Finally, we have news that Herschel Walker's supporters can easily grasp and conclude that they shouldn't vote for him despite their love for his football skills decades ago. Never have I seen a critical race so close between a candidate with so many admirable attributes and one who is clearly mentally ill.
GOP power brokers who have conspired to get Walker elected are morally bereft. They are manipulating a person who badly needs a range of medical care and has not a single skill to hold the office. Shameful beyond words.
Last week I was reading quotes from Hershel Walker and was suddenly overcome by how disabled and in need of care he truly is. Then I became angrier (even I was surprised) at the Republicans running a person so far and removed from his ability to communicate a lucid thought into words. I was struck by the wicked cruelty displaying his disabilities knowing he’s incapable of performing the duties required by a U.S. Senator. I actually despise the Republican Party even more. Using a person with diminishing mental abilities as a place card for republicans shows how despicable and desperate they are now. Not surprised, and that’s the sad part.
Yes, absolutely despicable and proof positive that the party of death will do anything and use anyone to make our country into an autocratic theocratic regime run by them. If Walker wins, they will probably try to sideline him and keep him out of the public eye, all the while helping him push the button to vote for R travesty.
Exactly. That’s the plan. Are there decent folk in GA? I believe there are. Will they hold the line against this sort of abuse of persons with mental disabilities?
Seeing as GA went for Biden & 2 Dem senators in 2020, we can safely assume that yes, there are decent Georgians. If they’re able to “hold the line” against the craziness that is the gop of today remains to be seen.
Anyone who has had even ONE traumatic brain injury knows how incredibly CRUEL this is to Walker. Yes he was a football star and won the Heisman trophy. If only he had stopped there. But NO, the NFL in all their reprehensible continued injuring his brain. How many times???
I had ONE traumatic brain injury and not a huge concussion. When I bumped my head on the floor at home it didn’t even hurt much. But I’ve had 3 brain surgeries and hopefully no more. But I have cognitive deficits - not huge but enough that it bothers ME. And big hospital bills of course. I can’t even imagine Walker’s level of deficits after a long career with the NFL. The ReThuglicans should be ashamed. But they aren’t. I donate small amounts to Rev. Warnock
Hi, I just wanted to interject here to mention that Herschel Walker played for a Trump owned team, not in the NFL, but the USFL. The owners of the NFL teams voted to exclude Trump from ownership in the NFL. He was too slimy even back then for their reputation! The only way Trump could fulfill his need for glory in the sports world, was to buy a team in the failed USFL. That and his phony wrestling WWA, I think it is called. Actually, I only watched the wrestling once when I was about 10years old. It seemed so phony and ridiculous even at that age, I never watched it again.
I'm of a mind that the Republicans have long thought to place an incapable personality at the forefront, while their henchmen manage from behind. Ronald Reagan, "I Can't Remember," "W," who was just plain ignorant about Afghanistan, Trump, who's been bizarre forever. There is a definite lack of awareness plus divergence from reality among them. Also, far too many Republicans win by electoral votes rather than popular votes.
It's in the R playbook now to get empty heads elected who will vote and blather as they are told, in exchange for fame and fortune. (MTG, Bobert, Gohmert, Bachman, Tubberville, et al).
He reached the white margins of those that have little education, are fearful and suspicious of city dwellers, immigrants, differences and the like. He "bestowed" upon them a position they could understand. I wouldn't be surprised if he hired people to instigate this in small towns and rural areas. The time I spent growing up in these communities, where the members are insecure and angry, helps me to understand how ripe so many are to take up the cause.
I have been seeking to find my true thoughts and feelings about Mr. Walker's running for office. Your words express my feelings admirably (sad to say).
Agreed. It is another form of enslavement. Not unlike using him for his football skills and running him -- at any cost-- as we have seen happen with the brain injuries of an NFL quarterback in the last week. It would have been no different to have put Walker in the Senate and to have Republican leaders calling the play on his every move. Enslavement and ridicule, the rest of the world and the consequences be damned.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the second-dumbest US Senator, seems similarly brain damaged. Of course, Exhibit A for proposition that the guiding, and perhaps only principle of the GOP and conservatism in general is will to power, is our twice-impeached malignant Mango Mussolini
And just because he is “morally bereft” does not mean people will not vote for him nonetheless. That horse left the barn in 2015. And in another note, I wish tfg would stop talking. It’s clear he’s desperate, and he’s being enabled by Judge Loose Cannon, who’s partiality is stamped on her forehead.
They need to get the word out for sure. However the issue is that Fox News, OAN, and NewsMax will say it is a lie and the Facebook algorithm will them that it is fake news. It's very hard to get those people to understand a different take when Tucker Carlson is your main news job and they already believe anything bad about their candidates is just a democrat hit job.
Here’s my prediction. GOP voters don’t care about Walker’s behaviors. They know he is dumb as a rock. They control him. Its just an easy Senate vote to manipulate. They’ll double down on attack ads, ignoring these revelations
Walker's supporters are rabid evangelicals who believe every one of his sins have already been forgiven. They are in two cults. It will be next to impossible to reach them in any way whatsoever.
They immediately believe that politics is a team sport and that Republicans are the good guys and Democrats are the bad guys. They believe politics is a zero sum game and they rather win at all costs.
Yes, fourth quarter is wrapping up with Dems up by 3. No time outs for either team. That’s how they think this is “played”. It’s not about unity, or laws so we can live together, not apart. To what’s left of the GOP, it’s about teams and who “wins”. You don’t get a “coach’ s challenge”. And there’s definitely NO overtime!
And yet, if by some tragedy he is elected, he will probably not be the dumbest member of what once was called the world’s greatest deliberative body. Not as long as Tommy Tuberville is there.
When the gop first announced that they wanted Hershel to be their senate candidate here in GA, I thought that was a gift made in heaven, the man isn’t smart enough to hang off the back of the garbage truck that came by the house yesterday. It turns out that I may have underestimated the level of ignorance that pervades the people that still vote repugnanticn here. There is such a clear difference in suitability for public office between Senator Warnock and Walker, that it seemed like it would be a no brainer, and that there has been a cascade of revelations demonstrating that fact, should have been a guarantee that Walker posed no threat, from what I read the threat is is still very real and will be cause for concern until Election Day. For the sake of our nation I hope that I am wrong.
Oh yes Michael - and even worse, they are cynically using his race to try to get black voters to come over, figuring if there are two black candidates, their chances improve. It's a weird form of racism on display for all to see. Shame on Walker for letting himself be used that way. Just another reason to not vote for him. I disagree with one thing you said though - We saw Hillary Clinton go down to Trump in 2016 - that one should take the cake for bad guys winning over good guys.
OK, but I don't believe for a minute that Walker's football stardom is the only, or even the primary, appeal for white Georgia Republicans. Racist white people are seriously threatened by the intelligence, dignity, commitment, and all-around excellence of a Raphael Warnock, especially when it comes with a compelling personal story like his. Herschel Walker offers them the opportunity to show they're not racist by voting for a Black man while indulging their racist conviction that all Black people are mentally impaired buffoons. I hope at least some of them spare a thought for how incompetent representation in the U.S. Senate will shortchange Georgians and expose the state to well-justified ridicule.
I think we need to face something about Mr. Walker. When he speaks, he sounds like the people I've heard interviewed (like by Jordon Klepper) who still love Donald Trump. I listened to an interview with Mr. Walker, and when I didn't think about what skills and abilities are actually needed to be a US senator, and just listened to his stories, he touched my heart - and that frightened the heck out of me! https://youtu.be/defZl9i2q5M
When he says things like "I care about the people of Georgia and Senator Warnock doesn't - he voted with Biden 95% of the time. I care about mental illness and I'm going to be an advocate in Washington.....Inflation is so bad, people can't afford to buy milk..... Instead of complaining about ID laws to vote, why aren't you out helping people to get an ID. Without an ID you can't have a life.....etc." I can see people going right past his ridiculous comments about our good air going over to China and responding to phrases they recognize in a tone of voice and "accent" that is soothing to them.
So we either need to pray that there are more of "us" than "them." Or we need to get much better at helping these folks to understand how the actions behind that appealing rhetoric is actually bad for them and their families. It simply isn't enough to describe what an awful candidate he is, and how corrupt the GOP is for promoting him.
It seems to me that Democrats get caught in our own cleverness. I recently read a list of Biden/Harris accomplishments that left me in despair. They are formidable feats but Instead of simple descriptors they use phrases that I strongly suspect are meaningless to a casual voter:
I just thought of something! I'm going to do a comment asking for "simple descriptors" that sell the sizzle not the steak!! Ii'm going to credit you with the list and the idea! I admit I didn't know who Frank Luntz is so I looked him up and found "Words that Work: It's not what you say; it's what people hear." It's a start!
You know Frank Luntz by his work: "death taxes" and "climate change" instead of estate taxes and global warming, to name two. He hones the messaging by listening to focus groups. I get the feeling that those in charge of Dem messaging (are there such people?) try out their phrases on homogeneous staff instead of going to the expense of using focus groups.
The fact that Trump bypassed all of that and came up with a four-word phrase that captured the imagination of millions who turned it into a badge of honor and a movement is scarily awe-inspiring.
Everything I think of to replace the clunky phrases sounds trite. But here goes:
Thank you, MisTBlu - that's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm still trying to figure out where/how I can help with this besides reposting Heather and Robert and writing my own comments. I've sent emails to DCCC but I'm pretty sure nobody saw them. Maybe we can learn from John Fetterman? Blessings,
I like this. And I would add it still needs the "which means" part to really reach folks who aren't already committed to, for example, clean energy. What does that mean? Why does that matter? This is the level of language that I think is needed. I found this article from energync.org, explaining why NC needs clean energy. Clear language, powerful images. https://energync.org/why-clean-energy/
I think it's a matter of finding the right balance of information to have the desired impact in different settings: billboard vs. blog vs. flier at the grocery store. Clean energy, as you say, is vague; links to sources like energync can help clarify. Purging voter lists needs no elaboration. My goal with the list is to wake people up to the multiple crises our democracy faces. No need for a breakdown on Roe V. Wade's demise when you learn that your mother/sister/friend may no longer have access to a full spectrum of prenatal care. A work in progress, but I've had positive response to the headline format.
Mike I admire Mickey Mouse and his sterling character. Were he a candidate, I would certainly consider voting for him. In sharp contrast, I find Herschel Walker despicable with the integrity of an alley cat.
I live in GA and I can tell you that I don't think that many solid R voters care, they just will never ever find it in themselves to vote for a Democrat. Then there are the MAGA Republicans who just want the system to break and just want folks who support Donald Trump. It will hopefully sway the moderate Republican, Independents, and finally people who aren't registered or normally vote to change their minds.
Mary Pat I recall how Walker avoided National Football rules to become professional after his junior year. He hooked up with Donald Trump’s New Jersey Generals. Trump lost a bundle as his USFL failed to unseat the NFL. Walter jumped to the Dallas Cowboys.
Walker and Trump failed in the USFL—hopefully this duo at the nadir will fail in Walker’s bizarre Georgia senatorial race. Did Walker obtain his ability to tell outrageous lies from Donald? He takes FALSE FACTS to a higher plateau.
Me too, at age 74, I never thought the nightmare that Germany experienced, would happen here. We are on the same path and the final outcome is uncertain. The DOJ MAY or may not successfully prosecute TFG. The final defenders of democracy are the voters and it is clear that many of them have already abandoned free and fair elections. Each day I vacillate between hope and despair.
I'm also 74. Regarding the nightmare that Germany experienced. It DID happen here, and Hitler got his ideas from American history! Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what you never knew. Well worth the read.
I will read it. There is no question about the racism that runs deep in American and world history. As a kid in high school I thought that the Civil Rights act set us on a new path and of course I was wrong. Racism was driven from plain view for a while, that is as far as it went. The past 5 years have been revealing and horrifying.
I have not read the book, if it points out that southern democrats tried to keep slavery the law of the land it makes perfect sense that Hitler received an education indeed. Now that we realize President Grant made a grave error in not stamping out the confederacy totally and completely, if democracy survives, let’s not make the same mistake again.
