We are on the same page. He needs to own his gaffe tendency that he’s had for over 50 years. He can talk on his feet if he doesn’t get nervous about making a gaffe. After awhile it will be boring to talk about the way he speaks. It’s old news. More important, of course, is what he says. I read on Truth Social that Trump has challenged Biden to a debate. I hadn’t heard about it so I think it’s a rumor. But if we can “normalize” his tendency to misspeak, people will stop noticing so much. In that case he’ll eat Trump’s lunch if it’s a serious debate and the moderators manage his interruptions. Watching past videos of Biden during debates I notice he is very conscientious about following the rules. As soon as the moderator says”time” he stops talking on a dime, mid-sentence. If Trump is not managed he shouldn’t even finish the debate, and this should be known in advance. If not, Biden will look weak and he will never get to show off his strengths. We need the audience to compare each of their ability to make a complete thought and an intelligent response. He can’t do that and manage a toddler’s behavior. Maybe they need to cut off the microphone of the guy who is talking out of turn. Trump knows this and weaponizes it to fluster his opponents. It cannot be tolerated if Biden agrees to debate him. Trump should not be allowed to disrupt to draw attention from the fact that he cannot debate competently. Maybe Biden can challenge Trump to a test of cognitive ability, or maybe just basic knowledge. Even better, maybe he can provoke Trump into challenging him on a test. It would be a perfect way to remind Trump of his extreme fallibility against a senile old man.
Another good point. The more he is observed speaking to a crowd there will be more chance to observe his competence and wisdom in much more flattering proportions. After awhile his intelligence will dominate the people’s perception as opposed to his gaffes that are not in the least a measure of his ability.
I certainly hope so. Funny I had a similar thought last night. When I read the story I was livid and had chest pains. But then it occurred to me that we are talking about a Special Counsel, not the director of the FBI, and like you said this is Feb, not July/August, let alone October. For what it's worth I tell myself everyday that 1000 things will happened between now and Election Day. 500 of them will thrill us, and 500 of them will piss us off. But, like Simon, Robert Hubbell and many others point out, despair and anxiety accomplish absolutely nothing. Let us march on!!! There's Hopium to be spread.
Thank you Jerrod; I have to check myself and pick myself off the floor occasionally too! I remind myself, “ No, this is another distractor built to create anger and discouragement: NOT gonna work! Then head down and on to work. Thanks to Simon keeping us informed how great Democrats are doing and this is all bull---t!
I agree - thankfully we have tons of time and ultimately the campaign can argue that the press will need to also focus on Trump’s age - if they ratchet up scrutiny on President Biden’s age. Still this was a self inflicted wound by Merrit Garland that will hurt the campaign and is what happens when you appoint someone like this to investigate and write the report. What a self serving dope Merit Garland is. But, again, we have time and strategically can make it work to our advantage (as I believe expecations will hurt Trump more on age when it matters - at the debates). Rope a dope, baby.
I agree with Fisher. If they had polling showing her ahead they would have released it. No one said this in the bag - we will win IF we do the work. What every post has said. Heads down now all and let's go win this thing as we have so many races all across the country these last few years!
Be careful about talking about the corruption of the judiciary. That’s a MAGA talking point. Yes, there are a lot of bad Trump judges, but if we want judicial decisions about Trump to stick, we have to reinforce the idea of an independent judiciary.
Reid, I think you underestimate the degree to which maga has corrupted the judiciary. Clarence Thomas is a tiny tip of the iceberg. Maga will see any effort to put decent judges who understand that work on the bench as inimical to their dastardly efforts to undermine democracy. So what? We’re in the fight of our lives and we try to retain our moral center, but we can’t pull our punches either.
Last I checked, Americans rightly view the Supreme Court justices as an extension of the party who put them there. This is not a talking point any more, but conventional wisdom. I just hope everyone doesn't treat Thomas like some kind of complicated but principled trailblazer after he dies. He is, for my money, the most openly corrupt and partisan judge since the 1960s. This is something that can at least be used to mobilize the base. I take Reid's point that this needs to be done carefully, though, since Biden holds the record for appointing the most judges.
