I live in a blue state and blue area. While I agree that most of the Dems I know feel ignored by the Party and only hit us up with donation requests, I do not agree that blue cities are not safe. There are areas in every state and city that are not safe. For example, I know people who will not go to the South or Arizona because they fear being attacked. You can probably guess why.
Yes and I don't hear about those "safe" red states refusing blue state federal money. I like living in California. I like the diversity of the area where I live.
There's a great movie called A Most Violent Year, about NYC in 1981, directed by a local guy here in NJ, JC Chandor, about the whole vibe of the times, which I lived through; NYC today is far safer than the bombed out buildings I used to pass in the Bronx on the way to Fordham; when my kids were little, 20 years ago, I would pass those same areas on the way to the zoo ( both kids are ecologists now ) and they were pleasant neighborhoods with parks and families walking about. And Riverdale is one of the nicest places you could live in, if you could afford it. And the movie...Jessica Chastain. Oscar Isaac, Alessandro Nivola....and the topic? The heating oil business, which the movie makes interesting....
Well, in CA one of the reasons we don't have high speed rail yet is because of lawsuits targeted to slow down its progress. Democrats need to start showing up and demanding these things of their electeds. I live in southern California and any proposed housing gets met with lots of opposition. If we want more housing, public transportation, we have to start showing up and asking for it. People who don't want these things sure do.
Yes. Even in my Democratic club, a lot of people will argue against building a new housing development. It's all the normal excuses - traffic, density, losing the character of our city. We need to grapple with the fact that we must solve the housing affordability issue and the only way to do it is to build more and affordable housing.
More specifically, NIMBY refers to residents’ opposition to local developments or projects that they find undesirable, such as housing or infrastructure, because they are close to their homes. This term often implies that these residents would support such projects if they were located farther away.
For instance, someone might be in favor of homeless shelters, drug-treatment centers or low-cost housing – provided they are built far, far away!
Education is not failing in all blue cities; NYC has some of the best public high schools in the country. Crime is DOWN in blue cities. I was in education and for all we bash it here, I remember a delegation from Japan being awestruck by our system, due to its diversity and versatility; at that time, in Japan, curriculum was strictly followed and kids in classes all over the country would be studying the same topic. Also, rural schools are in serious trouble, and these are mostly red areas; the voucher movement threatens them even more, as there are few credible private schools in those areas. Defunding public schools hurts education.
That is what I was referring to, but keep in mind charters are an even bigger drain, but do have somewhat more oversight than private, religious schools ( which is what vouchers are really all about ).
If we are NOT in power, the expectation becomes unrealistic. We did not have the Senate this time. People don't understand these realities. But sorry for them all that MELON SPOKE, 'NO PRICES WILL GO DOWN!' Surprise, surprise.
Simon, thank you for sharing a video of last night’s presentation! I missed the meeting. And thanks for an enlightening review of 2004–2008, a period of historical renewal for the Democratic Party and democracy-favoring Americans.
Those achievements, and your highlighting of the challenges ahead, give much-needed reasons for hope in this dark hour.
Your phrase "partners in the fight, not donors to the cause” hit the nail on the head for us. We contributed more than $100,000 to get out the vote in the election and are feeling discouraged and misled. I still get dozens of emails a day asking for money. Not going to happen.
yes, this is true. yes, there's mounting and credible evidence. and yes, it most certainly affected the outcome. Again, I urge you to read Stephen Spoonamore's posts on Substack. He is a well-respected professional in the field of cyber security.
We sound like the other side when we talk like this; R's didn't need to manipulate the vote; they had billions in ad money, and plain ole' voter suppression was plenty, along with racism and sexism. Remember, Plouffe said their polling never showed her in the lead. trump will be gone in 4 years and we will likely be facing Vance. We need to be ready for that. Sucks that we lost this one to the worst president ever, and younger voters kind of blamed Biden for all the wars; my friends and I got a laugh when talking to some of them; they were too young to remember Iraq....they actually believed trump was a man of peace; don't laugh, I have heard many in the business community leadership say they expect trump to calm everything down. This is crazy talk, IMO. But that is what we are dealing with.
