In an interview this morning with CNN’s Dana Bash, Arizona Republican nominee for governor Kari Lake refused to say that she would accept the results of the upcoming election-- unless she wins.
Voter suppression, redistricting and gerrymandering, sowing doubt, and outright lying are all the GOP has. They will try to cut Social Security and Medicare, and may well succeed if our populace doesn't awaken to how dangerous this party has become and defeat them with overwhelming numbers. So many pivotal races seem close which helps the narrative that cheating is what contributes to Democratic victories. I am praying for a tsunami of Democratic turnout.
Pray harder, because the polls are showing that in Blue states, voters are not acting with a lot of determination, because they think their rights are safe since Republicans don't run things there.
Police office Fanone, who was attacked on Jan. 6th, said in an interview that the thing that will do us in is indifference. Democrats being indifferent about voting. I think he said a mouthful. There is so much at state and it's so frightening to think of the alternative, with a GOP win. That would be the end of our support for Ukraine, among other things, which was attacked again this morning (I'm in Germany so the news came early) by drones from Iran dropping on Kiev.
Sadly, we are speaking to those who agree with us, not those who don't read this Letter every day. The Democratic message is not being heard/understood that Democracy is in peril for many Democrats.
As long a people worry more about their pocket book, i.e. inflation they will ignorantly blame the administration and support fascism. Biden could walk on water it would not matter. The GOP has worked for decades to set the agenda, the talking points, control of the states voting systems. IF they will win this midterm, we are through as a democracy. If you think that is hyperbole, you have not paid attention.
Right! And GOP gleefully blames inflation on Biden when it is a post-pandemic, worldwide problem. The French just saw massive protests over this issue. Ignorance can be exploited too easily by malign players.
Ignorance can be exploited too easily by malign players. Spot on. Democracy requires an informed populous. Trump could not have gotten near the WH if voters were less ignorance and less hateful.
It will be as terrifying as you say. If Republicans are in charge, tax cuts for the wealthy will reemerge, food prices will continue to escalate because of droughts and oil because of OPEC countries limiting production, and the resulting recession will be blamed on the Biden administration.
They want power and they are and will do what is necessary to maintain it. We are doomed. Remember the quote that is accredited to Stalin, "Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything."
As I wrote before. OPEC and other producing countries have never held to their reduced quotas. The future price of oil always takes a jump on the announced reduction of their production, but the price always settles back to were it was before the announcement. Producers cheat on their quotas because they are all addicted to $. They will sell as much as they can as long as there is a margin of profit.
Aye, there’s the rub. I’ve been saying for years that if it wasn’t for Rush Limbaugh and the useless Kardashian clan, this country would be in a much better place. Hatred and vapid celebrity worship has sucked the soul out of the less intelligent among us. And there are an awful lot of them.
Reality tv in general did a lot of dumbing down. Idjt on his golden throne gave us The Apprentice and may soon give us The Dictator. Don’t sit back. The primaries should be a wake up call.
SOMA. Isn’t that the taking over of the population by numbing their minds with a pleasure hit? (used in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World? ) Reality tv reminds me of that. Numb, indifferent zombies.
Hate is a stronger motivator than hope, it appears. I don't want to "own" the Q's, I just want those pesky civil rights thingies to apply to everyone, not just people that look/think/act/believe like me.
Yup we all should want those "pesky civil rights thingies" to be for everyone! Getting the message to indifferent voters is the key - but is it getting there?
Watched CBS Sunday episode regarding the Oregon residents who want to turn 60% (?) of Oregon over to Idaho? I'm sure you know about this. I just do not understand why they feel so disenfranchised - left out - oddly enough djt wasnt mentioned once!
This has been their mantra for years. It's all those libs in the Willamette Valley who keep them from doing what they please and what they please is to continue to destroy the fragile lands of eastern Oregon. As for southern Oregon, except for Ashland, this is outlaw territory. The idea that we should do something about climate change is anathema to them. I am sure they are also worried about their guns. And they would be in a world of hurt without immigrants, who do the grunt work there, just like they do everywhere.
It is mostly the rural part of the state (which is almost everything east of the Cascades, and some of southwestern Oregon (described accurately by Michele as "outlaw territory"; just google the "State of Jefferson" movement in S. Oregon and N. California) that wants to cozy up with idyllic Idaho, home of the Freeman movement and bastion of white supremacy.
So true, their deliberate ignorance is a passion, also true of those who “pretend” to accept Joe as legitimate. They are just wisely looking to future evil machinations instead of buying chump’s insanity about 2020. The coalition of rogue republicans, racists, Pharisees, zygote warriors, “immigrant haters,” and greedy bastards is a a force that many refuse to acknowledge, even as they steamroll over everything we hold dear. Chump and Rupert have given ALL of them the roadmap as Goebbels did Hitler. And we blather on.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." --Thomas Jefferson to Charles Yancey, 1816. ME 14:384
"Convinced that the people are the only safe depositories of their own liberty, and that they are not safe unless enlightened to a certain degree, I have looked on our present state of liberty as a short-lived possession unless the mass of the people could be informed to a certain degree." --Thomas Jefferson to Littleton Waller Tazewell, 1805.
"No nation is permitted to live in ignorance with impunity." --Thomas Jefferson: Virginia Board of Visitors Minutes, 1821. ME 19:408
"Freedom [is] the first-born daughter of science." --Thomas Jefferson to Francois D'Ivernois, 1795. ME 9:297
"Light and liberty go together." --Thomas Jefferson to Tench Coxe, 1795.
And education in possibly half the country is believed to be too dangerous to allow the Truth. Instead of Truth, Enlightenment, Debate, critical Thinking, CRT, etc.LIES, distortion, and omissions are the approved curriculum. How do we counter that? Counter that which is symbolic and a warning: daily book “burning” or banning and the continuing creation of ignorance and fear. We don’t give up on Truth.
You certainly have the coalition correct. I do like the term zygote warriors. One of my Jewish ex-colleagues responded to death star's comment about Jews. She wrote exactly what I was thinking which I am not going to post here. No one who is sane would do other that loathe that festering cancer.
