Keep voting good people of Virginia. Don't wait, vote this weekend and let's win this thing in the early vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Several attendees at our monthly Democratic meeting asked me to invite a speaker who can tell us how to counteract the steps of Project 2025 as we are watching it unfold.
Unless, some Hopium members have some ideas, my thought is the way to do that is to win back the House and Senate. Impeachments can follow.
invite someone from one of the states that is fighting back on a wide front - CA of course, also IL, MN and others, - my suggestion. PPl are doing a lot of good work. If you get someone who is on the ground you can have Q and A about adapting to your particular situation.
You are right, which is why we keep working no matter what polls say, but the pattern of overperformance in off-year and special elections shows the direction of the momentum. But we have to run all the way through the finish line, no matter the polls. Thanks for working to gather your friends in the effort.
I just have to repost this from last night. Permaculture Gal hits the perfect tone for the moment we are in now (or as Simon puts it "we are here") and a brilliant rebuttal to all the doomsayers. Be forewarned, there are f bombs
Because a couple Hopium members asked about redistricting efforts by Republicans yesterday, I thought I’d comment on the one gerrymander in Missouri. The representative at risk, Emanuel Cleaver, is so popular there is a major KC boulevard named for him. The resistance found some sort of mechanism to gather voter signatures and somehow block the gerrymander. Not sure of details on this, but they’re training people to gather signatures. We have a great guy, Elad Gross, who ran unsuccessfully for AG but offers legal advice on IG. He thinks the state constitution prohibits mid-decade gerrymanders. He has also found a weird flaw in the new map (maybe AI-produced in DC?) where a new district sort of overlaps, so that about 850 voters would be in 2 districts at the same time. The MAGA governor just waved this away. A lot of material for court challenges. I’m not an expert but I’ve become skeptical of media coverage suggesting Republicans will pick up so many new seats in time for the midterm next year. They’ll win some, but maybe not as many as some are projecting now.
My 30ish kid hadn’t yet heard about #NoKings2. Make sure everyone you know…knows. Signup is optional of course but helps for planning crowd size and support. Please pass it on!
Not enough time to watch the video right now, but I read the encouraging piece. I've written some postcards this morning, and in ~5 minutes I am on a CA 50 phone bank.
The elements of repression I think are more evident and severe, and will get worse, as his politics fail. He has to make people too afraid to oppose him. I think this will fail but it is up to everyone to push back.
Being discouraged is not an option. And the facts on the ground show LOTs of reasons to be encouraged--even amidst the chaos and destruction. Add to the list of D Reps stepping up to this pivotal moment the wonderfully sane Jason Crow from Colorado. A recent speech of his is quoted extensively by HCR. Among other things, he talks about leading paratroopers in Iraq and Afghanistan and the fact that the paratroop leader always jumps from the plane first. Jason and others are jumping for us, leading us, and we have to raise them up. We should be encouraged that the leadership circle is increasing and getting louder.
As the GOP leader's behavior becomes more and more bizarre, humorless, impulsive, and thoughtless, I am convinced he has a need to fail. That said, some individuals (DJT) unconsciously seek failure as a familiar pattern rooted in low self-worth or fear of success. They may sabotage opportunities because failure feels safer than the unknown territory of achievement. This self-destructive cycle can stem from childhood experiences, imposter syndrome, or deep-seated beliefs that they don't deserve success. Paradoxically, choosing failure provides a sense of control over inevitable disappointment, making it preferable to risking genuine effort and potential rejection.
My mother before she passed away was a retired psychotherapist. She'd have a field day analyzing him. I'm glad she passed before he was elected in office the first time I shudder that he was even elected at all and twice.
Interesting take on his pathology. I have a similar "diagnosis" that he has a compulsion to destroy what others have built. Even though he's a "builder" of tangible things--hotels, golf courses, monuments to himself--he's incapable of building intangible things that improve people's lives (e.g. government policies.) At some deep level he knows this and thus has a compulsion to deride, and destroy if possible, successful programs others have implemented. The examples are many: Obamacare, clean energy, Medicaid, U.S. AID, our international standing, etc.
You and the Chair are really singing my song. I spent years living and doing grassroots work in one of the redder parts of Virginia. And two things the Chair talked about really rang true for me.
First, the Dems who believe they are the only one in their communities: Our grassroots group really emphasized lawn signs, and that's despite the campaigns and state party kind of poo-pooing them. When we got many of the Dems in a neighborhood to put out lawn signs, we ALWAYS got comments from other neighbors and from delivery people, plumbers, gardeners, etc. who'd say, "Wow. There are a lot of Democrats here." That gave our members a chance to start a conversation about upcoming elections, registering to vote, joining our group, etc. People who think they're alone are more likely to not bother to vote. People who feel like they're part of a group are more likely to vote.
