In 2022, Democrat Christy Smith lost to Mike Garcia (R) by 6.6 points. So this district is ripe for flipping! Let’s register Democrats – and elect GEORGE WHITESIDES to swing it blue – and take back the House in 2024!
Mike Garcia (R):
Voted to overturn the 2020 election results
Voted against impeaching Trump for inciting the 1/6 attack on the Capitol
Voted against the COVID relief bill, against sending $1400 relief checks
Voted against infrastructure bill, and against expanding healthcare
Voted against securing voting rights with the For the People Act
DEMOCRATS…
...are the only major party fighting Trumpism and the extremist Republicans.
...and fighting for abortion rights, voting rights, civil rights, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ+ rights.
...are fighting to expand health care and make college more affordable.
...are addressing the climate crisis, not denying it until it’s too late to take action.
IMPORTANT NOTES
California has “same day registration” available up to and including Election Day if registration deadlines are missed.
Registration deadline for the General Presidential Election on November 5, 2024 is October 21, 2024.
Since California is now a vote-by-mail state, let voters know they’ll get a ballot in the mail for every election. As soon as they get it, they should fill it out and mail it back - no postage necessary!
For help getting an ID, contact VoteRiders.org or call (844) 338-8743.
Cities in CA-27: Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, Agua Dulce, Acton, Quartz Hill, Newhall, Stevenson Ranch.
VOTER REGISTRATION SAMPLE GREETINGS
Our most successful openings:
“Excuse me, can you help me save our democracy? I’m registering Democrats to vote.”
“Good morning! Can I register you as a Democrat today?”
Or connect on the issues:
“Excuse me, can you help me fight for women’s rights today?”
“Hello, can you help me fight for civil rights?”
“Hi! Can you help us save the environment?”
“Good morning, can you help me save Social Security and Medicare?”
“Can you help me fight for affordable healthcare?”
If someone shows interest, follow up with:
“Great! I’m registering Democrats to vote! Are you a citizen?”
...and start registering them right away!
Make these your own! Let people know the primary is March 5, 2024 – and that the presidential election on November 5, 2024 will determine whether we get to keep our democracy, so please vote for Democrats up and down the ballot.
And once you register someone, ask them:
If they’d like to get handy election reminders
If they’d like to volunteer with us to help register Democrats
If they’d like help with voting – if so, introduce them to BlueVoterGuide.org – the progressive voter guide that turns your sample ballot into a simple ballot. And have them aim their phone’s camera at the QR code below: https://voterizer.org/
THANK YOU for doing this. It’s the most important work there is!
You’re a hero just for being out here today – and we are super grateful.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for pulling all this info together and posting it here for us!!!!!!!!!!! Really helpful.🙏🏻
Plan: remind,nag, remind friends and family in June to vote on day one and remind again in Oct. ( to send ballot, offer to drop off) Donate now in June and do/send
postcards XXXXX now and in OCT. Consider voter registering by phone!
Hear hear! It's truly summed up by the title of that Biden video: "Courage. Opportunity. Democracy. Freedom." We take courage from each other, and together we keep doing the work it'll take to save democracy.
I'm happy and proud to be in the fight with you, Maurice, and all.
What kind of government will America have on 20 January, 2025?
Just to be clear, Republicans are offering a combination of Kakistocracy, Kleptocracy, Idiocracy and Fascism. (Kakistocracy, def.: "government by the least qualified, worst, and most unprincipled people")
If we want to preserve American democracy, we need to do your utmost to convince everyone we know to vote for President Biden – and to vote Blue up and down the ticket.
In addition to Simon I listen to Joe Trippi; he says anyone who thinks trump's conviction will not have an impact is crazy. It will take time to settle in, but it's going to hurt him and help Joe, bigly. Biden is going to get indies and enough of his coalition back, and he is going to win by 50-51%. We should be able to win on the merits, but we are in weird times, and I'll take a win that's 270. But I think it will be more. I think AZ is back in play, and maybe NC. And not convinced we lose NV. With the upper Mid West, That would be more than enough. Yes a poll had NJ close, 46-39, we have some diehard trumpers here, but the state isn't in play, and I suspect if NJ were a critical state, a lot of that trump support would evaporate on election day.
I've lived here over 61 year. Polls showed Murphy cruising to a win. It was too close for comfort. The state started going blue at the presidential level in 92. Prior to Murphy, r's dominated the governor's mansion, with no Dem gaining re-election since the 70's.One thing I can say, if the presidential election is not in blowout territory in NJ, our guy usually loses the WH. But that's a small sample. if you live here you know there is a vocal, in your face, flag waving trump element here.
