M that is not a correct read of what I wrote or argue here. The Kennedy vaccine escalation happened in late summer, so it was a new thing. The CDC firing just happened. And Thune forced him to testify, immediately. And then the poll memo happened. The process was due to the damage Trump and Kennedy are causing. The polling came later, helped fuel their intensity and that it came from Trump's own guy was also read as a green light to go after him. But it began with the sense of danger of what they were doing.
Simon, thanks for the great discussion of the polls.
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen and urged them to do whatever is necessary to get rid of RFK. I noted that the COVID vaccine was developed with Americans' tax dollars and that it is outrageous that Americans who want the vaccine now cannot get it.
I'm making it a point to subscribe to the YouTube commentators I listen to and to hit "Like" for them. I'm sharing more of that content across my social media platforms. Doesn't really feel natural to me; it makes me feel like I've become my grandma, cutting out articles from the paper and mailing them to family. I always thought she was sweet but silly to do that. But that's apparently what Republicans do to spread their ideas.
Finally, I'm writing postcards to Virginia voters today.
Pittsburgh native here--my group Swing Left Reno will be writing for the PA Supreme Court races (as well as VA & possibly CA redistricting races) next Saturday. LFG Keystone State!
"It's a little bit of a disappointing job number, but I pretty much expect it's going to revise up," White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CNBC after the release of the employment report. I think this means they will just change the number.
Vibe shift report: four times a year I get together with old grad school friends for dinner. One of my friends leans libertarian and typically votes Republican. Here's a summary of her Trump attitudes:
July, 2024 (after the assassination attempt): "I don't like the guy, but he looks so vigorous compared to Biden! I couldn't have reacted that well under those circumstances."
October, 2024 (shortly before election): "It will be all right whatever happens. He did terribly in the debate, but I just don't know if I can support Harris. But she crushed him on that stage." The four of us had a LONG argument about immigration; she was completely opposed to "illegal" immigration despite our other friend telling us about how her mom had come here without papers from Spain during the Franco dictatorship.
February, 2025, consoling our friend who was worried about losing her job in genetics research: "It will be okay. These people are businessmen and want to make money. I worked for the state when Pat McCrory was governor and there was a lot of concern then, but it turned out okay."
May, 2025: "Trump is crazy. What he's doing to the sciences is unconscionable." (She is a toxicologist)
September, 2025: "Washington looks like China. Our institutions are collapsing. Ripping people off the street and disappearing them is just plain evil."
She has done a 180 and is an example of how the narrative has shifted on immigration. I have to say, our dinners have gotten less tense since we don't have to dance around politics anymore! We are all in agreement now.
You are a better man than I Gunga Din. I have cut all contact with those people, even those in my own family. They have opened a wound that will not heal. To me it's not a matter of "politics", it's a matter of good and evil.
I remember your earlier reports, Elizabeth -- what a shift indeed. Some people don't get it till it affects their own job, health, family. Sad, but true. The circle of defiance grows!
why couldn't she support harris? gaza? inflation? the trans ads? or was it the strong jobs numbers? the economic envy of the world? inquiring minds want to know.....
We probed her a bit on that, and she wasn't very articulate. My sense was that she thought Harris gave a poor answer about things she would change from the Biden administration and that Harris's policies leaned "socialist." She voted for Ross Perot back in the day. Last night she also talked quite a bit about today's job report, and how she assumed it was going to be bad. People are complex, right? Our property taxes went WAY up in the most recent assessment and she said she would like to see Durham invest the money in sensible things, like the schools or public parks. That surprised me.
Perhaps she has been listening to you and the others who gather and more than you realized. As much as I want to give up on certain people, your and your other friends' gentle questioning of her reasons is a reminder that that is what it takes for some folks.
Great story Elizabeth. Self report: After this morale boost, I will get our draft resolution sent out to all of the county commissioners and contact more groups for endorsements this weekend.
Thanks for the encouragement! We haven't submitted it yet, however. We've discussed it with Emerson Kirby, the Durham County Democratic Party Chair and decided to focus on the county commissioners as the city counselors are preoccupied with November elections. Lacking a personal connection to any of the commissioners, we've delivered copies of our draft to some of them after meetings and sent e-mails without a response. I think our next step is to go ahead and submit it to the county clerk and start the formal process, which takes 4 to 6 weeks and involves review and revisions. We will see if that gets their attention.
Thank you for sharing. I have never understood people who only react when it is THEIR job/family/healthcare/etc on the line, as I was taught that we care about what happens to everyone. But I will take her 180* change as a win!
I think that it is very easy to block out things we don't want to think about until something comes and hits us over the head. My cousin has also completely changed. She voted for Trump but is a nurse who works at the VA. She regrets her vote and sees all the harms that the administration is doing. I don't know that that would be the case if she hadn't seen the damage up close and personal as she doesn't really follow the news.