Second, the need to work with Independents and reasonable Republicans: We started out with county government that was almost entirely MAGA. We were able to defeat that contingent by being realistic and supporting Independents and reasonable Republicans over MAGATs. Given a choice, I'd always rather elect a Dem, but in a place where no Dem has won office for years, it's sometimes easier to get people to take the small step of voting for an Independent, first. And when we worked hard to get Independents and reasonable Republicans elected, it helped them to see Democrats as allies instead of the enemy.
I could go on and on, but I'm really impressed with the Alaska Dems' approach. I'll make a contribution.
100% this! I have a strong sense that some of my MAGA adjacent friends are really starting to listen to the voice inside their head that's telling them that's what is happening is not normal and that it is not okay. All of the ones I personally know have people in their circle who are beginning to (timidly) voice that opinion. That makes a huge difference because people in cults reportedly almost always think that they're the only ones who think that the leader is crazy. They are trained to tamp down those thoughts and in fact to build up psychological defenses against that kind of traitorous belief. But the voice is still there! Having others express what the inner voice is saying is very important!
That being said, my MAGA friends and family are still unwavering in their support, as far as I can tell. But the soft MAGA is getting softer, and it's because of the growing circle of defiance.
This: “we’ve seen far more ambition from Congressional Democrats this week then we’ve seen all year, and given the extraordinary budget debate to come, it is the right time for us to be finding a higher gear.”
Self report for this Saturday before I head out to get my covid shot: 1) I called my GOP senators and asked them to stand up for our First Amendment rights; 2) I called my Dem representative and thanked her for her bravery in voting no on the Charlie Kirk bill. I asked her to be louder in her opposition to the regime; 3) I signed up to get trained to door knock. NC is attempting to contact all 60K voters who were disenfranchised last fall and help them to add the information to their voter registration that our corrupt legislature is demanding that they add; 4) I donated to the audacious fund; 5) I schedule a walk with a politically well-connected friend to pick her brain about how to convince our skittish city council to move on our proposed resolution.
Thanks so much for the interview with Chairman Croft.
One thing I learned in 2022 when I supported Mary Peltola was that Alaska is a unique place to campaign in. It's huge, and you can't just go across the state on a bus tour. You have to fly from place to place. So in that sense it's an expensive place to campaign in. But Alaskans also do a lot of campaigning digitally and on the phone. I can envision the advantage of building out a party infrastructure in a lot of towns across the state.
The other thing I learned, from sitting in on Zoom calls with Mary Peltola, is that she is truly a charismatic leader. If she runs for Senate, I want to support her campaign in any way I can. After all, I live in Bellingham, and the ferry terminal to Alaska is within walking distance of where I live.
I hope monetary support will tip Mary Peltola into running for the Senate. My hope is that Lisa Murkowski will decide to run for governor, not only because that would leave an open Senate seat, but also because I don't think Mary Peltola would run against her. In her last two Congressional campaigns, Lisa Murkowski endorsed Mary Peltola. That's Alaska! A Republican Senator endorsing a Democratic Congressional candidate.
Simon, if Mary Peltola decides to run for Senate, you must interview her for Hopium!
Yay, Alaska!! Thank you, Simon and Eric, for this inspiring interview. I look forward to donating to the Alaska $50K Fund! 💙 Best wishes to Mary Peltola. I admire her and hope she runs for office again soon.
Several attendees at our monthly Democratic meeting asked me to invite a speaker who can tell us how to counteract the steps of Project 2025 as we are watching it unfold.
Unless, some Hopium members have some ideas, my thought is the way to do that is to win back the House and Senate. Impeachments can follow.
Get Bernie to come to Alaska
invite someone from one of the states that is fighting back on a wide front - CA of course, also IL, MN and others, - my suggestion. PPl are doing a lot of good work. If you get someone who is on the ground you can have Q and A about adapting to your particular situation.
Sent out ten postcards last week. Talked to friends about joining the postcard effort. Next item on the to do list is to buy more stamps.
I am not really trusting of polls- the only one that matters is the one that involves the ballot box. Regardless, I write on
You are right, which is why we keep working no matter what polls say, but the pattern of overperformance in off-year and special elections shows the direction of the momentum. But we have to run all the way through the finish line, no matter the polls. Thanks for working to gather your friends in the effort.