He does not hold that record. He held it until he slowed his rate after the first two years. It’s SCOTUS who takes no pride in their job of protecting the constitution. They are about to undermine the 14th Amendment sec.3, which is the Constitution’s only way of protecting itself when the people choose not to. They want to make it political so they can control the outcome. An insurrectionist is about to be allowed on the ballot despite being clearly a danger to our Constitutional Republic. Ben Franklin is watching, and he knows what they’re about to do. We had a good run, but our Supreme Court doesn’t have the courage to do their job. Trump threatens Bedlam, and they run away. Many died defending our constitution. Supreme Court is afraid of the threat of “Bedlam” from an insurrectionist. What do we need one for if they are afraid to do their jobs? The man should be jailed, not made President of the Country whose Constitution he wants to defile. I so desperately hope they surprise me.
I think it's now encumbant on the judiciary, individual by individual to show the public how they are NOT effected by the political leaning of the individual who appointed them, as well as their OWN political leaning. The assumption of an impartial judiciary has been shattered by egregious influence peddling at the highest level in the land. The judiciary is obligated to respond at peril of losing the public's trust entirely. Politico is my hero of the year for it's work in exposing the link between the SCOTUS member and billionaire favors and gifts. We need as much of this kind of investigative journalism as we can get.
They know what they are supposed to do. They see their positions as unchecked power, open for business. They don’t protect the Constitution because it doesn’t pay and theirs no oversight. It’s supposed to depend on their honor. Trump carefully avoided those with honor when making appointments. He has no use for the honorable ones.
They should be called out. Don’t hesitate to attack them every chance we get. We owe them no respect since they have been so cavalier about not doing their jobs because nobody can make them.
Sent another contribution to the Suozzi and Biden campaigns last night.
Also this morning, wrote my members of Congress: Senators Schumer, Gillibrand and Congressman Nadler. Here's what I said in part to Schumer: "The mainstream media's coverage of the politically biased Hur report is utterly shameful. As Senate Majority leader, you have the opportunity and the responsibility to rally every member of the Democratic caucus to loudly and proudly have President Biden's back. He's been one of the best, most effective Presidents in modern times and the press turns a blind eye to this reality on a daily basis. Please get out your megaphones, be strong surrogates, and GO ON OFFENSE!! There aren't enough hours in the day to list all of President Biden's and the Democrats' amazing accomplishments since 2021 but it's on ALL OF US to start educating people each day about the stark choice in 2024 between freedom and democracy vs. fascism and dictatorship."
Also wrote a NY Times Letter to the Editor this morning: "The main takeaway of the Hur report should have been that President Biden was exonerated and instead, the Republican Special Counsel's editorializing about Biden's age and memory baited the media into writing politically slanted headlines just as Hur desired.
It’s especially disheartening because the media consistently fails to inform its audience that Joe Biden has been one of the most effective Presidents in modern times: He’s overseen the best recovery of any nation in the G7, he’s brought us record job growth (14.8 million jobs - more than the last three Republican presidents combined), the lowest unemployment streak in a generation, strong GDP growth, he's passed historic and bipartisan legislation investing in our future prosperity, and he’s respected by our world allies. One could easily argue that his age and experience has been an asset contributing to a multitude of successes. Meanwhile with Trump’s 2024 candidacy, American democracy teeters on the brink of turning to dictatorship and too many in our media are simply turning a blind eye."
At age 90+, Warren Buffett remains highly respected as one of the most talented investors in the world. I don't hear anything about people withdrawing their funds from BRK/Hathaway over Warren's age. He has good people working for him and if he stumbles over a word or two, no one assumes it's because he's demented. Biden has been known his entire public life for two traits; first is the stuttering, which he has largely overcome. Second is the "gaffe tendency". Neither of these erases his overall experience and success in dealing with the political process and the "art of getting to yes" on difficult issues. We will never find an individual with the combination of experience and breadth of government office as our current president. In contrast, the last president has a single chaotic term in office and a resume of petty crime and "reality-TV" unreality to commend him for high office. We (the electorate) are such a bunch of bone-heads to give that guy a second of our time for any reason whatsoever. We should treat him and his shenanigans as if he weren't there at all.
I truly believe the reason the press and MAGA are all over President Biden's age is because he's accomplished so much and it scares them. They have grown accustomed to their perks and entitlements. The Biden Administration has begun the difficult and probably thankless job of challenging that. All of which leads me to believe that President Biden and his Administration are doing the job they were elected to do. Oligarchs don't like that, so it's up to us to keep focussed and not let MAGA intimidate or divide us.
In terms of being a good president, a good memory is not nearly as important as knowledge, temperament and judgment. Biden has demonstrated all those qualities. Trump has none of them.
