Haven't been able to watch the Ken Martin interview from yesterday. It's on Substack but link doesn't work. Simon's pic looks like something from a Minecraft movie🙃
It should go up on Simon’s YouTube channel which is easy to find via Google search or the YouTube search engine. Doesn’t look to me like it’s up there yet but I’d think it will be soon.
"In This Mine in Western Norway, Climate Data Is Being Saved from Trump"
In this disused mine in Western Norway, climate and health data are downloaded from the USA. Researchers cannot trust Trump to secure the data for the future.
Link to Google Translate English version of article:
We are not alone in fighting this scumbag. So many countries across the globe want us to bring down this menace to humanity. I spent yesterday writing postcards for Virginia, listening to Simon , HCR, and Robert Hubble. I listened to the recording of the Indivisible training,Part 1. It was terrific. I’m signed up for the other two sessions. I’ll finish the last of my six-week course on nonviolent resistance and will review the materials this summer. We have to call out this monster and the corrupt monstrosity the Republican Party has become. I am going to do something every single day to defeat this pack of lying crooks until they are gone.
Thank you: This is why it is so critically important -- IMO -- that WE the people bring this shit to an end. I was in the Navy during Watergate, and when Nixon was forced to resign, everyone heaped praise on "the system" for working. And yes, everything seemed so incredibly smooth at the time. America's standing actually was enhanced.
Today, that system is severely broken. We didn't have MAGA traitors in Congress back then, refusing to protect our constitution against a man who proclaimed that he has "an Article Two that allows him to do whatever he wants to." And that was Trump 1.0.
We the People are that last guardrail, and only we can get things back on the right track. But it will require a kind of reckoning we've never lived through before. Drawing upon our Ninth Amendment in a way we've never had to do before.
We are in this fight together. The lies. The cover ups, cruelty and corruption. We must not give up. A better world is possible but it’s going to take every one of us working together to create it.
I have that Indivisible training recording sitting in my inbox waiting for me, so I'm glad to hear good things about it! You might be interested in the Waging Nonviolence newsletter, if you don't already get it. It's weekly. Wagingnonviolence.org
I've been wondering if there were high level staff from other government departments who were able to copy? and save? data from their servers and before DOGE began its campaign to hijack, duplicate and delete. Appreciate you sharing this news from Norway!
As a big fan of hopium, i need to know why nyc next mayor is not on your list. Why is he bring held to a stsndard that a non muslim would not be. His opponents are corrupt failed guys who lost party support as appropriate.
We need new leadership now.
Btw. I am Jewish and 81, not a radical. But i support the choice of my party.
I also am amazed at the galling lack of party support. I don't know if his ideas will succeed, but it seems like the criticism lobbed at him is McCarthyesque.
A major swathe of the Democratic establishment is far-more-strongly anti-progressive and anti-socialist than they are anti-Republican. (On a side note, Senator Joe Manchin’s premier project was trying to stop policies and personnel that he deemed overly progressive.)
That said, the Democratic Party apparatus/establishment in NYC and in the State of New York is an unholy mess. For the mayoral election they had every opportunity to unite behind a competent, uncorrupt candidate who wasn’t a serial sexual harasser. Instead they placed their bets on Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams – and are still who are being promoted!
PS. For the record, my favored candidate for Mayor of NYC was Brad Lander. Unfortunately, during the primary campaign period, the Cuomo-Mamdani-EricAdams trio was taking up all the oxygen in the room.
I wonder if headlines constantly calling him “controversial” or whatever are hurting him just like Biden.
I am not from NYC, but Mamdani appears to be sane, smart, scandal-free, and good on camera. He clearly wants NYC to continue to be important but also to be a good place to live. He has a positive vision. And even if it isn’t what every New Yorker wants (Wall Street is there), it isn’t like he would automatically get everything he wants.
I think many Democrats are just afraid, of going too far and losing voters, of a vision they don’t perfectly align with, of being seen as too progressive themselves, whatever. This would be a good time for courage and unity. We have enough fear.
Edit: I don’t agree that Simon needs to talk about him. The Hopium list of candidates is a manageable size and has candidates who need support and can win, just not all of them. He has left out many races that I care about, which is why I also joined my local Democratic group and volunteered to try to flip my district last year (it didn’t work, but we will try again). The political landscape is so huge, I appreciate when there is some focus.
