Yes, Richard Stephenson, as you say: "Donald Trump is the front man for a plan" - absolutely...those Senators who swore to make Barack Obama a one term President (failed!!!). have been furious since Obama's election and started looking for "who can capture the anger of the dying breed of white entitled males and be the one to defeat HRC's bid for the Presidency after Obama.?" Some genius said "DJTrump can be our guy!" I saw Michael Moore's predictive film the night before the 2016 election, after working all day at the Cincinnati HRC Headquarters and still couldn't believe he could possibly be right.....and have been grieving ever since. The world would be very different if we were coming to the end now of HRC"s second term.......and now the Repubs have "Plan 2025" all formulated and they are now staffing the implementers with "true believers" , and getting rid of those who are not the loyalists !! We absolutely must make sure we do not lose in 2024......
Work, work, work, people. For every reason there is, we all need to make sure that Joe Biden wins this election and has a DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY in Congress. Write postcards, man the phone banks, walk the blocks, send money. This ain't over until the votes are counted and the Democrats WIN.
Imagine if we could increase Democratic voter turnout in November to 75%!
.
Simon, what will it take for America – and the Democrats specifically – to raise voter turnout to a respectable level? And by that I mean the 70–90 % we regularly see in European countries?
Some observers brag about the turnout in the 2020 Presidential Election, which had the highest voter turnout of the 21st century: 66.8%. But the fact is that this was abysmal compared to Nordic countries and most of Europe**.
Imho, increasing Democratic turnout to Nordic levels is the surefire way to "Get to 55"! Moreover, this would result in a Blue Tsunami that would sweep away MAGA Republican candidates downballot, in state after state.
Simon, what will it take? Is it realistic? Can we do it?
.
** Turnout in last parliamentary elections: Faeroe Islands 89.4%, Belgium 88.4%, Sweden and Denmark 84.2%, Iceland 80%, Netherlands 78.7%, Norway 77.2%, Germany 76.6%, Austria 76.6%, Poland 74.4%…
We have to do the work to register and turn out as many voters as possible, and convert as many Democrats as we can into active volunteers.
Automatic voter registration, universal vote by mail, and all the other voter accessibility proposals would all get some more
Ranked choice voting would also help a lot. There are a lot of people who don't like the Democrats enough to go out and vote. If they had a third party to vote for first, I'm sure many of them would vote for Democrats second since they're already there and they hate Republicans.
Ranked Choice Voting, also in Presidential Elections, would have the added benefit of ensuring that third-party candidates can never be spoilers. No wasted votes.
Gavin is extraordinary! I LOVE his last comment on 'the misha-gosh' :-) on the other side. I've followed him for years & when he runs, in the future, I will be there to support him. DO MORE WORRY LESS
Gavin is a huge fan of Simon & Hopium Chronicles. It’s so so exciting to hear US ( proud patriots of HC) sharing a speaking platform mantra with great leaders!!! We’re unifying exponentially every day!!!
Mr. Rosenberg- thank you for your reasoned and encouraging take on the Biden administration, but PLEASE don’t ignore the impact (on younger voters especially) of the President’s failure to contain Israel’s response to Gaza and the Palestinian people. This will have a bad downside for his re-election.
I think that the Michigan primary will tell us a lot more about this… If there’s a significant “uncommitted“ vote in the heavily Arab areas, then we’ll have a better clue as to whether this is a serious political problem. My belief is that from an actual policy and governing standpoint, he’s already doing everything that he actually can do, without making things worse in a plethora of different ways in the Middle East… So I doubt his actual governing work would change, but the political response may need to change if Michigan reveals a serious problem. But at this point, I’m not convinced that we’re going to see that.
I appreciate being reminded on Hopium to follow the data not the voices of MSM rumor; the concerns are valid but are they ( yet) proven through data? My family tells me this has been one of the most notable responses they’ve noted in me this past year. Sorting out the “ chaff “ and telling them I’m tracking the data through my groups to see which way the wind is REALLY blowing. (TG for the education of Simon and others on this site: pinch me, a 30+ year master political analyst is leading us through this wilderness) The endless rumors, doom and gloom was tough- now its eyes wide open to challenges but still working and running like hell toward goal to win. Thank you and all Hopium community members in this battle. I’m so proud of the work of our group.