Many thanks, Susan. Please feel free to write your own - I think the more letters they receive highlighting Biden's many historic substantive achievements against all odds, the better! I'm very grateful to Simon for helping shape many of the points!
Thanks as always Simon. Excellent zoom last night. I just saw that Larry Hogan is filing to run for Senate in MD. Not the best news today. I presume you’ll address this. It seems now the Dems will have to funnel resources into what was expected to be a safe seat. Interestingly, I did get a call from the DNC soliciting a donation. I not only gave, but I got the young man who called to promise to call his grandparents who live around the corner from me in Woodbury to confirm they voted for Suozzi and make sure the rest of his family in our CD had also voted for him. I’m sure he wasn’t expecting to get solicited back, but I figure if we get some additional votes it’a worth every penny I donated! I will be out tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday canvassing for Suozzi. I didn’t watch the debate last night - I had enough politics with our zoom and all the Biden news - but I’m curious if you’re hearing any feedback outside what I’m hearing.
Thanks again for all you do!
Ann
PS. You haven’t mentioned the PA special election. Is that because it’s in a safe blue district?
Simon, Your impact goes far beyond the number of subscribers you have, as I’m sure you’re well aware. Those of us who share your posts and who invite others to join see the power of your work and want to bring in as many others as we can. You’re right: no complacency, plenty of action, and we’ll win. We will win.
There's a LOT of political noise, but with the exception of Trump filing for bankruptcy (somewhat likely) or being convicted (very likely) before the election I don't think there is really anything that will sway voters from how they voted in 2020 and 2022. People are dug into their positions. It's a boring story that doesn't require you to STAY TUNED FOR BREAKING NEWS, so you won't hear Jake Tapper talking about it, but it makes a lot more sense than the pollsters' contention that people's allegiances randomly ping pong between the two most well-known figures in American politics. The SC DQ case, which the media portrayed as momentous, quickly forgetting the DC Circuit Court's opinion 48 hours earlier, will be forgotten next week. The House GOP, already in shambles, is heading for what looks like an unavoidable government shutdown next month. This might even force news anchors to temporarily stop repeating their keen observations that Biden is older today than he was yesterday and is likely to be even older in November (Trump may be aging too, but they'll have to check on that) and report on the truly awe-inspiring inability of the GOP to function.
While there is much to commend in this post, we know from data what you are saying is not true. More Haley voters in IA said they would vote for Biden than Trump. The GOP coalition splintered in 2022 after Dobbs, struggled in 2023 and may very well splinter further in 2024 due to Trump's escalating awfulness.
Good point on the IA and NH exit polls, but I group these people with the same voters who helped Dems win in red districts in the midterm, grow the margin in Andy Beshear's re-election, etc. In other words, I suspect many of them had abandoned MAGA well before this primary season and didn't just recently turn on Trump after the fifth corrupt act he bragged about in any particular week.
Maga depends on Trump. He needs to be put out of business at the polls. Maga is not big enough to put him in office by themselves. Once you remove the leader they have no uniting force. We must remove the queen bee.
I’m concerned about the quality of Tom Suozzi call script to voters. The script ends with stupid and off putting questions to supporters about volunteering and do they want a yard sign. Every voter says NO and the call ends with a sour taste. The script does not ask about other Suozzi supporters in the house, are they voting? Please end with a social support comment to supporters, “I talked with many people like you who are supporting Tom.” “With your vote, I think we will win.”
I listened to 5 excellent volunteers at the Democratic Party HQ in Honolulu at 9 am HST making many calls through an excellent automated dialer and to likely Democratic voters. Please give our volunteers good scripts. By the way our Indivisible Hawaii team wrote and mailed about 3,000 postcards for Tom.
Yes, Words Matter. That is exactly my point. Far too many times I have been given poorly worded scripts that are harmful to our campaign’s goals and makes it difficult for dedicated volunteers to succeed by campaigns that should know better. (Not to get too semantic, that is the dictionary definition of the S word.).
Carolyn’s comment as an experienced phone banker that she ignores the script, reenforces my point. New and tentative volunteers need our support with quality, effective scripts that helps them feel successful.
Yes Cheryl I agree and was given advice like that too. It is no enjoyment for caller or receiver if you push too much. Any other veteran callers who can weigh in, here? I am still new. I abort script if person doesn’t want to hear me anymore. Pleasantness & Persuasion, and if they have No more patience for either, is when I say ‘thanks for being a voter and using your voice, & have a good night’. Then pick up another call!