Jenny, I think part of the problem is he's made comments that are very anti-Israeli instead of anti-netanyhau. One wants and needs to make sure he's not anti-Semitic. 1 can be anti whatever governmental leader without throwing the country/state/ under the bus.
Totally agree. This is where Dems fail — in courage. I’m a 74 year old lifelong Democrat who overwhelmingly supports the youth movement in the party. Even I reject the corporate democrats who are as tone deaf as the despicable republicans. To succeed we need to embrace the people who have inherited (and are paying for) our mistakes as well as our historical values and wins — and who will take our best values forward. The work that Bernie Sanders and AOC have been doing is exemplary and needs to be embraced and replicated or Dems will fail again. PS I am out on the street protesting every Sunday and on all the “big” protest days in my little town in my deep red state. Probably 75% of the protesters are elders like me, who are as disgusted with corporate democrats as I am. Please take this message to the powers that be. I’m a fan & supporter of Hopium — but Dems better shift progressive or fail again.
Simon said multiple times he’s looking into him. He can’t in good conscience endorse a candidate he hasn’t fully vetted. Also that race is going to get a lot of attention from others so maybe isn’t the best use of Hopium’s limited resources.
The Democrats of NYC have already spoken overwhelmingly. I note Simon isn't so pure on nonMuslim candidates. I admire him, but he is acting like the congressional leadership who would rather defend the old system with McCarthy like innuendoes than support the peoples choice. No wonder we keep losing. The rank and file and better set to judge than the cogniscenti
Every other race Hopium has enjoined has either been federal (house reps) or state (governor, state court justice ). If Simon decides to ask hopioids to support Zohran Mamdani, it would be the first local (mayor) race.
Simon has also said he had no problem with us being involved in other races, other ways than the hopium agenda. And he hasn't said no, he just hasn't decided whether or not to pull the trigger.
I have been disappointed in the past in a race or two I wish Simon had endorsed... its part of the territory. But this country is not going to turn on who is the mayor of NYC (and I want and expect Zohran to win.)
You are right, it is not crucial that every local race be noted, but having grown up in Wva, I would suggest that the Mayor of NYC is not just any local official. The reason I raised issue is that this race has become a center for Mccarthyite like attacks and religious attacks that we should strongly opposes and I was surprised that Hopium, with whom I usually agree has not dealt with the central principles. I also think that the issue of cuomo losing badly and then ignoring system and knowing better than the voters is so similar to trump never accepting the voters will if it differs from his. Again, its these principles that bother me, not the issue of state vs local . To be transparent, I voted for Lander and Stringer!
Louis your posts here today have been intemperate, and while I welcome the discussion I do not welcome the tone or statements like this, whatever it means:
"I note Simon isn't so pure on nonMuslim candidates."
A few points on the NYC race 1) the central overarching criteria for my endorsements are places where our money and time can make a difference, the races really matter, we have a shot at winning and they involve an election against Republicans not other Democrats. Our primary goal here is to win elections, defeat MAGA and gain more power. I don't know if this election which appears to be headed towards a Mamdani Cuomo contest really fits all that. 2) I have said I will look at this election and wanted to see how the race unfolded, how Mamdami performed etc. We will not be endorsing Cuomo but I don't know whether we will get involved here for there are literally thousands of elections across the country where Hopium does not take a stand. I welcome the advocacy for him here and folks are welcome to support him or the dozens of other activities people promote here that I don't necessarily back 3) I think to ignore the controversy around some of Mamdani's positions or that he is positioned to the very left of our party - not everyone's cup of tea - is disingenuous 4) We have been a big backer of young leaders here and generational change. No one has invested more in Anderson Clayton than we have. We are backing Jon Ossoff now, our only Millennial Senator. We backed David Hogg for his vice chair's race. But being young is not a sufficient reason to back any one, and I just think we need to see and hear more from Mr. Mamdani before making a call either way. And let us all agree to have this discussion, or any that we know in advance is a challenging one for us as a family, with dignity, respect and grace. We discuss here, we do not fight or argue. We are all playing different positions on the same team and there is very little doubt that this diversity is one of our movement's greatest strengths - Simon
As someone who is a little, let's say, more amenable to Mamdani, even I understand your reasons for not getting involved in that race. That is just not Hopium's role here.
