Seeing this victory in Wisconsin is bittersweet, last February I lost a dear friend who had been in the trenches trying to get fair maps for his state. He's not here with us anymore but he's finally victorious and I know that wherever he is, he's thrilled.
I have linked to Rev Barber’s upcoming marches on March 2 in 32 state capitals! It would be incredible if state and national DEM’s speak at these for the exposure and the drum up the voting power of poor people across the country! Simon, hopefully the campaign is well aware of these opportunities??!!
Kate, I feel that Simon is pointing out the facts. Simple. The mainstream media, including PBS and MSNBC, have their narrative that relies on the conservative point of view, and that is that immigration is THE most important issue today. In 2022, "prognosticators" felt the red wave would be built on the "poor economy."
In 2022 and post Dobbs, the most vital issue before voters is Democracy! Reproductive freedom and ensuring voting rights are core and central to voters HEARTS (capitalized to emphasize).
Don't listen to the chatter on MSNBC and PBC and elsewhere - unless they point to the facts that Democrats and liberal issues are winning the day. Because, they are and we are winning the day. Day in, and day out.
When it is Klein vs. Rosenberg I'm on Team Rosenberg. Klein's trashing of Biden is inexcusable and impossible to comprehend. He needs to get his head out of the coastal bubble and think about the rest of the country for a minute. Most people spend zero time thinking about politics.
I think Biden has been the best president of my life, but Ezra was making a fair point, if unhelpful. It is on Biden to show people he is a strong and capable campaigner and if he cannot do so he needs to make a change. I suspect after the State of the Union much of this type of worry will die down.
I live in Ohio, my brother who voted for Biden in 2020, and is probably not going to vote for him in 2024. I do not think he will vote for Trump, probably third party. He consumes Tick-tock not news. My Brother really buys the argument Biden is senile, frail, and a failure, no matter how much I push against the idea. He is not the only Biden Voter in my life with this perception. It is on Biden to show, not tell, people that he is still strong and capable.
I don't think what Ezra suggested is necessary, I think Biden will show up. But other influential people are saying similar things. Jon Stewart's first monologue back on the Daily Show said much of the same.
John Stewart was also very unhelpful to the goal of maintaining democracy in the US. Biden was my 10th choice in the 2020 primary but he won for a reason. The perfect is the enemy of the good.
I don't know if I agree. At the core of these arguments is not that Biden is a bad president, or even unfit, but that he needs to improve his campaign. Their critique might be more pointed but it is not uncommon in the Hopium Community.
Many have been saying it is time for the Campaign to ramp up, or to hit Trump more directly. Their argument is that the Biden campaign needs to show more vitality than it currently is. If we want to have a the blowout that is possible that is probably required.
One thought, before we had a GOP candidate who needed to run and win to avoid prison, did our candidate need to start so early to "show more vitality?"
It is generally prudent to head off this concern before they become problems but I suspect the conflict in Gaza took precedent. People who work in the medium of public perception are saying now is time to turn the ship on this.
Much to his credit Biden has made the presidency something we do not have to worry about everyday. However, bad faith actors have been aggressively agitating the to give voters a negative perception of his greatest strength/weakness.
Thank you, Simon. I listened to your discussion with Ezra Klein, and I appreciated your answers to his questions. I think Biden will appear as crisp, energetic and even youthful as the campaign gets rolling. This will help to counter the negativity of the MAGA information environment. Also, there are a lot of us grassroots people on social media who would gladly post for the Biden campaign if they asked us. It would be so much easier to be loud & proud if we organized.
Amazing not to measure leaders by what they are getting done and if they support families and workers! I just don’t get it but guess I never will. I agree with writer who said : “I will support someone 100 years old if they are getting so much done”
I think one of the reasons we get taken up in the negativity, is that if you are negative you feel less vulnerable. If you keep predicting disaster, eventually you will be right, as life always throws you some losses. But if you go with optimism and the "We will Win mentality" you are putting yourself out there to be wrong. You appear less cautious and deliberate in your thinking. I raise this only to try to explain why you get so many "freaking out" emails. Negativity is easier and safer nowadays. With your coaching I k ow we will get beyond this, but I wanted to share this insight.
I agree….people speak negatively because they believe it makes them sound smart…unlike the naive positive people. That why so many of the political pundits are always negative.
I think it is also hard after living through the election of 2016 to be overly optimistic about a Democratic Presidential victory. Viewing it as an uphill climb protects us from dashed expectations. But this doesn't have to be demoralizing - it just keeps us fighting for democracy and not ever giving up. We're playing the long game here.
I think people were hoping that Trump would be in prison by now OR that there would be a GOP candidate who emerge who could beat out Trump in the primaries OR that he would be disqualified by the 14th amendment. None of that has happened so people think Trump is invincible rather than Simon's cogent analysis on why the 2024 version of Trump is so far degraded from the 2016 version!