While publicly supporting Israel after Hamas’ massacres, President Biden and his Administration have been working very, very hard to moderate Netanyahu, involve other players in the region, and pave the way to a better future. Many of these efforts have been behind closed doors and are therefore not publicly known – which means Biden has yet to receive due credit.
Let’s look at just one development: As a key step to making a two-state solution viable, President Biden has been calling for a reformed and re-invigorated Palestinian Authority.
Today the PA Government resigned! It is likely to be replaced by a government of technocrats and experts led by Mohammed Mustafa, a respected US-educated economist and former senior World Bank official who today is Chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund.
This probable make-over of the notoriously-corrupt Palestinian Authority would never have happened without intense pressure and heroic efforts by President Biden.
Give it time, and young voters as well as Arab- and Muslim American voters will recognize and appreciate this!
I was wondering if you have reviewed Thom Hartman's article today entitled "The New 'Over the Top' Secret Plan on How Fascists Could Win in 2024"? Given Jan. 6, this sounds plausible. What do you think?
I read that article and it confuses me. It relies on the Speaker refusing to swear in Democratic members, but there is no Speaker until the new members vote on the new Speaker. Nobody can even be sworn in until that is done. If Democrats win the House in November, they will get to elect Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker.
I am not too worried about it. Though we should probably not be cavalier about loophole tricks after Jan 6th. It's a chaos play meant to be a stall tactic, and one we can do little about. Ultimately it is only useful to them if somehow Dems win more State congressional delegations but some how lose the Whitehouse.
Besides I find it hard to believe that there are going to be more sworn in Republicans in DC on Jan 3 2025, all it would take is a motion to vacate by the Dems and whoever the republicans make wear the speakers hat that week is gone.
Your optimism about the election is the best cure for any "burnout" of Democratic volunteers. This morning I received a note from my grandson who attends the University of Utah. He is working on the campaign of Caroline Gleich, Democratic candidate for Mitt Romney's open Senate seat. His first job is recruiting other student volunteers to help form a team to extend her campaign across the state. He is realistic that, outside the Salt Lake area, winning the votes of lifelong Republicans will be a struggle, but there are changes taking place in the state that should make any progress that can be made this year will very valuable in future elections. Young volunteers are essential to preserving the democracy that my immigrant father gave his life for in WWII.
First, a huge thank you for your message and your newsletter. It means so much to all of us on the frontlines of this fight. I'm sending out an email touting you, your message & Hopium Chronicles to my network today.
That said, I received this email today from Michael Moore. Love him or hate him, he's been pretty prescient about many things and, he knows Michigan. I was wondering if you might weigh in more at length about the Israel/Gaza war and it's impact for Biden here at home. Moore's assessment is deeply concerning:
"Dear Friends,
Stunned by his refusal to stop funding Netanyahu’s slaughter in Gaza with our tax dollars — an action that may return Trump to the Oval Office — thousands in Michigan who are demanding an immediate ceasefire, including the statewide teachers union, the United Auto Workers, the National Nurses Union and the union of flight attendants(!) plus many others on Tuesday will vote “Uncommitted” to help save Biden from himself… and save the rest of us from a 2nd Term Trump. As Michelle Goldberg wrote in the Times on Friday, "Biden is in danger of losing Michigan and, with it, the whole election."
Please listen, and share.
—Mike
P.S. A transcript for this episode will soon be available here (typically the day after release)."
I love the way Gavin Newsom shut this interviewer down every time she tried to return to this bogus issue. These mainstream journalists seem to have neural pathways to racehorse politics that override any ability to engage in meaningful journalism.
1) I'm worried that a large percentage of Trump/MAGA voters simply do not care about Trump's policies (of the lack thereof) or his crazy non sequitor comments. They seem to want Trump no matter what. Are there enough 2016 & 2020 Trump voters who will actually not for for him in 2024 so that it makes a difference and helps Biden?
2) I'm also worried about the "hesitancy" of African American and Arab America voters. Do you see this as a problem that needs to be solved? If so, how?
citizens feet on the ground, knocking on doors, creating community with those disaffected voters is the ONLY way to win in 2024....I understand why they believe that their votes "never count" - I know they are being misled but their disappointment is well-founded.
