But will non-MAGA Republicans and undecided voters get it now and vote accordingly?
Unfortunately, the people who most need to hear this message are not hearing it! Instead, they are hearing lies from the mainstream (corporate) press!☹️
So Kamala and Tim need to get the message out there that she was part of these great policies that benefit ordinary Americans and will continue them!
MAGAt's won't get this message. Google “Biden Economic Club speech" and you get only results from videos like YouTube until result # 17: the New York Post with the headline, “Biden admits economic recovery still needs ‘work,’ forgets meeting Fed chair in error-laden speech”
At # 24, the NY Times has an article that starts with a paragraph that includes, “It was an attempt to call a turning point in what has been a politically damaging chapter of economic policymaking for Mr. Biden…”
The Washington Post comes in at #52 but it’s an article from 2019.
Thanks for doing the research that any of us could have done if we'd made the effort. This highlights the (unfortunate) fact that the Democratic Party and the Harris/Walz campaign cannot get the word out alone. The Press, now controlled by oligarchs who prefer that government works for them and no one else, refuse to report news fairly and without bias. This is one reason I've transferred my WaPo subscription investment to HCR.
You're right, the Harris-Walz campaign can't get the message out alone. They need our help, and (metaphorically speaking) we need some lethal ammunition. Biden is correct. He is a capitalist. What he didn't say is that Republican policies are irrefutable evidence that there is not a single person in that party in a position of influence that knows the first thing about the concept. The first thing everyone must to know about capitalism is its foundation, and its foundation is implicit in the name of Adam Smith's book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759).
A Manhattan skyscraper is built on a foundation, and that foundation is bedrock. Guess what would have happen if it was built on sand.
Likewise, capitalism is built on a moral foundation. Anything immoral is not capitalism. Morality is treating others the way you would want to be treated if the shoe was on the other foot. We don't have to guess what would happen if someone tries to build an economic system on an immoral foundation. All we have to do is know a little bit of history, which we get by reading HCR's newsletter.
The only capitalist party in this this election is the Democratic party. The Republican party represents the thing that everyone coming to America is trying to get away from, which is people in positions of power with an "I'm right, you're wrong, and this conversation is over" attitude.
Republicans are CAPINOs (capitalists in name only). Don't get me started on CHRINOs (Christians in name only), SCINOs (scientists in name only), and FRINOs (freedom in name only). Same immoral crap, different pile.
Yes James - same immoral crap but different pile. I would add that the color and consistency is grossly and patentably different, but they all smell putridly the same.
You hit the nail on the head. I know so many people, even in my own family, that supported Trump and still refuse to acknowledge how incompetent he is. They just can't admit that they made a mistake. They love bullies. They are so stuck that they can't see anything good even though they are better off under Biden and Harris.
The people that run this country have ruined the lives of many millions of Americans. The list of gains under Joe from HCR are good, but they will take years to effect the lower wage people. Trump started his "coup" by blaming the migrants. Blaming the other. It is being done all over the world. The regular Dems and Rs have just been part of the rip off. Big money is making trillions at the expense of the lower tax payers.
Ron, why can't people bring themselves to admit they have an addiction problem? The answer is they haven't hit rock bottom yet. Ukraine hit rock bottom on February 24, 2022, and they no longer have this particular issue.
MAGA will recognize they have a problem when they hit rock bottom. The only question is how many innocent victims have to die.
Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller, rest in peace.
You make a great point James; it however reminds me of what Obama said about the Tea Party folks while, I believe, running for his second term: "they all love their guns and religion" (paraphrasing) or something to that extent. We have to solve the gun problem and get religion out of government. To start with, I would like to see the "prayer breakfast" done away with. In MHO, it is the biggest waste of government time imposed on those who serve in the House and Senate. That does not mean that they don't have a right to pray; prayer is no one's business but the one who indulges in it. That's OK with me. The solution? When in their own offices or chambers, let them take a few minutes individually to pray on their own. When in the prayer breakfast, it's not so much about prayer as much as it is about the "look at me" attitude to prove to everyone that they are believers in "God." Woe be unto them who divulges their true intent as an atheist while in Congress. There goes their job next election cycle even though they may well have served the people well.
Ron Boyd, I agree with your sentiment “𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼’𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛’𝑡 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡 𝐷𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑑 𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒." But our victory will be to keep sending the message without blame to those who feel they made a mistake but can’t admit it to remind them, their vote is private and that admission of a mistake can be reflected in voting for democracy and an all blue ticket and no one will ever know. And that should give them the catharsis they need to forgive themselves for being so duped by trump and all his sycophants up close and personal with him right now pushing for the total destruction of our democracy and the institution of fascist authoritarianism.
I believe there is a second reason that Republican voters cannot move away from Trump: Tribalism. "I am a loyal Republican. I will vote for the nominee of my party, no matter how disgustingly awful he is."
Mitch McConnell, Jeff Flake, Glenn Youngkin, Lindsey Graham...on and on and on...all these people have at one time or another have had terrible opinions of Trump and still....on they go. They have no honor as Liz Cheney has asserted.
Hatred is an addiction like cocaine but it can be shared which increases its effect. So when a group of people all hate together it is reinforcing. You hear "They hate the same people he does". It is the hatred which keeps them bound to Trump. I can't find my source for this but she is on Threads
And you NEVER hear the corollary: "he likes the people they like". For a reason? He likes Putin, Xi, Kim, Orbán - how many Americans of any stripe "like" those guys?
People like to think of themselves as loyal, and they fail to recognize that by supporting the washed-up has-been Felon45, they are being disloyal to America. Also, yes, the sunk-cost fallacy, and their fear of being seen as, or having to think of themselves as, failures as a consequence of having backed the wrong horse. So they choose the lesser loyalty over the greater.
Part of the reason is that most Republican members of the House and Senate cannot bring themselves to denounce Trump for fear of losing their own seats which they hold onto with all their might! How many want to lose $174K of salary, 'free' benefits, and the shortest 'work' year in the USA? Congress is one of the best places for one to become a millionaire!
Thank you for documenting the failure of main stream media to report the news fairly. What’s in it for them? Many of us have canceled our subscriptions.
$300 a year for the New York Times. Plus Cooking @ $65. ,….money can go for no adds Youtube which has excellent minds Just watched our girl Heather. And, Michael Luttig, who I fell in love with after Jan 6.
American voters won’t get the message until corporate media gets the message. It’s pretty simple. Look at your nyt or WaPo. Neither paper is interested in getting this message out so I have stopped expecting it. I’ve canceled the NYT, which will stop in a few days. And I send endless messages to WaPo editorial board and writers. No change whatsoever. I keep wondering what these papers will do if Trump gets in and we then must watch project 2025 take place. Photos and stories of mass deportation? And who will they blame for all that? It’s pathetic.
I have wondered the same thing. Who will MAGA blame if trump wins and takes the country into chaos? But I think we already know the answer. They will blame anyone and everyone except themselves.
People in polling believe the economy was better under tRump. Why? Because people believe what they need to in order to rationalize their support for someone they know is not liked but represents revenge against all they fear and hate. His base is immovable. Likewise, the base of Dems is unmovable. And all those who are "uncommitted," undecided, ill-informed, and misinformed, it is they who decide presidential elections. And who do they vote for? The candidate they like more. How can I say that? Having observed presidential elections since Truman v Dewey, the likable candidate has won every time, and that explains how the Republicans have won with policies that are not favored by the majority. (Nixon's wins are the exception to the rule due to the backlash to the war demonstrators.) And this election will be won by a landslide, 5%+. Trump is finished. And hopefully, he will be imprisoned.
Okay, it's good that Harris is gaining, but how can 4 in 10 Americans still think Trump would be better for the economy? We're all blinded by the miasma of propaganda...
The way good people have always countered propoganda … one verifiable fact at a time posted one or more times, sometimes by venturing into media where we are not always comfortable. One successful tactic progressives have made headway this election cycle is train in on the undecided voter by sharing one or two verifiable facts, neighbor to neighbor, friend to friend, niece to great uncle.
No because his argument, tho correct, is not clear enough to mobilize voters. He brings erudition to a knife feat. Plus the media and the legal system seem incapable of pushing back against evil but powerful forces.
Alas, too many in America’s oligarchy do not want a powerful federal system that facilitates equitable economic growth and distribution. They want concentrated economic and political power that is rigged to favor them.
The Republican coalition is reactionary. It is a big tent that promises those that join that they will be taken care of and the “others” will be stripped of power, economically disadvantaged, shunned and (at the extremes) rounded up and deported.
Why did Biden have to give this speech?
Why are these self-evident truths not headlined above the fold of every newspaper, the topic of conversation on every television, radio and social media discussion?
Why is the success not preached from every alter?
Why is a literal con man the nominee of one of our major parties and allowed to lie, cheat and steal?
The general population lacks general literacy in basic economics and civics and this gap gets filled with paranoia, fake news, and the inability to think critically on one's own. Self-evident truths no longer seem self-evident and unfortunately what gets preached from so many alters is scarry stuff. People are not taught to search for and evaluate evidence which makes a lot of room in people's minds for conspiracy theories and fantasies. It is great feeding ground for the grifters.
Very well put, pm. Few people actually study the news these days. Instead, the listen to cuckoo commentary packed full of misinformation. I remember my parents explaining to us kids that they vote for people, not policies. They voted against Nixon because they did not trust him. They did, however, vote for Reagan, who swiftly erased Jimmy Carter's "Malaise" and pumped up the spirit of America. Unfortunately, his economic policies created an enormous wealth gap among classes. His own director of the Office of Management and Budget called them, "voodoo economics." Biden was lauding his own administration's success in the face of a teetering economy when he entered office. Trump would reinstate the voodoo. It's funny because most Republicans feel he is the much better steward of the economy while it's clear he is not. My parents are turning in their graves as voters support the person who lacks character, integrity and the ability to tell the truth. For this I blame US.
