Simon - i hope we can step up and support Cait Conley the way we stepped up and supported Rebecca Bennett and Johnny Garcia. Many of us are ready to jump in and do our part.
For what it's worth.... I worked Cait's booth at a street fair yesterday. People did ask us about the attack ads. When we told them that R's were funding the ads because they're afraid of Cait, it inspired people to vote FOR her. In general voters were more concerned about who can beat Lawler than where the candidates stand on individual issues.
Julie - That's great to hear and I'm optimistic that these tactics won't work. They failed against Bob Brooks in PA-07, they failed against Johnny Garcia in TX-35, they failed against Rebecca Bennett in NJ-07. In Bennett's case, I think they really backfired and she won bigger than she might have otherwise.
Still, I think the reason to mobilize for Cait is to send a message to the GOP: "don't mess with our primaries, we will mobilize and support any strong candidate you do this against"
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say that the president is not in touch with reality, is mentally ill, and needs to be removed from office. I'm writing post cards to Ohio voters.
I believe the Europeans are smarter than that. He broke it and now he has to fix it. He lost it and has to bear the responsibility. The Europeans were smart enough to not get involved and it is hardly their responsibility to come up with funds for his deal of what they were not a part. He really lives in a delusional world. Ukraine needs Europe's help. tRump's allies, i.e. the oligarchs that pay next to no taxes should foot the bill for his foolish and illegal war. Better yet use the proceeds from yesterday's obscenity to help finance his so called deal.
We have to see if he blackmails the Europeans today on NATO/Ukraine etc - he pulls out and further helps Putin unless they pay up.....we will see. He is desperate right now.
I wish that what you suggest would surprise me, but honestly with him and I afraid it does not. If you do not share your toy with me, I will go play with Putin kind of toddler thinking.
I am very concerned about the intimidation effort in Ohio against the voter registration group. Does anyone know of a legal defense fund? National Lawyers Guild?
You could donate directly to the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, the civil rights organization doing the voter registration. Surely they will file a lawsuit as the ones directly affected. https://www.ohorganizing.org/
I see a new Hopium post about The Democracy Defense Project, a bipartisan group of past elected officials and other leaders in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Perhaps you could check with them. https://www.democracydefenseproject.org/oh
Now AIPAC Linzy wants ro review the deal?? Where was congress all this time? They let voldemort run amok and now they all of a sudden want to do their job? Wtf?
Want to strongly encourage folks not to turn "AIPAC" into a slur. Jews are not excited about the "blame the Jews" creep that has occurred in our discourse.
Graham's positions are not about AIPAC and Jews. The are about him and what he chooses to do. Same with Trump.
AIPAC is not Bibi. AIPAC is an organization of American Jews who build support in American politics for Israel. AIPAC is a literally an organization of Jews. Blaming AIPAC is blaming Jews. Blame Graham for his terrible foreign policy. Leave the Jews out of it please. And did you read - he wants Trump to come to Congress and defend the deal. Are we criticizing him for that? Isn't what we want too?
Plese read my original post. It makes no reference to Jews. . At the moment America's political support for the Likud led Israeli government resulted in absolutely terrible things for both countries and the world. .
An organization that has been helping a government that left Israel and the US markedly weaker on the world stage. I'm not sure I can "do better" than pointing this out. I'm not a frequent poster and this exchange shows why. I do not appreciate the condescending tone. I'm here by choice as a paid subscriber and will continue supporting you because I think you are doing super important work to save what's left of democracy at home. But, I guess I'll stick to reading your posts and avoid the discussion forum. Sorry for any inconvenience
this elaborate, many pronged criminal enterprise that used to be our american govt is just going to collapse of its own weight. the entire govt is corrupt and non functioning now. its a shell game and a house of cards. any minute its going to come tumbling down. remember the fish rots at the head. he has wasted billions upon billions and personally collected as much. and not one dime for regular hard working americans. nada! he will leave us broke, but hopefully not broken.
when will the MSM start covering the corruption, the lying, the sleeping, the abject failure?
Obama struck a far better deal with Iran – and then Trump idiotically withdrew from the multilateral treat, causing Iran to put their nuclear program into overdrive.