Thank you Simon. I encourage everyone to listen to Pod Save America’s interview with Ben Wikler on the Friday pod. He describes exactly how the WI gerrymander happened and how it was finally defeated. We all naturally focus on the recent Supreme Court seat sim but the victory to years of work and smaller wins. It’s a great blueprint for breaking minority rule and an inspiration.
You couldn't possibly know how much your posts keep me from DROWNING!! I totally agree with you! Biden is the real deal, and he knows what he's doing, probably more than anyone else! Thank you and God bless you!
Thanks for this updated - and breaking- information. President Biden must soon share as much of this information as possible- himself or through a strong spokesperson.
I agree: he has to share this information himself....the way he did so powerfully at last year's "State of the Union" - to give evidence of his being or sane mind and body.....
I think the pro- Palestinian demonstrations on university campuses across the country are a reliable indication that young and educated opinion makers/leaders are unhappy with the current situation. My own hyper- liberal community ( Evanston, IL, home to Northwestern) is pressing a petition for our mayor to advocate a ceasefire. I understand from another commutator that leadership of PA has just resigned and will be reconstituted, thanks in large part to US pressure. Good.
With respect, protests on a few dozen college campuses of highly elite universities are not indicative of very much. Biden's approval on foreign policy with Democrats is in the 70s.
I’m concerned that all of the positive news about Biden’s accomplishments are not being communicated. Can you please share where we might learn about the messages they want folks to know? I live in a blue state so maybe I’m not seeing them, but feel there is a void out there!
I had this very same concern when I joined almost a year ago. I read almost everything recommended by members here and these are just some of the resources I learned about:
The States Project( HUGE) All Simons writings and conference Presentations, including NDN, Common Cause,David Pepper on Substack, Jessica Craven and Hubble on Substack, The hundreds of Indivisible Groups, The Lincoln Project, The Union is a HUGE resource, Nope, Blue Wave , The fabulous youth voter site The Civic Center, plus Vote Forward, to list just a few. I personally learned SO MUCH from studying New Mexico and Arizona on how they worked so hard to flip their states. And AZ amazing youth voter registration success using The Civic Center training. The fact cards New Mexico did were wonderfully basic, fundamental and extremely effective in reaching their voters. I picked up most of these contacts and resources while on this site. I follow The Meidas Touch on YOUTUBE and also Tayler-Cohen. Some of the members here are fountains of knowledge like Cheryl Johnson if you want to know anything about postcarding or researching. There are SO many many more ( lots more on August 22,2023 member comment area here on HC) which is why ( IMO) so many on HC feel the confidence of #1.winning #2 Being in coalitions with millions of others in the U.S. partnering to a unified goal: save our democracy.
A lot of us doing our part large and small has made an immense difference. And as we gain more new subscribers on HC who are just as vigilant and determined our momentum and successes just keep growing!!!! 🙌🏻💃🏻
Yes, Richard Stephenson, as you say: "Donald Trump is the front man for a plan" - absolutely...those Senators who swore to make Barack Obama a one term President (failed!!!). have been furious since Obama's election and started looking for "who can capture the anger of the dying breed of white entitled males and be the one to defeat HRC's bid for the Presidency after Obama.?" Some genius said "DJTrump can be our guy!" I saw Michael Moore's predictive film the night before the 2016 election, after working all day at the Cincinnati HRC Headquarters and still couldn't believe he could possibly be right.....and have been grieving ever since. The world would be very different if we were coming to the end now of HRC"s second term.......and now the Repubs have "Plan 2025" all formulated and they are now staffing the implementers with "true believers" , and getting rid of those who are not the loyalists !! We absolutely must make sure we do not lose in 2024......
Work, work, work, people. For every reason there is, we all need to make sure that Joe Biden wins this election and has a DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY in Congress. Write postcards, man the phone banks, walk the blocks, send money. This ain't over until the votes are counted and the Democrats WIN.
Most definitely. No time for complacency
And touch those closest to you. Do not let complacency take over. Burnout is real. Simon’s Hopium is such a life preserver!!