Simon you are 100% right to push focusing on the tariffs - gets at the economic and constitutional impact at the same time. I hope that the Senate Dem leadership - which seems to want to revert to classic small ball trading for the budget, shutdown fight - is reading and listening to you. It’s the time to expand the fight (and make it a focus of the national conversation) and not settle for policy victories that Trump can just later claim for himself or take away. Here’s the link per above: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/what-are-senate-dems-thinking
Thanks for posting. I think it's the elephant in the room. Restoring Obamacare can't be the only issue. That was the only focus of Jeffries weekly press conference this week. And the press did not ask him the broader questions except one about farm policy. The approach is too timid, too narrow.
ICE, NIH, Tariffs, Ukraine, and I would add Presidential Police Force Invasions. This is the world we are living in. May our daily calls help move the dial.
...and lets not forget Mamdani and Gaza as issues that significant sectors of the voting public wont let go. Mamdani should be a lay-up. The voters of NYC made a clear choice in the primary. Leadership could give the Democratic brand a real boost by simply endorsing the man.
Trump is already talking about denaturalization. What happens when he tries to denaturalize Mamdani and sends him to god knows where? Will they stand up for him then, or will that be seen as too risky?
They will, they will. Even Jerry Nadler did a do-si-do, and he's sort of very up front that it's no more than a Hobson's choice. Who else is there to vote for?
Participation in the primary came to something like 30% - more than usual, it's been said, but still that means none of these candidates moved 70% of eligible voters to participate. Including Mamdani.
NYC has factions, neighborhoods, and cohorts that need careful messaging to keep the peace. I am certain that's what's going on, just as I'm certain Mamdani is undergoing his own process of maturing and polishing, consulting, weighing, and revisiting his message and his policies.
I believe he will win but I don't think he's qualified. I place hope in the excellent campaign he's run thus far (though campaigning is not governing) and how he'll staff up. There are some names I'd like him to consider hiring, and others I will be disappointed if he does.
In the end, I do not expect him to accomplish much in terms of policy. But he's a fighter, and that's what we all want right now.
Thank you so much for the information, I appreciate it! I do think that you can draw some hope from running a great campaign (see: Clinton, Obama) in that the person knows how to staff and how to message. But we will see. I would love to believe that the corrupt sex pest would be drawing this level of handwringing among the media and prominent Dems, but…
Good morning all. Self reporting from fire-plagued Tuolumne County, CA where I am safe up in the mountains, but friends — who didn’t have much to start with — have lost so very much down in the valley…
Acts of opposition:
1. I got vaccinated yesterday: COVID booster and a flu shot. The clinic was packed. Can you f*****g believe that getting vaccinated is a potential sign of political resistance?
2. I just did the three steps in Stand up for Science’s campaign to dump RFK, Jr…. In particular in step 2, I forked the $3 to send my brain dead MAGAt congressman a Quack-o-gram (see below.)
3. I contacted all my reps about standing up for science.
I am profoundly grateful for Governor Newsom’s collaboration with Oregon and Washington (state) to collaborate in practicing sane medical science and public information.
Emily, I just called my AZ senators again to reiterate Simon's four points, but especially fire RFK Jr. I signed onto Stand Up for Science's campaign as soon as it came out because I'm a licensed health care professional. Yesterday I picked up a prescription at my pharmacy and while there inquired about the newest version of the COVID vaccine. The pharmacist told me it was available but only with a prescription even though I'm over 65. He also told me to wait a week until they have more guidance from the government and I might not need a script. I get vaccines not just to protect myself but my patients as well. RFK Jr needs to go because he's made everything fubar because of his warped ideology. We all should have the freedom to protect ourselves from diseases that will make us ill that could debilitate and shorten our life spans. That is good governance.
Hi Mingo. Back in the pandemic days, up here in vaguely libertarian, flag-waving, gummint-can’t-tell-me-what-to-do, herd immunity believing MAGA land, I used to chant a little rhyme I made up:
My vaccine protects me; my mask protects you.
Between them both, we stay out of ICU.
I’m a retired math professor who understands mystical subjects like statistics, probability, exponential growth (and decay), population crashes, logarithms…
Hmmmmmmm. Lessee now. “Per cent” means “per hundred,” okay? So that’s like lowering prices by fifteen hundred “per” every one hundred dollars charged. Oh. Man! I can’t think in these nasty big numbers! So…. Divvy up that fifteen hundred into a hundred little piles and…. Now you can see like for every one dollar charged Mr Trump is gonna magically chop FIFTEEN dollars off-a the price. Now my corner drug store gotta give you fourteen bucks back every time they charge you a dollar! How’s’ee gonna make any money? Watch out for the price of egg creams!!!
"My vaccine protects me; my mask protects you." This was more true of masks at the outset of the pandemic. But an N95 respirator, properly fitted and worn, provides tremendous protection for the wearer.
A Covid vaccine, by boosting the immune system, decreases the period of infection as well as the amount of virus sent back out -- meaning others are protected too. Far more than from an infected, unvaccinated person.
