If you are disappointed with what appears not to be in what looks like the final budget bills now moving towards passage, please stop for a moment and both consider what is included and why it has been so difficult to include more and gain passage.
Even without everything on progressive Democrats wish list, this remains a transformative investment in our economy and working class American families. Are the final numbers large? Yes. Could they have been larger? Could more have been included? Could America afford a larger investment? The answers to each of those questions is also yes. Please remember this is less than an additional investment of 1% of our GDP over the coming decade. Also as an investment not merely a cost most of these will actually produce a tangible and measurable return.
So why could more not have been included? Many will fault centrist Democrats for failing to support many of the provisions on progressive’s wish list. Did those centrists like Manchin and Sinema fail to support some provisions? Yes. However, let us be clear that the Biden Build Back Better agenda will not get a single Republican vote. No Republican is supporting a longer extension beyond one year of the child tax credit that lifted 50% of children living in poverty out of those circumstances. No Republican is supporting lower prescription drug prices. No Republican is supporting paid family or medical leave, affordable housing, elder care, healthcare expansion, universal pre-K, or any of the other provisions that were dropped or those that remain in the bill.
So if you are disappointed remember who is responsible for your disappointment. American families could have gotten more if only a few Republicans had supported this along with 98% of Democrats. When you consider who should be representing your family’s interests in Washington, remember who voted for those interests and who opposed them. When politicians campaign for your votes and make promises they will support and work for those interests remember these votes and how they align with what is most important to you. If cultural issues are more important to you, you know who is going to bat for you. But if your family’s health, housing, education, finances, child and elder care, prescription drug prices, clean air and water, and climate change concerns are more important to you, you also should know who is really on your side.
Also celebrate the victories and wins on what is included and let's continue the fight for the rest of the agenda. This is not the last budget that will ever be proposed or passed.
Bruce, thank you for this comment. “When” this infrastructure bill is passed we should all be dancing in the streets rather than complaining we didn’t get everything on our wish list. Now we MUST get a Voting Rights Bill passed!!!
If I had to name the very most important issue, not saying other issues are not important, it would be the voting rights bill. We are supposed to be a democracy but if everyone can’t vote easily, we are not an inclusive democracy. Voting is good for your health, the economy, the climate, and equality.
I think that if everyone can’t vote easily, we are not a democracy.Our country has been a capitalist nation for the last 41 years, and many of us have suffered because of it. I am heartened that we are now on the road back to helping the folks who need it the most, but that does not make us a democracy if every single person who is qualified to vote, can’t.
It took almost 40 years for the Movement Conservatives to get everything on their wish list; Progressives will have to be patient, until Americans finally understand their vision includes them too.
You are absolutely correct. I tend towards progressive in ideology and moderate in terms of reality.
I wish the Progressives would learn that time is everything, change does indeed come slow and stop shooting off your mouth. The "defund the police" statements issued by some progressive groups did great damage to acceptance of their overall agenda. I was getting emails from one prominent progressive group espousing this idea. Remember when the Democrats losing 5 seats in the House was blamed on progressive rhetoric of "defund the police"
Remember when Sanders' Presidential aspirations impacted the 2016 Election. Remember that the Russians and trump ticket were promoting Sanders for the 2020 ticket because they knew the progressive candidate would be defeated.
The Republican disinformation machine has done an effective job of convincing people the Progressives are socialist/communists.
The progressive, moderate, conservative split in the Democratic Party will destroy Democracy as surely as the Republicans. Too many politicians get rich running their mouths and preening before the cameras is tiresome and sickening.
I wish politicians would learn this:
Suit up. Show up. Shut up. Pay attention. And don't be addicted to the outcome.
Ah yes, “defund the police” is all Progressives fault.
According to an article by the Brookings Institute the phrase was first coined by Black Lives Matter to describe the demilitarizing of police departments and reallocation of funding to trained mental health workers and social workers to reduce unnecessary violent encounters between police and citizens.
I always understood this phrase to embrace spending where it can provide the help people need.
The “split” is not what will be the demise of Democracy, because that assumes again that if we could just meet the Fascists half way maybe… By the way that is actually what Biden is doing using Manchin and Sinema as surrogates
Biden said repeatedly during his campaign and since taking Office that he supports reallocation of and increasing funding. But the Republicans out messaged Democrats and ran with the fear mongering phrase.
And I was getting emails from a prominent progressive organization of which I was a member to sign a petition to defund the police (in dollars). The lack of cohesive message among progressives hurt their influence.
I am not including the fascists in the mix of the conflict within the Democratic Party. I still maintain that the lack of cohesiveness in the Democratic Party is causing great damage.
With the current Congress, no amount of messaging can change anything. If the progressive caucus hadn’t stood strong for as long as they did we would have gotten even less. The messaging is what is needed before the next election. Dems from every walk of life rising up together and shouting from roof tops about the good things we can all have if we would just vote for candidates who want to serve instead of those who want to be served. We need more of these folks willing to do the hard part of being a candidate too!!
At the same time, it's crucial that progressives not allow themselves to be sidelined by two conservative Dem senators. There have been repeated attempts to get progressives to cave in so that only the roads and bridges infrastructure bill becomes law. Every one of these attempts is proof that the conservatives will only keep their agreement to pass both bills if it remains the only way to get the one they personally want.
From what I understand the Progressives want both bills passed at once. If they really did hold up the bill before Biden left the Country then that is a tremendously sad thing. And I do not believe the Infrastructure Bill has been hollowed out to roads and bridges. Even then. The historically tremendous impact the revitalizing of our infrastructure would do for our economy and the employment of countless Americans in well paid jobs is too good to pass up.
At the time the 'hard'(roads, bridges, broadband) infrastructure was split from the 'soft'(children, elders, families), so that some Republicans could vote for the 'hard', the progressive (aka mainstream) and conservative (aka business-prioritizing) Dems agreed that the bills would travel through Congress together, to prevent the business Dems from betraying the other 96% of the Dem legislators.
The progressives insist on sticking to the deal. It looks as this point as though their insistence is highly likely to result in the achievement of a tremendously significant 'soft' infrastructure bill - but only if they stay the course. Progressives have agreed to cut the 'soft' (children, elders, families) bill to half and half again (the original proposal was 6T, which dropped quickly to 3.5, and then recently to half of that) in order to get the necessary 50 votes to pass the Senate with reconciliation. That's realism.
It is also realism for them to hold back the roads and bridges that Manchin and Sinema want until M&S are fully committed to the families bill. If the conservatives did not intend to betray their agreement and tank the families bill if they could, why would they be trying so hard to pass their bill separately? They themselves are responsible for the delays to the families bill.
I sincerely sincerely hope you are right on... "The progressives insist on sticking to the deal. It looks as this point as though their insistence is highly likely to result...
A bigger reason to push for compromise. We have to show the kind of progress that moves the needle for the American working class. And then, we have to tell the people who benefit from this program that the Republicans want to take it away by taking away the power of your vote. THEN, we have a shot at a fairer America.
Good observation. The GOP is like the Chinese Communist Party in that they are good at playing the long game. That is easier when you only want one thing: power. Rebuilding America and keeping her moving ahead progressively requires simultaneous movement on many fronts. By definition, one cannot be focused on several things at once. I have an image of the man who jumps on his horse and rides off in all directions. So, the Dem's job is much more difficult. It requires prioritization, delegation, and lots and lots of communicating with the American people.
We need to do a much better job of controlling the narrative. Unfortunately, most Americans have been trained from infancy to be receptive to only sound bites. So the phrase "Defund the police!" sounds like just that. Few know that there is a whole back story to it. A better slogan might have been: "Fund a mental health force!" Or something like that.
The GOP specializes in fear-mongering. We don't need to keep giving them grist for the mill, such as saying that parents have no right to tell schools what to teach. How do you think fearful, hovering, smothering parents with control issues are going to feel when they hear that? You just lost their vote. Better to say something like: "A lot of forethought and effort goes into developing your child's curriculum and we're open to hearing your input." We need to put forth our agenda in ways that make it very challenging for the GOP to spin them into fear-mongering.
On the other side of the coin, people are much more motivated by their emotions than by their rational minds. This is still true even for people who consider themselves very rational. Functional MRI studies have proven this. It wouldn't be a bad idea for Dems to spin GOP statements into emotion-raising campaigns. For example, many of us are fearful of losing what little democracy we have left and look at how motivating that fear is for us. If the trumpettes built the society they want, what would that look like for women, for people of color, for people living with dual diagnoses, for free press, for healthcare, for so many aspects of our society? There is so much we could be messaging to Americans.
For example, anyone who feels the need to manipulate voters doesn't trust democracy. The GOP are serving their ultra-wealthy donors who want a return to the feudal system where they own everything and the rest of us are peasants. During a pandemic, we're all in this together and we can do what it takes to defeat this virus. If you don't want the government or anyone else telling you what to do, then just choose to do the right thing in the first place. The list goes on.
More than a comment, much more, this post is a work of rhetorical art. Bravo, Bruce C!
Earlier this month Jen Psaki, in response to a querulent question on the voting rights act, gave us a phrase that could be used effectively in the first half of a speech on BBB: "Shouldn't everyone want...?" (to lift our children out of poverty, to lower out-of-control and predatory prescription drug prices, better elder care to improve living conditions of our senior citizens and relieve some of the burdens on their families, etc., etc,. etc.)
This comment from Bruce C. is the second half of that stump speech. Now, where is my stump? Where is yours, my friends and fellow followers of LFAA?
Have you heard this song about Janet Yellen? It’s called “Who’s Yellen Now?” She wrote it in “Hamilton Style.” I think Dessa could write a song about voting rights.
The tfg continues to mold this end of the Republican party in his image by using name calling, bullying and engaging in juvenile frat boy stunts. I'm sure he's delighted. It's sickening and disrespectful.
A well said summation of the likely accomplishments of the 117th Congress's first year, Bruce. With reconciliation the likely mechanism for Congress's second year, I would put voting rights and climate change on my list as priorities for them and add a couple of popular social needs that can be winners for the second year. We have to get away from this doom and gloom attitude or the Biden-Harris administration could end up a one-year administration because we lose the majority in 2022 through our fatalism.
Unfortunately, the present limitations on reconciliation measures restrict the use of it for many of the needed legislation to tackle problems like voting rights. However, the answer to this is an end to the filibuster, at least in its present form if not its complete elimination.
I understand there are some who bemoan the fact that progressives / Democrats will one day again be in the minority and wish for the protections afforded by the filibuster. My answer it that we are already suffering governance by the minority feared by those who would preserve the filibuster. Let's stop worrying about that and end the filibuster and minority rule now and commence governing in a way that will be popular with the majority of the American public. That was what was envisioned at the country's founding. Government for the people by the people. Not government for the privileged by the privileged..
I agree. That filibuster is a ping pong ball wielded as if it were a machete by a minority whose major strength appears to be obstructing governance.
I have a question: I think the limitations on reconciliation have to do not only with what is included in the measure, but also with how many times it can actually be USED in a given year. I am wondering if the strategy behind which bills to push forward first might have to do with the proverbial "clock" and the recognition of how long it takes to negotiate a bill. If that is the plan, and the "clock" resets in 2022, perhaps the voting rights bills might be tailored to meet whatever requirements are needed to allow another reconciliation passage?
That is correct. Rather than try and explain it all here. Remember that in theory at least, all budget bills are supposed to begin in the House. This is a link to a thorough explanation of the Reconciliation process for budget bills, which are the only ones at present to which the exception applies:
Yes, we must celebrate any success in beating back rethug obstructionism and thereby passing helpful legislation. Your elucidation, Bruce, of what those successes have been and will probably be is heartening. We for sure need to hear encouraging messages while we continue to live with the consequences of Reagan’s convincing the white Americans, especially white working-class Americans, that they are better off without a functioning government.
It is essential to maintain our focus, and to do that we must not forget how Reagan captured the white electorate. He did it by pointing out that Democrats, given the slightest chance, might make a dent in the systemic racism ensconced since forever in the US political and legal system. A majority of white Americans (and a super-majority of white working-class Americans) will never vote for a politician who favors making even a tiny dent in systemic racism. Our only hope is to outvote the majority of white Americans, which is impossible in many states but just barely possible in enough places (if voter suppression doesn’t eliminate that possibility) to maintain a slim grip on decency in governance.
For sure not moral but did comprise a majority of white Americans (and almost nobody else, just like now but even worse because full support for systemic racism has declined by a few percent since then).
“ So if you are disappointed remember who is responsible for your disappointment.”
Republicans have been very adept at refining stonewall obstructionism, dating easily back to Clinton.
The amazing part is how effectively they create an illusion that the Democrats are the the ones driving the obstruction in the first place. This is accomplished with the “Neither party is worth a damn.” meme which puts the burden on Democrats to be less intransigent.
Of course fascist loving Republicans and their Fifth Column Billionaire Allies just sit by and enable this meme as it builds the perception that things would be fine if Democrats could just be more flexible.
Ironically, we see that it is far easier to use propaganda narratives to build a movement that shapes a policy then it is to build policies that will finally assist for the better the lives of hundreds of millions of people in what was supposed to be the number one nation while typically ranking in the mid to high 30’s
So is yours, Ol Flawrida, identifying the “illusion that the Democrats are the the ones driving the obstruction in the first place. This is accomplished with the “Neither party is worth a damn” meme which puts the burden on Democrats to be less intransigent.” Low voter turnout is known to favor Republicans. Voting third party because Democrats disappoint also favors Republicans.
“Voting third party because Democrats disappoint also favors Republicans.” And this has resulted in us not having liveable wages, affordable healthcare or education, clean water and air for a few decades at least.
In the small town I live in the "Republicans" that run our county are only interested in adding to the jail so they can get more money from the government to house ICE detainees. People in my county in Indiana need the items in the Build Back Better agenda but they vote Republican! So very sad!
Bruce, I took the liberty of copying the last part of your excellent post and sharing it on my FB page, with attribution to a "friend" on a substack (no name.) So well said. Thank you!
I agree, Bruce, that it is time to pass whatever bill can be passed that will have some positive effects on people's lives going forward. It's only half of what Biden promised? Fine. It's better than nothing and will help a lot of people, maybe some who will decide to vote for Democrats in the future. A Democratic schism is not the answer either.
But who will keep the GOP from destroying our democracy? That 40-year project will continue unabated until 50 senators decide to eliminate the filibuster. Is it possible for our country to confront the enormous challenges rushing towards us? I think not at this rate.
It is not enough for Biden to not be Trump. He has to be one of our greatest Presidents, not just breath of fresh air.
Cultural issues have been my focus for years. The "soft" infrastructure programs will get nixed by Republicans, who seek to feed only those who have far too much already. Their "family values" stance is hysterically laughable. And, then, there are Manchin and Sinema, cutely referred in recent readings as Machinema. Fitting!
Aye, Kinsman. I have lived an interesting time in a "cultural issue" of my time. When I came out in 1977, I had NO hope of ever being in a relationship that was "equal" to marriage. It wasn't until 1998 that my wife was able to be included on my health insurance policy (via court decision. I was taxed on the cost of her insurance, as it was considered "income" in the eyes of the government). We had to go to an attorney to get legal documents for health care coverage (be allowed into the ER in case of emergency, lawful disposition of remains, etc.), wills that were very specific in property distribution, etc. and several other documents that are things that straight married couples take for granted. In 2004. Oregon amended their constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. When California legalized same sex marriage, we were able to legally marry in 2008; this was about 2 months before our 25th anniversary, but our legal marriage ended at the state line. It took Obergefell being decided by SCOTUS in 2013 for our marriage to become "legal". We now look at today's SCOTUS and wonder when they are going to overturn that decision.
Your "family values" statement reminds me of a funny story. It was during the election season when Measure 36 passed (the marriage definition I mentioned earlier). I was in the report writing room with three other deputies, and sitting next to a good friend. Mike looked around the room, and asked the other two guys how many divorces they had. One of them replied "2", the other said "I'm not gonna marry anyone, I don't need to lose my pension when we divorce." Mike (thrice divorced) then looked at me, and asked "how long have you and Karyn been together?" My reply was "21 years". He looked around the room and said "Gee, which of us in here is more of a challenge to the institution of marriage? That vote is f-ing ridiculous."
I "came out" in 1968 with my first partner. At that time in DC, if a cop were to walk into a gay bar/restaurant and caught two men holding hands, they could be arrested. Dancing was an arrestable offense as well.
After Anita Bryant hit the airwaves, I became a gay/lesbian activist by participating on boards of directors of gay rights advocacy groups in the 1980s. Steve Endean, founder of Human Rights Campaign Fund (now HRC) was a good friend. In the nineties I wrote columns for small gay rags, before going off to Seminary for graduate study.
The current "culture of purification" among certain right wing ideologues is more like a culture of putrification. The fact is, many of those who oppose gay/lesbian marriage are indulging themselves in the darkness of the woods. Too much of life is spent attempting to change that which cannot be changed.
Think carefully about what is most important to you.
Democrats support reducing childhood poverty and supporting American families with the refundable Child Tax Credit, reducing prescription drug prices, increasing support for child and elder care, expanding support for healthcare, family and medical leave, measures to mitigate the risks of climate change, increasing support for internship programs and community college costs, and the Biden Build Back Better priorities.
Republicans support the Big Lie that non-existent, unproven election fraud cost Tя☭mp a second term, suppressing voting rights, politicians choosing their voters through gerrymandering, retaining power at all costs, enriching the privileged with tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations, restricting women’s reproductive rights, continuing racial discrimination, xenophobia, banning books from school curricula they don't like, partisan election administration, opposition to responsible public health measures, and opposition to everything supported by Democrats.
So think about your own priorities and your family’s and your neighbors’ best interests and choose a political party that best aligns with those. Yes, as our politics now seem to offer two dramatically different agendas and compromise no longer seems possible, you are required to choose. Choose wisely.
Activists in the Democratic Party realize that the Republicans have handed us an opportunity to win over Independents and even some Republicans. The funniest example will be here in Naples Florida. In a Republican dominated area DeSantis' ban on businesses which require masking will, if enforced, outrage many of those who love art, opera and ballet since our beloved "Artis Naples" has instituted a policy of requiring masking and possibly vaccination proof for events. Coupled with a small but loud segment of our "neighbors" who want to make Naples City an abortion free city DeSantis and his cohort of Trumpians are turning off many independents and some Republicans as well as energizing Democrats. There is hope that, in a closely divided state (Rubio and DeSantis only won by less than 1% margins), we can turn Florida Blue.