Where is the Alaska tariff ad running? I hope not just on television. Hope it's being widely distributed on social media! https://www.npr.org/2025/09/15/nx-s1-5484125/democrats-social-media-strategy-influencers
It is a digital ad.
It is common now for ads to start on digital and migrate to TV later.
I just have to repost this from last night. Permaculture Gal hits the perfect tone for the moment we are in now (or as Simon puts it "we are here") and a brilliant rebuttal to all the doomsayers. Be forewarned, there are f bombs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awXgU_4VDjY
It's all about the money 💰
...for Disney. For us, its all about witholding the money from them; boycott
Thanks for sharing this.
Because a couple Hopium members asked about redistricting efforts by Republicans yesterday, I thought I’d comment on the one gerrymander in Missouri. The representative at risk, Emanuel Cleaver, is so popular there is a major KC boulevard named for him. The resistance found some sort of mechanism to gather voter signatures and somehow block the gerrymander. Not sure of details on this, but they’re training people to gather signatures. We have a great guy, Elad Gross, who ran unsuccessfully for AG but offers legal advice on IG. He thinks the state constitution prohibits mid-decade gerrymanders. He has also found a weird flaw in the new map (maybe AI-produced in DC?) where a new district sort of overlaps, so that about 850 voters would be in 2 districts at the same time. The MAGA governor just waved this away. A lot of material for court challenges. I’m not an expert but I’ve become skeptical of media coverage suggesting Republicans will pick up so many new seats in time for the midterm next year. They’ll win some, but maybe not as many as some are projecting now.
thank you for your report
Great news. Thanks, Cynthia! 🫶🏼
The media sells the “pickup” stories not because they are true but because we all click on them…
If we do the work, we can turn the tables on them.
This is fantastic! Thank you
My 30ish kid hadn’t yet heard about #NoKings2. Make sure everyone you know…knows. Signup is optional of course but helps for planning crowd size and support. Please pass it on!
https://www.nokings.org/
Not enough time to watch the video right now, but I read the encouraging piece. I've written some postcards this morning, and in ~5 minutes I am on a CA 50 phone bank.
The elements of repression I think are more evident and severe, and will get worse, as his politics fail. He has to make people too afraid to oppose him. I think this will fail but it is up to everyone to push back.
Being discouraged is not an option. And the facts on the ground show LOTs of reasons to be encouraged--even amidst the chaos and destruction. Add to the list of D Reps stepping up to this pivotal moment the wonderfully sane Jason Crow from Colorado. A recent speech of his is quoted extensively by HCR. Among other things, he talks about leading paratroopers in Iraq and Afghanistan and the fact that the paratroop leader always jumps from the plane first. Jason and others are jumping for us, leading us, and we have to raise them up. We should be encouraged that the leadership circle is increasing and getting louder.
Love this
As the GOP leader's behavior becomes more and more bizarre, humorless, impulsive, and thoughtless, I am convinced he has a need to fail. That said, some individuals (DJT) unconsciously seek failure as a familiar pattern rooted in low self-worth or fear of success. They may sabotage opportunities because failure feels safer than the unknown territory of achievement. This self-destructive cycle can stem from childhood experiences, imposter syndrome, or deep-seated beliefs that they don't deserve success. Paradoxically, choosing failure provides a sense of control over inevitable disappointment, making it preferable to risking genuine effort and potential rejection.
Interesting!
My mother before she passed away was a retired psychotherapist. She'd have a field day analyzing him. I'm glad she passed before he was elected in office the first time I shudder that he was even elected at all and twice.
Interesting take on his pathology. I have a similar "diagnosis" that he has a compulsion to destroy what others have built. Even though he's a "builder" of tangible things--hotels, golf courses, monuments to himself--he's incapable of building intangible things that improve people's lives (e.g. government policies.) At some deep level he knows this and thus has a compulsion to deride, and destroy if possible, successful programs others have implemented. The examples are many: Obamacare, clean energy, Medicaid, U.S. AID, our international standing, etc.
Excellent assessment!
Bizarre behavior, for sure! Maybe he should've quit while he was ahead -- i.e., after failing to win the 2020 election.
Simon, GREAT INTERVIEW!!!!
You and the Chair are really singing my song. I spent years living and doing grassroots work in one of the redder parts of Virginia. And two things the Chair talked about really rang true for me.