Our first cases were coming in in March of 2020, give or take. No vaccines were available. I got my first Pfizer jab in May of 2021. By then the death toll was nearing 500,000.
as a school social worker at the time, i can pretty much tell you that there were cases in february; my brother was a cop and was tested for antibodies early on and it turned out all of his coworkers in his unit were positive and had the disease and dismissed it as a bad flu; it was when it became widespread among the elderly and older folks that the hospitals filled up, though we lost several colleagues who were in their 40s and vigorous. in my own family we were hacking the worst cough and my lungs were rattling for weeks; i had no fever, but developed very obvious long covid brain symptoms that could have been lifted from a journal on the topic. i was vaxxed in early january 2021 as i was considered a healthcare worker; today i walked into costco and was offered a flu shot; you needed a rx for a covid shot; no problem, call the doctor and get a verbal; got the shot right there and then; pharmacist told me pennsylvania had dispensed with the rx requirement and nj should follow suit soon.
I am sorry for your friends, but am glad you are safe. I will get my Covid/flu on Tuesday here in Illinois. Pritzger will make sure we have access. I normally wait until a little later in the year, but not this year. An act of resistance!
This is encouraging for sure. Undoing the damage done so far, however, is going to be a herculean task. I've been thinking of the Augean Stables a lot lately, how Hercules diverted a river to clean out that filthy place. (Could "we the people" divert the Potomac?) I'm also thinking further ahead, to what we have to do to make sure one major political party never again falls into the snare of an incompetent, ignorant, and anti-democratic "leader" or faction. That's going to be much harder. Cleaning up Congress and the Supreme Court is a herculean challenge all by itself, and campaign finance reform alone won't do it. Are "we the people" capable of taking democracy and the Constitution seriously and doing our part to make it work?
OK, but how do you account for the polling statistics that still show Trump's approval ratings in the mid-30s? In a country where most voters believed democracy was important, had some idea of how it's supposed to work, and (maybe) were doing their little bit to help it along, his ratings would be in single digits. No, correct that: He never would have been elected the first time.
hidden in those stats were always people who thought trump was cheated in 2020 and biden had subverted democracy. it is an alternate fantasy world they live in.
Hi Susanna! Polls are tricky things but the information Simon shared with us in today’s post reveal some outstanding news that I want to share with you! It’s a little long, but here you go!
“Today, nearly a majority of Americans strongly disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president, twice as large as the percentage of adults who strongly approve of him.
“The president's (failed, so far) rebranding attempt of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act suggests that even he recognizes the political liability of being associated with deeply unpopular policies.” …
“And regardless of political or electoral impacts, it's important for our understanding of ourselves to properly calibrate our sense of support for Trump.
The president would like you to believe, for example, that his mass imprisonment and deportation of unauthorized immigrants is broadly popular. “
“The current record-setting nature of his strong disapproval percentage highlights this theme again.
No one knows exactly what clean up will look like, but it won't be business as usual, Pre Trump. You are right Susan. It's epic. It's mythic.
We are on a path towards transformation to a more perfect union with no room for oligarchs, billionaires, and the business as usual class on the blue team too. SCOTUS reformed, Citizens United reversed, gerrymandering abolished, voter suppression eliminated.
Little Steven summarized it well. It's simple, really; "freedom, human rights and democracy.... ( 'and the river opens for the righteous... someday." )
There is nothing in the Constitution about a two party system. Its a recipe for bipolarization and partisanship, primed for the trash heap of history, it can't be repaired. We should rename the party Pro-Democracy and welcome in the Never Trumpers, Independents, Libertarians, Socialists (which is really an economic construct v capitalism, but both side can be Pro-Democracy), etc. Equity, Justice, Liberty: Now that's a big f'n tent. But the billionaires must be brought to heel. The tax code remade.
...and consequences for the traitors; certain maga electeds, certain staff and cabinet within the Trump Administration, Musk, Thiel... that's how you make sure it doesn't happen again.
It IS Herculean, indeed Susanna. But we are the generations of patriots that are here with the opportunity. Why not aim high?
I could hear Hope and a degree of assurance in your post today!!! Thank you!!
Today's "Strength in Numbers" report must feel like tectonic plates shifting underneath 47 and Repubs. Aftershocks will follow again and again and again💙
Reporting:
Over past 2 weeks have continued to call and email Repub Sens, email White House
Attended County Commission event to hear Mayor, Commissioners, Dem State Reps & other community leaders presentations & Q & A
Will be conducting my first Voter Registration at a local festival this weekend
Supporting and attended kick-off event for my Councilwoman, Jerri Green who will be running against Marsha Blackburn for Governor of Tennessee
Keep pushin' on, y'all--And thank you...this is a very inspiring community!!
Tech CEO's take turns praising Trump at White House dinner. Like some Cabinet meetings. Do these people walk away embarrassed or pleased with themselves for so easily playing him even though it makes them an embarrassment?
As you & Gavin Newsom to name two are saying and have been saying WAKE UP! And sure hope this is happening through progressive news, healthy insurance, enlightened priest and preachers, family members ...whatever it takes.
For the love of God, please stop using the word tariff. Normal people do not know what a tariff is. The lack of clarity around this word allows it to be used by Trump in a neutral way. We need to use a different name that everyone gets. The name is IMPORT TAX. Trump has placed import taxes on every country. People are paying more taxes. Trump raised taxes. Call it what it is, not by its fancy name.
