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Peter Burnett's avatar

Not only in the Electoral College, in the Senate, above all in the House.

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Dotty Hopkins's avatar

I so wish the importance of controlling Congress would come up in every speech and post that Dems around the country do with the caveat that none of the promises Harris is making will be possible if voters don't vote Democratic all the way down their ballots. People are too inclined to split their tickets so one party doesn't dominate, and that's how we've ended up with the "do nothing Congress" we've got.

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JDinTX's avatar

Splitting the ticket was only a good idea (if it ever was), when there were two competent parties. Ain’t the case no mo

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Lady Emsworth's avatar

and two parties that could talk to each other and compromise for the sake of the country. "Compromise" doesn't mean "Doing what you must because the other party is threatening a shut down. . ."

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J L Graham's avatar

Thar's called "capitulation". Compromise is cooperative. Republicans live to bully.

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JDinTX's avatar

I loved the days when people stood up to bullies, at least after jr high…

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JDinTX's avatar

Threats are a sure sign that the party is NOT the one to vote for

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Lauren Lundgren's avatar

Let's see what happens with the icky cr the felon has insisted they offer. Johnson called off the vote, so maybe he/they know it's a non starter. Maybe they're afraid of consequences on Nov 5 if they do shut it down. Maybe they're looking for ways to make it worse. The kool aid is flowing, so there's no telling what horror they're cooking up. Let's just hope it isn't cat stew.

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Michele's avatar

JD. Agree. I never split my ticket anymore, not even a local R who is OK. Yes, we must get out the vote and hopefully, blue will be overwhelming. In answer to those posts before yours....However, people can enjoy the fact that she stomped him because there is cause for optimism now and being charged up makes it easier for people to do what is necessary in terms of the vote. I also had a dope try to challenge me when I posted that the Springfield story was false. He hadn't read the article he posted and astoundingly admitted that he hadn't after I called him on it.

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Laura Lasley's avatar

My sister-in-law posted the fake video of VP Harris looking like she was stumbling over her words a few weeks ago to show incompetance. She at least acknowledged my reply which cited a news article (Times or Post can't remember) that proves that was AI fakery. That fake stuff spreads like wildfire on social media, it's like the weeds you are trying to eradicate in your garden that comes back no matter what you do.

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Ally House (Oregon)'s avatar

I haven't had that luck with any of the MAGAts on my feed. Sigh.

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Michele's avatar

I was really surprised. He continued with some YouTube thing and I told him that YouTube is not my go to site and said i wanted a credible site. Then I told him that if he supported death star, the conversation was a waste of time. I went to his page and found several anti Harris posts. Haven't heard from him since.

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Chris Soden's avatar

Michele, don’t dismiss all of you tube as not credible. Like any other research you need to evaluate all areas to determine the truth. For example, the Midas Touch Network on you tube has very credible people posting and discussing the issues, dissecting all the legal decisions made and the path forward. MAGA often only listen to or read those things they agree with or want to hear. I try to go to multiple sites to see and hear and read what other stories are being pushed to better debunk them with factual information. And like you HCR is on the top of my list as she provides all the receipts for her commentary. I am also with you on the absolute need to VOTE BLUE UP AND DOWN THE TICKET if you are truly interested in making the change needed to move us back to some normalcy. Thanks for you good fight.

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Michele's avatar

I don't and I did watch a PBS YouTube on the Springfield problem, so I am fine if I know who is making it. It just is not usually the first place I go. I used to teach expository writing, so I know how to vet sources. My experience with MAGAs is that they don't vet sites. I had one who actually posted a good article, but misinterpreted what it said. Thanks for the heads up on Midas Touch Network. I love Heather. I was to go hear her in Portland next week, but a bad knee is preventing that. Drats.

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JDinTX's avatar

Bummer

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J L Graham's avatar

The only good Republican is an exiled Republican.

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Lauren Lundgren's avatar

Me either. I agree with Lady Emsworth that we have to roll over them like a tank. Their minds are made up and can't be budged, so bring out the T-72's and put their dicks in the dirt, especially the women for Trump.