Imagine if we could increase Democratic voter turnout in November to 75%!
.
Simon, what will it take for America – and the Democrats specifically – to raise voter turnout to a respectable level? And by that I mean the 70–90 % we regularly see in European countries?
Some observers brag about the turnout in the 2020 Presidential Election, which had the highest voter turnout of the 21st century: 66.8%. But the fact is that this was abysmal compared to Nordic countries and most of Europe**.
Imho, increasing Democratic turnout to Nordic levels is the surefire way to "Get to 55"! Moreover, this would result in a Blue Tsunami that would sweep away MAGA Republican candidates downballot, in state after state.
Simon, what will it take? Is it realistic? Can we do it?
.
** Turnout in last parliamentary elections: Faeroe Islands 89.4%, Belgium 88.4%, Sweden and Denmark 84.2%, Iceland 80%, Netherlands 78.7%, Norway 77.2%, Germany 76.6%, Austria 76.6%, Poland 74.4%…
.
IMO there are three things.
We have to do the work to register and turn out as many voters as possible, and convert as many Democrats as we can into active volunteers.
Automatic voter registration, universal vote by mail, and all the other voter accessibility proposals would all get some more
Ranked choice voting would also help a lot. There are a lot of people who don't like the Democrats enough to go out and vote. If they had a third party to vote for first, I'm sure many of them would vote for Democrats second since they're already there and they hate Republicans.
Good points.
Ranked Choice Voting, also in Presidential Elections, would have the added benefit of ensuring that third-party candidates can never be spoilers. No wasted votes.
Gavin is extraordinary! I LOVE his last comment on 'the misha-gosh' :-) on the other side. I've followed him for years & when he runs, in the future, I will be there to support him. DO MORE WORRY LESS
Gavin is a huge fan of Simon & Hopium Chronicles. It’s so so exciting to hear US ( proud patriots of HC) sharing a speaking platform mantra with great leaders!!! We’re unifying exponentially every day!!!
Thank you Simon🙏🏻
Mr. Rosenberg- thank you for your reasoned and encouraging take on the Biden administration, but PLEASE don’t ignore the impact (on younger voters especially) of the President’s failure to contain Israel’s response to Gaza and the Palestinian people. This will have a bad downside for his re-election.
Can you show me data that the President's handling of the war has hurt him with young people? Open to learning more.
I think that the Michigan primary will tell us a lot more about this… If there’s a significant “uncommitted“ vote in the heavily Arab areas, then we’ll have a better clue as to whether this is a serious political problem. My belief is that from an actual policy and governing standpoint, he’s already doing everything that he actually can do, without making things worse in a plethora of different ways in the Middle East… So I doubt his actual governing work would change, but the political response may need to change if Michigan reveals a serious problem. But at this point, I’m not convinced that we’re going to see that.
Thanks,
I appreciate being reminded on Hopium to follow the data not the voices of MSM rumor; the concerns are valid but are they ( yet) proven through data? My family tells me this has been one of the most notable responses they’ve noted in me this past year. Sorting out the “ chaff “ and telling them I’m tracking the data through my groups to see which way the wind is REALLY blowing. (TG for the education of Simon and others on this site: pinch me, a 30+ year master political analyst is leading us through this wilderness) The endless rumors, doom and gloom was tough- now its eyes wide open to challenges but still working and running like hell toward goal to win. Thank you and all Hopium community members in this battle. I’m so proud of the work of our group.
While publicly supporting Israel after Hamas’ massacres, President Biden and his Administration have been working very, very hard to moderate Netanyahu, involve other players in the region, and pave the way to a better future. Many of these efforts have been behind closed doors and are therefore not publicly known – which means Biden has yet to receive due credit.
Let’s look at just one development: As a key step to making a two-state solution viable, President Biden has been calling for a reformed and re-invigorated Palestinian Authority.
Today the PA Government resigned! It is likely to be replaced by a government of technocrats and experts led by Mohammed Mustafa, a respected US-educated economist and former senior World Bank official who today is Chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund.
This probable make-over of the notoriously-corrupt Palestinian Authority would never have happened without intense pressure and heroic efforts by President Biden.
