Excellent talk with Stuart as always. I feel everyone's anger and disappointment today, but if we'll remember anything from this week, it should surely be our HUGE victory on Tuesday, which we will repeat next November. We will lose battles here and there, but we must keep our eyes on the war. Thanks Simon.
This is a wonderful conversation, and much needed today after the results in the Senate. It was good to laugh and see you laugh, Simon. Sometimes the theater of the absurd is so needed. Thanks to you both~!
While Shaheen may be retiring from the senate, her daughter Stefany is running for congress is NH. She immediately tried to distance herself from her mom, who was the point person for the Dems negotiating with Thune: “Improving health care has been the cause of my life. It’s why I am running for congress. So I cannot support this deal when Speaker Johnson refuses to even allow a vote to extend health care tax credits.”
… Her primary opponent Heath Howard was quick to pounce: “Then why did your mom vote for it? This is the hypocrisy of the establishment, playing both sides of this situation. If the Shaheens actually cared about healthcare, they would advocate for a universal healthcare system, not throw ACA recipients under the bus.”
… Another person on social media responded: “Mommy has taken a sledgehammer to your dreams on being in Congress.”
I know nothing about Stefany or Howard, but I agree with Howard's statement that if you care about healthcare you will advocate for universal healthcare. It is the only reasonable solution. Americans deserve to finally stop having to worry about healthcare being an economic crisis. Being sick is in itself bad enough.
Perhaps this latest sign of the fecklessness of so much of our party's leadership will not be too damaging. Perhaps. But I can't help feeling that this was a self-inflicted wound we didn't need and that while it may not too badly affect our standing among the larger electorate, it is dispiriting to our own activists.
Hi Simon. I have great respect for you and Stuart. I watched most of your talk with him this morning. As always, you both were insightful and measured. I felt that a couple of the comments in the chat were rather rude. I understand that people are frustrated after the Dems big wins last Tuesday, a couple of comments were uncalled for. As I said to some friends at my coffee shop in SF last week, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Thanks for your tireless efforts to preserve democracy.
I agree, Iris, that they were some rude comments in the chat today. It was the worst I've ever seen here actually and I responded to at least one person and said this is not what we do in this community.
Exactly, we are better than that. I'm one of those people who remember names and I recognized some of the people who were pretty rough. To be honest, it felt bad!
At moments like this bad actors - Rs, foreign govts - swoop in to sow discord, and encourage Dems to turn on one another. We all at this point should understand that this is part of the game, anticipate it, and manage it. I am seeing it tonight on the YT version of the video. Remember what I talk about all the time - Trump and his allies want us to feel bad about the country, our democracy, our leaders, our institutions and each other. Why, each of us, every day, are info warriors. We are in the game, fighting, whether we understand it or not!
When I read the news this morning, I was not happy. Several hours later, I got an email from Sen. Tim Kaine and I understand things better. 300,000 Federal Workers in Virginia have not been paid for several weeks, then there is the air traffic control workers, people are worn out, poor and tired. We need to work together to help them and not make their situation worse.
We also need to use our voice for Medicare for All. Trump is trashing ACA/ Obama care and the best solution is to demand Medicare for All. MTG has said the Republican Party has no plan for our healthcare. Democrats need to stay together and fight Republicans.
“Again, it all goes back to I think the person running the country right now is a dead pedophile.”
- Professor Scott Galloway (NYU), Founder of Prof G Media
Folks:
DEMOCRATS and others who care about the nation’s immediate future. Please listen to this segment from Allison Gill of MSW Media (timestamps 0:00 to 23:00): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvA7wU9Ey94. Dr. Gill is a former government employee with impeccable sources. Supposedly, the EPSTEIN “files” are worse than people feared.
So, at least 100 Republican representatives shared with their colleagues that they want to get ahead of the mess and vote with the four current Republicans and all the Democrats on the pending “discharge petition” to release the files. This story of Republicans now frightened about the actual EPSTEIN visuals first became well known last week: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/doj-admits-republicans-epstein-files-162130218.html. With all of the hoopla about Tuesday’s elections, it got lost in the mix. Allison Gill also suggests that the government shutdown was part of a plot (i.e. sounds crazy but note the status of Representative-Elect Grijalva) to delay FOIA requests specifically related to EPSTEIN in the courts and relevant agencies.