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Richard Sutherland's avatar

I think that it was essential that Kamala "stomp" Trump. She (we) needed that credibility to persuade fence-sitters.

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NanceeM's avatar

But the real problem is that there are even fence-sitters. Even after listening to his pure insanity on that debate, I hear people say "but the economy." Given that except for inflation the economy is better now than under Trump, what is it these people are really looking at that would excuse voting for an obvious madman? The country has taken leave of basic common sense. This won't end well.

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Michele's avatar

Inflation is going down and Biden is not responsible for the inflation or most things that people complain about. He isn't responsible for insurance rates fueled by things like storms and wildfire. People need to figure out that if you live in the piney woods, a vulnerable coast, or a flood plain, you will pay or not be able to get insurance. MSM media still has stories on inflation and interviews people whining even though prices are going down. Also some of them are getting increased wages. No CEO is going to sacrifice a dime for this, but will raise prices. Some of this is due to the pandemic. A lot of it is just plain greed from grocery stores for example. I can't understand fence sitters either. They all must know how horrible death star is. But they haven't figured out yet that they and their descendents will pay big time.

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JDinTX's avatar

Also people are way in Debt and buying out the kazoo. No wonder there is a squeeze. I am not in Debt but should be to help Dems. Afraid my husband would haunt me. New taxes (as a recent widow) cleaned out my savings. But Elon pays less I would bet.

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J L Graham's avatar

Sorry about you situation.

According to The Guardian "Wealthiest Americans pay just 3.4% of income in taxes" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/13/wealthiest-americans-tax-income-propublica-investigation

Those multimillion dollar campaign gifts pay off well.

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JDinTX's avatar

And I was gobsmacked. Had no idea and no money left that I can access. So tired of private space programs and fleets of yachts.

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JDinTX's avatar

You are so right, looking for an excuse.

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Lauren Lundgren's avatar

Even with inflation it's better than under Trump because the policies that make ours the best economy in the world right now make us continue to rise. It will end well if we put Dems in all public offices to follow through. It won't end racism, homophobia, or misogyny, but it will fix the economy by the time Kamala runs for a second term.

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Michele's avatar

He was furious, lying, and awful. She kept her cool and her facial expressions were priceless. It would be nice to stomp him at election time, but I think stop is all we can hope for....autocorrect liked stop,

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Lauren Lundgren's avatar

Besides it was fun to watch... long may she wave and keep on truckin' all over his evil self.

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J L Graham's avatar

Trump threw out vicious lies to his base. It's all that he knows.

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J L Graham's avatar

Trump says "never admit" so there is hope for that person. I have voted for a few Republicans at the state level. One of which the state party claimed they wanted to impeach for certifying a Democrat in a close election. That was pre-MAGA,

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JDinTX's avatar

The lies they tell are the most egregious and unbelievable, but believed by cult nuts and passed on by greedy bastards

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J L Graham's avatar

And like the fomenting the J-6th insurrection, they are lies that actively harm, even kill. What must it be like to be Haitian in the US today, let alone in Springfield, Ohio? While I favor erring on the side of protection for unpopular free speech, I don't think weaponized hate speech, especially from public figures, should qualify. It was misapplied, but the "falsely shouting 'fire' in a theater" to callously evoke panic, is in that category. It was an action that had provoked real deaths.

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JDinTX's avatar

People don’t seem to realize that there are limits to free speech.

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Richard Sutherland's avatar

The Republican Party, the party of Dwight David Eisenhower, is dead. Reagan began the process of smothering it to death. Trump and the oligarchs applied the fatal squeeze. The party that once was the Republican Party is now the MAGA Party. Again, I recommend HCR's book, "How the South Won the Civil War."

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Michele's avatar

The Atlantic has a wonderful cover showing death star driving a

horse drawn hearse toward the Capitol Building with an elephant in it.

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Jeanne Golliher's avatar

And the articles inside that issue are splendid, as well.