I don’t live in NYC, so this race is not a priority for me. But if I did live there, I don’t think I could vote for Mamdani until he discusses his DSA membership. The DSA has a foreign policy that is strongly anti-NATO, in fact blaming the war on “NATO expansion”— just like Putin. I realize the mayor of NYC doesn’t conduct foreign policy, but membership in such an organization makes me wonder about his judgment.
mamdami will be a test for the "new" dem party that emerges after the prez election loss. if we are a big tent, then we are a big tent. if we can have an AOC and a Bernie, we can have a mamdani. he wouldnt work in texas, but maybe he's the right guy for NYC. in any case, he is a winner, young, charming, great media presence and gets a lot of youthful voters and the most primary votes for mayor ever. isnt this exactly what we want?? he is not a creature of the consultant class, he is authentic. yes, we can be eyes wide open, but on paper, he's the ticket! heads above the other two blemished candidates who really dont care about new yorkers one bit.
Many aren't from NY/NYC. I'm not from there. In order to know more about someone, I want more information on mandami (sp?). He's made some controversial statements that are quite anti-Israeli instead of anti-netanyahu. If I lived in NYC, I'd want to make sure someone isn't anti-Semitic. He's made comments that make him seem anti-Semitic.
The mission of Hopium is to help Democratic candidates defeat Republicans. Since it is a foregone conclusion that the next Mayor of NYC will be a Democrat, either Mamdani or Cuomo, Hopium need not, and should not, be involved in this election.
Moreover, Mamdani is a problematic candidate whose election to one of the highest profile political offices in the country may turn out to be a gift to Republican Party. His record of extreme positions - "Globalize the Intifada" and "Defund the Police" (yes, he tweeted support for this in December 2020), would be used against the Democratic Party.
First of all, thank-you for allowing “non-paid” subscribers to leave messages. This is appreciated!! Thank GOD for the Epstein Files. I know Trump is involved. I know Epstein is from Coney Island and lots of shenanigans went on in the projects where I think he came from. Trump’s whole administration has to go. I don’t trust Vance or Musk. I have no interest in what either of them have to say. I’m hoping that the Epstein files get rid of Trump, however we need good clean, honest leadership and I’m not sure that can be found in either party. Money has corrupted our leaders. Legislature has been written for the elites, the Oligarchs, (meaning: Few to Rule or Command). The oil industry, Black Rock, State Street, Vanguard (investment companies) the pharmaceutical industry and of course Wall Street. We are living in a second “Gilded Age”, the first one was in 1940. It is the Oligarchs who are running our country!! They run our political system. So am I worried? You bet.
The cartoonish both-sideserism of this comment is another indicator of how weak the blubbery baby man is, imo. Isn't the corrupt dem. (Menendez) in jail now? (His son is his opposite, a pillar of the community.)
Yes. I don’t agree about disparaging Democrats. We have a number of great leaders with integrity in the party. Also, I thought this chat was only for paid subscribers.
I thought that too. And the chat is supposed to be for self reporting and constructive discussion. And I agree we have great elected officials and many stellar talented leaders. To my knowledge that commentor has never self reported anything.
2 things can be true here as well. T may not be done with Putin but Putin may be done with T.
He is erratic, aging and short term. It is entirely possible he may be looking for plan B as a longterm plan. The media & wings turning against him say a lot. Influencers were uncovered in the past recent years to be funded by Russia. That may be why he is panicking. For me...GOP is still moving toward unitary executive order.
It is not invisible that they are all still preparing for this as the future. Let's not be caught flat footed in the midst of a change.
Part of what has made them so successful is the projection. Or the getting ahead of it. Right? In some cases the accusation is the admission. That doesn't mean that we do the propaganda. But it means that THAT getting ahead of it always worked toward the public. The blame set the narratives that both sides do the same things even when with one side it was propaganda. Again... I'm not saying we participate in the propaganda but I'm saying the reason democrats have been so hobbled is due to being flat footed for not for seeing the patterns of what is probably coming in order to get ahead of it. They do perform in patterns. We need to be better about calling this out when accused. They either have already been doing it or plan to. They lay the groundwork to sane wash or white wash...trivialize or normalize.
It's that getting ahead of it that has made them successful because it becomes old news to the public and they view it as just more corruption. We need to start recognizing the patterns...the tells...and preparing for them.
I do think for various reasons we are seeing the start of a change that is being planned...before an election. But their motives will be the same. You can see this in scotus and the bills they are passing.