I agree that the MAGA folks are not at all interested in the value of one’s character. Look at the critters in the GOP Congress…weak, spineless, mostly men (forgive me good guys!) without integrity themselves. So many of them are an embarrassment to humanity and don’t deserve, never mind earn, their paychecks! I am slapped by disgust every single day!!
One poll released this week found Harris within TWO POINTS of TFG on the question of who is better qualified to run the economy! I’d say Democrats are making some solid headway on this issue.
Agree PM, "literacy" is where it's at (>poor english). You have simply nailed it: Basic economics and civics? Missing in action! I just deleted a rant I was hammering out regarding 'home-schooling' for fear that I would be bigly misunderstood. My basic push was to make our public school system second to none. That would entail our Dept of Ed to set some clear standards which every State in these United States must adhere to.., all religion(s) aside. No, not a simple task when considering disabilities, but we are a compassionate people and that's all part of the picture. Literacy is a broad enough term to start with.
Mad Russian, It is OK to rant against home schooling which also often includes religious indoctrination. Then there are the wealthy parents who can afford to get together and hire music and art teachers, for example. They are also the same people who take their children to museums, etc. which is good, but not always possible when the parents are scratching to make ends meet. I have known best two families who home schooled. The first have admitted their mistake, but their three daughter have struggled mightily in different ways. In the other instance, one of the sons and his girlfriend brutally murdered the parents.
Scruffy immigrants came into NYC and got teachers who couldn’t get jobs elsewhere: women and Jews. They had a chance for the best literacy, among other things.. Now, who are the teachers?
I think it's one aspect of literacy and journalists seem to lack it also: connecting the dots. A factoid, even if understood literally, sits in isolation from its context and, therefore, its meaning and effect.
pm, so many people believe what they see on the internet and they do not understand that they need to evaluate sites. Heck, it's in print, so to speak, so it must be true. I had a student years ago when the internet was just beginning and he heaped scorn on me when I pointed out that he needed to assess what he had found which often did not make any sense.
"People are not taught to search for and evaluate evidence"
In my experience it is not a lack of teaching, but a lack of understanding or application. So much of what we were "taught" fell into the "I don't see any use for this" or "application of this is too political" in the classroom.
It's so unbelievable to me that, given all these positive facts about the Biden/Harris administration, MAGAs ONLY focus on the border, denying health care to women with pregnancy complications, and pets being cooked and eaten..
I have tried many times to remind Trump supporters about all these accomplishments. They refuse to accept anything as truth unless it comes from Donald Trump's lying mouth..
Yes, Pam, keep reminding those Trump voters about the accomplishments of the past four years. I would also emphasize that those accomplishments were ACCOMPLISHED solely (pretty much) without Republican effort. Plus, Democrats are working on the Border Issue and a few Republicans are willing to help, but not enough of them.
We have had a One-Sided Recovery NOT BECAUSE the other side hasn’t been asked to join in, but because they have REFUSED to join in as True Americans. Please, Republicans! Please! Join our effort to Keep America Mighty And Lastingly Amazing - or KAMALA, for short!
Eisenhower I presume... I loved how under his admin they took down McCarthyism during the communist scares emanating from communist successes in Russian/Eastern Europe, and Asia.
Pretty simple to me Pam. They.., "they" consider you and me just as stupid as you and I view them. Trouble is, the "they", prior to MAGA-mania were just others on-the-street soda-speak, to you and me. Today though, "they" have found camaraderie (support) amongst their easily identifiable nutbrains (MAGA hats). So "they" feel even more empowered to publicly insult you and me grouping all of us together as libtards/democrats/whale-shidt. And the press trolls the heck out of us. So, that's who "they" are and that's why they're all collectively out to the moon - ignorance being the bliss they are living within. Actually, it's a sepsis condition headed for septic. Whewwww.. flush hard, it's still a ways to go to get to mar-a-lahgo.
They cannot accept the truth, true. It's because their commitment to their racist, misogynistic, homophobic and xenophobic feelings trump everything else. Nothing else matters. (The Anger Games: Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" Google it.
That's just "dirty politics" Pam. Their savvy economists, including the ones that work for Maga supporting corporations, know better, as with most other things, eg Climate Change, which is a creeping catastrophe
Why? Ignorance!! "What we have is what you want" , a man told me once in a bike shop during the pandemic, when parts availability was a fact of life. Turns out, he was absolutely right. Comprehension of information we are exposed to is vastly important. Separating fact from fiction is a vastly important job for our brains to conduct. Drawing on our own experiential learning, we possess a capacity for logic, for reason. MAGA inclined folks, not so much, if any at all. I'm reading Timothy Snyder's newest book, On Freedom, wow, and more wows! I've been helped along enormously throughout life by mentors, and by "womentors" as I call them, as well. Dr. Snyder is an engaging, page turner natural in his approach to his very live description of how he sees freedom. It is the same style Joe Biden, and soon to be President Kamala Harris have built for all Americans, including those who just don't get it. It is far easier to be spoon fed from their bloviating, lying , weak and deflating wind bag weirdo Tromp! PS, why does he always wear that long red flag around his neck? Paging Dr. Freud!
So true, but how many MAGAts read Snyder. Having spent years around rabid repubs, they are too busy buying Bill O’Riley, and other idiots and giving such tripe as gifts so he and others can be on best seller lists. Check it out. Repubs write books with the “message” equal to or more than the truth tellers like Snyder, Maddow, Woodward, etc. it was sickening to watch DeSousa being lauded by people who had a higher IQ than I did. Well, probably.
The biological units , or our bodies that we inhabit thru our lifespan,have survived and thrived on this planet have developed a brain that is capable of contrary thought. Choice. This ability has enabled us to survive, at least half of us anyway. This idea is reflected in the political decisions the people of this country make. 50/50. Half choose one way, the other half contrary. If one half makes the wrong choice and gets devoured buy a pack of lions or another tribe ,the other half can survive and continue to breed. Communism and Socialism arrests this situation by the "you will" action. We still have freedom of choice. People of Maga are as committed as progressives and moderates ,they were just born and raised that way. I believe people all want the same thing, they just can't agree on the way to achieve it. The real problem that has not been addressed enough is what is making people so anxious, and how to quell the global enease. Sorry for the preaching . I recently had some relationships sour over these issues and have to keep reminding myself that most people are just different. It does not keep me from relaying my opinion and trying to get people to vote . I just have to always put differences of thought in perspective.
Thanks Jim, if you want to get a good look at Ukraine/Russia, just take in his online Yale? lectures of several years ago, and if you want a grim reaper taste of history out of eastern Europe / Russian in the 20s and 30s, try Bloodlands, not for the faint of heart. Notice how much he's showing up on MSNBC? likely elsewhere too i trust.
Thanks for the reminder about Timothy Snyder's book. It was in my list of wanna-reads and then I spaced it. Between Drs Richardson and Snyder, I am managing to remain sane when all about me is chaos.
Paul Corrigan, I feel like a broken record, but there is no logic to tffg's hardcore supporters thinking. They hate Democrats and will never support any. Democrats for over a 100 years have been successfully, almost unconsciously at this point, linked to the evils of "socialism, communism, fascism," that the definition of those terms is irrelevant. Democrats will ruin our country. I'm hoping younger generations are less indoctrinated and will not fall for this propaganda. 32 million new voters since 2016!
let us hope indeed on "32 million new voters" at least a good majority, will make a real difference in November. You are so right about the anti-communist fear-mongering in USA. We got it in spades from the likes of Billy Graham in Canada during his hell bent on wheels crusades of the 50s and later. It wasn't just the "right", it was broadly cased, since communist states (esp Russian/China) were in out and out attack/revolutionary overthrow mode against the evils of capitalism, with some justice, but won't get into that. I just remember "godless Communism" from the church pews, and that too was with more than some justice. Long history tale there.
The answer is MONEY! Until Citizen's United is overturned, the Electoral College is eliminated, the Fairness doctrine to be updated and passed is brought back and consequences enforced for people in leadership that lie, we will see no changes. Another tRump will be installed shortly.
MSM likes click bait and bad news, so often we do not hear about the good things that the Biden administration does. Locally, the ads for the incumbent R in Oregon's 5th district make it sound like she hasn't supported death star and the R agenda. There is a group putting on ads against her which is not her opponent's campaign. Then there is raging Joe Kent in Washington's 3rd and his ads just tell us that he was in the military while the opposing ads show how dangerous he is. Our garden helper likes Harris, but still disses Biden. So I would say that Harris running has helped with voters like her who would vote third party and do not understand how that undermines what they stand for.
Will the MAGA/KKK members get it? No, they won't. I apologize to some for what I'm about to say here. In some cases, we are so invested in something being so that it is virtually impossible to apply critical thinking to the process. Religion is one of those areas. All life on earth (plants, animals, insects) are descended from LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor) which existed 3.5 billion years ago and which is the source of all DNA among all living things. A banana and I share some of the same DNA. Same with a mosquito. For billions of people on this planet, such facts can't be processed in their minds. And, from what I've read ("What's the Matter with Kansas?, "The Anger Games . . . .", "Why We Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer and HCR's book, "How the South Won the Civil War,") the racism, misogyny, xenophobia and homophobia among the MAGA/KKK crowd is so intense that they cannot rationally process the information about the economy, the whys and why-nots, who gets the credit and why.
The skill of critical thinking has to be learned and early on in life. The child has to be exposed to adults who are critical thinkers, thoughtful, reflective, not reactive and who can acknowledge what they don't know as well as what they do. Once the window for learning this is passed, it's almost impossible for a person to learn how to do this. Add to this parents and adults who totally accept religiosity and are afraid of anything, or anyone who is different, and the American education system, that doesn't help kids learn critical thinking skills, and the child is most likely never going to become a person who can think in more sophisticated ways, and may continue to accept the delusion of whatever god cult his/her parents modeled for them.
I hate it when people say “I am a lifelong (fill in the blank)”. To me, that means they can’t have an open, enquiring mind and weigh facts and alternatives.
This stance prevents us from learning anything new. It prevents us having the experience of being surprised, not only by a new piece of information, but also at being humbled by all that we don't know and at our own hubris for assuming we did know it all!