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JDinTX's avatar

Love it, we need to claim the majestic elephant

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Susanna J. Sturgis's avatar

Ticket-splitting survived as a viable option in my state of Massachusetts through the first two decades of the 21st century. Gov. Charlie Baker (R) was elected to his 2nd term in 2018. He decided not to run for a 3rd in 2022, possibly because the MA GOP had by then gone so MAGA that he might not have survived the primary. So now every statewide elective office is held by a Democrat. (I could go on about how awful our Democratic-supermajority state legislature is but I'll save that for another time.)

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JDinTX's avatar

Currently, I never vote Repub.

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Susanna J. Sturgis's avatar

The last, and possibly the only, Republican I ever voted for was my county's venerable clerk of courts. He retired in 2018 after 40+ years in the job. I voted for him for the last 30 or so.

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JDinTX's avatar

I voted Repub once or twice. Long ago. That party loyalty runs deep, for either. My two sisters had enough with chump. My two bros, not so much

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Mary Hardt's avatar

JD, at the very least, a current candidate in the Republican Party has stated that they support Trump.

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JDinTX's avatar

One?

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John Gregory's avatar

yes. One answer to the final question that Trump asked - 'if you have all these good ideas, why haven't you done them for the past 3 1/2 years" - is that Congress would not let them because Republicans blocked everything they could. (Another answer is that they DID a lot of good things, particularly when Pelosi was House Leader - things that have brought a ton of new private investment to US industry, and that Republicans who voted against the measures are now taking credit for.)

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Oldandintheway's avatar

Also, Harris isn’t the president. How many VPs have set policy? She made it clear that she isn’t Joe Biden. As others have pointed out, the House could not even decide on a Speaker so they were obstructing any legislation. Harris should have emphasized that we are a republic not a monarchy, and all problems need to be solved by negotiation. It was Trump who said the president just needs to sign a piece of paper. He once said that a president just has to think it to make it so. He’s finally learning that he doesn’t have that power.

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Mary Hardt's avatar

Old….this is another tell. In Project 2025, he WOULD have that type of power, Constitution be damned.

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JDinTX's avatar

The sole purpose

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Michele's avatar

Old.....I also wondered about how much he thought VPs set policy. All his did was kiss his rear until the moment when he actually did the right thing. He is running against Harris now, but he wants to pretend he is running against Biden.

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Ellen's avatar

You could ask the same question of Trump. What did he do during his 4-year term in office? Of course, the first part of that question - "if you have all these good ideas" - is moot, since he didn't talk about any.

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Robin's avatar

But he'll have a beautiful plan in two weeks!

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Ellen's avatar

Right, like the "better-than-Obamacare" health plan he promised during his term.

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Michele's avatar

Ellen, he has "concepts".

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Mary Hardt's avatar

Ellen, the plan proposed (The American Healthcare Plan of 2017) would have allowed insurance companies to hike up rates for people with preexisting conditions.

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Ellen's avatar

Of course. You missed my sarcasm.

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Dr. Iris St. John's avatar

Or rather “a conception of a beautiful plan.” :-)

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KB in AZ's avatar

🤣🤣🤣

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Richard Sutherland's avatar

I feel that Kamala missed the opportunity to make the point that the Pandemic adversely affected nations world-wide and through it all the U.S. economy was the envy of the world (according to the WSJ) and that our inflation rate was among the lowest. It's all relative.

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NanceeM's avatar

Too nuanced for most Americans.

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Daniel Solomon's avatar

WE'RE NUMBER 1. Best economy. Lowest inflation. Lowest unemployment in 70 years.

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JDinTX's avatar

Chump did diddily squat for four years.

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NanceeM's avatar

Well, as usual, he played it both ways. He (rightly) said a Dem president couldn't get abortion protections passed with a 50/50 Congress, then blamed her for not getting "her" priorities accomplished in 3.5 years. These are the kinds of contradictory comments he doesn't get called on. Of course now that the SCOTUS has proclaimed him above the law, he won't need to bother with Congress. I'm sure his role model, Orban, can help with him the steps to take control.