Does this apply to our mentions of the insurrectionist-in-chief? You know, that guy whose face comes caked with orange make-up, plus rife history of fraud, rape, stochastic violence pushing, support for Putin, support for Saudi royal murderers, mocking the disabled, and lies with stench beyond that in his diapers.
Yes, Simon -- respect for fellow commenters. But for Supreme Court justices who took an oath to defend the Constitution but now avoid clear duty to enforce section three of the 14th amendment in all 50 states?
Yes, Simon -- respect. But for all those Republicans doing the bidding of dark money, and churches seeking to dictate women's lives?
When I phone bank I never follow the script exactly. I use it for guidance. I have been skipping the yard sign and volunteering questions unless it sounds like they are a super supporter. It's a little late in the game for the Tuesday election to recruit new volunteers. They can always call back Suozzi supporters and get them to volunteer for the fall race.
If they sound like they are sorry they picked up the phone, I just share the election details, get their take on voting for Suozzi and get whether they have already voted and if not how/when they plan to vote.
I’ve been phone banking for his campaign also, and I only ask if they want a lawn sign if they seem to be very enthusiastic.
What usually happens after they answer my questions is they rush me off. But before they hang up, I ask them to please tell 3 friends, neighbors or family members to please vote for Tom. They say they will.
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I am just appalled at what happened with the Special Report as a citizen and as an attorney. I am not surprised at the MSM coverage - more of the same - galling still the same.
Me too, $20 each. It’s not much, but it feels good to be participating in the small ways I’m able to. Your talks are so motivating, Simon. They keep me from sliding into the doom and gloom mindset. Very grateful for all you do.
“Corruption” is a loaded term. Most people think of corruption as financial, which is relatively rare, even among the dunderheads Trump appointed. Our concern is rightfully about political and ideological bias, but calling that corruption muddies the waters and reinforces Trump’s conspiracy theories about the judiciary.
What are you talking about? Clarence Thomas was basically given a quarter million dollar RV. In addition to someone giving his mom free rent for decades. John Robert's wife has reportedly made well over 10 million dollars as a recruiter. Brett Kavanaugh's gambling debts vanished into thin air!
Jared Kushner got like 2 billion from the Saudis, 200 million he gets to keep outright and something like 5% of any profit generated.
Bannon, and Manafort were convicted of sealing money from supporters.
The Republican court is as financially as corrupts as the party.
We are on the same page. He needs to own his gaffe tendency that he’s had for over 50 years. He can talk on his feet if he doesn’t get nervous about making a gaffe. After awhile it will be boring to talk about the way he speaks. It’s old news. More important, of course, is what he says. I read on Truth Social that Trump has challenged Biden to a debate. I hadn’t heard about it so I think it’s a rumor. But if we can “normalize” his tendency to misspeak, people will stop noticing so much. In that case he’ll eat Trump’s lunch if it’s a serious debate and the moderators manage his interruptions. Watching past videos of Biden during debates I notice he is very conscientious about following the rules. As soon as the moderator says”time” he stops talking on a dime, mid-sentence. If Trump is not managed he shouldn’t even finish the debate, and this should be known in advance. If not, Biden will look weak and he will never get to show off his strengths. We need the audience to compare each of their ability to make a complete thought and an intelligent response. He can’t do that and manage a toddler’s behavior. Maybe they need to cut off the microphone of the guy who is talking out of turn. Trump knows this and weaponizes it to fluster his opponents. It cannot be tolerated if Biden agrees to debate him. Trump should not be allowed to disrupt to draw attention from the fact that he cannot debate competently. Maybe Biden can challenge Trump to a test of cognitive ability, or maybe just basic knowledge. Even better, maybe he can provoke Trump into challenging him on a test. It would be a perfect way to remind Trump of his extreme fallibility against a senile old man.
one a
Another good point. The more he is observed speaking to a crowd there will be more chance to observe his competence and wisdom in much more flattering proportions. After awhile his intelligence will dominate the people’s perception as opposed to his gaffes that are not in the least a measure of his ability.
I certainly hope so. Funny I had a similar thought last night. When I read the story I was livid and had chest pains. But then it occurred to me that we are talking about a Special Counsel, not the director of the FBI, and like you said this is Feb, not July/August, let alone October. For what it's worth I tell myself everyday that 1000 things will happened between now and Election Day. 500 of them will thrill us, and 500 of them will piss us off. But, like Simon, Robert Hubbell and many others point out, despair and anxiety accomplish absolutely nothing. Let us march on!!! There's Hopium to be spread.