I don’t know what polls you are readingTC but I live in a used-to-be-blue state, in the only swing district left, CD2. We are in a helluva fight to keep the district blue - the second most expensive Congressional election in the country at this point. The RNC has poured millions of dollars into this battle, as have corporations that promised not to give more money to seditionist politicians (which describes the R candidate here perfectly) The Dems have poured in many millions too and are as organized as I’ve ever seen.
In my local district, the head of the dems is a 40 something mom of three, who works full time, and worries about her younger brother who just had a stroke at age 39. Despite all that, she keeps us busy with door-knocking, texting, delivering lawn signs, and working on messaging since the third party candidate in the CD2 race just died. In 2020, the 3rd party candidate garnered 6% of the vote in what was the 5th closest election in the country. The dem candidate who won, Angie Craig, was the chief author of the bill to lower the costs of prescription drugs that Biden signed into law earlier this year. We are eager to earn the votes of those that would have voted for Overby. But time is short.
Many LFAA readers have learned here that being active is necessary - me included. Postcarding, texting, making strategic gifts to candidates where such gifts can make a difference, door knocking and more. I can only add that despite my fatigue and anxiety, I understand that we will never be able to sit back and relax again if we are to preserve this democracy. So this election is but a beginning. Going forward, I will be busy regardless. And the hundreds of active volunteers in my district here will be at my side working it.
Will millions of Dems also step forward? All I can say is that I’m proud of the local efforts we have made. And whatever the polls say, I’m in the battle for democracy for whatever time I have left on the planet. And I will remain optimistic that I can recruit others too. Cynicism is a luxury I cannot afford.
Thank you Sheila. I needed to hear that as my optimism faltered when I read TC’s comment. I’ve been reading Michael Moore’s daily points on why he believes the polls are WRONG. He is forecasting a BLUE Tsunami. He also said the polls were wrong in 2016 and predicted a win for trump. No one listened.
I also read Michael Moore’s daily points! And Robert Hubble here on Substack. Both help. In addition, I walk my dog more right now... cause sometimes people really suck. 😎 seriously Sharon, keep the faith. Whatever happens, we have to be active in defense of democracy. Cynicism helps nothing, IMHO.
I think the Kansas vote on abortion gives us hope. But the truth is it will all depend on how many people vote. In my state (NM), a traditionally blue state in recent years, is not even totally reliable. The pandemic and safety measures have whipped up Republican talking points. And they hit home here because we are basically a poor state. People were hit hard by closures and apparently have forgotten that compared to other places, fewer people got sick and fewer people died. But likewise, crime has risen sharply and the city of Santa Fe has a huge shortage of police officers. These are the conditions which have alarmed voters. And it’s anyone’s guess whether they will vote for long time security or the promise of short term relief.
I also have perused Moore's posts. I am not a fan of polls having learned about them years ago from a lady on the Maddow Blog who worked in the industry for years. Here in Oregon, I see Ds working hard, attending many local events that happen in the course of every year and getting out beyond cities. All of the Rs in major races have made clear that they are against abortion and that alone may cost them the race. What does bother me about all of this is that Rs will not agree if they lose.
We know they have the “stolen election” playbook memorized but I’m counting on people getting tired of claims and lawsuits that are wasting our tax dollars. The courts…even trumps judges… are proving them wrong. I’m going to stay optimistic and believe more of us are finally understanding how the Republicans have been hijacking our elections through voter suppression and throwing off the ledgers, valid registered voters! If we can get more Senators and keep the House we will pass legislation to protect our voting rights without the help of Republicans! Keep working to convince everyone you know to vote BLUE! If you know an elderly person in an assisted living home be certain they’ve changed their address and take them out to vote or help them vote by mail. Call the activities director of the home and ask if she/he will work to help residents insure they are registered in their “new” assisted living home. I’m taking someone to vote tomorrow in VA and the voting office offered to do curbside voting so my elderly passenger doesn’t need to come via his wheelchair!
Yes, taking positive action is the only comfort right now. My friends and I have collected a list of people that replied to our offers to drive them to the polls and that's what we're doing....
I am with you Sheila. I live in a blue-ish county in Northern CA. There are lots of us who are very active with writing postcards, phone banking, etc. It gives me hope. (I, too, read Michael Moore daily and Robert Hubbell.)
Another small thing that gives me hope is that a Starbucks in Oklahoma City just voted 15-2 to unionize.
Jensen is truly an abomination. That he spread so many lies about vaccines and masking during the height of the pandemic in 2021 made me wish I had a corn field to retreat to where I could scream and not wake the neighborhood! Fortunately, even my very conservative immediate neighbor, who is a pediatrician, has said she cannot vote for him. She hates that Walz supports abortion rights but understands that Jensen has abrogated his Hippocratic oath. Some hope that Walz and Flannigan will prevail.
I can’t start on that entitlement issue you’ve flagged. Unbelievable…… Glad you are here Lisa.
Liz, The Minnesota I grew up in has always been a bit purple but having lived in the district Ilhan Omar currently represents means I didn’t live with it or see it or have to deal with it much. Tougher by far to live in a Congressional district that is so damn gerrymandered, that the Proud Boy, truck driving, Trump flag- waving folks are also nearby and determined to “own the libs.” One of my neighbors actually showed up to our polling place and demanded to stand behind the election judges to make absolutely certain there was no fraud. There is no fraud but these bastards threaten, cajole and all but force the idea that because MN allows same day registration, that fraud is rampant. I provoked him the next day by putting up lawn signs for the Dems. He hasn’t spoken to me since. Fine by me- Thanks for helping get out the vote!
Yup! Praying harder, have yard signs, and earlier this year, when my feet hadn't acted up got petition signatures. Will ramp up LTE's, and pray even harder.
Thank you! Please pray for me too while you are at it! I am a Democrat running for Clay County Indiana Treasurer. I am 79 and this is the first time I have ever done anything like this in my life. I have experience and have a 4 year degree from ISU majoring in Accounting. My opponent is a career Republican at our county courthouse!