Maybe you're right. But, is there even the slightest chance that you're wrong, and they did indeed manipulate the vote? And, if there is even that minuscule chance, are you really ok with turning our country over to the autocratic billionaires who will be his cabinet? Isn't it worth asking for a recount?
I've been through this before, in 2004. And W was in many ways worse than trump, getting us into two unnecessary wars and falling asleep on 9/11, plus threatening to privatize social security. Everyone believed OH had been hacked, SOS Blackwell actually transferred the votes electronically to KY briefly due to a power outage or something; in the end it did not matter. i simply don't believe the votes were hacked; their side just got more votes; in a binary system, it happens. Sometimes the better candidate does not win. Whether I am ok with it does not matter; it is the way it is going to be. We have to look forward. The bigger issue is voter suppression; that does make a difference. Also, many of Biden's voters who were not solid Dems had already signaled they were sitting this one out, and this had been noted before the election by Michael Podhorzer, who wrote a hair on fire essay on it.
Why do you say we sound like the other side when we say this? Because we are always so sane and decent and play by the rules? I’m not saying that I’m sure this happened but then why did felon34 tell folks at his rally that he didn’t need their votes and why didn’t he seem to try at all to campaign and what was/is that “Little secret” that he and Mike Johnson have that he was going to share after the election? I would like to have a serious investigation into this. The Russians have been interfering in our elections since 2016 and they have shown with the insurrection and voter suppression that they will stop at nothing to steal an election.
Because it isn't credible. We must not be in denial that millions of our fellow citizens voted for trump, odious as he is. I know it is painful to recognize it, I urge you to read Daniel Drezhner's piece today about trump's gains with Latino voters ( he is mainly debunking the late Samuel Huntington's awful theory 20 years ago that Latinos were tearing the country apart; they have not only integrated, they are beginning to vote more like White voters ). While it is true the Russians have done us damage, no less than M. Gessen has held that the Russians are not as competent at this game as we all assume; trump's win comes down to our own fellow citizens whether they voted for him or sat this one out. Voter suppression played a role, but in the end, trump expanded his support. We will have to work that much harder. As for what trump says at rallies, most of it is nonsense. Who knows what was going on in that diseased mind.
I've read some interesting stats that I can't quote directly. The last time ANY PREZ CANDIDATE ever won ALL SEVEN SWING states is many, many years ago.
Also what happened in NC never happened ever with the strange split from Pres win to ALL THE OTHER CANDIDATES.
Friends from NC DO NOT BELIEVE THE OUTCOME, in addition to not believing the outcome. 🤓
I read a post by a friend that I can't verify yet that Russian interference is a prime focus of all before the Dec 20th certification of state votes and it could change outcome.
I agree we need to re imagine and re invent ourselves, but I’m concerned about the senate. It seems it’s the same old same old with Schumer as the minority leader and Dick Durbin as the whip. We need younger more energetic senators in these lead roles. It seems they haven’t gotten the memo and haven’t learned that we need to do something different to get our voters back and build stronger coalitions.
Yes. I am so extremely disappointed Schumer got re-elected. I have given to most the Senate races and they are all happy to email me asking for money but not one has tried to explain re-electing Schumer to me.
Like I do not even know how to let them know I feel betrayed. My senator just lost so I no longer have a dem senator to call.
I am limiting what news I read or watch - for now, it's strictly Simon and MiedasTouch. Ugh, I didn't know Schumer got re-elected as Senate soon to be Minority Leader. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
There are some good sites out there; Thom Hartmann, Egberto Willies ( he is excellent and IMO intellectually ahead of Thom, which is saying a lot ) I don't care much for Dave Pakman but he is still on our side. Deep State Radio and Fast Politics are always worth a listen, as is Politics Girl.