You have a super Democratic candidate in Andy Kim! What an upgrade over Menendez. IIRC there has not been an *elected* Republican Senator since 1980 or so? (I know there has been the occasional R appointee.)
In my observation, states get wild hairs and elect Governors that defy the partisan lean far more than they do Senators.
BTW it was interesting to see Christina Glassner, the Trump-endorsed candidate, lose to upstart (and self-funder) Curtis Bashaw. I know that Bashaw benefited from the infamous “line” position, but I also saw how much Republicans *need* self funded candidates. Glassner couldn’t self-fund, and the RNC and so on did little to help her, because, well, those legal bills don’t pay themselves, doncha know!
(Bashaw, incidentally, looks like the genetically spliced offspring of John Kerry and David Schwimmer to me. I was trying to think why he reminded me of someone…)
Kakistocracy - Thanks for defining, I was about to ask if "Kaki" was a misspelling of 'khaki' for a militaristic kind, or a more "poopy" term ? :)
Never heard this before.
Folks, the Republican Party, as an institutional political vehicle, is likely to continue existing in our country in the decades, even century ahead. Such seems to be the rhythm of American history. It will take power *sometime* again. But Parties evolve and their coalitions evolve, or historically they've learned and moved along with the shifting society and electorate. Although to a a degree, this Republican Party *still* seems stuck on variations of culture war themes and southern strategy themes going back to Nixon's time that relied on GI Generation supporters and influenced Silent Generation and Baby Boomers and *still* won't let the country turn the page.
I would ask, which Party needs more *time out* to reconsider its priorities, its ethics, its policy positions, personnel it nominates, its approach to the Constitutional order, and to American citizenry,, residents of America, the world at large and the planetary ecosystem?
Is it the Democrats, who believe in electoral representative democratic republicanism, win or lose, human rights, violence-free political discourse, one-person/one-vote, equal representation, equal protection under the law, free speech, bodily freedom, privacy, an inclusive economy, state and social guarantees against the bad luck and inevitable downturns the markets and biology eventually bring to most people at one point or another.
Or is it the *Banana Republicans*, You can't kick their addiction to a Rapist. Fraudster. Traitor. Felon, and can't keep a stable team in place to either professionally support, control, or oppose him.
The American people genuinely gambled on the Republican Party for the Presidency once in this quarter-century (2004). *Enough* American people gambled on the Republican Presidency another time (2016) for an Electoral College win. *Enough* American people made the same gamble yet another time to be in stealing/disputing distance of the electoral college win, and close in the popular vote (2000).
Enough Americans have given Republicans enough chances in this century to govern well, three times in three Presidential elections, starting off with three trifectas. But when it comes to governing, they *Republican't*. Is there any reason any of us should gamble on giving that Party a fourth try at the White House yet, or a trifecta, much less give Donnie from Queens a 2nd chance?
I think the Banana Republican Party could use a little more time off/time out. The Banana isn't ripe, or if it is, it's still bananas, and its beyond that to rotten. Party needs to clean out the fridge, take out the trash. Been hoping they could. Back in 2000 I thought maybe McCain could help with that, but they Republican't so far. They need more time.
We the people, are failing in our duty to properly train our politicians, if we return the Republicans to power too soon, with no rethinking, remorse, reconsideration, repair, reparation, reconciliation, or self-healing on their part. Voting against them is for their own good. And ours.
Dad was a WW 2 VET, had me a little later in life ( 40's, and in those days that was grandpop age ) and I well up every time I see that video, and what a great and humble man Zelensky is as well, he could have fled the country but he did not, a symbol of Ukrainian pride and courage in the former bloodlands , as Timothy Snyder called them, where so many Jews, Romani, POWS and communists ( or suspected communists ) were executed by Nazis and their collaborators ( note, locals who witnessed the atrocities but were not Jewish, but had accompanied friends and family to see them off, were separated out, then later also executed, so they wouldn't go back to town and warn others, the lesson being no one is safe from a fascist), and if you can get your hands on the late Anatoly Kuznetsov's memoir of those days, which he smuggled out of the Soviet Union by stitching the microfilm into his coat, I urge you to read it. I work with veterans these days, I listen to their stories; I am not a big worshipper of our military, you don't have to be to understand that these men and women made sacrifices, even during peacetime; they gave up years they could have been doing something else, and even in peacetime the military is a dangerous occupation. And trump and his sycophants are not fit to be in the same room as them.