Thank you! I will be so glad when the election is over! I hope I can survive! LOL. I can't believe the stress level! I voted "for me" yesterday! There were no television camera or reporters covering my voting! LOL
Are the polls breaking down those blue-state voters by race? Because I've got this sneaking suspicion that the complacent ones are mostly white and relatively affluent. We're the same ones who didn't realize that democracy was in danger until 2016, and who have been mostly OK -- or at least not protesting very loudly -- with most of what's happened since Reagan. (I've been saying for years that Bill Clinton is the only Republican presidential candidate I've ever voted for, and one of my big regrets is that until after 2008 I assumed Hillary Clinton was of the same ilk.)
Why, oh why, don’t Dems hammer on the Republican promise to cut SS and Medicare. Republicans had already decided that the people would never stand for that, so here come the hate mongers, with the money and the bull horns. If only 10% of the God-awful begging emails I get even acknowledged this, I would weep with joy. That this election is close, is a testament to the power of monied propaganda and Dem messaging done by incompetents.
The ads in New England are starting to do just that: the NH Senate race, in particular. Maggie Hassan is using footage of Bolduc to bring his 'kill Social Security' rhetoric to the forefront. I'm adding to her war chest to keep her ads running...
Yes, the Democrats are missing an opportunity to expose the Trumplican's plans to dismantle Soc Sec and Medicare. It's open enrollment time for Medicare so what better time to inform voters?
Jeri, besides the postcards and letters to voters, here is what I am doing for this election cycle. I read both Yahoo and MSN.com daily for news. I go to the comment sections and read a lot of them. Those that are blatant LIES, I report as misinformation. (Pretty easy to do, in Yahoo each comment has the three dots like on here. It brings up a list and you click the false news) If it is an opinion comment, I keep posting exactly what you mention about GOP plans for those pesky "entitlements"--especially if the commenter mentions that s/he is a senior. I try to be civil. Sometimes, they do make my blood pressure rise though!
My company's retiree healthcare (a partial subsidy for supplements to Medicare) is being phased out and we are being offered only a Medicare Advantage plan from United Healthcare - one of the greediest of the health insurance companies. So we take a hit of about $3-4k if we want to stick with Medicare and supplements. But I'm against this move to privatize Medicare - the profit for the insurance companies has to come from somewhere, and they're not as efficient as the government in this realm. Those CEOs are wildly overpaid, and that money comes from the premiums they don't use to pay for our care.
Florida illustrates how much states matter, as noted by ProPublica:
"Florida’s constitution was amended in 2010 to prohibit partisan-driven redistricting."
Nevertheless, before Hurricane Ian, DeSantis repeatedly rejected his Republican state legislature's redistricting maps and wore them down until they "wiped away half of the state’s Black-dominated congressional districts, dramatically curtailing Black voting power in America’s largest swing state. One of the districts, held by Democrat Al Lawson, had been created by the Florida Supreme Court just seven years before." DeSantis enlisted national GOP consultants including a redistricting attorney specialist.
With all due respect to prayers, WE have to do the footwork to make a Democratic voter tsunami turnout. Palmer Report says it very well with identifying the top 8 competitive Senate races:
"If you don't have the money, donate your time.
If you don't have the time, donate your money.
If you don't have time or money, start posting the above links, so your followers who have time and money will see it and contribute.
Volunteering can be in person or done remotely, and can be anything from going door to door, to phone banking, to working from home, to sending postcards to voters, to working at the polls on election day. Sign up with the candidates and they'll send you the volunteering details."
The important concept is to work smart. Safe races don't need us, and races 10 points behind won't get saved by us, no matter how much we love that candidate. The States Project identifies the critically flippable state legislatures. The deadline for fundraising is midnight today, October 17, Pacific Time. Then the funds get distributed to the campaigns so as to free the candidates for meeting voters in person, the most effective way to get votes. If you missed it before, now is the time to make even a small donation--these add up to make a difference, and today get matched by a donor to double the value of your donation to help save democracy! (Thank you to the fantastic folks who have already donated to the Tending to Democracy Giving Circle!)
“With all due respect to prayers, WE have to do the footwork to make a Democratic voter tsunami turnout. Palmer Report says it very well with identifying the top 8 competitive Senate races:
"If you don't have the money, donate your time.
If you don't have the time, donate your money.
If you don't have time or money, start posting the above links, so your followers who have time and money will see it and contribute.
Volunteering can be in person or done remotely, and can be anything from going door to door, to phone banking, to working from home, to sending postcards to voters, to working at the polls on election day. Sign up with the candidates and they'll send you the volunteering details."”
My thoughts too! Helping to GOTV is the what matters. Even vote Firward is away to do it from home. Tell others why you vote and encourage them to plan their own voting! (Early when possible)
I've written 145 letters to 4 states for Vote Forward, and 100 postcards to NH voters, due to be mailed on 10/28 & 50 already sent postcards for Granite State Matters, a NH group against ultra libertarians (who've infected the Republican majority to the point one of them is the majority leader in the NH House and a fair portion of them disguise themselves as Republicans, who go right along w/their awful agenda.)
I have posted a comment above, Ellie. It was your encouragement that got me to write postcards and letters.
In the past, I've donated funds to campaigns as I could afford. I won't bang on doors. I did do phone calls in the past (and it wasn't a good experience for me)
The deadline for postcards has passed but the letters campaign is still going on and it is easy to do! www.Votefwd.org
I encourage anyone who has the time and inclination to do so. You need access to a printer, you print out the letter and add a line or two handwritten. You also need envelopes and postage. You can request a minimum of 4 letters. FOUR LETTERS--I bet just about all of us reading can do that.
These letters are sent to encourage people to vote. I am encouraging the HCR fans to write the letters.
Ellie, it was kindly suggested to me by Fern that you may have a connection to help based on my comment below as follows: "The key here is to get HCR’s outlines for curriculums to people in education, so that upcoming potential voters (happening very soon) can know these facts. How can we get this valuable information in the right hands while Biden is President, and we have a Democrat leader in the top Education position?" I'm willing to do some legwork to get her curriculums to teachers I know so true history can begin being taught to future voters.
Thomas Jefferson said it best and my apology because in another post I added an example:
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." --Thomas Jefferson to Charles Yancey, 1816. ME 14:384"
Here is a whole collection of insight which can be summed up as:
Having once been fooled by Ronald Reagan's bashing of Jimmy Carter, our last really good and responsible President, I can honestly say, I was not being willful.