I know a lot of people listen and respect Thom Hartmann. I stopped listening to him. In 2016, he was, in my opinion, often trashing Hillary and propping Bernie up while at the same time saying he wasn't taking sides. then, later, he said Elizabeth Warren was weaponizing something Bernie said against him - I can't recall what now. Also he is always selling a new book. But I understand a lot of people do listen to him. He is just not for me. Thank you though.
I agree but I have no idea what a reinvented Democratic party should look like, except younger as you mentioned. Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin will be of zero use going forward. D. Earl Stephens wrote a Substack about it, you could practically feel the steam coming off of him, absolutely furious.
I almost always resonate with D. Earl, although I confess I'm not feeling much about Schumer & Co, probably because I wasn't expecting a different outcome. Detachment is my survival mode. Gonna stay engaged but with a little ice water in my veins.
Schumer is a dealmaker and a net plus for me. But Durbin is a joke. A relic from an era that maybe never was. He's Chair of the Senate Dem surrender caucus.
I used to think Schumer was very effective. I no longer believe this. Was I wrong before? Has he changed or just gotten tired? I don't know. I want fighters and for the Dems to stop normalizing Trump by acting like he is normal and not a racist.
Chuck was our congressman in Brooklyn...He used to be Johnny on the spot....When he was here in Brooklyn he used to talk a lot about having "street-smarts"
We knew him for many years... My wife and I have felt for some time...he's changed he's not the same Chuck that we knew
Thank you for this forward thinking plan for Dems. I love the quote from Abe Lincoln - so true. I am slowly getting back to the reality of the next 4 years and gearing up for action.
Saw you on CNN. It appears they are scared shitless of Trump. Echoing your comments “we need to get louder “.
Simon I do embroidery. I would love to do some shirts for you. I could also do some mockups for mugs. I would be honored to help you get started on merch. I’m very small solo business. So not equipped to do any big orders. I’m willing to embroider shirts for you at no charge. If you’re interested call me when you have a chance and we can discuss details. 8436552485
Simon thanks for all this. The generational change can't happen soon enough for me. We need more AOCs, Hakeem Jeffries, and Anderson Claytons and fewer Schumers and Durbins.
Also, as someone who's been an activist in NC for over two decades, we need the national party to follow our lead and supplement our work. I'm never going to get over how much pushback I got when I kept telling the campaign to capitalize on our volunteer network instead of relying on people in Delaware who'd never even set foot in the state. No one should give up on NC and the Democrats here.
SB 382 SAMPLE PHONE SCRIPT, COURTESY OF NC CD 11 DEMS:
Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City or County].
I’m asking [Representative’s Name] to uphold Governor Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 382. While disaster relief is urgently needed, this bill doesn’t provide the immediate, targeted assistance our neighbors in Western North Carolina need to recover. I’m asking you to uphold the veto so a better bill can be presented—one that prioritizes critical support like rental assistance, small business aid, and homeowner relief.
Upholding the veto will show a commitment to putting people first and ensuring effective and focused disaster relief efforts.
Thank you for your time and for considering my concerns.
I agree to be louder. With the loudness we have to be much much bolder. The Dems need to challenge the norms. Make a fuss about the status quo. Repeat repeat repeat in simple language about real issues and real solutions. Also, I have contacted my Senator about this issue and asked him to demand the current President to engage in the strategies mentioned above.
I like your idea of rebuilding our voting base. I think we should begin now and not wait until an election cycle starts. We need to be omnipresent in voter registration efforts.
two guiding lights for me in this period of dangerous insanity 1) andy borowitz column today and the serenity prayer 2) "there is a crack in everything, that is where the light gets in". we will find the cracks and shine the light until dems regain power.
Faced with the prospect that Trump rather than President Biden will choose their successor, how many federal judges will rescind their retirement announcement?
I believe we’re at two – and counting. Some very interesting details here:
How many and which of Trump’s key nominees will be forced to withdraw or fail to be confirmed by the Senate? Who is next? Thoughts, anyone?
– Many [sane] Americans were relieved when Matt Gaetz withdrew as Trump’s nominee for Attorney General. Gaetz resignation from the House makes this a double win! He spent eight days as the AG nominee.