Both my parents were WW 2 vets! My dad was in the Army and fought in France. He never spoke about his experience. My Mom, who had secretarial training, joined the Marines and ended up at the Pentagon filling in for a soldier who was fighting overseas.
But she still went to boot camp at Camp LeJeune and had to meet all the physical requirements. Mom was actually a half-inch too short to meet the Marine's height qualification, so she went to a chiropractor right before she enlisted to get stretched so that she could pass the physical. When she got to bootcamp, she had shrunk back to her normal height, so they offered her an out, but she wouldn't take it. When I was growing up, my friends were very skeptical that my mother had every been a Marine - she sure didn't look anything like the buff soldiers in the recruiting posters/commercials!! ;-)
Whenever I think of "Captain Bonespurs" or how he labeled the military as "suckers and losers" I feel a slow burn and the desire to spit in his face!
I knew an old WW 2 Navy vet who grew up in an orphanage. As soon as he could he went down to enlist; they took a look and said, fella, you are too tiny for the Navy. Go home and eat banana cream pies for two weeks, then come back. So he comes back and gets on the scale and he is still a shrimp. Recruiter puts his foot on the scale and says, looks good!
Thank you for your daily posts, Simon. They're helpful on many levels. And I've donated to the 12 candidates. George Whitesides sounded great. I'm wondering, has everyone given up on my home state, Texas? I hope not.
I'm not; TX would be blue if we could GOTV more; lots of nonvoters. But we have to give where it will have the most impact, and right now that's the upper Midwest, AZ, NV and NC. Who knows about GA; a small loss of AA support would likely cost us the state. My answer to people who say Biden has not done enough for the AA community; Black VP, Black SCOTUS appointee, historic money for HBCUs, and historic job growth. Tell me what trump did; complained about a Black contestant on his show, allegedly using racist language I won't repeat.
Hi Jay - I believe we can get Texas someday - just super expensive and hard. Can you give us some insight into the state of play? I was hopeful last cycle but its seems like we are not yet performing in Dallas/Ft Worth suburbs like we are elsewhere in the country (which is what we need to do to change things). Seems like the GOP is very well organized and counters. Anyway, would appreciate insights. Hoping for Collin Allred to take down Cruz.
Excellent! Having Democratic candidates run in every race, and funding them is crucial. It sounds like it’s part of Every State Blue. I’m so pleased to hear about Blue Texas!
Please have your guests identify where they're from right in the beginning. George only said he's from 'the District,' and I had no idea where that was.
Simon and others. I would like to try and get more yard signs up in my town - Takoma park, MD - which is a hotbed of progressive activism and where I think I might be one of the only people with a Biden Harris Yard sign. I want to wake people up and get them active and create a permission structure for doing more by having more visible signs of support for the campaign (I believe people have been quieted by the Gaza issue in the town). So, a couple of questions, favors:
1) Does anyone know how I can arrange to get a bulk shipment of yard signs, bumper stickers, buttons, from the campaign? I can’t afford to pay 20 per sign (I’d like to get a hundred signs) but am happy to make a donation to cover of course. I would then offer them to my neighbors.
2) Is anyone, in the DC area, interested in marching with me in our July 4th parade? It’s kind of famous in the DC area. Last year, there was a very large RFK contingent. I’d like to hand out yard signs and bumper stickers and buttons during the parade. Or if anyone is already doing this, let me know.
3) I’d also like to organize a small fundraiser, grassroots outreach effort for the campaign. I know some Biden Harris officials (we have a ton) but would appreciate any ideas per speakers, etc. I’d also appreciate any ideas as to who I should contact for this. Maybe Maryland Dems.
4) Any thoughts about the efficacy of this approach - organizing the organizers? - and if it is worth the time, pitfalls? Don’t want to waste time, etc.
Are you familiar with a group known as DoTheMostGood? They are a progressive organization based in Montgomery County, MD. If memory serves Tacoma Park is in PG county, right? Anyway, I am an occasional participant in a Zoom-based weekly postcard and letter-writing party sponsored by them. But I know they also have in-person events.
Here is a mobilize link for their events in the next few weeks. If you sign up for an event, the coordinator should send you an email with the Zoom link and you could get a contact point.