I was just being completely, utterly ignorant AND surrounded, at that time, by far right propaganda.
Many, many Americans are in the same spot. All day long they hear far right propaganda and they don't have the tools to question what they hear.
When I was ignorant, I was not a bad person, not evil, not trying to steal any elections, nothing.
I was just ignorant. Which, made me dangerous and makes it possible to turn me into a weapon. As Thomas Jefferson somehow understood.
I voted for Ronald Reagan and he proceeded to destroy the America I knew back then.
Now? It is almost like my former self somehow vanished through my ridiculously lengthy process of education and rigorous technical work as a professional.
Someone says some BS now? I can tell by the tone of the voice and the word choice.
But, many cannot. I was once one of them.
Not a deliberate member of the ignorant. An accidental, ignorant part of the problem.
Yes, you are a good person and more effort should be spent listening to those who recognize they once were captives to propaganda, and welcoming them to the ranks of those defending democracy.
Thanks. I have done a few things way back that might not put me in the category of "good person" to be honest.
But, having entered the middle class around age 27, some of my old edge has eroded with time.
Now? I can see so many people, like the farmer I partner with up here, who are where I used to be. I try to chat with them, BUT, just like I used to be, he is firmly ensconced in lies and propaganda and my words bounce.
Jeanne, I have learned so much from listening to people like you and Mike-especially about my own shortcomings. I've grown too, in this process of digesting Heather's letters and so many of the responses. I've had to think and rethink, and it is often that someone caused a door to fly open and let a warm breeze into my mind. Thank you for being one of those people.
I have learned and changed so much just from reading these letters and doing further research on everything I find the time for. The comments have been a huge help. I never realized just how much I wasn't aware of. I try to make everything a learning experience.
Brilliant, Jeri! Thank you. You have expressed here what so many of us have experienced and stuggled to express. My compacency was rooted in my faith that the systems of “checks and balances” would hold. Putin, Trump and the GOP all knew there were ways to subvert it, to twist the language into gibberish and lies. A corporation is a person? What!! The Supreme Court’s assault on the separation of church and state. An attempted coup that damn near succeeded!!!
Thank you, Mike. Both for your honesty about how you changed looking at things, but also for reminding people that those who are caught up in the far rights confabulations are not themselves bad people, but people who are trying to make sense of things that don't actually make sense, and being used by amoral people misusing their power and influence.
I am glad you made that hard journey. You show US how to engage with people by being open ourselves, rather than on auto-reject. AND, as others point out, your story can help other people in the same boat pay attention to their own uncertainties and rethink where they are.
And it is our responsibility to keep our minds receptive to people on the way to change. Bless you.
Your journey is inspirational, Mike S. It would be just grand if American democracy could be saved by convincing many ignorant souls to follow your path. Unfortunately, that cannot work because for every changeable person like you, there are 10,000 people like your friend the farmer, who will not change. The only hope for saving democracy is the get people inclined to vote for Democrats to actually cast votes in this year’s election. No time to waste on people like your farmer friend.
I listened to Al Franken’s latest podcast on higher education. He interviewed Will Bunch who just wrote a book. We as a country are in a terrible place on this issue.
Yes that was me. I couldn’t imagine, whether right or left, not putting country first. I was a fool, an ignorant fool. So I voted haphazardly or sometimes not at all. But I’m here now. Just submitted my mail in, blue down the line. 2016 went to independent. 2018 dem and am here to stay. I regret not recognizing the peril a lot earlier.
I watched the Indiana Senator Debate on PBS last night. Those debating were Democrat Thomas M. McDermott, Jr, Libertarian James M. Scenak and Republican "no vote against anything proposed by Democrats" Todd Young. Young responded to questions using the "TFG Method of Communication" (sorry to say I kept flipping him off and screaming at the television). Libertarian Scenak was extremely out of his element but sounded like a decent guy. And, if McDermott isn't elected as our Indiana Senator I will be so very disappointed. He will work for those that he represents. It is time that Indiana moves forward with the times!
Don't be too sure about that. The last time SS was attacked, us older folks rose in fury. And the time before that. And the time before that (which was when I became a youngish Grey Panther... we're still around).
Republicans who say they won't accept election results if they lose aren't running for office. They're trying to gain power illicitly. I'd say illegally but there's no law against being a despicable liar.
Voter suppression, redistricting and gerrymandering, sowing doubt, and outright lying are all the GOP has. They will try to cut Social Security and Medicare, and may well succeed if our populace doesn't awaken to how dangerous this party has become and defeat them with overwhelming numbers. So many pivotal races seem close which helps the narrative that cheating is what contributes to Democratic victories. I am praying for a tsunami of Democratic turnout.
Pray harder, because the polls are showing that in Blue states, voters are not acting with a lot of determination, because they think their rights are safe since Republicans don't run things there.
Police office Fanone, who was attacked on Jan. 6th, said in an interview that the thing that will do us in is indifference. Democrats being indifferent about voting. I think he said a mouthful. There is so much at state and it's so frightening to think of the alternative, with a GOP win. That would be the end of our support for Ukraine, among other things, which was attacked again this morning (I'm in Germany so the news came early) by drones from Iran dropping on Kiev.
True, Putin is counting on the Midterms, on the GOP Russian Party riding to the rescue and transforming his defeat into Victory...
But that is only for starters, with far worse to come.
Not just for Lib'ruls. For the world.
Get Real -- wake up and vote while you still can -- the World is counting on you!
Sadly, we are speaking to those who agree with us, not those who don't read this Letter every day. The Democratic message is not being heard/understood that Democracy is in peril for many Democrats.
As long a people worry more about their pocket book, i.e. inflation they will ignorantly blame the administration and support fascism. Biden could walk on water it would not matter. The GOP has worked for decades to set the agenda, the talking points, control of the states voting systems. IF they will win this midterm, we are through as a democracy. If you think that is hyperbole, you have not paid attention.
Right! And GOP gleefully blames inflation on Biden when it is a post-pandemic, worldwide problem. The French just saw massive protests over this issue. Ignorance can be exploited too easily by malign players.