Give it time, and young voters as well as Arab- and Muslim American voters will recognize and appreciate this!
I was wondering if you have reviewed Thom Hartman's article today entitled "The New 'Over the Top' Secret Plan on How Fascists Could Win in 2024"? Given Jan. 6, this sounds plausible. What do you think?
I read that article and it confuses me. It relies on the Speaker refusing to swear in Democratic members, but there is no Speaker until the new members vote on the new Speaker. Nobody can even be sworn in until that is done. If Democrats win the House in November, they will get to elect Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker.
I am not too worried about it. Though we should probably not be cavalier about loophole tricks after Jan 6th. It's a chaos play meant to be a stall tactic, and one we can do little about. Ultimately it is only useful to them if somehow Dems win more State congressional delegations but some how lose the Whitehouse.
Besides I find it hard to believe that there are going to be more sworn in Republicans in DC on Jan 3 2025, all it would take is a motion to vacate by the Dems and whoever the republicans make wear the speakers hat that week is gone.
Frank V
Your optimism about the election is the best cure for any "burnout" of Democratic volunteers. This morning I received a note from my grandson who attends the University of Utah. He is working on the campaign of Caroline Gleich, Democratic candidate for Mitt Romney's open Senate seat. His first job is recruiting other student volunteers to help form a team to extend her campaign across the state. He is realistic that, outside the Salt Lake area, winning the votes of lifelong Republicans will be a struggle, but there are changes taking place in the state that should make any progress that can be made this year will very valuable in future elections. Young volunteers are essential to preserving the democracy that my immigrant father gave his life for in WWII.
The meme of Trump as the disgruntled king, reminded me to post a link to Jay Kuo's latest "Xeets and Giggles" column
https://open.substack.com/pub/statuskuo/p/just-for-xeets-and-giggles-022424?r=1aiy5t&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I think we all deserve a laugh as we take a break from the very serious work here at Hopium Chronicles.
🤣🤣
Hi Simon,
First, a huge thank you for your message and your newsletter. It means so much to all of us on the frontlines of this fight. I'm sending out an email touting you, your message & Hopium Chronicles to my network today.
That said, I received this email today from Michael Moore. Love him or hate him, he's been pretty prescient about many things and, he knows Michigan. I was wondering if you might weigh in more at length about the Israel/Gaza war and it's impact for Biden here at home. Moore's assessment is deeply concerning:
"Dear Friends,
Stunned by his refusal to stop funding Netanyahu’s slaughter in Gaza with our tax dollars — an action that may return Trump to the Oval Office — thousands in Michigan who are demanding an immediate ceasefire, including the statewide teachers union, the United Auto Workers, the National Nurses Union and the union of flight attendants(!) plus many others on Tuesday will vote “Uncommitted” to help save Biden from himself… and save the rest of us from a 2nd Term Trump. As Michelle Goldberg wrote in the Times on Friday, "Biden is in danger of losing Michigan and, with it, the whole election."
Please listen, and share.
—Mike
P.S. A transcript for this episode will soon be available here (typically the day after release)."
I love the way Gavin Newsom shut this interviewer down every time she tried to return to this bogus issue. These mainstream journalists seem to have neural pathways to racehorse politics that override any ability to engage in meaningful journalism.
Simon -
1) I'm worried that a large percentage of Trump/MAGA voters simply do not care about Trump's policies (of the lack thereof) or his crazy non sequitor comments. They seem to want Trump no matter what. Are there enough 2016 & 2020 Trump voters who will actually not for for him in 2024 so that it makes a difference and helps Biden?
2) I'm also worried about the "hesitancy" of African American and Arab America voters. Do you see this as a problem that needs to be solved? If so, how?
citizens feet on the ground, knocking on doors, creating community with those disaffected voters is the ONLY way to win in 2024....I understand why they believe that their votes "never count" - I know they are being misled but their disappointment is well-founded.
Thank you Simon. I encourage everyone to listen to Pod Save America’s interview with Ben Wikler on the Friday pod. He describes exactly how the WI gerrymander happened and how it was finally defeated. We all naturally focus on the recent Supreme Court seat sim but the victory to years of work and smaller wins. It’s a great blueprint for breaking minority rule and an inspiration.