Yes, Fern, as much as I want to see the infrastructure bill come to fruition, it’s VOTING RIGHTS that we must have to move forward in my lifetime. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I guess one way to address the "Let's Go Brandon" meme is to ask anyone wearing one to explain it to you, to make them say it out loud. Then say you don't get it. That would be a great time to ask what the GOP actually stands for instead of against, at the same time remind them how rude, crude, and socially unacceptable they're being.
Good idea. Yesterday I saw a post on FB where someone who was a teacher in a Catholic school was asked if the school taught critical race theory. The reacher responded “tell me what that is and I’ll tell you if we teach it”. That shut the questioner up promptly since, of course, she had no idea what it actually was.
I’ve just been accused of teaching CRT (as well as “opening children up to demonic possession”) when teaching SEL (social/emotional learning) and mindfulness (being in the present moment with kindness toward yourself and others). I’m a school counselor and I get to teach in every classroom in my elementary school once every week or every other week.
I will use a version if this question when my principal and I meet with this parent.
I wish we could teach CRT. Maybe that will happen down the road.
No, what teh "Let's go Brandon" crowd needs is a repeated smacking in the face with a Louisville Slugger. It's past time to try and "explain" them or "understand" them. You don't try to understand a rabid dog.
This rational challenge may work, but, imagine you are confronting a 7th grade boy.
Do you think that boy will be able to understand your rational, questioning approach? Will it make him think?
Not likely.
Americans, on average, now, have the maturity of roughly a 7th Grade boy. Used to be, because of farm work, those boys grew up, but now? The suburbs keep those boys at 7th Grade maturity for their entire lives.
“The biggest waste of time is arguing with a fool or fanatic who doesn’t care about truth or reality but only his beliefs or illusions. There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the inclination to understand other points of view.
When ignorance screams, intelligence moves on.”
Source forgotten 🤦🏼♂️ but the message was remembered.
Mike, I never felt in sync with calling TD a toddler, acting like a 5yr.old or a member his gang like 'a 7th grade boy'. Some of these folk are fascistic, tied up in knots of rage. What number are violent and carry guns? Blacks, Jews, Asians, Whites and others have been murdered by some of the more deranged among them. I wouldn't associate children or young people with the menace and violence of these thugs.
Geez, Mike, sweeping generalization much? Life, people are way more complicated than that. Maybe the most grating to me: “The girls go along to get along”? Whaaaa???
The swearing reminded me of an incident with my younger brother. When he was in sixth grade, he started with a foul mouth (by my standards at the time). I told him he sounded like a little boy pretending to be big. My brother, being a good person and bright, understood and never did it again. Come to think of it, that makes these Retrumplicans inferior to the sixth grade boy I had in mind, since he improved quickly and they just get worse.
In my experience, I have been unable to have any kind of rational discussion with any Republican. They will not listen, they talk over facts, they already know and will not listen. If somehow they do listen, they say fake news, source is fraudulent. I have found it is a waste of time and energy. I am beginning to think there is no hope. The only sustaining hope I have, is that one day the great majority of those bankrolling this monster realize that they are 2nd, 3rd tier, and lower on the power pyramid. A Trump or McMillan or McCarthy will be dictator for life, or king or emperor.
Fred, your experience is identical to mine. The rational, thinking approach and rebuttal to their outlandish beliefs with facts is met with a well reasoned, thought out "nuh-uh" or a suggestion that I peruse Prager U for "real" information (that's from the more polite ones.)
I have only really tried to engage one old Republican friend thoughtfully and repeatedly on these issues. He wondered aloud why I was trying to “convert” him. He happens to be a master gardener (environmental issues), he happens to be gay (cultural issues), and he happens to be a theologian (humanitarian issues). He also is a contractor who has been stiffed by clients. And he still won’t denounce Trump. My husband and I once agreed to name him guardian of our kids if we died while they are still minors. Now? No. He has become one of the myopic followers of the worst world leader of my lifetime.
That is so sad. It really makes me wonder how some of these folks are wired. I am watching a former sergeant of mine who is a kind, thoughtful man, slip into that abyss.
Experts recommend de-escalation thru distraction and finding & building positive connections. Opposing the oppositional rarely ends well. It’s difficult work but what is the alternative?
Well, I had a short conversation with a woman in our village I have had brief chats with for 33 years. I had not seen her in two or three years. As we chatted over the counter, she said something about politics. Then she said they all lie. And I could not let that go, despite knowing this would fracture all further talking, I said, "Maybe, but one party tells gigantic lies, obstructs justice, commits seditious acts against our country and democracy, threatens good people and their families, whilst most of the other party are trying to save our democracy and protect All the People." She suddenly had to go. But I know she respects me, and I have always respected her-- so I am hoping she has been thinking about this little conversation for the past two days. Others in the store heard me as well. Hope there is, at least, a small ripple effect to speaking truth.
People need to hear the truth, you will never know which truths you planted blossomed and changed lives. Thank you for speaking out. This is the message we need to speak loud and clear, everywhere and everyday.
I remember encountering a woman who had been a straight-laced member of the condo association board on which I had been president many years ago. I saw her her reading the New York Times. I said hi and spoke of the marvelous Democrat Congressman Tom Malinowski who my wife and I fervently support. Her response: “Trump has saved America.” It was a rare instance when I was speechless. It reminded me of a Harvard Law School graduate, thirty years later, who was a devotee of Rush Limbaugh. AWWWWK!
Today's newsletter, and most days, and especially comments like this one, Penelope, have the makings of a master class in personal rhetoric and engagement. What you said (to a woman in your village) rings true, and rings powerfully. For the people, all the people.
I like this idea, Kara. Although in my red,FL county I’m seeing more and more bumper stickers with the actual vulgar slogan. I do not engage with those people!
I saw a pick up (of course, but this one was more like a Ranger than an F350 diesel) the other day that had hand lettered across the back window:
f--k Biden
f--k vaccines
f--k masks
f--k your feelings
This was written (with no hyphens, the word was spelled out, in caps) in the same manner that our local drive through vaccine clinics write the time of dosage on the window of a vehicle so they know when the 15 minute observation period is up. I have seen a lot of Republiqan friends say, to some degree, "get rid of that time on the window of your car like it's some kind of badge".
There is a huge banner with it ( the slogan not the actual words) on the main thoroughfare leading to the interstate as well as a shopping mall. Placed there I’m sure, for it’s visibility by thousands.
After spending three hours yesterday having a long discussion with a very conservative person who wanted to find out more about why I said at a meeting last week that our democracy was in big trouble I took away a few incites. It seemed a what is now a rare opportunity to talk with someone with an almost opposite viewpoint from my own who wanted to listen and discuss. All the arguments on the far right are phrased in black and white; we can only have one or the other. This is characteristic of patriarchy based on the need to compete to win, if you aren't one up you are one down or a father knows best type arrogance. I call this the OR mentality. I talked a lot about the synergy of bringing multiple perspectives together so we could find the best solutions for all. In fact, the solutions would be better than any one perspective could come up. In fact, this is the AND mentality. Valuing differences. Each of us comes from very different life experiences and come to our positions from those experiences. We also have a lot of common ground and values when we look for them. Respect for one another is key. Heather's letter tonight has given me the most optimism I've felt for a long time. I'm impressed with what Secretary Blinken is envisioning and implementing. We, the People, all of us this time!
Wow, Cathy, THREE HOURS! And you emerge relatively unscathed and characteristically calm, composed, with patient, understanding, enlightened insights. Damn. I salute you!!!
I use these opportunities to work on ways to be effective in talking with people who think so differently from me. I think a lot of people are angry because they feel they are invisible and being ignored by their elected officials. In my egalitarian philosophy, every person should be respected just because they exist! Respect is an essential key to all this. I always ask myself what in their life experience led them to their position. Instead of dividing the pie unequally, let's bake more pies by teaming on solutions for all. Let's focus on WE, the People, which is all of us.
Good for you. My very republican best friend for 30 years was a Fox nut from the first. I used to talk with her but don’t anymore because she used her considerable intelligence to justify her support for tfg. When she joined the cult, no more kumbaya.
Thank you for the OR / AND way of understanding what talking to these people is like. It fits with my family and their psychological profile rooted in ignorance and fear of the other. It’s a profound emotional difference that reason doesn’t change. ❤️🤍💙
The OR competitive thinking continues to be the central premise of patriarchy. For me, the opposite of patriarch is not matriarchy -- it's egalitarianism. I try to vote for women, minorities and veterans when I can. People that can put country and constituents above party and patrons. WE, the People, all of us this time.
I started by answering her question on why I felt democracy was in such trouble. That included the super majority legislature, the vigilante injustice of the anti-abortion law going around the US Constitution, the gerrymandered redistricting that will assure minority rule, and talked about there was no voter fraud and we needed more not less voter access. Basically concluding that we were going to minority rule. I don't think I used the word Republican at all. In fact, in things like gerrymandering I stated that both parties used it when they could. Then I asked her what she thought. Here I stopped her when she tried the what if game -- Obama did the same wrong thing that Trump did... I told her two wrongs were still wrong. She had to agree with that and didn't use the what if game again. She was not convinced about voter fraud. And about how a poll watcher had been mistreated. We had a long discussion about the Harris County (Houston) judge who "overstepped" her authority in setting up putting in ballot drop boxes and encouraging mail-in voting. She didn't buy that the pandemic was the excuse for all this. I countered with Governor Abbott restricting the number of ballot drops to one per county rather than based on population was so unfair. She was convinced that Trump won the election because he had been ahead in the early returns and then all the voting machines stopped when the mail-in votes were counted and all the sudden everything was going the other way. I told of my technical background in information security and about the ERIC (Election Registration Information Center) database used in 35 states including Texas use that can detect voter fraud and found next to nothing. I talked about being an Independent and agreeing with John Adams on the two-party system would be the worst evil to befall the Constitution. Talked about how the two parties now represented the extremes and there was a big middle like myself who were no longer being represented by anyone. I believe she related to the big middle not being represented. I'll post this much. I'll post my reply in chunks...
To continue... It did surprise me a bit that my view on no voter fraud didn't make a dent in her perception that lots of voter fraud had happened. When I asked about all the court cases that had dismissed the notion of voter fraud, she said that was all because the courts threw them out on grounds of not having standing so never addressed the voter fraud! It is interesting that the far right has given all these people an answer for everything. This was a new one to me. We spent a lot of time on poll watchers and all the fraud they had found. I wasn't successful in convincing her most of the poll watchers have no idea what they are looking at and was glad the "voter integrity" law in Texas at least included training for poll watchers through the efforts of the League of Women Voters among others. I do fear the November 2022 election is going to have some bad events with angry poll watchers seeing what they want to see. All my talk on people not knowing what they were looking at didn't seem to make a dent in her thinking about voter fraud. Perceptions are real is one of my favorite sayings. I continue in the next post..
To continue... I didn't go too much into Trump or Trumpism. Wanted to try to stay on common ground if I could. She did see some flaws in Trump but then liked his brash talk. We talked about bullying and politicians calling people names a bit. The question I thought of asking but chose not to was "Would you allow you children to bully and call names like that." Another question I thought of asking and didn't was "Who do you trust?" I'll save that one for our next discussion since I didn't want to get into discussing Fox News or whatever. She is a concerned citizen and has gone to Austin to give testimony at committee hearings. She spoke in support of the "voter integrity" law. She had spoken to the President of the Texas League of Women Voters after one hearing and asked her an OR question I call them. She has joined the chapter of the League here in the Hill Country of which I'm the Leadership Team Coordinator (an egalitarian way of saying President). It was our LWV meeting where I talked about the critical need right now to defend democracy -- which is the mission of the LWV along with empowering voters. She saw the League of tending left. The League is totally nonpartisan and will not endorse or oppose any candidate for elected office. It does do advocacy for voting rights, fair redistricting, women's health and other positions. These are based on inclusion for all which can be perceived to be a more left position these days rather than simply being supporting the Constitution and We, the People, all of us this time. I encouraged her to participate in the review of the League's positions that is happening in the next couple of months to be voted on at the April state convention. The discussion then went to talking about we all have different life experiences which forms our opinions and positions. My answer to the OR question she asked the LWV-TX President was why can't we have both -- fair elections without fraud and ease of access to all voters. She liked this approach and looking at the perspectives of those with different life experiences. While we had very different views on a lot of topics, we do seem to agree that Synergy (my favorite word) where listening to lots of perspectives will lead us to better solutions for all that any one perspective could come up with. I left this discussion feeling like the main thing is to move people away from the OR positions -- you're entirely wrong and I'm entirely right -- and move toward synergy of respecting all perspectives and come up with AND solutions.
One more thing that this discussion. She asked me what I thought of mask mandates. I told her it was a shame that our country didn't have the discipline to deal with the virus in order to eradicate it and now it is too late and we're stuck with it for years and years. No discipline when it made a difference. That did take her aback a bit but her right wing answer is that the virus isn't that big a deal! Tell that to the 750,000 who died!
Yes, you may quote from this. I don't see any particular need to redact any of the identifiers. I tried to be careful about that when I wrote it. My philosophy is that you can only say to others what you are willing to say to the person directly.
“ When I asked about all the court cases that had dismissed the notion of voter fraud, she said that was all because the courts threw them out on grounds of not having standing so never addressed the voter fraud! I”
Cathy--I admire your commitment to principles, and your stamina. There are lots of analyses available of the various court cases, but your interlocutor's claim that they were thrown out for "lack of standing" is correct in many cases. One headline-grabbing example was when the SC declined to take up Paxton's Texas lawsuit against the results in four key states (12/11/20). The majority ruled that
"Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections."
But, as a number of commentators have pointed out, this is not some weaselly legal "technicality." To win a suit, the plaintiff(s) must show that they have been injured--some actual harm done to them--not just that they don't like what happened. Without evidence of harm, there is no claim. This is not a mere technicality. A number of the wacko suits brought by Bopp, Guliani, Powell, et.al., in various state courts did get to trial, and were dismissed with often scathing rebukes from the bench because their "evidence" was bogus or nonexistent. This led to recommendations for their disbarment, and countersuits by some state officers for expenses incurred through their frivolous assertions.
She acknowledged that we were probably mostly opposite in our views but liked the idea of working together toward better solutions for all of us. My "we can have both" worked well. Like why not have honest fair elections accessible to all of us. And, she felt listened to and did listen. We all have very different life experiences and that forms our positions. I always ask what in this person's life experience brought them to this position. I think for her it was a very conservative Christian upbringing. So, yes, I think we both came away from the conversation feeling reasonable positive. I'm putting more details above.
Actually, she really did want to listen and try to understand. While I don't think I changed any of her positions, I think my proposal to work together to get solutions we could all live with sunk in.
Yes, Cathy !! I’d love to hear more .I’ve had discussions with friends who voted for Trump and they’ve listened. ( I think) I’ve used the it’s-not-all-and-balck-white but I don’t have your skill set :) Please share!
# Only 20th century president not to go to college;
# Experienced most personal failures before 40 of any American president;
# In Independence lived all his married life in the house of his mother-in-law, who thought him unworthy of her daughter and called him Mr. Truman even when he was president;
#With poor eye sight, he memorized the eye chart to get into WW I, where he excelled;
# An honest politician, he arrived in Washington as “Pendergast’s senator’ and was shunned by FDR and other senators;
# Achieved national prominence by his exceptional assault on corruption in military contracts;
# Personally did not wish to be Vice President;
# Was Vice President for 83 days during which a dying FDR did nothing to prepare him for the presidency;
# On April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died, Truman knew nothing about the atomic Manhattan project.
Thus commenced a turbulent presidency in which a raw rookie faced some of the most tumultuous decisions of any president, including FDR and Lincoln. “To err is Truman” and
‘The buck stops here” are book ends of his tipsy-turvy presidency. At one time his national poll numbers were below Nixon’s worst during Watergate. More than two generations later historians in the well-regarded CSPAN presidential rankings place Harry as near great.
The two best books on Harry are by my long-time friend, David McCullough (Pulitzer Prize winning TRUMAN and Hamby’s MAN OF THE PEOPLE. To really understand Harry, I strongly recommend the PBS American Experience TRUMAN, available in DVD.
Incidentally this high-school graduate was a voracious reader of history, especially biography, read Latin for pleasure, and his 1953-1971 letter exchange with erudite Dean Acheson, according to David McCullough, matched or exceeded the quality of the late-in-life correspondence between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
Thank you for the recommendation. Will look for these when I finish “The Woman Behind the New Deal, the Life of Frances Perkins,” by Kristin Downey (which I recommend).
Joan Frances Perkins, one of my heroes, was an extraordinary lady. She was galvanized by the 1911 Waist Coat Factory Fire, in which over 100 women were killed and the owners got off scot free. When FDR, who can be a slippery guy, offered Perkins the job as Labor Secretary, she first obliged him to approve a list of proposed reforms that she sought in implement. She was critical in the Social Security Act of 1935 where, despite a huge Democrat majority in Congress, FDR had to make some significant compromises to assuage conservative Democrats. Concerned with a dog-in-the-manger Supreme Court, he benefited from a shrewd Justice Brandeis legal suggestion from a 1927 SC ruling that enhanced the legality of Social Security. Initially millions of people were not covered. Perkins served for all of FDR’s years.
I am nearly finished with the book. I have taken some consolation and inspiration in discovering how she navigated and persevered in spite of opposition that was directed at her in a very personal way. She didn’t get everything she tried for in legislation and policies, but she accomplished so much that was beneficial to generations.
Not to mention the fact that she accomplished all her great political work while balancing a delicate home life raising a child and dealing with her husband’s mental health challenges. She is my Shero💪
Yup! At five in the morning, before coffee, my top-of-head scribblings are, on occasion, jumbled, since I don’t go upstairs to my reference library. At least I was close. Movies of the fire are sickening as well as the owners getting off scot free.