I am part of a grassroots group in LA. We had George Whitesides speak last month. He's an excellent candidate. He's personable & has a strong profile and pitch for the district. He's with aerospace and has a strong jobs case to make to voters as well as transportation--it's a commuter neighborhood. It was so heart breaking when Katie Hill flipped this district & then resigned. She was a great candidate for this district. But Angeleno grassroots Dems have boots on the ground and are working hard to get it back. In fact, my group is door knocking this weekend in CA 27. This is definitely getable but like a lot this year we'll need to do the work. The Republican Mike Garcia really touts his own military background but he's awful on women's rights . He voted for a national abortion ban which is an insane stance to take in a swing district in Southern California. So we got to hit him hard on that.
Damn right we're going to kick their christo-fascist asses right out of DC altogether. Thanks for the inspiring videos, I'm glad to see Biden and the Dems coming out fighting this time. No more mamby-pamby bullshit, get your hands dirty, Dem leaders, fight back against ProjectQ025's fascist agenda by using their videos and words against them! VoteBlueNoMatterWho2024💙
Simon, sometime in your newsletter or video could you address when & how you factor in House candidates’ fundraising into your recommendations? In Toss-up races, I’m more inclined to donate to an incumbent Dem who’s behind in $ than a challenger Dem who’s ahead in $. (I’m looking at the FEC.gov stats, which are sometimes months old. You probably have more current data from campaigns.) Would appreciate your thoughts on this.
The Economist published a story praising Joe Biden’s masterful use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to cushion US consumers from shocks at the gas tank. As explained by the economist, President Biden sold reserve oil when prices were high and replenished the reserves when prices were low. “Treasury officials estimate that Mr Biden’s early sales knocked about $0.40 from the price of a gallon of petrol.” See The Economist, Joe Biden, master oil trader. (I tried to share this article, but it is behind a paywall.)
Per The Economist,
Like all good traders, Mr Biden has turned volatility into profit. In 2022, when he released 180m barrels of crude—or one-third of America’s stockpile—he sold at an average of $95 a barrel. In July last year, when the West Texas Intermediate (wti) benchmark was at $67 a barrel, he began to refill the reserve. The president has replaced about one-fifth of what he sold, posting a profit of $582m, and has managed to time the market to perfection.
As noted by the author of the article when interviewed by Chris Hayes on MSNBC, President Biden has been able to “move the oil market” to benefit US consumers by leveraging the massive US oil reserves and the ability of US Treasury to finance trades. No other oil trader has those advantages. Biden’s skillful management of the US Strategic Petroleum Reserves has eluded mention by major media to this point. Let’s try to spread the word about another Biden success story!
Thank you for all that you do Simon and all the great interviews. This community is truly a breath of fresh air, and facts, amidst all the madness and disinformation out there. As you said, we're now entering the third quarter of this campaign season and we need to make June count! I'm glad to see how this community has stepped up for all our candidates and all the work that we're doing to reach out to our fellow citizens. As part of that effort, I wanted to plug in this great tool by Indivisibles that we can use to reach our neighbors across the battleground states:
FT 6 brief:
CA-27 Brief
GEORGE WHITESIDES (D) vs. Mike Garcia (R)
In 2022, Democrat Christy Smith lost to Mike Garcia (R) by 6.6 points. So this district is ripe for flipping! Let’s register Democrats – and elect GEORGE WHITESIDES to swing it blue – and take back the House in 2024!
Mike Garcia (R):
Voted to overturn the 2020 election results
Voted against impeaching Trump for inciting the 1/6 attack on the Capitol
Voted against the COVID relief bill, against sending $1400 relief checks
Voted against infrastructure bill, and against expanding healthcare
Voted against securing voting rights with the For the People Act
DEMOCRATS…
...are the only major party fighting Trumpism and the extremist Republicans.
...and fighting for abortion rights, voting rights, civil rights, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ+ rights.
...are fighting to expand health care and make college more affordable.
...are addressing the climate crisis, not denying it until it’s too late to take action.
IMPORTANT NOTES
California has “same day registration” available up to and including Election Day if registration deadlines are missed.
Registration deadline for the General Presidential Election on November 5, 2024 is October 21, 2024.
Since California is now a vote-by-mail state, let voters know they’ll get a ballot in the mail for every election. As soon as they get it, they should fill it out and mail it back - no postage necessary!
For help getting an ID, contact VoteRiders.org or call (844) 338-8743.