You're right but I'd estimate those crackposts constitute only small vocal core of MAGA support. Peer pressure to conform. Individually, when we get a chance to speak to them, most want to keep their government benefits.
Some of those bigots are highly conflicted. Some of the worst racist comments I got when I used to text to blue wall states came from people with Slavic last names. During the Sept. 10 debate Trump twice refused to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war against Russia. He suggested, "Negotiate a deal," which Harris countered by saying if Trump had been president during the invasion, "Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe."
Vance has been anti Ukraine. Over a million Ukrainians in Pa. Approximately 784,000 Polish Americans in Michigan, 758,000 in Pennsylvania, and 481,000 in Wisconsin. Latvians, Estonians, Litvaks, Fins, etc know that if Ukraine falls, they are next.
Last week, the DNC organized a national call with Polish American supporters. The goal was to rally local networks to host events and spread the campaign's message. This strategic move is aimed at mobilizing Polish American voters who could be crucial in tight races.
Tsunami? FT 6 sent 2 million texts the last 2 days to unregistered people who trend Democratic . FT 6's new short term goal is to raise another million dollars to reach out to 15 million people, and deliver 4.5 million new voters to swing states and districts!
When we read about our recent past and then take time to “remember” those very recent accomplishments, it is truly amazing. Sadly many died yet we’ve come out on the other side of that deadly pandemic. We should take time to thank our very senior and experienced President Joe Biden who sheparded that recovery! And our next President was a willing and able VP getting a crash course on leadership! Joseph Biden will be remembered as a great leader along with others throughout our history but this was during our lifetime!
Sadly, trumpers will not listen or believe much of anything except his lies and hatred. The Republicans are winning the war against education, and the apparent ignorance of almost half of our citizens is painfully evident.
You forgot to mention there was a tampon shortage in the spring of 2022. Plane loads of tampons were being flown in from overseas. I know this because I wrote a song about it titled; “There’s a Tampon Shortage.” Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc8uqBvXU7c
Many Americans judge the economy solely on the price of eggs, gas and vegetables while complaining about immigrants who could provide the inexpensive labor
Even with huge economic recovery, remember swathes of billionaire America continue to pump $$$ into the Maga/Trump campaign, almost like there's no tomorrow. Every battleground district or state draws $ in by the millions. (Not that Dem billionaires aren't putting in their "two cents" worth. Ironically, extra taxation is likely as much or more than made up for in broad economy performance, and better wages across the board make for greater demand in retail, at all levels. Been a while since the American economy has looked so bright, and after all, it is abt 1/4 the size of global economy activity. And, as Heather rightly pointed out, foreign investment into the American national/global business system, is reliably ongoing.
Ellen - answer is no for the MAGGOT's, and maybe for undecideds. More and more, I am convinced that a majority of Americans are low-information voters who look no further than their own kitchen table and their own garage. Instead of watching news, they are watching reality TV or sports or anything other than news. I was previously convinced that there is something wrong with too many Americans - be it racism or hyper-religiousity, or just greed. Oh yes there is plenty of that, but IMO it doesn't explain the dead heat we are in right now. What better explains it is basically decent people just are not paying attention, and are going to vote for Trump because under the Democrats prices are too high. They don't know what PRoject 2025 is nor do they want to know. They do not see or hear of the dystopian lunatic word vomit that comes from Trump and the MAGGOT's. They have no understanding what so ever of what Heather just explained in superb detail, why. And what is being done to help. This is a big problem.
You can help get the message out. Speak to your friends and families, and tell them to spread the word to everyone they know. Write letters to the editor if you still have a local paper. Call talk shows. Volunteer for the campaign.
Jon, I have friends and family who are hard core MAGA. Some want Texit, with Texas seceding from the Union. They've drunk the Kool-Aid down to the dregs. They rely on common sense, which is far superior to academic attainment and objective analysis. I am moving back to Texas this coming week to be close to my three remaining siblings (94, 90 and 81.) But, when asked why by some for the move from Florida to Texas, I reply, "Florida is not red enough for me." Yep, out of the frying pay into the fire, but I have already made contact with the Democratic Party organization where I am moving.
There are local chapters of Nextdoor.com everywhere. In my area of SW FL the Magats are very active and much of what I post gets taken down as they hate facts, but I put out info anyway. I also write letters to the editor and she always makes room for them.
The Economic Club is unlikely to get it so why expect Kamala and Tim to keep repeating ad nauseum what was done to save this country after Trump ran us into the ground. Remember, the Economic Club is the same group that clapped (yes, clapped) after Trump gave his nonsensical answer about childcare and the use of “tariffs”. Anyone with half a brain listened to that childcare answer and shook our heads in disbelief. it sounded like an answer given by a 4th grader OR someone undergoing a serious mental breakdown. I’ll go with the latter as a smart 4th grader probably would have given a better answer by far. Corporate media is NOT doing its job.
Well it is very likely they will. That is the exactly what is happening at the top of the non-maga leadership now (and sadly did not during the last election - Cheney's supported Trump in 2020 -even though he was a louse and stupid and impeached- only because he had an R after his name - although it astounds me they didn't seem to get, see, notice the Heritage Foundation's true agenda - but they have always missed the enemy from within). They are deciding and deciding for reasons they won't admit to ....they are doing Very Well in this Biden economy (like they did in Clinton's) and this time they are also voting for democracy because they won't do very well without it. Their carefully curated Supremes also failed then by going rogue in Roe. What an interesting time to be alive. Can't wait for the next chapter. Turn the page, we won't go back!
So many of us citizens have felt so left out and screwed for so long that it will take time for us to feel the improved economy adequately enough to make the connection to Biden and the Democratic Party. One of the reasons I was so worried about Biden losing or dropping out was because we needed his plans to have more time. Getting Kamala/Walz in office is so absolutely necessary. We are all worried, so we must do more than ever to get them elected and to defeat the unbelievably corrupt Republicans.
One of the reason that the economy slows down during Republican governments is that they just do not know how to run governments. Worse than that, they don't want governments to work. The pain and suffering that results under Republican control is both predictable and documented. It happens in myriad areas. Just one is that children eat less and their health and education suffers. Ironically, Republicans vote against the legislation that visibly improves their districts, then they take credit for the improvements. In many cases previous bad government caused the problems in the first place. Like bad water in Flint, MI. No wonder US politics is so screwed up.
Very sorry but I must take exception to both Ford and H. W. Bush.
Ford made a colossal mistake in pardoning Nixon. I think that might be one source of the horrible idea that presidents are above the law. The country needed to see justice done.
And HW was far worse. He is the one who negotiated with the Iranians to keep the American hostages until Reagan was sworn in in 1981, thus keeping the kudos from Jimmy Carter, a truly devilish campaign trick, that also kept those Americans in the duress of captivity longer.
And, if I remember correctly, Bush senior could have signed legislation that would have started moving us away from fossil fuels, but didn't because of pressure from the oil lobby.. Important time wasted.
I've got to agree with pilgrim here, Ford's pardon of Nixon exacerbated the ongoing notion that presidents were above the law. Worse it created the suspicion that there was somehow a deal in place when Nixon resigned (altho from a historical viewpoint I no longer believe that). I think the country would have been well served by airing the entire Watergate scandal including Nixon through official channels even though ultimately I would probably have agreed that Nixon should just be left to rot in history and not necessarily in a jail cell. I generally feel the same way about Trump. I don't expect him to serve a prison sentence (even if he might deserve it) but definitely believe he needs to be set aside for the rest of his life.
In most other countries a president like Nixon would have been jailed as he tried to board that plane. Ford was a fool. This set in motion the idea of excusing criminal behavior based on some sort of nonsense about calming a divided public or whatever. The "public" was screaming for justice.
Ford, an otherwise decent guy is near the bottom of my presidential list. And putting him ahead of Jimmy Carter or Biden? Good grief.
At a minimum, Trump should be confined forever to his oceanside mansion - allow him a bedroom, the empty ballroom and the bathroom where he stored the STOLEN TOP SECRETS. Only greasy cheeseburgers but no ketchup for throwing against the walls. No internet. Just TVs permanently tuned to CSpan and MSNBC.
Also, lots of cats and a sound system that just plays Taylor Swift.
Nae, nae. He should be confined in his version of Hell: in New York, in Trump Tower with absolutely no golf and the same sort of limitations on communications as are imposed on other federal prisoners.
For me, the big distinction between President Nixon and candidate Trump is that the former had enough respect for the rule-of-law to hand over the damning evidence. Candidate Trump instigated the Capitol riot.
EDIT: Candidate Trump should go to prison. AND rot in history.
I use the term 'candidate' to avoid saying President Trump. I also used that term to emulate its use by Special Counsel Smith in his revised case for 06jan21 case. Special Counsel Smith used the term candidate to differentiate candidate Trumps actions as unofficial acts eligible for indictment.
I worry about confining innocent — they’re just doing their jobs — Secret Service personnel to jail, even for just a few hours at a time. Sounds silly?? It doesn’t seem that silly to them, or to their friends and family, I bet.
When I learned of it, I was disappointed that Ford didn't make public his belief that a pardon carries an imputation of guilt and the acceptance of one is a confession of guilt. This opinion was issued by the SCOTUS in 1915; Ford kept a pull quote from the decision in his wallet until he died. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/236/79/
Indeed Ford felt that way but Nixon did not. His interviews with David Frost made it clear that he saw the pardon as an endorsement of his acts which he still felt were justified and intended to help the nation, not him.
True. I do wonder how it would have been if Ford hadn't talked about putting the "long national nightmare behind us" but instead had said, "Nixon's acceptance of this pardon is an admission of his guilt. It's forever a stain on him and his presidency. The country is left shaken by his perfidy but we can take pride in the fact that we didn't turn away from the facts. It is my belief that the nation must move forward and thus I've issued and the former president has accepted this pardon." (Well, a girl can dream, can't she ;-)
I expect he went to his grave still feeling that HE was the aggrieved party, not the public or the country. It's not uncommon among criminals who mostly seem to feel that their problems are not so much caused by what they have done but rather by the fact that they got caught.