Now Trump has negotiated a far, far worse deal. Trump is a national and international embarrassment, and he has caused monumental damage to no avail.
Called Booker & Kim re the Orange Madman & the Monstrosity on the WH Lawn. He needs to go. Also expressed concern about the "Iran Deal" and stated that we the American people should under no circumstances pay for any of it. Also thanked Kim for continued visits/updates re Delaney Hall.
I hope some folks caught last night's "Rise Up, Sing Out" event at NYC's Town Hall, which was livestreamed; you can see it on YouTube if you missed. The show was a bit uneven, but there were some truly inspiring moments, like a live drop-in from MPLS in which the Singing Resistance showed how it's done. Also Bette Midler was a total badass as usual, updated the Woody Guthrie classic "All You Fascists Bound to Lose" in her trademark style.
Working on postcards this week as well as a research project for the DNC, which I can't talk about yet, but rest assured Chair Martin is pulling out all the stops for election security this fall. Keep going!
In our community it was a potluck watch party at a local church. About 150-200 people. People were singing along, clapping and cheering frequently. It was an interesting and different sort of gathering. Most people stayed to the end, which I think demonstrates that it was meaningful for people. It is going to take all of us, and this was a good effort in that goal.
But most of the meaning for me was that all of these "strangers" were gathered together in common cause. It was a seeding for community building, and I hope it was widely felt across the nation.
I agree that the clip from Minneapolis was one of the most impactful, So here it is, beginning with the moving intro from Julia Roberts tribute to Renee Nicole Good followed by the folks at George Floyd memorial site singing a new song "Organization" Minneapolis can help show us the way. https://www.youtube.com/live/B7EbkKNy7Vk?si=mDlS6IoKugDfdWF_&t=3680
Yeah, our watch party included new folks. Everyone had a task of meeting new people. Our folks loved that they had a link to the lyric book (which we made a QR code for). We'll add a couple of the songs to our Citizens Bank protest array. People were really grateful to be together watching.
Daily calls are in to Republican members regarding the issues you highlighted this AM. I attended a protest in western WI yesterday. There was a good turnout and many supportive passers-by.
#HandsOffOhio webpage will have information about local efforts re. the response to the FBI raids of the Ohio voter registration group last Thursday. (information sent to me by Indivisible) The Ohio Democracy Defense Coalition and the Black Voters Matter are organizing a Day of Action around voter registration on Thursday, June 18th in Ohio. More information will be available on the webpage.
Here's what I'm writing, if you want to adapt it for yourself (but don't copy and paste, as it's important for each comment to appear individually written).
I strongly oppose the construction of the proposed "Triumphal Arch" at Memorial Circle in Washington DC.
The project is unlawful. It violates at least three federal laws.
To begin, federal law requires Congressional approval for the construction of any structure on public land in Washington, DC. The project has not obtained this Congressional approval.
Second, the Commemorative Works Act specifies that Congress may not approve the construction on federal land of memorials for individuals until 25 years after the individual’s death. Donald Trump has stipulated that the Arch would be a memorial to himself.
Third, the Height of Buildings Act stipulates that no buildings in Washington, DC, may exceed 130 feet in height. The purpose of this law is to preserve the sightlines of and between key buildings and monuments in the nation’s capital, including the Capitol, the White House and the Washington Monument. The proposed Arch would be 250 feet tall.
The project is objectionable on aesthetic grounds as well. As noted above, it would interfere with historic sightlines, including the view of Arlington Cemetery from the Lincoln Memorial, and dwarf such beloved monuments as the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.
In addition, triumphal arches have been associated throughout history with emperors and conquest, not with democracy. Donald Trump has said he wants his “Triumphal Arch” to rival the Arc de Triomphe, an arch commissioned by Napoleon, an emperor of France. The architectural inspiration for the Arc de Triomphe was the Titus Arch in Rome commemorating Emperor Vespasian’s victory over the Jewish rebellion in Judaea. The proposed Arch is therefore completely inappropriate for the capital of a democratic nation.