Cities in CA-27: Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, Agua Dulce, Acton, Quartz Hill, Newhall, Stevenson Ranch.
VOTER REGISTRATION SAMPLE GREETINGS
Our most successful openings:
“Excuse me, can you help me save our democracy? I’m registering Democrats to vote.”
“Good morning! Can I register you as a Democrat today?”
Or connect on the issues:
“Excuse me, can you help me fight for women’s rights today?”
“Hello, can you help me fight for civil rights?”
“Hi! Can you help us save the environment?”
“Good morning, can you help me save Social Security and Medicare?”
“Can you help me fight for affordable healthcare?”
If someone shows interest, follow up with:
“Great! I’m registering Democrats to vote! Are you a citizen?”
...and start registering them right away!
Make these your own! Let people know the primary is March 5, 2024 – and that the presidential election on November 5, 2024 will determine whether we get to keep our democracy, so please vote for Democrats up and down the ballot.
And once you register someone, ask them:
If they’d like to get handy election reminders
If they’d like to volunteer with us to help register Democrats
If they’d like help with voting – if so, introduce them to BlueVoterGuide.org – the progressive voter guide that turns your sample ballot into a simple ballot. And have them aim their phone’s camera at the QR code below: https://voterizer.org/
THANK YOU for doing this. It’s the most important work there is!
You’re a hero just for being out here today – and we are super grateful.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
good post
Daniel,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for pulling all this info together and posting it here for us!!!!!!!!!!! Really helpful.🙏🏻
Plan: remind,nag, remind friends and family in June to vote on day one and remind again in Oct. ( to send ballot, offer to drop off) Donate now in June and do/send
postcards XXXXX now and in OCT. Consider voter registering by phone!
🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
We use voterizer.com. https://voterizer.org/
Let's keep going from strength to strength, encouraging each other and doing the work.
yes
Hear hear! It's truly summed up by the title of that Biden video: "Courage. Opportunity. Democracy. Freedom." We take courage from each other, and together we keep doing the work it'll take to save democracy.
I'm happy and proud to be in the fight with you, Maurice, and all.
What kind of government will America have on 20 January, 2025?
Just to be clear, Republicans are offering a combination of Kakistocracy, Kleptocracy, Idiocracy and Fascism. (Kakistocracy, def.: "government by the least qualified, worst, and most unprincipled people")
If we want to preserve American democracy, we need to do your utmost to convince everyone we know to vote for President Biden – and to vote Blue up and down the ticket.
In addition to Simon I listen to Joe Trippi; he says anyone who thinks trump's conviction will not have an impact is crazy. It will take time to settle in, but it's going to hurt him and help Joe, bigly. Biden is going to get indies and enough of his coalition back, and he is going to win by 50-51%. We should be able to win on the merits, but we are in weird times, and I'll take a win that's 270. But I think it will be more. I think AZ is back in play, and maybe NC. And not convinced we lose NV. With the upper Mid West, That would be more than enough. Yes a poll had NJ close, 46-39, we have some diehard trumpers here, but the state isn't in play, and I suspect if NJ were a critical state, a lot of that trump support would evaporate on election day.
I’ve lived in NJ for 20+ years. Polls always show close races. They don’t materialize. Blue state.
I've lived here over 61 year. Polls showed Murphy cruising to a win. It was too close for comfort. The state started going blue at the presidential level in 92. Prior to Murphy, r's dominated the governor's mansion, with no Dem gaining re-election since the 70's.One thing I can say, if the presidential election is not in blowout territory in NJ, our guy usually loses the WH. But that's a small sample. if you live here you know there is a vocal, in your face, flag waving trump element here.
You have a super Democratic candidate in Andy Kim! What an upgrade over Menendez. IIRC there has not been an *elected* Republican Senator since 1980 or so? (I know there has been the occasional R appointee.)
In my observation, states get wild hairs and elect Governors that defy the partisan lean far more than they do Senators.
BTW it was interesting to see Christina Glassner, the Trump-endorsed candidate, lose to upstart (and self-funder) Curtis Bashaw. I know that Bashaw benefited from the infamous “line” position, but I also saw how much Republicans *need* self funded candidates. Glassner couldn’t self-fund, and the RNC and so on did little to help her, because, well, those legal bills don’t pay themselves, doncha know!