Thank you Jerrod; I have to check myself and pick myself off the floor occasionally too! I remind myself, “ No, this is another distractor built to create anger and discouragement: NOT gonna work! Then head down and on to work. Thanks to Simon keeping us informed how great Democrats are doing and this is all bull---t!
I agree - thankfully we have tons of time and ultimately the campaign can argue that the press will need to also focus on Trump’s age - if they ratchet up scrutiny on President Biden’s age. Still this was a self inflicted wound by Merrit Garland that will hurt the campaign and is what happens when you appoint someone like this to investigate and write the report. What a self serving dope Merit Garland is. But, again, we have time and strategically can make it work to our advantage (as I believe expecations will hurt Trump more on age when it matters - at the debates). Rope a dope, baby.
And so far WINNING!!!! 💃🏻🤞🏻
Well what would you expect Peter King to say. If her polling was good they'd release it.
I agree with Fisher. If they had polling showing her ahead they would have released it. No one said this in the bag - we will win IF we do the work. What every post has said. Heads down now all and let's go win this thing as we have so many races all across the country these last few years!
What an encouraging talk. Shared!
Be careful about talking about the corruption of the judiciary. That’s a MAGA talking point. Yes, there are a lot of bad Trump judges, but if we want judicial decisions about Trump to stick, we have to reinforce the idea of an independent judiciary.
Violently disagree.
It is a MAGA talking point. Therefore details and nuance will be important in making our case for "corruption of the judiciary."
Reid, I think you underestimate the degree to which maga has corrupted the judiciary. Clarence Thomas is a tiny tip of the iceberg. Maga will see any effort to put decent judges who understand that work on the bench as inimical to their dastardly efforts to undermine democracy. So what? We’re in the fight of our lives and we try to retain our moral center, but we can’t pull our punches either.
Last I checked, Americans rightly view the Supreme Court justices as an extension of the party who put them there. This is not a talking point any more, but conventional wisdom. I just hope everyone doesn't treat Thomas like some kind of complicated but principled trailblazer after he dies. He is, for my money, the most openly corrupt and partisan judge since the 1960s. This is something that can at least be used to mobilize the base. I take Reid's point that this needs to be done carefully, though, since Biden holds the record for appointing the most judges.
He does not hold that record. He held it until he slowed his rate after the first two years. It’s SCOTUS who takes no pride in their job of protecting the constitution. They are about to undermine the 14th Amendment sec.3, which is the Constitution’s only way of protecting itself when the people choose not to. They want to make it political so they can control the outcome. An insurrectionist is about to be allowed on the ballot despite being clearly a danger to our Constitutional Republic. Ben Franklin is watching, and he knows what they’re about to do. We had a good run, but our Supreme Court doesn’t have the courage to do their job. Trump threatens Bedlam, and they run away. Many died defending our constitution. Supreme Court is afraid of the threat of “Bedlam” from an insurrectionist. What do we need one for if they are afraid to do their jobs? The man should be jailed, not made President of the Country whose Constitution he wants to defile. I so desperately hope they surprise me.
I think it's now encumbant on the judiciary, individual by individual to show the public how they are NOT effected by the political leaning of the individual who appointed them, as well as their OWN political leaning. The assumption of an impartial judiciary has been shattered by egregious influence peddling at the highest level in the land. The judiciary is obligated to respond at peril of losing the public's trust entirely. Politico is my hero of the year for it's work in exposing the link between the SCOTUS member and billionaire favors and gifts. We need as much of this kind of investigative journalism as we can get.
They know what they are supposed to do. They see their positions as unchecked power, open for business. They don’t protect the Constitution because it doesn’t pay and theirs no oversight. It’s supposed to depend on their honor. Trump carefully avoided those with honor when making appointments. He has no use for the honorable ones.
They should be called out. Don’t hesitate to attack them every chance we get. We owe them no respect since they have been so cavalier about not doing their jobs because nobody can make them.
Sent another contribution to the Suozzi and Biden campaigns last night.