Also, rescission: breaking the contract.
Simple terms that will make republicans have to explain and look bad.
For the love of god this is 100 percent wrong. We know from months of polling that people know what tariffs are and they are mean price increases for them.
In the future make suggestions but do not tell me what to do.
Joshua, I am taking away your posting privileges for 30 days for now telling me to calm down after I asked that you not tell me what to do (which is rude and unacceptable language here). If you want to return afterwards and be more civil and respectful great. If you want a refund and take your work somewhere else that's fine too. Just let me know.
I also want to reiterate that what are you saying about tariffs just isn't true. People know they are raising their prices and that awareness has driven Trump's numbers down. I have shared lots and lots of polling about tariffs which confirms this. You are being argumentative for no reason here. Again take the month off and look forward to a more civil version upon your return - Simon
This platform is amazing. This is my first post and it’s so refreshing to be with like minded people. I work with a few MAGA and it can be uncomfortable. They’re nice people and we try really hard to avoid politics but sometimes we don’t and tempers flare. So this platform will be a great go to place for me to escape bad feelings and blow off some steam.
Now just a few housekeeping questions.
1. I noticed some comments are long screeds almost like academic essays and some are one sentence quips. Is there a preferred type of comment? Do people enjoy the long essays or rather brief concise shorter comments?
2. I noticed some back and forth. Is this site used as a live chat with real time conversations or more of just commentary on what’s happening in politics and the topics discussed? Real time conversations can be fun and engaging. Is that part of the vibe here?
3. I’ve noticed some posts taken down. I’m sure there’s a variety of opinions. Simon, can people disagree with you without fear of being censored as long as it’s done respectfully? Are we free to voice opinions that others might find objectionable? Obviously personal insults and disrespect is not cool but what about constructive criticism?
What are the parameters of what’s acceptable and what gets taken down?
I’m just trying to feel the vibe of the site,
Anyway I’m glad to have found this platform and look forward to be a part of this community.
Welcome, Marvin! Simon will push back on doom and gloom comments, e.g., we won't have fair elections, etc. Other than that, courteous comments, questions, suggestions, etc., are good. Simon refers to these comment sections as paid subscribers' daily chats. So it's pretty much whatever anyone wants to contribute. Self-reports of pro-democracy actions taken are especially encouraged.
Basically we have a pretty firm no assholes rule here. Be respectful. Offer suggestions do not dictate, etc. Discuss do not argue or fight. Don't post impulsively. Just keep it civil. Opposite of our collective experience on social media. The chat here is very lightly moderated but I do it to give people the freedom to post and engage without fear of being attacked or denigrated - and welcome! Simon
Simon, thank you for maintaining your daily “Democracy Preservation” newsletters, chronicles and frequent broadcasts. They serve as a templates for those of us who are actively involved in protesting, calling, post card writing, town hall meetings and letter writing. Your entries today were alarming and motivating.
Seems to me the GOP, and its abusive, benign, childish, cruel, demonic, egotistical, impulsive, and vituperative leadership, is using our democracy like a pacifier. Such conduct exemplifies the concept of arrested development; a time when a person's emotional, social, or psychological growth stops or becomes stuck at an earlier stage of development. For example, someone (guess who) might display childish behaviors or coping mechanisms well into adulthood because their emotional development was "arrested" at a younger age (in a crib), often due to trauma (in a crib) neglect (in a crib), or other adverse experiences (bankruptcy and broken relationships). Most of the GOP has become complicit in its metaphorical raping of our country. Enough is enough! Let’s call their actions for what they are “thoughtless subjugation.” From today on, we must be more confident, secure and offensive rather than defensive.
So, it took a poll for them to do the right thing. I’m grateful for what they did, but disgusted that it’s for a self-serving reason.
M that is not a correct read of what I wrote or argue here. The Kennedy vaccine escalation happened in late summer, so it was a new thing. The CDC firing just happened. And Thune forced him to testify, immediately. And then the poll memo happened. The process was due to the damage Trump and Kennedy are causing. The polling came later, helped fuel their intensity and that it came from Trump's own guy was also read as a green light to go after him. But it began with the sense of danger of what they were doing.
Simon, thanks for the great discussion of the polls.
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen and urged them to do whatever is necessary to get rid of RFK. I noted that the COVID vaccine was developed with Americans' tax dollars and that it is outrageous that Americans who want the vaccine now cannot get it.
I'm making it a point to subscribe to the YouTube commentators I listen to and to hit "Like" for them. I'm sharing more of that content across my social media platforms. Doesn't really feel natural to me; it makes me feel like I've become my grandma, cutting out articles from the paper and mailing them to family. I always thought she was sweet but silly to do that. But that's apparently what Republicans do to spread their ideas.
Finally, I'm writing postcards to Virginia voters today.
FYI, my husband's father still cuts things out and sends them.
Great post today. Small cracks are becoming bigger cracks.