– After less than a day, Chad Chronister, Trump’s nominee for chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration, withdrew. Many of us here would have forgiven his sin; however, MAGA voters were furious that then-sheriff Chronister once arrested a local preacher for defying COVID lockdown orders.
– Meanwhile, we are reading that Pete Hegseth’s own mother wrote "You are an abuser of women"; hard to see how this strengthens Pete’s prospects of becoming Defense Secretary, a post for which he is as unqualified as Trump is for the Oval Office.
. Simon’s list matches my own. I predict that Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel and RFK Jr will NEVER assume the positions for which they are nominated. Including Gaetz, that makes five.
. "Hegseth's vision of the military is absolutely terrifying. He really wants to take a page from Stalin and purge any officers who he perceives as politically suspect. (Presumably without the murder part) His views on who should be a soldier are equally antediluvian. He doesn't want women in the military, except as "caregivers", and wants to ban LGBT soldiers entirely. His appointment would really be tremendous blow to quality of our armed forces and set the country back decades in terms of equality.
"The scary part of this, to me anyway, is that essentially no one is talking about his policies. Just that he's a drunk, a womanizer, and probably a rapist, which in fairness should *also* be disqualifying. But is the GOP really ok with his program? No one seems to be objecting to that, at least not too loudly."
Will you let us know whether it is worth contributing to the 2 Democratic candidates running in the special elections in FL as well as the special election in NY?
Fl special election primary is January 28th and general is April 1st.
District 6 race is to replace U.S. Rep Waltz, nominated for National Security Advisor. Trump has endorsed Fl Sen Randy Fine (recently elected Sen after being term-limited as Rep),a multi-millionaire and all-around nasty human being. The other MAGAs in the race are obeying in advance and dropping like flies.
District 1 is Gaetz’ former seat.Trump endorsed our CFO who is most likely jumping ship from our property insurance crisis to a much easier job.
Candidate qualifying period starts tomorrow 12/6 so likely will learn more about other candidates in coming weeks.
I live in a blue state and blue area. While I agree that most of the Dems I know feel ignored by the Party and only hit us up with donation requests, I do not agree that blue cities are not safe. There are areas in every state and city that are not safe. For example, I know people who will not go to the South or Arizona because they fear being attacked. You can probably guess why.
Yes, blue cities are usually safer than red cities or rural areas. Once again, perception doesn't line up with reality.
Yes and I don't hear about those "safe" red states refusing blue state federal money. I like living in California. I like the diversity of the area where I live.
There's a great movie called A Most Violent Year, about NYC in 1981, directed by a local guy here in NJ, JC Chandor, about the whole vibe of the times, which I lived through; NYC today is far safer than the bombed out buildings I used to pass in the Bronx on the way to Fordham; when my kids were little, 20 years ago, I would pass those same areas on the way to the zoo ( both kids are ecologists now ) and they were pleasant neighborhoods with parks and families walking about. And Riverdale is one of the nicest places you could live in, if you could afford it. And the movie...Jessica Chastain. Oscar Isaac, Alessandro Nivola....and the topic? The heating oil business, which the movie makes interesting....
Even now ... New "leader" for party? Or DNC? Where is everybody?
Well, in CA one of the reasons we don't have high speed rail yet is because of lawsuits targeted to slow down its progress. Democrats need to start showing up and demanding these things of their electeds. I live in southern California and any proposed housing gets met with lots of opposition. If we want more housing, public transportation, we have to start showing up and asking for it. People who don't want these things sure do.
YIMBY vs NIMBY?
Yes. Even in my Democratic club, a lot of people will argue against building a new housing development. It's all the normal excuses - traffic, density, losing the character of our city. We need to grapple with the fact that we must solve the housing affordability issue and the only way to do it is to build more and affordable housing.
What is YIMBY vs NIMBY?
NIMBY = No In My Back Yard
YIMBY = Yes In My Back Yard
More specifically, NIMBY refers to residents’ opposition to local developments or projects that they find undesirable, such as housing or infrastructure, because they are close to their homes. This term often implies that these residents would support such projects if they were located farther away.