Also this morning, wrote my members of Congress: Senators Schumer, Gillibrand and Congressman Nadler. Here's what I said in part to Schumer: "The mainstream media's coverage of the politically biased Hur report is utterly shameful. As Senate Majority leader, you have the opportunity and the responsibility to rally every member of the Democratic caucus to loudly and proudly have President Biden's back. He's been one of the best, most effective Presidents in modern times and the press turns a blind eye to this reality on a daily basis. Please get out your megaphones, be strong surrogates, and GO ON OFFENSE!! There aren't enough hours in the day to list all of President Biden's and the Democrats' amazing accomplishments since 2021 but it's on ALL OF US to start educating people each day about the stark choice in 2024 between freedom and democracy vs. fascism and dictatorship."
Also wrote a NY Times Letter to the Editor this morning: "The main takeaway of the Hur report should have been that President Biden was exonerated and instead, the Republican Special Counsel's editorializing about Biden's age and memory baited the media into writing politically slanted headlines just as Hur desired.
It’s especially disheartening because the media consistently fails to inform its audience that Joe Biden has been one of the most effective Presidents in modern times: He’s overseen the best recovery of any nation in the G7, he’s brought us record job growth (14.8 million jobs - more than the last three Republican presidents combined), the lowest unemployment streak in a generation, strong GDP growth, he's passed historic and bipartisan legislation investing in our future prosperity, and he’s respected by our world allies. One could easily argue that his age and experience has been an asset contributing to a multitude of successes. Meanwhile with Trump’s 2024 candidacy, American democracy teeters on the brink of turning to dictatorship and too many in our media are simply turning a blind eye."
At age 90+, Warren Buffett remains highly respected as one of the most talented investors in the world. I don't hear anything about people withdrawing their funds from BRK/Hathaway over Warren's age. He has good people working for him and if he stumbles over a word or two, no one assumes it's because he's demented. Biden has been known his entire public life for two traits; first is the stuttering, which he has largely overcome. Second is the "gaffe tendency". Neither of these erases his overall experience and success in dealing with the political process and the "art of getting to yes" on difficult issues. We will never find an individual with the combination of experience and breadth of government office as our current president. In contrast, the last president has a single chaotic term in office and a resume of petty crime and "reality-TV" unreality to commend him for high office. We (the electorate) are such a bunch of bone-heads to give that guy a second of our time for any reason whatsoever. We should treat him and his shenanigans as if he weren't there at all.
I truly believe the reason the press and MAGA are all over President Biden's age is because he's accomplished so much and it scares them. They have grown accustomed to their perks and entitlements. The Biden Administration has begun the difficult and probably thankless job of challenging that. All of which leads me to believe that President Biden and his Administration are doing the job they were elected to do. Oligarchs don't like that, so it's up to us to keep focussed and not let MAGA intimidate or divide us.
Another good one! Thank you.!!!
In terms of being a good president, a good memory is not nearly as important as knowledge, temperament and judgment. Biden has demonstrated all those qualities. Trump has none of them.
Plus, President Biden reads. Trump just watches TV. Intelligence and a willingness to learn county for a lot.
So true. Trump didn't even read written briefings presented to him by his aides. Biden is capable of complex thinking. Trump is not.
What an excellent letter. I wish I'd written it myself and I'm so glad you did!
Many thanks, Susan. Please feel free to write your own - I think the more letters they receive highlighting Biden's many historic substantive achievements against all odds, the better! I'm very grateful to Simon for helping shape many of the points!
Good idea and I too am grateful to Simon for helping shape many of the points. It definitely
helps.
Thanks as always Simon. Excellent zoom last night. I just saw that Larry Hogan is filing to run for Senate in MD. Not the best news today. I presume you’ll address this. It seems now the Dems will have to funnel resources into what was expected to be a safe seat. Interestingly, I did get a call from the DNC soliciting a donation. I not only gave, but I got the young man who called to promise to call his grandparents who live around the corner from me in Woodbury to confirm they voted for Suozzi and make sure the rest of his family in our CD had also voted for him. I’m sure he wasn’t expecting to get solicited back, but I figure if we get some additional votes it’a worth every penny I donated! I will be out tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday canvassing for Suozzi. I didn’t watch the debate last night - I had enough politics with our zoom and all the Biden news - but I’m curious if you’re hearing any feedback outside what I’m hearing.
Thanks again for all you do!
Ann
PS. You haven’t mentioned the PA special election. Is that because it’s in a safe blue district?
What a great solicit back Ann! Thanks for what you are doing!!!
Simon, Your impact goes far beyond the number of subscribers you have, as I’m sure you’re well aware. Those of us who share your posts and who invite others to join see the power of your work and want to bring in as many others as we can. You’re right: no complacency, plenty of action, and we’ll win. We will win.