All—make sure you like this and Simon’s other posts to help spread them in the algorithms.
Now, time to call my Senators…
I wrote postcards to voters in PA enoucraging them to vote and also vote YES to retain all three Democratic PA Supreme Court Justices.
We should be doing more to put hard numbers in front of people.
Where in the world is Chuck Schumer?????
Pittsburgh native here--my group Swing Left Reno will be writing for the PA Supreme Court races (as well as VA & possibly CA redistricting races) next Saturday. LFG Keystone State!
"It's a little bit of a disappointing job number, but I pretty much expect it's going to revise up," White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CNBC after the release of the employment report. I think this means they will just change the number.
“A million new jobs!! You get a job, and you get a job, etc”
Did he at least show the chicken entrails as some kind of evidence?
Vibe shift report: four times a year I get together with old grad school friends for dinner. One of my friends leans libertarian and typically votes Republican. Here's a summary of her Trump attitudes:
July, 2024 (after the assassination attempt): "I don't like the guy, but he looks so vigorous compared to Biden! I couldn't have reacted that well under those circumstances."
October, 2024 (shortly before election): "It will be all right whatever happens. He did terribly in the debate, but I just don't know if I can support Harris. But she crushed him on that stage." The four of us had a LONG argument about immigration; she was completely opposed to "illegal" immigration despite our other friend telling us about how her mom had come here without papers from Spain during the Franco dictatorship.
February, 2025, consoling our friend who was worried about losing her job in genetics research: "It will be okay. These people are businessmen and want to make money. I worked for the state when Pat McCrory was governor and there was a lot of concern then, but it turned out okay."
May, 2025: "Trump is crazy. What he's doing to the sciences is unconscionable." (She is a toxicologist)
September, 2025: "Washington looks like China. Our institutions are collapsing. Ripping people off the street and disappearing them is just plain evil."
She has done a 180 and is an example of how the narrative has shifted on immigration. I have to say, our dinners have gotten less tense since we don't have to dance around politics anymore! We are all in agreement now.
You are a better man than I Gunga Din. I have cut all contact with those people, even those in my own family. They have opened a wound that will not heal. To me it's not a matter of "politics", it's a matter of good and evil.
I remember your earlier reports, Elizabeth -- what a shift indeed. Some people don't get it till it affects their own job, health, family. Sad, but true. The circle of defiance grows!
why couldn't she support harris? gaza? inflation? the trans ads? or was it the strong jobs numbers? the economic envy of the world? inquiring minds want to know.....
We probed her a bit on that, and she wasn't very articulate. My sense was that she thought Harris gave a poor answer about things she would change from the Biden administration and that Harris's policies leaned "socialist." She voted for Ross Perot back in the day. Last night she also talked quite a bit about today's job report, and how she assumed it was going to be bad. People are complex, right? Our property taxes went WAY up in the most recent assessment and she said she would like to see Durham invest the money in sensible things, like the schools or public parks. That surprised me.
Perhaps she has been listening to you and the others who gather and more than you realized. As much as I want to give up on certain people, your and your other friends' gentle questioning of her reasons is a reminder that that is what it takes for some folks.
Great story Elizabeth. Self report: After this morale boost, I will get our draft resolution sent out to all of the county commissioners and contact more groups for endorsements this weekend.
💙 Congratulations, Matt, for submitting your resolution in Durham, NC! 💙
Thanks for the encouragement! We haven't submitted it yet, however. We've discussed it with Emerson Kirby, the Durham County Democratic Party Chair and decided to focus on the county commissioners as the city counselors are preoccupied with November elections. Lacking a personal connection to any of the commissioners, we've delivered copies of our draft to some of them after meetings and sent e-mails without a response. I think our next step is to go ahead and submit it to the county clerk and start the formal process, which takes 4 to 6 weeks and involves review and revisions. We will see if that gets their attention.
Also, that interview with you and Rachel was fantastic. Very inspirational.
Thank you for sharing. I have never understood people who only react when it is THEIR job/family/healthcare/etc on the line, as I was taught that we care about what happens to everyone. But I will take her 180* change as a win!
I think that it is very easy to block out things we don't want to think about until something comes and hits us over the head. My cousin has also completely changed. She voted for Trump but is a nurse who works at the VA. She regrets her vote and sees all the harms that the administration is doing. I don't know that that would be the case if she hadn't seen the damage up close and personal as she doesn't really follow the news.
Simon you are 100% right to push focusing on the tariffs - gets at the economic and constitutional impact at the same time. I hope that the Senate Dem leadership - which seems to want to revert to classic small ball trading for the budget, shutdown fight - is reading and listening to you. It’s the time to expand the fight (and make it a focus of the national conversation) and not settle for policy victories that Trump can just later claim for himself or take away. Here’s the link per above: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/what-are-senate-dems-thinking
Thanks for posting. I think it's the elephant in the room. Restoring Obamacare can't be the only issue. That was the only focus of Jeffries weekly press conference this week. And the press did not ask him the broader questions except one about farm policy. The approach is too timid, too narrow.