Remember that the clinicians who have been brave enough (i.e. facing down the APA’s Goldwater rule) to classify Dolos as a malignant narcissist have also shared that there can be a sadistic component to this type of personality defect, which would fit with the absence of empathy. So, I will share two pieces of information with the appropriate warnings that Dolos denies the allegations and the incidents were never taken to court. Supposedly, the reason for his first divorce was “cruel and inhuman treatment”: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/donald-trump-exwife-claim-he-raped-her-resurfaces-in-new-documentary-a6836151.html. Ivana is now buried on her former husband’s golf course (not really normal).
Although revolting and criminal with the industrialized nature of the sexual exploitation of underage girls, there are other components of Epstein’s enterprise that may include blackmail, money laundering, and international espionage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOEKn_shHow. The “laundering” case against Epstein has been decades in the making per Bloomberg (i.e. from his own emails): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-hHaIIppz8.
To paraphrase a former VP, this is a BFD with both a national and an international blast radius. IN THE END, I HAVE ALWAYS SEEN THIS AS A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE. What would Dolos pay or give away to make the serious allegations of “Katie Johnson” (and the Epstein files overall) disappear? Remember to him, NOTHING is more important than his own well-being above and beyond that of the nation or its citizens.
CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (via nonviolence).
P.S.: Do the following now! FIRST, TEACH CIVICS. Second, register voters. THIRD, TEACH CIVICS. Rinse. Repeat.
Take the win! Nobody can negotiate with a sociopath. Democrats had great election results, and are winning the perception of being on the right side of the shutdown. Democrats worked hard to try and lessen the rising health premiums and Republicans went to the Supreme Court to try and not feed children. That's the message! A few more weeks of chaos might have led the Republicans to cave to Trump again and nuke the filibuster. Stop blaming each other and bury the Republicans on SNAP, the Gatsby Party, and not being able to govern.
We are stronger than we realize. Every time we get knocked down, we are going to get back up and continue to move ahead shoulder to shoulder as we remove all the destructive forces from our government. Then we are going to build a new foundation together that is stronger than ever before.
Terrific talk with Stuart! I'm so heartened. The perspective is so wide and far... I'm proud to be part of this community. And so grateful to be able to keep my head screwed on straight. Stuart is great. He makes you laugh!!
I love Stuart Stevens, madly. It is beyond my comprehension how a brilliant creative bold compassionate thoughtful person with a fundamentally liberal spirit (I use that word not in the political sense but in the original sense as meaning generous, open-handed in contrast to miserly/tight-fisted) could have spent most of his life as a GOP operative.
He came to see what I always saw: Trump didn't change Republicans. He just allowed them to be what they always were, in my lifetime anyway. I grew up in Orange County, CA in the 1960's surrounded by people no different from MAGA: bigoted, narrow minded, cruel, conformist, wedded to hierarchy, ready to lie, cheat and steal to make money.
I especially love nationalizing Starlink and defunding the executive branch. Someone get me to a cold shower.
Caught some of it. Really enjoy your talks with Stevens. He has perspective.
Do think events of the last couple of days in the Senate justify any Democrat asking any Democrat running in a primary next year whether they are onboard to REPLACE our Senate leadership. We deserve better.
Excellent talk with Stuart as always. I feel everyone's anger and disappointment today, but if we'll remember anything from this week, it should surely be our HUGE victory on Tuesday, which we will repeat next November. We will lose battles here and there, but we must keep our eyes on the war. Thanks Simon.
This is a wonderful conversation, and much needed today after the results in the Senate. It was good to laugh and see you laugh, Simon. Sometimes the theater of the absurd is so needed. Thanks to you both~!
I don't envy Stefany Shaheen right now...
******
While Shaheen may be retiring from the senate, her daughter Stefany is running for congress is NH. She immediately tried to distance herself from her mom, who was the point person for the Dems negotiating with Thune: “Improving health care has been the cause of my life. It’s why I am running for congress. So I cannot support this deal when Speaker Johnson refuses to even allow a vote to extend health care tax credits.”
… Her primary opponent Heath Howard was quick to pounce: “Then why did your mom vote for it? This is the hypocrisy of the establishment, playing both sides of this situation. If the Shaheens actually cared about healthcare, they would advocate for a universal healthcare system, not throw ACA recipients under the bus.”