There's a LOT of political noise, but with the exception of Trump filing for bankruptcy (somewhat likely) or being convicted (very likely) before the election I don't think there is really anything that will sway voters from how they voted in 2020 and 2022. People are dug into their positions. It's a boring story that doesn't require you to STAY TUNED FOR BREAKING NEWS, so you won't hear Jake Tapper talking about it, but it makes a lot more sense than the pollsters' contention that people's allegiances randomly ping pong between the two most well-known figures in American politics. The SC DQ case, which the media portrayed as momentous, quickly forgetting the DC Circuit Court's opinion 48 hours earlier, will be forgotten next week. The House GOP, already in shambles, is heading for what looks like an unavoidable government shutdown next month. This might even force news anchors to temporarily stop repeating their keen observations that Biden is older today than he was yesterday and is likely to be even older in November (Trump may be aging too, but they'll have to check on that) and report on the truly awe-inspiring inability of the GOP to function.
While there is much to commend in this post, we know from data what you are saying is not true. More Haley voters in IA said they would vote for Biden than Trump. The GOP coalition splintered in 2022 after Dobbs, struggled in 2023 and may very well splinter further in 2024 due to Trump's escalating awfulness.
Good point on the IA and NH exit polls, but I group these people with the same voters who helped Dems win in red districts in the midterm, grow the margin in Andy Beshear's re-election, etc. In other words, I suspect many of them had abandoned MAGA well before this primary season and didn't just recently turn on Trump after the fifth corrupt act he bragged about in any particular week.
Maga depends on Trump. He needs to be put out of business at the polls. Maga is not big enough to put him in office by themselves. Once you remove the leader they have no uniting force. We must remove the queen bee.
I’m concerned about the quality of Tom Suozzi call script to voters. The script ends with stupid and off putting questions to supporters about volunteering and do they want a yard sign. Every voter says NO and the call ends with a sour taste. The script does not ask about other Suozzi supporters in the house, are they voting? Please end with a social support comment to supporters, “I talked with many people like you who are supporting Tom.” “With your vote, I think we will win.”
I listened to 5 excellent volunteers at the Democratic Party HQ in Honolulu at 9 am HST making many calls through an excellent automated dialer and to likely Democratic voters. Please give our volunteers good scripts. By the way our Indivisible Hawaii team wrote and mailed about 3,000 postcards for Tom.
I've passed this to the campaign....
But please language check on use of the word "stupid." Civil, respectful discourse here, always.
Yes, Words Matter. That is exactly my point. Far too many times I have been given poorly worded scripts that are harmful to our campaign’s goals and makes it difficult for dedicated volunteers to succeed by campaigns that should know better. (Not to get too semantic, that is the dictionary definition of the S word.).
Carolyn’s comment as an experienced phone banker that she ignores the script, reenforces my point. New and tentative volunteers need our support with quality, effective scripts that helps them feel successful.
Correction, Cheryl and now Ann wisely ignore the script.
Did you sign up for a phone bank where they walk you through the script at the beginning, or did you just jump in?
I was given the advice to "use the script for guidance" by someone on a prior campaign who was training new phone bank volunteers.
Yes Cheryl I agree and was given advice like that too. It is no enjoyment for caller or receiver if you push too much. Any other veteran callers who can weigh in, here? I am still new. I abort script if person doesn’t want to hear me anymore. Pleasantness & Persuasion, and if they have No more patience for either, is when I say ‘thanks for being a voter and using your voice, & have a good night’. Then pick up another call!
"Civil, respectful discourse here," Simon?
Does this apply to our mentions of the insurrectionist-in-chief? You know, that guy whose face comes caked with orange make-up, plus rife history of fraud, rape, stochastic violence pushing, support for Putin, support for Saudi royal murderers, mocking the disabled, and lies with stench beyond that in his diapers.
Yes, Simon -- respect for fellow commenters. But for Supreme Court justices who took an oath to defend the Constitution but now avoid clear duty to enforce section three of the 14th amendment in all 50 states?
Yes, Simon -- respect. But for all those Republicans doing the bidding of dark money, and churches seeking to dictate women's lives?
Are you new here?
Yes. Quite new. A babe (born in L.A. 77 years ago; resident now in mountains of Kyushu, Japan).
When I phone bank I never follow the script exactly. I use it for guidance. I have been skipping the yard sign and volunteering questions unless it sounds like they are a super supporter. It's a little late in the game for the Tuesday election to recruit new volunteers. They can always call back Suozzi supporters and get them to volunteer for the fall race.