ICE, NIH, Tariffs, Ukraine, and I would add Presidential Police Force Invasions. This is the world we are living in. May our daily calls help move the dial.
...and lets not forget Mamdani and Gaza as issues that significant sectors of the voting public wont let go. Mamdani should be a lay-up. The voters of NYC made a clear choice in the primary. Leadership could give the Democratic brand a real boost by simply endorsing the man.
Trump is already talking about denaturalization. What happens when he tries to denaturalize Mamdani and sends him to god knows where? Will they stand up for him then, or will that be seen as too risky?
They will, they will. Even Jerry Nadler did a do-si-do, and he's sort of very up front that it's no more than a Hobson's choice. Who else is there to vote for?
Participation in the primary came to something like 30% - more than usual, it's been said, but still that means none of these candidates moved 70% of eligible voters to participate. Including Mamdani.
NYC has factions, neighborhoods, and cohorts that need careful messaging to keep the peace. I am certain that's what's going on, just as I'm certain Mamdani is undergoing his own process of maturing and polishing, consulting, weighing, and revisiting his message and his policies.
I believe he will win but I don't think he's qualified. I place hope in the excellent campaign he's run thus far (though campaigning is not governing) and how he'll staff up. There are some names I'd like him to consider hiring, and others I will be disappointed if he does.
In the end, I do not expect him to accomplish much in terms of policy. But he's a fighter, and that's what we all want right now.
God Bless Jerry Nadler, for showing the way on generational change... and Mamdani.
I have already written Jerry with gratitude for the years of service.
Thank you so much for the information, I appreciate it! I do think that you can draw some hope from running a great campaign (see: Clinton, Obama) in that the person knows how to staff and how to message. But we will see. I would love to believe that the corrupt sex pest would be drawing this level of handwringing among the media and prominent Dems, but…
Good morning all. Self reporting from fire-plagued Tuolumne County, CA where I am safe up in the mountains, but friends — who didn’t have much to start with — have lost so very much down in the valley…
Acts of opposition:
1. I got vaccinated yesterday: COVID booster and a flu shot. The clinic was packed. Can you f*****g believe that getting vaccinated is a potential sign of political resistance?
2. I just did the three steps in Stand up for Science’s campaign to dump RFK, Jr…. In particular in step 2, I forked the $3 to send my brain dead MAGAt congressman a Quack-o-gram (see below.)
3. I contacted all my reps about standing up for science.
I am profoundly grateful for Governor Newsom’s collaboration with Oregon and Washington (state) to collaborate in practicing sane medical science and public information.
https://www.standupforscience.net/quack-o-grams
Emily, I just called my AZ senators again to reiterate Simon's four points, but especially fire RFK Jr. I signed onto Stand Up for Science's campaign as soon as it came out because I'm a licensed health care professional. Yesterday I picked up a prescription at my pharmacy and while there inquired about the newest version of the COVID vaccine. The pharmacist told me it was available but only with a prescription even though I'm over 65. He also told me to wait a week until they have more guidance from the government and I might not need a script. I get vaccines not just to protect myself but my patients as well. RFK Jr needs to go because he's made everything fubar because of his warped ideology. We all should have the freedom to protect ourselves from diseases that will make us ill that could debilitate and shorten our life spans. That is good governance.
Hi Mingo. Back in the pandemic days, up here in vaguely libertarian, flag-waving, gummint-can’t-tell-me-what-to-do, herd immunity believing MAGA land, I used to chant a little rhyme I made up:
My vaccine protects me; my mask protects you.
Between them both, we stay out of ICU.
I’m a retired math professor who understands mystical subjects like statistics, probability, exponential growth (and decay), population crashes, logarithms…
Emily, for those of us arithmetically-challenged, can you give us a little discourse on how Trump is lowering Rx prices by 1500%?
Hmmmmmmm. Lessee now. “Per cent” means “per hundred,” okay? So that’s like lowering prices by fifteen hundred “per” every one hundred dollars charged. Oh. Man! I can’t think in these nasty big numbers! So…. Divvy up that fifteen hundred into a hundred little piles and…. Now you can see like for every one dollar charged Mr Trump is gonna magically chop FIFTEEN dollars off-a the price. Now my corner drug store gotta give you fourteen bucks back every time they charge you a dollar! How’s’ee gonna make any money? Watch out for the price of egg creams!!!
😂
"My vaccine protects me; my mask protects you." This was more true of masks at the outset of the pandemic. But an N95 respirator, properly fitted and worn, provides tremendous protection for the wearer.
A Covid vaccine, by boosting the immune system, decreases the period of infection as well as the amount of virus sent back out -- meaning others are protected too. Far more than from an infected, unvaccinated person.