Countless Americans (including Mitch McConnell) have kept hoping that "somebody else will stop Trump".
No! It is up to us – every single American who is willing to fight for democracy – to stop Trump, re-elect President Biden, and create a massive Blue Tsunami in November!
That's exactly what I was going through ! Hell part of me still does, every time there's a legal update about Trump. But between Simon and Robert Hubbell's newsletters, I have learned to accept that "legal troubles/events" alone will not deliver us from Trump. As others have said it's up to us to the do the work, up to all of us to keep him out of power. Every time I hear of another effort to smear/discredit Biden, or another third party development, I border on a stomach ulcer. But then I remember that this is bound to happen and that we have the power lift our standard bearer up! To quote another famous campaign "Yes we can!"
Susan that is so true, especially when the negativity is couched in anger, which feels so much more powerful than fear or depression. The GOP has been expert at riling up that fear/anger which is stored so deeply as "them vs us" in our reptile brains. I follow Dr. King's advocating that "Hatred cannot drive out hatred, only love can do that." Not mushy romantic love, but the "love your neighbor as yourself" kind of love that was commanded both by Moses in Leviticus 19:18 and Jesus in several quotes in the New Testament, e.g. Luke, 10:27. I'm also committed to demonstrating that one can embrace the strength of spiritual love energy w/o having to succumb to authoritarian dictates of any particular religion. Thanks for all you do!
I remember W being written off in 04, Salon had an essay talking about his imminent loss to Kerry. An unpopular president who fell asleep at the switch on 9/11 and got us into a disastrous war on false pretenses. Yet the W team never lacked confidence. They won a tight election where, had just one state OH, flipped, Kerry would have won, and without the PV to boot ( which would have been sweet ). And guess what? Some of his team are on our side, at least for now, and they are similarly confident about our chances. As Rick Wilson said recently on Molly Jong fast's show, Ezra Klein and these other pundits have never been in an election street fight and have no clue what they are talking about. EOM.
I know it's not really funny, but your last line cracked me up, and for that I am grateful!
Also, I have made it a personal commitment to have as many "respectful conversations" as i can on Twitter X, and it's been fascinating to really hear Trump supporters who are decent ordinary people say what they believe. My purpose is not changing minds, but rather creating little moments of understanding. I've asked several name callers to leave the conversation if they don't like the intention, and a couple have apologized and stayed. And the name callers are divided equally among the Trump and Biden supporters. I pray it makes a positive difference.
WOW! You are really doing the hard work of this campaign. Persuading one Trump or devoted GOP voter to listen to the Democratic view point is worth 10 voter registrations at this point..Thank you!
I agree, but it sure is amusing watching them try to cajole the MAGATs into doing something that Trump is telling them not to do because of his "election was stolen" fantasy.
And the funny thing is that VBM was GOP thing way back before Trump to bank the vote of their older voters who might not feel up to going to the polls on election day.
Yea! Y'all, I'm stuck in bed with Covid (feeling better today) but I LOVE Politics Girl and can't wait to go listen to Simon on it. Also, this might not hearten y'all but it does me - ALL of my people in South Carolina (where I was raised right) voted for Trump twice and they all say they won't do it again. Jan 6 was an enormous line in the sand for normy Repubs (and some of my people aren't even particularly close to that normy GOP label). Now, maybe they're lying to me but I know them well and I just don't think they are. I think my South Cackalacky people represent a whole lotta people and this is a balm to my naturally neurotic soul.
Hi Janice, I have some friends who used to be Republicans and after Jan 6, they each told me totally out of the blue that they had changed party affiliations. We never used to talk politics, but I would mention registering new voters and writing GOTV postcards, so I think they knew that I wasn't a Republican ;-).
Anyway, one of them is from OH and has lots of family back there - most of them Trump supporters. She can't talk to them about politics, so she vents to me. She'll call me up when Trump does something outrageous and say "Did you hear what THAT MAN said (or did)?
So I don't think your relatives are blowing smoke - but you may be the only person in the family they feel safe talking to about their change of heart.
Thanks, Cheryl. It's hard to explain to others, but in SC (where I lived from 1966-1988), the political waters you swim in tell you this and only this: the federal government is DEEPLY corrupt, illegitimate even and so the secret is to make sure you get your deeply corrupt people up there and not their deeply corrupt people.
As I grew up and got a little more book learning and a lot more life learning in me, I tended to respond to people who dumped that water on my head by saying "Y'all are just pissed because they took away your slaves." A young adult me could cause political drama at holiday tables. I tell you this so you might know that I am possibly not the one to spread the good news about the Democratic Party to my family.
That said, I'm 57 now and it's been a long time since I've needled any of them about politics, so we'll see if I can influence them today. And by influence - I mean lead them to actively vote for President Biden and other SC Democrats this year. I'm an optimist and I've already started writing letters to each one of them so we'll see!