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JaneDough56's avatar

State and local Dem leaders are taking that up now that the Harris campaign is on track; but Harris herself have to reiterate that she needs a working governmental majority to achieve her goals for the country.

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Mim Eisenberg (NYer now in GA)'s avatar

Yes. I don't know why that isn't happening. Without the trifecta, the Harris presidency will be hamstrung unless she, like Biden, issues executive orders, but that's a sorry way to have to govern.

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Bikracer's avatar

Yes! So do I! It isn’t enough to win the presidency we have to win Congress otherwise nothing will get done!

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D. Julian Spillane's avatar

Sadly, this is very true.

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Lesly Harder's avatar

So so true!

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Daniel Kunsman's avatar

Please don't forget the states!! I'm in Ohio, and the criminals are running the facilities here. Rooting them out on the State's level is JUST as important!

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John Dusty  Rhodes's avatar

Yes Daniel. I am in Florida and the fascists are the nightmare we witness everyday, banning books, attempting to dominate the whole education system. Yes, the state's too. Let's bring Democracy back to America.

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Daniel Kunsman's avatar

John, I've often said Ohio is the fascists laboratory. Once 'they' find out how to get away with it here, the fascists then take it to the other states and implement. To states like Florida, Idaho, Arkansas, etc, etc. It is here that it must be stopped, before it can metastasize federally.

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Rachel Simon's avatar

And TX

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Elene Gusch's avatar

I grew up in northeastern Ohio, and it used to be full of union steelworkers and heavily Democratic. The economy crashed when steel went down and got worse with the Reagan recession, and those of us starving folk who were able to leave did. I am appalled at who and what is left.

Throwing over the brilliant Tim Ryan for the shillbilly was astonishingly dumb.

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NanceeM's avatar

True, but as Rachel Bitecofer has pointed out, Ryan ran a conventional campaign, which didn't expose some of the (potentially) disqualifying positions of J.D., especially with regard to women. Women are they key to stopping the madness that is unfolding, but I'm not confident they'll come through, painful as it is to say.

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Daniel Kunsman's avatar

Elene, I'm in Lake County, in NE Ohio. Sounds like you were over toward the Mahoning Valley. And I'm with you; I'll never forgive all the slack-jawed yokels for allowing the likes of that shillbilly to hoodwink them. I'm hopeful Mr. Ryan will go after him again!

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VALERIE MELUSKEY's avatar

All the more amazing that Sherrod Brown knows how to find and reassure his voters!

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Rachel Simon's avatar

Mailing 500 postcards to Ohio to remind registered Ohioans to VOTE.

Thanks to turnoutpac.org/postcards

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Sandra VO (Maryland)'s avatar

Our elected County Dem Central Committee and County Dem Women's Club are sending out 7500 postcards supporting our 3 School Board candidates. It used to be a non-partisan race but the Repubs made it partisan in the last couple of elections!

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Daniel Kunsman's avatar

I've got 200 going out today! Thank you, Rachel

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Elene Gusch's avatar

Astonishing numbers you and Rachel are reaching!

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Gail Harris's avatar

Indeed….. we are a complex country… amazing and “this forum” of communicating is gloriously remarkable…. thank you!

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Riad Mahayni's avatar

In war, politics, and sports: one does not ease up when the opponent is on the ropes. And especially in this case, there is absolutely no substitution for a political knock-out. He and Vance need to be sent packing to whatever they wish to do after their loss: permanently!! In DJT's case, it may well be the incarceration he well deserves.

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Virginia Witmer's avatar

Still writing postcards for TonyTheDemocrat who sends addresses for House races. Have written hundreds to voters in counties in Florida. Recommending everyone who can “do something.” At 90, writing postcards is what I can do

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Gjay15's avatar

And please do not forget the importance of state and local elections.

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Patricia Davis's avatar

🙌👏YES!

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Sasha Brookes's avatar

Thank you Heather, your sanity and principle support mine

XX

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