(Bashaw, incidentally, looks like the genetically spliced offspring of John Kerry and David Schwimmer to me. I was trying to think why he reminded me of someone…)
Kakistocracy - Thanks for defining, I was about to ask if "Kaki" was a misspelling of 'khaki' for a militaristic kind, or a more "poopy" term ? :)
Never heard this before.
Folks, the Republican Party, as an institutional political vehicle, is likely to continue existing in our country in the decades, even century ahead. Such seems to be the rhythm of American history. It will take power *sometime* again. But Parties evolve and their coalitions evolve, or historically they've learned and moved along with the shifting society and electorate. Although to a a degree, this Republican Party *still* seems stuck on variations of culture war themes and southern strategy themes going back to Nixon's time that relied on GI Generation supporters and influenced Silent Generation and Baby Boomers and *still* won't let the country turn the page.
I would ask, which Party needs more *time out* to reconsider its priorities, its ethics, its policy positions, personnel it nominates, its approach to the Constitutional order, and to American citizenry,, residents of America, the world at large and the planetary ecosystem?
Is it the Democrats, who believe in electoral representative democratic republicanism, win or lose, human rights, violence-free political discourse, one-person/one-vote, equal representation, equal protection under the law, free speech, bodily freedom, privacy, an inclusive economy, state and social guarantees against the bad luck and inevitable downturns the markets and biology eventually bring to most people at one point or another.
Or is it the *Banana Republicans*, You can't kick their addiction to a Rapist. Fraudster. Traitor. Felon, and can't keep a stable team in place to either professionally support, control, or oppose him.
The American people genuinely gambled on the Republican Party for the Presidency once in this quarter-century (2004). *Enough* American people gambled on the Republican Presidency another time (2016) for an Electoral College win. *Enough* American people made the same gamble yet another time to be in stealing/disputing distance of the electoral college win, and close in the popular vote (2000).
Enough Americans have given Republicans enough chances in this century to govern well, three times in three Presidential elections, starting off with three trifectas. But when it comes to governing, they *Republican't*. Is there any reason any of us should gamble on giving that Party a fourth try at the White House yet, or a trifecta, much less give Donnie from Queens a 2nd chance?
I think the Banana Republican Party could use a little more time off/time out. The Banana isn't ripe, or if it is, it's still bananas, and its beyond that to rotten. Party needs to clean out the fridge, take out the trash. Been hoping they could. Back in 2000 I thought maybe McCain could help with that, but they Republican't so far. They need more time.
We the people, are failing in our duty to properly train our politicians, if we return the Republicans to power too soon, with no rethinking, remorse, reconsideration, repair, reparation, reconciliation, or self-healing on their part. Voting against them is for their own good. And ours.
Love the 60 second Biden ad. Next Friday is Flag Day so people can share it in their social media as an expression of patriotism.
Excellent idea! I will!!
What’s an easy way to share the video? I’d like the link.
Click on the "watch on YouTube" link (in lower left corner of the video frame), then simply copy the YouTube URL to share.
easy, peasy!
Thanks!
Dad was a WW 2 VET, had me a little later in life ( 40's, and in those days that was grandpop age ) and I well up every time I see that video, and what a great and humble man Zelensky is as well, he could have fled the country but he did not, a symbol of Ukrainian pride and courage in the former bloodlands , as Timothy Snyder called them, where so many Jews, Romani, POWS and communists ( or suspected communists ) were executed by Nazis and their collaborators ( note, locals who witnessed the atrocities but were not Jewish, but had accompanied friends and family to see them off, were separated out, then later also executed, so they wouldn't go back to town and warn others, the lesson being no one is safe from a fascist), and if you can get your hands on the late Anatoly Kuznetsov's memoir of those days, which he smuggled out of the Soviet Union by stitching the microfilm into his coat, I urge you to read it. I work with veterans these days, I listen to their stories; I am not a big worshipper of our military, you don't have to be to understand that these men and women made sacrifices, even during peacetime; they gave up years they could have been doing something else, and even in peacetime the military is a dangerous occupation. And trump and his sycophants are not fit to be in the same room as them.
Both my parents were WW 2 vets! My dad was in the Army and fought in France. He never spoke about his experience. My Mom, who had secretarial training, joined the Marines and ended up at the Pentagon filling in for a soldier who was fighting overseas.