What truly astounds me in the aftermath of January 6th, is how the proportion of Republican voters who believe the 2020 Presidential Election was stolen, has skyrocketed. In May 2021 it was 56%, now it is closer to 70%.
I am absolutely gobsmacked! And how can this not be a monumental failure of controlling the narrative??
I understand from a good friend of mine whose very well educated that there are many of her educated Republican brethren who know better (all) but stick to the party line to “own the libs” kinda like the “ enemy of my friend is my enemy” Sick support like Newt Gingrich saying Biden is treating Trump like P treated Navalny. She says anyway to bother the snowball libs is fair game bc we make ourselves targets so easily. I found that amazing but believable after listening to Rick Wilson describe how they sought ways to goad the high and mighty libs when he was a Republican. Too gamy for my taste; one of the reasons I landed and stay on Hopium Chronicles- to get away from all the blatant negativity, name calling and doom; some real some made up. And instead focus on “ working hard with Hope and lots of actions”
I thank Simon every week for providing this hopeful positive respite and tough love schooling in Civics and civil discourse and for opening all our eyes to what we’re fighting for and how we can WIN if we work together to save our democracy.
Btw: My friend told me a lot of them have learned to self identify as Democrat in phone surveys/polls then score Biden/ Dems low in all categories!!!
Simon’s right, we need to keep working at not getting hooked and drug through the mud. Ours IS a noble cause and the millions of us will make the difference. Hope+Work.
Worried folks should also listen to That Trippi Show, featuring longtime Democratic campaign expert Joe Trippi. He, Simon, and Tom B. talked me off the ledge in 2022.
What state will turn from blue or purple and voter for trump? NOT here in Arizona, where people are everywhere getting signatures for a Reproductive Freedom referendum in November - which will drive the women's and liberal votes!
Not in PA, MN, MI and WI, where we have seen successive years of winning statewide elections!
Not in Georgia, where the leaders of the state are Dem Senators Ossiff and Warnock AND Fani Willis!
America is turning against conservatism and will continue to lean toward Democracy and liberalism
I really want to write up an essay of my own about why I disagree with all the doom takes. Something that can be shared easily whenever someone is worried.
Losing would be so bad that I don't think worrying is completely unfounded. No amount of data today can tell us what surprises the next 8.5 months have in store (remember, this time in 2020 was still before Covid lock downs). Biden could be +10 in the polls and it would still be reasonable to worry.
Where the worrying becomes bad is when it starts harming your mental health, interfering with your life, stopping you from taking the actions you need to take to increase the chances that we win.
Part of the enemy's strategy is to convince us to do less. To not bother volunteering or donating, or just do it less, or even stay home on election day. In 2016 that meant telling us we had it in the bag. This year it means telling us we're going to lose. Don't let them talk you into a depression. Keep fighting. I know this community will.
Saying that polls are unreliable indicators of electoral outcomes is just becoming background noise. After polling predicted wrong outcomes in 2022 and 2023 and 2024, pollsters said, "Forget the old polls and look at the new ones!" They're just decontextualized numbers. What has happened to make independents now back the man they previously voted against? Not just move away from Biden, but move back toward Trump for some reason? Nothing has happened that would explain that swing. It's absurd. If Biden were ahead now, the NYT would be writing about 2016 and how HRC was ahead until the very end, predicting how Dem arrogance and complacency would cost them the election again. But now they act as if these polls, taken before Trump faces several public criminal prosecutions, are some kind of infallible predictive device and that, based on them, we should look for a new candidate (even though things did not work out so well when LBJ decided not to run for a second term). Who else remembers Michael Moore yelling on TV during the 2020 campaign that we were blowing it in the Rust Belt? Biden's weakness is his age so they're laser focused on it. But when you ask likely voters "Would you rather have a president who will get rid of affordable health care and institute a national abortion ban or one that won't?" they are not going to say, "I don't know. Whichever one is younger, I guess."
Tbh, my optimism doesn't depend on whether the polls are accurate or not. Even if the race is currently tied, as Simon said this is before the campaign happened. Before all the surprises that will happen in the next 8 months happen. The polls are simply irrelevant until around Labor Day.
I just watched the YouTube of Navalny's Widow and am still shedding tears. That Trump and MAGA have embraced the smarmy dictator, Vladimir Putin, disgusts me to the bottom of my soul. I am sick of listening to and hearing about Trump and his minions, but instead of making me want to give up it simply reinforces my desire to rid ourselves of them. To TANK THEIR RATINGS. This is a bad, bad, beyond B-grade movie and our goal should be to create a new script that empowers rather than diminishes. What always puzzles me is why the oligarchs and folks with so much money run depressing scripts. Perhaps money does not buy happiness after all.
Worth noting: Elon Musk Xitter just banned Yulia Navalnaya. Why? Because Navalny’s widow posted a video accusing Vlad Putin of essentially murdering her husband. (To top it off, Russia just assassinated a prominent defector in Spain.)