It seems to me that Biden’s successful administration followed by his extraordinary and singularly selfless decision to withdraw from the campaign puts him on the top of the list.
Agree all the way. Truly an act of greatness. Candidate Trump and Senator Vance are screaming intra-party rigging to lay the ground-work for contesting defeat in November and out of a sobering realization that candidate Trump is not the one who is too old; no more cloud cover.
It seems those lists change depending on the criteria. Are you looking at people policy, foreign policy, rule of law supporter, economic growth? And don't forget...the President can do nothing/very little without a cooperative Congress and an honest Supreme Court. Theses last two year, I hope, taught us something.
For example, the Supreme Court just undid settled law that will tie up federal regulatory agencies for years as now all illegal activity/pollution/trades/safety violations, etc., have to be decided in a court of law, not by the experts at the agencies. Making a large part of our government unable to do it's job, efficiently.
Oh my, Kamala will have her work cut out for her. And she must have a blue Congress.
Very good point. A personal list shaped by the time in my life these figures came along and what I esteem most in Presidents. Of course, I like President L.B. Johnson for all his faults and that ghastly war in Viêt Nam.
As someone who turned 18 just as LBJ left office and feared being drafted, I sadly think Vietnam so overshadows all the great things LBJ did that there is no way I can put him in a top 10 list. Nixon on the other hand got me my 297 draft number in the lottery and for that I may owe him my (so far) long life. So as always with most presidents is a mixed bag. Trump is the one president I've lived through where the bag is all bad.
Thanks for posting this Ned. It's really hard to weigh the pluses and minuses of each administration even if it's narrowed down to "my life-time."
The economy under Eisenhower expanded more than under any President and it wasn't done through M&A or by buying a company and selling off it's assets.
And LBJ was able to get more legislation during his 6 years as President than any otherr President including Medicare and the voting rights act. But he also escalated the war in Vietnam stealing 2-4 years of hundreds of thousands of American youth.
Eisenhower turned out well, transitioning from General to Commander-in-Chief (federal highways, urges against a "military industrial complex"). My dad came home from WWII to the GI bill (for white veterans) to finish college and VA loans for buying a home. Direct investment in the future of the middle class, until...trickle down, tax cuts for the wealthiest (Socialism?), and the ensuing massive gap between the rich and the poor. I hope we continue the Biden administration's efforts to invest in all the people of America. Question: has crime gone down because the lives of more Americans are getting better due to gainful employment, infrastructure improvements, childcare, access to wifi...? Let's not go back.
President Eisenhower might be number-1 but I was only two years old when he left office. So I exclude him. Any list like this one is probably better not shared by the individual making it but it is worth compiling for oneself because it makes one sit down and think through what (s)he looks for most for in a President.
Though many here will disagree, the choice in 1976 (my first election voting), was not repeated again until 2008. I felt that, win or lose, I knew a good President would be in the White House the next year. That is only l. Presidents Carter and Ford were similar to me: one foot on each side of the divide though President Ford was definitely leaning quite right and President Carter more left.
And, yes, my Republican and midwestern family liked President Johnson and the Great Society. My parents backed that ghastly war in Viêt Nam as did I as a kid. L.B.J. was like a proxy grand-dad for me when l lived overseas in the mid-1960s.
My only concern with a President Harris is that expectations will be too high for her and that, given the constraints of the office and the dereliction of duty to compromise by the nattering nabobs of narcissism and other obstructionist Republicans, she will disappoint people and be deemed not very good . . . unfairly.
Arguably, this was the fate suffered by President Obama. Unimpeachable character and integrity but never really given a chance to show his greatness. That is why the Affordable Care Act -- as messed up in some ways as it is -- is an amazing accomplishment. Like Vice President Harris, President Obama is African-American; sadly that had something to do with the unnecessary wind resistance.
My first Presidential election was in 1976 as well. Ford came to Iowa State and I heard him speak. I voted for him and of course, he lost. And I voted for Reagan in 1980 and that's the last time I voted for the winner until 2008. So 4 times I've voted for the winner. In 1980, I was driving home from work a few hours before the polls closed in California (I was living in Sacramento at the time) Jimmy Carter conceded to Reagan. I never understood why he didn't wait until the polls closed on the west coast at least even if HI and AK were still open. Now that I think about it I have voted for President in seven different states.
I recall that when Ford pardoned Nixon, he said that "our long national nightmare is over." I am certain that he thought that Watergate was one of the more significant crises our country had ever been through. From the perspective of 2024, Watergate was a small news story on page 15. The past 9 years have left us fighting for the life of our democracy with hope, but no certainty, that this much longer national nightmare will end on or about November 5. The difference between then and now? In the 1970's, there were still Republican politicians who had enough integrity to tell Nixon that the party would no longer support him once his involvement in Watergate and the effort to cover it up became clear. Nixon, whatever his many faults, understood reality and resigned. Not so Trump and the many people who believe it is in their interest to support him.
Very perceptive, Linda. There were no Senators Goldwater and Scott or Representatives Hogan and Railsback in 2020; at least those in a position to speak for the Party. Thank you. I still remember 1974; I was seventeen. I could not conceive of anyone being as vile as President Nixon, let alone worse, in the future.
With the prospect of President Nixon standing trial, I think many people really feared for fighting in the streets. I looked at Watergate as a one-off. Within eighteen months, I had softened on President Nixon, not to excuse his crimes but to see him more as a tragic figure with a tragic flaw. No such feeling extends toward candidate Trump.
If candidate Trump goes to trial and then to prison, as i hope he does, there will likely be fighting in the streets. This time, I am prepared to fight to defend the Republic.
Lol yup, the day I realized how bad the Trump presidency had become was the day I woke up drenched in sweat and realized I had dreamed that we would all be better off with Nixon back in the White house. Holy crap!
Thank you for making me chuckle. As a Snoopy-&-Woodstock meem (on a rollie coaster) reads, "Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life but will surely add life to your years."
Just watched “Carterland”. Everyone should watch it! I know he is a good man, but his accomplishments rank him in the upper echelon of presidents. Anwar Sadat proclaimed that the Camp David Accords should be called the “Jimmy Carter Accords”.
Thank goodness you didn't put Reagan on your list. But Ford, not a bad president, gave a pardon to a man that should have been at least tried in a court of law as an example of not even the president is above the law and GHWB didn't do much of anything except pardon the Iran-Contra seven, and let's not forget the Keating Five and the savings and loan failure. LBJ changed America via civil rights legislation and Obama gave health care and dignity to millions ...I'd have put Nixon (created the EPA and other environmental and work place protections) on the list before any Bush made my list of greats - but of course Nixon would not have made my list either. Carter was an interesting choice. Was it because he put missles in Europe which effectively began the dismantling of the USSR?
I was not aware of the missiles in Europe by President Carter. I put President Carter on that list for:
> pardoning the draft dodgers to put Viêt Nam behind us;
> facilitating the Camp David agreements;
> promoting environmentalism aggressively;
> placing human rights firmly in the center of foreign policy; and, most of all,
> remaining steadfast in bringing home those fifty-two Americans home alive.
President Carter could have bombed the crap out of Iran and looked strong; he had the humility to step back and do the right thing at the expense of his public standing. When I was an intern out of college on Capitol Hill in 1982 (for the Republicans; fish out of water), the staff director of the non-standing Committee on Indian Affairs asked me which President had done the most for Native Americans.
I said President Lincoln. NOPE. 🤔
I said President Roosevelt (either edition). NOPE. 😳
I said -- for sure -- President Johnson. NOPE. 😯
It was President Nixon. 😱
That was a curve-ball for my callow, if not yet calloussed, brain.
Thank you, Joe. History will remember.
But will non-MAGA Republicans and undecided voters get it now and vote accordingly?
Unfortunately, the people who most need to hear this message are not hearing it! Instead, they are hearing lies from the mainstream (corporate) press!☹️
So Kamala and Tim need to get the message out there that she was part of these great policies that benefit ordinary Americans and will continue them!
And also that they must be continued, or the ensuing disaster will be rapid.
Still time to make a blue tsunami.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
MAGAt's won't get this message. Google “Biden Economic Club speech" and you get only results from videos like YouTube until result # 17: the New York Post with the headline, “Biden admits economic recovery still needs ‘work,’ forgets meeting Fed chair in error-laden speech”
At # 24, the NY Times has an article that starts with a paragraph that includes, “It was an attempt to call a turning point in what has been a politically damaging chapter of economic policymaking for Mr. Biden…”
The Washington Post comes in at #52 but it’s an article from 2019.
Thanks for doing the research that any of us could have done if we'd made the effort. This highlights the (unfortunate) fact that the Democratic Party and the Harris/Walz campaign cannot get the word out alone. The Press, now controlled by oligarchs who prefer that government works for them and no one else, refuse to report news fairly and without bias. This is one reason I've transferred my WaPo subscription investment to HCR.
You're right, the Harris-Walz campaign can't get the message out alone. They need our help, and (metaphorically speaking) we need some lethal ammunition. Biden is correct. He is a capitalist. What he didn't say is that Republican policies are irrefutable evidence that there is not a single person in that party in a position of influence that knows the first thing about the concept. The first thing everyone must to know about capitalism is its foundation, and its foundation is implicit in the name of Adam Smith's book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759).
A Manhattan skyscraper is built on a foundation, and that foundation is bedrock. Guess what would have happen if it was built on sand.
Likewise, capitalism is built on a moral foundation. Anything immoral is not capitalism. Morality is treating others the way you would want to be treated if the shoe was on the other foot. We don't have to guess what would happen if someone tries to build an economic system on an immoral foundation. All we have to do is know a little bit of history, which we get by reading HCR's newsletter.
The only capitalist party in this this election is the Democratic party. The Republican party represents the thing that everyone coming to America is trying to get away from, which is people in positions of power with an "I'm right, you're wrong, and this conversation is over" attitude.