You couldn't possibly know how much your posts keep me from DROWNING!! I totally agree with you! Biden is the real deal, and he knows what he's doing, probably more than anyone else! Thank you and God bless you!
Thanks for this updated - and breaking- information. President Biden must soon share as much of this information as possible- himself or through a strong spokesperson.
I agree: he has to share this information himself....the way he did so powerfully at last year's "State of the Union" - to give evidence of his being or sane mind and body.....
I think the pro- Palestinian demonstrations on university campuses across the country are a reliable indication that young and educated opinion makers/leaders are unhappy with the current situation. My own hyper- liberal community ( Evanston, IL, home to Northwestern) is pressing a petition for our mayor to advocate a ceasefire. I understand from another commutator that leadership of PA has just resigned and will be reconstituted, thanks in large part to US pressure. Good.
With respect, protests on a few dozen college campuses of highly elite universities are not indicative of very much. Biden's approval on foreign policy with Democrats is in the 70s.
I’m concerned that all of the positive news about Biden’s accomplishments are not being communicated. Can you please share where we might learn about the messages they want folks to know? I live in a blue state so maybe I’m not seeing them, but feel there is a void out there!
Here's what I posted over the weekend as a comment to an article in the WaPO:
Since the MSM isn't doing its job, it is up to us to do it for them. Share Biden's successes with your family, friends, and social networks.
On X (formerly Twitter) follow @BidenWins and promote the content (https://twitter.com/tgreames/status/1747798340841164843)
Sign up for Hopium Chronicles on Substack (https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/)
Sign up for the Amplify newsletter from ActivateAmerica (https://www.activateamerica.vote/amplify)
Sign up for Rally Your Squad with Red, Wine and Blue (https://redwine.blue/rallyyoursquad/)
Sign up for Social Storming from Field Team 6 to help register Democrats (https://share.fieldteam6.org/campaign/F6DDBE84-04F4-4C96-A5FA-7E22A07FEDDB)
Share Lincoln Project content (https://www.youtube.com/@TheLincolnProject
Share content found on Demcast on Social Media (https://demcastusa.com/)
Leverage info on the White House website to explain what Biden has accomplished.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/therecord/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/invest/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/cleanenergy/inflation-reduction-act-guidebook/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/cleanenergy/?utm_source=cleanenergy.gov
https://www.whitehouse.gov/build/
I hope this gives you some ideas.
LATE ADDITION:
Freedom Over Fascism Toolkit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s0JbXhND7-1iqABNcUNL031NQLxkLfr-USkCKGZTidI/edit?link_id=21&can_id=767fb5ac9b8317098a5a59a5fc960685&source=email-vote-early-calls-to-action-ctas&email_referrer=email_2221022&email_subject=calls-to-action-ctas
Greetings Robin,
I had this very same concern when I joined almost a year ago. I read almost everything recommended by members here and these are just some of the resources I learned about:
The States Project( HUGE) All Simons writings and conference Presentations, including NDN, Common Cause,David Pepper on Substack, Jessica Craven and Hubble on Substack, The hundreds of Indivisible Groups, The Lincoln Project, The Union is a HUGE resource, Nope, Blue Wave , The fabulous youth voter site The Civic Center, plus Vote Forward, to list just a few. I personally learned SO MUCH from studying New Mexico and Arizona on how they worked so hard to flip their states. And AZ amazing youth voter registration success using The Civic Center training. The fact cards New Mexico did were wonderfully basic, fundamental and extremely effective in reaching their voters. I picked up most of these contacts and resources while on this site. I follow The Meidas Touch on YOUTUBE and also Tayler-Cohen. Some of the members here are fountains of knowledge like Cheryl Johnson if you want to know anything about postcarding or researching. There are SO many many more ( lots more on August 22,2023 member comment area here on HC) which is why ( IMO) so many on HC feel the confidence of #1.winning #2 Being in coalitions with millions of others in the U.S. partnering to a unified goal: save our democracy.
A lot of us doing our part large and small has made an immense difference. And as we gain more new subscribers on HC who are just as vigilant and determined our momentum and successes just keep growing!!!! 🙌🏻💃🏻