I think we have already begun to make the same mistakes, there is still time to bring accountability, but the window of opportunity will not last long. We can’t let violence and threats of violence cause us to back off in the false notion that being forgiving , will keep the future safe.
Hello Evelyn, I’m 65 and most of my life I believed we had laws in place that fascism, although here in pockets of militias, would be put down. Our government would protect us from it flourishing. Then when TFG was handed our country, we were no longer the United States of America. I knew he had cheated. All those that support him did, too. Kellyanne took her accolades as a genius for getting him elected (Russia) his campaign manager Reince Prebus (Russia) every member of his cabinet (Russia). His side show of operatives, lies and espionage has intentionally damaged all of us, destroyed the Republicans party with their blessing and continues as crazy cult leader. That’s where we’re at for now. Roevember will be here not a second too soon.
I have to say that, as a retired history teacher, now 74, I have quietly thought (without mapping out how) that the US was a country that COULD repeat "Germany, 1932-33." The current "not my father's GOP" has done the mapping for me, quite clearly and quite ominously. Let us hope that all their incompetencies, beginning with TFG, have given us the knowledge and space to put more than a thumb in the dike that's holding back disaster.
As a retired history teacher, you must "know" American history. Do you really? Regarding the nightmare that Germany experienced. It DID happen here, and Hitler got his ideas from American history! Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what I (and maybe you?) never knew. Well worth the read.
Just this morning I was thinking about a friend who died at 63 of a brain tumor this month 6 years ago. He missed this s*#tstorm of Repub politics. Lucky him. I miss him.
I am 79 and still going. I have thought this often of the people who have passed and who I miss, but am thankful that they are not around to experience this. I thought my old age would be, well, not golden, but relatively peaceful. Not now..
Is this what you do? Obviously you don't spend any time following all that President Biden has achieved. In just two years he has done more than any other president in our history. Get a life.
I applaud the fact that you have a subscription to LFAA. You might also check out Robert Hubbell, Joyce Vance, Eugene Robinson to name a few. My experience as a former Republican has taught me that research and an open mind forced me to come to terms with change in the party. They no longer stand for decency, courage, morality, integrity. Many of my friends want things to go back to the past, when things were so much better. Better for whom? White people, white women? So my answer is yes to your “okie Dokie” comment. At least he, and the Democrats are trying to take on the injustices in our country, to confront our problems and propose solutions. I see no proposals coming from the Republicans….only lies, deception, and a complete lack of courage to speak out about trump’s despicable behavior. How refreshing it would be if the Republicans could come up with a platform with their own set of solutions then site down and both sides work out concrete legislation to benefit the country as a whole! To look to the future, instead of the past. To compromise instead of criticize. To honor and respect integrity, honesty, goodwill, and an open mind.
Tommy Hollenbeck, "okie dokie" such a technical term to describe the current state of affairs in this country! Not only HCR, but also the comments posted here, shed light and share information to make everyone better informed and active citizens. Please keep reading.
That’s a waste of energy. Working on the undecided voter or one that doesn’t vote regularly. In Texas about seven million people didn’t vote in the last governor election. That’s who we’re after!
I hear you, Denise! The Civics Center is a great initiative to get new voters registered, primarily those in the 18-20 age range. Here’s to our future!💙
Forget the Trumpers. It’s much easier to encourage one college student to register and vote wherever they are eligible but especially in a swing state. Encourage him or her to recruit 1 friend. Now you have two votes. And so on. Call or email your local Dem office or group mobilizing voters. Volunteer at least one session. Our efforts and votes matter!!
Completely agree, Last Presidential election I hand-wrote personal letters to undecided voters, as did others I know. Told them a little about my own situation as a 70 yr old. Reaching out like that was definitely empowering and, it appears, effective.
There is a group - Vote forward - Vote Forward volunteers send heartfelt handwritten letters to unregistered and low-propensity voters encouraging them to participate in our democracy.
I concentrate on sharing with those who aren't interested in politics reasons why they need to be. But, I do save from others and post on the Twitters of the lying right the examples of all Biden is doing and all the Repubs are not. Unfortunately, I can't upload those here. For instance, there is an amazing video now regarding K McCarthy. By posting these on their own twitters, hopefully someone with no interest or someone who believes the lies might have a new thought.
i used to "comfort" myself with that thought (that they are mindless) but many of these people have been to the best schools, well educated. Cruz, de Santis etc etc. Just like Bolsonaro, they sing the siren's song and lure so many who ARE mindless. My son, when he was younger said once, They are the Slytherings and the Deatheaters ( he had read Harry Potter) and he totally nailed it. The selfish greed...one of the 7 deadly "sins"...accent on DEADLY
So it seems self-governance is DIY. We hire agents to carry out our collective wisdom, but ultimately the buck stops here. So far the infrastructure of rule of law is straining yet still holding. But the battle continues.
Sorry J L Graham, I’m feeling cynical this morning and cannot seem to roll smoothly over your statement: “ So far the infrastructure of rule of law is straining yet still holding.” After the tsunami wave of judicial appointments that were slammed into US Courts in the last administration, and the capture of SCOTUS, the discovery of the percentage of far-right extremists / sympathizers in law enforcement and the military, and the gamification of trials, I believe the jig is already up, and we are just recognizing that, to the chagrin of the Right. The evangelical’s Deal-with-the-Devil to support trump was the judges. Those judges will hold the court hostage for a generation and secure their “White-Might Makes Right” authoritarianism. If Democracy couldn’t stop a grifter like trump in 2015, or 2016, or 2017, or 2018, or 2019, or 2020, or 2021, what more examples do we need to know the infrastructure was a house of cards? We are fighting now to rebuild a rule of law infrastructure. And it’s pretty damn hard in an evolving authoritarian regime. But I will continue to try, and I know many others here are doing the same.
I am genuinely fearful, but if ever there was a time to to focus on the realities of our circumstances and wisely use our collective influence, this is it. "It" (meaning fascism) definitely can happen here, and GOP rhetoric is straight out of Orwell. There is also decency and resistance afoot. The "Force" is very intense in both directions, and I think perhaps until recently Democrats have been too shy about shining the spotlight on growing corruption and and offering a more appealing and compelling vision of alternatives. We let the crooks control the news cycle to the point that "war is peace" for far too many of our peers.
I also note according to the US Census, voting is consistently less common in the age range of 18 to 29. Yet they are the ones with the most to lose by standing by when poor political choices are made, and climate change is just the start of how they have been and will be impacted. I think this has yet to be effectively emphasized, especially by the DNC.
White-Might Makes Right? In America, it ALWAYS has! Regarding the nightmare that Germany experienced, it DID happen here, and Hitler got HIS ideas from OUR American history! Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what I (maybe you?) never knew and exactly why Dems and Repubs are SO different! Well worth the read. It should be required reading by all Americans!
Yes it has. And “progress be damned” we are being hauled back to a version of it circa 1900. And yes, the 1619 project is a great read and nonsense that it is not taught in schools , or that it is controversial.
The right wing coup d'etat of the Supreme Court is a huge problem and the abandonment of "equal justice under law" (which is engraved into the building) must be highlighted and used to blunt the legitimacy of the current majority. I believe that Lincoln was correct when he said:
“In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions.”
Frankly since Reagan, plutocratic Republicans (and Dems) seem to have understood that better than the advocates of public empowerment. I think this dynamic holds both when tyranny rises and when tyranny falls. I think the chief weapon of forces of reform are clarity and focus, and a smart plan to be heard and seen.
And it didn't happen by itself. Regarding the nightmare that Germany experienced. It DID happen here, and Hitler got his ideas from American history! Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what you never knew. Well worth the read.
Buckle up... this really was too much news for one day. -- Dear HCR, I long for a day when you will be able to let us all know that "Democracy is working well today. All the liars and self-serving invertebrates are either in jail or without any political power anymore, so there isn't much to report today!" -- Hey, a guy can dream, right?
Steve When I was twelve in 1945 that was VE and then VJ Day—democracy seemed to be working well, Hitler was dead, and Togo would soon meet his ancestors..
WW II was over—and the Cold War hadn’t commenced. These days my infrequent dreams are overwhelmed by nightmares.
The majority of white Americans care more about preserving their systemic advantages than about preserving American democracy, and they have now put a Supreme Court in place that will help them succeed. We have the numbers to outvote them if we can get enough fair-minded people to cast votes in November. That’s step one, but we’ll need unprecedented success to retain the House and get enough seats in the Senate to reform the Supreme Court, which is essential to the preservation of American democracy beyond 2024.
But what's it take? A senate super majority of two thirds? And what are the odds of that happening anytime soon? Meanwhile, this "originalist" six have proven themselves capable of just about anything in obeying their marching orders. These conditions might well lead to a civil war. The thought sickens me.
LeMoine, I write to clarify that expanding the Court would require a simple majority within each chamber, presuming 50 Senators voted either to reform, set aside, or abolish the filibuster. Hence, the imperative of holding the House and picking up at least 2, probably closer to 4, Senators. Though Biden has some misgivings about expanding the Court, were the legislation to advance to his office, he would sign.
On another matter, I would be remiss were I not to mention the package of transformative legislation related to the economy, to healthcare, to criminal justice, to education, to immigration, to climate change, and more that also would become law.
Barbara, thank you. And yes, I"m aware of the so called "nuclear option" of eliminating the filibuster. Trouble is, that idea has been floated by both sides for a long time and, since neither party seems willing to give up this nasty little obstructionist tool, I didn't assume it would happen. Also, "packing the court" (to achieve a more favorable political balance) isn't the same as "reforming" the court through impeachment for malfeasance, for example. Unless you meant re-form in the sense of changing its composition.
LeMoine, First, I would note, last January, that the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act would have become law had Manchin and Sinema not joined the 50 Republican Senators to filibuster the legislation. As for the High Court, in 1869, the Court was expanded to 9 justices, each of whom was assigned to one of the 9 federal circuit courts. Today there are 13 circuit courts overseen by 9 justices, an imbalance that, in my mind, justifies adding 4 justices to the High Court.
Additionally, in contrast to simple majorities in both chambers ( setting aside the Senate filibuster), a two-thirds Senate majority would be required to remove a justice, or judge.
LeMoine Surlamont. I am convinced that the moment Republicans control the Senate they will eliminate the filibuster. They would prefer is Democrats did it, so they could complain, but they have no use for any constraints on their power. Why would they show restraint on this issue?
By “reforming,” I meant adding more justices to the court. “Packing” the court is what the Republicans have done already, through occasional good luck, decades of persistence, and cynical skullduggery. The odds against unpacking the court through impeachment are overwhelming, as you pointed out. Expansion is the only way out from under the oppressive weight of the six racist operatives (including, ironically, one black man who apparently favors white rule) currently occupying seats on the court.
LeMoine, I would caution against the line of thinking that a civil war is pending or will be needed.
I am not sending my son into a battle that is likely to leave him dead or maimed to fight for a country where 36% of Harvard admissions are "Legacy" (meaning white folks with poor qualifications but rich white parents). Nor will I go into battle for that.
Yes, America has been good to me, but, yes, from age 13 or so I worked, no joke, for at least 25 years, 16 hour days to make that happen. I enjoyed working, so, no big deal, but, I routinely encounter people (here in the north) who have lived lives of stupendous ease and live in my same neighborhood and barely work and are barely competent and worked side by side with me. And, on Sunday, instead of working they watch football all...day...long.
So, let's try to fix America with peaceful means.
Dying for America?
Perhaps it is better to just leave America to those who have an easy life and to the nuts who want to control those who have an easy life and just move to a Greek island where public education produces reasonable people in a reasonable Democracy.
Killing other people to preserve what I have seen in America for 62 years?