Update: The banning of Navalnaya has been reversed – with Xitter claiming it was "an erroneous suspension". (Note: The assassination of former Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov has not been reversed.)
I’ll be sending this post to the 40+ volunteers who are part of the Worry Less Do More grassroots postcard campaign targeting AZCD06. They are adding personal notes right now to 20K postcards that will be mailed on Sept 30 just before AZ voters receive their mail in ballots … 10K more postcards are in the works.
Really looking forward to your interview with Leigh McGowan - she's terrific. Also read you're speaking with the Resolute Square gang (Rick Wilson, Stuart Stevens, Joe Trippi) tonight at 7pm. Can't wait!
Hope everyone saw that President Biden's reelection campaign just announced it raised $42 million in January. Joe Biden has now raised the highest total of any Democratic presidential candidate in history. Yesterday I sent another contribution to the campaign in honor of Presidents' Day, as well as to the Wisconsin Democratic Party in honor of their new legislative maps. Also sent the North Carolina Democratic Party another contribution this morning. As Senator Warnock says, "When we step up, we win."
And I try to always remember Simon's wise advice: Do more, worry less, don't get blown off course, and stay on offense!
Between marching NeoNazis in Nashville a public shooting in KC and killing of Nevalzny, and rising of Voldemort, it been a painful week.
Deep breaths, focus and heads down! Instead of worrying I took your words literally and set up monthly donations for Josh Stein ( for Govenor of NC) and NC Dem party, and youth voter support. ( Vote Forward) I won’t fool myself that all the swirl of garbage going on doesn’t still hurt but it feels so much better to DO SOMETHING rather than brood or get angry. 🤬
I wonder what else 🤔? Maybe there’s a good March going on soon???🤣 Humor certainly helps and dosing my self with hope at HC and being reminded to “ stay on offense” by a stalwart HC colleague helps too. Thanks again Jon🙏🏻
I live in a Sinclair-dominated red state. Nelson’s comments about Sinclair are spot on but I would add that their appeal extends to rural areas as well.
I’ve said it before: My pipe dream is that Warren Buffett or some other pro-democracy billionaire buys Sinclair Broadcast and transforms it into a *real* news outlet.
And that Dominion wins its lawsuit against Newsmax, becomes its de facto owner – and restructures it with real journalists. Perhaps putting Amy Goodman in charge of political reporting?
Simon, Once again, thank you for what you do! You’re right, we’re winning and 6 November is going to be a wonderful day filled with new hope. You also are correct in that that will happen only if we put in the work. It’s a battle of increments, like the Supreme Court in Wisconsin. Took a while to see the knock-off effects, but now we do. Same with each postcard and telephone call. Troops for an inclusive, egalitarian democracy! We rally ‘round you, Simon. -Ron
Successfully electing Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court was a huge victory – and we are now seeing the positive consequences of that. However, while the new maps are set to have a profound impact on Wisconsin’s upcoming elections for the State Assembly, they will NOT end gerrymandering in this election cycle. There is a very good reason the Republican legislature hurried to approve the new maps proposed by Governor Evers.
As Prof. Sam Wang points out in his latest newsletter, "Gerrymandering, undone":
"Because it will take two cycles for the entire Senate to turn over, the Senate under his plan will not become fully majoritarian until 2026. So Republicans will likely hold on to an unearned Senate majority for at least two more years.
"If the Wisconsin Supreme Court does not want this, they could conceivably require that the new Senate map be used to elect all 33 senators this November."
Seeing this victory in Wisconsin is bittersweet, last February I lost a dear friend who had been in the trenches trying to get fair maps for his state. He's not here with us anymore but he's finally victorious and I know that wherever he is, he's thrilled.
Simon et al: dos it see this excellent sermon by William Barber on the power of the vote in NC : https://vimeo.com/914559769/0e5d64d48f
I have linked to Rev Barber’s upcoming marches on March 2 in 32 state capitals! It would be incredible if state and national DEM’s speak at these for the exposure and the drum up the voting power of poor people across the country! Simon, hopefully the campaign is well aware of these opportunities??!!
I’m not seeing any link
https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/
https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/
Thank you for your eternal optimism. It keeps us strong. We surely need it. Together we can do this.
Kate, I feel that Simon is pointing out the facts. Simple. The mainstream media, including PBS and MSNBC, have their narrative that relies on the conservative point of view, and that is that immigration is THE most important issue today. In 2022, "prognosticators" felt the red wave would be built on the "poor economy."
In 2022 and post Dobbs, the most vital issue before voters is Democracy! Reproductive freedom and ensuring voting rights are core and central to voters HEARTS (capitalized to emphasize).
Don't listen to the chatter on MSNBC and PBC and elsewhere - unless they point to the facts that Democrats and liberal issues are winning the day. Because, they are and we are winning the day. Day in, and day out.
