this code phase conveys on me is sadness, that apparently among a lot of "adult" voters it is true: that you can grow older without growing up.
As a staunchly abolitionist state, Maine contributed the proportionally highest number of citizens to the Union cause. One soldier, Walter Stone Poor wrote home "What a splendid cause is this on which we are engaged. I think it is the grandest that ever enlisted the sympathies of man. Nobler even than the Revolution for they fought for their freedom while we fight for that of another race."
Maine's motto, Dirigo (We Lead), is said to refer to Maine's historically progressive voting rights, which now include early mail in and drop box, as well as ranked choice, voting.
Yet, Maine Sen. Susan Collins is singing from the Dixicrat GOP 'states rights' songbook to oppose Federal civil rights protections for American citizens. Collins is the height of hypocrisy because despite her voting record in staunch support for the McConnell Trump GOP agenda, she was reelected in Democratic leaning Maine - which disproves GOP claims of being disadvantaged by a fair access to voting.
So, have we all taken off our rose colored glasses yet? Mine came off months ago.
I heard these rather bitter projections yesterday. Pretty much every threat from the GOP is coming true, in spades.
As I was waiting in line at the bank yesterday, I overheard a couple of Seniors discussing current events, with heavy disgust. The one gentleman said, " I'm glad I'm at the other end of the line, but I do fear for my Grandchildren". The other nodded and said, "yes, so do I. I appreciate all the President has done but while he spent his time getting us shots, the Republicans took over the country". I thought that was a rather broad brush stroke look at what Biden has done, but the more I thought about it, I can't disagree with him.
I'm starting to feel that in a short time, instead of hearing the republicans cry about Clinton "but her emails", we are going to hear the Democrats say " but he got us shots". Is that all we got?
Look very closely at these percentages Heather is showing you. They are spot on accurate and fu*king terrifying. This all happened in plain sight.
I’ll need to reread this with coffee but wonder on a side note, have you seen the Politics Girl videos? She’s remarkable in her assessment of the Democrats failure to message.
Thanks for all these lessons putting this in context; you are a wonder.
I just watched the Politics Girl video referenced earlier. She is spot on. For listeners of Progressive Radio (Stephanie Miller Show), take a listen to Malcolm Nance's spot this week (maybe Weds). Miller is a comedian, but there is nothing funny about the subjects she tackles - especially with Nance. He says the same thing about Democratic messaging as Politics Girl says. His take is that Democrats need to take the gloves off and keep repeating that Republicans/Trump followers are crazy, Qanon followers are crazy, those who believe that the COVID vaccine carries a micro-chip are crazy, etc. Too bad that a large percentage of the American populace lacks historical context and critical thinking skills, but that's certainly a problem the Republicans won't fix - to the contrary, it plays into their hands.
Republicans are like the Russian Communist Party. All indications, between 1945 and 195, were that the one party Russian created communist regimes in Eastern Europe were not popular, were not delivering adequate food, housing and jobs, and were not modernizing these "states", whereas the Western European countries were progressing noticeably faster. Instead of adapting to the many examples outside their ideological bubble, occurring both within their "states" or in the western countries as some communists recommended, the Moscow Communists dug in deeper applying more restrictions, more secret police operations, greater abuse and pain to their citizens, claiming they would force their broken one party, one mono cultural, one party controlled economic system to work better than the diverse and cooperative systems of the west.
It never worked. When the Soviet Union collapsed, its was discovered to be more broken than was realized. The countries of the USSR, experienced a brief period of democracy and economic investment. But soon, it went the way of our southern states, returning to old ways and ideas. Neither the US nor Russia and her influenced nations can survive and thrive under a one party authoritarian government and oligarchic economy.
Our rightwing social media and political indoctrination system isolates many Americans from a world of ideas and values necessary for a free and secure world just as the Iron Curtain did after WWII.
Republicans are supporting old world industries just as the Russians did from WWI through to today. If you want a view into America's future under a one party Republican system, Russia I'd probably your best model.