For instance, someone might be in favor of homeless shelters, drug-treatment centers or low-cost housing – provided they are built far, far away!
Ahhhhhh - I figured it was something along these lines. Thank you!
Education is not failing in all blue cities; NYC has some of the best public high schools in the country. Crime is DOWN in blue cities. I was in education and for all we bash it here, I remember a delegation from Japan being awestruck by our system, due to its diversity and versatility; at that time, in Japan, curriculum was strictly followed and kids in classes all over the country would be studying the same topic. Also, rural schools are in serious trouble, and these are mostly red areas; the voucher movement threatens them even more, as there are few credible private schools in those areas. Defunding public schools hurts education.
Defunding public schools hurts eduction is 💯 spot on - so do vouchers that take money from the public schools.
That is what I was referring to, but keep in mind charters are an even bigger drain, but do have somewhat more oversight than private, religious schools ( which is what vouchers are really all about ).
Yes. Charters were popping up quite a bit about 15 years ago. Then, quite a few of them closed.
If we are NOT in power, the expectation becomes unrealistic. We did not have the Senate this time. People don't understand these realities. But sorry for them all that MELON SPOKE, 'NO PRICES WILL GO DOWN!' Surprise, surprise.
Love the quote history is our map against blind hatred
God Bless
Simon, thank you for sharing a video of last night’s presentation! I missed the meeting. And thanks for an enlightening review of 2004–2008, a period of historical renewal for the Democratic Party and democracy-favoring Americans.
Those achievements, and your highlighting of the challenges ahead, give much-needed reasons for hope in this dark hour.
Your phrase "partners in the fight, not donors to the cause” hit the nail on the head for us. We contributed more than $100,000 to get out the vote in the election and are feeling discouraged and misled. I still get dozens of emails a day asking for money. Not going to happen.
I read the Harris campaign spent $4.5 million on the Oprah WInfrey studio set. Please.
There is significant and mounting evidence of electronic manipulation of our votes. Stephen Spoonamore's posts are deeply unsettling.
Is this true or a conspiracy theory / Is there any evidence ....If so did it affect the outcome
yes, this is true. yes, there's mounting and credible evidence. and yes, it most certainly affected the outcome. Again, I urge you to read Stephen Spoonamore's posts on Substack. He is a well-respected professional in the field of cyber security.
We sound like the other side when we talk like this; R's didn't need to manipulate the vote; they had billions in ad money, and plain ole' voter suppression was plenty, along with racism and sexism. Remember, Plouffe said their polling never showed her in the lead. trump will be gone in 4 years and we will likely be facing Vance. We need to be ready for that. Sucks that we lost this one to the worst president ever, and younger voters kind of blamed Biden for all the wars; my friends and I got a laugh when talking to some of them; they were too young to remember Iraq....they actually believed trump was a man of peace; don't laugh, I have heard many in the business community leadership say they expect trump to calm everything down. This is crazy talk, IMO. But that is what we are dealing with.
Maybe you're right. But, is there even the slightest chance that you're wrong, and they did indeed manipulate the vote? And, if there is even that minuscule chance, are you really ok with turning our country over to the autocratic billionaires who will be his cabinet? Isn't it worth asking for a recount?
I've been through this before, in 2004. And W was in many ways worse than trump, getting us into two unnecessary wars and falling asleep on 9/11, plus threatening to privatize social security. Everyone believed OH had been hacked, SOS Blackwell actually transferred the votes electronically to KY briefly due to a power outage or something; in the end it did not matter. i simply don't believe the votes were hacked; their side just got more votes; in a binary system, it happens. Sometimes the better candidate does not win. Whether I am ok with it does not matter; it is the way it is going to be. We have to look forward. The bigger issue is voter suppression; that does make a difference. Also, many of Biden's voters who were not solid Dems had already signaled they were sitting this one out, and this had been noted before the election by Michael Podhorzer, who wrote a hair on fire essay on it.