Yes, thank you Keith! Since reading Heather’s letters I feel I’m finally getting the history lessons my high school scratched the surface of. Everyone on this forum has added to my continuing education with your suggestions! ❤️
Truman was the first and last president to drop nuclear bombs. Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were so bombed during WW II. He had other options, but it is not clear if any of them could have been a less inhuman as well as successful solution.
I would not be alive today nor my children and grandchildren if he hadn’t dropped those bombs 💣, my dad, who flew torpedo borders, TBF’s, was on his way back to the states to get carrier landing training for the attack on mainland Japan. We were projected to loose a million men defeating the Japanese on their homeland.
I remember those arguments, Fern. Some say the war was waning anyway and we had gained the upper hand before the bombing. It was horrendous enough that no nation has been tempted to use its arsenal since, knock on wood. I suppose we can say that was a positive outcome. Similar to napalm in Vietnam, what apocalyptic weapons with such devastating outcomes.
Hope, The first point you raised, with the Soviets entering the war and the Japanese close to spent... may have been a option. I cannot except the use of napalm in Vietnam.
The public needs to know more and press thoughtfully about Department of Defense budget: ' The FY 2022 President’s Budget request of $715 billion when compared to the FY 2021 enacted amount of $703.7 billion, reflects a 1.6% increase. Importantly, the requested amount reflects a shift in resources to match priorities. For the Navy and Air Force, there are additional investments to address strategic competition with China. For the Army, the request reflects the President’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan prior to the beginning of FY 2022.' (Dept. of Defense)
Fern The formal discussion and recommendation on dropping the atomic bomb never explored the possibility of not dropping the bomb. It was clear to the top military and Truman that the bomb would spare many American (and Japanese) lives from an invasion of the Mainland (after such a bloody Okinawa battle). In picking targets, a young officer got Kyoto excluded. Truman was concerned about civilian casualties. He left the targeting to the military and was stunned by the massive number of Japanese civilians killed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Actually more were killed in the earlier fire bombing of Tokyo and other major cities.
Keith, I have read about options. There may have been consensus, as you suggest. Surely, Truman would have considered them. Here are a few of the arguments that I reviewed.
Kim (like the name—we had a small boat named Kim after me, my brother Ian, and my sister Margot), the American Experience president series is outstanding. I thought the one on Reagan was too gentle. Curiously, the one on Eisenhower suddenly disappeared from the series. I found it excellent and sought to distribute it to Eisenhower Fellows. I asked Susan and David Eisenhower and David McCullough (the narrator) what happened, but never received an answer.
I never enjoyed biographies, or history, until I discovered David McCullough’s book Truman. It was a wonderful readable book and significantly changed my reading habits and hence many of my views.
Elizabeth I’ve read almost all of David McCullough’s books. My favorite ‘mystery’ is PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS, about the machinations surrounding our taking Panama from Colombia and buying the rusted De Lesseps remains. I have told David and Rosalie that his book that I would take with me on a desert island is BRAVE COMPANIONS, 17 wonderful biographical vignettes.
We listened to The Path Between the Seas as we drove across the country years ago and enjoyed. Haven’t read Brave Companions yet, will add to my reading list. Thanks for the recommendation.
Elizabeth David’s research in Paris on The Path Between the
Seas sparked his interest in writing a page-turning book on 19th century American artists in Paris. (David studied art and English at Yale and is a fine amateur artist). In this book, together with fascinating art stories, he describes the remarkable feats of the American government representative during the 1870 war with Germany and its communal aftermath.
OMG, I remember childhood taunts toward Truman: LSMFT=Lord Save Me From Truman, a parody of the cigarette ad LSMFT=Lucky Strikes Means Fine Tobacco. Thankfully, I grew up to know better about both the President and tobacco! I admire this man very much. What a horrendous decision to have to make with the Atomic Bomb, though.
When faced with the loss of a million men taking the Japanese islands it seems like the only sane choice. That’s the number that our military thought we were going to loose. Okinawa where my dad fought was only the beginning, unlike the Germans who shared our western outlook for life, the Japanese saw surrender as morally dishonorable and our experience moving up through the islands towards Japan saw very few prisoners taken, not because we weren’t willing to take prisoners, but because they refused to surrender as it was dishonorable so they died virtually to the last man. As terrible as the nuclear bombs were in the end they saved a lot of lives.
Joe Scarborough has a new book about Truman, he spoke for a week on MJ about him and had excellent guests discuss him as well. I came away thinking that here was a president during my lifetime that I knew almost nothing about.
My dad was a Foreign Service Officer (a State Department person with a presidential commission similar to military officers' commissions). In the late 1950s he was posted to Lagos, Nigeria. (I was five). We came on home leave for three weeks to visit his parents in Baton Rouge Louisiana. Years later he told me this story.
He decided to find a forum somewhere in the Baton Rouge community to offer questions and answers about what was happening in equatorial Africa. He made a lot of phone calls to various community leaders: mayor, educators, ministers, and so forth He got no traction until he contacted a Black minister. That minister spread the word and invited him to speak in a church on some weeknight. The place was packed to the rafters, and the session went on for hours with lots of questions and conversation. At the time my dad was junior -- a vice consul equivalent to an Army first lieutenant -- but still engaged with his audience.
It's really good that Secretary Blinken is encouraging this kind of outreach. Foreign Service Officers on home leave are a really good resource for local communities.
That kind of outreach would help create a very informed America, the kind that can think and will not blindly follow or be easily controlled by idiocy, seditionists and fascists. Bravo to your father—he is a true, global community builder and educator who earned every penny of his paycheck and pension, unlike the do-nothing despots/traitors in our government right now who only sow deceit, lies and fear and should be sitting in 8x10 rooms with bars on them.
No wonder the R's are so opposed to non-white voters; they are a force for good and the polar opposite of Trumpers. I've become enthralled with people unlike me. Because of losing a great deal of my pension in the 2008 financial debacle, I was forced to find housing in the less expensive part of town=people of other races, nationalities, and ethnic groups. Never did I ever experience so much goodwill, kindness, and common cause before. I did not expect a retirement like this, but it is an ironic stroke of fortune; perhaps a karmic lesson before my final days. Yes to Ollie's father, too.
Thank you, Dr Richardson for cutting through the noise and juvenile insults to talk about law makers trying to do decent work to actually help people.
I’m appalled and exhausted with mainstream media coverage that seems intent on tearing down this administration with their predictions of failure. It’s only been 9 months that Biden has been in office for godsake, and he walked into a gutted and dysfunctional mess left by tfg that were still trying to dig out of. Not to mention that only half of Congress is actually trying to pass legislation while the other half is coming up with “cute little phrases” and making country rap videos.
A few weeks ago, someone posted that the commenters here had a blind spot for Biden and couldn’t tolerate any negative reporting on the Biden administration. I think reason for that impression is that the media has been so unfair in their reporting, and this letter is one of the few places we can come and celebrate the victories and the positive things this administration is trying to achieve. We are all aware that no president is perfect, but we’re also not a bunch of misty-eyed romantics blindly loyal to Joe, as this commenter implied.
Imagine if other media outlets tried to inform and educate as much as Dr Richardson does in LFAA. I’m so tired of the bashing and the sensationalism that has replaced journalism. I’m actually going to cancel my NYT subscription because the only substantial reporting these days is in the wedding section.
I am now 74 years old and have continuously maintained a NY Times subscription since my 10th birthday. I earned my first subscription by delivering the NY Times to all the teachers in my elementary school. I cannot imagine beginning my day without the NY Times. Along with the Times I also have long had a subscription to the Washington Post and local newspapers. I consider active support of quality journalism and local news media as well as being informed a civic responsibility. This is likely an ethic handed down in my family from one generation to the next beginning with my grandfather who was a journalist and later the editor of a significant news publication.
I wholeheartedly agree Bruce. Nearly 74 myself, the NYTimes has been my lifelong mainstay along with the local paper and more recently the WaPo. Together with HCR, NPR and the Atlantic, it keeps me reasonably informed. Bias and self interest are inevitable, they are human institutions after all, but, they are what we have. We are poorer with each newspaper closing.
Absolutely, we have to support quality and local journalism in every way we can. In addition to those 2 I subscribe to the Baltimore Sun (so sad to watch it be gutted by a hedge fund) and my local paper.
I'm joining all the NYT and good journalism fans, here. Don't forget the excellent games and puzzles section. Bruce, you've been outstanding today. Damn, we could use a few clones of you.
No president (or any other leader) is perfect. But the Biden administration is not operating from a place of bad faith, out to hurt others to somehow enable success. That is the R point of view. Dems need to play their horn as loud and long about their policies as the R’s do their lies. And how about some side by side comparisons? We need more Dem senators, so we are not at the mercy of “moderates”. The D majorities in the Senate during FDR and LBJ’s times were over 60. To say the D margin is razor thin is to misspeak. The margin is more like fine hair thin.
Yes! And that’s what make this so painful. The Biden admin is trying to pass legislation to actually help people. You know, one of the actual roles of a governing body.
Please don’t cancel your subscription. There is junk coming out in NYT — but there is also crucial, important, democracy-supporting journalism that is absolutely VITAL to our rescuing our nation in the evolving of this frightening, dangerous epoch.
Let’s all keep paying, when we can, to keep in business the sources of truth and integrity and investigation and witness. Please don’t pull away now. The smart, seasoned, trained, dedicated journalists in American need resources to keep giving us the facts.
A damn good newspaper, not perfect but with a fair number of excellent journalists and a wide array of valuable sections from the arts, business and science, in addition to national and international news. (Food, too!)
Fern I consider the New York Times the least worst alternative for a daily American newspaper, along with the Washington Post. The Economist, weekly and daily Espresso, provide valuable insights, as does The Guardian. The Week, daily, weekly, and its cartoons, I find valuable for its presentation of various viewpoints in a professional manner. Heather’s nightly domestic commentary is my must read, together with the comments which often are highly informative and personal.
Thank for reminding me of The Week, Keith. I post Borowitz's satires, because I figure we need more laughs. The Week's cartoons will help me on that score. Cheers!
I agree with SLWeston (PA) below. We have so few resources for news. Though the NYT makes terrible errors at times, it does not compare to the errors of fact that the alt-right news sources offer. Nothing, nothing is perfect. As people who are interested in news, it plays a meaningful role. It is also one of the few sources that employs "foreign correspondents who actually live in the regions they report on. Few news outlets can afford to do this. The "1619" project, alone, provides significant reason for our support.
I really appreciate everyone’s responses about cancelling NYT. I hear everything you’re saying and honestly, I am torn. No doubt they do good work, but then they F up the good with Josh Hawly or Tom Cotton or miss opportunities to inform and instead, condemn.
Big sigh. I’ll probably not cancel, but do intend to keep writing letters to the editor.
News organizations of all types have the same concern. Getting eyeballs on ads and selling more ads. If too few people watch or buys the paper they are out of business. This includes NPR and the NYT. To do that they must walk the line making the news more exciting so they can sell more papers. My job as a reader is to be educated enough to know when the NYT is giving me valuable information and when they are working over time to keep it exciting. I find the substance of the stories in the paper interesting without all of the manufactured drama but I am in the minority. I can see the allure of FOX news for some. It is exciting, angry and partisan, almost like friends of like minds talking. FOX invokes an elevated reaction but it is not the news and it is misleading to the extreme. I am happy to have the NYT and NPR with the understanding that it is up to me to have a more realistic understanding of how things work.
I cancelled my NYT subscription yesterday. I gave as my reason for canceling their publication of an opinion piece by Josh Hawley regarding world trade on 29-October-2021. I resisted canceling earlier this year when they published an opinion piece by Tom Cotton. I appreciate the opinions of most of the NTY op-ed contributors. I am taking the commendatory comments of nearly everyone responding to Sharon (Atlanta) to heart, and I reckon that I will re-subscribe to the NYT at some point in the future. But giving insurrectionists a bloody fine platform for expressing their opinions, and the implicit imprimatur of one of our leading news organizations, was, for me, for now, a bridge too far.
Washington Post! The NY Times succumbed to political flunkies when tRump first ran—Repugs whined about “not being heard,” so rather than to consider news fit to print, they just opened the gateways….the moral of the story: Keep an open mind, but don’t let your brain fall out!
I’ve been disappointed in NYT but I’m keeping my subscription because I believe they excel at investigative journalism.
I also agree about unfairness in the mainstream media. Although when the MSM, Democrats( and heck, even Late Night Comedy) criticize Biden it’s amazing…..no one loses their job, committee chairmanship, is blacklisted/harassed or threatened. That’s democracy!
You wrote: "I’m appalled and exhausted with mainstream media coverage that seems intent on tearing down this administration with their predictions of failure. It’s only been 9 months that Biden has been in office for godsake, and he walked into a gutted and dysfunctional mess left by tfg that were still trying to dig out of. Not to mention that only half of Congress is actually trying to pass legislation while the other half is coming up with “cute little phrases” and making country rap videos."
I want to share this with MSNBC, which is my go-to for news other than WaPo and other online publications I trust. This is SO very true!
Ellen, you expressed my thoughts exactly. Perhaps their ratings are down, but there is a definite ramping up of what feels to me like hysteria on MSNBC. Even some of my favorite commentators have succumbed. I find myself wondering if any of them read Dr. Richardson’s posts, and wishing they were putting out a better product. Reality right now is bad enough without this amplified nay saying/ finger pointing.
Susan who in particular are you referring to? I often watch Ari Melber, Rachel Maddow, Alicia Menendez, Nicole Wallace Brian Williams, and Lawrence O'Donnell finding them all solid, and frequently exceptional in terms of research, information not covered elsewhere, presentation and, several display deep the wide knowledge. The reporters in the field are also, generally good and even tempered.
Ha! I see you noticed that I went out of my way not to name names.
(Like throwing a family member under the bus.)
I trust the news content at MSNBC, and I agree that many of the anchors have a deep knowledge of their subject matter, Ari Melber and his expertise in the law as an example. Additionally many guests and panel members are excellent. Neil Katyal comes to mind. And yes, Wallace, Melber, Menendes are standouts. “Show don't tell” works for me when I’m reading. Im not sure what the equivalent is with TV news.
I am uncomfortable with too many personal opinions, a celebration of personality, and an excess of emotion related to the news, and I’m recently noticing more of this.
Last night in a zoom womens’ group, i reluctantly brought this up. Noone blinked an eye and some had already switched off MSNBC to print news.
Susan, I am not familiar with "Show don't tell. From your reply, I understand that your complaint is based on seeing an excess of emotion related to the news, too many personal opinions and a celebration of personality on MSNBC. Perhaps my selection of programs on that outlet has minimized exposure to such viewing experiences, although there's always a bit of that. I worked in public affairs for many years and a strong advocate of the free press. Some of the programs I worked on as an associate producer, producer and executive producer employed journalistic standards, so I am familiar with the field. I hope that you have found the reading material and public affairs programing that meet your need to know.
This is what came up. Im sure with your work experience, you are familiar, but perhaps by another name. And its not quite right for reporting the news.
I saw the Boebert video today but had no clue about the meaning of "Let's go, Brandon." Until now. What struck me was Boebert's performance, an insincere, preening, look-at-me contrivance. Recorded for all time we have a superficial dolt drawing attention to herself to compensate for a lack of qualifications and seriousness for an important role in our government. And to learn it was all a buildup to her crescendo, a crass and profane insult to the country's elected leader.
This is the Republican Party. It's the party that wants to rule us, no matter how many lies required, in the midst of a pandemic that has claimed at least 5 million lives globally, the existential threat of climate change, and so many other daunting challenges.
I expect she will win. Any of the other asswipe Republicans will win as well. That's the plan of redistricting. Their intentions are not that they win, it's made so they can't lose.
She's been a juvenile delinquent since she was committing statutory rape with the Big Bozo In Town with whom she has now spawned four times. A for-real juvenile delinquent with a Juvie Record.
Thank you Dr. Richardson. Knowing the halls of the State Dept. were emptied under the former "person" I am heartened to read about Anthony Blinken's programs. Foreign service people are quiet Americans who toil yet do essential work on behalf of the democracy. They have roots here yet often have to move abruptly and take their families (if possible) to far away destinations. Too many U.S. citizens overlook foreign service folks. They have no clue about their sacrifice.
I’m only about 1/3 the way in, but am finding it a worthy read so far. I honestly didn’t know much about her until recently, so learning about her life and journey is interesting.
We were treated to an introduction to the cadre of the foreign service during the first impeachment hearing’s, too say that they were impressive is an understatement. I had no idea…..
Thanks for posting the link! Amazing that all morning reading all this, I kept thinking about the lying seditionists was right in the perfect song: "What they need's a damn good whacking!" Justice, where are you? We are still waiting.... Can you not get them out of our government and try them for crimes against democracy and humanity? How far will we have to go with them? They are growing worse and worse day by day.
'The impact of the long-term democratic decline has become increasingly global in nature, broad enough to be felt by those living under the cruelest dictatorships, as well as by citizens of long-standing democracies. Nearly 75 percent of the world’s population lived in a country that faced deterioration last year.'
'The expansion of authoritarian rule, combined with the fading and inconsistent presence of major democracies on the international stage, has had tangible effects on human life and security, ....'
'The parlous state of US democracy was conspicuous in the early days of 2021 as an insurrectionist mob, egged on by the words of outgoing president Donald Trump and his refusal to admit defeat in the November election, stormed the Capitol building and temporarily disrupted Congress’s final certification of the vote. This capped a year in which the administration attempted to undermine accountability for malfeasance, including by dismissing inspectors general responsible for rooting out financial and other misconduct in government; amplified false allegations of electoral fraud that fed mistrust among much of the US population...' 'But the outburst of political violence at the symbolic heart of US democracy, incited by the president himself, threw the country into even greater crisis. Notwithstanding the inauguration of a new president in keeping with the law and the constitution, the United States will need to work vigorously to strengthen its institutional safeguards, restore its civic norms, and uphold the promise of its core principles for all segments of society if it is to protect its venerable democracy and regain global credibility.' (Freedom House)
Following TC's lead in relating a vexing problem via the lives of pigs, "The Three Little Pigs", reflect the widespread decline of democracy, the US's current situation, in particular.
'Once upon a time there was an old mother pig who had three little pigs and not enough food to feed them. So when they were old enough, she sent them out into the world to seek their fortunes'.