But she still went to boot camp at Camp LeJeune and had to meet all the physical requirements. Mom was actually a half-inch too short to meet the Marine's height qualification, so she went to a chiropractor right before she enlisted to get stretched so that she could pass the physical. When she got to bootcamp, she had shrunk back to her normal height, so they offered her an out, but she wouldn't take it. When I was growing up, my friends were very skeptical that my mother had every been a Marine - she sure didn't look anything like the buff soldiers in the recruiting posters/commercials!! ;-)
Whenever I think of "Captain Bonespurs" or how he labeled the military as "suckers and losers" I feel a slow burn and the desire to spit in his face!
Love this...for whatever reason I can't use the Like function here
I knew an old WW 2 Navy vet who grew up in an orphanage. As soon as he could he went down to enlist; they took a look and said, fella, you are too tiny for the Navy. Go home and eat banana cream pies for two weeks, then come back. So he comes back and gets on the scale and he is still a shrimp. Recruiter puts his foot on the scale and says, looks good!
Cheryl,
🤬🤬 me too!! My father and uncles in Army,brother in Navy,Husband in Army ( Vietnam medic) Grand daughter in Air Force/ Afganistan a dog/bomb walker.
( I worried every day of her six years in AF)
Biden embraces them all and djt calls them “ suckers and losers” SPIT 🤮
So glad to be “working hard” to save our democracy with a community who feels same.
Thanks to your parents Cheryl for their service to our country🇺🇸
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I’ve been writing postcards in support of George Whitesides through Activate America: ActivateAmerica.vote
Thank you for your daily posts, Simon. They're helpful on many levels. And I've donated to the 12 candidates. George Whitesides sounded great. I'm wondering, has everyone given up on my home state, Texas? I hope not.
I'm not; TX would be blue if we could GOTV more; lots of nonvoters. But we have to give where it will have the most impact, and right now that's the upper Midwest, AZ, NV and NC. Who knows about GA; a small loss of AA support would likely cost us the state. My answer to people who say Biden has not done enough for the AA community; Black VP, Black SCOTUS appointee, historic money for HBCUs, and historic job growth. Tell me what trump did; complained about a Black contestant on his show, allegedly using racist language I won't repeat.
Easy and free way to help Texas is with Field Team 6 BYOP texting. They have ongoing campaigns in Texas (as well many other states)
https://www.fieldteam6.org/free-byop-textbanks
Hi Jay - I believe we can get Texas someday - just super expensive and hard. Can you give us some insight into the state of play? I was hopeful last cycle but its seems like we are not yet performing in Dallas/Ft Worth suburbs like we are elsewhere in the country (which is what we need to do to change things). Seems like the GOP is very well organized and counters. Anyway, would appreciate insights. Hoping for Collin Allred to take down Cruz.
Check out this org if you haven't heard of it. It's part of the "bottom up" strategy to help states. https://bluetexas.org/
Excellent! Having Democratic candidates run in every race, and funding them is crucial. It sounds like it’s part of Every State Blue. I’m so pleased to hear about Blue Texas!
In 2022, Texas had 135 counties with no Democratic candidates. Blue Horizon Texas is working hard to grow Texas Blue !
https://www.bluehorizontexas.org/
Great interview with George Whitesides. Really enjoy hearing somebody talk about real problems and solutions.
Please have your guests identify where they're from right in the beginning. George only said he's from 'the District,' and I had no idea where that was.
Hi Gary,
George is running in north Los Angeles County, roughly from the Santa Clarita Valley through Lancaster and Palmdale.
Simon and others. I would like to try and get more yard signs up in my town - Takoma park, MD - which is a hotbed of progressive activism and where I think I might be one of the only people with a Biden Harris Yard sign. I want to wake people up and get them active and create a permission structure for doing more by having more visible signs of support for the campaign (I believe people have been quieted by the Gaza issue in the town). So, a couple of questions, favors:
1) Does anyone know how I can arrange to get a bulk shipment of yard signs, bumper stickers, buttons, from the campaign? I can’t afford to pay 20 per sign (I’d like to get a hundred signs) but am happy to make a donation to cover of course. I would then offer them to my neighbors.
2) Is anyone, in the DC area, interested in marching with me in our July 4th parade? It’s kind of famous in the DC area. Last year, there was a very large RFK contingent. I’d like to hand out yard signs and bumper stickers and buttons during the parade. Or if anyone is already doing this, let me know.
3) I’d also like to organize a small fundraiser, grassroots outreach effort for the campaign. I know some Biden Harris officials (we have a ton) but would appreciate any ideas per speakers, etc. I’d also appreciate any ideas as to who I should contact for this. Maybe Maryland Dems.