If they sound like they are sorry they picked up the phone, I just share the election details, get their take on voting for Suozzi and get whether they have already voted and if not how/when they plan to vote.
I do the same thing.
I’ve been phone banking for his campaign also, and I only ask if they want a lawn sign if they seem to be very enthusiastic.
What usually happens after they answer my questions is they rush me off. But before they hang up, I ask them to please tell 3 friends, neighbors or family members to please vote for Tom. They say they will.
Check out a great new tool as we reimagine and reinvent the war room to be filled with citizens as information warriors! Now, a new t-shirt can turn you into a walking, talking billboard for Dems! The text on the front, “Dems Make Life Better,” is intended to prompt conversation in your daily life, and the back of the shirt lists the many ways Dems DO make life better. All funds raised will be paid directly to Movement Voter Project for donations to local grassroots groups organizing to build lasting progressive power.
Purchasers are provided with a Conversations Toolkit with guidance on how to engage in conversations prompted by the shirt. A complimentary option is to download and get trained on the DNC’s Reach app. It will enable you to input data resulting from those conversations which will go back to the Democratic Party and increase the overall efficiency of voter outreach efforts.
For more details on this effort and to purchase shirts, go to https://www.customink.com/fundraising/demsmakelifebetter. If/when you share the link with others, please use the link provided as the secondary link to purchase will expire and be replaced with a new url every two weeks. Also here is a link to the Conversations Toolkit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WSNirCzH2Sm02rAU-0Z3aLV7XWFgPEzztRsBhIOHmaU/edit?usp=sharing
I hope Dems everywhere will start wearing this shirt to easily promote the Dem messaging in our daily lives! Reports from those who have already purchased including people who are canvassing in key districts, have been overwhelmingly positive!
Love the shirt!
The other night I listened to Jessica Craven rave about the Movement Voter Project. It sounds like they do great work.
Yes, they are a fabulous organization that raises money and then sends it on to vetted grassroots organizing groups across the country!
Anything for males to wear? I'd be happy to wear that or a similar shirt.
Hi Ed, Yes! There are two men's shirts in the collection. Both are short-sleeved crew necks. One has a union label. If you click on the link I pasted in, then scroll down to "Campaigns" and click "go to campaign" That will take you to the link to purchase and show all of the various style options. Thanks for your support! PS Here's the link again: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/demsmakelifebetter
My superhero name is “ Doom Scroller” and need to be here for your optimism, Simon.
I am just appalled at what happened with the Special Report as a citizen and as an attorney. I am not surprised at the MSM coverage - more of the same - galling still the same.
It is great for fundraising numbers to be great everyday, but would be really great for Biden to have a great fundraising day today and this weekend. Yesterday was cheap shot day - let today and this weekend be one of riches. It would be great if the fundraising numbers in the days after the report that small dollar donations are high. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ads-gs-dd-bvfsearch-nov2023refcode=om2023_ads_gs_230710_broaddonate_dd_us_all_actbluephrase&refcode2=231114_oneyearout_v1&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAt5euBhB9EiwAdkXWO5pCXDyNY4Lg2pigYUnc_5Nlx50nNSRaKkP5mWarUrFgKQ17hATldRoCtIcQAvD_BwE
Thanks again Simon! Sent another donation to Biden and to Suozzi yesterday!
I did too!
Me too, $20 each. It’s not much, but it feels good to be participating in the small ways I’m able to. Your talks are so motivating, Simon. They keep me from sliding into the doom and gloom mindset. Very grateful for all you do.
Every bit helps, period! Thank you!
“Corruption” is a loaded term. Most people think of corruption as financial, which is relatively rare, even among the dunderheads Trump appointed. Our concern is rightfully about political and ideological bias, but calling that corruption muddies the waters and reinforces Trump’s conspiracy theories about the judiciary.
What are you talking about? Clarence Thomas was basically given a quarter million dollar RV. In addition to someone giving his mom free rent for decades. John Robert's wife has reportedly made well over 10 million dollars as a recruiter. Brett Kavanaugh's gambling debts vanished into thin air!
Jared Kushner got like 2 billion from the Saudis, 200 million he gets to keep outright and something like 5% of any profit generated.
Bannon, and Manafort were convicted of sealing money from supporters.
The Republican court is as financially as corrupts as the party.
Love you Reid but we will agree to disagree on this one.