But as for the future if they are accusing we need to be in the habit of training the public to see this more as a tell.
"How Trump Dominates and Corrupts the Private Sector"
Yes, you read that right. Usually I find George Will extremely annoying; even when he is voicing anti-Trump sentiments he has a habit of blaming Biden or Hillary or Obamo or other Democrats. Not this time. For once I didn’t find any bothsiderist or whataboutist fault with his column – just an astute analysis by Mr Will of our current predicament. Imho, this is a very worthwhile complement to Simon’s Hopium. (Gift link)
Self report: Even though I have two (2) very Democratic senators, I called both of their offices this morning in support of their upcoming NO vote to confirm that dirty, lawless, Fascist supporting, so-called lawyer, Emil Bove for a LIFETIME appointment to the Federal bench. UGH!!! 🤬🤬
We went about this all wrong. This whole time we thought people cared about boring issues like health care, democracy, or due process. Pfthht. Fuck that. We’ve been fools for hand wringing over better messaging about those irrelevant things when we could be focusing on what matters: Epstein. (I'm being sarcastic of course)
Nonono. We say “chemtrails” which are the nefarious contrails /s.
(I worked with someone who never met a conspiracy he didn’t like. Chemtrails were high on the list, which I could chuckle at, but birtherism was too, which I couldn’t. My late coworker also had a lot of theories about modern medicine)
Trump’s problem is expressed in the very last line of his attack on the Wall Street Journal for... bringing attention to his fan letter to Jeffrey Epstein.
MAGA Americans are indeed "giving attention to [the Epstein] matter". Lots of attention! Far more than Trump wants.
Trump’s usual diversion: "Look over there! There’s something Crooked Hillary and Sleepy Joe and Obama did. They wrote the Epstein Files. Can’t trust ’em."
Nope. Not even the most Q-Anon of Donald’s MAGA cult members are buying it.
I was one of those who never paid much attention to the Epstein thing because I assumed it was a QAnon talking point designed to go after democrats. Even a couple of weeks ago I believed there wasn't a physical client list or even a file and that's what Bondi and trump were hiding-- that it was all bullshit, and that they had to get out ahead of it before doing something like pardoning Maxwell and upsetting their base as a result. Now it seems like there is way more to this than I assumed. Each day brings something else that confirms a larger coverup.
Here's the glaring issue that has always existed for me. All these girls were sex trafficked. To whom? Sex trafficking means there was a client who paid for sexual access. Yet none of these men, all of whom are guilty CSAM, have been prosecuted.
It's important to note that SOME of the very young women were brought into Epstein's system from Mar a Lago's "spa."
I try to remind the MAGA-verse about the Boy Scouts of America. For decades, they successfully kept gays out of scouting. And, just a few years ago, they had to declare bankruptcy under the weight of a massive class-action lawsuit -- abuse of young men -- over 80,000 plaintiff/victims over those decades.
Did Epstein have something labelled "Client List"? Probably not. But he sure as hell had a highly-visible network of rich and powerful men, and enablers. The photo and video evidence is legion and legendary.
Yeah so maybe Trump is guilty of all of this, but look who we will be left with, JD Vance, and Marco Rubio. Truly a scary combination. HOW do we take down the whole crooked bunch!!!!
If I have the hypothesis that Trump was just an empty Trojan Horse whose role was to create as much chaos as possible -- the real leaders knowing he was expendable -- what's left of the base will look to redeem themselves with the new boss.... who will not be the same as the old boss.
Agreed. Vance is a bad bad man, but he is also generally disliked and can't even order donuts without looking like a creep. He will still be the front man for project 2025 and the oligarchs, but the MAGA verse will not support him in same way. Remember, the next in line after Vance is Mike Johnson... and then Chuck Grassley.
Mike Johnson. Which is why I continue to promote the People using the Ninth Amendment in coordination with Democratic governors -- like G. Newsom -- to overturn four seats in the House long before mid-terms.
Those four (minimum) seats are the lowest hanging fruit we have before us.
What's the strategy? Which 4 seats? How does the 9th amendment come into play (I.e which unenumerated rights are you referring to?) What can the Governors do?
There are many more than four eligible, but only four are required.
What makes a seat eligible is that it is held by someone who has betrayed their Oath of office AND who is serving a district in a state governed by a Democrat.