Why do you say we sound like the other side when we say this? Because we are always so sane and decent and play by the rules? I’m not saying that I’m sure this happened but then why did felon34 tell folks at his rally that he didn’t need their votes and why didn’t he seem to try at all to campaign and what was/is that “Little secret” that he and Mike Johnson have that he was going to share after the election? I would like to have a serious investigation into this. The Russians have been interfering in our elections since 2016 and they have shown with the insurrection and voter suppression that they will stop at nothing to steal an election.
Because it isn't credible. We must not be in denial that millions of our fellow citizens voted for trump, odious as he is. I know it is painful to recognize it, I urge you to read Daniel Drezhner's piece today about trump's gains with Latino voters ( he is mainly debunking the late Samuel Huntington's awful theory 20 years ago that Latinos were tearing the country apart; they have not only integrated, they are beginning to vote more like White voters ). While it is true the Russians have done us damage, no less than M. Gessen has held that the Russians are not as competent at this game as we all assume; trump's win comes down to our own fellow citizens whether they voted for him or sat this one out. Voter suppression played a role, but in the end, trump expanded his support. We will have to work that much harder. As for what trump says at rallies, most of it is nonsense. Who knows what was going on in that diseased mind.
I've read some interesting stats that I can't quote directly. The last time ANY PREZ CANDIDATE ever won ALL SEVEN SWING states is many, many years ago.
Also what happened in NC never happened ever with the strange split from Pres win to ALL THE OTHER CANDIDATES.
Friends from NC DO NOT BELIEVE THE OUTCOME, in addition to not believing the outcome. 🤓
But isn't this part of the process of numbing the crowds to the facts:
1. Melon Felon cheats to overthrow election in 2020 by saying everyone cheated.
2. Melon F DOES IN FACT CHEAT but our goody two shoes folk are scared to seem like them. If they say something he makes it all about us.
It's is a giant spiral making the unordinary become ordinary.
It does not mean we can't seek Russian evidence ...
I read a post by a friend that I can't verify yet that Russian interference is a prime focus of all before the Dec 20th certification of state votes and it could change outcome.
It certainly made me feel good.
I live in hope.
It makes me smile today. I live for today, not tomorrow or yesterday.
I agree we need to re imagine and re invent ourselves, but I’m concerned about the senate. It seems it’s the same old same old with Schumer as the minority leader and Dick Durbin as the whip. We need younger more energetic senators in these lead roles. It seems they haven’t gotten the memo and haven’t learned that we need to do something different to get our voters back and build stronger coalitions.
Yes. I am so extremely disappointed Schumer got re-elected. I have given to most the Senate races and they are all happy to email me asking for money but not one has tried to explain re-electing Schumer to me.
Like I do not even know how to let them know I feel betrayed. My senator just lost so I no longer have a dem senator to call.
I am limiting what news I read or watch - for now, it's strictly Simon and MiedasTouch. Ugh, I didn't know Schumer got re-elected as Senate soon to be Minority Leader. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
There are some good sites out there; Thom Hartmann, Egberto Willies ( he is excellent and IMO intellectually ahead of Thom, which is saying a lot ) I don't care much for Dave Pakman but he is still on our side. Deep State Radio and Fast Politics are always worth a listen, as is Politics Girl.
I know a lot of people listen and respect Thom Hartmann. I stopped listening to him. In 2016, he was, in my opinion, often trashing Hillary and propping Bernie up while at the same time saying he wasn't taking sides. then, later, he said Elizabeth Warren was weaponizing something Bernie said against him - I can't recall what now. Also he is always selling a new book. But I understand a lot of people do listen to him. He is just not for me. Thank you though.
He is a wonderful leader, but constructed by older thinking.
Agreed! Senate Democrats are a disappointing contrast to the renewal happening in the House leadership:
– House Judiciary: Nadler (77 years old) is stepping aside to let Raskin become ranking member. (Pelosi encouraged Raskin’s challenge.)
– Natural Resources: Raúl Grijalva (76) is ceding to Jared Huffman.
– House Oversight: AOC may try to become the ranking member.
