Let's please not ever use the phrase "the New Obscurantism" again, as it represents all that is wrong with Democratic communication. Speak simply and clearly about issues.
Mark, stop it. We are not talking to voters here. We can read deeply intelligent articles by the smartest people in our country and discuss them. The whole point of her essay was that there is a movement afoot in the modern world to dismiss knowledge, truth, understanding, fact. Your comment and sentiment actually aides that movement, and does not challenge it.
It is my view that a central reason we lost in 2024 was that we did not have an honest and respectful conversation with the American people and instead allowed our own data mystics lead us astray.
That conversation with the American people was needed not just during the campaign, but sorely needed in all the years since Team Biden held power, starting on 20 January 2021.
Team Trump essentially campaigned for nine years – Kamala Harris for a mere 107 days.
Gotta connect the dots, which Dems are not good at doing; you are.
For example, all Texas GOPers voted against Biden’s infrastructure deal. They voted against better and safer roads and bridges for their constituents. They voted against addressing traffic congestion (Texas motorists drive 825 MILLION MILES A DAY/2023 stat)
GOPers voted against high-paying construction jobs. Some 80 percent of Texas highway construction crews are Hispanic,
How do Hispanic families know that … if Dems aren’t connecting the dots?
I think Mark has a valid point, and I don't see the harm in it since we routinely discuss here how Democrats communicate or fail to. I also reacted negatively to that term in the essay. Surely, we can read deeply intelligent articles with big words AND agree that some of those words don't cut it for our mass communication needs.
My nurse colleagues and myself refuse to be distracted by DT's nonsensical musings. Instead we are resolute in opposing RFK Jr's nomination to be HHS secretary. This is one of 8 op/eds and LTE's we have published just in the last month, all in major news outlets. Please share, amplify, and call your Senators today to tell them you are in opposition too. https://www.newsweek.com/when-did-we-stop-being-afraid-polio-opinion-2011276
Excellent!! I remember when I was a kid my Republican dad (who is now 83) talked about Jonas Salk and the miracle of the polio vaccine and now he's a Covid skeptic. Have you received any responses to your op-ed from anti-vaxxers?
Bravo! Don't get caught up in his drama - that's what he wants. He feeds off of our outrage. Instead, gray-rock and starve his narcissistic ego and do what you're doing.
It is still mind boggling to me that people voted for Trump, although if it were up to me I would have had an investigation done after the election. Clearly to me, there was foul play!! Many of the podcasts that I watch have evidence of this, but nothing has been done. (I’m sure in the future news of this will come out). Also, it upsets me that we are always asked for donations!! We will never be able to raise more money than our opponents. I don’t even want to give any more money!! I’m extremely disappointed in my leaders and the judicial system. We are now living in a biased lawless society.
I'm with you; the election was absolutely stolen. No way someone who's been flouting rules and laws since he was in diapers would go straight late in the 8th decade of his life, especially not when he could least afford to abandon the methods that have always worked so well for him. VP Harris should have called for investigations. At the same time, tramp wouldn't have had a foundation upon which to build his election theft if he didn't have some real support, and it IS mind-boggling that he had any at all.
What I wrote above about tramp's character would not hold up in court. It's not solid evidence. Even his boast of having stolen the election (he told the audience at a Turning Point convention that the he didn't need votes because the RNC would "take care of it") would not hold up in court. That said, however, it should have been enough to get an investigation rolling.
Unfortunately, the time for official investigations has passed, and we need to devote our energy to opposing this monster every which way we can. If some clever journalist(s), a new Bernstein and Woodward, can come up with proof the election was stolen, I will rejoice, but until that day comes, our efforts are better spent fighting him at every turn, starting with making sure future elections can't be hacked. Even people who think tramp won fair and square should be on board with making elections more secure. There's always room for improvement. There are people out there who will try to rig elections, and God himself could not win an election the results of which are predetermined by someone other than the voters.
Yes, great results in the last night’s election, with Democrats holding narrow control in both the Virginia Senate and Legislature. While the loss in SD-10 was expected, Democrats overperformed by an impressive 9 percent, losing by only 18 points in this Trump +27 district.