Somebody on the DownBallot has documented how California could achieve a legally-compliant 50–2 gerrymander. I believe there currently are 9 Republicans in California’s House delegation, so this alone would be a seven-seat gain for Democrats!
(Note: California would first have to change its redistricting system.)
JD Vance is a techno-feudalist neo-monarchist with malicious intent for our country, but my working theory is that he won’t be able to hold together the MAGA coalition. The whole reason the various factions who want to destroy the constitutional republic have coalesced around Trump is because Trump has the ability to charm the base. Vance won’t be able to do that, which will weaken his party’s electoral odds and make it harder to get away with holding onto power through sheer brute force and lies.
Just one person’s opinion: the approach I would take with respect to the Epstein affair would be to emphasize how Trump and his coterie used it to deceive their own supporters, with the objective of breaking through their unconditional trust. Use it to demonstrate that if this is filled with lies and deception, then everything else about Trump and this Administration can be the same.
Corporate media is generally useless for democracy and often downright dangerous, but their incentive structure may play to our benefit here. If they smell blood in the water they won’t let this Epstein thing go and will contribute to the positive feedback cycle. Just like they did with Biden with his age. They aren’t doing the “right” thing, but for once we just need them to follow the money and keep this story alive. I recommend going to every corporate media site and clicking every Epstein story you can find. Turn off your ad blocker so they get the ad dollars and see this story as a cash cow.
Self report: Yesterday attended the John Lewis Good Trouble event in Richmond--protesters 3 miles along Monument Avenue. My sign, WE the PEOPLE and an American flag inspired by Simon. One woman said that was the reason she was there--it is about everyone. Called my Senators to thank them for their good work and staff are really appreciative. Today signed up to make calls to people in Georgia who are being removed from the rolls.
This is off topic as far as the Epstein files but yesterday I went to a Good Trouble rally in a small California coastal town that has a decent sized Hispanic population. The rally was at 12:00 noon so the rally goers were mostly the typical white over 50 crowd, but those driving by in pickup trucks were not. I saw so many young Hispanic folks driving by honking and grinning from ear to ear at our enthusiasm, our signs and our obvious support for them. I’m sure some of them are undocumented or have a family member that is.
I was also at a “Good Trouble” event yesterday, this one in a small “Gold Country” town in the Sierras, also 100% white grey-heads. My heart was torn when, while walking a friend with heart problems, slowly and carefully across the street to her car, a homeless man cheered and thanked us.
I found Jay Kuo's piece interesting
https://open.substack.com/pub/statuskuo/p/enigmas-never-age?r=152mp&utm_medium=ios
He's always well worth reading
he's my other paid subscription!
Haven't been able to watch the Ken Martin interview from yesterday. It's on Substack but link doesn't work. Simon's pic looks like something from a Minecraft movie🙃
It should go up on Simon’s YouTube channel which is easy to find via Google search or the YouTube search engine. Doesn’t look to me like it’s up there yet but I’d think it will be soon.
GOOD NEWS FROM NORWAY:
"In This Mine in Western Norway, Climate Data Is Being Saved from Trump"
In this disused mine in Western Norway, climate and health data are downloaded from the USA. Researchers cannot trust Trump to secure the data for the future.
Link to Google Translate English version of article:
https://www-nrk-no.translate.goog/vestland/i-den-nedlagde-gruva-pa-lefdal-i-nordfjord-blir-klimadata-lasta-ned-og-redda-fra-trump-sitt-usa-1.17484168?_x_tr_sl=no&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Good news indeed! It's worth remembering that the Norwegians know how to resist fascism.
Loyal Americans should consider making public a traveling Wall of Shame -- with Quisling awards.
We are not alone in fighting this scumbag. So many countries across the globe want us to bring down this menace to humanity. I spent yesterday writing postcards for Virginia, listening to Simon , HCR, and Robert Hubble. I listened to the recording of the Indivisible training,Part 1. It was terrific. I’m signed up for the other two sessions. I’ll finish the last of my six-week course on nonviolent resistance and will review the materials this summer. We have to call out this monster and the corrupt monstrosity the Republican Party has become. I am going to do something every single day to defeat this pack of lying crooks until they are gone.
Thank you: This is why it is so critically important -- IMO -- that WE the people bring this shit to an end. I was in the Navy during Watergate, and when Nixon was forced to resign, everyone heaped praise on "the system" for working. And yes, everything seemed so incredibly smooth at the time. America's standing actually was enhanced.