'The first little pig was very lazy. He didn't want to work at all and he built his house out of straw. The second little pig worked a little bit harder but he was somewhat lazy too and he built his house out of sticks. Then, they sang and danced and played together the rest of the day.'
'The third little pig, (USA) worked hard all day and built his house with bricks. It was a sturdy house complete with a fine fireplace and chimney. It looked like it could withstand the strongest winds.'
'The next day, a wolf (Fox News, Facebook, Trump, Republican Party, Charles Koch, et al.) happened to pass by the lane where the three little pigs lived; and he saw the straw house, and he smelled the pig inside. He thought the pig would make a mighty fine meal and his mouth began to water.'
'So he knocked on the door and said:'
' Little pig! Little pig!
Let me in! Let me in!
But the little pig saw the wolf's big paws through the keyhole, so he answered back:'
'No! No! No!
Not by the hairs on my chinny chin chin!
Then the wolf showed his teeth and said:'
'Then I'll huff
and I'll puff
and I'll blow your house down.
So he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house down! The wolf opened his jaws very wide and bit down as hard as he could, but the first little pig escaped and ran away to hide with the second little pig.'
'The wolf continued down the lane and he passed by the second house made of sticks; and he saw the house, and he smelled the pigs inside, and his mouth began to water as he thought about the fine dinner they would make.'
'So he knocked on the door and said:'
'Little pigs! Little pigs!
Let me in! Let me in!
But the little pigs saw the wolf's pointy ears through the keyhole, so they answered back:'
'No! No! No!
Not by the hairs on our chinny chin chin!
So the wolf showed his teeth and said:'
'Then I'll huff
and I'll puff
and I'll blow your house down!'
'So he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house down! The wolf was greedy and he tried to catch both pigs at once, but he was too greedy and got neither! His big jaws clamped down on nothing but air and the two little pigs scrambled away as fast as their little hooves would carry them.'
'The wolf chased them down the lane and he almost caught them. But they made it to the brick house and slammed the door closed before the wolf could catch them. The three little pigs they were very frightened, they knew the wolf wanted to eat them. And that was very, very true. The wolf hadn't eaten all day and he had worked up a large appetite chasing the pigs around and now he could smell all three of them inside and he knew that the three little pigs would make a lovely feast.'
'So the wolf knocked on the door and said:'
'Little pigs! Little pigs!
Let me in! Let me in!
But the little pigs saw the wolf's narrow eyes through the keyhole, so they answered back':
'No! No! No!
Not by the hairs on our chinny chin chin!
So the wolf showed his teeth and said:'
'Then I'll huff
and I'll puff
and I'll blow your house down.'
'Well! he huffed and he puffed. He puffed and he huffed. And he huffed, huffed, and he puffed, puffed; but he could not blow the house down. At last, he was so out of breath that he couldn't huff and he couldn't puff anymore. So he stopped to rest and thought a bit.'
'But this was too much. The wolf danced about with rage and swore he would come down the chimney and eat up the little pig for his supper. But while he was climbing on to the roof the little pig made up a blazing fire and put on a big pot full of water to boil. Then, just as the wolf was coming down the chimney, the little piggy pulled off the lid, and plop! in fell the wolf into the scalding water.'
'So the little piggy put on the cover again, boiled the wolf up, and the three little pigs ate him for supper.' (American Literature)
*****
See links to Freedom House and American Literature (Three Little Pigs) below.
... but,I hear they make good domestic companions - must be important to keep them well fed ... now that I think of it, wild boars probably are carnivorous.
No Sharon, I has not heard that - it brings to mind a report about a pig farmer in B.C. who was being investigated for involvement with missing and murdered native American women ...
“Under Biden, the Democrats are replacing the Republican ideology of the past forty years, which focused on individual liberty and cowboy diplomacy, with a plan to invest in our people and to cooperate with other countries.
This return to principles that ushered in our most prosperous years hardly seems like a good reason to curse the president.”
How clever! The human failure and his wannabe bullies and liars have turned into smarmy teenagers. And again, the dumbed-down media plays this up instead of repeating President Biden’s excellent speech which needs repeating. Can we organize a search party for their thinking caps?
Thanks HCR, I guess we needed to know this juvenile crappola but it feels very much like red herrings to me. If every Democrat and independent would use the next 4 days to focus on all the good Joe Biden has accomplished in less than a year, we might see the shocking return of sanity on Election Day Tuesday.
Good morning all! The growing use of Let's go, Brandon by neofascist groups was explored on NPR this morning. It was, admittedly the first I had heard of it because I don't watch TV news and I don't listen to other news outlets. How very unsurprising for a group that did not censure the yutz who yelled "You lie" in the middle of Obama's first State of the Union to resort to schoolyard bully tactics.
In his newsletter this morning, Jamelle Bouie, the NY Times Op-Ed essayist, said something deeply wise with respect to the VA governor's race, which is now being used as a barometer for 2022, and in which the Rethuglican candidate is promising to remove any discussion of racism from the school curriculum--the usual ignorant mischaracterization of discussions we need to have as "CRT" (which of course it is not): "Democracy requires empathy. We have to be able to see ourselves in one another to be able to see one another as political equals. I think history education is one important way to build that empathy. To understand the experiences of a person in a fundamentally different time and place is to practice the skills you need to see your fellow citizens as equal people even when their lives are profoundly different and distant from your own. This is why it’s vital that students learn as much as possible about the many varieties of people who have lived, and died, on this land.
This democratic empathy is, I believe, a powerful force. It can, for example, lead white children in isolated rural Virginia to march and demonstrate in memory of a poor Black man who died at the hands of police in urban Minnesota."
Democracy requires empathy. Full stop. We have one party that embraces that mantra, we have one party that not only does not, it actively seeks people to become more selfish, more doctrinaire, more rigid.
I never in a thousand eons would have thought that the meaning of “Let’s go Brandon” would have been slipped to me by HCR. That alone compelled me to add a ❤️to today’s post.
For some weeks now I have seen it here and there as one does with new expressions - mostly in tweets I should suppose. I had hazily concluded that it was a phrase that had a sniggering, vulgar and childishly pompous affect. Occasionally I felt mildly disposed to Google it. At my age, it seems important to remain au courant with the twists and turns of the English language. Some new words and phrases do become part of our common linguistic heritage. But I never did, from some instinct that I should not be the better for learning this phrase. Dr. Cox Richardson to the rescue. :)
This is what it means? This is what Republicans down to a level as low as Mad Mitch are using? Really?? How desperate they are to (wink, wink) sound cool, to be in on what passes for the latest “joke”.
It seemed funny in a spectacle-ish sort of way for a moment. But then my feelings for it settled on deeply saddened, after stopping momentarily at anger.
What is the use of being angry all the time with a party that has sunk to this level? Today’s Republicans are part Greek chorus, part sniggering schoolboys who have just found out what the c*** word means. It is despicable for sure, but also terribly sad for America.
This is a party with no discipline beyond saying no to anything that might actually help the American people. Having been schooled in The Art of the Presidency by Trump, they have shed all guardrails. There is no serious limit to how far they will go to debase themselves, neither knowing nor caring that it is in service of nothing.
They have nothing to do, save to say No often and loudly, to tweet in vulgar neologisms, and, sacred duty of all, to raise spectacular sums of money from nefarious sources.
This is not a political party any longer, nor is it even pretending. Their leader is away on a forced holiday, they hold no power to do, only the means of denying.
One pictures them staying late in the evening until all but the cleaning staff have gone, and then madly sliding down the bannisters of the Congressional staircases, leaping off at the bottom and chalking an uneven line where they landed, to indicate that a new distance record has been set. Rinse liberally with alcohol and repeat.
Your Congress in action! Half of it at any rate. One thinks of Caligula seriously considering making his horse a consul and half fears that somewhere a small group of Republicans is planning some trick of that calibre. The tweets they could get!
The Democrats should be running amok with legislation in the face of this cretinous opposition. There should be no social ill left untackled, no bridge unbuilt, no voting right denied. President Biden should by now have had medical treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome from signing so many bills into law.
But no. They are getting nothing signed. They are earnestly working at doing some public good (have to say no to the bannister sliding!). But they are spinning their wheels in mud and it is flying all over them.
Despite what Doctor Cox Richardson says, I am much disinclined to think of this sad state of affairs as being born of “normal disagreements”. For one thing there are 220 Democratic Representatives and 48 Senators, tugging the rope in one direction. There are 2 Democratic Senators pulling in the other direction. 268 vs 2. It should be a walkover.
And it is. The 2 are winning the tug of war with ease. In their own earnest way, the Democrats are as sadly comical as their opposition.
I know it is more complex than this. There is the eternal progressive-centrist split. Krysten Sinema and President Manchin do speak for a wing of the party that is sympathetic to their views. Or they would, if it could only be determined exactly what their views are.
No, I take back my words. It isn’t more complex than 268 failing to accomplish what 2 don’t want them to.
Indulge in a thought experiment for a moment. Imagine that the Democrats had become the party of liars and lunatics. Imagine that the Republicans had a sane and earnest President wanting to do best by the American people. Imagine there were 50 Republican Senators and 220 Republican House members.
Here’s the question - would the Republicans be struggling to pass legislation that could, say…save the world? Make the United States a beacon of democracy? Turn the flow of the river around so that money flowed to the hundreds of millions of citizens rather than to the hundreds of oligarchs?
Yes. Yes. And yes. Those bills would have been done and dusted some time ago.
A democracy is in deep trouble when one party has to serve as both leader and active opposition, while the other jeers, “Let’s go Brandon”.
Indeed. As "The Economist" headlined an article about an earlier spate of put-up candidates without qualifications, ideas or character who spouted empty slogans: "Even Caligula's horse had a track record."
I like Jamelle Bouie's perspective in general, Linda, and I greatly appreciate your amplification of his thoughts in this comment prompted by his opinion piece today. Your summary is perfect. "Democracy requires empathy. Full stop." Right on to that.
This is a very astute observation by Professor Richardson:
“Instead of participating in the democratic system, Republicans turned over to conservative Democrats … the job of making conservative changes to the measure, while they simply fired insults at the president.”
It illustrates how McConnell has adopted the mafia-esque tactics of Putin & DT, by hiring henchmen, Manchin & Sinema, to damage their own party. Pardon my analogy, it seems like Republicans want to kill Democracy, and put the bloody knife in Democrats’ hands.
Trojan Horses, plain for all to see. Why I will pick two Senate candidates with best chance to win and support to my ability. Make the traitors irrelevant.
Republicans have essentially opted out out of the agreed legal framework of the United States Constitution, which instituted a revolutionary democratic republic and the protocols to sustain it.
Preservation and Progress - being both self identical and self sufficient over time - is one of the philosophical conundrums of being in the world.
Within the sphere of politics, the Founders, men of the Enlightenment, decided that the answer to staying recognizably the United States of America over time while adapting to changing times, was to be accomplished through reasoned debate of empirical evidence.
To these seemingly insolubly contradictory ends and by these rational means of coming to consensus, the Constitution can be amended, laws can be revised, judicial decisions revisited, and new representatives elected. To some degree, these are all acts of interpretation. They eschew the absolute truths of religion for the provisional truths of science, the contextual truths of history, and the necessary truths of logic. They demand a sincere and well informed engagement in the task.
The Founders knew this relied on an educated polity, so they restricted participation to a specific class of men. Our government improved on this by providing for public education and expanding civil rights. At heart, we need to think things through together and to play fair.
And it is all this which Republicans have opted out of. They may bully their way through to political victory, but Republicans neither honor the nation's past nor prepare the nation for the future. Like all outlaws, Republicans depend on a sufficient number of honorable people to keep things from falling apart. That would be us. Enough of staggering under the burden of Republican intransigence and insurrection. We need to stand together and step forward. Our most immediate task is to secure and expand the Democratic majority.
The Founders expected those elected to act honorably as people of character and follow the Constitution. The R’s refuse and say, “So what? Who cares?” Never do they think they might be endangering themselves with their anything goes attitude. My mother always said, “ If you set out to hurt others, you will get hurt worse in the end.” She was right because I’ve seen it happen.
We have the 800 pound Truth in media crisis at the heart of our calamity. There must be legal precedents in our history to support penalties for propagation of libelous accusations.
It is not difficult to portray the Democrats as a shining party on a hill when the GOP is such a cesspool. But I am still waiting to find out which Democratic Senators are financially sustained by which fossil fuel, pharmaceutical and financial oligarchs, and how that may correspond to their public positions on eliminating the filibuster. Is it just Manchin and Sinema? I have my doubts.
Would make a “ Picture is worth a thousand words “ on Billboard's. Have Biden in the front of them ‘Showing ‘ All Americans how his bills would help them. Yes, even the Repubs. The mind set about the cause “The Repubs are the forgotten ones “. Because Obama was in office 8 yrs.They don’t have a very good memory how often the ‘Repubs ‘ forgot them.
Either that, or they are in the mindset of "thank you, sir, may I have another" (Niedermeyer Animal House reference) when it comes to what they think they need to do.
Disappointed? Why? -
If you are disappointed with what appears not to be in what looks like the final budget bills now moving towards passage, please stop for a moment and both consider what is included and why it has been so difficult to include more and gain passage.
Even without everything on progressive Democrats wish list, this remains a transformative investment in our economy and working class American families. Are the final numbers large? Yes. Could they have been larger? Could more have been included? Could America afford a larger investment? The answers to each of those questions is also yes. Please remember this is less than an additional investment of 1% of our GDP over the coming decade. Also as an investment not merely a cost most of these will actually produce a tangible and measurable return.
So why could more not have been included? Many will fault centrist Democrats for failing to support many of the provisions on progressive’s wish list. Did those centrists like Manchin and Sinema fail to support some provisions? Yes. However, let us be clear that the Biden Build Back Better agenda will not get a single Republican vote. No Republican is supporting a longer extension beyond one year of the child tax credit that lifted 50% of children living in poverty out of those circumstances. No Republican is supporting lower prescription drug prices. No Republican is supporting paid family or medical leave, affordable housing, elder care, healthcare expansion, universal pre-K, or any of the other provisions that were dropped or those that remain in the bill.
So if you are disappointed remember who is responsible for your disappointment. American families could have gotten more if only a few Republicans had supported this along with 98% of Democrats. When you consider who should be representing your family’s interests in Washington, remember who voted for those interests and who opposed them. When politicians campaign for your votes and make promises they will support and work for those interests remember these votes and how they align with what is most important to you. If cultural issues are more important to you, you know who is going to bat for you. But if your family’s health, housing, education, finances, child and elder care, prescription drug prices, clean air and water, and climate change concerns are more important to you, you also should know who is really on your side.
Also celebrate the victories and wins on what is included and let's continue the fight for the rest of the agenda. This is not the last budget that will ever be proposed or passed.
Bruce, thank you for this comment. “When” this infrastructure bill is passed we should all be dancing in the streets rather than complaining we didn’t get everything on our wish list. Now we MUST get a Voting Rights Bill passed!!!
We MUST, YES!
If I had to name the very most important issue, not saying other issues are not important, it would be the voting rights bill. We are supposed to be a democracy but if everyone can’t vote easily, we are not an inclusive democracy. Voting is good for your health, the economy, the climate, and equality.
I think that if everyone can’t vote easily, we are not a democracy.Our country has been a capitalist nation for the last 41 years, and many of us have suffered because of it. I am heartened that we are now on the road back to helping the folks who need it the most, but that does not make us a democracy if every single person who is qualified to vote, can’t.
Yes, yes, and yes!
Very important!
It took almost 40 years for the Movement Conservatives to get everything on their wish list; Progressives will have to be patient, until Americans finally understand their vision includes them too.
You are absolutely correct. I tend towards progressive in ideology and moderate in terms of reality.
I wish the Progressives would learn that time is everything, change does indeed come slow and stop shooting off your mouth. The "defund the police" statements issued by some progressive groups did great damage to acceptance of their overall agenda. I was getting emails from one prominent progressive group espousing this idea. Remember when the Democrats losing 5 seats in the House was blamed on progressive rhetoric of "defund the police"
Remember when Sanders' Presidential aspirations impacted the 2016 Election. Remember that the Russians and trump ticket were promoting Sanders for the 2020 ticket because they knew the progressive candidate would be defeated.
The Republican disinformation machine has done an effective job of convincing people the Progressives are socialist/communists.
The progressive, moderate, conservative split in the Democratic Party will destroy Democracy as surely as the Republicans. Too many politicians get rich running their mouths and preening before the cameras is tiresome and sickening.
I wish politicians would learn this:
Suit up. Show up. Shut up. Pay attention. And don't be addicted to the outcome.
Ah yes, “defund the police” is all Progressives fault.
According to an article by the Brookings Institute the phrase was first coined by Black Lives Matter to describe the demilitarizing of police departments and reallocation of funding to trained mental health workers and social workers to reduce unnecessary violent encounters between police and citizens.
I always understood this phrase to embrace spending where it can provide the help people need.
The “split” is not what will be the demise of Democracy, because that assumes again that if we could just meet the Fascists half way maybe… By the way that is actually what Biden is doing using Manchin and Sinema as surrogates
Remember what Will Rogers said, “I have never been a member of an organized political party. I am a Democrat.”
I think that pretty well sums it up.
Sad for us right now.
Biden said repeatedly during his campaign and since taking Office that he supports reallocation of and increasing funding. But the Republicans out messaged Democrats and ran with the fear mongering phrase.
And I was getting emails from a prominent progressive organization of which I was a member to sign a petition to defund the police (in dollars). The lack of cohesive message among progressives hurt their influence.
I am not including the fascists in the mix of the conflict within the Democratic Party. I still maintain that the lack of cohesiveness in the Democratic Party is causing great damage.
Ever see the Republicans infighting much?
With the current Congress, no amount of messaging can change anything. If the progressive caucus hadn’t stood strong for as long as they did we would have gotten even less. The messaging is what is needed before the next election. Dems from every walk of life rising up together and shouting from roof tops about the good things we can all have if we would just vote for candidates who want to serve instead of those who want to be served. We need more of these folks willing to do the hard part of being a candidate too!!
Barbara, excellent point. There is little to no in fighting with the GOP. They are laser focused on taking control. They have their eye on the prize.