This bodes well for the Virginia elections this fall, when Democrats have a terrific gubernatorial candidate, Abigail Spanberger.
I agree with maintaining our cool and not flipping out over every little thing. I also think it's important to continue to point out, in a calm way, that Trump's words, as in yesterday's press conference, are lies to a point of being out of touch with reality, offensive, insulting and scary. I think we should call it like it is, say it, and force our R reps (and that's all I have) to own that they are supporting this by not speaking up. It's inexcusable and a violation of their oaths.
This is a letter to the editor that I sent to about 30 TX and OK newspapers this morning as well as to all my elected reps, including my nonpartisan local ones. Every elected official should be confronted with the fact that the guy at the top is a madman. When I call my R reps, I make it clear that they have some responsibility in having created this situation, and so does the aide who is tallying my call. I do this non-threateningly, of course, but they are responsible.
Elon Musk’s manipulative, lying post against Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will be subject to the ongoing European Union investigation against Musk and his Xitter.
In the screenshot shown in the article, Musk connects two events that have nothing to do with each other, stating the Norwegian PM made his claims in a conversation with Bill Gates – which is an outright lie!
So grateful to everyone who helped with our wins in Virginia.
As today's post notes, Trump plans to deport many of the workers who grow and harvest our food. If you look at history, fascist governments almost always screw up food production. Then, they need prisoners or "volunteer" laborers to try and, for example, conduct harvests. And, no, that won't make the MAGAts turn on Trump. But if we are loud enough about it, it might reach others, especially the young people who will be pressured or forced into the work.
I saw a recent interview with a dairy farmer in Iowa who estimated that a sudden mass deportation would lead to a total halt of milk production in 2-3 days.
This: "So as I did yesterday I plan on diving into his madness when it matters in the real world, not as theater, but as outcomes that effect (sic) our lives." We need more, much more, of that approach! I'm so sick of seeing his rantings spreading through social media when some of them are only meant as distractions from his evil deeds. Which brings me to another question: what is shady Vance up to these days? My best guess is he's hard at work making Project 2025 come true.
No, we must not let their madness become our own. That is exactly right.
As the Irish columnist Una Mullally put it, "politics is an attention economy." Let's not unnecessarily feed their economy of attention. Learn what you need to know, and leave the rest to the wind.
Agreed. Part of what we're doing here is helping each other to develop the ability to distinguish between what matters and what doesn't. We're making each other more intelligent that way, while understanding that there will be healthy, constructive divergences of opinion.
Hey Simon. I know you are looking for input on things we can do better. I think a very understated thing that I saw Trump and not Harris in my home state of PA was billboard and yard sign advertising and slogans. I acknowlege the need for our leaders to do alternative media but simple billboard and yard sign messaging can be effective. Like say egg prices gas prices etc stay the same or dont go down. We could do a billboard digitally that asks did he lower your cost of eggs? Or do a simple graphic. This is a medium i am sick of seeing right wing dominante and for more low info voters I think it can help to deliver our message. Another problem I see Bipartisan Infrastructure Act signs but no mention of Biden/Harris. We need to be louder about what we actually get DONE for the people. Also terribly undercommunicated Insulin Prices Drug Prices etc. How bout a fundraising effort nationwide to get out message vs just campaigns?
Especially in rural areas, signs are key. Democrats in these areas often don't vote because they think they're alone. Seeing signs tells them they are not alone. Others support Democratic candidates so they aren't wasting time if they vote. Our grassroots group fights hard to get a lot of signs and every year we have people who come into our neighborhood (plumbers, landscapers, delivery people) who say to our members, "Gee, there are a lot of Democrats here.") That gives us a chance to have "the talk" about how to vote early, why our candidates are best, etc.
In VA, it's incredibly difficult to get this point across to the state party. Youngkin had a gazillion signs (Hunters for Youngkin, Parents for Youngkin, Farmers for Youngkin, you name it) and McAuliffe had almost none. I understand consultants don't make money off signs but they're very effective in rural areas. The book Dirt Road Revival has a lot of good information on this subject.