I’d like to think that we have enough citizens who can take their eyes off the Kardashians long enough to focus on the future of the country. But no guarantees, except among HCR subscribers (well most)
Kardashians, my bp just shot up 20 points. Amazing how a CINO I worked with was a big fan and so, so admired the entire family--even though their entire lifestyle was 180 against her "beliefs"
The other night, I said to my spouse--will those people NEVER disappear?! I am sure that the self-proclaimed "momager" is already scheming how to prostitute out the grandchildren.
Kim is worth $1.8 billion, according the SEC suit she just settled for crypto fraud. That pushed your BP even higher, but proves your point. All profit without product.
Also, everyone I know ...and at 80 yrs, that is quite a few...will be voting. And as I finish 200 voter registration letters and cards, I would be wasting my time, if I had not already seen the effects of this effort in the last two campaigns. Natural born citizen, with Canadian citizenship as well, it would be tempting to just move north, but I would still suffer if we lost our democracy in this country. We would grieve mightily...so as many of you are doing: fight with words and non-violent actions. “Write, speak..persuade with the truth” . As Mainer, I have Lepage on my doorstep...but I will do my part to keep him there... “outside”!
Mike, we seem to have similar backgrounds, so I resonate with most of what you posted. But go back and read what I said (as I just did to be sure I hadn't misspoken). Please don't assume I am agitating for civil war because I underscored the seriousness of our present situation. In fact I indicated that I was repulsed by the possibility. I could have added that the prospect is exacerbated by the fact that apparently a third of the population is itching for it. I am simply stating that we had damned well better not blow this off as something that could never happen.
I wish the Dems could have done more in the two years they had available to them, but Obama chose healthcare and got it, unlike several capable presidents who tried to get it, stretching back a hundred years. Obama probably would agree that a few additional good works things might have been possible, but probably not many. Obama is much more astute than just about everyone, politically, so justifiably second-guessing him requires great caution.
No. It might take as “little” as 52 Senate seats (that is, two more seats D seats), just enough to get around Manchin and Sinema on killing the fillibuster (or eliminating it for certain kinds of legislation, as has been done for SCOTUS appointments and certain budget bills). Might take as many as four additional seats if there are some lurkers hiding behind Manchin and Sinema (such as Weinstein, possibly). Even two is a stretch, though. Hell, even holding the Senate is a stretch. The ignorant, racist, white working class (70% of them, anyway, 80% when it comes to white evangelicals) have the advantage and are now in a position to get what they’ve been trying to get since 1968.
Sorry to bust your chops a little this morning Rex Page but please cite a very credible source, recently published, to back up your contention that; “a majority of white Americans care more about preserving their systemic advantages than about preserving American democracy....”
Had you stated a majority of Republicans? Yes, that seems correct especially recently. Many Republicans have overtly stated something similar and no one has busted their chops, at least not in the media I read. But Republicans are in the minority in this country. Are the majority of Democrats people of color? Probably. But I always check my contentions at the door labeled facts. If you have seen such a study, please share the source.
I live in a White Majority state. Minnesota has long traditions of passing policies designed to care for the majority of its citizens including recent immigrants and yet we have failed publicly and spectacularly, in caring for Native people and African Americans. The name George Floyd is familiar to you. Does that mean a majority of us seek only to maintain our white privilege? Good question. I want to say no but I’m white so I have skin in the game and know I have a blind spot there.
Dr. Richardson states flatly today that she did not include Trump’s horrific statement about McConnell and Chao because she understands the power of words. Let’s join her in being extremely careful in what we say.
And yes to showing up in overwhelming numbers and voting like our future depends on it. It does.
Me too. And I think handwritten postcards help. I don’t have any data on non-voting white Americans, but my guess, after living among some of the worst of them for 50 years, is that non-voting white Americans are even more racist, on the average, than the ones who vote. Most postcard projects (all the ones I’m working on, for sure) target D-leaning voters, which is the only efficient strategy. You can’t convert a Republican with a hundred hours of patient counseling.
I don’t know of a project targeting that group, but suspect that there are many of them. I hope so, but I’m sure more are needed. I think the Democratic Party should have put billions per year into well-designed efforts to get out the D vote, starting 40 years ago, including at the state legislature level, where the Kochs and other deeply evil, obscenely wealthy people were buying up state legislatures on the cheap.
60%? You know why? American history, that's why. But TRUE American history! We are NOT teaching it in our schools. Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what I (maybe you?) never knew and exactly why Dems and Repubs are SO different! Well worth the read. It should be REQUIRED reading by all Americans! Soon, or we will repeat our past as Hitler tried.
My training as a journalist compels me to demand credible sources, particularly in a forum like this where someone like Dr. Richardson provides meticulous records for the analysis she provides. I can find no citation, from a credible source, that mirrors your claim.
Since only 66 percent of voting age Americans voted in the 2020 elections, that's not possible - the numbers don't add up.
Pew is a superb source, so let’s go with their figures. They have it at 55% of white voters for Trump in 2020 (other reliable sources, NYT for example, put it at 58%, so it’s probably somewhere in between). I round to one significant digit on the grounds that the data is not precise enough to get two digits. That’s where I get 60%. As to the non-voting 34%, the usual statistical assumption is that the unsampled population breaks about the same as the sampled population. That’s with random sampling, of course, and sampling voters only (not non-voters) is not random sampling. Solid analysis would require more data. My guess is that such data, were it available, would show that non-voting, white American citizens would be even more racist than voting, white Americans. That’s a guess, not a measured datapoint, but is based on many decades of close observation.
So here is the hair splitting I wanted: 55% of White Voters that voted, voted for Trump. Not 60% of all white voters. That's what I meant. That language makes it clear how many people didn't vote and don't participate in this democracy. Which most of us understand.
I'm grateful that Pew publishes their data and methods of collection via the web. Makes a big difference for those of us that do our own research.
As for your point about those who didn't vote, I wish I could cite a resource that has done credible longitudinal research on those folks. Would sure be helpful to figure out why the hell they don't vote and what, if anything, would motivate them to do so. If you are right about the majority of white non-voters, then we have an even bigger problem looming if Trump avoids justice, runs for Pres. and wins. Ack. Think I stick with the 2022 election for now. Thanks for the exchange.
White-Might Makes Right? In America, it ALWAYS has! Regarding the nightmare that Germany experienced, it DID happen here, and Hitler got HIS ideas from OUR American history! Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what I (maybe you?) never knew and exactly why Dems and Repubs are SO different! Well worth the read. It should be required reading by all Americans!
@Tommy, If in lieu of logically refuting someone’s perspective, you choose, instead, to attack the person’s character or intellect, you merely are disgracing yourself and offending the rest of us. Simply put, you are not welcomed here.
Barbara, while I do appreciate your support, I'm sure you know that it's best to simply ignore people like this who, like a festering pimple will simply dry up and disappear if left alone. Or, if that's a bit too graphic, like an undisturbed scab which will soon flake off and blow away. Besides, these people should be treated with kindness, as they are are constantly bathed in vitriol on Fox News, designed to stoke their insecurities and occupy their small minds. Take pity, my friend. But thank you. :-)
LeMoine, While I appreciate your comment, I respectfully disagree. All my life, I have treated everyone as I would want to be treated. And every once in a while, when least expected, I sense a positive shift.
Barbara, you apparently took me seriously. I apologize. Nobody hates these ignorant, abrasive bastards more than I do. I've known for a long time that, like their master, Trump, absolutely nothing drives them nuts faster than being ignored. It just drives them deeper into their frenzied blathering, further highlighting their meanness, stupidity and ignorance. A form of Tai Chi for the blogosphere ;-)
Take it easy my friend. Less coffee and more Johnny Walker Red is my recommendation!!
I remember when I was in middle school down south and the boys started talking like this. I had, in my own household, not heard such words so I tried them on for a couple of weeks and found them wanting for communication purposes.
Johnny....Walker....Red.... works for me when I have that feeling that maybe I am going across the street to pound on my neighbor because he is blasting Michael Savage out of his garage.
After some Red, I walk over and kindly ask him to turn it down. He always does. But, without the Red? I might be in jail.
I missed him, I guess I was on too soon. I skim for the people whose opinions I respect, sometimes do read other ones if I see there is a good discussion going on.
This statement by Oath Keepers defense attorneys prove the prosecuting attorneys case. "The Oath Keepers came to Washington as security guards dedicated to “peacekeeping,” who showed up expecting that then-president Donald Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act to activate the Oath Keepers to defend Trump’s government."
Former President Trump had lost the election. Any and every effort to stay in office was insurrection. Any and all violence associated would be insurrection and the use of the Insurrection Act would have been the both a contributing factor, and insurrection in itself.
´The center can hold—because we are the center. We are citizens of a democracy who can refuse to accept the threats of mob bosses, whether in Florida or in Russia. We can and must vote, but that’s not enough. We must also speak out.´ Powerful letter in The Atlantic.
Do not stay silent when our fellow citizens equivocate and rationalize. Defend what’s right, whether to a friend or a family member. Refuse to laugh along with the flip cynicism that makes a joke of everything. Stay informed so that the stink of a death threat from a former president or the rattle of a nuclear saber from a Russian autocrat does not simply rush past you as if you’ve just driven by a sewage plant."
I can, and do, use my voice to communicate facts, evidence and some of HCR's writings to those I know are ensared in right wing propaganda.
But, honestly, how can I compete with 24/7 AM radio personalities that gain credibility simply by having FOUR hours a day to voice their perspective without ANY alternative perspective presented?
Or, how can I compete with Fox and Friends? The old guys sitting out in the farm houses watching the fake blondes feed them lies?
I wonder if what I say really matters? One of my sisters is barely speaking to me because, yep, she lives in rural Texas and she and her husband drink the right wing coolaid day after day after day.
The Republicans and their rich buddies have built a media empire with money that knows no peer, one that would make Goebbels himself swell with pride.
I wonder if my voice really matters or does it just aggravate the Right Wing Believer?
Sometime go listen to "Clay Travis and Buck Sexton" on AM radio for a few days. OR go listen to Glenn Beck or Michael Savage or both on AM radio for a few days.
Or, go listen to (the list is too long for me to type it here) local AM stations far right talk shows. Every town has one.
Listen to these AM radio shows and hear the truly nutty stuff they are promulgating.......all.....day....and....night.....every.....24hr...period.
In suffering the struggle, I know my voice has little impact on the mass of Dittoheads, but I take refuge in believing that if I can sway (nit necessarily change) how one person thinks, I can make a difference albeit it a small one
I feel your pain as I sit in the airport going to visit my family in central Illinois. I try to tolerate Fox and Friends as these are my 89 y/o father's housemates now. But now and then I do point out to him that, "You know they're talking about ME, right?"
After reading quite a lot lately about the mob, organized crime, psychological persuasion practices, Brave New World, The Origins of Totalitarianism, surveillance capitalism, and demographic breakdowns of listenership and viewership of right wing media, I conclude that our constitution was not built to withstand the encircling attack from above, the sides, and below simultaneously. We need a second Enlightenment, one that acknowledges that humans are NOT rational creatures, but in fact easily, and highly persuadable. Once the distance between haves and have-nots in the society gets beyond a certain point , it takes an increasingly smaller lever to break it apart, and send it adrift. The “Center” is truly where most of us fall, - in our most sober state. But that sober state is expertly being manipulated and intentionally smoke-and-mirror grifted. We are pawns in a huge, mythological, Mt. Olympus fight among people who believe this precious blue marble is theirs for the taking, theirs for lording over, theirs to exploit. Our “Rule of Law” infrastructure was only as strong as the participants willing to adhere to it -and more importantly- dispense it justly where needed. That has not been done, so the erosion hit a critical point. Watch those citizens of Florida. They were whacked by an historic climatic event. It does not promise to be the last. But will they vote out the climate deniers? No. They will vote in the asylum removers, the voter suppression candidates, the supply-siders, the forced-birthers, election deniers. And they will contend that THEY are the center. And its God’s Will.
This question has been on my mind as well. Not only are they physically displaced and possibly without ID (if they had to be evacuated), but the mechanisms in place for voting (schools, libraries, municipal buildings, etc.) were also destroyed.