When it is Klein vs. Rosenberg I'm on Team Rosenberg. Klein's trashing of Biden is inexcusable and impossible to comprehend. He needs to get his head out of the coastal bubble and think about the rest of the country for a minute. Most people spend zero time thinking about politics.
I think Biden has been the best president of my life, but Ezra was making a fair point, if unhelpful. It is on Biden to show people he is a strong and capable campaigner and if he cannot do so he needs to make a change. I suspect after the State of the Union much of this type of worry will die down.
I live in Ohio, my brother who voted for Biden in 2020, and is probably not going to vote for him in 2024. I do not think he will vote for Trump, probably third party. He consumes Tick-tock not news. My Brother really buys the argument Biden is senile, frail, and a failure, no matter how much I push against the idea. He is not the only Biden Voter in my life with this perception. It is on Biden to show, not tell, people that he is still strong and capable.
I don't think what Ezra suggested is necessary, I think Biden will show up. But other influential people are saying similar things. Jon Stewart's first monologue back on the Daily Show said much of the same.
John Stewart was also very unhelpful to the goal of maintaining democracy in the US. Biden was my 10th choice in the 2020 primary but he won for a reason. The perfect is the enemy of the good.
I don't know if I agree. At the core of these arguments is not that Biden is a bad president, or even unfit, but that he needs to improve his campaign. Their critique might be more pointed but it is not uncommon in the Hopium Community.
Many have been saying it is time for the Campaign to ramp up, or to hit Trump more directly. Their argument is that the Biden campaign needs to show more vitality than it currently is. If we want to have a the blowout that is possible that is probably required.
One thought, before we had a GOP candidate who needed to run and win to avoid prison, did our candidate need to start so early to "show more vitality?"
It is generally prudent to head off this concern before they become problems but I suspect the conflict in Gaza took precedent. People who work in the medium of public perception are saying now is time to turn the ship on this.
Much to his credit Biden has made the presidency something we do not have to worry about everyday. However, bad faith actors have been aggressively agitating the to give voters a negative perception of his greatest strength/weakness.
Thank you, Simon. I listened to your discussion with Ezra Klein, and I appreciated your answers to his questions. I think Biden will appear as crisp, energetic and even youthful as the campaign gets rolling. This will help to counter the negativity of the MAGA information environment. Also, there are a lot of us grassroots people on social media who would gladly post for the Biden campaign if they asked us. It would be so much easier to be loud & proud if we organized.
Amazing not to measure leaders by what they are getting done and if they support families and workers! I just don’t get it but guess I never will. I agree with writer who said : “I will support someone 100 years old if they are getting so much done”
I think one of the reasons we get taken up in the negativity, is that if you are negative you feel less vulnerable. If you keep predicting disaster, eventually you will be right, as life always throws you some losses. But if you go with optimism and the "We will Win mentality" you are putting yourself out there to be wrong. You appear less cautious and deliberate in your thinking. I raise this only to try to explain why you get so many "freaking out" emails. Negativity is easier and safer nowadays. With your coaching I k ow we will get beyond this, but I wanted to share this insight.
I agree….people speak negatively because they believe it makes them sound smart…unlike the naive positive people. That why so many of the political pundits are always negative.
"…if you are negative you feel less vulnerable."
Whereas in reality, that negativity makes us more vulnerable."
.
I think it is also hard after living through the election of 2016 to be overly optimistic about a Democratic Presidential victory. Viewing it as an uphill climb protects us from dashed expectations. But this doesn't have to be demoralizing - it just keeps us fighting for democracy and not ever giving up. We're playing the long game here.
Susan and you both make good points.
I think people were hoping that Trump would be in prison by now OR that there would be a GOP candidate who emerge who could beat out Trump in the primaries OR that he would be disqualified by the 14th amendment. None of that has happened so people think Trump is invincible rather than Simon's cogent analysis on why the 2024 version of Trump is so far degraded from the 2016 version!
Countless Americans (including Mitch McConnell) have kept hoping that "somebody else will stop Trump".
No! It is up to us – every single American who is willing to fight for democracy – to stop Trump, re-elect President Biden, and create a massive Blue Tsunami in November!
That's exactly what I was going through ! Hell part of me still does, every time there's a legal update about Trump. But between Simon and Robert Hubbell's newsletters, I have learned to accept that "legal troubles/events" alone will not deliver us from Trump. As others have said it's up to us to the do the work, up to all of us to keep him out of power. Every time I hear of another effort to smear/discredit Biden, or another third party development, I border on a stomach ulcer. But then I remember that this is bound to happen and that we have the power lift our standard bearer up! To quote another famous campaign "Yes we can!"