The Applebaum article was excellent. I've been noticing how the health blogs often merge into the anti-vax movement which in turn starts down a right-wing anti-expertise path. Her analysis is important to help define what exactly we are fighting against. In many ways, the nullification that has long been part of GOP minority rule is also about nullifying knowledge itself by making people skeptical of any claims they encounter. When there is no way to determine truth, authoritarians can slip right in.
Let's please not ever use the phrase "the New Obscurantism" again, as it represents all that is wrong with Democratic communication. Speak simply and clearly about issues.
Mark, stop it. We are not talking to voters here. We can read deeply intelligent articles by the smartest people in our country and discuss them. The whole point of her essay was that there is a movement afoot in the modern world to dismiss knowledge, truth, understanding, fact. Your comment and sentiment actually aides that movement, and does not challenge it.
It is my view that a central reason we lost in 2024 was that we did not have an honest and respectful conversation with the American people and instead allowed our own data mystics lead us astray.
I like the phrase, “data mystics.”
That conversation with the American people was needed not just during the campaign, but sorely needed in all the years since Team Biden held power, starting on 20 January 2021.
Team Trump essentially campaigned for nine years – Kamala Harris for a mere 107 days.
Gotta connect the dots, which Dems are not good at doing; you are.
For example, all Texas GOPers voted against Biden’s infrastructure deal. They voted against better and safer roads and bridges for their constituents. They voted against addressing traffic congestion (Texas motorists drive 825 MILLION MILES A DAY/2023 stat)
GOPers voted against high-paying construction jobs. Some 80 percent of Texas highway construction crews are Hispanic,
How do Hispanic families know that … if Dems aren’t connecting the dots?
Simon...I deeply appreciate the ferocity with which you are speaking currently as we enter this tremendously challenging time. TY! Bring it on.
I think Mark has a valid point, and I don't see the harm in it since we routinely discuss here how Democrats communicate or fail to. I also reacted negatively to that term in the essay. Surely, we can read deeply intelligent articles with big words AND agree that some of those words don't cut it for our mass communication needs.
How about "Bullshit Peddling" ? :-)
Have to say the term put me off as well even as the discussion was very intelligent and thought provoking.
Friends, I am not suggesting that we attempt to popularize the term. This is an important essay and we are getting way off mission here.
Yes. Glad I finished reading all these comments. It was almost as if this chattery had become swamped with pontificators. CHATTERY is not a word.
There my first comment in Substack comments in Hopium. Hidden away so few will ever notice it.
My nurse colleagues and myself refuse to be distracted by DT's nonsensical musings. Instead we are resolute in opposing RFK Jr's nomination to be HHS secretary. This is one of 8 op/eds and LTE's we have published just in the last month, all in major news outlets. Please share, amplify, and call your Senators today to tell them you are in opposition too. https://www.newsweek.com/when-did-we-stop-being-afraid-polio-opinion-2011276
Great work Teri!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow! Well done!
My mother-in-law was a nurse, and she would be shoulder-to-shoulder with you in opposing Kennedy, Jr. were she still alive. Thank you!!!
Great job! I'll be sharing this.
YES!!!!! Sharing.
Excellent and exemplary work!
Excellent!! I remember when I was a kid my Republican dad (who is now 83) talked about Jonas Salk and the miracle of the polio vaccine and now he's a Covid skeptic. Have you received any responses to your op-ed from anti-vaxxers?
Bravo! Don't get caught up in his drama - that's what he wants. He feeds off of our outrage. Instead, gray-rock and starve his narcissistic ego and do what you're doing.
What does it mean to "gray-rock"?
ACTIONS BY EVERYONE GROWS FREEDOM
How to Prevent "MASS PSYCHOSIS - How an Entire Population Becomes MENTALLY ILL"
❤️ Discredit totalitarian propaganda everywhere
🤣 Mock worship of dictators
❤️ Grow joyful unifying structures
❤️ c 1st 📈
https://youtu.be/09maaUaRT4M
🔸"Fascist politics seeks to undermine public discourse by attacking and devaluing education, expertise, and language.