Ignorance can be exploited too easily by malign players. Spot on. Democracy requires an informed populous. Trump could not have gotten near the WH if voters were less ignorance and less hateful.
It will be as terrifying as you say. If Republicans are in charge, tax cuts for the wealthy will reemerge, food prices will continue to escalate because of droughts and oil because of OPEC countries limiting production, and the resulting recession will be blamed on the Biden administration.
They want power and they are and will do what is necessary to maintain it. We are doomed. Remember the quote that is accredited to Stalin, "Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything."
As I wrote before. OPEC and other producing countries have never held to their reduced quotas. The future price of oil always takes a jump on the announced reduction of their production, but the price always settles back to were it was before the announcement. Producers cheat on their quotas because they are all addicted to $. They will sell as much as they can as long as there is a margin of profit.
If they win, 99.9% of Americans cease to be citizens and become mere pigs in a poke.
But the Kardashians have a new season of tripe
Aye, there’s the rub. I’ve been saying for years that if it wasn’t for Rush Limbaugh and the useless Kardashian clan, this country would be in a much better place. Hatred and vapid celebrity worship has sucked the soul out of the less intelligent among us. And there are an awful lot of them.
I think the applicable phrase is "redeeming social value" in that it is one thing the Kardashians lack.
Reality tv in general did a lot of dumbing down. Idjt on his golden throne gave us The Apprentice and may soon give us The Dictator. Don’t sit back. The primaries should be a wake up call.
G O T V. Turn off the tv and get out the vote.
SOMA. Isn’t that the taking over of the population by numbing their minds with a pleasure hit? (used in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World? ) Reality tv reminds me of that. Numb, indifferent zombies.
I just watched the movie "Idiocracy" last night. Thought it was a documentary.
Agree with you.
We're still having to convince Democrats that elections are held every two years, not every four, and for more offices than president.
Republican voters, on the other hand, would crawl naked over a mile of broken glass to vote agin' the lib'ruls.
Hate is a stronger motivator than hope, it appears. I don't want to "own" the Q's, I just want those pesky civil rights thingies to apply to everyone, not just people that look/think/act/believe like me.
Yup we all should want those "pesky civil rights thingies" to be for everyone! Getting the message to indifferent voters is the key - but is it getting there?
Watched CBS Sunday episode regarding the Oregon residents who want to turn 60% (?) of Oregon over to Idaho? I'm sure you know about this. I just do not understand why they feel so disenfranchised - left out - oddly enough djt wasnt mentioned once!
This has been their mantra for years. It's all those libs in the Willamette Valley who keep them from doing what they please and what they please is to continue to destroy the fragile lands of eastern Oregon. As for southern Oregon, except for Ashland, this is outlaw territory. The idea that we should do something about climate change is anathema to them. I am sure they are also worried about their guns. And they would be in a world of hurt without immigrants, who do the grunt work there, just like they do everywhere.
It is mostly the rural part of the state (which is almost everything east of the Cascades, and some of southwestern Oregon (described accurately by Michele as "outlaw territory"; just google the "State of Jefferson" movement in S. Oregon and N. California) that wants to cozy up with idyllic Idaho, home of the Freeman movement and bastion of white supremacy.
So true, their deliberate ignorance is a passion, also true of those who “pretend” to accept Joe as legitimate. They are just wisely looking to future evil machinations instead of buying chump’s insanity about 2020. The coalition of rogue republicans, racists, Pharisees, zygote warriors, “immigrant haters,” and greedy bastards is a a force that many refuse to acknowledge, even as they steamroll over everything we hold dear. Chump and Rupert have given ALL of them the roadmap as Goebbels did Hitler. And we blather on.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." --Thomas Jefferson to Charles Yancey, 1816. ME 14:384
"Convinced that the people are the only safe depositories of their own liberty, and that they are not safe unless enlightened to a certain degree, I have looked on our present state of liberty as a short-lived possession unless the mass of the people could be informed to a certain degree." --Thomas Jefferson to Littleton Waller Tazewell, 1805.
"No nation is permitted to live in ignorance with impunity." --Thomas Jefferson: Virginia Board of Visitors Minutes, 1821. ME 19:408
"Freedom [is] the first-born daughter of science." --Thomas Jefferson to Francois D'Ivernois, 1795. ME 9:297
"Light and liberty go together." --Thomas Jefferson to Tench Coxe, 1795.
And education in possibly half the country is believed to be too dangerous to allow the Truth. Instead of Truth, Enlightenment, Debate, critical Thinking, CRT, etc.LIES, distortion, and omissions are the approved curriculum. How do we counter that? Counter that which is symbolic and a warning: daily book “burning” or banning and the continuing creation of ignorance and fear. We don’t give up on Truth.
You certainly have the coalition correct. I do like the term zygote warriors. One of my Jewish ex-colleagues responded to death star's comment about Jews. She wrote exactly what I was thinking which I am not going to post here. No one who is sane would do other that loathe that festering cancer.
TC, you just love to bring people down, don't you?
Complacency is the soil for Authoritarianism.
Fanone's book is excellent!
Very alarming news.
I don’t know what polls you are readingTC but I live in a used-to-be-blue state, in the only swing district left, CD2. We are in a helluva fight to keep the district blue - the second most expensive Congressional election in the country at this point. The RNC has poured millions of dollars into this battle, as have corporations that promised not to give more money to seditionist politicians (which describes the R candidate here perfectly) The Dems have poured in many millions too and are as organized as I’ve ever seen.
In my local district, the head of the dems is a 40 something mom of three, who works full time, and worries about her younger brother who just had a stroke at age 39. Despite all that, she keeps us busy with door-knocking, texting, delivering lawn signs, and working on messaging since the third party candidate in the CD2 race just died. In 2020, the 3rd party candidate garnered 6% of the vote in what was the 5th closest election in the country. The dem candidate who won, Angie Craig, was the chief author of the bill to lower the costs of prescription drugs that Biden signed into law earlier this year. We are eager to earn the votes of those that would have voted for Overby. But time is short.