… Another person on social media responded: “Mommy has taken a sledgehammer to your dreams on being in Congress.”
******
I know nothing about Stefany or Howard, but I agree with Howard's statement that if you care about healthcare you will advocate for universal healthcare. It is the only reasonable solution. Americans deserve to finally stop having to worry about healthcare being an economic crisis. Being sick is in itself bad enough.
Perhaps this latest sign of the fecklessness of so much of our party's leadership will not be too damaging. Perhaps. But I can't help feeling that this was a self-inflicted wound we didn't need and that while it may not too badly affect our standing among the larger electorate, it is dispiriting to our own activists.
Hi Simon. I have great respect for you and Stuart. I watched most of your talk with him this morning. As always, you both were insightful and measured. I felt that a couple of the comments in the chat were rather rude. I understand that people are frustrated after the Dems big wins last Tuesday, a couple of comments were uncalled for. As I said to some friends at my coffee shop in SF last week, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Thanks for your tireless efforts to preserve democracy.
Thanks for this 😍
I agree, Iris, that they were some rude comments in the chat today. It was the worst I've ever seen here actually and I responded to at least one person and said this is not what we do in this community.
Thank you Claire! I was taken aback. We're better than that.
Exactly, we are better than that. I'm one of those people who remember names and I recognized some of the people who were pretty rough. To be honest, it felt bad!
At moments like this bad actors - Rs, foreign govts - swoop in to sow discord, and encourage Dems to turn on one another. We all at this point should understand that this is part of the game, anticipate it, and manage it. I am seeing it tonight on the YT version of the video. Remember what I talk about all the time - Trump and his allies want us to feel bad about the country, our democracy, our leaders, our institutions and each other. Why, each of us, every day, are info warriors. We are in the game, fighting, whether we understand it or not!
Thanks Simon.
When I read the news this morning, I was not happy. Several hours later, I got an email from Sen. Tim Kaine and I understand things better. 300,000 Federal Workers in Virginia have not been paid for several weeks, then there is the air traffic control workers, people are worn out, poor and tired. We need to work together to help them and not make their situation worse.
We also need to use our voice for Medicare for All. Trump is trashing ACA/ Obama care and the best solution is to demand Medicare for All. MTG has said the Republican Party has no plan for our healthcare. Democrats need to stay together and fight Republicans.
Sandy, Tim Kaine is my senator and I know I'm on his list, but I didn't get an email from him.
It was an email that came in at 4:03 pm today titled "Reopening the government"
I really appreciate both of your voices and perspectives! Thank you!
We continue to move forward!!! Thank you!!
FROM EARLIER TODAY:
EPSTEIN! NATIONAL SECURITY! EPSTEIN! NATIONAL SECURITY! EPSTEIN!
“Who don’t hear, will surely feel.”
- Caribbean-West Indian Proverb
Seat Grijalva!!
“…the law and constitution are about process. Trump appeals to emotion…”
- Nick Carmody, M.S., J.D.
“Bannon’s populism is the vehicle being used to deliver Trump’s autocracy.”
- Nick Carmody, M.S., J.D.
Here are Professor Barbara Walter’s five suggestions for fighting authoritarianism:
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/the-hidden-battle-that-decides-whether .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/authoritarian-power-is-mostly-performance .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/how-dictators-lose-control-of-the .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/4-storms-and-streets-break-regimes .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/5-how-to-break-a-tyrant .
“Again, it all goes back to I think the person running the country right now is a dead pedophile.”
- Professor Scott Galloway (NYU), Founder of Prof G Media
Folks:
DEMOCRATS and others who care about the nation’s immediate future. Please listen to this segment from Allison Gill of MSW Media (timestamps 0:00 to 23:00): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvA7wU9Ey94. Dr. Gill is a former government employee with impeccable sources. Supposedly, the EPSTEIN “files” are worse than people feared.
So, at least 100 Republican representatives shared with their colleagues that they want to get ahead of the mess and vote with the four current Republicans and all the Democrats on the pending “discharge petition” to release the files. This story of Republicans now frightened about the actual EPSTEIN visuals first became well known last week: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/doj-admits-republicans-epstein-files-162130218.html. With all of the hoopla about Tuesday’s elections, it got lost in the mix. Allison Gill also suggests that the government shutdown was part of a plot (i.e. sounds crazy but note the status of Representative-Elect Grijalva) to delay FOIA requests specifically related to EPSTEIN in the courts and relevant agencies.