First, the Dems who believe they are the only one in their communities: Our grassroots group really emphasized lawn signs, and that's despite the campaigns and state party kind of poo-pooing them. When we got many of the Dems in a neighborhood to put out lawn signs, we ALWAYS got comments from other neighbors and from delivery people, plumbers, gardeners, etc. who'd say, "Wow. There are a lot of Democrats here." That gave our members a chance to start a conversation about upcoming elections, registering to vote, joining our group, etc. People who think they're alone are more likely to not bother to vote. People who feel like they're part of a group are more likely to vote.
Second, the need to work with Independents and reasonable Republicans: We started out with county government that was almost entirely MAGA. We were able to defeat that contingent by being realistic and supporting Independents and reasonable Republicans over MAGATs. Given a choice, I'd always rather elect a Dem, but in a place where no Dem has won office for years, it's sometimes easier to get people to take the small step of voting for an Independent, first. And when we worked hard to get Independents and reasonable Republicans elected, it helped them to see Democrats as allies instead of the enemy.
I could go on and on, but I'm really impressed with the Alaska Dems' approach. I'll make a contribution.
100% this! I have a strong sense that some of my MAGA adjacent friends are really starting to listen to the voice inside their head that's telling them that's what is happening is not normal and that it is not okay. All of the ones I personally know have people in their circle who are beginning to (timidly) voice that opinion. That makes a huge difference because people in cults reportedly almost always think that they're the only ones who think that the leader is crazy. They are trained to tamp down those thoughts and in fact to build up psychological defenses against that kind of traitorous belief. But the voice is still there! Having others express what the inner voice is saying is very important!
That being said, my MAGA friends and family are still unwavering in their support, as far as I can tell. But the soft MAGA is getting softer, and it's because of the growing circle of defiance.
Thank you that’s great insight!
very impressive, thank you for posting
This: “we’ve seen far more ambition from Congressional Democrats this week then we’ve seen all year, and given the extraordinary budget debate to come, it is the right time for us to be finding a higher gear.”
robert garcia house oversight on fire!!!
Great interview! Thanks.
Self report for this Saturday before I head out to get my covid shot: 1) I called my GOP senators and asked them to stand up for our First Amendment rights; 2) I called my Dem representative and thanked her for her bravery in voting no on the Charlie Kirk bill. I asked her to be louder in her opposition to the regime; 3) I signed up to get trained to door knock. NC is attempting to contact all 60K voters who were disenfranchised last fall and help them to add the information to their voter registration that our corrupt legislature is demanding that they add; 4) I donated to the audacious fund; 5) I schedule a walk with a politically well-connected friend to pick her brain about how to convince our skittish city council to move on our proposed resolution.
Great work! Every little bit helps and it is all important. Thank you!
Thanks so much for the interview with Chairman Croft.
One thing I learned in 2022 when I supported Mary Peltola was that Alaska is a unique place to campaign in. It's huge, and you can't just go across the state on a bus tour. You have to fly from place to place. So in that sense it's an expensive place to campaign in. But Alaskans also do a lot of campaigning digitally and on the phone. I can envision the advantage of building out a party infrastructure in a lot of towns across the state.
The other thing I learned, from sitting in on Zoom calls with Mary Peltola, is that she is truly a charismatic leader. If she runs for Senate, I want to support her campaign in any way I can. After all, I live in Bellingham, and the ferry terminal to Alaska is within walking distance of where I live.
I hope monetary support will tip Mary Peltola into running for the Senate. My hope is that Lisa Murkowski will decide to run for governor, not only because that would leave an open Senate seat, but also because I don't think Mary Peltola would run against her. In her last two Congressional campaigns, Lisa Murkowski endorsed Mary Peltola. That's Alaska! A Republican Senator endorsing a Democratic Congressional candidate.
Simon, if Mary Peltola decides to run for Senate, you must interview her for Hopium!
yes, Mary Peltola!!!
I enjoyed this interview's insights into Alaska's unique politics. It was very encouraging .
I voted in Virginia yesterday— the first day of early voting.
thank you!
There are some interesting numbers on Virginia’s Early Vote. Cumulative ballots cast 46 days before Election Day:
2025 – 31,307
2021 – 15,530
https://www.vpap.org/elections/early-voting/2025-november-general-election/
Yay, Alaska!! Thank you, Simon and Eric, for this inspiring interview. I look forward to donating to the Alaska $50K Fund! 💙 Best wishes to Mary Peltola. I admire her and hope she runs for office again soon.
Great piece!
Typo? should be "vicious," not "viscous"--although slimy it is indeed!
lol , I said the same thing!
I first learned the folly of automated spell checkers when I wrote about naive plants.