The right wing media and propagandists are good at targeting their messages. They go from full on crazy, the election was stolen, etc for their die-hard supporters to “softer” versions that raise just enough questions about “possible” election fraud to bring in people who don’t buy the full on crazy but are willing to start questioning the integrity of our voting system and the courts that threw the voter cases out. I experienced this with my father the other day- he’s an extremely intelligent (retired scientist) and active 87 years old but he’s buying into the softer version- things like the cases were dismissed for missing the deadline for filing, which is too short, and therefore the claims weren’t actually investigated, someone was paying Samoans $20.00 to vote (he was starting to stretch for things at this point), the winners don’t have an incentive to investigate voter fraud….. Every time I said one of his talking points wasn’t true, he’d bring up another one. We usually go out of our way to avoid politics so I was very disheartened and left wondering how all of the disinformation can be countered, especially when it takes lots of words to counter the catchy slogans and sound bites.
Maddening. But look at the cost of these trials? Of the incarceration of these traitors. Of the time spent dedicated to finally nail these people.
And now. DeSantis’ Florida catastrophe… that pig voted AGAINST federal aid to victims of Hurricaine Sandy and now he wants the country to bail him out. And the people of Florida ( many moved there because low taxes) want tax money of the federal govmt to pay up. This is the man who said “ gay” cannot be mentioned in the schools. But he will take the money … gay or no. Just infuriating
"Walker is absolutely unfit to serve in any government position..."
So was TFG, so was G.W. Bush for that matter. There have been so many at every level. One need not be qualified to hold public office; one need only be elected.
If elected, Walker's office would be staffed by Republican apparatchiks who will do the legislating. Walker would be a puppet who will do and say what he is instructed to do and say.
Tommy Hollenbeck - "So Congressman Johnson is qualified? ... He thought Guam would tip over if 5,000 Marines showed up."
If Johnson's remarks were meant figuratively, he had a legitimate point.
The United States plans to move thousands of Marines and their families, about 8,000 people in all, to the small island of Guam, which has a current population of about 180,000.
At the peak of construction, Guam's population would increase by 79,000 people, or about 45 percent, -- trigger island-wide water shortages and overload sewage systems and other public utilities.
I've sent two donations to Warnock's campaign so far...also monies to our embattled Dem governor and CD#2 race. Also on the donation rotation list are Kelly (AZ), Fetterman (PA), Barnes (WI), Demings (FL), Crist (FL) and O'Rourke (TX)
In an interview tonight, Trump accused the FBI or the archivists from the National Archives and Records Administration of planting or removing documents in order to frame him, saying that NARA is “largely radical-left run.”
Sorry, Mike. I guess you may have “represented” them, but your use of language and complete sentences (even those requiring parenthetical usage) marks you as only representational and in no way “one of them” <sarcasm font to avoid the sarchasm>
We’ve already had golfboy show up to confront us; his demonstration of grammatical precision is more representative.
Dodson had planned to play nine holes with Trump and Eric, along with pro golfer Greg Norman and Trump’s bodyguard, and when he got there, Dodson asked where Trump was getting money. “He just sort of tossed off that he had access to $100 million,” said Dodson, whose curiosity was piqued:
“So when I got in the cart with Eric,” Dodson says, “as we were setting off, I said, ‘Eric, who’s funding? I know no banks—because of the recession, the Great Recession—have touched a golf course. You know, no one’s funding any kind of golf construction. It’s dead in the water the last four or five years.’ And this is what he said. He said, ‘Well, we don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.’ I said, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘Oh, yeah. We’ve got some guys that really, really love golf, and they’re really invested in our programs. We just go there all the time.’ Now that was three years ago, so it was pretty interesting.”
+++
Eric Trump denies ever saying that, which is may be true, but this in not the first mention of money pouring in from Russia. If accurate, the power of golf seems pretty persuasive.
The NY Times had an article today about 138 R's in the federal House of Representatives signed an amicus curiae brief submitted by a Louisiana "constitutional lawyer" he calls himself, he being also a Representative in the House from Louisiana. The brief brought up the supposedly unconstitutional nature of changes being made to voting procedures without the consent of the legislature of the state changes were made in. A good example of political GIGO (garbage in, garbage out).
This is what tfg said: “He has a DEATH WISH,” Trump posted late Friday on his Truth Social platform, criticizing McConnell for agreeing to a deal to fund the government through December. He also disparaged McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, who served as Trump’s transportation secretary and was born in Taiwan, in racist terms, calling her “his China loving wife, Coco Chow.” What a despicable comment, racist and violent.
Elaine Chao was part of the conversation about invoking the 25th Amendment, resigned the day after the J6 coup, and has been talking to the J6 panel. All things unforgivable in Trumplandia.
But that is what he is and always has been, Elisabeth! I have no respect for Chao, believe me, but Chump’s words incite his militant base. He knows exactly what he is doing.
“...to defend Trump’s government”...? Doesn’t that say it all? When did we the people become “Trump’s government”? Just a piece of a sentence that perfectly encapsulates the corruption, the indecency, the immortality that the GOP have visited upon us by their ruthless lust for power. Vote. Them. Out. (And prosecute the hell out of all those complicit!).
“We” did give him the keys to the kingdom. I knew on Nov 9, 2016 that he would use them for evil. He did not disappoint. However, I didn’t envision that the whole of the Republican Party was devoid of any integrity. I should have known.
As far as the Herschel Walker developments, it seems to me that the fact that his polling is anywhere close to Warnock's is evidence that the Republican voters don't care how bad their candidate is if he gets them a Senate majority. So we'll see if this news has any effect with the voters who might be on the fence. At this point in the culture wars, I wonder just how big that margin really is.
Yes, they are all impressive and admirable, but Stacey hasn't been able to get as much traction this time around as she did before, and I read that there was a troubling number of black men who had decided to sit this one out because they felt nobody was addressing their issues. That was a while ago, and I haven't read anything about it since so don't know if that issue was something a reporter saw at a particular point in time or if it developed into a genuine problem for Warnock.
Perhaps the important issue here is to parlay this outrage nationally by demanding every GOP candidate go on record denouncing Walker, and when they demur, paint them with a very specific brush
The Rev. Warnock is a man of character that is reminiscent of the image of the US Congress before the likes of Trump, Scott, McConnell, McCarthy, and that ilk moved in and took root. Herschel Walker can defend himself. The people of Georgia deserve better. Just as the people of Georgia deserve - and will hopefully elect - Marcus Flowers instead of MTG who is beyond an adomination.
As to the trial of the Oath Keepers, it is beyond imagination to believe the people deated as jury members could honestly sat they didn't recognize the name of Defendent #1 or the name Oath Keepers. Let's us hope they are more focused on the evidence presented.
A few questions: 1. why didn’t DJT invoke the insurection act? The fact that he had no basis would not have stopped him. So what did?
2. Does anyone believe that those guys wouldn’t have killed AOC, Pelosi, and Pence if they found them?
3. There are enough people being drawn into the legal morass-- at least one of them will turn state’s evidence to save their own skin. Who will it be, and for which crime?
Finally, we have news that Herschel Walker's supporters can easily grasp and conclude that they shouldn't vote for him despite their love for his football skills decades ago. Never have I seen a critical race so close between a candidate with so many admirable attributes and one who is clearly mentally ill.
GOP power brokers who have conspired to get Walker elected are morally bereft. They are manipulating a person who badly needs a range of medical care and has not a single skill to hold the office. Shameful beyond words.
Last week I was reading quotes from Hershel Walker and was suddenly overcome by how disabled and in need of care he truly is. Then I became angrier (even I was surprised) at the Republicans running a person so far and removed from his ability to communicate a lucid thought into words. I was struck by the wicked cruelty displaying his disabilities knowing he’s incapable of performing the duties required by a U.S. Senator. I actually despise the Republican Party even more. Using a person with diminishing mental abilities as a place card for republicans shows how despicable and desperate they are now. Not surprised, and that’s the sad part.
Yes, absolutely despicable and proof positive that the party of death will do anything and use anyone to make our country into an autocratic theocratic regime run by them. If Walker wins, they will probably try to sideline him and keep him out of the public eye, all the while helping him push the button to vote for R travesty.
Exactly. That’s the plan. Are there decent folk in GA? I believe there are. Will they hold the line against this sort of abuse of persons with mental disabilities?
Seeing as GA went for Biden & 2 Dem senators in 2020, we can safely assume that yes, there are decent Georgians. If they’re able to “hold the line” against the craziness that is the gop of today remains to be seen.
Anyone who has had even ONE traumatic brain injury knows how incredibly CRUEL this is to Walker. Yes he was a football star and won the Heisman trophy. If only he had stopped there. But NO, the NFL in all their reprehensible continued injuring his brain. How many times???
I had ONE traumatic brain injury and not a huge concussion. When I bumped my head on the floor at home it didn’t even hurt much. But I’ve had 3 brain surgeries and hopefully no more. But I have cognitive deficits - not huge but enough that it bothers ME. And big hospital bills of course. I can’t even imagine Walker’s level of deficits after a long career with the NFL. The ReThuglicans should be ashamed. But they aren’t. I donate small amounts to Rev. Warnock
Hi, I just wanted to interject here to mention that Herschel Walker played for a Trump owned team, not in the NFL, but the USFL. The owners of the NFL teams voted to exclude Trump from ownership in the NFL. He was too slimy even back then for their reputation! The only way Trump could fulfill his need for glory in the sports world, was to buy a team in the failed USFL. That and his phony wrestling WWA, I think it is called. Actually, I only watched the wrestling once when I was about 10years old. It seemed so phony and ridiculous even at that age, I never watched it again.
I'm of a mind that the Republicans have long thought to place an incapable personality at the forefront, while their henchmen manage from behind. Ronald Reagan, "I Can't Remember," "W," who was just plain ignorant about Afghanistan, Trump, who's been bizarre forever. There is a definite lack of awareness plus divergence from reality among them. Also, far too many Republicans win by electoral votes rather than popular votes.
It's in the R playbook now to get empty heads elected who will vote and blather as they are told, in exchange for fame and fortune. (MTG, Bobert, Gohmert, Bachman, Tubberville, et al).
Totally this. Trump opened the floodgates to this kind of cynical manipulation.
He reached the white margins of those that have little education, are fearful and suspicious of city dwellers, immigrants, differences and the like. He "bestowed" upon them a position they could understand. I wouldn't be surprised if he hired people to instigate this in small towns and rural areas. The time I spent growing up in these communities, where the members are insecure and angry, helps me to understand how ripe so many are to take up the cause.
I have been seeking to find my true thoughts and feelings about Mr. Walker's running for office. Your words express my feelings admirably (sad to say).
Even fotos of Walker look like he is saying "Duh?" And, having read his actual quotes, he would have been better off just saying that.
Agreed. It is another form of enslavement. Not unlike using him for his football skills and running him -- at any cost-- as we have seen happen with the brain injuries of an NFL quarterback in the last week. It would have been no different to have put Walker in the Senate and to have Republican leaders calling the play on his every move. Enslavement and ridicule, the rest of the world and the consequences be damned.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the second-dumbest US Senator, seems similarly brain damaged. Of course, Exhibit A for proposition that the guiding, and perhaps only principle of the GOP and conservatism in general is will to power, is our twice-impeached malignant Mango Mussolini
"GOP power brokers who have conspired to get Walker elected are morally bereft. "
Correct. But, they might win. Period.
If they cared about moral underpinnings, we would be see far different outcomes in America at this moment.
And just because he is “morally bereft” does not mean people will not vote for him nonetheless. That horse left the barn in 2015. And in another note, I wish tfg would stop talking. It’s clear he’s desperate, and he’s being enabled by Judge Loose Cannon, who’s partiality is stamped on her forehead.
I did smile at your last sentence.....she should be wearing some kind of scarlet letter.
Nailed them, as always. Morally bereft, and with cult popularity. A dangerous combo.
If only this message will get through to those potential voters and that then, they will will get the idea to vote for the admirable Warnock…and VOTE.
If only, MSM not inclined to get the word out.