Remember that the clinicians who have been brave enough (i.e. facing down the APA’s Goldwater rule) to classify Dolos as a malignant narcissist have also shared that there can be a sadistic component to this type of personality defect, which would fit with the absence of empathy. So, I will share two pieces of information with the appropriate warnings that Dolos denies the allegations and the incidents were never taken to court. Supposedly, the reason for his first divorce was “cruel and inhuman treatment”: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/donald-trump-exwife-claim-he-raped-her-resurfaces-in-new-documentary-a6836151.html. Ivana is now buried on her former husband’s golf course (not really normal).
The second piece of information is from the 2016 case by “Katie Johnson”, a legal placeholder to protect the accuser’s anonymity, that was withdrawn a few days before the presidential election. The following link contains SEXUALLY EXPLICIT information: https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/Johnson_TrumpEpstein_Calif_Lawsuit.pdf. Katie Johnson’s last attorney did due diligence on her claims and found her to be credible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKJjVVRo6Oc. To get more details, here is a link to Ms. Palmeri’s Substack, “The Red Letter”: https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/the-disappearing-epstein-jane-doe. Let me know if you agree with the lawyer.
Although revolting and criminal with the industrialized nature of the sexual exploitation of underage girls, there are other components of Epstein’s enterprise that may include blackmail, money laundering, and international espionage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOEKn_shHow. The “laundering” case against Epstein has been decades in the making per Bloomberg (i.e. from his own emails): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-hHaIIppz8.
To paraphrase a former VP, this is a BFD with both a national and an international blast radius. IN THE END, I HAVE ALWAYS SEEN THIS AS A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE. What would Dolos pay or give away to make the serious allegations of “Katie Johnson” (and the Epstein files overall) disappear? Remember to him, NOTHING is more important than his own well-being above and beyond that of the nation or its citizens.
CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (via nonviolence).
P.S.: Do the following now! FIRST, TEACH CIVICS. Second, register voters. THIRD, TEACH CIVICS. Rinse. Repeat.
I LUV STEWART STEVENS!!
He needs waaaay more visibility.
He gets it.
Thanks guys.
Take the win! Nobody can negotiate with a sociopath. Democrats had great election results, and are winning the perception of being on the right side of the shutdown. Democrats worked hard to try and lessen the rising health premiums and Republicans went to the Supreme Court to try and not feed children. That's the message! A few more weeks of chaos might have led the Republicans to cave to Trump again and nuke the filibuster. Stop blaming each other and bury the Republicans on SNAP, the Gatsby Party, and not being able to govern.
We are stronger than we realize. Every time we get knocked down, we are going to get back up and continue to move ahead shoulder to shoulder as we remove all the destructive forces from our government. Then we are going to build a new foundation together that is stronger than ever before.
Thank you, Simon. You inspire hope.
Terrific talk with Stuart! I'm so heartened. The perspective is so wide and far... I'm proud to be part of this community. And so grateful to be able to keep my head screwed on straight. Stuart is great. He makes you laugh!!
I love Stuart Stevens, madly. It is beyond my comprehension how a brilliant creative bold compassionate thoughtful person with a fundamentally liberal spirit (I use that word not in the political sense but in the original sense as meaning generous, open-handed in contrast to miserly/tight-fisted) could have spent most of his life as a GOP operative.
He came to see what I always saw: Trump didn't change Republicans. He just allowed them to be what they always were, in my lifetime anyway. I grew up in Orange County, CA in the 1960's surrounded by people no different from MAGA: bigoted, narrow minded, cruel, conformist, wedded to hierarchy, ready to lie, cheat and steal to make money.
I especially love nationalizing Starlink and defunding the executive branch. Someone get me to a cold shower.
Caught some of it. Really enjoy your talks with Stevens. He has perspective.
Do think events of the last couple of days in the Senate justify any Democrat asking any Democrat running in a primary next year whether they are onboard to REPLACE our Senate leadership. We deserve better.
Two important convos to go with Simon's interview above.
1)Another with Stuart and Waj Ali
https://youtu.be/d1xCgVJhkjs
2)Ezra Levin (incandescent with rage) with Jen Rubin
https://youtu.be/TOXsIjwVfuA