Thank you for sharing your comments. I submitted comments yesterday and used language from the proposal to help make the case against the project. My remarks were also personal as I lived in DC and Arlington, Virginia for more than 35 years, and visited monuments many, many times, including Arlington National Cemetery. Always humbling and moving experiences that brought home what tremendous work and sacrifices have gone into creating and preserving our Democracy.
"said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a key Trump ally. “I look forward to reviewing the final product and I believe it is imperative that the architect of the deal, Vice President Vance and his negotiating partners, be part of the process in presenting the final deal to Congress.”"
I wonder if JD can hear the bus coming that he's about to get thrown under.
" When major UFC events step out of the sporting realm and intersect with broader American culture, general public approval can be low. For example, a Reuters/Ipsos poll regarding a highly publicized "UFC Freedom 250" event on the White House lawn found that only 16% of the American public approved of the spectacle, while 46% disapproved". SOUNDS SIMILAR TO TRUMP'S APPROVAL NUMBERS!
Thanks Simon. Have been very busy in NYC and have not been able to attend member webinars. However, I'm not too busy to call my reps and tell them what they must do now. Calls made. Calls received. Hope with a plan!
It’s interesting to me that Lindsey Graham is now placing total responsibility for the negotiations with Iran on the shoulders of JD Vance. Was JD ever involved more than the one time? Is he actually going to be involved ongoing? Or is he the one that will be taking the fall when this falls apart, which is likely?
Simon - i hope we can step up and support Cait Conley the way we stepped up and supported Rebecca Bennett and Johnny Garcia. Many of us are ready to jump in and do our part.
For what it's worth.... I worked Cait's booth at a street fair yesterday. People did ask us about the attack ads. When we told them that R's were funding the ads because they're afraid of Cait, it inspired people to vote FOR her. In general voters were more concerned about who can beat Lawler than where the candidates stand on individual issues.
Julie - That's great to hear and I'm optimistic that these tactics won't work. They failed against Bob Brooks in PA-07, they failed against Johnny Garcia in TX-35, they failed against Rebecca Bennett in NJ-07. In Bennett's case, I think they really backfired and she won bigger than she might have otherwise.
Still, I think the reason to mobilize for Cait is to send a message to the GOP: "don't mess with our primaries, we will mobilize and support any strong candidate you do this against"
Thanks, Simon!
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say that the president is not in touch with reality, is mentally ill, and needs to be removed from office. I'm writing post cards to Ohio voters.
Catherine, you are always right on top of things. So impressive 🙏
I believe the Europeans are smarter than that. He broke it and now he has to fix it. He lost it and has to bear the responsibility. The Europeans were smart enough to not get involved and it is hardly their responsibility to come up with funds for his deal of what they were not a part. He really lives in a delusional world. Ukraine needs Europe's help. tRump's allies, i.e. the oligarchs that pay next to no taxes should foot the bill for his foolish and illegal war. Better yet use the proceeds from yesterday's obscenity to help finance his so called deal.
We have to see if he blackmails the Europeans today on NATO/Ukraine etc - he pulls out and further helps Putin unless they pay up.....we will see. He is desperate right now.
I wish that what you suggest would surprise me, but honestly with him and I afraid it does not. If you do not share your toy with me, I will go play with Putin kind of toddler thinking.
I am very concerned about the intimidation effort in Ohio against the voter registration group. Does anyone know of a legal defense fund? National Lawyers Guild?
Good question - I didn't come up with anything when I searched just now.
You could donate directly to the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, the civil rights organization doing the voter registration. Surely they will file a lawsuit as the ones directly affected. https://www.ohorganizing.org/
or ask the Brennan Center for Justice https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/brennan-center-stands-ohio-organizing-collaborative-following-fbi-raid
and maybe ask here
https://www.naacpldf.org/press-release/ldf-strongly-condemns-raid-of-ohio-voting-rights-organization-intended-to-spread-fear-and-chaos-ahead-of-midterm-elections/
I see a new Hopium post about The Democracy Defense Project, a bipartisan group of past elected officials and other leaders in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Perhaps you could check with them. https://www.democracydefenseproject.org/oh
AHA! So this group was registering BLACK VOTERS. Where are those hoods? Is the FBI now burning crosses? Thanks for the links!
