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.
"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.
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 can 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.
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.
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.
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.
Interesting. They are aware that they are a policy of the president, but not so much what it is. At least, not according to these polls:
Ipsos in December 2024: only 45% said a tariff is "a tax imposed by a country on goods and services imported from another country, paid by the importer."
Even when Hoover explained that a tariff "is a tax that a country charges on products imported from other countries," most people weren't sure whether raising tariffs helps or hurts the job security and wages of the average American.
I'm not saying that people don't have an opinion on tariffs, particularly as job growth has stalled and prices are rising, I'm just saying that the message that tariffs are bad could be conveyed so much more clearly with simple words.
I'd be interested to see the polling to show that people know what tariffs are.
Also, calm down, I didn't tell you what to do. It is an expression.
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.
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?????
"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.
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 can 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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Interesting. They are aware that they are a policy of the president, but not so much what it is. At least, not according to these polls:
Ipsos in December 2024: only 45% said a tariff is "a tax imposed by a country on goods and services imported from another country, paid by the importer."
https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/most-people-dont-know-how-tariffs-work-and-some-even-admit#:~:text=Contact%20Us-,Most%20people%20don't%20know%20how%20tariffs%20work,and%20some%20even%20admit%20that)
In March of this year, Ipsos documented that only 32% understood that tariff is not a tax paid by the country exporting goods” https://www.axios.com/2025/04/13/trump-tariffs-new-polling-raise-prices?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Marist in July: 39% believe they have a good understanding of the impact of tariffs on prices. https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/tariffs-signal-a-frugal-summer-ahead-july-2025/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Even when Hoover explained that a tariff "is a tax that a country charges on products imported from other countries," most people weren't sure whether raising tariffs helps or hurts the job security and wages of the average American.
https://www.hoover.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/tops_hoover_tariff_policy_20250219.pdf
I'm not saying that people don't have an opinion on tariffs, particularly as job growth has stalled and prices are rising, I'm just saying that the message that tariffs are bad could be conveyed so much more clearly with simple words.
I'd be interested to see the polling to show that people know what tariffs are.
Also, calm down, I didn't tell you what to do. It is an expression.
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.
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.