At the same time, it's crucial that progressives not allow themselves to be sidelined by two conservative Dem senators. There have been repeated attempts to get progressives to cave in so that only the roads and bridges infrastructure bill becomes law. Every one of these attempts is proof that the conservatives will only keep their agreement to pass both bills if it remains the only way to get the one they personally want.
From what I understand the Progressives want both bills passed at once. If they really did hold up the bill before Biden left the Country then that is a tremendously sad thing. And I do not believe the Infrastructure Bill has been hollowed out to roads and bridges. Even then. The historically tremendous impact the revitalizing of our infrastructure would do for our economy and the employment of countless Americans in well paid jobs is too good to pass up.
At the time the 'hard'(roads, bridges, broadband) infrastructure was split from the 'soft'(children, elders, families), so that some Republicans could vote for the 'hard', the progressive (aka mainstream) and conservative (aka business-prioritizing) Dems agreed that the bills would travel through Congress together, to prevent the business Dems from betraying the other 96% of the Dem legislators.
The progressives insist on sticking to the deal. It looks as this point as though their insistence is highly likely to result in the achievement of a tremendously significant 'soft' infrastructure bill - but only if they stay the course. Progressives have agreed to cut the 'soft' (children, elders, families) bill to half and half again (the original proposal was 6T, which dropped quickly to 3.5, and then recently to half of that) in order to get the necessary 50 votes to pass the Senate with reconciliation. That's realism.
It is also realism for them to hold back the roads and bridges that Manchin and Sinema want until M&S are fully committed to the families bill. If the conservatives did not intend to betray their agreement and tank the families bill if they could, why would they be trying so hard to pass their bill separately? They themselves are responsible for the delays to the families bill.
I sincerely sincerely hope you are right on... "The progressives insist on sticking to the deal. It looks as this point as though their insistence is highly likely to result...
Thanks for explaining this, Joan.
I agree but time is short- if the Republicans win back house and/or Senate, there will be little left to stop the pending authoritarianism…
A bigger reason to push for compromise. We have to show the kind of progress that moves the needle for the American working class. And then, we have to tell the people who benefit from this program that the Republicans want to take it away by taking away the power of your vote. THEN, we have a shot at a fairer America.
Good observation. The GOP is like the Chinese Communist Party in that they are good at playing the long game. That is easier when you only want one thing: power. Rebuilding America and keeping her moving ahead progressively requires simultaneous movement on many fronts. By definition, one cannot be focused on several things at once. I have an image of the man who jumps on his horse and rides off in all directions. So, the Dem's job is much more difficult. It requires prioritization, delegation, and lots and lots of communicating with the American people.
We need to do a much better job of controlling the narrative. Unfortunately, most Americans have been trained from infancy to be receptive to only sound bites. So the phrase "Defund the police!" sounds like just that. Few know that there is a whole back story to it. A better slogan might have been: "Fund a mental health force!" Or something like that.
The GOP specializes in fear-mongering. We don't need to keep giving them grist for the mill, such as saying that parents have no right to tell schools what to teach. How do you think fearful, hovering, smothering parents with control issues are going to feel when they hear that? You just lost their vote. Better to say something like: "A lot of forethought and effort goes into developing your child's curriculum and we're open to hearing your input." We need to put forth our agenda in ways that make it very challenging for the GOP to spin them into fear-mongering.
On the other side of the coin, people are much more motivated by their emotions than by their rational minds. This is still true even for people who consider themselves very rational. Functional MRI studies have proven this. It wouldn't be a bad idea for Dems to spin GOP statements into emotion-raising campaigns. For example, many of us are fearful of losing what little democracy we have left and look at how motivating that fear is for us. If the trumpettes built the society they want, what would that look like for women, for people of color, for people living with dual diagnoses, for free press, for healthcare, for so many aspects of our society? There is so much we could be messaging to Americans.
For example, anyone who feels the need to manipulate voters doesn't trust democracy. The GOP are serving their ultra-wealthy donors who want a return to the feudal system where they own everything and the rest of us are peasants. During a pandemic, we're all in this together and we can do what it takes to defeat this virus. If you don't want the government or anyone else telling you what to do, then just choose to do the right thing in the first place. The list goes on.
There must be szone way to share the vision sooner.
More than a comment, much more, this post is a work of rhetorical art. Bravo, Bruce C!
Earlier this month Jen Psaki, in response to a querulent question on the voting rights act, gave us a phrase that could be used effectively in the first half of a speech on BBB: "Shouldn't everyone want...?" (to lift our children out of poverty, to lower out-of-control and predatory prescription drug prices, better elder care to improve living conditions of our senior citizens and relieve some of the burdens on their families, etc., etc,. etc.)
This comment from Bruce C. is the second half of that stump speech. Now, where is my stump? Where is yours, my friends and fellow followers of LFAA?
With you, Bill.
I still think music could spread the news! We need our Woody Guthrie of this moment.
https://youtu.be/VIOY3u1QbEQ
Yes!
Have you heard this song about Janet Yellen? It’s called “Who’s Yellen Now?” She wrote it in “Hamilton Style.” I think Dessa could write a song about voting rights.
https://youtu.be/-bgikOGb0rw
Thanks,, I posted it on fb.
This, and all like this, should be told and retold daily to EVERONE. Republicants don't give a f**k about Americans.
Not true. The ones who care are being forced to not run again because they know the bullies will torture them and their families.
We need to welcome them in, or for the good of democracy, support their efforts to form a new version of the rotted from within GtrpParty
Excellent idea.
We should welcome them into Russia.
Sorry, what is
GyrpParty?
Corrupted version of what used to be Rs
Maybe even worse. The Republican supporters are more and more prone to threats of violence.
Pretty cray cray times!!
As usual I decry sinking to their level and cursing as they do. Do we really want to mimic their behavior?
The tfg continues to mold this end of the Republican party in his image by using name calling, bullying and engaging in juvenile frat boy stunts. I'm sure he's delighted. It's sickening and disrespectful.
Nope
A well said summation of the likely accomplishments of the 117th Congress's first year, Bruce. With reconciliation the likely mechanism for Congress's second year, I would put voting rights and climate change on my list as priorities for them and add a couple of popular social needs that can be winners for the second year. We have to get away from this doom and gloom attitude or the Biden-Harris administration could end up a one-year administration because we lose the majority in 2022 through our fatalism.
Unfortunately, the present limitations on reconciliation measures restrict the use of it for many of the needed legislation to tackle problems like voting rights. However, the answer to this is an end to the filibuster, at least in its present form if not its complete elimination.
I understand there are some who bemoan the fact that progressives / Democrats will one day again be in the minority and wish for the protections afforded by the filibuster. My answer it that we are already suffering governance by the minority feared by those who would preserve the filibuster. Let's stop worrying about that and end the filibuster and minority rule now and commence governing in a way that will be popular with the majority of the American public. That was what was envisioned at the country's founding. Government for the people by the people. Not government for the privileged by the privileged..
I agree. That filibuster is a ping pong ball wielded as if it were a machete by a minority whose major strength appears to be obstructing governance.
I have a question: I think the limitations on reconciliation have to do not only with what is included in the measure, but also with how many times it can actually be USED in a given year. I am wondering if the strategy behind which bills to push forward first might have to do with the proverbial "clock" and the recognition of how long it takes to negotiate a bill. If that is the plan, and the "clock" resets in 2022, perhaps the voting rights bills might be tailored to meet whatever requirements are needed to allow another reconciliation passage?
That is correct. Rather than try and explain it all here. Remember that in theory at least, all budget bills are supposed to begin in the House. This is a link to a thorough explanation of the Reconciliation process for budget bills, which are the only ones at present to which the exception applies:
https://budget.house.gov/publications/fact-sheet/budget-reconciliation-basics
Thank you!
Completely agree. Majority rule. Get rid of the filibuster!
I was intrigued by this idea on how to modify the reconciliation process. Toward the end of Sheila Markin's report. https://markinreport.com/2021/09/13/voting-rights-are-the-key-to-our-countrys-future/
I wonder if Dems in Congress have thought of this work around - if it truly is a possibility or frankly if they would dare to attempt it.
Bruce, I have felt that was way past time to deep six the Filibuster!
Its destructive no matter who uses it.
Hear! Hear!
Yes, we must celebrate any success in beating back rethug obstructionism and thereby passing helpful legislation. Your elucidation, Bruce, of what those successes have been and will probably be is heartening. We for sure need to hear encouraging messages while we continue to live with the consequences of Reagan’s convincing the white Americans, especially white working-class Americans, that they are better off without a functioning government.
It is essential to maintain our focus, and to do that we must not forget how Reagan captured the white electorate. He did it by pointing out that Democrats, given the slightest chance, might make a dent in the systemic racism ensconced since forever in the US political and legal system. A majority of white Americans (and a super-majority of white working-class Americans) will never vote for a politician who favors making even a tiny dent in systemic racism. Our only hope is to outvote the majority of white Americans, which is impossible in many states but just barely possible in enough places (if voter suppression doesn’t eliminate that possibility) to maintain a slim grip on decency in governance.
Remember the "Moral Majority" of the Reagan era? Those white folks who were neither moral nor the majority?
For sure not moral but did comprise a majority of white Americans (and almost nobody else, just like now but even worse because full support for systemic racism has declined by a few percent since then).
Well said, no matter where this ends up, much good will come from it and that good will be a solid stepping stone for more to come. 🙏
Seeking perfection can be the enemy of accomplishing something 'good.'
Thank you for your hopeful spirit, Dick Montagne. Namaste.
Well put, BruceC!
“ So if you are disappointed remember who is responsible for your disappointment.”
Republicans have been very adept at refining stonewall obstructionism, dating easily back to Clinton.
The amazing part is how effectively they create an illusion that the Democrats are the the ones driving the obstruction in the first place. This is accomplished with the “Neither party is worth a damn.” meme which puts the burden on Democrats to be less intransigent.
Of course fascist loving Republicans and their Fifth Column Billionaire Allies just sit by and enable this meme as it builds the perception that things would be fine if Democrats could just be more flexible.
Ironically, we see that it is far easier to use propaganda narratives to build a movement that shapes a policy then it is to build policies that will finally assist for the better the lives of hundreds of millions of people in what was supposed to be the number one nation while typically ranking in the mid to high 30’s
Your analysis is spot on!
So is yours, Ol Flawrida, identifying the “illusion that the Democrats are the the ones driving the obstruction in the first place. This is accomplished with the “Neither party is worth a damn” meme which puts the burden on Democrats to be less intransigent.” Low voter turnout is known to favor Republicans. Voting third party because Democrats disappoint also favors Republicans.
“Voting third party because Democrats disappoint also favors Republicans.” And this has resulted in us not having liveable wages, affordable healthcare or education, clean water and air for a few decades at least.
In the small town I live in the "Republicans" that run our county are only interested in adding to the jail so they can get more money from the government to house ICE detainees. People in my county in Indiana need the items in the Build Back Better agenda but they vote Republican! So very sad!
Bruce, I took the liberty of copying the last part of your excellent post and sharing it on my FB page, with attribution to a "friend" on a substack (no name.) So well said. Thank you!
Me too.
I agree, Bruce, that it is time to pass whatever bill can be passed that will have some positive effects on people's lives going forward. It's only half of what Biden promised? Fine. It's better than nothing and will help a lot of people, maybe some who will decide to vote for Democrats in the future. A Democratic schism is not the answer either.
But who will keep the GOP from destroying our democracy? That 40-year project will continue unabated until 50 senators decide to eliminate the filibuster. Is it possible for our country to confront the enormous challenges rushing towards us? I think not at this rate.
It is not enough for Biden to not be Trump. He has to be one of our greatest Presidents, not just breath of fresh air.
Cultural issues have been my focus for years. The "soft" infrastructure programs will get nixed by Republicans, who seek to feed only those who have far too much already. Their "family values" stance is hysterically laughable. And, then, there are Manchin and Sinema, cutely referred in recent readings as Machinema. Fitting!
Aye, Kinsman. I have lived an interesting time in a "cultural issue" of my time. When I came out in 1977, I had NO hope of ever being in a relationship that was "equal" to marriage. It wasn't until 1998 that my wife was able to be included on my health insurance policy (via court decision. I was taxed on the cost of her insurance, as it was considered "income" in the eyes of the government). We had to go to an attorney to get legal documents for health care coverage (be allowed into the ER in case of emergency, lawful disposition of remains, etc.), wills that were very specific in property distribution, etc. and several other documents that are things that straight married couples take for granted. In 2004. Oregon amended their constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. When California legalized same sex marriage, we were able to legally marry in 2008; this was about 2 months before our 25th anniversary, but our legal marriage ended at the state line. It took Obergefell being decided by SCOTUS in 2013 for our marriage to become "legal". We now look at today's SCOTUS and wonder when they are going to overturn that decision.
Your "family values" statement reminds me of a funny story. It was during the election season when Measure 36 passed (the marriage definition I mentioned earlier). I was in the report writing room with three other deputies, and sitting next to a good friend. Mike looked around the room, and asked the other two guys how many divorces they had. One of them replied "2", the other said "I'm not gonna marry anyone, I don't need to lose my pension when we divorce." Mike (thrice divorced) then looked at me, and asked "how long have you and Karyn been together?" My reply was "21 years". He looked around the room and said "Gee, which of us in here is more of a challenge to the institution of marriage? That vote is f-ing ridiculous."
I "came out" in 1968 with my first partner. At that time in DC, if a cop were to walk into a gay bar/restaurant and caught two men holding hands, they could be arrested. Dancing was an arrestable offense as well.
After Anita Bryant hit the airwaves, I became a gay/lesbian activist by participating on boards of directors of gay rights advocacy groups in the 1980s. Steve Endean, founder of Human Rights Campaign Fund (now HRC) was a good friend. In the nineties I wrote columns for small gay rags, before going off to Seminary for graduate study.
The current "culture of purification" among certain right wing ideologues is more like a culture of putrification. The fact is, many of those who oppose gay/lesbian marriage are indulging themselves in the darkness of the woods. Too much of life is spent attempting to change that which cannot be changed.
Beautifully stated, thank you.
Choose wisely -
Think carefully about what is most important to you.
Democrats support reducing childhood poverty and supporting American families with the refundable Child Tax Credit, reducing prescription drug prices, increasing support for child and elder care, expanding support for healthcare, family and medical leave, measures to mitigate the risks of climate change, increasing support for internship programs and community college costs, and the Biden Build Back Better priorities.
Republicans support the Big Lie that non-existent, unproven election fraud cost Tя☭mp a second term, suppressing voting rights, politicians choosing their voters through gerrymandering, retaining power at all costs, enriching the privileged with tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations, restricting women’s reproductive rights, continuing racial discrimination, xenophobia, banning books from school curricula they don't like, partisan election administration, opposition to responsible public health measures, and opposition to everything supported by Democrats.
So think about your own priorities and your family’s and your neighbors’ best interests and choose a political party that best aligns with those. Yes, as our politics now seem to offer two dramatically different agendas and compromise no longer seems possible, you are required to choose. Choose wisely.
Bruce, this was SO well said, I took the liberty of sharing it on my FB page, with attribution to "a friend" (no name.) I hope you don't mind.
“This is not the last budget will ever be proposed or passed.”
Hear, here!!
Activists in the Democratic Party realize that the Republicans have handed us an opportunity to win over Independents and even some Republicans. The funniest example will be here in Naples Florida. In a Republican dominated area DeSantis' ban on businesses which require masking will, if enforced, outrage many of those who love art, opera and ballet since our beloved "Artis Naples" has instituted a policy of requiring masking and possibly vaccination proof for events. Coupled with a small but loud segment of our "neighbors" who want to make Naples City an abortion free city DeSantis and his cohort of Trumpians are turning off many independents and some Republicans as well as energizing Democrats. There is hope that, in a closely divided state (Rubio and DeSantis only won by less than 1% margins), we can turn Florida Blue.
A consummation to be devoutly wished for…
If national voting rights bills are passed. Otherwise... !
Yes, Fern, as much as I want to see the infrastructure bill come to fruition, it’s VOTING RIGHTS that we must have to move forward in my lifetime. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Now, enough before the mid-terms.
I am here in this very same city with you and I am also hoping that this overreach by DeSantis does just as you suggest.
Sending some "Hope" your way.
I guess one way to address the "Let's Go Brandon" meme is to ask anyone wearing one to explain it to you, to make them say it out loud. Then say you don't get it. That would be a great time to ask what the GOP actually stands for instead of against, at the same time remind them how rude, crude, and socially unacceptable they're being.
Good idea. Yesterday I saw a post on FB where someone who was a teacher in a Catholic school was asked if the school taught critical race theory. The reacher responded “tell me what that is and I’ll tell you if we teach it”. That shut the questioner up promptly since, of course, she had no idea what it actually was.
I’ve just been accused of teaching CRT (as well as “opening children up to demonic possession”) when teaching SEL (social/emotional learning) and mindfulness (being in the present moment with kindness toward yourself and others). I’m a school counselor and I get to teach in every classroom in my elementary school once every week or every other week.
I will use a version if this question when my principal and I meet with this parent.
I wish we could teach CRT. Maybe that will happen down the road.
Brilliant!!
They oppose but don't know what it is. Typical. They either can't or won't think.
No, what teh "Let's go Brandon" crowd needs is a repeated smacking in the face with a Louisville Slugger. It's past time to try and "explain" them or "understand" them. You don't try to understand a rabid dog.
The cult is synonymous with a rabid dog. Truth
Whatever, we are losing. Big time!!
You don’t know that, Fred. It ain’t over yet.
I agree. Still waiting for fat lady. It ain't looking good.
Kara,
This rational challenge may work, but, imagine you are confronting a 7th grade boy.
Do you think that boy will be able to understand your rational, questioning approach? Will it make him think?
Not likely.
Americans, on average, now, have the maturity of roughly a 7th Grade boy. Used to be, because of farm work, those boys grew up, but now? The suburbs keep those boys at 7th Grade maturity for their entire lives.
The girls go along to get along.
So, all of America's average mental age?
Thirteen.
“The biggest waste of time is arguing with a fool or fanatic who doesn’t care about truth or reality but only his beliefs or illusions. There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the inclination to understand other points of view.
