43 Comments

The facts are on our side. However, the bothersome questions remain:

– What will be the impact of the fact-free MAGA Republican narrative?

– Can Democrats and Team Biden find ways to control the narratives of the biased news media?

– Specifically: How can we ensure that President Biden gets due credit for his great achievements?

As Simon keeps underscoring: This is what campaigns are for – and you and I have a major role to play! We have to overcome the biased, bothsiderist, horse-race-focused press. (And even more challenging are right-wing media that absolutely refuse to really report stories that are favorable to Biden or critical to Trump.)

NB. In this context, the stories that you and I tell – our efforts as "information warriors" – are vital!

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I think how Democrats handled Robert Hur's testimony yesterday is a good blueprint for changing the narrative. The hearing was supposed to be a showcase of Biden's weaknesses and it ended up highlighting Hur's obvious corruption and Trump's mental decline. It's hard to overcome the right-wing noise machine but Dems are starting to figure it out.

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Agreed, the Democratic committee members are always well prepared – and consistently put in a masterful performance! Really impressive! Unfortunately, a significant part of the news media refuses to report that.

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Do more, worry less

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I agree but if you read the Times and the Post stories about the Hur report versus the transcript they revert to both siderism and a lack of context. The post subhead says “ The president doesn’t seem as absent-minded as Hur has made him out to be — and Hur doesn’t appear as crass as Biden has portrayed him.” Amazing how reflexive this was even in this case where Hur’s actions violated protocol and set off a political firestorm and Biden was desperately trying to put out the firestorm. Biden’s response is not relevant in the context of this story but they gave it equivalent weight. But, anyway, this is how it is and we just have to accept it and overcome it. Work more and worry less!

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To quote Nancy Pelosi:

“ We don’t agonize, we organize!”

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I love everything in this post. I just printed got my first batch of Vote Forward letters for North Carolina!

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Thank you from NC!

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Great new ad for Ruben Gallego!

Activate America added postcard campaigns for two down-ballot races in AZ - US house races in AZ-01 and AZ-06 in addition to the two for his race. No minimum number of addresses to take and 3 to 4 week turn around requested!

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The United States is not just producing more natural gas and oil than we have in decades, we are producing more than any other nation - Ever.

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61545#

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Good resource on Project 2025 posted in the comments on Robert Hubble's substack by Kathy:

https://www.stopthecoup2025.org/

Also posted by Kathy is a detaied look at the GQP's plans for Social Security:

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-house-republican-study-committee-budget-proposes-harsh-changes-to-social-security/

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Simon has underscored the potency of finding good ways to mock Trump. Here is my suggestion:

NEW Super-PAC ad:

Stormy Daniel firmly holds a rolled-up copy of Forbes Magazine that has Trump on the cover. Camera zooms in on Ms Daniels as she starts to speak…

"You and I both are painfully aware of Donald Trump’s ... shortcomings. They’re impossible to overlook. (wink) This November, help me whip Little Donald into submission."

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** The documentary "Stormy" is being released on 18 March.

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A recent news article suggests that Biden is losing the support of the Black* community. What do we say in response? I'm looking for some Simon-like optimism here!

*depending on the article one could substitute Arab-American-Muslim community/ youth vote

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I believe that the right-wing is afraid of all that President Biden and his administration have done and are doing. He is a threat to them and so they have to find ways to discredit him. They will continue to do that regardless of what is and isn't true. I just made some donations to Biden, Gallego, and North Carolina and now I'm off to write postcards.

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Im with you Susan! And I’m so proud of how much our Hopium community is investing in our candidates. Work and funding with huge doses of respect and hope.

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Simon,

Looking forward to tonight's Hopium Meeting. Just in case you have so many questions tonight I think this one is very important.

I have 7 young adults from 30yo to 40yo (blended family) Each of them asks me why Biden and not a younger experienced Democrat. I share all of the pertinent reasons why but they are not convinced. I told my adult kids yesterday I would ask you our expert and get back to them...

So here is what they would like to know.....With polling numbers so very close why did the party choose Biden who they think promised to be a one term president? BTW none of them watched the State of the Union address (sad to say).

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Mar 13
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Good points Ariz! Phillips & others did not light up. Biden has already beat tfg once and now he has an incredible record to boot. Good suggestion to watch SOTU with the family or send links. But send Katie Britt’s false equivalence exaggeration and distortion of a tragic woman’s story of 20 years ago in Mexico masquerading as a high school’s R response. It shows the contrast.

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Patty, here’s a great video to share with your young adults.⬇️

Video(first 5:30 minutes) to share of the youngest member of Congress, Rep Maxwell Alejandro Frost, as he discusses the choice of President Biden vs. Trump. I like his final statements.Biden will listen.Trump will wipe…😏That should get the attention of some younger voters,and others!

https://www.msnbc.com/katie-phang/watch/-there-s-no-silver-bullet-to-reach-young-voters-rep-maxwell-alejandro-frost-206009925879

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Patty, I am adding to the great advice you are getting from Kathy & Ariz.