They need to get the word out for sure. However the issue is that Fox News, OAN, and NewsMax will say it is a lie and the Facebook algorithm will them that it is fake news. It's very hard to get those people to understand a different take when Tucker Carlson is your main news job and they already believe anything bad about their candidates is just a democrat hit job.
What happened to the idea of putting Fox News out of business?
Here’s my prediction. GOP voters don’t care about Walker’s behaviors. They know he is dumb as a rock. They control him. Its just an easy Senate vote to manipulate. They’ll double down on attack ads, ignoring these revelations
👍🏼
That is the game they play.
Walker's candidacy is one of the most glaring signs of the rot of the republican party.
Daniel, the rot started with Nixon and just got worse....
Walker's supporters are rabid evangelicals who believe every one of his sins have already been forgiven. They are in two cults. It will be next to impossible to reach them in any way whatsoever.
They immediately believe that politics is a team sport and that Republicans are the good guys and Democrats are the bad guys. They believe politics is a zero sum game and they rather win at all costs.
Yes, fourth quarter is wrapping up with Dems up by 3. No time outs for either team. That’s how they think this is “played”. It’s not about unity, or laws so we can live together, not apart. To what’s left of the GOP, it’s about teams and who “wins”. You don’t get a “coach’ s challenge”. And there’s definitely NO overtime!
And yet, if by some tragedy he is elected, he will probably not be the dumbest member of what once was called the world’s greatest deliberative body. Not as long as Tommy Tuberville is there.
Sen. Ron Johnson says hold my beer.
He’d be more at home with certain members in the House.
Those two would be quite the pair. Maybe they can toss a football around on the Senate floor, diagram plays, and discuss current games.
Awful prospect.
And kneel and say prayers....omg.
Jon Wonked out Walker or Tubby Tuberville—dumb, dumber,dumbest. EXCEPT—Ivy grads like Cruz and Rubio may not be dumb—only truly venal.
When the gop first announced that they wanted Hershel to be their senate candidate here in GA, I thought that was a gift made in heaven, the man isn’t smart enough to hang off the back of the garbage truck that came by the house yesterday. It turns out that I may have underestimated the level of ignorance that pervades the people that still vote repugnanticn here. There is such a clear difference in suitability for public office between Senator Warnock and Walker, that it seemed like it would be a no brainer, and that there has been a cascade of revelations demonstrating that fact, should have been a guarantee that Walker posed no threat, from what I read the threat is is still very real and will be cause for concern until Election Day. For the sake of our nation I hope that I am wrong.
You got that right.
Oh yes Michael - and even worse, they are cynically using his race to try to get black voters to come over, figuring if there are two black candidates, their chances improve. It's a weird form of racism on display for all to see. Shame on Walker for letting himself be used that way. Just another reason to not vote for him. I disagree with one thing you said though - We saw Hillary Clinton go down to Trump in 2016 - that one should take the cake for bad guys winning over good guys.
OK, but I don't believe for a minute that Walker's football stardom is the only, or even the primary, appeal for white Georgia Republicans. Racist white people are seriously threatened by the intelligence, dignity, commitment, and all-around excellence of a Raphael Warnock, especially when it comes with a compelling personal story like his. Herschel Walker offers them the opportunity to show they're not racist by voting for a Black man while indulging their racist conviction that all Black people are mentally impaired buffoons. I hope at least some of them spare a thought for how incompetent representation in the U.S. Senate will shortchange Georgians and expose the state to well-justified ridicule.
Exactly! Win/win in a most manipulative, exploitative way. Sad. Sick. Insane. Depraved.
I think we need to face something about Mr. Walker. When he speaks, he sounds like the people I've heard interviewed (like by Jordon Klepper) who still love Donald Trump. I listened to an interview with Mr. Walker, and when I didn't think about what skills and abilities are actually needed to be a US senator, and just listened to his stories, he touched my heart - and that frightened the heck out of me! https://youtu.be/defZl9i2q5M
When he says things like "I care about the people of Georgia and Senator Warnock doesn't - he voted with Biden 95% of the time. I care about mental illness and I'm going to be an advocate in Washington.....Inflation is so bad, people can't afford to buy milk..... Instead of complaining about ID laws to vote, why aren't you out helping people to get an ID. Without an ID you can't have a life.....etc." I can see people going right past his ridiculous comments about our good air going over to China and responding to phrases they recognize in a tone of voice and "accent" that is soothing to them.
So we either need to pray that there are more of "us" than "them." Or we need to get much better at helping these folks to understand how the actions behind that appealing rhetoric is actually bad for them and their families. It simply isn't enough to describe what an awful candidate he is, and how corrupt the GOP is for promoting him.
This is truly a profound observation. Thank you.
It seems to me that Democrats get caught in our own cleverness. I recently read a list of Biden/Harris accomplishments that left me in despair. They are formidable feats but Instead of simple descriptors they use phrases that I strongly suspect are meaningless to a casual voter:
- American Rescue Plan
- Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
- Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
- PACT Act
- Chips and Science Act
- Inflation Reduction Act
We need a Frank Luntz to fix our messaging.
I just thought of something! I'm going to do a comment asking for "simple descriptors" that sell the sizzle not the steak!! Ii'm going to credit you with the list and the idea! I admit I didn't know who Frank Luntz is so I looked him up and found "Words that Work: It's not what you say; it's what people hear." It's a start!
You know Frank Luntz by his work: "death taxes" and "climate change" instead of estate taxes and global warming, to name two. He hones the messaging by listening to focus groups. I get the feeling that those in charge of Dem messaging (are there such people?) try out their phrases on homogeneous staff instead of going to the expense of using focus groups.
The fact that Trump bypassed all of that and came up with a four-word phrase that captured the imagination of millions who turned it into a badge of honor and a movement is scarily awe-inspiring.
Everything I think of to replace the clunky phrases sounds trite. But here goes:
Democrats - We Work For You
Jobs for the Future, Now
Building America, Building Hope
Help!
Thank you, MisTBlu - that's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm still trying to figure out where/how I can help with this besides reposting Heather and Robert and writing my own comments. I've sent emails to DCCC but I'm pretty sure nobody saw them. Maybe we can learn from John Fetterman? Blessings,
Just create a compare and contrast list. I have 25 so far, like
Democrats champion clean energy/ Republicans cling to polluting fossil fuels
Democrats support fair and free elections / Republicans purge voter lists and restrict access
Add you own, make the case for voting blue
I like this. And I would add it still needs the "which means" part to really reach folks who aren't already committed to, for example, clean energy. What does that mean? Why does that matter? This is the level of language that I think is needed. I found this article from energync.org, explaining why NC needs clean energy. Clear language, powerful images. https://energync.org/why-clean-energy/
I think it's a matter of finding the right balance of information to have the desired impact in different settings: billboard vs. blog vs. flier at the grocery store. Clean energy, as you say, is vague; links to sources like energync can help clarify. Purging voter lists needs no elaboration. My goal with the list is to wake people up to the multiple crises our democracy faces. No need for a breakdown on Roe V. Wade's demise when you learn that your mother/sister/friend may no longer have access to a full spectrum of prenatal care. A work in progress, but I've had positive response to the headline format.
Mike I admire Mickey Mouse and his sterling character. Were he a candidate, I would certainly consider voting for him. In sharp contrast, I find Herschel Walker despicable with the integrity of an alley cat.
I live in GA and I can tell you that I don't think that many solid R voters care, they just will never ever find it in themselves to vote for a Democrat. Then there are the MAGA Republicans who just want the system to break and just want folks who support Donald Trump. It will hopefully sway the moderate Republican, Independents, and finally people who aren't registered or normally vote to change their minds.
It'll be OK with me if those Republicans leave a blank on the ballot next to the Senate race.
Suspect Walker's football skills came in a bottle of testosterone pills. Classic long term overdosing behaviors.
Mary Pat I recall how Walker avoided National Football rules to become professional after his junior year. He hooked up with Donald Trump’s New Jersey Generals. Trump lost a bundle as his USFL failed to unseat the NFL. Walter jumped to the Dallas Cowboys.
Walker and Trump failed in the USFL—hopefully this duo at the nadir will fail in Walker’s bizarre Georgia senatorial race. Did Walker obtain his ability to tell outrageous lies from Donald? He takes FALSE FACTS to a higher plateau.
The Failures MUST Fail!!!
I hope when I wake up tomorrow morning I will be in the United States and the rule of law will be in place and this was just a nightmare.
What times we live in. At 70, I could not have predicted life since 2015.
Me too, at age 74, I never thought the nightmare that Germany experienced, would happen here. We are on the same path and the final outcome is uncertain. The DOJ MAY or may not successfully prosecute TFG. The final defenders of democracy are the voters and it is clear that many of them have already abandoned free and fair elections. Each day I vacillate between hope and despair.
I'm also 74. Regarding the nightmare that Germany experienced. It DID happen here, and Hitler got his ideas from American history! Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what you never knew. Well worth the read.
I will read it. There is no question about the racism that runs deep in American and world history. As a kid in high school I thought that the Civil Rights act set us on a new path and of course I was wrong. Racism was driven from plain view for a while, that is as far as it went. The past 5 years have been revealing and horrifying.
I have not read the book, if it points out that southern democrats tried to keep slavery the law of the land it makes perfect sense that Hitler received an education indeed. Now that we realize President Grant made a grave error in not stamping out the confederacy totally and completely, if democracy survives, let’s not make the same mistake again.
I think we have already begun to make the same mistakes, there is still time to bring accountability, but the window of opportunity will not last long. We can’t let violence and threats of violence cause us to back off in the false notion that being forgiving , will keep the future safe.
Hello Evelyn, I’m 65 and most of my life I believed we had laws in place that fascism, although here in pockets of militias, would be put down. Our government would protect us from it flourishing. Then when TFG was handed our country, we were no longer the United States of America. I knew he had cheated. All those that support him did, too. Kellyanne took her accolades as a genius for getting him elected (Russia) his campaign manager Reince Prebus (Russia) every member of his cabinet (Russia). His side show of operatives, lies and espionage has intentionally damaged all of us, destroyed the Republicans party with their blessing and continues as crazy cult leader. That’s where we’re at for now. Roevember will be here not a second too soon.
I have to say that, as a retired history teacher, now 74, I have quietly thought (without mapping out how) that the US was a country that COULD repeat "Germany, 1932-33." The current "not my father's GOP" has done the mapping for me, quite clearly and quite ominously. Let us hope that all their incompetencies, beginning with TFG, have given us the knowledge and space to put more than a thumb in the dike that's holding back disaster.
My like button is fickle! So many times it won’t let me like a post.
As a retired history teacher, you must "know" American history. Do you really? Regarding the nightmare that Germany experienced. It DID happen here, and Hitler got his ideas from American history! Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what I (and maybe you?) never knew. Well worth the read.
I’m reading lots of things that make it clear that what I was taught in school was either wrong or at least not the whole story.
Just this morning I was thinking about a friend who died at 63 of a brain tumor this month 6 years ago. He missed this s*#tstorm of Repub politics. Lucky him. I miss him.
I am 79 and still going. I have thought this often of the people who have passed and who I miss, but am thankful that they are not around to experience this. I thought my old age would be, well, not golden, but relatively peaceful. Not now..
Me too.
It doesn't just happen by itself.
Exactly. Everyone here on this newsletter has a responsibility to take an action.
To quote Michael Moore... " we each need to get 5 new Democrats to vote"
Minimally, we can all write letters encouraging potential Democrats who don't normally vote to vote. See Vote Forward for information.
So u think everything is okie Dokie under iden?
Is this what you do? Obviously you don't spend any time following all that President Biden has achieved. In just two years he has done more than any other president in our history. Get a life.