– Agriculture: ranking member David Scott (79) is challenged by Angie Craig and Jim Costa.
– Hakeem Jeffries long since replaced Nancy Pelosi (84)
– Steny Hoyer (85) and Jim Clyburn (84) ceded to Katherine Clark and Joe Neguse.
I agree but I have no idea what a reinvented Democratic party should look like, except younger as you mentioned. Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin will be of zero use going forward. D. Earl Stephens wrote a Substack about it, you could practically feel the steam coming off of him, absolutely furious.
I read it and he expressed what I’m feeling.
I almost always resonate with D. Earl, although I confess I'm not feeling much about Schumer & Co, probably because I wasn't expecting a different outcome. Detachment is my survival mode. Gonna stay engaged but with a little ice water in my veins.
Detachment is good - it's where I am right now - sort of anyway.
Schumer is a dealmaker and a net plus for me. But Durbin is a joke. A relic from an era that maybe never was. He's Chair of the Senate Dem surrender caucus.
I used to think Schumer was very effective. I no longer believe this. Was I wrong before? Has he changed or just gotten tired? I don't know. I want fighters and for the Dems to stop normalizing Trump by acting like he is normal and not a racist.
Chuck was our congressman in Brooklyn...He used to be Johnny on the spot....When he was here in Brooklyn he used to talk a lot about having "street-smarts"
We knew him for many years... My wife and I have felt for some time...he's changed he's not the same Chuck that we knew
Thank you for this forward thinking plan for Dems. I love the quote from Abe Lincoln - so true. I am slowly getting back to the reality of the next 4 years and gearing up for action.
Saw you on CNN. It appears they are scared shitless of Trump. Echoing your comments “we need to get louder “.
Simon I do embroidery. I would love to do some shirts for you. I could also do some mockups for mugs. I would be honored to help you get started on merch. I’m very small solo business. So not equipped to do any big orders. I’m willing to embroider shirts for you at no charge. If you’re interested call me when you have a chance and we can discuss details. 8436552485
CNN nowadays is a failure in both morality, courage, and the rights of journalists to do journalism. And I don't blame the journalists. I blame Mr. "I Don't Care Who's President As Long As I Can Get My Mergers & Acquisitions" Zaslav (https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/david-zaslav-biden-trump-president-election-deregulation-1236066083/).
Disgraceful. The way they handle Trump with kid gloves can only come with directives from the top. Greed poisons men's souls.
Simon thanks for all this. The generational change can't happen soon enough for me. We need more AOCs, Hakeem Jeffries, and Anderson Claytons and fewer Schumers and Durbins.
Also, as someone who's been an activist in NC for over two decades, we need the national party to follow our lead and supplement our work. I'm never going to get over how much pushback I got when I kept telling the campaign to capitalize on our volunteer network instead of relying on people in Delaware who'd never even set foot in the state. No one should give up on NC and the Democrats here.
A reminder that the Republican Party effort to override Governor Roy Cooper's veto of North Carolina Senate Bill 382...
https://democracync.org/research/senate-bill-382/
... can still be defeated in the NC House. Here is a script from NC Dems for NC residents to use with state House members
https://ncleg.gov/Members/MemberList/H
(The NC Senate overrode, as was expected)
SB 382 SAMPLE PHONE SCRIPT, COURTESY OF NC CD 11 DEMS:
Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City or County].
I’m asking [Representative’s Name] to uphold Governor Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 382. While disaster relief is urgently needed, this bill doesn’t provide the immediate, targeted assistance our neighbors in Western North Carolina need to recover. I’m asking you to uphold the veto so a better bill can be presented—one that prioritizes critical support like rental assistance, small business aid, and homeowner relief.
Upholding the veto will show a commitment to putting people first and ensuring effective and focused disaster relief efforts.
Thank you for your time and for considering my concerns.
I agree to be louder. With the loudness we have to be much much bolder. The Dems need to challenge the norms. Make a fuss about the status quo. Repeat repeat repeat in simple language about real issues and real solutions. Also, I have contacted my Senator about this issue and asked him to demand the current President to engage in the strategies mentioned above.