Republicans are CAPINOs (capitalists in name only). Don't get me started on CHRINOs (Christians in name only), SCINOs (scientists in name only), and FRINOs (freedom in name only). Same immoral crap, different pile.
I love this a lot -- CHRINOS. Most of the people who are in love with "Christian nationalism" haven't been to a church in years.
Absolutely terrific comment!!!
Good post. Thanks.
Yes James - same immoral crap but different pile. I would add that the color and consistency is grossly and patentably different, but they all smell putridly the same.
Jeff Carpenter - "MAGAt's won't get this message."
"𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑢𝑦?
𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑, 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑑, 𝑑𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑝-𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑, 𝑜𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜, 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑡 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑡—𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔, '𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒? 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚?'
𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼’𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛’𝑡 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡 𝐷𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑑 𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒."
https://johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/the-one-reason-so-many-people-cant?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2037902&post_id=149207795&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=3zw8i&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
You hit the nail on the head. I know so many people, even in my own family, that supported Trump and still refuse to acknowledge how incompetent he is. They just can't admit that they made a mistake. They love bullies. They are so stuck that they can't see anything good even though they are better off under Biden and Harris.
The people that run this country have ruined the lives of many millions of Americans. The list of gains under Joe from HCR are good, but they will take years to effect the lower wage people. Trump started his "coup" by blaming the migrants. Blaming the other. It is being done all over the world. The regular Dems and Rs have just been part of the rip off. Big money is making trillions at the expense of the lower tax payers.
Even though he’s falling apart right before their eyes.
Ron, why can't people bring themselves to admit they have an addiction problem? The answer is they haven't hit rock bottom yet. Ukraine hit rock bottom on February 24, 2022, and they no longer have this particular issue.
MAGA will recognize they have a problem when they hit rock bottom. The only question is how many innocent victims have to die.
Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller, rest in peace.
You make a great point James; it however reminds me of what Obama said about the Tea Party folks while, I believe, running for his second term: "they all love their guns and religion" (paraphrasing) or something to that extent. We have to solve the gun problem and get religion out of government. To start with, I would like to see the "prayer breakfast" done away with. In MHO, it is the biggest waste of government time imposed on those who serve in the House and Senate. That does not mean that they don't have a right to pray; prayer is no one's business but the one who indulges in it. That's OK with me. The solution? When in their own offices or chambers, let them take a few minutes individually to pray on their own. When in the prayer breakfast, it's not so much about prayer as much as it is about the "look at me" attitude to prove to everyone that they are believers in "God." Woe be unto them who divulges their true intent as an atheist while in Congress. There goes their job next election cycle even though they may well have served the people well.
Ron Boyd, I agree with your sentiment “𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼’𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛’𝑡 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡 𝐷𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑑 𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒." But our victory will be to keep sending the message without blame to those who feel they made a mistake but can’t admit it to remind them, their vote is private and that admission of a mistake can be reflected in voting for democracy and an all blue ticket and no one will ever know. And that should give them the catharsis they need to forgive themselves for being so duped by trump and all his sycophants up close and personal with him right now pushing for the total destruction of our democracy and the institution of fascist authoritarianism.
I believe there is a second reason that Republican voters cannot move away from Trump: Tribalism. "I am a loyal Republican. I will vote for the nominee of my party, no matter how disgustingly awful he is."
Mitch McConnell, Jeff Flake, Glenn Youngkin, Lindsey Graham...on and on and on...all these people have at one time or another have had terrible opinions of Trump and still....on they go. They have no honor as Liz Cheney has asserted.
That certainly seems to be true. There's no logical reason.
….being a Republican is their identity.
The Sunk Cost Fallacy.
Hatred is an addiction like cocaine but it can be shared which increases its effect. So when a group of people all hate together it is reinforcing. You hear "They hate the same people he does". It is the hatred which keeps them bound to Trump. I can't find my source for this but she is on Threads
And you NEVER hear the corollary: "he likes the people they like". For a reason? He likes Putin, Xi, Kim, Orbán - how many Americans of any stripe "like" those guys?
People like to think of themselves as loyal, and they fail to recognize that by supporting the washed-up has-been Felon45, they are being disloyal to America. Also, yes, the sunk-cost fallacy, and their fear of being seen as, or having to think of themselves as, failures as a consequence of having backed the wrong horse. So they choose the lesser loyalty over the greater.
It has been proven that, when people choose an extreme side, they are more likely to stick with it if it fails than if it succeeds.
I can attest to this in my own life in that the worse my college football team does, the more loyally I stand by them.
It gives you a nice warm feeling.
Part of the reason is that most Republican members of the House and Senate cannot bring themselves to denounce Trump for fear of losing their own seats which they hold onto with all their might! How many want to lose $174K of salary, 'free' benefits, and the shortest 'work' year in the USA? Congress is one of the best places for one to become a millionaire!
Thank you for documenting the failure of main stream media to report the news fairly. What’s in it for them? Many of us have canceled our subscriptions.
$300 a year for the New York Times. Plus Cooking @ $65. ,….money can go for no adds Youtube which has excellent minds Just watched our girl Heather. And, Michael Luttig, who I fell in love with after Jan 6.
American voters won’t get the message until corporate media gets the message. It’s pretty simple. Look at your nyt or WaPo. Neither paper is interested in getting this message out so I have stopped expecting it. I’ve canceled the NYT, which will stop in a few days. And I send endless messages to WaPo editorial board and writers. No change whatsoever. I keep wondering what these papers will do if Trump gets in and we then must watch project 2025 take place. Photos and stories of mass deportation? And who will they blame for all that? It’s pathetic.
I have wondered the same thing. Who will MAGA blame if trump wins and takes the country into chaos? But I think we already know the answer. They will blame anyone and everyone except themselves.
They are taking names. They are nuts with guns.
Shameful. Thanks, Jeff.
Morning, Lynell!
Agreed. I now refer to the "Corporate Media" rather than "mainstream".
Much better description, Ally!
People in polling believe the economy was better under tRump. Why? Because people believe what they need to in order to rationalize their support for someone they know is not liked but represents revenge against all they fear and hate. His base is immovable. Likewise, the base of Dems is unmovable. And all those who are "uncommitted," undecided, ill-informed, and misinformed, it is they who decide presidential elections. And who do they vote for? The candidate they like more. How can I say that? Having observed presidential elections since Truman v Dewey, the likable candidate has won every time, and that explains how the Republicans have won with policies that are not favored by the majority. (Nixon's wins are the exception to the rule due to the backlash to the war demonstrators.) And this election will be won by a landslide, 5%+. Trump is finished. And hopefully, he will be imprisoned.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/ap-norc-poll-shows-voters-are-split-on-whether-harris-or-trump-would-do-a-better-job-on-the-economy
Okay, it's good that Harris is gaining, but how can 4 in 10 Americans still think Trump would be better for the economy? We're all blinded by the miasma of propaganda...
The way good people have always countered propoganda … one verifiable fact at a time posted one or more times, sometimes by venturing into media where we are not always comfortable. One successful tactic progressives have made headway this election cycle is train in on the undecided voter by sharing one or two verifiable facts, neighbor to neighbor, friend to friend, niece to great uncle.
Just canceled online Washington Post. Working on dumping The New York Times. After 50+ years…it’s hard.
No because his argument, tho correct, is not clear enough to mobilize voters. He brings erudition to a knife feat. Plus the media and the legal system seem incapable of pushing back against evil but powerful forces.
Alas, too many in America’s oligarchy do not want a powerful federal system that facilitates equitable economic growth and distribution. They want concentrated economic and political power that is rigged to favor them.
The Republican coalition is reactionary. It is a big tent that promises those that join that they will be taken care of and the “others” will be stripped of power, economically disadvantaged, shunned and (at the extremes) rounded up and deported.
Why did Biden have to give this speech?
Why are these self-evident truths not headlined above the fold of every newspaper, the topic of conversation on every television, radio and social media discussion?
Why is the success not preached from every alter?
Why is a literal con man the nominee of one of our major parties and allowed to lie, cheat and steal?
The general population lacks general literacy in basic economics and civics and this gap gets filled with paranoia, fake news, and the inability to think critically on one's own. Self-evident truths no longer seem self-evident and unfortunately what gets preached from so many alters is scarry stuff. People are not taught to search for and evaluate evidence which makes a lot of room in people's minds for conspiracy theories and fantasies. It is great feeding ground for the grifters.
Very well put, pm. Few people actually study the news these days. Instead, the listen to cuckoo commentary packed full of misinformation. I remember my parents explaining to us kids that they vote for people, not policies. They voted against Nixon because they did not trust him. They did, however, vote for Reagan, who swiftly erased Jimmy Carter's "Malaise" and pumped up the spirit of America. Unfortunately, his economic policies created an enormous wealth gap among classes. His own director of the Office of Management and Budget called them, "voodoo economics." Biden was lauding his own administration's success in the face of a teetering economy when he entered office. Trump would reinstate the voodoo. It's funny because most Republicans feel he is the much better steward of the economy while it's clear he is not. My parents are turning in their graves as voters support the person who lacks character, integrity and the ability to tell the truth. For this I blame US.
I agree that the MAGA folks are not at all interested in the value of one’s character. Look at the critters in the GOP Congress…weak, spineless, mostly men (forgive me good guys!) without integrity themselves. So many of them are an embarrassment to humanity and don’t deserve, never mind earn, their paychecks! I am slapped by disgust every single day!!
One poll released this week found Harris within TWO POINTS of TFG on the question of who is better qualified to run the economy! I’d say Democrats are making some solid headway on this issue.
Agree PM, "literacy" is where it's at (>poor english). You have simply nailed it: Basic economics and civics? Missing in action! I just deleted a rant I was hammering out regarding 'home-schooling' for fear that I would be bigly misunderstood. My basic push was to make our public school system second to none. That would entail our Dept of Ed to set some clear standards which every State in these United States must adhere to.., all religion(s) aside. No, not a simple task when considering disabilities, but we are a compassionate people and that's all part of the picture. Literacy is a broad enough term to start with.