Not a hopeful picture posted today. Lots of good assessment, suggestions and references from other readers. I’m working on my two “talking points” to my Republiqan friends:
1. I don’t think your concept of “states rights” translates as you think it does (racist voter suppression).
2. Our constitution was written with the assumption that men of honor would abide by it. Your party is not acting with honor but rather corrupt deceit.
I owe a lot of this formulation to members of this community and to Professor Richardson.
Here is HCR’s LFAA of 11/04/2021 by the numbers—our talking points and our written bullet points. Can anyone get it down to PoliticsGirl’s challenge of messaging in 6 words?
Extreme gerrymandering in TX, OH, NC, and WI:
• Average 50% of voters were for Trump, but Republicans are represented by 65-86% in House of Representatives, or
• Average 50% of voters were for Biden, but Democrats are represented by only 14-35% in House of Representatives. (Ouch, Ohio’s 14%!)
Do what it takes to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, including filibuster!
Economic indicators show the success of the Biden Administration:
• Jobless claims are 75% lower now than at the end of the Trump Administration.
• Number of people collecting unemployment insurance is down 70% from one year ago.
• S&P 500 Index on 11/04/2021 closed at an all-time high of 4,580.
Biden is still in the first quarter of the game and just getting warmed up. Support Democratic progress!
Moody's Analytics of 11/04/2021 concluded that the Build Back Better bill:
• Would help lower- and middle-income Americans.
• Would pay for itself.
• The infrastructure bill and the reconciliation bill together will add 1.5 million jobs per year and increase GDP by nearly $3 trillion relative to the baseline over the next 10 years.
Do what it takes to pass the Build Back Better bill, including filibuster!
Today's Republicans (like Abbot in Texas) sound like Civil War politician, slaveholder and theorist, John C. Calhoun, who believed "states' rights" superceded Washington's legal authority to end slavery.
The moniker "neo-confederacy" fits the current GOP perfectly.
It really is open hostility towards democracy, and the outrageous gerrymandering, collusion with foreign anti democratic powers, undermining of science, Supreme Court stacking with young partisans… from top to bottom and throughout its open warfare being waged. The right no longer accepts the existence of the left as legitimate.
Historically speaking, in this country or in other countries, what possible ways out of such a toxic union are there? Civil war, revolution, military coup, secession, … are there examples that might give us hope for less destructive resolutions? If not, then it seems this foundational restoration of voting fairness is truly the last gasp.
But, today, 151 years after the Civil War became inevitable, resulting in so many deaths of promising young men, we find ourselves back where we started.
Sure, Blacks are not slaves anymore, that work is done by illegal migrants now who are treated the same as slaves.
Blacks just are never hired into jobs. Good jobs, bad jobs or any jobs. OK, Burger King will hire them.
So, now, looking back at history, what young man looking at America today and the net result of all the dead bodies in the civil war, would run to die in another one?
My son is 23. He has a minority last name although he was born in America. He scrounged and scrounged to get a job after college. Almost nobody would hire him. Would I encourage him to go and die in some fight for America where a bunch of ignorant white dudes want to keep control? AND, where the same people are in control of the means to make a living??
Honestly, I think I would rather see him head to Canada. Or, perhaps Greece and the EU. Find a life in a country without these problems and let the US decay into whatever it decays into. Why throw a promising young man at a dead horse?
Also, its not like I feel, as a long time engineer having watched all of manufacturing be offshored by ALL of USA management, north and south, and watched thousands and thousands of jobs be outsourced in a bipartisan way both north and south, that I think America is necessarily worth saving.
In Germany, outsourcing does not occur. Nor in Sweden or Japan.
Americans are unique in their willingness to sell out other Americans for a bigger bonus, NORTH AND SOUTH.
So, my son? I say: Go North young man. Or go to the EU.
But, don't die for a country that is willing to sell you out at moments notice for a bigger bonus, a nicer car, a bigger house and higher social standing at church.