I applaud the fact that you have a subscription to LFAA. You might also check out Robert Hubbell, Joyce Vance, Eugene Robinson to name a few. My experience as a former Republican has taught me that research and an open mind forced me to come to terms with change in the party. They no longer stand for decency, courage, morality, integrity. Many of my friends want things to go back to the past, when things were so much better. Better for whom? White people, white women? So my answer is yes to your “okie Dokie” comment. At least he, and the Democrats are trying to take on the injustices in our country, to confront our problems and propose solutions. I see no proposals coming from the Republicans….only lies, deception, and a complete lack of courage to speak out about trump’s despicable behavior. How refreshing it would be if the Republicans could come up with a platform with their own set of solutions then site down and both sides work out concrete legislation to benefit the country as a whole! To look to the future, instead of the past. To compromise instead of criticize. To honor and respect integrity, honesty, goodwill, and an open mind.
And when would you suggest was the time that everything was okie dokie? 1950’s? 1920’s?
Your simple attempt at correlation has failed you
Say hello to David C
Tommy Hollenbeck, "okie dokie" such a technical term to describe the current state of affairs in this country! Not only HCR, but also the comments posted here, shed light and share information to make everyone better informed and active citizens. Please keep reading.
Tommy Hollenbeck - "So u think everything is okie Dokie under iden? (sic)"
You don't? Please elaborate.
? What?
Have you been able to change the mind of 1 Trumper? If so, what dod you do or say?
That’s a waste of energy. Working on the undecided voter or one that doesn’t vote regularly. In Texas about seven million people didn’t vote in the last governor election. That’s who we’re after!
I hear you, Denise! The Civics Center is a great initiative to get new voters registered, primarily those in the 18-20 age range. Here’s to our future!💙
Yes I just have to ferret those out
Forget the Trumpers. It’s much easier to encourage one college student to register and vote wherever they are eligible but especially in a swing state. Encourage him or her to recruit 1 friend. Now you have two votes. And so on. Call or email your local Dem office or group mobilizing voters. Volunteer at least one session. Our efforts and votes matter!!
Completely agree, Last Presidential election I hand-wrote personal letters to undecided voters, as did others I know. Told them a little about my own situation as a 70 yr old. Reaching out like that was definitely empowering and, it appears, effective.
Brava!
There is a group - Vote forward - Vote Forward volunteers send heartfelt handwritten letters to unregistered and low-propensity voters encouraging them to participate in our democracy.
Yes, Bonnie!
Here’s one great option:
https://thecivicscenter.org/
Thx. Great example of resources for mobilizing young voters!!
I concentrate on sharing with those who aren't interested in politics reasons why they need to be. But, I do save from others and post on the Twitters of the lying right the examples of all Biden is doing and all the Repubs are not. Unfortunately, I can't upload those here. For instance, there is an amazing video now regarding K McCarthy. By posting these on their own twitters, hopefully someone with no interest or someone who believes the lies might have a new thought.
Mind, did you say mind. They have his number of brain cells, zip
Jeri
i used to "comfort" myself with that thought (that they are mindless) but many of these people have been to the best schools, well educated. Cruz, de Santis etc etc. Just like Bolsonaro, they sing the siren's song and lure so many who ARE mindless. My son, when he was younger said once, They are the Slytherings and the Deatheaters ( he had read Harry Potter) and he totally nailed it. The selfish greed...one of the 7 deadly "sins"...accent on DEADLY
So it seems self-governance is DIY. We hire agents to carry out our collective wisdom, but ultimately the buck stops here. So far the infrastructure of rule of law is straining yet still holding. But the battle continues.
Sorry J L Graham, I’m feeling cynical this morning and cannot seem to roll smoothly over your statement: “ So far the infrastructure of rule of law is straining yet still holding.” After the tsunami wave of judicial appointments that were slammed into US Courts in the last administration, and the capture of SCOTUS, the discovery of the percentage of far-right extremists / sympathizers in law enforcement and the military, and the gamification of trials, I believe the jig is already up, and we are just recognizing that, to the chagrin of the Right. The evangelical’s Deal-with-the-Devil to support trump was the judges. Those judges will hold the court hostage for a generation and secure their “White-Might Makes Right” authoritarianism. If Democracy couldn’t stop a grifter like trump in 2015, or 2016, or 2017, or 2018, or 2019, or 2020, or 2021, what more examples do we need to know the infrastructure was a house of cards? We are fighting now to rebuild a rule of law infrastructure. And it’s pretty damn hard in an evolving authoritarian regime. But I will continue to try, and I know many others here are doing the same.
I am genuinely fearful, but if ever there was a time to to focus on the realities of our circumstances and wisely use our collective influence, this is it. "It" (meaning fascism) definitely can happen here, and GOP rhetoric is straight out of Orwell. There is also decency and resistance afoot. The "Force" is very intense in both directions, and I think perhaps until recently Democrats have been too shy about shining the spotlight on growing corruption and and offering a more appealing and compelling vision of alternatives. We let the crooks control the news cycle to the point that "war is peace" for far too many of our peers.
I also note according to the US Census, voting is consistently less common in the age range of 18 to 29. Yet they are the ones with the most to lose by standing by when poor political choices are made, and climate change is just the start of how they have been and will be impacted. I think this has yet to be effectively emphasized, especially by the DNC.
"Yet they are the ones with the most to lose..." I completely agree with this statement. We've got to get young people to vote!
Ty for simply expressing what so many of us are feeling.
White-Might Makes Right? In America, it ALWAYS has! Regarding the nightmare that Germany experienced, it DID happen here, and Hitler got HIS ideas from OUR American history! Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what I (maybe you?) never knew and exactly why Dems and Repubs are SO different! Well worth the read. It should be required reading by all Americans!
Yes it has. And “progress be damned” we are being hauled back to a version of it circa 1900. And yes, the 1619 project is a great read and nonsense that it is not taught in schools , or that it is controversial.
The "supreme" court seems a sham to this citizen.
The right wing coup d'etat of the Supreme Court is a huge problem and the abandonment of "equal justice under law" (which is engraved into the building) must be highlighted and used to blunt the legitimacy of the current majority. I believe that Lincoln was correct when he said:
“In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions.”
Frankly since Reagan, plutocratic Republicans (and Dems) seem to have understood that better than the advocates of public empowerment. I think this dynamic holds both when tyranny rises and when tyranny falls. I think the chief weapon of forces of reform are clarity and focus, and a smart plan to be heard and seen.
And it didn't happen by itself. Regarding the nightmare that Germany experienced. It DID happen here, and Hitler got his ideas from American history! Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what you never knew. Well worth the read.
Buckle up... this really was too much news for one day. -- Dear HCR, I long for a day when you will be able to let us all know that "Democracy is working well today. All the liars and self-serving invertebrates are either in jail or without any political power anymore, so there isn't much to report today!" -- Hey, a guy can dream, right?
My favorite post of the day, Steve. Longing for that same day as you!
Morning, Lynell! I, too, long for that day.
Maybe we will get to see it. Or not. Either way, there's always...Morning, Ally!
Jung's collective conscience at work. Me too.
Me, too!
What a terrific visualization!
Dreaming right there with you, buddy!!
Steve When I was twelve in 1945 that was VE and then VJ Day—democracy seemed to be working well, Hitler was dead, and Togo would soon meet his ancestors..
WW II was over—and the Cold War hadn’t commenced. These days my infrequent dreams are overwhelmed by nightmares.
💖💝💖 Love that imagery!!!
The majority of white Americans care more about preserving their systemic advantages than about preserving American democracy, and they have now put a Supreme Court in place that will help them succeed. We have the numbers to outvote them if we can get enough fair-minded people to cast votes in November. That’s step one, but we’ll need unprecedented success to retain the House and get enough seats in the Senate to reform the Supreme Court, which is essential to the preservation of American democracy beyond 2024.
But what's it take? A senate super majority of two thirds? And what are the odds of that happening anytime soon? Meanwhile, this "originalist" six have proven themselves capable of just about anything in obeying their marching orders. These conditions might well lead to a civil war. The thought sickens me.
LeMoine, I write to clarify that expanding the Court would require a simple majority within each chamber, presuming 50 Senators voted either to reform, set aside, or abolish the filibuster. Hence, the imperative of holding the House and picking up at least 2, probably closer to 4, Senators. Though Biden has some misgivings about expanding the Court, were the legislation to advance to his office, he would sign.
On another matter, I would be remiss were I not to mention the package of transformative legislation related to the economy, to healthcare, to criminal justice, to education, to immigration, to climate change, and more that also would become law.
Barbara, thank you. And yes, I"m aware of the so called "nuclear option" of eliminating the filibuster. Trouble is, that idea has been floated by both sides for a long time and, since neither party seems willing to give up this nasty little obstructionist tool, I didn't assume it would happen. Also, "packing the court" (to achieve a more favorable political balance) isn't the same as "reforming" the court through impeachment for malfeasance, for example. Unless you meant re-form in the sense of changing its composition.
LeMoine, First, I would note, last January, that the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act would have become law had Manchin and Sinema not joined the 50 Republican Senators to filibuster the legislation. As for the High Court, in 1869, the Court was expanded to 9 justices, each of whom was assigned to one of the 9 federal circuit courts. Today there are 13 circuit courts overseen by 9 justices, an imbalance that, in my mind, justifies adding 4 justices to the High Court.
Additionally, in contrast to simple majorities in both chambers ( setting aside the Senate filibuster), a two-thirds Senate majority would be required to remove a justice, or judge.
LeMoine Surlamont. I am convinced that the moment Republicans control the Senate they will eliminate the filibuster. They would prefer is Democrats did it, so they could complain, but they have no use for any constraints on their power. Why would they show restraint on this issue?
By “reforming,” I meant adding more justices to the court. “Packing” the court is what the Republicans have done already, through occasional good luck, decades of persistence, and cynical skullduggery. The odds against unpacking the court through impeachment are overwhelming, as you pointed out. Expansion is the only way out from under the oppressive weight of the six racist operatives (including, ironically, one black man who apparently favors white rule) currently occupying seats on the court.
LeMoine, I would caution against the line of thinking that a civil war is pending or will be needed.
I am not sending my son into a battle that is likely to leave him dead or maimed to fight for a country where 36% of Harvard admissions are "Legacy" (meaning white folks with poor qualifications but rich white parents). Nor will I go into battle for that.
Yes, America has been good to me, but, yes, from age 13 or so I worked, no joke, for at least 25 years, 16 hour days to make that happen. I enjoyed working, so, no big deal, but, I routinely encounter people (here in the north) who have lived lives of stupendous ease and live in my same neighborhood and barely work and are barely competent and worked side by side with me. And, on Sunday, instead of working they watch football all...day...long.
So, let's try to fix America with peaceful means.
Dying for America?
Perhaps it is better to just leave America to those who have an easy life and to the nuts who want to control those who have an easy life and just move to a Greek island where public education produces reasonable people in a reasonable Democracy.
Killing other people to preserve what I have seen in America for 62 years?
Naw. I am not going to do it. Period.
I’d like to think that we have enough citizens who can take their eyes off the Kardashians long enough to focus on the future of the country. But no guarantees, except among HCR subscribers (well most)
Jeri, Optimism is healthy and highly recommended by most Cardiologists!!
So, I'm with you.
However, I do have a Greek island picked out. And, my wife has obtained Greek citizenship as of August. I have to be super nice to her now.
Learning Greek every morning. btw.
:-)
Learning Greek. Yikes! Everything else you have said I too would be on board.
Kardashians, my bp just shot up 20 points. Amazing how a CINO I worked with was a big fan and so, so admired the entire family--even though their entire lifestyle was 180 against her "beliefs"
The other night, I said to my spouse--will those people NEVER disappear?! I am sure that the self-proclaimed "momager" is already scheming how to prostitute out the grandchildren.
Kim is worth $1.8 billion, according the SEC suit she just settled for crypto fraud. That pushed your BP even higher, but proves your point. All profit without product.
Also, everyone I know ...and at 80 yrs, that is quite a few...will be voting. And as I finish 200 voter registration letters and cards, I would be wasting my time, if I had not already seen the effects of this effort in the last two campaigns. Natural born citizen, with Canadian citizenship as well, it would be tempting to just move north, but I would still suffer if we lost our democracy in this country. We would grieve mightily...so as many of you are doing: fight with words and non-violent actions. “Write, speak..persuade with the truth” . As Mainer, I have Lepage on my doorstep...but I will do my part to keep him there... “outside”!