4) Any thoughts about the efficacy of this approach - organizing the organizers? - and if it is worth the time, pitfalls? Don’t want to waste time, etc.
Thanks!
Hi Littlejohn,
Are you familiar with a group known as DoTheMostGood? They are a progressive organization based in Montgomery County, MD. If memory serves Tacoma Park is in PG county, right? Anyway, I am an occasional participant in a Zoom-based weekly postcard and letter-writing party sponsored by them. But I know they also have in-person events.
Here is a mobilize link for their events in the next few weeks. If you sign up for an event, the coordinator should send you an email with the Zoom link and you could get a contact point.
OOPs! I left out the link! https://www.mobilize.us/?org_ids=3456
Thanks!
I am part of a grassroots group in LA. We had George Whitesides speak last month. He's an excellent candidate. He's personable & has a strong profile and pitch for the district. He's with aerospace and has a strong jobs case to make to voters as well as transportation--it's a commuter neighborhood. It was so heart breaking when Katie Hill flipped this district & then resigned. She was a great candidate for this district. But Angeleno grassroots Dems have boots on the ground and are working hard to get it back. In fact, my group is door knocking this weekend in CA 27. This is definitely getable but like a lot this year we'll need to do the work. The Republican Mike Garcia really touts his own military background but he's awful on women's rights . He voted for a national abortion ban which is an insane stance to take in a swing district in Southern California. So we got to hit him hard on that.
Good to hear from a local in the field!
Thanks Hayley. 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Damn right we're going to kick their christo-fascist asses right out of DC altogether. Thanks for the inspiring videos, I'm glad to see Biden and the Dems coming out fighting this time. No more mamby-pamby bullshit, get your hands dirty, Dem leaders, fight back against ProjectQ025's fascist agenda by using their videos and words against them! VoteBlueNoMatterWho2024💙
Simon, sometime in your newsletter or video could you address when & how you factor in House candidates’ fundraising into your recommendations? In Toss-up races, I’m more inclined to donate to an incumbent Dem who’s behind in $ than a challenger Dem who’s ahead in $. (I’m looking at the FEC.gov stats, which are sometimes months old. You probably have more current data from campaigns.) Would appreciate your thoughts on this.
Robert Hubbell shared this today:📣
Joe Biden, Master Oil Trader
The Economist published a story praising Joe Biden’s masterful use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to cushion US consumers from shocks at the gas tank. As explained by the economist, President Biden sold reserve oil when prices were high and replenished the reserves when prices were low. “Treasury officials estimate that Mr Biden’s early sales knocked about $0.40 from the price of a gallon of petrol.” See The Economist, Joe Biden, master oil trader. (I tried to share this article, but it is behind a paywall.)
Per The Economist,
Like all good traders, Mr Biden has turned volatility into profit. In 2022, when he released 180m barrels of crude—or one-third of America’s stockpile—he sold at an average of $95 a barrel. In July last year, when the West Texas Intermediate (wti) benchmark was at $67 a barrel, he began to refill the reserve. The president has replaced about one-fifth of what he sold, posting a profit of $582m, and has managed to time the market to perfection.
As noted by the author of the article when interviewed by Chris Hayes on MSNBC, President Biden has been able to “move the oil market” to benefit US consumers by leveraging the massive US oil reserves and the ability of US Treasury to finance trades. No other oil trader has those advantages. Biden’s skillful management of the US Strategic Petroleum Reserves has eluded mention by major media to this point. Let’s try to spread the word about another Biden success story!
https://open.substack.com/pub/roberthubbell/p/democracy-is-worth-it-america-is?r=fqsxl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
My partner and I talked about this exact article this morning. It’s masterful by Biden and co!
https://www.fwiw.news/p/is-campaign-cold-outreach-slowly?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=290174&post_id=145411486&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=v62di&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
Sounds like a promising tactic, but use all tactics.
A cold contact is better than no contact.
Thank you for all that you do Simon and all the great interviews. This community is truly a breath of fresh air, and facts, amidst all the madness and disinformation out there. As you said, we're now entering the third quarter of this campaign season and we need to make June count! I'm glad to see how this community has stepped up for all our candidates and all the work that we're doing to reach out to our fellow citizens. As part of that effort, I wanted to plug in this great tool by Indivisibles that we can use to reach our neighbors across the battleground states:
https://indivisibleproject.formstack.com/forms/neighbor_to_neighbor_ge?source=jun7email