"...if the filibuster is standing in the way of protecting our democracy then the filibuster isn’t working for our democracy.” Democrats' approach to the filibuster reeks of a loser mentality. They are afraid that if they lose the House and/or Senate, and worse yet, a Republican is elected president in 2024, they will need the filibuster to stop extreme GOP legislation--exactly what Republicans are doing right now. Instead of keeping this weapon in their pocket for future use, Democratic leaders should de-weaponize it in order to pass some of the most important legislative priorities in a generation. Listen up, our Democracy is at stake here. When one has one leg in the past and one in the future, they are pissing on the present.
The Moody's report needs to be placed directly on Joe Manchin's desk where he can see and read it. Maybe that will stop or at least inhibit him from playing the delay game with false worries about the economic impact of the Build Back Better bill. Sadly, I doubt that domehow - he'll just come up with some other fake "reason" to scuttle the bill. The Dems will have to choose whether the end the fillibuster for the Build Back Better bill and risk being defeated by Manchin in the Senate, or to do so for the voting rights bills and suffer the same fate. Ending the fillibuster isn't a magic wand if you can't hold your own "majority".
I can already hear the cries of hypocrisy after the Republican Party regains complete control in 2024 and immediately abolishes the filibuster the first time the Democrats try to use it. The Democratic Party is fiddling as Rome burns and singing Kumbaya as the Titanic sinks.
Those are remarkably discouraging numbers on the extreme gerrymandering. While with effort one could still get elected once you have a six or eight point disadvantage, I don't see how one can ever win with 20 or more point disadvantage. This is worse than I thought by a lot. Now our "elections" will be just like Russia's -- totally predictable and meaningless. Think I will go reread Tim Synder's book On Tyranny and George Lakey's book "How We Win" and see if there is any hope. We have to have the Freedom to Vote Act become law!!
A friend started sharing her subscription to "Letters" well over a year ago to a small group of like minded people who termed us a tribe. We are a mere subset of those who read and comment here. I was thinking yesterday about this month of Thanksgiving and what I am thankful for. A little over a year ago I was fretting that the former guy would be reelected--a year later, that fear seems almost simple after all that has been revealed.
I am very grateful for these letters, so I decided it was time for my own subscription as a thank you to Heather, and also that I might thank a number of you who I have come to know and respect. There are certainly more than just these I will list as I know I am missing a few in this list, but profound gratitude and admiration to Ellie Kona (thanks to you, I have emailed and called a number of people in Congress and started writing postcards). Also to TCinLA whose astute comments I have often copy/pasted/sent to my little tribe. And for Lyneel, Stuart Atewell, Fern, Ally House, Rowshan Nemazee--thank you. To Sandy Lewis--often the stream of consciousness posts confuse me, and sometimes your hostility seems misdirected, but I do believe you are trying to fight the good fight, so I thank you for that.
I also have a comment of a thought I had which I've not seen discussed: regarding the recent spread of "Let's go, Brandon"--I must say when I heard about this I thought "seriously?" I recall junior high/high school when there were code words that held some meaning to those that were "in" and now hearing about this, it seems that there is the same juvenile mentality, a snickering about seemingly getting away with saying something rude. To me, it doesn't convey any power, it just seems........childish. I might not agree with it or like it, but I actually would hold more respect for someone holding a sign with the real words.
The only power this code phase conveys on me is sadness, that apparently among a lot of "adult" voters it is true: that you can grow older without growing up.
As a staunchly abolitionist state, Maine contributed the proportionally highest number of citizens to the Union cause. One soldier, Walter Stone Poor wrote home "What a splendid cause is this on which we are engaged. I think it is the grandest that ever enlisted the sympathies of man. Nobler even than the Revolution for they fought for their freedom while we fight for that of another race."
Maine's motto, Dirigo (We Lead), is said to refer to Maine's historically progressive voting rights, which now include early mail in and drop box, as well as ranked choice, voting.
Yet, Maine Sen. Susan Collins is singing from the Dixicrat GOP 'states rights' songbook to oppose Federal civil rights protections for American citizens. Collins is the height of hypocrisy because despite her voting record in staunch support for the McConnell Trump GOP agenda, she was reelected in Democratic leaning Maine - which disproves GOP claims of being disadvantaged by a fair access to voting.
Thank you Heather.
So, have we all taken off our rose colored glasses yet? Mine came off months ago.