Susan that is so true, especially when the negativity is couched in anger, which feels so much more powerful than fear or depression. The GOP has been expert at riling up that fear/anger which is stored so deeply as "them vs us" in our reptile brains. I follow Dr. King's advocating that "Hatred cannot drive out hatred, only love can do that." Not mushy romantic love, but the "love your neighbor as yourself" kind of love that was commanded both by Moses in Leviticus 19:18 and Jesus in several quotes in the New Testament, e.g. Luke, 10:27. I'm also committed to demonstrating that one can embrace the strength of spiritual love energy w/o having to succumb to authoritarian dictates of any particular religion. Thanks for all you do!
I remember W being written off in 04, Salon had an essay talking about his imminent loss to Kerry. An unpopular president who fell asleep at the switch on 9/11 and got us into a disastrous war on false pretenses. Yet the W team never lacked confidence. They won a tight election where, had just one state OH, flipped, Kerry would have won, and without the PV to boot ( which would have been sweet ). And guess what? Some of his team are on our side, at least for now, and they are similarly confident about our chances. As Rick Wilson said recently on Molly Jong fast's show, Ezra Klein and these other pundits have never been in an election street fight and have no clue what they are talking about. EOM.
To play on Simon's "I'd rather be us than them", I add "and I'd rather have Rick Wilson and the Lincoln Project crew on our side than theirs."
🤣🤣🤣 !!👍👍
Such a grounded writing Susan. Thank you.
You know the GOP is freaked out and has a losing candidate in Trump because they're now running their usual BS disinformation campaign.
1. Biden is mentally incompetent.
2. Biden is the head of the Biden Crime Family, more corrupt than Trump.
3. Ala Hur, Biden commited document security crimes equal to Trump. He was only cleared becuase the DOJ is corrupt.
4. Biden is a Socialist and wants everyone to be an enslaved serf under the thumb of the federal goverment.
I'm waiting to hear about Biden in basement of a pizza parlor in MD
I know it's not really funny, but your last line cracked me up, and for that I am grateful!
Also, I have made it a personal commitment to have as many "respectful conversations" as i can on Twitter X, and it's been fascinating to really hear Trump supporters who are decent ordinary people say what they believe. My purpose is not changing minds, but rather creating little moments of understanding. I've asked several name callers to leave the conversation if they don't like the intention, and a couple have apologized and stayed. And the name callers are divided equally among the Trump and Biden supporters. I pray it makes a positive difference.
WOW! You are really doing the hard work of this campaign. Persuading one Trump or devoted GOP voter to listen to the Democratic view point is worth 10 voter registrations at this point..Thank you!
speaking about the GOP freaking out, I was sent a link to this article about the GOP worrying about early voting because of the Suozzi race results:
https://www.nationalmemo.com/early-voting-2667284647
The more the GOP stays away from early voting, the better..
I agree, but it sure is amusing watching them try to cajole the MAGATs into doing something that Trump is telling them not to do because of his "election was stolen" fantasy.
And the funny thing is that VBM was GOP thing way back before Trump to bank the vote of their older voters who might not feel up to going to the polls on election day.
MAGA is about as good as strategy as they are at policy legislation.
Cheryl - that kills me too - the Republican Party practically invented VBM, especially as its voting base became ancient.
Yea! Y'all, I'm stuck in bed with Covid (feeling better today) but I LOVE Politics Girl and can't wait to go listen to Simon on it. Also, this might not hearten y'all but it does me - ALL of my people in South Carolina (where I was raised right) voted for Trump twice and they all say they won't do it again. Jan 6 was an enormous line in the sand for normy Repubs (and some of my people aren't even particularly close to that normy GOP label). Now, maybe they're lying to me but I know them well and I just don't think they are. I think my South Cackalacky people represent a whole lotta people and this is a balm to my naturally neurotic soul.
Hi Janice, I have some friends who used to be Republicans and after Jan 6, they each told me totally out of the blue that they had changed party affiliations. We never used to talk politics, but I would mention registering new voters and writing GOTV postcards, so I think they knew that I wasn't a Republican ;-).
Anyway, one of them is from OH and has lots of family back there - most of them Trump supporters. She can't talk to them about politics, so she vents to me. She'll call me up when Trump does something outrageous and say "Did you hear what THAT MAN said (or did)?
So I don't think your relatives are blowing smoke - but you may be the only person in the family they feel safe talking to about their change of heart.
Thanks, Cheryl. It's hard to explain to others, but in SC (where I lived from 1966-1988), the political waters you swim in tell you this and only this: the federal government is DEEPLY corrupt, illegitimate even and so the secret is to make sure you get your deeply corrupt people up there and not their deeply corrupt people.
As I grew up and got a little more book learning and a lot more life learning in me, I tended to respond to people who dumped that water on my head by saying "Y'all are just pissed because they took away your slaves." A young adult me could cause political drama at holiday tables. I tell you this so you might know that I am possibly not the one to spread the good news about the Democratic Party to my family.