When ignorance screams, intelligence moves on.”
Source forgotten 🤦🏼♂️ but the message was remembered.
There are a number of references to this quote. My guess (and it is only that) is this is the origin: The Story of the Donkey and Tiger
https://adammedaglia.medium.com/the-story-of-the-donkey-and-tiger-5d036b645f24
"When ignorance screams, intelligence shuts up."
Love it!
Mike, I never felt in sync with calling TD a toddler, acting like a 5yr.old or a member his gang like 'a 7th grade boy'. Some of these folk are fascistic, tied up in knots of rage. What number are violent and carry guns? Blacks, Jews, Asians, Whites and others have been murdered by some of the more deranged among them. I wouldn't associate children or young people with the menace and violence of these thugs.
good point all Fern.
A few women (girls?) may be as lacking in self-control, common sense and respect of others as some men.
Geez, Mike, sweeping generalization much? Life, people are way more complicated than that. Maybe the most grating to me: “The girls go along to get along”? Whaaaa???
WTF does THAT mean?!! Wow.
Sorry Mike, but that's an insult to a lot of 7th grade boys. I would equate them to the bullies on the playground specifically.
The swearing reminded me of an incident with my younger brother. When he was in sixth grade, he started with a foul mouth (by my standards at the time). I told him he sounded like a little boy pretending to be big. My brother, being a good person and bright, understood and never did it again. Come to think of it, that makes these Retrumplicans inferior to the sixth grade boy I had in mind, since he improved quickly and they just get worse.
Nah, just laugh, and walk away ....
Remember: by definition, the intelligene of 50% of the population is below average.
In my experience, I have been unable to have any kind of rational discussion with any Republican. They will not listen, they talk over facts, they already know and will not listen. If somehow they do listen, they say fake news, source is fraudulent. I have found it is a waste of time and energy. I am beginning to think there is no hope. The only sustaining hope I have, is that one day the great majority of those bankrolling this monster realize that they are 2nd, 3rd tier, and lower on the power pyramid. A Trump or McMillan or McCarthy will be dictator for life, or king or emperor.
Fred, your experience is identical to mine. The rational, thinking approach and rebuttal to their outlandish beliefs with facts is met with a well reasoned, thought out "nuh-uh" or a suggestion that I peruse Prager U for "real" information (that's from the more polite ones.)
I have only really tried to engage one old Republican friend thoughtfully and repeatedly on these issues. He wondered aloud why I was trying to “convert” him. He happens to be a master gardener (environmental issues), he happens to be gay (cultural issues), and he happens to be a theologian (humanitarian issues). He also is a contractor who has been stiffed by clients. And he still won’t denounce Trump. My husband and I once agreed to name him guardian of our kids if we died while they are still minors. Now? No. He has become one of the myopic followers of the worst world leader of my lifetime.
I know I’ve lost my friend.
That is so sad. It really makes me wonder how some of these folks are wired. I am watching a former sergeant of mine who is a kind, thoughtful man, slip into that abyss.
Experts recommend de-escalation thru distraction and finding & building positive connections. Opposing the oppositional rarely ends well. It’s difficult work but what is the alternative?
Well, I had a short conversation with a woman in our village I have had brief chats with for 33 years. I had not seen her in two or three years. As we chatted over the counter, she said something about politics. Then she said they all lie. And I could not let that go, despite knowing this would fracture all further talking, I said, "Maybe, but one party tells gigantic lies, obstructs justice, commits seditious acts against our country and democracy, threatens good people and their families, whilst most of the other party are trying to save our democracy and protect All the People." She suddenly had to go. But I know she respects me, and I have always respected her-- so I am hoping she has been thinking about this little conversation for the past two days. Others in the store heard me as well. Hope there is, at least, a small ripple effect to speaking truth.
People need to hear the truth, you will never know which truths you planted blossomed and changed lives. Thank you for speaking out. This is the message we need to speak loud and clear, everywhere and everyday.
I remember encountering a woman who had been a straight-laced member of the condo association board on which I had been president many years ago. I saw her her reading the New York Times. I said hi and spoke of the marvelous Democrat Congressman Tom Malinowski who my wife and I fervently support. Her response: “Trump has saved America.” It was a rare instance when I was speechless. It reminded me of a Harvard Law School graduate, thirty years later, who was a devotee of Rush Limbaugh. AWWWWK!
Today's newsletter, and most days, and especially comments like this one, Penelope, have the makings of a master class in personal rhetoric and engagement. What you said (to a woman in your village) rings true, and rings powerfully. For the people, all the people.
I like this idea, Kara. Although in my red,FL county I’m seeing more and more bumper stickers with the actual vulgar slogan. I do not engage with those people!
I saw a pick up (of course, but this one was more like a Ranger than an F350 diesel) the other day that had hand lettered across the back window:
f--k Biden
f--k vaccines
f--k masks
f--k your feelings
This was written (with no hyphens, the word was spelled out, in caps) in the same manner that our local drive through vaccine clinics write the time of dosage on the window of a vehicle so they know when the 15 minute observation period is up. I have seen a lot of Republiqan friends say, to some degree, "get rid of that time on the window of your car like it's some kind of badge".
There is a huge banner with it ( the slogan not the actual words) on the main thoroughfare leading to the interstate as well as a shopping mall. Placed there I’m sure, for it’s visibility by thousands.
Sounds like you, Kara, might be a fan of Beau of the Fifth Column.
I could do that easily because I don’t get it! I suspect I don’t want it explained to me
After spending three hours yesterday having a long discussion with a very conservative person who wanted to find out more about why I said at a meeting last week that our democracy was in big trouble I took away a few incites. It seemed a what is now a rare opportunity to talk with someone with an almost opposite viewpoint from my own who wanted to listen and discuss. All the arguments on the far right are phrased in black and white; we can only have one or the other. This is characteristic of patriarchy based on the need to compete to win, if you aren't one up you are one down or a father knows best type arrogance. I call this the OR mentality. I talked a lot about the synergy of bringing multiple perspectives together so we could find the best solutions for all. In fact, the solutions would be better than any one perspective could come up. In fact, this is the AND mentality. Valuing differences. Each of us comes from very different life experiences and come to our positions from those experiences. We also have a lot of common ground and values when we look for them. Respect for one another is key. Heather's letter tonight has given me the most optimism I've felt for a long time. I'm impressed with what Secretary Blinken is envisioning and implementing. We, the People, all of us this time!
This "Zero sum" mentality drives me nuts: If I 'win' someone has to lose. We can BOTH win!!
Wow, Cathy, THREE HOURS! And you emerge relatively unscathed and characteristically calm, composed, with patient, understanding, enlightened insights. Damn. I salute you!!!
I use these opportunities to work on ways to be effective in talking with people who think so differently from me. I think a lot of people are angry because they feel they are invisible and being ignored by their elected officials. In my egalitarian philosophy, every person should be respected just because they exist! Respect is an essential key to all this. I always ask myself what in their life experience led them to their position. Instead of dividing the pie unequally, let's bake more pies by teaming on solutions for all. Let's focus on WE, the People, which is all of us.
It's true, we live in a "both and" universe, not an "either or" one. Just ask Schrodinger's cat!
Mepw! Meow!
Good for you. My very republican best friend for 30 years was a Fox nut from the first. I used to talk with her but don’t anymore because she used her considerable intelligence to justify her support for tfg. When she joined the cult, no more kumbaya.
Thank you for the OR / AND way of understanding what talking to these people is like. It fits with my family and their psychological profile rooted in ignorance and fear of the other. It’s a profound emotional difference that reason doesn’t change. ❤️🤍💙
The OR competitive thinking continues to be the central premise of patriarchy. For me, the opposite of patriarch is not matriarchy -- it's egalitarianism. I try to vote for women, minorities and veterans when I can. People that can put country and constituents above party and patrons. WE, the People, all of us this time.
What issues did the other person talk about?
I started by answering her question on why I felt democracy was in such trouble. That included the super majority legislature, the vigilante injustice of the anti-abortion law going around the US Constitution, the gerrymandered redistricting that will assure minority rule, and talked about there was no voter fraud and we needed more not less voter access. Basically concluding that we were going to minority rule. I don't think I used the word Republican at all. In fact, in things like gerrymandering I stated that both parties used it when they could. Then I asked her what she thought. Here I stopped her when she tried the what if game -- Obama did the same wrong thing that Trump did... I told her two wrongs were still wrong. She had to agree with that and didn't use the what if game again. She was not convinced about voter fraud. And about how a poll watcher had been mistreated. We had a long discussion about the Harris County (Houston) judge who "overstepped" her authority in setting up putting in ballot drop boxes and encouraging mail-in voting. She didn't buy that the pandemic was the excuse for all this. I countered with Governor Abbott restricting the number of ballot drops to one per county rather than based on population was so unfair. She was convinced that Trump won the election because he had been ahead in the early returns and then all the voting machines stopped when the mail-in votes were counted and all the sudden everything was going the other way. I told of my technical background in information security and about the ERIC (Election Registration Information Center) database used in 35 states including Texas use that can detect voter fraud and found next to nothing. I talked about being an Independent and agreeing with John Adams on the two-party system would be the worst evil to befall the Constitution. Talked about how the two parties now represented the extremes and there was a big middle like myself who were no longer being represented by anyone. I believe she related to the big middle not being represented. I'll post this much. I'll post my reply in chunks...
To continue... It did surprise me a bit that my view on no voter fraud didn't make a dent in her perception that lots of voter fraud had happened. When I asked about all the court cases that had dismissed the notion of voter fraud, she said that was all because the courts threw them out on grounds of not having standing so never addressed the voter fraud! It is interesting that the far right has given all these people an answer for everything. This was a new one to me. We spent a lot of time on poll watchers and all the fraud they had found. I wasn't successful in convincing her most of the poll watchers have no idea what they are looking at and was glad the "voter integrity" law in Texas at least included training for poll watchers through the efforts of the League of Women Voters among others. I do fear the November 2022 election is going to have some bad events with angry poll watchers seeing what they want to see. All my talk on people not knowing what they were looking at didn't seem to make a dent in her thinking about voter fraud. Perceptions are real is one of my favorite sayings. I continue in the next post..
To continue... I didn't go too much into Trump or Trumpism. Wanted to try to stay on common ground if I could. She did see some flaws in Trump but then liked his brash talk. We talked about bullying and politicians calling people names a bit. The question I thought of asking but chose not to was "Would you allow you children to bully and call names like that." Another question I thought of asking and didn't was "Who do you trust?" I'll save that one for our next discussion since I didn't want to get into discussing Fox News or whatever. She is a concerned citizen and has gone to Austin to give testimony at committee hearings. She spoke in support of the "voter integrity" law. She had spoken to the President of the Texas League of Women Voters after one hearing and asked her an OR question I call them. She has joined the chapter of the League here in the Hill Country of which I'm the Leadership Team Coordinator (an egalitarian way of saying President). It was our LWV meeting where I talked about the critical need right now to defend democracy -- which is the mission of the LWV along with empowering voters. She saw the League of tending left. The League is totally nonpartisan and will not endorse or oppose any candidate for elected office. It does do advocacy for voting rights, fair redistricting, women's health and other positions. These are based on inclusion for all which can be perceived to be a more left position these days rather than simply being supporting the Constitution and We, the People, all of us this time. I encouraged her to participate in the review of the League's positions that is happening in the next couple of months to be voted on at the April state convention. The discussion then went to talking about we all have different life experiences which forms our opinions and positions. My answer to the OR question she asked the LWV-TX President was why can't we have both -- fair elections without fraud and ease of access to all voters. She liked this approach and looking at the perspectives of those with different life experiences. While we had very different views on a lot of topics, we do seem to agree that Synergy (my favorite word) where listening to lots of perspectives will lead us to better solutions for all that any one perspective could come up with. I left this discussion feeling like the main thing is to move people away from the OR positions -- you're entirely wrong and I'm entirely right -- and move toward synergy of respecting all perspectives and come up with AND solutions.
We the People, all of us this time!
Thanks so much, Cathy. This is a treasure trove of info/insight and words of wisdom.
One more thing that this discussion. She asked me what I thought of mask mandates. I told her it was a shame that our country didn't have the discipline to deal with the virus in order to eradicate it and now it is too late and we're stuck with it for years and years. No discipline when it made a difference. That did take her aback a bit but her right wing answer is that the virus isn't that big a deal! Tell that to the 750,000 who died!
Well done, and thanks for the extended discussion. May one quote from this and, if so, how much of the identifiers do you want redacted, if any?
Yes, you may quote from this. I don't see any particular need to redact any of the identifiers. I tried to be careful about that when I wrote it. My philosophy is that you can only say to others what you are willing to say to the person directly.
I’m trying to wrap my head around this….
“ When I asked about all the court cases that had dismissed the notion of voter fraud, she said that was all because the courts threw them out on grounds of not having standing so never addressed the voter fraud! I”
Yes, quite an interesting sound bite. Think I will go find out more about why the cases were dismissed so I have a rebuttal ready next time.
Cathy--I admire your commitment to principles, and your stamina. There are lots of analyses available of the various court cases, but your interlocutor's claim that they were thrown out for "lack of standing" is correct in many cases. One headline-grabbing example was when the SC declined to take up Paxton's Texas lawsuit against the results in four key states (12/11/20). The majority ruled that
"Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections."
But, as a number of commentators have pointed out, this is not some weaselly legal "technicality." To win a suit, the plaintiff(s) must show that they have been injured--some actual harm done to them--not just that they don't like what happened. Without evidence of harm, there is no claim. This is not a mere technicality. A number of the wacko suits brought by Bopp, Guliani, Powell, et.al., in various state courts did get to trial, and were dismissed with often scathing rebukes from the bench because their "evidence" was bogus or nonexistent. This led to recommendations for their disbarment, and countersuits by some state officers for expenses incurred through their frivolous assertions.
If you want a start on going deeper in the weeds:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-election_lawsuits_related_to_the_2020_United_States_presidential_election
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/election_law/litigation/
https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_2020_Election_Help_Desk:_Tracking_election_disputes,_lawsuits,_and_recounts
Cathy, please give us more details!
Marcy, see my reply to rebecca m above for more details... Thank you for asking.
I just read it. Thanks! Excellent . . . one person at a time.
It sounds like an interesting conversation, was the response positive?
She acknowledged that we were probably mostly opposite in our views but liked the idea of working together toward better solutions for all of us. My "we can have both" worked well. Like why not have honest fair elections accessible to all of us. And, she felt listened to and did listen. We all have very different life experiences and that forms our positions. I always ask what in this person's life experience brought them to this position. I think for her it was a very conservative Christian upbringing. So, yes, I think we both came away from the conversation feeling reasonable positive. I'm putting more details above.
I'm sure that person looked at you like you had just landed from Mars.
Actually, she really did want to listen and try to understand. While I don't think I changed any of her positions, I think my proposal to work together to get solutions we could all live with sunk in.
a small candle in the darkness, flickering in the wind. Take care to keep it going.
Yes, Cathy !! I’d love to hear more .I’ve had discussions with friends who voted for Trump and they’ve listened. ( I think) I’ve used the it’s-not-all-and-balck-white but I don’t have your skill set :) Please share!
We need lots of BOTH/AND solutions, which require conversation, creativity, and humility.
No person, party, or point of view has a monopoly on correct answers.
Yup. 🤙🏻🇺🇸
HARRY S. TRUMAN What do you know about Harry?
# Only 20th century president not to go to college;
# Experienced most personal failures before 40 of any American president;
# In Independence lived all his married life in the house of his mother-in-law, who thought him unworthy of her daughter and called him Mr. Truman even when he was president;
#With poor eye sight, he memorized the eye chart to get into WW I, where he excelled;
# An honest politician, he arrived in Washington as “Pendergast’s senator’ and was shunned by FDR and other senators;
# Achieved national prominence by his exceptional assault on corruption in military contracts;
# Personally did not wish to be Vice President;
# Was Vice President for 83 days during which a dying FDR did nothing to prepare him for the presidency;
# On April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died, Truman knew nothing about the atomic Manhattan project.
Thus commenced a turbulent presidency in which a raw rookie faced some of the most tumultuous decisions of any president, including FDR and Lincoln. “To err is Truman” and
‘The buck stops here” are book ends of his tipsy-turvy presidency. At one time his national poll numbers were below Nixon’s worst during Watergate. More than two generations later historians in the well-regarded CSPAN presidential rankings place Harry as near great.
The two best books on Harry are by my long-time friend, David McCullough (Pulitzer Prize winning TRUMAN and Hamby’s MAN OF THE PEOPLE. To really understand Harry, I strongly recommend the PBS American Experience TRUMAN, available in DVD.
Incidentally this high-school graduate was a voracious reader of history, especially biography, read Latin for pleasure, and his 1953-1971 letter exchange with erudite Dean Acheson, according to David McCullough, matched or exceeded the quality of the late-in-life correspondence between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
I’M JUST WILD ABOUT HARRY
Thank you for the recommendation. Will look for these when I finish “The Woman Behind the New Deal, the Life of Frances Perkins,” by Kristin Downey (which I recommend).
Joan Frances Perkins, one of my heroes, was an extraordinary lady. She was galvanized by the 1911 Waist Coat Factory Fire, in which over 100 women were killed and the owners got off scot free. When FDR, who can be a slippery guy, offered Perkins the job as Labor Secretary, she first obliged him to approve a list of proposed reforms that she sought in implement. She was critical in the Social Security Act of 1935 where, despite a huge Democrat majority in Congress, FDR had to make some significant compromises to assuage conservative Democrats. Concerned with a dog-in-the-manger Supreme Court, he benefited from a shrewd Justice Brandeis legal suggestion from a 1927 SC ruling that enhanced the legality of Social Security. Initially millions of people were not covered. Perkins served for all of FDR’s years.
I am nearly finished with the book. I have taken some consolation and inspiration in discovering how she navigated and persevered in spite of opposition that was directed at her in a very personal way. She didn’t get everything she tried for in legislation and policies, but she accomplished so much that was beneficial to generations.
Not to mention the fact that she accomplished all her great political work while balancing a delicate home life raising a child and dealing with her husband’s mental health challenges. She is my Shero💪
Do you mean the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire?