Today, that system is severely broken. We didn't have MAGA traitors in Congress back then, refusing to protect our constitution against a man who proclaimed that he has "an Article Two that allows him to do whatever he wants to." And that was Trump 1.0.
We the People are that last guardrail, and only we can get things back on the right track. But it will require a kind of reckoning we've never lived through before. Drawing upon our Ninth Amendment in a way we've never had to do before.
We are in this fight together. The lies. The cover ups, cruelty and corruption. We must not give up. A better world is possible but it’s going to take every one of us working together to create it.
I have that Indivisible training recording sitting in my inbox waiting for me, so I'm glad to hear good things about it! You might be interested in the Waging Nonviolence newsletter, if you don't already get it. It's weekly. Wagingnonviolence.org
I've been wondering if there were high level staff from other government departments who were able to copy? and save? data from their servers and before DOGE began its campaign to hijack, duplicate and delete. Appreciate you sharing this news from Norway!
I have a friend who does research for the VA, and they have been saving stuff like crazy.
Thank you for sharing that, Elizabeth. If VA has been '“hoarding” their data, perhaps many more were able to do so before DOGE hacked their systems🙏🤞
I'm quite certain it was all backed up multiple ways. They would have done that prior to change in administrations.
Lisa,
I feel like a clueless American for not realizing that would be the case.
Thank you!!
Me too. Thanks so much 🙏
You're welcome, Susan!
😊👍
As a big fan of hopium, i need to know why nyc next mayor is not on your list. Why is he bring held to a stsndard that a non muslim would not be. His opponents are corrupt failed guys who lost party support as appropriate.
We need new leadership now.
Btw. I am Jewish and 81, not a radical. But i support the choice of my party.
I also am amazed at the galling lack of party support. I don't know if his ideas will succeed, but it seems like the criticism lobbed at him is McCarthyesque.
A major swathe of the Democratic establishment is far-more-strongly anti-progressive and anti-socialist than they are anti-Republican. (On a side note, Senator Joe Manchin’s premier project was trying to stop policies and personnel that he deemed overly progressive.)
That said, the Democratic Party apparatus/establishment in NYC and in the State of New York is an unholy mess. For the mayoral election they had every opportunity to unite behind a competent, uncorrupt candidate who wasn’t a serial sexual harasser. Instead they placed their bets on Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams – and are still who are being promoted!
PS. For the record, my favored candidate for Mayor of NYC was Brad Lander. Unfortunately, during the primary campaign period, the Cuomo-Mamdani-EricAdams trio was taking up all the oxygen in the room.
I think you mean Andrew Cuomo, not his father Mario
Thanks! Fixed. I obviously need more coffee.
I wonder if headlines constantly calling him “controversial” or whatever are hurting him just like Biden.
I am not from NYC, but Mamdani appears to be sane, smart, scandal-free, and good on camera. He clearly wants NYC to continue to be important but also to be a good place to live. He has a positive vision. And even if it isn’t what every New Yorker wants (Wall Street is there), it isn’t like he would automatically get everything he wants.
I think many Democrats are just afraid, of going too far and losing voters, of a vision they don’t perfectly align with, of being seen as too progressive themselves, whatever. This would be a good time for courage and unity. We have enough fear.
Edit: I don’t agree that Simon needs to talk about him. The Hopium list of candidates is a manageable size and has candidates who need support and can win, just not all of them. He has left out many races that I care about, which is why I also joined my local Democratic group and volunteered to try to flip my district last year (it didn’t work, but we will try again). The political landscape is so huge, I appreciate when there is some focus.
Jenny, I think part of the problem is he's made comments that are very anti-Israeli instead of anti-netanyhau. One wants and needs to make sure he's not anti-Semitic. 1 can be anti whatever governmental leader without throwing the country/state/ under the bus.
Good point, and thanks for adding that.
Totally agree. This is where Dems fail — in courage. I’m a 74 year old lifelong Democrat who overwhelmingly supports the youth movement in the party. Even I reject the corporate democrats who are as tone deaf as the despicable republicans. To succeed we need to embrace the people who have inherited (and are paying for) our mistakes as well as our historical values and wins — and who will take our best values forward. The work that Bernie Sanders and AOC have been doing is exemplary and needs to be embraced and replicated or Dems will fail again. PS I am out on the street protesting every Sunday and on all the “big” protest days in my little town in my deep red state. Probably 75% of the protesters are elders like me, who are as disgusted with corporate democrats as I am. Please take this message to the powers that be. I’m a fan & supporter of Hopium — but Dems better shift progressive or fail again.