That said, I'm 57 now and it's been a long time since I've needled any of them about politics, so we'll see if I can influence them today. And by influence - I mean lead them to actively vote for President Biden and other SC Democrats this year. I'm an optimist and I've already started writing letters to each one of them so we'll see!
What truly astounds me in the aftermath of January 6th, is how the proportion of Republican voters who believe the 2020 Presidential Election was stolen, has skyrocketed. In May 2021 it was 56%, now it is closer to 70%.
I am absolutely gobsmacked! And how can this not be a monumental failure of controlling the narrative??
I understand from a good friend of mine whose very well educated that there are many of her educated Republican brethren who know better (all) but stick to the party line to “own the libs” kinda like the “ enemy of my friend is my enemy” Sick support like Newt Gingrich saying Biden is treating Trump like P treated Navalny. She says anyway to bother the snowball libs is fair game bc we make ourselves targets so easily. I found that amazing but believable after listening to Rick Wilson describe how they sought ways to goad the high and mighty libs when he was a Republican. Too gamy for my taste; one of the reasons I landed and stay on Hopium Chronicles- to get away from all the blatant negativity, name calling and doom; some real some made up. And instead focus on “ working hard with Hope and lots of actions”
I thank Simon every week for providing this hopeful positive respite and tough love schooling in Civics and civil discourse and for opening all our eyes to what we’re fighting for and how we can WIN if we work together to save our democracy.
Btw: My friend told me a lot of them have learned to self identify as Democrat in phone surveys/polls then score Biden/ Dems low in all categories!!!
Simon’s right, we need to keep working at not getting hooked and drug through the mud. Ours IS a noble cause and the millions of us will make the difference. Hope+Work.
Fascinating. Thank you! And this was quite an eye-opener:
"My friend told me a lot of them have learned to self identify as Democrat in phone surveys/polls then score Biden/ Dems low in all categories!"
🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Fingers crossed to GOTV in SC!
Hope you get well soon Janice
Worried folks should also listen to That Trippi Show, featuring longtime Democratic campaign expert Joe Trippi. He, Simon, and Tom B. talked me off the ledge in 2022.
We do they work, they do the crazy, Joe Trippi is the best
Sarah, Please think about this:
What state will turn from blue or purple and voter for trump? NOT here in Arizona, where people are everywhere getting signatures for a Reproductive Freedom referendum in November - which will drive the women's and liberal votes!
Not in PA, MN, MI and WI, where we have seen successive years of winning statewide elections!
Not in Georgia, where the leaders of the state are Dem Senators Ossiff and Warnock AND Fani Willis!
America is turning against conservatism and will continue to lean toward Democracy and liberalism
I really want to write up an essay of my own about why I disagree with all the doom takes. Something that can be shared easily whenever someone is worried.
Losing would be so bad that I don't think worrying is completely unfounded. No amount of data today can tell us what surprises the next 8.5 months have in store (remember, this time in 2020 was still before Covid lock downs). Biden could be +10 in the polls and it would still be reasonable to worry.
Where the worrying becomes bad is when it starts harming your mental health, interfering with your life, stopping you from taking the actions you need to take to increase the chances that we win.
Part of the enemy's strategy is to convince us to do less. To not bother volunteering or donating, or just do it less, or even stay home on election day. In 2016 that meant telling us we had it in the bag. This year it means telling us we're going to lose. Don't let them talk you into a depression. Keep fighting. I know this community will.
Saying that polls are unreliable indicators of electoral outcomes is just becoming background noise. After polling predicted wrong outcomes in 2022 and 2023 and 2024, pollsters said, "Forget the old polls and look at the new ones!" They're just decontextualized numbers. What has happened to make independents now back the man they previously voted against? Not just move away from Biden, but move back toward Trump for some reason? Nothing has happened that would explain that swing. It's absurd. If Biden were ahead now, the NYT would be writing about 2016 and how HRC was ahead until the very end, predicting how Dem arrogance and complacency would cost them the election again. But now they act as if these polls, taken before Trump faces several public criminal prosecutions, are some kind of infallible predictive device and that, based on them, we should look for a new candidate (even though things did not work out so well when LBJ decided not to run for a second term). Who else remembers Michael Moore yelling on TV during the 2020 campaign that we were blowing it in the Rust Belt? Biden's weakness is his age so they're laser focused on it. But when you ask likely voters "Would you rather have a president who will get rid of affordable health care and institute a national abortion ban or one that won't?" they are not going to say, "I don't know. Whichever one is younger, I guess."
Tbh, my optimism doesn't depend on whether the polls are accurate or not. Even if the race is currently tied, as Simon said this is before the campaign happened. Before all the surprises that will happen in the next 8 months happen. The polls are simply irrelevant until around Labor Day.