Yup! At five in the morning, before coffee, my top-of-head scribblings are, on occasion, jumbled, since I don’t go upstairs to my reference library. At least I was close. Movies of the fire are sickening as well as the owners getting off scot free.
Fannie or Frances Perkins, but Joan?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Perkins
Ellie Do I get 50% (still failing) for getting Perkins right aT 5 A. M.? Perhaps I was unconsciously thinking of Joan of Arc.
Wow, thanks, Keith.
Yes, thank you Keith! Since reading Heather’s letters I feel I’m finally getting the history lessons my high school scratched the surface of. Everyone on this forum has added to my continuing education with your suggestions! ❤️
Ditto. With HCR and some very astute contributors, I know and love more history and political science than ever.
Truman was the first and last president to drop nuclear bombs. Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were so bombed during WW II. He had other options, but it is not clear if any of them could have been a less inhuman as well as successful solution.
I would not be alive today nor my children and grandchildren if he hadn’t dropped those bombs 💣, my dad, who flew torpedo borders, TBF’s, was on his way back to the states to get carrier landing training for the attack on mainland Japan. We were projected to loose a million men defeating the Japanese on their homeland.
Torpedo Bombers, sorry.
I remember those arguments, Fern. Some say the war was waning anyway and we had gained the upper hand before the bombing. It was horrendous enough that no nation has been tempted to use its arsenal since, knock on wood. I suppose we can say that was a positive outcome. Similar to napalm in Vietnam, what apocalyptic weapons with such devastating outcomes.
Hope, The first point you raised, with the Soviets entering the war and the Japanese close to spent... may have been a option. I cannot except the use of napalm in Vietnam.
The public needs to know more and press thoughtfully about Department of Defense budget: ' The FY 2022 President’s Budget request of $715 billion when compared to the FY 2021 enacted amount of $703.7 billion, reflects a 1.6% increase. Importantly, the requested amount reflects a shift in resources to match priorities. For the Navy and Air Force, there are additional investments to address strategic competition with China. For the Army, the request reflects the President’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan prior to the beginning of FY 2022.' (Dept. of Defense)
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2638711/the-department-of-defense-releases-the-presidents-fiscal-year-2022-defense-budg/
Fern The formal discussion and recommendation on dropping the atomic bomb never explored the possibility of not dropping the bomb. It was clear to the top military and Truman that the bomb would spare many American (and Japanese) lives from an invasion of the Mainland (after such a bloody Okinawa battle). In picking targets, a young officer got Kyoto excluded. Truman was concerned about civilian casualties. He left the targeting to the military and was stunned by the massive number of Japanese civilians killed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Actually more were killed in the earlier fire bombing of Tokyo and other major cities.
Keith, I have read about options. There may have been consensus, as you suggest. Surely, Truman would have considered them. Here are a few of the arguments that I reviewed.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/trumanatomicbomb.htm
https://www.ushistory.org/us/51g.asp
https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/atomic-bomb-hiroshima-nagasaki-justified-us-debate-bombs-death-toll-japan-how-many-died-nuclear/
Thanks for this! I've found those American Experience episodes about presidents really good.
Kim (like the name—we had a small boat named Kim after me, my brother Ian, and my sister Margot), the American Experience president series is outstanding. I thought the one on Reagan was too gentle. Curiously, the one on Eisenhower suddenly disappeared from the series. I found it excellent and sought to distribute it to Eisenhower Fellows. I asked Susan and David Eisenhower and David McCullough (the narrator) what happened, but never received an answer.
I never enjoyed biographies, or history, until I discovered David McCullough’s book Truman. It was a wonderful readable book and significantly changed my reading habits and hence many of my views.
Same here.
Elizabeth I’ve read almost all of David McCullough’s books. My favorite ‘mystery’ is PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS, about the machinations surrounding our taking Panama from Colombia and buying the rusted De Lesseps remains. I have told David and Rosalie that his book that I would take with me on a desert island is BRAVE COMPANIONS, 17 wonderful biographical vignettes.
We listened to The Path Between the Seas as we drove across the country years ago and enjoyed. Haven’t read Brave Companions yet, will add to my reading list. Thanks for the recommendation.
Elizabeth David’s research in Paris on The Path Between the
Seas sparked his interest in writing a page-turning book on 19th century American artists in Paris. (David studied art and English at Yale and is a fine amateur artist). In this book, together with fascinating art stories, he describes the remarkable feats of the American government representative during the 1870 war with Germany and its communal aftermath.
OMG, I remember childhood taunts toward Truman: LSMFT=Lord Save Me From Truman, a parody of the cigarette ad LSMFT=Lucky Strikes Means Fine Tobacco. Thankfully, I grew up to know better about both the President and tobacco! I admire this man very much. What a horrendous decision to have to make with the Atomic Bomb, though.
When faced with the loss of a million men taking the Japanese islands it seems like the only sane choice. That’s the number that our military thought we were going to loose. Okinawa where my dad fought was only the beginning, unlike the Germans who shared our western outlook for life, the Japanese saw surrender as morally dishonorable and our experience moving up through the islands towards Japan saw very few prisoners taken, not because we weren’t willing to take prisoners, but because they refused to surrender as it was dishonorable so they died virtually to the last man. As terrible as the nuclear bombs were in the end they saved a lot of lives.
Saving Freedom, by Joe Scarborough is also a good read.
Joe Scarborough has a new book about Truman, he spoke for a week on MJ about him and had excellent guests discuss him as well. I came away thinking that here was a president during my lifetime that I knew almost nothing about.
You beat my post by about 5 seconds!
My dad was a Foreign Service Officer (a State Department person with a presidential commission similar to military officers' commissions). In the late 1950s he was posted to Lagos, Nigeria. (I was five). We came on home leave for three weeks to visit his parents in Baton Rouge Louisiana. Years later he told me this story.
He decided to find a forum somewhere in the Baton Rouge community to offer questions and answers about what was happening in equatorial Africa. He made a lot of phone calls to various community leaders: mayor, educators, ministers, and so forth He got no traction until he contacted a Black minister. That minister spread the word and invited him to speak in a church on some weeknight. The place was packed to the rafters, and the session went on for hours with lots of questions and conversation. At the time my dad was junior -- a vice consul equivalent to an Army first lieutenant -- but still engaged with his audience.
It's really good that Secretary Blinken is encouraging this kind of outreach. Foreign Service Officers on home leave are a really good resource for local communities.
That kind of outreach would help create a very informed America, the kind that can think and will not blindly follow or be easily controlled by idiocy, seditionists and fascists. Bravo to your father—he is a true, global community builder and educator who earned every penny of his paycheck and pension, unlike the do-nothing despots/traitors in our government right now who only sow deceit, lies and fear and should be sitting in 8x10 rooms with bars on them.
No wonder the R's are so opposed to non-white voters; they are a force for good and the polar opposite of Trumpers. I've become enthralled with people unlike me. Because of losing a great deal of my pension in the 2008 financial debacle, I was forced to find housing in the less expensive part of town=people of other races, nationalities, and ethnic groups. Never did I ever experience so much goodwill, kindness, and common cause before. I did not expect a retirement like this, but it is an ironic stroke of fortune; perhaps a karmic lesson before my final days. Yes to Ollie's father, too.
I can hear the clang of the cell doors slamming shut, it sounds like music 🎶
Thank you, Dr Richardson for cutting through the noise and juvenile insults to talk about law makers trying to do decent work to actually help people.
I’m appalled and exhausted with mainstream media coverage that seems intent on tearing down this administration with their predictions of failure. It’s only been 9 months that Biden has been in office for godsake, and he walked into a gutted and dysfunctional mess left by tfg that were still trying to dig out of. Not to mention that only half of Congress is actually trying to pass legislation while the other half is coming up with “cute little phrases” and making country rap videos.
A few weeks ago, someone posted that the commenters here had a blind spot for Biden and couldn’t tolerate any negative reporting on the Biden administration. I think reason for that impression is that the media has been so unfair in their reporting, and this letter is one of the few places we can come and celebrate the victories and the positive things this administration is trying to achieve. We are all aware that no president is perfect, but we’re also not a bunch of misty-eyed romantics blindly loyal to Joe, as this commenter implied.
Imagine if other media outlets tried to inform and educate as much as Dr Richardson does in LFAA. I’m so tired of the bashing and the sensationalism that has replaced journalism. I’m actually going to cancel my NYT subscription because the only substantial reporting these days is in the wedding section.
I am now 74 years old and have continuously maintained a NY Times subscription since my 10th birthday. I earned my first subscription by delivering the NY Times to all the teachers in my elementary school. I cannot imagine beginning my day without the NY Times. Along with the Times I also have long had a subscription to the Washington Post and local newspapers. I consider active support of quality journalism and local news media as well as being informed a civic responsibility. This is likely an ethic handed down in my family from one generation to the next beginning with my grandfather who was a journalist and later the editor of a significant news publication.
I wholeheartedly agree Bruce. Nearly 74 myself, the NYTimes has been my lifelong mainstay along with the local paper and more recently the WaPo. Together with HCR, NPR and the Atlantic, it keeps me reasonably informed. Bias and self interest are inevitable, they are human institutions after all, but, they are what we have. We are poorer with each newspaper closing.
I wholeheartedly agree. Supporting media that has integrity is one of the most important things we can do to support this country.
Absolutely, we have to support quality and local journalism in every way we can. In addition to those 2 I subscribe to the Baltimore Sun (so sad to watch it be gutted by a hedge fund) and my local paper.
I'm joining all the NYT and good journalism fans, here. Don't forget the excellent games and puzzles section. Bruce, you've been outstanding today. Damn, we could use a few clones of you.
No president (or any other leader) is perfect. But the Biden administration is not operating from a place of bad faith, out to hurt others to somehow enable success. That is the R point of view. Dems need to play their horn as loud and long about their policies as the R’s do their lies. And how about some side by side comparisons? We need more Dem senators, so we are not at the mercy of “moderates”. The D majorities in the Senate during FDR and LBJ’s times were over 60. To say the D margin is razor thin is to misspeak. The margin is more like fine hair thin.
Yes! And that’s what make this so painful. The Biden admin is trying to pass legislation to actually help people. You know, one of the actual roles of a governing body.
Please don’t cancel your subscription. There is junk coming out in NYT — but there is also crucial, important, democracy-supporting journalism that is absolutely VITAL to our rescuing our nation in the evolving of this frightening, dangerous epoch.
Let’s all keep paying, when we can, to keep in business the sources of truth and integrity and investigation and witness. Please don’t pull away now. The smart, seasoned, trained, dedicated journalists in American need resources to keep giving us the facts.
A damn good newspaper, not perfect but with a fair number of excellent journalists and a wide array of valuable sections from the arts, business and science, in addition to national and international news. (Food, too!)
Fern I consider the New York Times the least worst alternative for a daily American newspaper, along with the Washington Post. The Economist, weekly and daily Espresso, provide valuable insights, as does The Guardian. The Week, daily, weekly, and its cartoons, I find valuable for its presentation of various viewpoints in a professional manner. Heather’s nightly domestic commentary is my must read, together with the comments which often are highly informative and personal.
Thank for reminding me of The Week, Keith. I post Borowitz's satires, because I figure we need more laughs. The Week's cartoons will help me on that score. Cheers!
NYT virtual events (free to subscribers) offer renowned guests and “hot topics,” as well!
Exactly!
Absolutely journalists need our support!
I agree with SLWeston (PA) below. We have so few resources for news. Though the NYT makes terrible errors at times, it does not compare to the errors of fact that the alt-right news sources offer. Nothing, nothing is perfect. As people who are interested in news, it plays a meaningful role. It is also one of the few sources that employs "foreign correspondents who actually live in the regions they report on. Few news outlets can afford to do this. The "1619" project, alone, provides significant reason for our support.
I really appreciate everyone’s responses about cancelling NYT. I hear everything you’re saying and honestly, I am torn. No doubt they do good work, but then they F up the good with Josh Hawly or Tom Cotton or miss opportunities to inform and instead, condemn.
Big sigh. I’ll probably not cancel, but do intend to keep writing letters to the editor.
News organizations of all types have the same concern. Getting eyeballs on ads and selling more ads. If too few people watch or buys the paper they are out of business. This includes NPR and the NYT. To do that they must walk the line making the news more exciting so they can sell more papers. My job as a reader is to be educated enough to know when the NYT is giving me valuable information and when they are working over time to keep it exciting. I find the substance of the stories in the paper interesting without all of the manufactured drama but I am in the minority. I can see the allure of FOX news for some. It is exciting, angry and partisan, almost like friends of like minds talking. FOX invokes an elevated reaction but it is not the news and it is misleading to the extreme. I am happy to have the NYT and NPR with the understanding that it is up to me to have a more realistic understanding of how things work.
I cancelled my NYT subscription yesterday. I gave as my reason for canceling their publication of an opinion piece by Josh Hawley regarding world trade on 29-October-2021. I resisted canceling earlier this year when they published an opinion piece by Tom Cotton. I appreciate the opinions of most of the NTY op-ed contributors. I am taking the commendatory comments of nearly everyone responding to Sharon (Atlanta) to heart, and I reckon that I will re-subscribe to the NYT at some point in the future. But giving insurrectionists a bloody fine platform for expressing their opinions, and the implicit imprimatur of one of our leading news organizations, was, for me, for now, a bridge too far.
Washington Post! The NY Times succumbed to political flunkies when tRump first ran—Repugs whined about “not being heard,” so rather than to consider news fit to print, they just opened the gateways….the moral of the story: Keep an open mind, but don’t let your brain fall out!
It IS infuriating, Bill Ball. I don’t get it either. I imagine the editorial board has full-throated justification for it
I’ve been disappointed in NYT but I’m keeping my subscription because I believe they excel at investigative journalism.
I also agree about unfairness in the mainstream media. Although when the MSM, Democrats( and heck, even Late Night Comedy) criticize Biden it’s amazing…..no one loses their job, committee chairmanship, is blacklisted/harassed or threatened. That’s democracy!
Just an aside, but every time I see tfg, I read it as ‘the f*cking guy’. That reflects the truth to me. 😁🤭🤗
Leenie- excellent because that’s exactly how I meant it!!
Agree with everything except canceling your NYT subscription. They do have good in depth investigations and Katie Benner is a great reporter.
You wrote: "I’m appalled and exhausted with mainstream media coverage that seems intent on tearing down this administration with their predictions of failure. It’s only been 9 months that Biden has been in office for godsake, and he walked into a gutted and dysfunctional mess left by tfg that were still trying to dig out of. Not to mention that only half of Congress is actually trying to pass legislation while the other half is coming up with “cute little phrases” and making country rap videos."
I want to share this with MSNBC, which is my go-to for news other than WaPo and other online publications I trust. This is SO very true!
Please feel free to share!
Ellen, you expressed my thoughts exactly. Perhaps their ratings are down, but there is a definite ramping up of what feels to me like hysteria on MSNBC. Even some of my favorite commentators have succumbed. I find myself wondering if any of them read Dr. Richardson’s posts, and wishing they were putting out a better product. Reality right now is bad enough without this amplified nay saying/ finger pointing.
Susan who in particular are you referring to? I often watch Ari Melber, Rachel Maddow, Alicia Menendez, Nicole Wallace Brian Williams, and Lawrence O'Donnell finding them all solid, and frequently exceptional in terms of research, information not covered elsewhere, presentation and, several display deep the wide knowledge. The reporters in the field are also, generally good and even tempered.
Ha! I see you noticed that I went out of my way not to name names.
(Like throwing a family member under the bus.)
I trust the news content at MSNBC, and I agree that many of the anchors have a deep knowledge of their subject matter, Ari Melber and his expertise in the law as an example. Additionally many guests and panel members are excellent. Neil Katyal comes to mind. And yes, Wallace, Melber, Menendes are standouts. “Show don't tell” works for me when I’m reading. Im not sure what the equivalent is with TV news.
I am uncomfortable with too many personal opinions, a celebration of personality, and an excess of emotion related to the news, and I’m recently noticing more of this.
Last night in a zoom womens’ group, i reluctantly brought this up. Noone blinked an eye and some had already switched off MSNBC to print news.
🤷🏼
Susan, I am not familiar with "Show don't tell. From your reply, I understand that your complaint is based on seeing an excess of emotion related to the news, too many personal opinions and a celebration of personality on MSNBC. Perhaps my selection of programs on that outlet has minimized exposure to such viewing experiences, although there's always a bit of that. I worked in public affairs for many years and a strong advocate of the free press. Some of the programs I worked on as an associate producer, producer and executive producer employed journalistic standards, so I am familiar with the field. I hope that you have found the reading material and public affairs programing that meet your need to know.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show,_don%27t_tell
This is what came up. Im sure with your work experience, you are familiar, but perhaps by another name. And its not quite right for reporting the news.
I saw the Boebert video today but had no clue about the meaning of "Let's go, Brandon." Until now. What struck me was Boebert's performance, an insincere, preening, look-at-me contrivance. Recorded for all time we have a superficial dolt drawing attention to herself to compensate for a lack of qualifications and seriousness for an important role in our government. And to learn it was all a buildup to her crescendo, a crass and profane insult to the country's elected leader.
This is the Republican Party. It's the party that wants to rule us, no matter how many lies required, in the midst of a pandemic that has claimed at least 5 million lives globally, the existential threat of climate change, and so many other daunting challenges.
Redistricting in CO is about wrapped up. Boebert, once again, is in a solid Republican district. She will most likely be re-elected.
I’ll support whoever her opponent might be but , I suspect, it won’t make enough difference .
Owning the libs, big boobs, and guns will likely be enough to win with the Republican base. 🤦🏼♂️
I expect she will win. Any of the other asswipe Republicans will win as well. That's the plan of redistricting. Their intentions are not that they win, it's made so they can't lose.
She's been a juvenile delinquent since she was committing statutory rape with the Big Bozo In Town with whom she has now spawned four times. A for-real juvenile delinquent with a Juvie Record.
Did she get her GED yet?