Many LFAA readers have learned here that being active is necessary - me included. Postcarding, texting, making strategic gifts to candidates where such gifts can make a difference, door knocking and more. I can only add that despite my fatigue and anxiety, I understand that we will never be able to sit back and relax again if we are to preserve this democracy. So this election is but a beginning. Going forward, I will be busy regardless. And the hundreds of active volunteers in my district here will be at my side working it.
Will millions of Dems also step forward? All I can say is that I’m proud of the local efforts we have made. And whatever the polls say, I’m in the battle for democracy for whatever time I have left on the planet. And I will remain optimistic that I can recruit others too. Cynicism is a luxury I cannot afford.
Thank you Sheila. I needed to hear that as my optimism faltered when I read TC’s comment. I’ve been reading Michael Moore’s daily points on why he believes the polls are WRONG. He is forecasting a BLUE Tsunami. He also said the polls were wrong in 2016 and predicted a win for trump. No one listened.
I also read Michael Moore’s daily points! And Robert Hubble here on Substack. Both help. In addition, I walk my dog more right now... cause sometimes people really suck. 😎 seriously Sharon, keep the faith. Whatever happens, we have to be active in defense of democracy. Cynicism helps nothing, IMHO.
Another good Substack author is Thom Hartmann's Hartmann Report
I think the Kansas vote on abortion gives us hope. But the truth is it will all depend on how many people vote. In my state (NM), a traditionally blue state in recent years, is not even totally reliable. The pandemic and safety measures have whipped up Republican talking points. And they hit home here because we are basically a poor state. People were hit hard by closures and apparently have forgotten that compared to other places, fewer people got sick and fewer people died. But likewise, crime has risen sharply and the city of Santa Fe has a huge shortage of police officers. These are the conditions which have alarmed voters. And it’s anyone’s guess whether they will vote for long time security or the promise of short term relief.
I also have perused Moore's posts. I am not a fan of polls having learned about them years ago from a lady on the Maddow Blog who worked in the industry for years. Here in Oregon, I see Ds working hard, attending many local events that happen in the course of every year and getting out beyond cities. All of the Rs in major races have made clear that they are against abortion and that alone may cost them the race. What does bother me about all of this is that Rs will not agree if they lose.
We know they have the “stolen election” playbook memorized but I’m counting on people getting tired of claims and lawsuits that are wasting our tax dollars. The courts…even trumps judges… are proving them wrong. I’m going to stay optimistic and believe more of us are finally understanding how the Republicans have been hijacking our elections through voter suppression and throwing off the ledgers, valid registered voters! If we can get more Senators and keep the House we will pass legislation to protect our voting rights without the help of Republicans! Keep working to convince everyone you know to vote BLUE! If you know an elderly person in an assisted living home be certain they’ve changed their address and take them out to vote or help them vote by mail. Call the activities director of the home and ask if she/he will work to help residents insure they are registered in their “new” assisted living home. I’m taking someone to vote tomorrow in VA and the voting office offered to do curbside voting so my elderly passenger doesn’t need to come via his wheelchair!
I trust Michael Moore's insights, and I LOVE his restored local State Theatre here in Traverse City, Michigan!
Yes, taking positive action is the only comfort right now. My friends and I have collected a list of people that replied to our offers to drive them to the polls and that's what we're doing....
I am with you Sheila. I live in a blue-ish county in Northern CA. There are lots of us who are very active with writing postcards, phone banking, etc. It gives me hope. (I, too, read Michael Moore daily and Robert Hubbell.)
Another small thing that gives me hope is that a Starbucks in Oklahoma City just voted 15-2 to unionize.
💙
Jensen is truly an abomination. That he spread so many lies about vaccines and masking during the height of the pandemic in 2021 made me wish I had a corn field to retreat to where I could scream and not wake the neighborhood! Fortunately, even my very conservative immediate neighbor, who is a pediatrician, has said she cannot vote for him. She hates that Walz supports abortion rights but understands that Jensen has abrogated his Hippocratic oath. Some hope that Walz and Flannigan will prevail.
I can’t start on that entitlement issue you’ve flagged. Unbelievable…… Glad you are here Lisa.
Liz, The Minnesota I grew up in has always been a bit purple but having lived in the district Ilhan Omar currently represents means I didn’t live with it or see it or have to deal with it much. Tougher by far to live in a Congressional district that is so damn gerrymandered, that the Proud Boy, truck driving, Trump flag- waving folks are also nearby and determined to “own the libs.” One of my neighbors actually showed up to our polling place and demanded to stand behind the election judges to make absolutely certain there was no fraud. There is no fraud but these bastards threaten, cajole and all but force the idea that because MN allows same day registration, that fraud is rampant. I provoked him the next day by putting up lawn signs for the Dems. He hasn’t spoken to me since. Fine by me- Thanks for helping get out the vote!
New Yorkers, get out there and vote! It’s not a done deal here by any means!
And "red" states need to wake up before it is too late!
Yup! Praying harder, have yard signs, and earlier this year, when my feet hadn't acted up got petition signatures. Will ramp up LTE's, and pray even harder.
Thank you! Please pray for me too while you are at it! I am a Democrat running for Clay County Indiana Treasurer. I am 79 and this is the first time I have ever done anything like this in my life. I have experience and have a 4 year degree from ISU majoring in Accounting. My opponent is a career Republican at our county courthouse!
Go you! Good luck and God Speed! :)
Thank you! I will be so glad when the election is over! I hope I can survive! LOL. I can't believe the stress level! I voted "for me" yesterday! There were no television camera or reporters covering my voting! LOL
Are the polls breaking down those blue-state voters by race? Because I've got this sneaking suspicion that the complacent ones are mostly white and relatively affluent. We're the same ones who didn't realize that democracy was in danger until 2016, and who have been mostly OK -- or at least not protesting very loudly -- with most of what's happened since Reagan. (I've been saying for years that Bill Clinton is the only Republican presidential candidate I've ever voted for, and one of my big regrets is that until after 2008 I assumed Hillary Clinton was of the same ilk.)
God help us all.
Why, oh why, don’t Dems hammer on the Republican promise to cut SS and Medicare. Republicans had already decided that the people would never stand for that, so here come the hate mongers, with the money and the bull horns. If only 10% of the God-awful begging emails I get even acknowledged this, I would weep with joy. That this election is close, is a testament to the power of monied propaganda and Dem messaging done by incompetents.