Our first cases were coming in in March of 2020, give or take. No vaccines were available. I got my first Pfizer jab in May of 2021. By then the death toll was nearing 500,000.
as a school social worker at the time, i can pretty much tell you that there were cases in february; my brother was a cop and was tested for antibodies early on and it turned out all of his coworkers in his unit were positive and had the disease and dismissed it as a bad flu; it was when it became widespread among the elderly and older folks that the hospitals filled up, though we lost several colleagues who were in their 40s and vigorous. in my own family we were hacking the worst cough and my lungs were rattling for weeks; i had no fever, but developed very obvious long covid brain symptoms that could have been lifted from a journal on the topic. i was vaxxed in early january 2021 as i was considered a healthcare worker; today i walked into costco and was offered a flu shot; you needed a rx for a covid shot; no problem, call the doctor and get a verbal; got the shot right there and then; pharmacist told me pennsylvania had dispensed with the rx requirement and nj should follow suit soon.
I am sorry for your friends, but am glad you are safe. I will get my Covid/flu on Tuesday here in Illinois. Pritzger will make sure we have access. I normally wait until a little later in the year, but not this year. An act of resistance!
Emily, I've so grown to love you.
Hi BeeBee, I live in CA now, and I’ve lived and worked in lots of other states, but I grew up in Brooklyn. That’s almost NYC… 🤓
You can take da goil outta Brooklyn, but you can't take Brooklyn outta da goil.
Basically.
Quack-o-gram. What a fantastic, creative action! I'm buying several, and sending the link broadly through my network. Thanks Emily. Stay safe.
From WA, thanks and Amen.
This is encouraging for sure. Undoing the damage done so far, however, is going to be a herculean task. I've been thinking of the Augean Stables a lot lately, how Hercules diverted a river to clean out that filthy place. (Could "we the people" divert the Potomac?) I'm also thinking further ahead, to what we have to do to make sure one major political party never again falls into the snare of an incompetent, ignorant, and anti-democratic "leader" or faction. That's going to be much harder. Cleaning up Congress and the Supreme Court is a herculean challenge all by itself, and campaign finance reform alone won't do it. Are "we the people" capable of taking democracy and the Constitution seriously and doing our part to make it work?
Susanna,
I believe many of "we the people" do/ are taking democracy and the Constitution seriously and doing our part to make it work!!
OK, but how do you account for the polling statistics that still show Trump's approval ratings in the mid-30s? In a country where most voters believed democracy was important, had some idea of how it's supposed to work, and (maybe) were doing their little bit to help it along, his ratings would be in single digits. No, correct that: He never would have been elected the first time.
hidden in those stats were always people who thought trump was cheated in 2020 and biden had subverted democracy. it is an alternate fantasy world they live in.
Hi Susanna! Polls are tricky things but the information Simon shared with us in today’s post reveal some outstanding news that I want to share with you! It’s a little long, but here you go!
A new “public opinion https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trumps-strongly-disapprove-numbers from “Strength in Numbers” polling from http://GElliottMorris.com,” [who is strictly Republican polling expert], shares that, …
“Today, nearly a majority of Americans strongly disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president, twice as large as the percentage of adults who strongly approve of him.
“The president's (failed, so far) rebranding attempt of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act suggests that even he recognizes the political liability of being associated with deeply unpopular policies.” …
“And regardless of political or electoral impacts, it's important for our understanding of ourselves to properly calibrate our sense of support for Trump.
The president would like you to believe, for example, that his mass imprisonment and deportation of unauthorized immigrants is broadly popular. “
“The current record-setting nature of his strong disapproval percentage highlights this theme again.
Trump is not an indomitable leader with FDR-levels of support from the masses, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/poll-position-where-trump-stands-eyes-americans-five-months-second-presidency. He wants you to think he is, because popularity gives him power, But the reality is that Trump is governing with intense opposition from nearly half the country.”
No one knows exactly what clean up will look like, but it won't be business as usual, Pre Trump. You are right Susan. It's epic. It's mythic.
We are on a path towards transformation to a more perfect union with no room for oligarchs, billionaires, and the business as usual class on the blue team too. SCOTUS reformed, Citizens United reversed, gerrymandering abolished, voter suppression eliminated.
Little Steven summarized it well. It's simple, really; "freedom, human rights and democracy.... ( 'and the river opens for the righteous... someday." )
There is nothing in the Constitution about a two party system. Its a recipe for bipolarization and partisanship, primed for the trash heap of history, it can't be repaired. We should rename the party Pro-Democracy and welcome in the Never Trumpers, Independents, Libertarians, Socialists (which is really an economic construct v capitalism, but both side can be Pro-Democracy), etc. Equity, Justice, Liberty: Now that's a big f'n tent. But the billionaires must be brought to heel. The tax code remade.
...and consequences for the traitors; certain maga electeds, certain staff and cabinet within the Trump Administration, Musk, Thiel... that's how you make sure it doesn't happen again.
It IS Herculean, indeed Susanna. But we are the generations of patriots that are here with the opportunity. Why not aim high?
Simon,
I could hear Hope and a degree of assurance in your post today!!! Thank you!!
Today's "Strength in Numbers" report must feel like tectonic plates shifting underneath 47 and Repubs. Aftershocks will follow again and again and again💙
Reporting:
Over past 2 weeks have continued to call and email Repub Sens, email White House
Attended County Commission event to hear Mayor, Commissioners, Dem State Reps & other community leaders presentations & Q & A
Will be conducting my first Voter Registration at a local festival this weekend
Supporting and attended kick-off event for my Councilwoman, Jerri Green who will be running against Marsha Blackburn for Governor of Tennessee
Keep pushin' on, y'all--And thank you...this is a very inspiring community!!