Below is a cued vid of Newsome taking about why he’s for Biden. Taking on age vs experience & record.

https://youtu.be/uLJSf9Ws2ms?si=y8APvvwP71NoCIPk

Here is O’Donnell explaining how Biden is the only candidate that polls that he can beat tfg! Even Newsome doesn’t poll better. He explains in detail why 8 months out, we have to all Get On Board for democracy. And he gives history about Nixon’s win after late second guessing by D’s that cycle.

VP Harris polls well, as she should. She would be next up, so support Biden.

He mentions Ezra Klein at end who is NOW On Board post SOTU! Ask your family if they are looking at the ‘performance’ of the job or job he’s currently doing, the actual governing and decisions Biden makes. The record. The record is Biden already beat tfg once, and he has an incredible once in a generation record to run on

A non vote, third party, or tfg vote all derail democracy and would likely be our last.

Hope all this helps you make your case. Good luck!!!!

https://youtu.be/_9vsivYrC4U?si=R-5mspho0diw8j2y

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We here in AZ love Ruben Gallego (and are happy Sinema has stepped out). 💙 Ruben is the real deal.

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It is mind boggling that all the Good News is on the Democrats' side and all the Chaos and Felony and Fascistic News is on the Republicans side and yet we still seem to be in an existential battle for the soul of America: whether we will rise to continue democracy or fall to autocracy. And nobody is certain how we even got to this condition. I mean, good grief, Mike Johnson has LOST several seats in the House and there hasn't even been an election!!! (And yet he refuses to do the duty of a Speaker...)

I guess that is why Simon's constant reminder that "I'd rather be us than them" and "do more/worry less" is necessary -- because it seems on its face that it shouldn't be necessary. As somebody like Lara Trump espoused recently: This is a battle between Good and Evil. I do not disagree with her; I definitely disagree with which side she is on!

I'm waiting for postcard campaign info for the swing states. I can start preparing them now to mail in September or whenever directed.

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The judge in the Georgia case dismissed some of the charges against Trump today

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They can be updated and refiled with more specifics. This isn’t as bad as it seems.

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Also, why would he bother doing this first - throwing out charges - if he was going to then disqualify Fani Willis later this week. Fingers crossed.

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It strikes me as rather weird that Judge McAfee does this now – and that he has waited more than half a year after the charges were filed. That said, as Theressa notes, the prosecution can refile more specific charges.

A lot seems unclear. I’ll wait for legal experts to weigh in before drawing conclusions.

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Pick anything in this post as talking points when informing others about why the Democrats can and will win in November. The list will continue to grow because we know how bad Trump and his minions in Congress are but only need a few to repeat over and over again to remind voters of the high stakes of this election.

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I hope we hear a discussion on the Republican plan to gut Social Security and Medicare which they are planning right now! They plan to attach a rider to the funding bill that allows a commission of the R's choosing a binding proposal to decimate SS Medicare and Medicaid. In the Senate, Romney and Manchin also are in favor. No wonder Buck is running for home. I am sure that many R's won't be in favor of this secretive plan.

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Should have said Republican voters, not Republicans in the House and Senate in my prior comment.

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I so appreciate what we are doing together here at Hopium. Taking action, big or small, helps keep our spirits up. Also, I think there is a tremendous need in this country for people to see and hear positive information. Information that makes you smile. Facts alone will not help us win this election, but facts, spirit, strength, and, yes, humor will. The right wing with all their money and influencers, is not funny. The right-wing trafficks in fear, hate, greed, and division. That's no way to run an airline.

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A congressperson should have asked Mr Hur

Mr Hur

1. Are you a neurologist?

2. Are you a psychiatrist?

3. Are you a psychologist?

4. Have you conducted memory research?

6. Do you have a medical degree?

7. Do you have a PhD in psychology?

8. Do you have a masters in psychology?

9. Have you taken a psychology course in graduate school?

10. Have you taken a psychology course in undergraduate school?

11. Do you know what is declarative memory?

12. Do you know what is episodic memory?

13. Do you know what is associative memory?

14. Do you know what is semantic memory?

15. Do you know what is working memory?

16. Do you know the difference between working memory and short-term memory?

17. Do you know which brain areas store memory?

18. Do you know what is the NMDA receptor?

19. Do you know which drugs of abuse affect memory?

20. Do you know what is anterograde amnesia?

21. Do you know what is retrograde amnesia?

22. Lesions in which brain structures produce retrograde amnesia?

23. Do you know what is the medical cause of confabulation?

24. Do you know which vitamin deficiencies produce memory deficits?

25. Do you know the current medical model for Alzheimer’s disease?

26. Do you know the role of genetics in Alzheimer’s disease?

27. Mutations in which proteins causes early onset Alzheimer’s disease?

28. Mutations in which proteins confer risk for Alzheimer’s disease?

A person qualified to determine a person’s memory has one of these advanced degrees and can speak knowledgeably about these topics.

It is clear that you are neither qualified nor knowledgeable in this area.

You flunked!

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