Happy Tuesday all. Got a few things for you today (sorry I am late. Had some technical issues this morning):
Establishing The Choice - In a segment last night with Lawrence O’Donnell we discussed how the tough new Biden ad I wrote about yesterday was helping establish “The Choice.” Check it out:
Establishing this choice between modern, pragmatic Democrats fiercely fighting for our interests and values abroad and successfully making things better here at home and the extremism of MAGA is how we’ve been winning elections these last few years. This is what campaigns do - they frame elections, inform voters, and in this case work to establish a clear choice, a clear contrast.
In my new video presentation about the 2024 election I talk in depth about the choice - about the success of the Biden Presidency, and the clear danger MAGA represents. Here’s my latest summary of Biden’s successes:
In the last few weeks we’ve gotten repeated confirmation of the success of the Biden Presidency - inflation was zero last month and prices of many goods are failing, crime and murder rates are way down, gas prices are down, the flow to the border is down. We’ve had the strongest economic recovery of any advanced economy in the world, the best job market since the 1960s, the lowest uninsured rate in American history, the deficit is trillions less, the Dow has broken 40,000 and all three indices continue hover in record territory. Domestic oil, gas and renewable production continue to be at all time highs leaving America more energy independent than it has been in decades. The Wall Street Journal called the American economy the “envy of the world,” and the Economist just wrote about the unprecedented start up boom America is experiencing right now. Biden’s big three investment bills have dramatically accelerated the energy transition necessary to combat climate change and will be creating opportunities and jobs for our workers for decades to come.
Joe Biden promised to make things better for all of us, to get us successfully to the other side of COVID - and he has.
While this new Biden ad goes hard after Trump the rapist, fraudster, traitor, felon, it is also important that we talk about what they will do if they come back to power. Here’s my latest take on that:
They want Putin to win, the West to lose. The border to be in chaos, and migrants to keep flowing into the country. The economy to crash. Americans to lose more rights and freedoms. The planet to warm faster. 10 year olds to carry their rapist's baby to term, and for more women to die on an operating room table. Tens of millions to lose their health insurance. More dead kids in schools. Verified rapists in positions of authority. A restoration of pre-Civil Rights era white supremacy. Big tax cuts for their donors, higher deficits and less for everyone else. Books banned across the US. Seniors to pay more for insulin and prescription drugs. Foreign governments free to pollute our daily discourse and harass our citizens. Teenagers to work night shifts in meat packing plants and not go to school. The minimum wage to stay at $7.25. Mass arrests and mass deportations of immigrants long settled in the US. Insurrectionists to get pardoned. To end American democracy for all time.
As proud patriots and information warriors it’s important you work on crafting your own understanding of The Choice. As advocates we are most effective not reading talking points from others but in taking these arguments and boiling them down to one or two things that you are most important to you, that you can convey with passion and certainty to others. With the debate next week and the guilty verdict tens of millions of Americans are starting to tune in now, and we need to be loud and proud and as we’ve been doing in our make June count campaign.
Wonder if it matters? Look at this new poll from Politico and Ipsos. Fully 22% of voters say that Trump’s guilty verdict makes it less likely they will support Trump and that it matters to them. This includes 21% of independents and 7% of Republicans which is at this point is at least 5% of the electorate. In what is likely to be a close election this is a big number
If we can take these voters away from Trump in the coming days, through our support of Biden-Harris and our candidates, and our own work, there is no way Trump can win. These findings are a very serious problem for him, which is why I think the Rs have been throwing so much against the wall in recent days. They know they have big problems with Trump - with his performance, with his standing with the public, with his extreme agenda, with his broken and dysfunctional party that keeps underperforming and losing elections - and their propaganda outlets are going into overdrive now.
We have a long way to go, and a lot of work to do, but remember:
Joe Biden is a good President. The country is better off. We have a very compelling case for his re-election.
The Democratic Party is strong, winning elections all across the US, raising tons of money and in the process (thanks to all of you) of building the most powerful political machine we’ve ever had.
And what do they have? They have Trump - rapist, fraudster, traitor, felon - the ugliest political thing any of us has ever seen.
With just three months before early voting in the Presidential election begins let’s keep working hard, together, to bring this Choice to as many people as we can. It’s how we win.