The ads in New England are starting to do just that: the NH Senate race, in particular. Maggie Hassan is using footage of Bolduc to bring his 'kill Social Security' rhetoric to the forefront. I'm adding to her war chest to keep her ads running...
I've donated to Maggie as well. Some of the ads have Bolduc's own voice saying the antiabortion crap out loud.
Yes, the Democrats are missing an opportunity to expose the Trumplican's plans to dismantle Soc Sec and Medicare. It's open enrollment time for Medicare so what better time to inform voters?
Jeri, besides the postcards and letters to voters, here is what I am doing for this election cycle. I read both Yahoo and MSN.com daily for news. I go to the comment sections and read a lot of them. Those that are blatant LIES, I report as misinformation. (Pretty easy to do, in Yahoo each comment has the three dots like on here. It brings up a list and you click the false news) If it is an opinion comment, I keep posting exactly what you mention about GOP plans for those pesky "entitlements"--especially if the commenter mentions that s/he is a senior. I try to be civil. Sometimes, they do make my blood pressure rise though!
I suggest this activity to you as well.
I am also completely befuddled by the same thing! What will those poor ignorant Republicans do when they learn that, oops, no more SS checks....
My company's retiree healthcare (a partial subsidy for supplements to Medicare) is being phased out and we are being offered only a Medicare Advantage plan from United Healthcare - one of the greediest of the health insurance companies. So we take a hit of about $3-4k if we want to stick with Medicare and supplements. But I'm against this move to privatize Medicare - the profit for the insurance companies has to come from somewhere, and they're not as efficient as the government in this realm. Those CEOs are wildly overpaid, and that money comes from the premiums they don't use to pay for our care.
...and let's not forget that CEO's of medical insurance companies rake on tons of money/compensation. An example is the top 7 CEO's made a total of $283 MILLION last year: https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/12/health-insurance-ceos-raked-in-record-pay-during-covid/
Just copied and posted to Facebook. Thanks for this info!
Thank you so much for posting this, I had no idea. As a senior on Medicare, this is important to me.
Florida illustrates how much states matter, as noted by ProPublica:
"Florida’s constitution was amended in 2010 to prohibit partisan-driven redistricting."
Nevertheless, before Hurricane Ian, DeSantis repeatedly rejected his Republican state legislature's redistricting maps and wore them down until they "wiped away half of the state’s Black-dominated congressional districts, dramatically curtailing Black voting power in America’s largest swing state. One of the districts, held by Democrat Al Lawson, had been created by the Florida Supreme Court just seven years before." DeSantis enlisted national GOP consultants including a redistricting attorney specialist.
https://twitter.com/ellie_kona/status/1581381273884364801?s=20&t=VEmtGdSE_dhRYK4iZyqE-A
With all due respect to prayers, WE have to do the footwork to make a Democratic voter tsunami turnout. Palmer Report says it very well with identifying the top 8 competitive Senate races:
"If you don't have the money, donate your time.
If you don't have the time, donate your money.
If you don't have time or money, start posting the above links, so your followers who have time and money will see it and contribute.
Volunteering can be in person or done remotely, and can be anything from going door to door, to phone banking, to working from home, to sending postcards to voters, to working at the polls on election day. Sign up with the candidates and they'll send you the volunteering details."
https://twitter.com/PalmerReport/status/1581825003179253762?s=20&t=On3LRqWkTcfJN-xfHWiAWA
The important concept is to work smart. Safe races don't need us, and races 10 points behind won't get saved by us, no matter how much we love that candidate. The States Project identifies the critically flippable state legislatures. The deadline for fundraising is midnight today, October 17, Pacific Time. Then the funds get distributed to the campaigns so as to free the candidates for meeting voters in person, the most effective way to get votes. If you missed it before, now is the time to make even a small donation--these add up to make a difference, and today get matched by a donor to double the value of your donation to help save democracy! (Thank you to the fantastic folks who have already donated to the Tending to Democracy Giving Circle!)
https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/1XQhnyD/Tending-to-Democracy
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
“With all due respect to prayers, WE have to do the footwork to make a Democratic voter tsunami turnout. Palmer Report says it very well with identifying the top 8 competitive Senate races:
"If you don't have the money, donate your time.
If you don't have the time, donate your money.
If you don't have time or money, start posting the above links, so your followers who have time and money will see it and contribute.
Volunteering can be in person or done remotely, and can be anything from going door to door, to phone banking, to working from home, to sending postcards to voters, to working at the polls on election day. Sign up with the candidates and they'll send you the volunteering details."”
My thoughts too! Helping to GOTV is the what matters. Even vote Firward is away to do it from home. Tell others why you vote and encourage them to plan their own voting! (Early when possible)
I've written 145 letters to 4 states for Vote Forward, and 100 postcards to NH voters, due to be mailed on 10/28 & 50 already sent postcards for Granite State Matters, a NH group against ultra libertarians (who've infected the Republican majority to the point one of them is the majority leader in the NH House and a fair portion of them disguise themselves as Republicans, who go right along w/their awful agenda.)
I've written that myself above, before I got to your comment.
It is really SO easy to do.
I have posted a comment above, Ellie. It was your encouragement that got me to write postcards and letters.
In the past, I've donated funds to campaigns as I could afford. I won't bang on doors. I did do phone calls in the past (and it wasn't a good experience for me)
The deadline for postcards has passed but the letters campaign is still going on and it is easy to do! www.Votefwd.org
I encourage anyone who has the time and inclination to do so. You need access to a printer, you print out the letter and add a line or two handwritten. You also need envelopes and postage. You can request a minimum of 4 letters. FOUR LETTERS--I bet just about all of us reading can do that.
These letters are sent to encourage people to vote. I am encouraging the HCR fans to write the letters.
I correct myself, the minimum is FIVE letters. Still very easy to do! I hope readers will consider it.
FYI-the mailing date for Vote Forward is 10-28-22.