It's difficult to stay in school when you don't have a permanent home.
Mad Russian, It is OK to rant against home schooling which also often includes religious indoctrination. Then there are the wealthy parents who can afford to get together and hire music and art teachers, for example. They are also the same people who take their children to museums, etc. which is good, but not always possible when the parents are scratching to make ends meet. I have known best two families who home schooled. The first have admitted their mistake, but their three daughter have struggled mightily in different ways. In the other instance, one of the sons and his girlfriend brutally murdered the parents.
Scruffy immigrants came into NYC and got teachers who couldn’t get jobs elsewhere: women and Jews. They had a chance for the best literacy, among other things.. Now, who are the teachers?
I think it's one aspect of literacy and journalists seem to lack it also: connecting the dots. A factoid, even if understood literally, sits in isolation from its context and, therefore, its meaning and effect.
pm, so many people believe what they see on the internet and they do not understand that they need to evaluate sites. Heck, it's in print, so to speak, so it must be true. I had a student years ago when the internet was just beginning and he heaped scorn on me when I pointed out that he needed to assess what he had found which often did not make any sense.
We’ll said, pm.
"People are not taught to search for and evaluate evidence"
In my experience it is not a lack of teaching, but a lack of understanding or application. So much of what we were "taught" fell into the "I don't see any use for this" or "application of this is too political" in the classroom.
It's so unbelievable to me that, given all these positive facts about the Biden/Harris administration, MAGAs ONLY focus on the border, denying health care to women with pregnancy complications, and pets being cooked and eaten..
I have tried many times to remind Trump supporters about all these accomplishments. They refuse to accept anything as truth unless it comes from Donald Trump's lying mouth..
Yes, Pam, keep reminding those Trump voters about the accomplishments of the past four years. I would also emphasize that those accomplishments were ACCOMPLISHED solely (pretty much) without Republican effort. Plus, Democrats are working on the Border Issue and a few Republicans are willing to help, but not enough of them.
We have had a One-Sided Recovery NOT BECAUSE the other side hasn’t been asked to join in, but because they have REFUSED to join in as True Americans. Please, Republicans! Please! Join our effort to Keep America Mighty And Lastingly Amazing - or KAMALA, for short!
Cults are in a prison of their own making. Only they or their idol have the key. Unless Ike is in the neighborhood.
"Cults are in a prison of the own making".
Excellent!!! This is a perfect description of the Make America White Again crowd.
Eisenhower I presume... I loved how under his admin they took down McCarthyism during the communist scares emanating from communist successes in Russian/Eastern Europe, and Asia.
It's crazy, Pam, and speaks to the deteriorating soul of our country.
“…deteriorating soul of our country…” how perfectly described!
Pretty simple to me Pam. They.., "they" consider you and me just as stupid as you and I view them. Trouble is, the "they", prior to MAGA-mania were just others on-the-street soda-speak, to you and me. Today though, "they" have found camaraderie (support) amongst their easily identifiable nutbrains (MAGA hats). So "they" feel even more empowered to publicly insult you and me grouping all of us together as libtards/democrats/whale-shidt. And the press trolls the heck out of us. So, that's who "they" are and that's why they're all collectively out to the moon - ignorance being the bliss they are living within. Actually, it's a sepsis condition headed for septic. Whewwww.. flush hard, it's still a ways to go to get to mar-a-lahgo.
They cannot accept the truth, true. It's because their commitment to their racist, misogynistic, homophobic and xenophobic feelings trump everything else. Nothing else matters. (The Anger Games: Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" Google it.
That's just "dirty politics" Pam. Their savvy economists, including the ones that work for Maga supporting corporations, know better, as with most other things, eg Climate Change, which is a creeping catastrophe
Why? Ignorance!! "What we have is what you want" , a man told me once in a bike shop during the pandemic, when parts availability was a fact of life. Turns out, he was absolutely right. Comprehension of information we are exposed to is vastly important. Separating fact from fiction is a vastly important job for our brains to conduct. Drawing on our own experiential learning, we possess a capacity for logic, for reason. MAGA inclined folks, not so much, if any at all. I'm reading Timothy Snyder's newest book, On Freedom, wow, and more wows! I've been helped along enormously throughout life by mentors, and by "womentors" as I call them, as well. Dr. Snyder is an engaging, page turner natural in his approach to his very live description of how he sees freedom. It is the same style Joe Biden, and soon to be President Kamala Harris have built for all Americans, including those who just don't get it. It is far easier to be spoon fed from their bloviating, lying , weak and deflating wind bag weirdo Tromp! PS, why does he always wear that long red flag around his neck? Paging Dr. Freud!
So true, but how many MAGAts read Snyder. Having spent years around rabid repubs, they are too busy buying Bill O’Riley, and other idiots and giving such tripe as gifts so he and others can be on best seller lists. Check it out. Repubs write books with the “message” equal to or more than the truth tellers like Snyder, Maddow, Woodward, etc. it was sickening to watch DeSousa being lauded by people who had a higher IQ than I did. Well, probably.
The biological units , or our bodies that we inhabit thru our lifespan,have survived and thrived on this planet have developed a brain that is capable of contrary thought. Choice. This ability has enabled us to survive, at least half of us anyway. This idea is reflected in the political decisions the people of this country make. 50/50. Half choose one way, the other half contrary. If one half makes the wrong choice and gets devoured buy a pack of lions or another tribe ,the other half can survive and continue to breed. Communism and Socialism arrests this situation by the "you will" action. We still have freedom of choice. People of Maga are as committed as progressives and moderates ,they were just born and raised that way. I believe people all want the same thing, they just can't agree on the way to achieve it. The real problem that has not been addressed enough is what is making people so anxious, and how to quell the global enease. Sorry for the preaching . I recently had some relationships sour over these issues and have to keep reminding myself that most people are just different. It does not keep me from relaying my opinion and trying to get people to vote . I just have to always put differences of thought in perspective.
I must say it IS refreshing when a MAGA white walker admits they were wrong.
Thanks Jim, if you want to get a good look at Ukraine/Russia, just take in his online Yale? lectures of several years ago, and if you want a grim reaper taste of history out of eastern Europe / Russian in the 20s and 30s, try Bloodlands, not for the faint of heart. Notice how much he's showing up on MSNBC? likely elsewhere too i trust.
Thank you Frank. Dr Snyder is a one off, yes!
Jim,
Thanks for the reminder about Timothy Snyder's book. It was in my list of wanna-reads and then I spaced it. Between Drs Richardson and Snyder, I am managing to remain sane when all about me is chaos.
Reading now!
Paul Corrigan, I feel like a broken record, but there is no logic to tffg's hardcore supporters thinking. They hate Democrats and will never support any. Democrats for over a 100 years have been successfully, almost unconsciously at this point, linked to the evils of "socialism, communism, fascism," that the definition of those terms is irrelevant. Democrats will ruin our country. I'm hoping younger generations are less indoctrinated and will not fall for this propaganda. 32 million new voters since 2016!
let us hope indeed on "32 million new voters" at least a good majority, will make a real difference in November. You are so right about the anti-communist fear-mongering in USA. We got it in spades from the likes of Billy Graham in Canada during his hell bent on wheels crusades of the 50s and later. It wasn't just the "right", it was broadly cased, since communist states (esp Russian/China) were in out and out attack/revolutionary overthrow mode against the evils of capitalism, with some justice, but won't get into that. I just remember "godless Communism" from the church pews, and that too was with more than some justice. Long history tale there.
The answer is MONEY! Until Citizen's United is overturned, the Electoral College is eliminated, the Fairness doctrine to be updated and passed is brought back and consequences enforced for people in leadership that lie, we will see no changes. Another tRump will be installed shortly.
Eadie- Shouldn't elimination of lobbyists be on your list as well.
1000 of us complaining here about X can be over ridden over lunch with a Senator or Congresscritter meeting with one lobbyist.
YES!
MSM likes click bait and bad news, so often we do not hear about the good things that the Biden administration does. Locally, the ads for the incumbent R in Oregon's 5th district make it sound like she hasn't supported death star and the R agenda. There is a group putting on ads against her which is not her opponent's campaign. Then there is raging Joe Kent in Washington's 3rd and his ads just tell us that he was in the military while the opposing ads show how dangerous he is. Our garden helper likes Harris, but still disses Biden. So I would say that Harris running has helped with voters like her who would vote third party and do not understand how that undermines what they stand for.
Absolutely agree, Paul.
@JBR They understand WE'RE NUMBER !!
USA.
Will the MAGA/KKK members get it? No, they won't. I apologize to some for what I'm about to say here. In some cases, we are so invested in something being so that it is virtually impossible to apply critical thinking to the process. Religion is one of those areas. All life on earth (plants, animals, insects) are descended from LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor) which existed 3.5 billion years ago and which is the source of all DNA among all living things. A banana and I share some of the same DNA. Same with a mosquito. For billions of people on this planet, such facts can't be processed in their minds. And, from what I've read ("What's the Matter with Kansas?, "The Anger Games . . . .", "Why We Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer and HCR's book, "How the South Won the Civil War,") the racism, misogyny, xenophobia and homophobia among the MAGA/KKK crowd is so intense that they cannot rationally process the information about the economy, the whys and why-nots, who gets the credit and why.
The skill of critical thinking has to be learned and early on in life. The child has to be exposed to adults who are critical thinkers, thoughtful, reflective, not reactive and who can acknowledge what they don't know as well as what they do. Once the window for learning this is passed, it's almost impossible for a person to learn how to do this. Add to this parents and adults who totally accept religiosity and are afraid of anything, or anyone who is different, and the American education system, that doesn't help kids learn critical thinking skills, and the child is most likely never going to become a person who can think in more sophisticated ways, and may continue to accept the delusion of whatever god cult his/her parents modeled for them.
I hate it when people say “I am a lifelong (fill in the blank)”. To me, that means they can’t have an open, enquiring mind and weigh facts and alternatives.