Tech CEO's take turns praising Trump at White House dinner. Like some Cabinet meetings. Do these people walk away embarrassed or pleased with themselves for so easily playing him even though it makes them an embarrassment?
it's making them money hand over fist.....
As you & Gavin Newsom to name two are saying and have been saying WAKE UP! And sure hope this is happening through progressive news, healthy insurance, enlightened priest and preachers, family members ...whatever it takes.
I called TX Senators Cruz and Cornyn and urged them to fire RFK, Jr.
I’ve been writing postcards for VA and PA and just waiting to mail them 10/15.
I was on a fundraising call with Mikie Sherrill. A great candidate who will be an outstanding governor!
I wish TX had a strong Democratic candidate who could beat Abbott!
For the love of God, please stop using the word tariff. Normal people do not know what a tariff is. The lack of clarity around this word allows it to be used by Trump in a neutral way. We need to use a different name that everyone gets. The name is IMPORT TAX. Trump has placed import taxes on every country. People are paying more taxes. Trump raised taxes. Call it what it is, not by its fancy name.
Also, rescission: breaking the contract.
Simple terms that will make republicans have to explain and look bad.
For the love of god this is 100 percent wrong. We know from months of polling that people know what tariffs are and they are mean price increases for them.
In the future make suggestions but do not tell me what to do.
Joshua, I am taking away your posting privileges for 30 days for now telling me to calm down after I asked that you not tell me what to do (which is rude and unacceptable language here). If you want to return afterwards and be more civil and respectful great. If you want a refund and take your work somewhere else that's fine too. Just let me know.
I also want to reiterate that what are you saying about tariffs just isn't true. People know they are raising their prices and that awareness has driven Trump's numbers down. I have shared lots and lots of polling about tariffs which confirms this. You are being argumentative for no reason here. Again take the month off and look forward to a more civil version upon your return - Simon
This platform is amazing. This is my first post and it’s so refreshing to be with like minded people. I work with a few MAGA and it can be uncomfortable. They’re nice people and we try really hard to avoid politics but sometimes we don’t and tempers flare. So this platform will be a great go to place for me to escape bad feelings and blow off some steam.
Now just a few housekeeping questions.
1. I noticed some comments are long screeds almost like academic essays and some are one sentence quips. Is there a preferred type of comment? Do people enjoy the long essays or rather brief concise shorter comments?
2. I noticed some back and forth. Is this site used as a live chat with real time conversations or more of just commentary on what’s happening in politics and the topics discussed? Real time conversations can be fun and engaging. Is that part of the vibe here?
3. I’ve noticed some posts taken down. I’m sure there’s a variety of opinions. Simon, can people disagree with you without fear of being censored as long as it’s done respectfully? Are we free to voice opinions that others might find objectionable? Obviously personal insults and disrespect is not cool but what about constructive criticism?
What are the parameters of what’s acceptable and what gets taken down?
I’m just trying to feel the vibe of the site,
Anyway I’m glad to have found this platform and look forward to be a part of this community.
Welcome, Marvin! Simon will push back on doom and gloom comments, e.g., we won't have fair elections, etc. Other than that, courteous comments, questions, suggestions, etc., are good. Simon refers to these comment sections as paid subscribers' daily chats. So it's pretty much whatever anyone wants to contribute. Self-reports of pro-democracy actions taken are especially encouraged.
Here are some loose guidelines - https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/hopium-housekeeing-itemspaid-subscribers
Basically we have a pretty firm no assholes rule here. Be respectful. Offer suggestions do not dictate, etc. Discuss do not argue or fight. Don't post impulsively. Just keep it civil. Opposite of our collective experience on social media. The chat here is very lightly moderated but I do it to give people the freedom to post and engage without fear of being attacked or denigrated - and welcome! Simon
Simon, thank you for maintaining your daily “Democracy Preservation” newsletters, chronicles and frequent broadcasts. They serve as a templates for those of us who are actively involved in protesting, calling, post card writing, town hall meetings and letter writing. Your entries today were alarming and motivating.
Seems to me the GOP, and its abusive, benign, childish, cruel, demonic, egotistical, impulsive, and vituperative leadership, is using our democracy like a pacifier. Such conduct exemplifies the concept of arrested development; a time when a person's emotional, social, or psychological growth stops or becomes stuck at an earlier stage of development. For example, someone (guess who) might display childish behaviors or coping mechanisms well into adulthood because their emotional development was "arrested" at a younger age (in a crib), often due to trauma (in a crib) neglect (in a crib), or other adverse experiences (bankruptcy and broken relationships). Most of the GOP has become complicit in its metaphorical raping of our country. Enough is enough! Let’s call their actions for what they are “thoughtless subjugation.” From today on, we must be more confident, secure and offensive rather than defensive.