🔸Intelligent debate is impossible without an education with access to different perspectives, a respect for expertise"
"How Fascism Works the Politics of Us and Them", Stanley, p63
It is still mind boggling to me that people voted for Trump, although if it were up to me I would have had an investigation done after the election. Clearly to me, there was foul play!! Many of the podcasts that I watch have evidence of this, but nothing has been done. (I’m sure in the future news of this will come out). Also, it upsets me that we are always asked for donations!! We will never be able to raise more money than our opponents. I don’t even want to give any more money!! I’m extremely disappointed in my leaders and the judicial system. We are now living in a biased lawless society.
It was a free and fair election with a peaceful transfer of power. It was also a very close election. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work on the midterm elections. Here are words of assurance from President Biden. https://www.npr.org/2024/11/07/nx-s1-5183068/president-biden-promises-a-peaceful-transfer-of-power
I'm with you; the election was absolutely stolen. No way someone who's been flouting rules and laws since he was in diapers would go straight late in the 8th decade of his life, especially not when he could least afford to abandon the methods that have always worked so well for him. VP Harris should have called for investigations. At the same time, tramp wouldn't have had a foundation upon which to build his election theft if he didn't have some real support, and it IS mind-boggling that he had any at all.
What I wrote above about tramp's character would not hold up in court. It's not solid evidence. Even his boast of having stolen the election (he told the audience at a Turning Point convention that the he didn't need votes because the RNC would "take care of it") would not hold up in court. That said, however, it should have been enough to get an investigation rolling.
Unfortunately, the time for official investigations has passed, and we need to devote our energy to opposing this monster every which way we can. If some clever journalist(s), a new Bernstein and Woodward, can come up with proof the election was stolen, I will rejoice, but until that day comes, our efforts are better spent fighting him at every turn, starting with making sure future elections can't be hacked. Even people who think tramp won fair and square should be on board with making elections more secure. There's always room for improvement. There are people out there who will try to rig elections, and God himself could not win an election the results of which are predetermined by someone other than the voters.
Yes, great results in the last night’s election, with Democrats holding narrow control in both the Virginia Senate and Legislature. While the loss in SD-10 was expected, Democrats overperformed by an impressive 9 percent, losing by only 18 points in this Trump +27 district.
This bodes well for the Virginia elections this fall, when Democrats have a terrific gubernatorial candidate, Abigail Spanberger.
"Sentence Donald Trump to a Mandatory Psychiatric Examination - Political/Legal Maneuverings do Not Change Medical Need"
by Dr. BANDY X.LEE
https://open.substack.com/pub/bandyxlee/p/sentence-donald-trump-to-a-mandatory?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=280c3q
If we don’t hang together we’ll all hang separately.
I agree with maintaining our cool and not flipping out over every little thing. I also think it's important to continue to point out, in a calm way, that Trump's words, as in yesterday's press conference, are lies to a point of being out of touch with reality, offensive, insulting and scary. I think we should call it like it is, say it, and force our R reps (and that's all I have) to own that they are supporting this by not speaking up. It's inexcusable and a violation of their oaths.
This is a letter to the editor that I sent to about 30 TX and OK newspapers this morning as well as to all my elected reps, including my nonpartisan local ones. Every elected official should be confronted with the fact that the guy at the top is a madman. When I call my R reps, I make it clear that they have some responsibility in having created this situation, and so does the aide who is tallying my call. I do this non-threateningly, of course, but they are responsible.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dGSdbl5nGRuvqqzBWUi1dInPX7oQUUsgpnO3gZP2QlE/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you!
Elon Musk’s manipulative, lying post against Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will be subject to the ongoing European Union investigation against Musk and his Xitter.
In the screenshot shown in the article, Musk connects two events that have nothing to do with each other, stating the Norwegian PM made his claims in a conversation with Bill Gates – which is an outright lie!
https://www.nrk.no/urix/delte-falsk-nyhet-om-store-pa-x-1.17197603
(English via Google Translate)
https://www-nrk-no.translate.goog/urix/delte-falsk-nyhet-om-store-pa-x-1.17197603?_x_tr_sl=no&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
So grateful to everyone who helped with our wins in Virginia.