I like your idea of rebuilding our voting base. I think we should begin now and not wait until an election cycle starts. We need to be omnipresent in voter registration efforts.
Every single day - Trump has not stopped campaigning since that infamous escalator ride. He literally won't shut up.
two guiding lights for me in this period of dangerous insanity 1) andy borowitz column today and the serenity prayer 2) "there is a crack in everything, that is where the light gets in". we will find the cracks and shine the light until dems regain power.
PREDICTION TIME I
Faced with the prospect that Trump rather than President Biden will choose their successor, how many federal judges will rescind their retirement announcement?
I believe we’re at two – and counting. Some very interesting details here:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/05/politics/liberal-judges-reversing-their-retirement-plans/index.html
I don't get in the business of making predictions anymore lol.
In my mind’s eye, I silently predicted someone would say that. ;)
PREDICTION TIME II
How many and which of Trump’s key nominees will be forced to withdraw or fail to be confirmed by the Senate? Who is next? Thoughts, anyone?
– Many [sane] Americans were relieved when Matt Gaetz withdrew as Trump’s nominee for Attorney General. Gaetz resignation from the House makes this a double win! He spent eight days as the AG nominee.
– After less than a day, Chad Chronister, Trump’s nominee for chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration, withdrew. Many of us here would have forgiven his sin; however, MAGA voters were furious that then-sheriff Chronister once arrested a local preacher for defying COVID lockdown orders.
– Meanwhile, we are reading that Pete Hegseth’s own mother wrote "You are an abuser of women"; hard to see how this strengthens Pete’s prospects of becoming Defense Secretary, a post for which he is as unqualified as Trump is for the Oval Office.
. Simon’s list matches my own. I predict that Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel and RFK Jr will NEVER assume the positions for which they are nominated. Including Gaetz, that makes five.
On Hegseth by Marcus Graly, a poster at TheDownballot.com:
. "Hegseth's vision of the military is absolutely terrifying. He really wants to take a page from Stalin and purge any officers who he perceives as politically suspect. (Presumably without the murder part) His views on who should be a soldier are equally antediluvian. He doesn't want women in the military, except as "caregivers", and wants to ban LGBT soldiers entirely. His appointment would really be tremendous blow to quality of our armed forces and set the country back decades in terms of equality.
"The scary part of this, to me anyway, is that essentially no one is talking about his policies. Just that he's a drunk, a womanizer, and probably a rapist, which in fairness should *also* be disqualifying. But is the GOP really ok with his program? No one seems to be objecting to that, at least not too loudly."
We must work for a social democracy by sending power elitism, greed and naked bigotry into the dustbin of history.
Will you let us know whether it is worth contributing to the 2 Democratic candidates running in the special elections in FL as well as the special election in NY?
Any chance you could add the details? Districts, election dates, candidates…
Fl special election primary is January 28th and general is April 1st.
District 6 race is to replace U.S. Rep Waltz, nominated for National Security Advisor. Trump has endorsed Fl Sen Randy Fine (recently elected Sen after being term-limited as Rep),a multi-millionaire and all-around nasty human being. The other MAGAs in the race are obeying in advance and dropping like flies.
District 1 is Gaetz’ former seat.Trump endorsed our CFO who is most likely jumping ship from our property insurance crisis to a much easier job.
Candidate qualifying period starts tomorrow 12/6 so likely will learn more about other candidates in coming weeks.
Patronis is our CFO.
Anyone know why Substack not allowing edits ?? Three dots don’t give that option ?
Thank you for adding all those details!
Substack still allows edits. Click the three dots beside the top of your post, and then "Edit". That should work, it works for me.
For some reason, I can't edit when using the app. But if I am using my computer, then I can edit. 🤷🏻♀️
I believe that is the way it has worked all along?
Some additional ideas...https://open.substack.com/pub/sagebrushandolivetrees/p/time-to-stop-bringing-bananas-to?r=etfs&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web