Ellie, it was kindly suggested to me by Fern that you may have a connection to help based on my comment below as follows: "The key here is to get HCR’s outlines for curriculums to people in education, so that upcoming potential voters (happening very soon) can know these facts. How can we get this valuable information in the right hands while Biden is President, and we have a Democrat leader in the top Education position?" I'm willing to do some legwork to get her curriculums to teachers I know so true history can begin being taught to future voters.
Hi Midge. I do not know anything about HCR's "outlines for curriculums to people in education." You could email her at
heather.richardson@bc.edu
Thanks!
Carmen,
Thomas Jefferson said it best and my apology because in another post I added an example:
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." --Thomas Jefferson to Charles Yancey, 1816. ME 14:384"
Here is a whole collection of insight which can be summed up as:
The problem with America is Americans.
https://famguardian.org/Subjects/Politics/ThomasJefferson/jeff1350.htm#:~:text=39.1%20No%20Freedom%20Without%20Education&text=%22Light%20and%20liberty%20go%20together,Jefferson%20to%20Tench%20Coxe%2C%201795.
Deliberate ignorance is worse than stupidity.
Jeri,
Having once been fooled by Ronald Reagan's bashing of Jimmy Carter, our last really good and responsible President, I can honestly say, I was not being willful.
I was just being completely, utterly ignorant AND surrounded, at that time, by far right propaganda.
Many, many Americans are in the same spot. All day long they hear far right propaganda and they don't have the tools to question what they hear.
When I was ignorant, I was not a bad person, not evil, not trying to steal any elections, nothing.
I was just ignorant. Which, made me dangerous and makes it possible to turn me into a weapon. As Thomas Jefferson somehow understood.
I voted for Ronald Reagan and he proceeded to destroy the America I knew back then.
Now? It is almost like my former self somehow vanished through my ridiculously lengthy process of education and rigorous technical work as a professional.
Someone says some BS now? I can tell by the tone of the voice and the word choice.
But, many cannot. I was once one of them.
Not a deliberate member of the ignorant. An accidental, ignorant part of the problem.
Mike S
Yes, you are a good person and more effort should be spent listening to those who recognize they once were captives to propaganda, and welcoming them to the ranks of those defending democracy.
Rhea,
Thanks. I have done a few things way back that might not put me in the category of "good person" to be honest.
But, having entered the middle class around age 27, some of my old edge has eroded with time.
Now? I can see so many people, like the farmer I partner with up here, who are where I used to be. I try to chat with them, BUT, just like I used to be, he is firmly ensconced in lies and propaganda and my words bounce.
But, we remain positive about each other. Mostly.
I believe In aspirational goodness as a protective force (aka hope) for a better world.
Mike, I was also one of the ignorant. I'm learning more every day and determined to know the truth. It's never too late.
Jeanne, I have learned so much from listening to people like you and Mike-especially about my own shortcomings. I've grown too, in this process of digesting Heather's letters and so many of the responses. I've had to think and rethink, and it is often that someone caused a door to fly open and let a warm breeze into my mind. Thank you for being one of those people.
I have learned and changed so much just from reading these letters and doing further research on everything I find the time for. The comments have been a huge help. I never realized just how much I wasn't aware of. I try to make everything a learning experience.
Brilliant, Jeri! Thank you. You have expressed here what so many of us have experienced and stuggled to express. My compacency was rooted in my faith that the systems of “checks and balances” would hold. Putin, Trump and the GOP all knew there were ways to subvert it, to twist the language into gibberish and lies. A corporation is a person? What!! The Supreme Court’s assault on the separation of church and state. An attempted coup that damn near succeeded!!!
It’s wake-up and vote time! Thanks Jeri!!
Thank you, Mike. Both for your honesty about how you changed looking at things, but also for reminding people that those who are caught up in the far rights confabulations are not themselves bad people, but people who are trying to make sense of things that don't actually make sense, and being used by amoral people misusing their power and influence.
I am glad you made that hard journey. You show US how to engage with people by being open ourselves, rather than on auto-reject. AND, as others point out, your story can help other people in the same boat pay attention to their own uncertainties and rethink where they are.
And it is our responsibility to keep our minds receptive to people on the way to change. Bless you.
Your journey is inspirational, Mike S. It would be just grand if American democracy could be saved by convincing many ignorant souls to follow your path. Unfortunately, that cannot work because for every changeable person like you, there are 10,000 people like your friend the farmer, who will not change. The only hope for saving democracy is the get people inclined to vote for Democrats to actually cast votes in this year’s election. No time to waste on people like your farmer friend.
Mike S, so how do we break that ignorance before it’s too late?
MLMinET.
I broke my own ignorance through a long process of education.
So, in general, ignorance is broken on the back of education.
Thomas Jefferson pushed his whole life for public education.
I listened to Al Franken’s latest podcast on higher education. He interviewed Will Bunch who just wrote a book. We as a country are in a terrible place on this issue.
Yes that was me. I couldn’t imagine, whether right or left, not putting country first. I was a fool, an ignorant fool. So I voted haphazardly or sometimes not at all. But I’m here now. Just submitted my mail in, blue down the line. 2016 went to independent. 2018 dem and am here to stay. I regret not recognizing the peril a lot earlier.
Would that thoughtful words might still inspire. Appreciate the link....
I watched the Indiana Senator Debate on PBS last night. Those debating were Democrat Thomas M. McDermott, Jr, Libertarian James M. Scenak and Republican "no vote against anything proposed by Democrats" Todd Young. Young responded to questions using the "TFG Method of Communication" (sorry to say I kept flipping him off and screaming at the television). Libertarian Scenak was extremely out of his element but sounded like a decent guy. And, if McDermott isn't elected as our Indiana Senator I will be so very disappointed. He will work for those that he represents. It is time that Indiana moves forward with the times!
We'd better do a heckofalot more than praying!
even when their retirement is taken away many older voters will still vote R because they are now brainwashed.
Don't be too sure about that. The last time SS was attacked, us older folks rose in fury. And the time before that. And the time before that (which was when I became a youngish Grey Panther... we're still around).
Republicans who say they won't accept election results if they lose aren't running for office. They're trying to gain power illicitly. I'd say illegally but there's no law against being a despicable liar.
Me too.