As today's post notes, Trump plans to deport many of the workers who grow and harvest our food. If you look at history, fascist governments almost always screw up food production. Then, they need prisoners or "volunteer" laborers to try and, for example, conduct harvests. And, no, that won't make the MAGAts turn on Trump. But if we are loud enough about it, it might reach others, especially the young people who will be pressured or forced into the work.
I saw a recent interview with a dairy farmer in Iowa who estimated that a sudden mass deportation would lead to a total halt of milk production in 2-3 days.
This: "So as I did yesterday I plan on diving into his madness when it matters in the real world, not as theater, but as outcomes that effect (sic) our lives." We need more, much more, of that approach! I'm so sick of seeing his rantings spreading through social media when some of them are only meant as distractions from his evil deeds. Which brings me to another question: what is shady Vance up to these days? My best guess is he's hard at work making Project 2025 come true.
No, we must not let their madness become our own. That is exactly right.
As the Irish columnist Una Mullally put it, "politics is an attention economy." Let's not unnecessarily feed their economy of attention. Learn what you need to know, and leave the rest to the wind.
Yes, and do not assume that it is all "locker room talk." Some of this stuff really matters and it is our job to determine that parts that do matter.
…and to make sure their noise, misdirection and disinformation never eclipse those things that really do matter!
This back and forth I particularly like. I can see is the basis of what you discussed tonite. And it's more engaging then a webinar.
Agreed. Part of what we're doing here is helping each other to develop the ability to distinguish between what matters and what doesn't. We're making each other more intelligent that way, while understanding that there will be healthy, constructive divergences of opinion.
Hey Simon. I know you are looking for input on things we can do better. I think a very understated thing that I saw Trump and not Harris in my home state of PA was billboard and yard sign advertising and slogans. I acknowlege the need for our leaders to do alternative media but simple billboard and yard sign messaging can be effective. Like say egg prices gas prices etc stay the same or dont go down. We could do a billboard digitally that asks did he lower your cost of eggs? Or do a simple graphic. This is a medium i am sick of seeing right wing dominante and for more low info voters I think it can help to deliver our message. Another problem I see Bipartisan Infrastructure Act signs but no mention of Biden/Harris. We need to be louder about what we actually get DONE for the people. Also terribly undercommunicated Insulin Prices Drug Prices etc. How bout a fundraising effort nationwide to get out message vs just campaigns?
Especially in rural areas, signs are key. Democrats in these areas often don't vote because they think they're alone. Seeing signs tells them they are not alone. Others support Democratic candidates so they aren't wasting time if they vote. Our grassroots group fights hard to get a lot of signs and every year we have people who come into our neighborhood (plumbers, landscapers, delivery people) who say to our members, "Gee, there are a lot of Democrats here.") That gives us a chance to have "the talk" about how to vote early, why our candidates are best, etc.
In VA, it's incredibly difficult to get this point across to the state party. Youngkin had a gazillion signs (Hunters for Youngkin, Parents for Youngkin, Farmers for Youngkin, you name it) and McAuliffe had almost none. I understand consultants don't make money off signs but they're very effective in rural areas. The book Dirt Road Revival has a lot of good information on this subject.
Great info. Thank you!
They want to call Greenland Muskland.
Truth be told Musk is full of more bovine excrement than any Musk-Ox!
That and ketamine.
The Applebaum article was excellent. I've been noticing how the health blogs often merge into the anti-vax movement which in turn starts down a right-wing anti-expertise path. Her analysis is important to help define what exactly we are fighting against. In many ways, the nullification that has long been part of GOP minority rule is also about nullifying knowledge itself by making people skeptical of any claims they encounter. When there is no way to determine truth, authoritarians can slip right in.
"When there is no way to determine truth, authoritarians can slip right in."
Perfect!
I would add that authoritarians count on and therefore knowingly and actively peddle in obfuscation and relativism to take power.