I was gonna suggest Brennan.
Now AIPAC Linzy wants ro review the deal?? Where was congress all this time? They let voldemort run amok and now they all of a sudden want to do their job? Wtf?
Want to strongly encourage folks not to turn "AIPAC" into a slur. Jews are not excited about the "blame the Jews" creep that has occurred in our discourse.
Graham's positions are not about AIPAC and Jews. The are about him and what he chooses to do. Same with Trump.
Aipac represent Bibi not the Jews. I am Jewish and I have exactly zero support for Bibi, Adelson, etc
AIPAC is not Bibi. AIPAC is an organization of American Jews who build support in American politics for Israel. AIPAC is a literally an organization of Jews. Blaming AIPAC is blaming Jews. Blame Graham for his terrible foreign policy. Leave the Jews out of it please. And did you read - he wants Trump to come to Congress and defend the deal. Are we criticizing him for that? Isn't what we want too?
Plese read my original post. It makes no reference to Jews. . At the moment America's political support for the Likud led Israeli government resulted in absolutely terrible things for both countries and the world. .
Your original post references AIPAC, an organization of American Jews. You are not a frequent poster here. Need you to do better.
An organization that has been helping a government that left Israel and the US markedly weaker on the world stage. I'm not sure I can "do better" than pointing this out. I'm not a frequent poster and this exchange shows why. I do not appreciate the condescending tone. I'm here by choice as a paid subscriber and will continue supporting you because I think you are doing super important work to save what's left of democracy at home. But, I guess I'll stick to reading your posts and avoid the discussion forum. Sorry for any inconvenience
this elaborate, many pronged criminal enterprise that used to be our american govt is just going to collapse of its own weight. the entire govt is corrupt and non functioning now. its a shell game and a house of cards. any minute its going to come tumbling down. remember the fish rots at the head. he has wasted billions upon billions and personally collected as much. and not one dime for regular hard working americans. nada! he will leave us broke, but hopefully not broken.
when will the MSM start covering the corruption, the lying, the sleeping, the abject failure?
Obama struck a far better deal with Iran – and then Trump idiotically withdrew from the multilateral treat, causing Iran to put their nuclear program into overdrive.
Now Trump has negotiated a far, far worse deal. Trump is a national and international embarrassment, and he has caused monumental damage to no avail.
Called Booker & Kim re the Orange Madman & the Monstrosity on the WH Lawn. He needs to go. Also expressed concern about the "Iran Deal" and stated that we the American people should under no circumstances pay for any of it. Also thanked Kim for continued visits/updates re Delaney Hall.
I hope some folks caught last night's "Rise Up, Sing Out" event at NYC's Town Hall, which was livestreamed; you can see it on YouTube if you missed. The show was a bit uneven, but there were some truly inspiring moments, like a live drop-in from MPLS in which the Singing Resistance showed how it's done. Also Bette Midler was a total badass as usual, updated the Woody Guthrie classic "All You Fascists Bound to Lose" in her trademark style.
Working on postcards this week as well as a research project for the DNC, which I can't talk about yet, but rest assured Chair Martin is pulling out all the stops for election security this fall. Keep going!
Here's the you tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxap5XA61ng
In our community it was a potluck watch party at a local church. About 150-200 people. People were singing along, clapping and cheering frequently. It was an interesting and different sort of gathering. Most people stayed to the end, which I think demonstrates that it was meaningful for people. It is going to take all of us, and this was a good effort in that goal.
But most of the meaning for me was that all of these "strangers" were gathered together in common cause. It was a seeding for community building, and I hope it was widely felt across the nation.
I agree that the clip from Minneapolis was one of the most impactful, So here it is, beginning with the moving intro from Julia Roberts tribute to Renee Nicole Good followed by the folks at George Floyd memorial site singing a new song "Organization" Minneapolis can help show us the way. https://www.youtube.com/live/B7EbkKNy7Vk?si=mDlS6IoKugDfdWF_&t=3680
I agree. From the standpoint of activism it was necessary. I was reverting to my inner music critic. :)
Thank you for sharing these very moving tributes.