This stance prevents us from learning anything new. It prevents us having the experience of being surprised, not only by a new piece of information, but also at being humbled by all that we don't know and at our own hubris for assuming we did know it all!
Very well said J Nol!
You're right but I'd estimate those crackposts constitute only small vocal core of MAGA support. Peer pressure to conform. Individually, when we get a chance to speak to them, most want to keep their government benefits.
Some of those bigots are highly conflicted. Some of the worst racist comments I got when I used to text to blue wall states came from people with Slavic last names. During the Sept. 10 debate Trump twice refused to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war against Russia. He suggested, "Negotiate a deal," which Harris countered by saying if Trump had been president during the invasion, "Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe."
Vance has been anti Ukraine. Over a million Ukrainians in Pa. Approximately 784,000 Polish Americans in Michigan, 758,000 in Pennsylvania, and 481,000 in Wisconsin. Latvians, Estonians, Litvaks, Fins, etc know that if Ukraine falls, they are next.
Last week, the DNC organized a national call with Polish American supporters. The goal was to rally local networks to host events and spread the campaign's message. This strategic move is aimed at mobilizing Polish American voters who could be crucial in tight races.
Take a moment and look at the tsunami of Republicans supporting Harris.
Tsunami? FT 6 sent 2 million texts the last 2 days to unregistered people who trend Democratic . FT 6's new short term goal is to raise another million dollars to reach out to 15 million people, and deliver 4.5 million new voters to swing states and districts!
https://www.fieldteam6.org/fund-the-mission
Time for FT 6 to reach out to Republicans.
Not really. Other organizations do that. https://rvat.org/
Hook up with Swifties?
Done!
When we read about our recent past and then take time to “remember” those very recent accomplishments, it is truly amazing. Sadly many died yet we’ve come out on the other side of that deadly pandemic. We should take time to thank our very senior and experienced President Joe Biden who sheparded that recovery! And our next President was a willing and able VP getting a crash course on leadership! Joseph Biden will be remembered as a great leader along with others throughout our history but this was during our lifetime!
Sadly, trumpers will not listen or believe much of anything except his lies and hatred. The Republicans are winning the war against education, and the apparent ignorance of almost half of our citizens is painfully evident.
You forgot to mention there was a tampon shortage in the spring of 2022. Plane loads of tampons were being flown in from overseas. I know this because I wrote a song about it titled; “There’s a Tampon Shortage.” Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc8uqBvXU7c
Oh and everyone loves posted comments.
I did! Thanks.
Many Americans judge the economy solely on the price of eggs, gas and vegetables while complaining about immigrants who could provide the inexpensive labor
Even with huge economic recovery, remember swathes of billionaire America continue to pump $$$ into the Maga/Trump campaign, almost like there's no tomorrow. Every battleground district or state draws $ in by the millions. (Not that Dem billionaires aren't putting in their "two cents" worth. Ironically, extra taxation is likely as much or more than made up for in broad economy performance, and better wages across the board make for greater demand in retail, at all levels. Been a while since the American economy has looked so bright, and after all, it is abt 1/4 the size of global economy activity. And, as Heather rightly pointed out, foreign investment into the American national/global business system, is reliably ongoing.
Ellen - answer is no for the MAGGOT's, and maybe for undecideds. More and more, I am convinced that a majority of Americans are low-information voters who look no further than their own kitchen table and their own garage. Instead of watching news, they are watching reality TV or sports or anything other than news. I was previously convinced that there is something wrong with too many Americans - be it racism or hyper-religiousity, or just greed. Oh yes there is plenty of that, but IMO it doesn't explain the dead heat we are in right now. What better explains it is basically decent people just are not paying attention, and are going to vote for Trump because under the Democrats prices are too high. They don't know what PRoject 2025 is nor do they want to know. They do not see or hear of the dystopian lunatic word vomit that comes from Trump and the MAGGOT's. They have no understanding what so ever of what Heather just explained in superb detail, why. And what is being done to help. This is a big problem.
You can help get the message out. Speak to your friends and families, and tell them to spread the word to everyone they know. Write letters to the editor if you still have a local paper. Call talk shows. Volunteer for the campaign.
Jon, I have friends and family who are hard core MAGA. Some want Texit, with Texas seceding from the Union. They've drunk the Kool-Aid down to the dregs. They rely on common sense, which is far superior to academic attainment and objective analysis. I am moving back to Texas this coming week to be close to my three remaining siblings (94, 90 and 81.) But, when asked why by some for the move from Florida to Texas, I reply, "Florida is not red enough for me." Yep, out of the frying pay into the fire, but I have already made contact with the Democratic Party organization where I am moving.
There are local chapters of Nextdoor.com everywhere. In my area of SW FL the Magats are very active and much of what I post gets taken down as they hate facts, but I put out info anyway. I also write letters to the editor and she always makes room for them.
Such messages fly over the heads of too many, unfortunately. We are a nation of soundbites without an interest in facts.
The Economic Club is unlikely to get it so why expect Kamala and Tim to keep repeating ad nauseum what was done to save this country after Trump ran us into the ground. Remember, the Economic Club is the same group that clapped (yes, clapped) after Trump gave his nonsensical answer about childcare and the use of “tariffs”. Anyone with half a brain listened to that childcare answer and shook our heads in disbelief. it sounded like an answer given by a 4th grader OR someone undergoing a serious mental breakdown. I’ll go with the latter as a smart 4th grader probably would have given a better answer by far. Corporate media is NOT doing its job.
Well it is very likely they will. That is the exactly what is happening at the top of the non-maga leadership now (and sadly did not during the last election - Cheney's supported Trump in 2020 -even though he was a louse and stupid and impeached- only because he had an R after his name - although it astounds me they didn't seem to get, see, notice the Heritage Foundation's true agenda - but they have always missed the enemy from within). They are deciding and deciding for reasons they won't admit to ....they are doing Very Well in this Biden economy (like they did in Clinton's) and this time they are also voting for democracy because they won't do very well without it. Their carefully curated Supremes also failed then by going rogue in Roe. What an interesting time to be alive. Can't wait for the next chapter. Turn the page, we won't go back!
So many of us citizens have felt so left out and screwed for so long that it will take time for us to feel the improved economy adequately enough to make the connection to Biden and the Democratic Party. One of the reasons I was so worried about Biden losing or dropping out was because we needed his plans to have more time. Getting Kamala/Walz in office is so absolutely necessary. We are all worried, so we must do more than ever to get them elected and to defeat the unbelievably corrupt Republicans.
One of the reason that the economy slows down during Republican governments is that they just do not know how to run governments. Worse than that, they don't want governments to work. The pain and suffering that results under Republican control is both predictable and documented. It happens in myriad areas. Just one is that children eat less and their health and education suffers. Ironically, Republicans vote against the legislation that visibly improves their districts, then they take credit for the improvements. In many cases previous bad government caused the problems in the first place. Like bad water in Flint, MI. No wonder US politics is so screwed up.
But will Rupert and his ilk, not a snowball’s chance in hell.
Within *the top four presidents of my life-time:
1st, President Ford;
2nd, President Carter;
Tied 2nd, President Biden; and,
4th, President G.H.W. Bush.
Very sorry but I must take exception to both Ford and H. W. Bush.
Ford made a colossal mistake in pardoning Nixon. I think that might be one source of the horrible idea that presidents are above the law. The country needed to see justice done.
And HW was far worse. He is the one who negotiated with the Iranians to keep the American hostages until Reagan was sworn in in 1981, thus keeping the kudos from Jimmy Carter, a truly devilish campaign trick, that also kept those Americans in the duress of captivity longer.
And, if I remember correctly, Bush senior could have signed legislation that would have started moving us away from fossil fuels, but didn't because of pressure from the oil lobby.. Important time wasted.
GHSB was an oil guy for >15 years.
Yes. He did have an intelligent and compassionate side. But too little attention is paid to his oil factor. And too little is said about this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Bush,_House_of_Saud
Ah, yes, the bin Laden connection. Hands dirtied by oil.
I've got to agree with pilgrim here, Ford's pardon of Nixon exacerbated the ongoing notion that presidents were above the law. Worse it created the suspicion that there was somehow a deal in place when Nixon resigned (altho from a historical viewpoint I no longer believe that). I think the country would have been well served by airing the entire Watergate scandal including Nixon through official channels even though ultimately I would probably have agreed that Nixon should just be left to rot in history and not necessarily in a jail cell. I generally feel the same way about Trump. I don't expect him to serve a prison sentence (even if he might deserve it) but definitely believe he needs to be set aside for the rest of his life.
He deserves prison and we need to have him in prison.
No one is above the law.
In most other countries a president like Nixon would have been jailed as he tried to board that plane. Ford was a fool. This set in motion the idea of excusing criminal behavior based on some sort of nonsense about calming a divided public or whatever. The "public" was screaming for justice.
Ford, an otherwise decent guy is near the bottom of my presidential list. And putting him ahead of Jimmy Carter or Biden? Good grief.
At a minimum, Trump should be confined forever to his oceanside mansion - allow him a bedroom, the empty ballroom and the bathroom where he stored the STOLEN TOP SECRETS. Only greasy cheeseburgers but no ketchup for throwing against the walls. No internet. Just TVs permanently tuned to CSpan and MSNBC.
Also, lots of cats and a sound system that just plays Taylor Swift.
I hereby award you First Place in prison design.
😊
…no cats.
😊
Nae, nae. He should be confined in his version of Hell: in New York, in Trump Tower with absolutely no golf and the same sort of limitations on communications as are imposed on other federal prisoners.
Ford’s pardon of Nixon was the camel’s nose of what’s now become the existential threat to democracy we face today.
For me, the big distinction between President Nixon and candidate Trump is that the former had enough respect for the rule-of-law to hand over the damning evidence. Candidate Trump instigated the Capitol riot.
EDIT: Candidate Trump should go to prison. AND rot in history.
There should NOT be a Candidate Trump.