Mike, we seem to have similar backgrounds, so I resonate with most of what you posted. But go back and read what I said (as I just did to be sure I hadn't misspoken). Please don't assume I am agitating for civil war because I underscored the seriousness of our present situation. In fact I indicated that I was repulsed by the possibility. I could have added that the prospect is exacerbated by the fact that apparently a third of the population is itching for it. I am simply stating that we had damned well better not blow this off as something that could never happen.
See you in Greece, Mike!
Briefly the Democrats had a super majority in the early Obama administration. What did they do with it? Not nearly enough.
I wish the Dems could have done more in the two years they had available to them, but Obama chose healthcare and got it, unlike several capable presidents who tried to get it, stretching back a hundred years. Obama probably would agree that a few additional good works things might have been possible, but probably not many. Obama is much more astute than just about everyone, politically, so justifiably second-guessing him requires great caution.
No. It might take as “little” as 52 Senate seats (that is, two more seats D seats), just enough to get around Manchin and Sinema on killing the fillibuster (or eliminating it for certain kinds of legislation, as has been done for SCOTUS appointments and certain budget bills). Might take as many as four additional seats if there are some lurkers hiding behind Manchin and Sinema (such as Weinstein, possibly). Even two is a stretch, though. Hell, even holding the Senate is a stretch. The ignorant, racist, white working class (70% of them, anyway, 80% when it comes to white evangelicals) have the advantage and are now in a position to get what they’ve been trying to get since 1968.
Sorry to bust your chops a little this morning Rex Page but please cite a very credible source, recently published, to back up your contention that; “a majority of white Americans care more about preserving their systemic advantages than about preserving American democracy....”
Had you stated a majority of Republicans? Yes, that seems correct especially recently. Many Republicans have overtly stated something similar and no one has busted their chops, at least not in the media I read. But Republicans are in the minority in this country. Are the majority of Democrats people of color? Probably. But I always check my contentions at the door labeled facts. If you have seen such a study, please share the source.
I live in a White Majority state. Minnesota has long traditions of passing policies designed to care for the majority of its citizens including recent immigrants and yet we have failed publicly and spectacularly, in caring for Native people and African Americans. The name George Floyd is familiar to you. Does that mean a majority of us seek only to maintain our white privilege? Good question. I want to say no but I’m white so I have skin in the game and know I have a blind spot there.
Dr. Richardson states flatly today that she did not include Trump’s horrific statement about McConnell and Chao because she understands the power of words. Let’s join her in being extremely careful in what we say.
And yes to showing up in overwhelming numbers and voting like our future depends on it. It does.
60% of white Americans voted for Trump. That is my evidence.
60% of white Americans *who voted* - only 66% of eligible voters voted in 2020. This is why I'm writing Postcards to Swing States!
Me too. And I think handwritten postcards help. I don’t have any data on non-voting white Americans, but my guess, after living among some of the worst of them for 50 years, is that non-voting white Americans are even more racist, on the average, than the ones who vote. Most postcard projects (all the ones I’m working on, for sure) target D-leaning voters, which is the only efficient strategy. You can’t convert a Republican with a hundred hours of patient counseling.
Are hand-written postcards given to college-age voters??
I don’t know of a project targeting that group, but suspect that there are many of them. I hope so, but I’m sure more are needed. I think the Democratic Party should have put billions per year into well-designed efforts to get out the D vote, starting 40 years ago, including at the state legislature level, where the Kochs and other deeply evil, obscenely wealthy people were buying up state legislatures on the cheap.
Thank You Rex!
Thank You Becky!!
60%? You know why? American history, that's why. But TRUE American history! We are NOT teaching it in our schools. Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what I (maybe you?) never knew and exactly why Dems and Repubs are SO different! Well worth the read. It should be REQUIRED reading by all Americans! Soon, or we will repeat our past as Hitler tried.
I think both The 1619 Project and History of the United States by Dunbar-Ortiz should be required reading for all American high-school students.
My training as a journalist compels me to demand credible sources, particularly in a forum like this where someone like Dr. Richardson provides meticulous records for the analysis she provides. I can find no citation, from a credible source, that mirrors your claim.
Since only 66 percent of voting age Americans voted in the 2020 elections, that's not possible - the numbers don't add up.
Here's my citation for the 2016 Election results broken down by ethnicity and gender from a credible source. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2018/08/09/an-examination-of-the-2016-electorate-based-on-validated-voters/
Here is my citation for the 2020 Election results with a similar breakdown. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/06/30/behind-bidens-2020-victory/
Cite your source, please.
Pew is a superb source, so let’s go with their figures. They have it at 55% of white voters for Trump in 2020 (other reliable sources, NYT for example, put it at 58%, so it’s probably somewhere in between). I round to one significant digit on the grounds that the data is not precise enough to get two digits. That’s where I get 60%. As to the non-voting 34%, the usual statistical assumption is that the unsampled population breaks about the same as the sampled population. That’s with random sampling, of course, and sampling voters only (not non-voters) is not random sampling. Solid analysis would require more data. My guess is that such data, were it available, would show that non-voting, white American citizens would be even more racist than voting, white Americans. That’s a guess, not a measured datapoint, but is based on many decades of close observation.
So here is the hair splitting I wanted: 55% of White Voters that voted, voted for Trump. Not 60% of all white voters. That's what I meant. That language makes it clear how many people didn't vote and don't participate in this democracy. Which most of us understand.
I'm grateful that Pew publishes their data and methods of collection via the web. Makes a big difference for those of us that do our own research.
As for your point about those who didn't vote, I wish I could cite a resource that has done credible longitudinal research on those folks. Would sure be helpful to figure out why the hell they don't vote and what, if anything, would motivate them to do so. If you are right about the majority of white non-voters, then we have an even bigger problem looming if Trump avoids justice, runs for Pres. and wins. Ack. Think I stick with the 2022 election for now. Thanks for the exchange.
Everyone I know as well as myself plan to vote our asses off.
Best suggestion yet on how to take off those Covid-lockdown pounds
MaryB❣️
Well said-thank you!
My dream
White-Might Makes Right? In America, it ALWAYS has! Regarding the nightmare that Germany experienced, it DID happen here, and Hitler got HIS ideas from OUR American history! Please read the "banned" book: The 1619 Project. Find out what I (maybe you?) never knew and exactly why Dems and Repubs are SO different! Well worth the read. It should be required reading by all Americans!
@Tommy, If in lieu of logically refuting someone’s perspective, you choose, instead, to attack the person’s character or intellect, you merely are disgracing yourself and offending the rest of us. Simply put, you are not welcomed here.
Barbara, while I do appreciate your support, I'm sure you know that it's best to simply ignore people like this who, like a festering pimple will simply dry up and disappear if left alone. Or, if that's a bit too graphic, like an undisturbed scab which will soon flake off and blow away. Besides, these people should be treated with kindness, as they are are constantly bathed in vitriol on Fox News, designed to stoke their insecurities and occupy their small minds. Take pity, my friend. But thank you. :-)
No pity from this quarter. Deliberate ignorance is worse than stupidity
LeMoine, While I appreciate your comment, I respectfully disagree. All my life, I have treated everyone as I would want to be treated. And every once in a while, when least expected, I sense a positive shift.
I wonder who paid for his subscription?
I wondered the same thing.
Barbara, you apparently took me seriously. I apologize. Nobody hates these ignorant, abrasive bastards more than I do. I've known for a long time that, like their master, Trump, absolutely nothing drives them nuts faster than being ignored. It just drives them deeper into their frenzied blathering, further highlighting their meanness, stupidity and ignorance. A form of Tai Chi for the blogosphere ;-)
LeMoine, Though I expect I rarely am able even to be heard by someone like Tommy, still, I feel obligated to model appropriate behavior.
My ability to "heart" a comment isn't working today. However, I "heart" this comment, Barabara.
Report Mr. Hollenbeck’s comment to HCR Administrator. I did.
Foul language and name calling are not allowed in the comment section.
Karen, I appreciate your note. If my admonishment to Hollenbeck is not heeded, I will report him.
As have I, Karen!
Well done as always.
Take it easy my friend. Less coffee and more Johnny Walker Red is my recommendation!!
I remember when I was in middle school down south and the boys started talking like this. I had, in my own household, not heard such words so I tried them on for a couple of weeks and found them wanting for communication purposes.
Johnny....Walker....Red.... works for me when I have that feeling that maybe I am going across the street to pound on my neighbor because he is blasting Michael Savage out of his garage.
After some Red, I walk over and kindly ask him to turn it down. He always does. But, without the Red? I might be in jail.
Communication Skills!!! Bravo
Ah, Mike, you found golfboy.
I have not seen this guy before, Ally--is he the newest recruit from team tfg taking the baton from David Carroll?
Good to know so as to not interact. If he got that response out of TCinLA, whom I respect, most likely.
Exactly, don't feed the animals.
David was here today, too.
Lovely, a double whammy day.
I missed him, I guess I was on too soon. I skim for the people whose opinions I respect, sometimes do read other ones if I see there is a good discussion going on.
I don't know why these tools even bother.
We all have our coping mechanisms! Glad this works for you. Cuppa chai does it for me.
Go back to Flyover Loserville where you belong, senile old white male boomer lifetime loser Trumpscum.
TC - tell us how you really feel /snark
TV has earned his license to take license
HCR subscribers not 100% sane
This statement by Oath Keepers defense attorneys prove the prosecuting attorneys case. "The Oath Keepers came to Washington as security guards dedicated to “peacekeeping,” who showed up expecting that then-president Donald Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act to activate the Oath Keepers to defend Trump’s government."
Former President Trump had lost the election. Any and every effort to stay in office was insurrection. Any and all violence associated would be insurrection and the use of the Insurrection Act would have been the both a contributing factor, and insurrection in itself.
I saw that, David. How can an attorney, in his opening statement for the defense, actually articulate the foundation of the prosecution.
Argh, edit key no worky. Question mark at the end.
The key phrase there is “Trump’s government.” Not the US government. Trump’s. Aspounding!
Excellent 👌 Thanks 🙏
Let’s hope everyone sees the
Cristal Clear analysis (of guilt) you present here.
´The center can hold—because we are the center. We are citizens of a democracy who can refuse to accept the threats of mob bosses, whether in Florida or in Russia. We can and must vote, but that’s not enough. We must also speak out.´ Powerful letter in The Atlantic.
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/10/trump-putin-and-the-assault-of-anarchy/671641/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20221003&utm_term=The%20Atlantic%20Daily
I certainly hope you are correct Gailee.
copied from your link:
"Speak up.
Do not stay silent when our fellow citizens equivocate and rationalize. Defend what’s right, whether to a friend or a family member. Refuse to laugh along with the flip cynicism that makes a joke of everything. Stay informed so that the stink of a death threat from a former president or the rattle of a nuclear saber from a Russian autocrat does not simply rush past you as if you’ve just driven by a sewage plant."
I can, and do, use my voice to communicate facts, evidence and some of HCR's writings to those I know are ensared in right wing propaganda.
But, honestly, how can I compete with 24/7 AM radio personalities that gain credibility simply by having FOUR hours a day to voice their perspective without ANY alternative perspective presented?
Or, how can I compete with Fox and Friends? The old guys sitting out in the farm houses watching the fake blondes feed them lies?
I wonder if what I say really matters? One of my sisters is barely speaking to me because, yep, she lives in rural Texas and she and her husband drink the right wing coolaid day after day after day.
The Republicans and their rich buddies have built a media empire with money that knows no peer, one that would make Goebbels himself swell with pride.
I wonder if my voice really matters or does it just aggravate the Right Wing Believer?
Sometime go listen to "Clay Travis and Buck Sexton" on AM radio for a few days. OR go listen to Glenn Beck or Michael Savage or both on AM radio for a few days.
Or, go listen to (the list is too long for me to type it here) local AM stations far right talk shows. Every town has one.