I heard these rather bitter projections yesterday. Pretty much every threat from the GOP is coming true, in spades.
As I was waiting in line at the bank yesterday, I overheard a couple of Seniors discussing current events, with heavy disgust. The one gentleman said, " I'm glad I'm at the other end of the line, but I do fear for my Grandchildren". The other nodded and said, "yes, so do I. I appreciate all the President has done but while he spent his time getting us shots, the Republicans took over the country". I thought that was a rather broad brush stroke look at what Biden has done, but the more I thought about it, I can't disagree with him.
I'm starting to feel that in a short time, instead of hearing the republicans cry about Clinton "but her emails", we are going to hear the Democrats say " but he got us shots". Is that all we got?
Look very closely at these percentages Heather is showing you. They are spot on accurate and fu*king terrifying. This all happened in plain sight.
Be safe. Be well.
I’ll need to reread this with coffee but wonder on a side note, have you seen the Politics Girl videos? She’s remarkable in her assessment of the Democrats failure to message.
Thanks for all these lessons putting this in context; you are a wonder.
I just watched the Politics Girl video referenced earlier. She is spot on. For listeners of Progressive Radio (Stephanie Miller Show), take a listen to Malcolm Nance's spot this week (maybe Weds). Miller is a comedian, but there is nothing funny about the subjects she tackles - especially with Nance. He says the same thing about Democratic messaging as Politics Girl says. His take is that Democrats need to take the gloves off and keep repeating that Republicans/Trump followers are crazy, Qanon followers are crazy, those who believe that the COVID vaccine carries a micro-chip are crazy, etc. Too bad that a large percentage of the American populace lacks historical context and critical thinking skills, but that's certainly a problem the Republicans won't fix - to the contrary, it plays into their hands.
Republicans are like the Russian Communist Party. All indications, between 1945 and 195, were that the one party Russian created communist regimes in Eastern Europe were not popular, were not delivering adequate food, housing and jobs, and were not modernizing these "states", whereas the Western European countries were progressing noticeably faster. Instead of adapting to the many examples outside their ideological bubble, occurring both within their "states" or in the western countries as some communists recommended, the Moscow Communists dug in deeper applying more restrictions, more secret police operations, greater abuse and pain to their citizens, claiming they would force their broken one party, one mono cultural, one party controlled economic system to work better than the diverse and cooperative systems of the west.
It never worked. When the Soviet Union collapsed, its was discovered to be more broken than was realized. The countries of the USSR, experienced a brief period of democracy and economic investment. But soon, it went the way of our southern states, returning to old ways and ideas. Neither the US nor Russia and her influenced nations can survive and thrive under a one party authoritarian government and oligarchic economy.
Our rightwing social media and political indoctrination system isolates many Americans from a world of ideas and values necessary for a free and secure world just as the Iron Curtain did after WWII.
Republicans are supporting old world industries just as the Russians did from WWI through to today. If you want a view into America's future under a one party Republican system, Russia I'd probably your best model.
Not a hopeful picture posted today. Lots of good assessment, suggestions and references from other readers. I’m working on my two “talking points” to my Republiqan friends:
1. I don’t think your concept of “states rights” translates as you think it does (racist voter suppression).
2. Our constitution was written with the assumption that men of honor would abide by it. Your party is not acting with honor but rather corrupt deceit.
I owe a lot of this formulation to members of this community and to Professor Richardson.
Here is HCR’s LFAA of 11/04/2021 by the numbers—our talking points and our written bullet points. Can anyone get it down to PoliticsGirl’s challenge of messaging in 6 words?
Extreme gerrymandering in TX, OH, NC, and WI:
• Average 50% of voters were for Trump, but Republicans are represented by 65-86% in House of Representatives, or
• Average 50% of voters were for Biden, but Democrats are represented by only 14-35% in House of Representatives. (Ouch, Ohio’s 14%!)
Do what it takes to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, including filibuster!
Economic indicators show the success of the Biden Administration:
• Jobless claims are 75% lower now than at the end of the Trump Administration.