I just watched the YouTube of Navalny's Widow and am still shedding tears. That Trump and MAGA have embraced the smarmy dictator, Vladimir Putin, disgusts me to the bottom of my soul. I am sick of listening to and hearing about Trump and his minions, but instead of making me want to give up it simply reinforces my desire to rid ourselves of them. To TANK THEIR RATINGS. This is a bad, bad, beyond B-grade movie and our goal should be to create a new script that empowers rather than diminishes. What always puzzles me is why the oligarchs and folks with so much money run depressing scripts. Perhaps money does not buy happiness after all.
Worth noting: Elon Musk Xitter just banned Yulia Navalnaya. Why? Because Navalny’s widow posted a video accusing Vlad Putin of essentially murdering her husband. (To top it off, Russia just assassinated a prominent defector in Spain.)
Update: The banning of Navalnaya has been reversed – with Xitter claiming it was "an erroneous suspension". (Note: The assassination of former Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov has not been reversed.)
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"What always puzzles me is why the oligarchs and folks with so much money run depressing scripts. Perhaps money does not buy happiness after all."
Susan, I recently bought a t-shirt on Etsy that says "If your heart is full of hate you are doing life wrong"
I’ll be sending this post to the 40+ volunteers who are part of the Worry Less Do More grassroots postcard campaign targeting AZCD06. They are adding personal notes right now to 20K postcards that will be mailed on Sept 30 just before AZ voters receive their mail in ballots … 10K more postcards are in the works.
Wonderful Janet! Awesome thanks to you and those 40+ volunteers!
Really looking forward to your interview with Leigh McGowan - she's terrific. Also read you're speaking with the Resolute Square gang (Rick Wilson, Stuart Stevens, Joe Trippi) tonight at 7pm. Can't wait!
Hope everyone saw that President Biden's reelection campaign just announced it raised $42 million in January. Joe Biden has now raised the highest total of any Democratic presidential candidate in history. Yesterday I sent another contribution to the campaign in honor of Presidents' Day, as well as to the Wisconsin Democratic Party in honor of their new legislative maps. Also sent the North Carolina Democratic Party another contribution this morning. As Senator Warnock says, "When we step up, we win."
And I try to always remember Simon's wise advice: Do more, worry less, don't get blown off course, and stay on offense!
Thanks for the reminder Jon!
Between marching NeoNazis in Nashville a public shooting in KC and killing of Nevalzny, and rising of Voldemort, it been a painful week.
Deep breaths, focus and heads down! Instead of worrying I took your words literally and set up monthly donations for Josh Stein ( for Govenor of NC) and NC Dem party, and youth voter support. ( Vote Forward) I won’t fool myself that all the swirl of garbage going on doesn’t still hurt but it feels so much better to DO SOMETHING rather than brood or get angry. 🤬
I wonder what else 🤔? Maybe there’s a good March going on soon???🤣 Humor certainly helps and dosing my self with hope at HC and being reminded to “ stay on offense” by a stalwart HC colleague helps too. Thanks again Jon🙏🏻
Thank YOU, Irene - you just reminded me I've been meaning to start my monthly contributions to Josh Stein which I did after reading your great note!
And thanks as always to Simon for your wise, hopeful, inspiring leadership!
Thanks for the uplifting message, Simon! And for folks who haven't seen it, this might make your day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V6h9H7VGYA
Democrats need more of this kind of messaging, all day, every day!
Thank you thank you!!! This is amazing!
So awesome. That's the kind of company I want to keep!
❤️🤍💙
💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I live in a Sinclair-dominated red state. Nelson’s comments about Sinclair are spot on but I would add that their appeal extends to rural areas as well.
I’ve said it before: My pipe dream is that Warren Buffett or some other pro-democracy billionaire buys Sinclair Broadcast and transforms it into a *real* news outlet.
And that Dominion wins its lawsuit against Newsmax, becomes its de facto owner – and restructures it with real journalists. Perhaps putting Amy Goodman in charge of political reporting?
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Simon, Once again, thank you for what you do! You’re right, we’re winning and 6 November is going to be a wonderful day filled with new hope. You also are correct in that that will happen only if we put in the work. It’s a battle of increments, like the Supreme Court in Wisconsin. Took a while to see the knock-off effects, but now we do. Same with each postcard and telephone call. Troops for an inclusive, egalitarian democracy! We rally ‘round you, Simon. -Ron
Successfully electing Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court was a huge victory – and we are now seeing the positive consequences of that. However, while the new maps are set to have a profound impact on Wisconsin’s upcoming elections for the State Assembly, they will NOT end gerrymandering in this election cycle. There is a very good reason the Republican legislature hurried to approve the new maps proposed by Governor Evers.
As Prof. Sam Wang points out in his latest newsletter, "Gerrymandering, undone":
"Because it will take two cycles for the entire Senate to turn over, the Senate under his plan will not become fully majoritarian until 2026. So Republicans will likely hold on to an unearned Senate majority for at least two more years.
"If the Wisconsin Supreme Court does not want this, they could conceivably require that the new Senate map be used to elect all 33 senators this November."
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