Listen to these AM radio shows and hear the truly nutty stuff they are promulgating.......all.....day....and....night.....every.....24hr...period.
They practice “free speech” with the goal of having none
Correct.
In suffering the struggle, I know my voice has little impact on the mass of Dittoheads, but I take refuge in believing that if I can sway (nit necessarily change) how one person thinks, I can make a difference albeit it a small one
What breaks my heart are those well educated people I know who continue to vote to secure their portfolios rather than to secure democracy.
Sometimes the best you can do to the indoctrinated is plant a seed of doubt. Nurture it when you can without expecting anything.
I feel your pain as I sit in the airport going to visit my family in central Illinois. I try to tolerate Fox and Friends as these are my 89 y/o father's housemates now. But now and then I do point out to him that, "You know they're talking about ME, right?"
Thank you GWW with the Link to Tom Nichols' daily, The Atlantic staff writer.
After reading quite a lot lately about the mob, organized crime, psychological persuasion practices, Brave New World, The Origins of Totalitarianism, surveillance capitalism, and demographic breakdowns of listenership and viewership of right wing media, I conclude that our constitution was not built to withstand the encircling attack from above, the sides, and below simultaneously. We need a second Enlightenment, one that acknowledges that humans are NOT rational creatures, but in fact easily, and highly persuadable. Once the distance between haves and have-nots in the society gets beyond a certain point , it takes an increasingly smaller lever to break it apart, and send it adrift. The “Center” is truly where most of us fall, - in our most sober state. But that sober state is expertly being manipulated and intentionally smoke-and-mirror grifted. We are pawns in a huge, mythological, Mt. Olympus fight among people who believe this precious blue marble is theirs for the taking, theirs for lording over, theirs to exploit. Our “Rule of Law” infrastructure was only as strong as the participants willing to adhere to it -and more importantly- dispense it justly where needed. That has not been done, so the erosion hit a critical point. Watch those citizens of Florida. They were whacked by an historic climatic event. It does not promise to be the last. But will they vote out the climate deniers? No. They will vote in the asylum removers, the voter suppression candidates, the supply-siders, the forced-birthers, election deniers. And they will contend that THEY are the center. And its God’s Will.
Question. How are those whose homes and communities were destroyed going to vote at all?
This question has been on my mind as well. Not only are they physically displaced and possibly without ID (if they had to be evacuated), but the mechanisms in place for voting (schools, libraries, municipal buildings, etc.) were also destroyed.
The right wing media and propagandists are good at targeting their messages. They go from full on crazy, the election was stolen, etc for their die-hard supporters to “softer” versions that raise just enough questions about “possible” election fraud to bring in people who don’t buy the full on crazy but are willing to start questioning the integrity of our voting system and the courts that threw the voter cases out. I experienced this with my father the other day- he’s an extremely intelligent (retired scientist) and active 87 years old but he’s buying into the softer version- things like the cases were dismissed for missing the deadline for filing, which is too short, and therefore the claims weren’t actually investigated, someone was paying Samoans $20.00 to vote (he was starting to stretch for things at this point), the winners don’t have an incentive to investigate voter fraud….. Every time I said one of his talking points wasn’t true, he’d bring up another one. We usually go out of our way to avoid politics so I was very disheartened and left wondering how all of the disinformation can be countered, especially when it takes lots of words to counter the catchy slogans and sound bites.
McConnell cast his bread upon the water when he engineered TFG’s impeachment acquittal twice, knowing he was guilty both times.
McConnell got his judges.
Am I, a taxpayer, footing the bill for the extra 24/7 personal security McConnell has doubtless engaged as a result of TFG’s threats? Probably yes.
Maddening. But look at the cost of these trials? Of the incarceration of these traitors. Of the time spent dedicated to finally nail these people.
And now. DeSantis’ Florida catastrophe… that pig voted AGAINST federal aid to victims of Hurricaine Sandy and now he wants the country to bail him out. And the people of Florida ( many moved there because low taxes) want tax money of the federal govmt to pay up. This is the man who said “ gay” cannot be mentioned in the schools. But he will take the money … gay or no. Just infuriating
The money we waste could be used for a better future.
In the Raleigh News and Observer this morning: Inmate suicides approach historic high in NC prisons.
This is a failure to allocate funds to productive use. Thinking DeSantis millions for a political stunt.
And FLA congresspeople voted AGAINST federal aid to their state!
😲
Mitch best example of “be careful what you wish for.” America should have learned that lesson in 2015, well, maybe 2000 with W/Dickie.
Walker is absolutely unfit to serve in any government position, as he is unqualified.
I also suspect that Walker has suffered some variant of brain encephalopathy, as have other pro football players.
Yet, being unqualified for a position is not an issue with the MAGA cult, which includes Christian nationalists.
Here's hoping the sane voters of Georgia prevail and soundly reject Walker.
"Walker is absolutely unfit to serve in any government position..."
So was TFG, so was G.W. Bush for that matter. There have been so many at every level. One need not be qualified to hold public office; one need only be elected.
If elected, Walker's office would be staffed by Republican apparatchiks who will do the legislating. Walker would be a puppet who will do and say what he is instructed to do and say.
So Congressman Johnson is qualified? He’s a fuckinging moron. He thought Guam would tip over if 5,000 Marines showed up.
I would be grateful—as would others here—if you’d stop with the obscenities.
Tommy, such language s not necessary to make your very valid point.
Tommy Hollenbeck - "So Congressman Johnson is qualified? ... He thought Guam would tip over if 5,000 Marines showed up."
If Johnson's remarks were meant figuratively, he had a legitimate point.
The United States plans to move thousands of Marines and their families, about 8,000 people in all, to the small island of Guam, which has a current population of about 180,000.
At the peak of construction, Guam's population would increase by 79,000 people, or about 45 percent, -- trigger island-wide water shortages and overload sewage systems and other public utilities.
"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥." --Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA)
I notice that “defection” is your friend
I've sent two donations to Warnock's campaign so far...also monies to our embattled Dem governor and CD#2 race. Also on the donation rotation list are Kelly (AZ), Fetterman (PA), Barnes (WI), Demings (FL), Crist (FL) and O'Rourke (TX)
Great list- thank you!
In an interview tonight, Trump accused the FBI or the archivists from the National Archives and Records Administration of planting or removing documents in order to frame him, saying that NARA is “largely radical-left run.”
Collective Libraries. Well of course.
I knew it!! Trump is innocent!
As a true blue (or is it red?) American with my Confederate flag flying (well, the guy down the street at my farm does this for real) I believe Trump!
The deep state (never mind that nobody can even define what this is, much less point to its existence with evidence)............. is out to get Trump!
Trump is a victim!!
Just thought I would represent about 50% of America (maybe more) for the HCR board today.
Sorry, Mike. I guess you may have “represented” them, but your use of language and complete sentences (even those requiring parenthetical usage) marks you as only representational and in no way “one of them” <sarcasm font to avoid the sarchasm>
We’ve already had golfboy show up to confront us; his demonstration of grammatical precision is more representative.
Golfboy!! 😊. Where did that moniker come from?
And what does it mean? Never heard it before.
On the little troll's profile, he identifies himself as a "sports addict" who loves baseball and golf...thus, golfboy.
Thanks, TL.
From Vanity Fair:
+++
Dodson had planned to play nine holes with Trump and Eric, along with pro golfer Greg Norman and Trump’s bodyguard, and when he got there, Dodson asked where Trump was getting money. “He just sort of tossed off that he had access to $100 million,” said Dodson, whose curiosity was piqued:
“So when I got in the cart with Eric,” Dodson says, “as we were setting off, I said, ‘Eric, who’s funding? I know no banks—because of the recession, the Great Recession—have touched a golf course. You know, no one’s funding any kind of golf construction. It’s dead in the water the last four or five years.’ And this is what he said. He said, ‘Well, we don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.’ I said, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘Oh, yeah. We’ve got some guys that really, really love golf, and they’re really invested in our programs. We just go there all the time.’ Now that was three years ago, so it was pretty interesting.”
+++
Eric Trump denies ever saying that, which is may be true, but this in not the first mention of money pouring in from Russia. If accurate, the power of golf seems pretty persuasive.
Too funny Ally.
I know them
Dear oh voice of reason,
What a jam-packed day. So much abounds. Thank you for organizing it all so succinctly.
My thoughts exactly
The NY Times had an article today about 138 R's in the federal House of Representatives signed an amicus curiae brief submitted by a Louisiana "constitutional lawyer" he calls himself, he being also a Representative in the House from Louisiana. The brief brought up the supposedly unconstitutional nature of changes being made to voting procedures without the consent of the legislature of the state changes were made in. A good example of political GIGO (garbage in, garbage out).
This is what tfg said: “He has a DEATH WISH,” Trump posted late Friday on his Truth Social platform, criticizing McConnell for agreeing to a deal to fund the government through December. He also disparaged McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, who served as Trump’s transportation secretary and was born in Taiwan, in racist terms, calling her “his China loving wife, Coco Chow.” What a despicable comment, racist and violent.
Elaine Chao was part of the conversation about invoking the 25th Amendment, resigned the day after the J6 coup, and has been talking to the J6 panel. All things unforgivable in Trumplandia.
But that is what he is and always has been, Elisabeth! I have no respect for Chao, believe me, but Chump’s words incite his militant base. He knows exactly what he is doing.
And demeaning.
And Republicans respond by saying, "Oh, well. Trump likes nicknames; he was just using a nickname for Ms. Chao."
I had not heard the exact language spputed by tfg. Unbelievable but not.
“...to defend Trump’s government”...? Doesn’t that say it all? When did we the people become “Trump’s government”? Just a piece of a sentence that perfectly encapsulates the corruption, the indecency, the immortality that the GOP have visited upon us by their ruthless lust for power. Vote. Them. Out. (And prosecute the hell out of all those complicit!).
“We” did give him the keys to the kingdom. I knew on Nov 9, 2016 that he would use them for evil. He did not disappoint. However, I didn’t envision that the whole of the Republican Party was devoid of any integrity. I should have known.
As far as the Herschel Walker developments, it seems to me that the fact that his polling is anywhere close to Warnock's is evidence that the Republican voters don't care how bad their candidate is if he gets them a Senate majority. So we'll see if this news has any effect with the voters who might be on the fence. At this point in the culture wars, I wonder just how big that margin really is.
My hope is that the Rev simply overtakes Herschel, like he did against his opponent before. He, Ossoff, and Stacey make a great team.
Yes, they are all impressive and admirable, but Stacey hasn't been able to get as much traction this time around as she did before, and I read that there was a troubling number of black men who had decided to sit this one out because they felt nobody was addressing their issues. That was a while ago, and I haven't read anything about it since so don't know if that issue was something a reporter saw at a particular point in time or if it developed into a genuine problem for Warnock.
I hope to hell that isn’t true, Jim!
Perhaps the important issue here is to parlay this outrage nationally by demanding every GOP candidate go on record denouncing Walker, and when they demur, paint them with a very specific brush
Not much
The Rev. Warnock is a man of character that is reminiscent of the image of the US Congress before the likes of Trump, Scott, McConnell, McCarthy, and that ilk moved in and took root. Herschel Walker can defend himself. The people of Georgia deserve better. Just as the people of Georgia deserve - and will hopefully elect - Marcus Flowers instead of MTG who is beyond an adomination.
As to the trial of the Oath Keepers, it is beyond imagination to believe the people deated as jury members could honestly sat they didn't recognize the name of Defendent #1 or the name Oath Keepers. Let's us hope they are more focused on the evidence presented.
I hope but I live In Red Texas
Makes your BLUE vote that much more important.
A few questions: 1. why didn’t DJT invoke the insurection act? The fact that he had no basis would not have stopped him. So what did?
2. Does anyone believe that those guys wouldn’t have killed AOC, Pelosi, and Pence if they found them?
3. There are enough people being drawn into the legal morass-- at least one of them will turn state’s evidence to save their own skin. Who will it be, and for which crime?
Waiting, I keep wondering who will step up. There are many who could.