Winning The House With Kirsten Engel (AZ-6) - Excited to share our third interview with a Hopium endorsed candidate today. This new one, above, is with Kirsten Engel, who is running in AZ-6, a Tuscon-based seat. All of you know how important Arizona is to us this year. It really is ground zero, and our community has already raised $200,000 for Ruben Gallego. Now we need to bring it for Kirsten Engel and her 11 intrepid colleagues fighting to flip seats and win the House for us this year.
You can donate to Kirsten directly, or support all 12 candidates with a single donation split 12 ways here. Go here to volunteer for Kirsten wherever you are, and learn more about her here.
I really enjoyed this discussion. One theme that is starting to emerge in these interviews is the opportunity we have to connect the progress people are feeling in their communities to what Democrats have done. We discuss this important chart below from a recent Wall Street Journal poll which shows that majorities in the battlegrounds believe things are better where they live. Together we should be able to to connect this sentiment that things are better with the work Joe Biden and other Democrats have done - because things are better due to the President Biden and his tireless work on behalf of the American people and we need to be really aggressive, loud and proud, about saying so.
For more on our current campaign to Make June Count watch our new interviews with Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb, Janelle Bynum (OR-5) and George Whitesides (CA-27). Learn more about the “Check and Checkmate” strategy driving my recommendations. Over the past month we’ve raised over $500,000 for our candidates and state parties and have already blown past our original Winning The House goal of $300,000. Thank you all - it’s amazing stuff. Here’s where we are today:
Biden-Harris - $373,000 today, $400,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer | Learn More
Watch the New Biden-Harris Ad “Flag”
Winning The House - $310,000 today, $400,000 goal - yes!!!!! - Donate | Volunteer | Learn More. We’ve blown past our $300,000 goal and are now shooting for $400,000 - great work everyone!
Arizona/Ruben Gallego - $198,000 today, $300,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer | Learn More - Watch my interview with Ruben Gallego
North Carolina - $246,000 today, $300,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer | Learn More - Watch my interview with NC Dem Chair Anderson Clayton
Nebraska/Blue Dot -$55,000 today, $100,000 goal- Donate | Volunteer | Learn More - Watch my interview with NE Dem Chair Jane Kleeb
Thank you all! Our community of proud patriots and information warriors just keeps bringing it day after day after day. So inspired by your passion, grit, determination and willingness to leave it all out there on the playing field for this great country.
June Events, Hopium Hits The Road - I’ve added some new events to the schedule - check ‘em out! Note there is an “Upcoming Events” tab on the Hopium website’s navigation bar where you can always find our latest schedule.
Wed, June 19th, 1pm ET - With Democrats, Things Get Better - Register here. Hopium’s signature presentation, a 25 minuet deep dive on American politics since the Cold War ended and a new age of globalization began. It tells a simple but powerful story - when Democrats are in the White House, things get better in America. When Republicans are we get recessions, higher deficits and American decline.
Thur, June 20, 5pm CT - I’ll be in Madison, Wisconsin for an in-person at a Wisconsin Democratic Party Fundraising event with the great WI Dem Chair Ben Wikler. Please register and donate here. Excited to be heading back into the 2024 battlegrounds, and looking forward to seeing members of the Hopium community too!
Tues, June 25, 730pm ET - The monthly Zoom gathering of the entire Hopium Chronicles community - Register here.
Thur, June 27 - 1st Presidential Debate on CNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sat, June 29 - I’ll be speaking in person at Network NOVA’s 8th Annual Women’s Summit in Tyson’s Corner, VA - More info, register. One of my favorite events of the year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10% Off Annual Hopium Membership in June - As a token of my gratitude for all that you are doing, I’m now offering a 10% discount on annual paid subscriptions for new subscribers through the end of the month. Click on this link to subscribe today. On that link you can also purchase gift or group subscriptions for others you’d like bring into the Hopium community. If you signed up as a paid subscriber in the first half of last year and want to make sure your paid subscription is current and up to date check be sure to visit here.
My stretch goal is to get to 10,000 paid subscribers by June 30th - we are over 9,400 today - which will put Hopium in a financial place to close this election strong. Thanks to all of you who have stepped up and become a paid subscriber in recent days - you are making June count!
Keep working hard all. Proud to be in this fight with all of you - Simon
Establishing The Choice, My Interview With Kirsten Engel (AZ-6), Making June Count!