I use the term 'candidate' to avoid saying President Trump. I also used that term to emulate its use by Special Counsel Smith in his revised case for 06jan21 case. Special Counsel Smith used the term candidate to differentiate candidate Trumps actions as unofficial acts eligible for indictment.
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/27/nx-s1-5090925/trump-indictment-jan6
As always, Jon, a balanced and well thought out opinion. Many thanks.
agree with you. No need to have presidents serve prison sentences. Let history be their eternal prison.
Presidents who commit crimes, like insurrection, election interference, bribery, and stealing classified documents need to be in a prison cell.
I worry about confining innocent — they’re just doing their jobs — Secret Service personnel to jail, even for just a few hours at a time. Sounds silly?? It doesn’t seem that silly to them, or to their friends and family, I bet.
On of the challenges here is how slowly the wheels of justice turn.
Yes this one does but it won’t happen.
When I learned of it, I was disappointed that Ford didn't make public his belief that a pardon carries an imputation of guilt and the acceptance of one is a confession of guilt. This opinion was issued by the SCOTUS in 1915; Ford kept a pull quote from the decision in his wallet until he died. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/236/79/
Indeed Ford felt that way but Nixon did not. His interviews with David Frost made it clear that he saw the pardon as an endorsement of his acts which he still felt were justified and intended to help the nation, not him.
True. I do wonder how it would have been if Ford hadn't talked about putting the "long national nightmare behind us" but instead had said, "Nixon's acceptance of this pardon is an admission of his guilt. It's forever a stain on him and his presidency. The country is left shaken by his perfidy but we can take pride in the fact that we didn't turn away from the facts. It is my belief that the nation must move forward and thus I've issued and the former president has accepted this pardon." (Well, a girl can dream, can't she ;-)
I expect he went to his grave still feeling that HE was the aggrieved party, not the public or the country. It's not uncommon among criminals who mostly seem to feel that their problems are not so much caused by what they have done but rather by the fact that they got caught.
and do not forget the Barr initiated pardons that covered HW's involvement.
That is disturbing.
I have heard that but have yet to see the evidence. Casey was in Madrid; that is about all I know.
1. Washington
2. FDR
3. Lincoln
4. Biden
To make it crystal clear, I think Biden is in the top few all time rather than just top few in out any of our lifetimes.
PS: I could reverse Lincoln and FDR.
It seems to me that Biden’s successful administration followed by his extraordinary and singularly selfless decision to withdraw from the campaign puts him on the top of the list.
Agree all the way. Truly an act of greatness. Candidate Trump and Senator Vance are screaming intra-party rigging to lay the ground-work for contesting defeat in November and out of a sobering realization that candidate Trump is not the one who is too old; no more cloud cover.
It seems those lists change depending on the criteria. Are you looking at people policy, foreign policy, rule of law supporter, economic growth? And don't forget...the President can do nothing/very little without a cooperative Congress and an honest Supreme Court. Theses last two year, I hope, taught us something.
For example, the Supreme Court just undid settled law that will tie up federal regulatory agencies for years as now all illegal activity/pollution/trades/safety violations, etc., have to be decided in a court of law, not by the experts at the agencies. Making a large part of our government unable to do it's job, efficiently.
Oh my, Kamala will have her work cut out for her. And she must have a blue Congress.
Very good point. A personal list shaped by the time in my life these figures came along and what I esteem most in Presidents. Of course, I like President L.B. Johnson for all his faults and that ghastly war in Viêt Nam.
As someone who turned 18 just as LBJ left office and feared being drafted, I sadly think Vietnam so overshadows all the great things LBJ did that there is no way I can put him in a top 10 list. Nixon on the other hand got me my 297 draft number in the lottery and for that I may owe him my (so far) long life. So as always with most presidents is a mixed bag. Trump is the one president I've lived through where the bag is all bad.
Thanks for posting this Ned. It's really hard to weigh the pluses and minuses of each administration even if it's narrowed down to "my life-time."
The economy under Eisenhower expanded more than under any President and it wasn't done through M&A or by buying a company and selling off it's assets.
And LBJ was able to get more legislation during his 6 years as President than any otherr President including Medicare and the voting rights act. But he also escalated the war in Vietnam stealing 2-4 years of hundreds of thousands of American youth.
Tough call Ned, but thanks for the list.
Eisenhower turned out well, transitioning from General to Commander-in-Chief (federal highways, urges against a "military industrial complex"). My dad came home from WWII to the GI bill (for white veterans) to finish college and VA loans for buying a home. Direct investment in the future of the middle class, until...trickle down, tax cuts for the wealthiest (Socialism?), and the ensuing massive gap between the rich and the poor. I hope we continue the Biden administration's efforts to invest in all the people of America. Question: has crime gone down because the lives of more Americans are getting better due to gainful employment, infrastructure improvements, childcare, access to wifi...? Let's not go back.
Agree 111%, Lasley.
You sure like 111%, don't you Ned!
Thank you, Gary, for a gracious comment.
President Eisenhower might be number-1 but I was only two years old when he left office. So I exclude him. Any list like this one is probably better not shared by the individual making it but it is worth compiling for oneself because it makes one sit down and think through what (s)he looks for most for in a President.
Though many here will disagree, the choice in 1976 (my first election voting), was not repeated again until 2008. I felt that, win or lose, I knew a good President would be in the White House the next year. That is only l. Presidents Carter and Ford were similar to me: one foot on each side of the divide though President Ford was definitely leaning quite right and President Carter more left.
And, yes, my Republican and midwestern family liked President Johnson and the Great Society. My parents backed that ghastly war in Viêt Nam as did I as a kid. L.B.J. was like a proxy grand-dad for me when l lived overseas in the mid-1960s.
My only concern with a President Harris is that expectations will be too high for her and that, given the constraints of the office and the dereliction of duty to compromise by the nattering nabobs of narcissism and other obstructionist Republicans, she will disappoint people and be deemed not very good . . . unfairly.
Arguably, this was the fate suffered by President Obama. Unimpeachable character and integrity but never really given a chance to show his greatness. That is why the Affordable Care Act -- as messed up in some ways as it is -- is an amazing accomplishment. Like Vice President Harris, President Obama is African-American; sadly that had something to do with the unnecessary wind resistance.
Thank you, again, for a gracious comment, Gary.
My first Presidential election was in 1976 as well. Ford came to Iowa State and I heard him speak. I voted for him and of course, he lost. And I voted for Reagan in 1980 and that's the last time I voted for the winner until 2008. So 4 times I've voted for the winner. In 1980, I was driving home from work a few hours before the polls closed in California (I was living in Sacramento at the time) Jimmy Carter conceded to Reagan. I never understood why he didn't wait until the polls closed on the west coast at least even if HI and AK were still open. Now that I think about it I have voted for President in seven different states.
I recall that when Ford pardoned Nixon, he said that "our long national nightmare is over." I am certain that he thought that Watergate was one of the more significant crises our country had ever been through. From the perspective of 2024, Watergate was a small news story on page 15. The past 9 years have left us fighting for the life of our democracy with hope, but no certainty, that this much longer national nightmare will end on or about November 5. The difference between then and now? In the 1970's, there were still Republican politicians who had enough integrity to tell Nixon that the party would no longer support him once his involvement in Watergate and the effort to cover it up became clear. Nixon, whatever his many faults, understood reality and resigned. Not so Trump and the many people who believe it is in their interest to support him.
Very perceptive, Linda. There were no Senators Goldwater and Scott or Representatives Hogan and Railsback in 2020; at least those in a position to speak for the Party. Thank you. I still remember 1974; I was seventeen. I could not conceive of anyone being as vile as President Nixon, let alone worse, in the future.
With the prospect of President Nixon standing trial, I think many people really feared for fighting in the streets. I looked at Watergate as a one-off. Within eighteen months, I had softened on President Nixon, not to excuse his crimes but to see him more as a tragic figure with a tragic flaw. No such feeling extends toward candidate Trump.
If candidate Trump goes to trial and then to prison, as i hope he does, there will likely be fighting in the streets. This time, I am prepared to fight to defend the Republic.
Lol yup, the day I realized how bad the Trump presidency had become was the day I woke up drenched in sweat and realized I had dreamed that we would all be better off with Nixon back in the White house. Holy crap!
Thank you for making me chuckle. As a Snoopy-&-Woodstock meem (on a rollie coaster) reads, "Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life but will surely add life to your years."
Just watched “Carterland”. Everyone should watch it! I know he is a good man, but his accomplishments rank him in the upper echelon of presidents. Anwar Sadat proclaimed that the Camp David Accords should be called the “Jimmy Carter Accords”.
Thank goodness you didn't put Reagan on your list. But Ford, not a bad president, gave a pardon to a man that should have been at least tried in a court of law as an example of not even the president is above the law and GHWB didn't do much of anything except pardon the Iran-Contra seven, and let's not forget the Keating Five and the savings and loan failure. LBJ changed America via civil rights legislation and Obama gave health care and dignity to millions ...I'd have put Nixon (created the EPA and other environmental and work place protections) on the list before any Bush made my list of greats - but of course Nixon would not have made my list either. Carter was an interesting choice. Was it because he put missles in Europe which effectively began the dismantling of the USSR?
I was not aware of the missiles in Europe by President Carter. I put President Carter on that list for:
> pardoning the draft dodgers to put Viêt Nam behind us;
> facilitating the Camp David agreements;
> promoting environmentalism aggressively;
> placing human rights firmly in the center of foreign policy; and, most of all,
> remaining steadfast in bringing home those fifty-two Americans home alive.
President Carter could have bombed the crap out of Iran and looked strong; he had the humility to step back and do the right thing at the expense of his public standing. When I was an intern out of college on Capitol Hill in 1982 (for the Republicans; fish out of water), the staff director of the non-standing Committee on Indian Affairs asked me which President had done the most for Native Americans.
I said President Lincoln. NOPE. 🤔
I said President Roosevelt (either edition). NOPE. 😳
I said -- for sure -- President Johnson. NOPE. 😯
It was President Nixon. 😱
That was a curve-ball for my callow, if not yet calloussed, brain.