• Number of people collecting unemployment insurance is down 70% from one year ago.
• S&P 500 Index on 11/04/2021 closed at an all-time high of 4,580.
Biden is still in the first quarter of the game and just getting warmed up. Support Democratic progress!
Moody's Analytics of 11/04/2021 concluded that the Build Back Better bill:
• Would help lower- and middle-income Americans.
• Would pay for itself.
• The infrastructure bill and the reconciliation bill together will add 1.5 million jobs per year and increase GDP by nearly $3 trillion relative to the baseline over the next 10 years.
Do what it takes to pass the Build Back Better bill, including filibuster!
Go forth and amplify!
Today's Republicans (like Abbot in Texas) sound like Civil War politician, slaveholder and theorist, John C. Calhoun, who believed "states' rights" superceded Washington's legal authority to end slavery.
The moniker "neo-confederacy" fits the current GOP perfectly.
Thanks for your post.
It really is open hostility towards democracy, and the outrageous gerrymandering, collusion with foreign anti democratic powers, undermining of science, Supreme Court stacking with young partisans… from top to bottom and throughout its open warfare being waged. The right no longer accepts the existence of the left as legitimate.
Historically speaking, in this country or in other countries, what possible ways out of such a toxic union are there? Civil war, revolution, military coup, secession, … are there examples that might give us hope for less destructive resolutions? If not, then it seems this foundational restoration of voting fairness is truly the last gasp.
But, today, 151 years after the Civil War became inevitable, resulting in so many deaths of promising young men, we find ourselves back where we started.
Sure, Blacks are not slaves anymore, that work is done by illegal migrants now who are treated the same as slaves.
Blacks just are never hired into jobs. Good jobs, bad jobs or any jobs. OK, Burger King will hire them.
So, now, looking back at history, what young man looking at America today and the net result of all the dead bodies in the civil war, would run to die in another one?
My son is 23. He has a minority last name although he was born in America. He scrounged and scrounged to get a job after college. Almost nobody would hire him. Would I encourage him to go and die in some fight for America where a bunch of ignorant white dudes want to keep control? AND, where the same people are in control of the means to make a living??
Honestly, I think I would rather see him head to Canada. Or, perhaps Greece and the EU. Find a life in a country without these problems and let the US decay into whatever it decays into. Why throw a promising young man at a dead horse?
Also, its not like I feel, as a long time engineer having watched all of manufacturing be offshored by ALL of USA management, north and south, and watched thousands and thousands of jobs be outsourced in a bipartisan way both north and south, that I think America is necessarily worth saving.
In Germany, outsourcing does not occur. Nor in Sweden or Japan.
Americans are unique in their willingness to sell out other Americans for a bigger bonus, NORTH AND SOUTH.
So, my son? I say: Go North young man. Or go to the EU.
But, don't die for a country that is willing to sell you out at moments notice for a bigger bonus, a nicer car, a bigger house and higher social standing at church.
"...if the filibuster is standing in the way of protecting our democracy then the filibuster isn’t working for our democracy.” Democrats' approach to the filibuster reeks of a loser mentality. They are afraid that if they lose the House and/or Senate, and worse yet, a Republican is elected president in 2024, they will need the filibuster to stop extreme GOP legislation--exactly what Republicans are doing right now. Instead of keeping this weapon in their pocket for future use, Democratic leaders should de-weaponize it in order to pass some of the most important legislative priorities in a generation. Listen up, our Democracy is at stake here. When one has one leg in the past and one in the future, they are pissing on the present.
The Moody's report needs to be placed directly on Joe Manchin's desk where he can see and read it. Maybe that will stop or at least inhibit him from playing the delay game with false worries about the economic impact of the Build Back Better bill. Sadly, I doubt that domehow - he'll just come up with some other fake "reason" to scuttle the bill. The Dems will have to choose whether the end the fillibuster for the Build Back Better bill and risk being defeated by Manchin in the Senate, or to do so for the voting rights bills and suffer the same fate. Ending the fillibuster isn't a magic wand if you can't hold your own "majority".
Kill the filibuster and get on with the work of the people- all people.