Can’t answer that, but, according to Forbes, her campaign team misidentified the state she represents: Utah instead of Colorado! https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacheverson/2021/10/29/lauren-boeberts-campaign-mistakenly-says-in-fec-filing-that-she-represents-utah/?sh=4ecfd7e25836
Thank you Dr. Richardson. Knowing the halls of the State Dept. were emptied under the former "person" I am heartened to read about Anthony Blinken's programs. Foreign service people are quiet Americans who toil yet do essential work on behalf of the democracy. They have roots here yet often have to move abruptly and take their families (if possible) to far away destinations. Too many U.S. citizens overlook foreign service folks. They have no clue about their sacrifice.
Fiona Hill comes to mind. Impressive in her testimony during the impeachment.
I hope she gets a seat at the table. She's super smart and articulate.
I do, too! She would be an incredible addition.
I’m reading her book now (“There is nothing for you here”)
Is it as good as the reviews I've read?
I’m only about 1/3 the way in, but am finding it a worthy read so far. I honestly didn’t know much about her until recently, so learning about her life and journey is interesting.
Dr. Hill is the reader of the audio book. It's marvelous. She is a remarkable woman.
I do hope Biden and Blanken’s plan is structured to work even with Retrumplican obstructionism.
We were treated to an introduction to the cadre of the foreign service during the first impeachment hearing’s, too say that they were impressive is an understatement. I had no idea…..
The perfect song to describe these scum:
Have you seen the little piggies
Crawling in the dirt?
And for all the little piggies
Life is getting worse,
Always having dirt to play around in
Have you seen the bigger piggies
In their starched white shirts?
You will find the bigger piggies
Stirring up the dirt,
Always have clean shirts to play around in
In their styes with all their backing
They don't care what goes on around
In their eyes there's something lacking
What they need's a damn good whacking
Everywhere there's lots of piggies
Living piggy lives
You can see them out for dinner
With their piggy wives
Clutching forks and knives to eat the bacon
Here’s a link to George Harrison of The Beatles singing it. From the White album. So apropos.
https://youtu.be/t0nzZ8-kIf0
Thanks for posting the link! Amazing that all morning reading all this, I kept thinking about the lying seditionists was right in the perfect song: "What they need's a damn good whacking!" Justice, where are you? We are still waiting.... Can you not get them out of our government and try them for crimes against democracy and humanity? How far will we have to go with them? They are growing worse and worse day by day.
😊😄😊
'The impact of the long-term democratic decline has become increasingly global in nature, broad enough to be felt by those living under the cruelest dictatorships, as well as by citizens of long-standing democracies. Nearly 75 percent of the world’s population lived in a country that faced deterioration last year.'
'The expansion of authoritarian rule, combined with the fading and inconsistent presence of major democracies on the international stage, has had tangible effects on human life and security, ....'
'The parlous state of US democracy was conspicuous in the early days of 2021 as an insurrectionist mob, egged on by the words of outgoing president Donald Trump and his refusal to admit defeat in the November election, stormed the Capitol building and temporarily disrupted Congress’s final certification of the vote. This capped a year in which the administration attempted to undermine accountability for malfeasance, including by dismissing inspectors general responsible for rooting out financial and other misconduct in government; amplified false allegations of electoral fraud that fed mistrust among much of the US population...' 'But the outburst of political violence at the symbolic heart of US democracy, incited by the president himself, threw the country into even greater crisis. Notwithstanding the inauguration of a new president in keeping with the law and the constitution, the United States will need to work vigorously to strengthen its institutional safeguards, restore its civic norms, and uphold the promise of its core principles for all segments of society if it is to protect its venerable democracy and regain global credibility.' (Freedom House)
Following TC's lead in relating a vexing problem via the lives of pigs, "The Three Little Pigs", reflect the widespread decline of democracy, the US's current situation, in particular.
'Once upon a time there was an old mother pig who had three little pigs and not enough food to feed them. So when they were old enough, she sent them out into the world to seek their fortunes'.
'The first little pig was very lazy. He didn't want to work at all and he built his house out of straw. The second little pig worked a little bit harder but he was somewhat lazy too and he built his house out of sticks. Then, they sang and danced and played together the rest of the day.'
'The third little pig, (USA) worked hard all day and built his house with bricks. It was a sturdy house complete with a fine fireplace and chimney. It looked like it could withstand the strongest winds.'
'The next day, a wolf (Fox News, Facebook, Trump, Republican Party, Charles Koch, et al.) happened to pass by the lane where the three little pigs lived; and he saw the straw house, and he smelled the pig inside. He thought the pig would make a mighty fine meal and his mouth began to water.'
'So he knocked on the door and said:'
' Little pig! Little pig!
Let me in! Let me in!
But the little pig saw the wolf's big paws through the keyhole, so he answered back:'
'No! No! No!
Not by the hairs on my chinny chin chin!
Then the wolf showed his teeth and said:'
'Then I'll huff
and I'll puff
and I'll blow your house down.
So he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house down! The wolf opened his jaws very wide and bit down as hard as he could, but the first little pig escaped and ran away to hide with the second little pig.'
'The wolf continued down the lane and he passed by the second house made of sticks; and he saw the house, and he smelled the pigs inside, and his mouth began to water as he thought about the fine dinner they would make.'
'So he knocked on the door and said:'
'Little pigs! Little pigs!
Let me in! Let me in!
But the little pigs saw the wolf's pointy ears through the keyhole, so they answered back:'
'No! No! No!
Not by the hairs on our chinny chin chin!
So the wolf showed his teeth and said:'
'Then I'll huff
and I'll puff
and I'll blow your house down!'
'So he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house down! The wolf was greedy and he tried to catch both pigs at once, but he was too greedy and got neither! His big jaws clamped down on nothing but air and the two little pigs scrambled away as fast as their little hooves would carry them.'
'The wolf chased them down the lane and he almost caught them. But they made it to the brick house and slammed the door closed before the wolf could catch them. The three little pigs they were very frightened, they knew the wolf wanted to eat them. And that was very, very true. The wolf hadn't eaten all day and he had worked up a large appetite chasing the pigs around and now he could smell all three of them inside and he knew that the three little pigs would make a lovely feast.'
'So the wolf knocked on the door and said:'
'Little pigs! Little pigs!
Let me in! Let me in!
But the little pigs saw the wolf's narrow eyes through the keyhole, so they answered back':
'No! No! No!
Not by the hairs on our chinny chin chin!
So the wolf showed his teeth and said:'
'Then I'll huff
and I'll puff
and I'll blow your house down.'
'Well! he huffed and he puffed. He puffed and he huffed. And he huffed, huffed, and he puffed, puffed; but he could not blow the house down. At last, he was so out of breath that he couldn't huff and he couldn't puff anymore. So he stopped to rest and thought a bit.'
'But this was too much. The wolf danced about with rage and swore he would come down the chimney and eat up the little pig for his supper. But while he was climbing on to the roof the little pig made up a blazing fire and put on a big pot full of water to boil. Then, just as the wolf was coming down the chimney, the little piggy pulled off the lid, and plop! in fell the wolf into the scalding water.'
'So the little piggy put on the cover again, boiled the wolf up, and the three little pigs ate him for supper.' (American Literature)
*****
See links to Freedom House and American Literature (Three Little Pigs) below.
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2021/democracy-under-siege
https://americanliterature.com/childrens-stories/the-three-little-pigs
I didn't realize pigs were carnivores!
You’ve obviously never watched Deadwood 😂
I actually Laughed Out Loud!
Don’t you know 👍
Pigs eat everything they can touch
... but,I hear they make good domestic companions - must be important to keep them well fed ... now that I think of it, wild boars probably are carnivorous.
Kathleen, Almost anything is possible in a fable or nursery rhyme.
😄😂😄
Kathleen, you never heard that a pig sty is the best place to put a body you’re trying to get rid of? Not that I’ve ever needed such a place! 😉
No Sharon, I has not heard that - it brings to mind a report about a pig farmer in B.C. who was being investigated for involvement with missing and murdered native American women ...
Let's be clear, just because pigs are actually very intelligent and sweet and nothing like the GOP, that we're not talking about actually pigs here.
LOL!
We could use a few new Steve Earle songs as well, but for now its “ Come Woody Guthrie, come back to us now…”
John Prine. Damn Covid.
So who wrote that one? Do you have a link to the tune?
The Beatles
George Harrison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhY1x8CpWeI
“Under Biden, the Democrats are replacing the Republican ideology of the past forty years, which focused on individual liberty and cowboy diplomacy, with a plan to invest in our people and to cooperate with other countries.
This return to principles that ushered in our most prosperous years hardly seems like a good reason to curse the president.”
Agreed. Thank you sister Heather.
How clever! The human failure and his wannabe bullies and liars have turned into smarmy teenagers. And again, the dumbed-down media plays this up instead of repeating President Biden’s excellent speech which needs repeating. Can we organize a search party for their thinking caps?
Thanks HCR, I guess we needed to know this juvenile crappola but it feels very much like red herrings to me. If every Democrat and independent would use the next 4 days to focus on all the good Joe Biden has accomplished in less than a year, we might see the shocking return of sanity on Election Day Tuesday.
Thanks, Gigi. Virginia (and New Jersey) needs all of us.
Good morning all! The growing use of Let's go, Brandon by neofascist groups was explored on NPR this morning. It was, admittedly the first I had heard of it because I don't watch TV news and I don't listen to other news outlets. How very unsurprising for a group that did not censure the yutz who yelled "You lie" in the middle of Obama's first State of the Union to resort to schoolyard bully tactics.
In his newsletter this morning, Jamelle Bouie, the NY Times Op-Ed essayist, said something deeply wise with respect to the VA governor's race, which is now being used as a barometer for 2022, and in which the Rethuglican candidate is promising to remove any discussion of racism from the school curriculum--the usual ignorant mischaracterization of discussions we need to have as "CRT" (which of course it is not): "Democracy requires empathy. We have to be able to see ourselves in one another to be able to see one another as political equals. I think history education is one important way to build that empathy. To understand the experiences of a person in a fundamentally different time and place is to practice the skills you need to see your fellow citizens as equal people even when their lives are profoundly different and distant from your own. This is why it’s vital that students learn as much as possible about the many varieties of people who have lived, and died, on this land.
This democratic empathy is, I believe, a powerful force. It can, for example, lead white children in isolated rural Virginia to march and demonstrate in memory of a poor Black man who died at the hands of police in urban Minnesota."
Democracy requires empathy. Full stop. We have one party that embraces that mantra, we have one party that not only does not, it actively seeks people to become more selfish, more doctrinaire, more rigid.
I never in a thousand eons would have thought that the meaning of “Let’s go Brandon” would have been slipped to me by HCR. That alone compelled me to add a ❤️to today’s post.
For some weeks now I have seen it here and there as one does with new expressions - mostly in tweets I should suppose. I had hazily concluded that it was a phrase that had a sniggering, vulgar and childishly pompous affect. Occasionally I felt mildly disposed to Google it. At my age, it seems important to remain au courant with the twists and turns of the English language. Some new words and phrases do become part of our common linguistic heritage. But I never did, from some instinct that I should not be the better for learning this phrase. Dr. Cox Richardson to the rescue. :)
This is what it means? This is what Republicans down to a level as low as Mad Mitch are using? Really?? How desperate they are to (wink, wink) sound cool, to be in on what passes for the latest “joke”.
It seemed funny in a spectacle-ish sort of way for a moment. But then my feelings for it settled on deeply saddened, after stopping momentarily at anger.
What is the use of being angry all the time with a party that has sunk to this level? Today’s Republicans are part Greek chorus, part sniggering schoolboys who have just found out what the c*** word means. It is despicable for sure, but also terribly sad for America.
This is a party with no discipline beyond saying no to anything that might actually help the American people. Having been schooled in The Art of the Presidency by Trump, they have shed all guardrails. There is no serious limit to how far they will go to debase themselves, neither knowing nor caring that it is in service of nothing.
They have nothing to do, save to say No often and loudly, to tweet in vulgar neologisms, and, sacred duty of all, to raise spectacular sums of money from nefarious sources.
This is not a political party any longer, nor is it even pretending. Their leader is away on a forced holiday, they hold no power to do, only the means of denying.
One pictures them staying late in the evening until all but the cleaning staff have gone, and then madly sliding down the bannisters of the Congressional staircases, leaping off at the bottom and chalking an uneven line where they landed, to indicate that a new distance record has been set. Rinse liberally with alcohol and repeat.
Your Congress in action! Half of it at any rate. One thinks of Caligula seriously considering making his horse a consul and half fears that somewhere a small group of Republicans is planning some trick of that calibre. The tweets they could get!
The Democrats should be running amok with legislation in the face of this cretinous opposition. There should be no social ill left untackled, no bridge unbuilt, no voting right denied. President Biden should by now have had medical treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome from signing so many bills into law.
But no. They are getting nothing signed. They are earnestly working at doing some public good (have to say no to the bannister sliding!). But they are spinning their wheels in mud and it is flying all over them.
Despite what Doctor Cox Richardson says, I am much disinclined to think of this sad state of affairs as being born of “normal disagreements”. For one thing there are 220 Democratic Representatives and 48 Senators, tugging the rope in one direction. There are 2 Democratic Senators pulling in the other direction. 268 vs 2. It should be a walkover.
And it is. The 2 are winning the tug of war with ease. In their own earnest way, the Democrats are as sadly comical as their opposition.
I know it is more complex than this. There is the eternal progressive-centrist split. Krysten Sinema and President Manchin do speak for a wing of the party that is sympathetic to their views. Or they would, if it could only be determined exactly what their views are.
No, I take back my words. It isn’t more complex than 268 failing to accomplish what 2 don’t want them to.
Indulge in a thought experiment for a moment. Imagine that the Democrats had become the party of liars and lunatics. Imagine that the Republicans had a sane and earnest President wanting to do best by the American people. Imagine there were 50 Republican Senators and 220 Republican House members.
Here’s the question - would the Republicans be struggling to pass legislation that could, say…save the world? Make the United States a beacon of democracy? Turn the flow of the river around so that money flowed to the hundreds of millions of citizens rather than to the hundreds of oligarchs?
Yes. Yes. And yes. Those bills would have been done and dusted some time ago.
A democracy is in deep trouble when one party has to serve as both leader and active opposition, while the other jeers, “Let’s go Brandon”.
Caligula's horse would be a vast improvement on any of these retrumplicans in office. He would eat his oats and let everyone else do their job.
Indeed. As "The Economist" headlined an article about an earlier spate of put-up candidates without qualifications, ideas or character who spouted empty slogans: "Even Caligula's horse had a track record."
I like Jamelle Bouie's perspective in general, Linda, and I greatly appreciate your amplification of his thoughts in this comment prompted by his opinion piece today. Your summary is perfect. "Democracy requires empathy. Full stop." Right on to that.
Democracy is fighting the "Big Me".
This is a very astute observation by Professor Richardson:
“Instead of participating in the democratic system, Republicans turned over to conservative Democrats … the job of making conservative changes to the measure, while they simply fired insults at the president.”
It illustrates how McConnell has adopted the mafia-esque tactics of Putin & DT, by hiring henchmen, Manchin & Sinema, to damage their own party. Pardon my analogy, it seems like Republicans want to kill Democracy, and put the bloody knife in Democrats’ hands.
Trojan Horses, plain for all to see. Why I will pick two Senate candidates with best chance to win and support to my ability. Make the traitors irrelevant.
That would be very convenient, now wouldn't it.
Republicans have essentially opted out out of the agreed legal framework of the United States Constitution, which instituted a revolutionary democratic republic and the protocols to sustain it.
Preservation and Progress - being both self identical and self sufficient over time - is one of the philosophical conundrums of being in the world.
Within the sphere of politics, the Founders, men of the Enlightenment, decided that the answer to staying recognizably the United States of America over time while adapting to changing times, was to be accomplished through reasoned debate of empirical evidence.
To these seemingly insolubly contradictory ends and by these rational means of coming to consensus, the Constitution can be amended, laws can be revised, judicial decisions revisited, and new representatives elected. To some degree, these are all acts of interpretation. They eschew the absolute truths of religion for the provisional truths of science, the contextual truths of history, and the necessary truths of logic. They demand a sincere and well informed engagement in the task.
The Founders knew this relied on an educated polity, so they restricted participation to a specific class of men. Our government improved on this by providing for public education and expanding civil rights. At heart, we need to think things through together and to play fair.
And it is all this which Republicans have opted out of. They may bully their way through to political victory, but Republicans neither honor the nation's past nor prepare the nation for the future. Like all outlaws, Republicans depend on a sufficient number of honorable people to keep things from falling apart. That would be us. Enough of staggering under the burden of Republican intransigence and insurrection. We need to stand together and step forward. Our most immediate task is to secure and expand the Democratic majority.
The Founders expected those elected to act honorably as people of character and follow the Constitution. The R’s refuse and say, “So what? Who cares?” Never do they think they might be endangering themselves with their anything goes attitude. My mother always said, “ If you set out to hurt others, you will get hurt worse in the end.” She was right because I’ve seen it happen.
The GOP has, in essence, hacked the Constitution. By opting our of governing, our democratic system flashes a perpetual error message: File Not Found.
We have the 800 pound Truth in media crisis at the heart of our calamity. There must be legal precedents in our history to support penalties for propagation of libelous accusations.
It is not difficult to portray the Democrats as a shining party on a hill when the GOP is such a cesspool. But I am still waiting to find out which Democratic Senators are financially sustained by which fossil fuel, pharmaceutical and financial oligarchs, and how that may correspond to their public positions on eliminating the filibuster. Is it just Manchin and Sinema? I have my doubts.
We need to put them in "congress overalls" like NA$CAR overalls - with the sponsor's logos all over them.
Would make a “ Picture is worth a thousand words “ on Billboard's. Have Biden in the front of them ‘Showing ‘ All Americans how his bills would help them. Yes, even the Repubs. The mind set about the cause “The Repubs are the forgotten ones “. Because Obama was in office 8 yrs.They don’t have a very good memory how often the ‘Repubs ‘ forgot them.
Either that, or they are in the mindset of "thank you, sir, may I have another" (Niedermeyer Animal House reference) when it comes to what they think they need to do.
Oh, yeah!!
That's a good one TCinLA!
Manchin gets more oil, gas, and coal money than any other member of Congress.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/20/joe-manchin-oil-and-gas-fossil-fuels-senator
This doesn't surprise me, but I want to know what the others are getting.
David most definitely. Those 2 are not the only ones on the take.