Yeah, our watch party included new folks. Everyone had a task of meeting new people. Our folks loved that they had a link to the lyric book (which we made a QR code for). We'll add a couple of the songs to our Citizens Bank protest array. People were really grateful to be together watching.
Ther is another way to say Trump put us in a war "without authorization" and "without debate."
That is, MAGA congressmen gave Trump all the authorization and debate he needed when they failed to stand up for the Constitution.
Lindsey Graham hallucinates when he says an agreement has to come throughcongress. Will Lindsey insist on it after Trump refuses?
Daily calls are in to Republican members regarding the issues you highlighted this AM. I attended a protest in western WI yesterday. There was a good turnout and many supportive passers-by.
#HandsOffOhio webpage will have information about local efforts re. the response to the FBI raids of the Ohio voter registration group last Thursday. (information sent to me by Indivisible) The Ohio Democracy Defense Coalition and the Black Voters Matter are organizing a Day of Action around voter registration on Thursday, June 18th in Ohio. More information will be available on the webpage.
Today is the last day to submit comments to the National Park Service on the proposed Triumphal Arch. Here's helpful background and tips: https://ldad.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/NPS-Arch-Briefing-Materials_06.13.26.pdf.
Here's what I'm writing, if you want to adapt it for yourself (but don't copy and paste, as it's important for each comment to appear individually written).
I strongly oppose the construction of the proposed "Triumphal Arch" at Memorial Circle in Washington DC.
The project is unlawful. It violates at least three federal laws.
To begin, federal law requires Congressional approval for the construction of any structure on public land in Washington, DC. The project has not obtained this Congressional approval.
Second, the Commemorative Works Act specifies that Congress may not approve the construction on federal land of memorials for individuals until 25 years after the individual’s death. Donald Trump has stipulated that the Arch would be a memorial to himself.
Third, the Height of Buildings Act stipulates that no buildings in Washington, DC, may exceed 130 feet in height. The purpose of this law is to preserve the sightlines of and between key buildings and monuments in the nation’s capital, including the Capitol, the White House and the Washington Monument. The proposed Arch would be 250 feet tall.
The project is objectionable on aesthetic grounds as well. As noted above, it would interfere with historic sightlines, including the view of Arlington Cemetery from the Lincoln Memorial, and dwarf such beloved monuments as the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.
In addition, triumphal arches have been associated throughout history with emperors and conquest, not with democracy. Donald Trump has said he wants his “Triumphal Arch” to rival the Arc de Triomphe, an arch commissioned by Napoleon, an emperor of France. The architectural inspiration for the Arc de Triomphe was the Titus Arch in Rome commemorating Emperor Vespasian’s victory over the Jewish rebellion in Judaea. The proposed Arch is therefore completely inappropriate for the capital of a democratic nation.
done, thanks!
Thank you for sharing your comments. I submitted comments yesterday and used language from the proposal to help make the case against the project. My remarks were also personal as I lived in DC and Arlington, Virginia for more than 35 years, and visited monuments many, many times, including Arlington National Cemetery. Always humbling and moving experiences that brought home what tremendous work and sacrifices have gone into creating and preserving our Democracy.
"said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a key Trump ally. “I look forward to reviewing the final product and I believe it is imperative that the architect of the deal, Vice President Vance and his negotiating partners, be part of the process in presenting the final deal to Congress.”"
I wonder if JD can hear the bus coming that he's about to get thrown under.
" When major UFC events step out of the sporting realm and intersect with broader American culture, general public approval can be low. For example, a Reuters/Ipsos poll regarding a highly publicized "UFC Freedom 250" event on the White House lawn found that only 16% of the American public approved of the spectacle, while 46% disapproved". SOUNDS SIMILAR TO TRUMP'S APPROVAL NUMBERS!
Thanks Simon. Have been very busy in NYC and have not been able to attend member webinars. However, I'm not too busy to call my reps and tell them what they must do now. Calls made. Calls received. Hope with a plan!
It’s interesting to me that Lindsey Graham is now placing total responsibility for the negotiations with Iran on the shoulders of JD Vance. Was JD ever involved more than the one time? Is he actually going to be involved ongoing? Or is he the one that will be taking the fall when this falls apart, which is likely?