Simon said multiple times he’s looking into him. He can’t in good conscience endorse a candidate he hasn’t fully vetted. Also that race is going to get a lot of attention from others so maybe isn’t the best use of Hopium’s limited resources.
Precisely this!
The Democrats of NYC have already spoken overwhelmingly. I note Simon isn't so pure on nonMuslim candidates. I admire him, but he is acting like the congressional leadership who would rather defend the old system with McCarthy like innuendoes than support the peoples choice. No wonder we keep losing. The rank and file and better set to judge than the cogniscenti
Louis,
Every other race Hopium has enjoined has either been federal (house reps) or state (governor, state court justice ). If Simon decides to ask hopioids to support Zohran Mamdani, it would be the first local (mayor) race.
Simon has also said he had no problem with us being involved in other races, other ways than the hopium agenda. And he hasn't said no, he just hasn't decided whether or not to pull the trigger.
I have been disappointed in the past in a race or two I wish Simon had endorsed... its part of the territory. But this country is not going to turn on who is the mayor of NYC (and I want and expect Zohran to win.)
You are right, it is not crucial that every local race be noted, but having grown up in Wva, I would suggest that the Mayor of NYC is not just any local official. The reason I raised issue is that this race has become a center for Mccarthyite like attacks and religious attacks that we should strongly opposes and I was surprised that Hopium, with whom I usually agree has not dealt with the central principles. I also think that the issue of cuomo losing badly and then ignoring system and knowing better than the voters is so similar to trump never accepting the voters will if it differs from his. Again, its these principles that bother me, not the issue of state vs local . To be transparent, I voted for Lander and Stringer!
Louis your posts here today have been intemperate, and while I welcome the discussion I do not welcome the tone or statements like this, whatever it means:
"I note Simon isn't so pure on nonMuslim candidates."
A few points on the NYC race 1) the central overarching criteria for my endorsements are places where our money and time can make a difference, the races really matter, we have a shot at winning and they involve an election against Republicans not other Democrats. Our primary goal here is to win elections, defeat MAGA and gain more power. I don't know if this election which appears to be headed towards a Mamdani Cuomo contest really fits all that. 2) I have said I will look at this election and wanted to see how the race unfolded, how Mamdami performed etc. We will not be endorsing Cuomo but I don't know whether we will get involved here for there are literally thousands of elections across the country where Hopium does not take a stand. I welcome the advocacy for him here and folks are welcome to support him or the dozens of other activities people promote here that I don't necessarily back 3) I think to ignore the controversy around some of Mamdani's positions or that he is positioned to the very left of our party - not everyone's cup of tea - is disingenuous 4) We have been a big backer of young leaders here and generational change. No one has invested more in Anderson Clayton than we have. We are backing Jon Ossoff now, our only Millennial Senator. We backed David Hogg for his vice chair's race. But being young is not a sufficient reason to back any one, and I just think we need to see and hear more from Mr. Mamdani before making a call either way. And let us all agree to have this discussion, or any that we know in advance is a challenging one for us as a family, with dignity, respect and grace. We discuss here, we do not fight or argue. We are all playing different positions on the same team and there is very little doubt that this diversity is one of our movement's greatest strengths - Simon
Crystal clear! As it was even before your comment.
As someone who is a little, let's say, more amenable to Mamdani, even I understand your reasons for not getting involved in that race. That is just not Hopium's role here.
I don’t live in NYC, so this race is not a priority for me. But if I did live there, I don’t think I could vote for Mamdani until he discusses his DSA membership. The DSA has a foreign policy that is strongly anti-NATO, in fact blaming the war on “NATO expansion”— just like Putin. I realize the mayor of NYC doesn’t conduct foreign policy, but membership in such an organization makes me wonder about his judgment.
mamdami will be a test for the "new" dem party that emerges after the prez election loss. if we are a big tent, then we are a big tent. if we can have an AOC and a Bernie, we can have a mamdani. he wouldnt work in texas, but maybe he's the right guy for NYC. in any case, he is a winner, young, charming, great media presence and gets a lot of youthful voters and the most primary votes for mayor ever. isnt this exactly what we want?? he is not a creature of the consultant class, he is authentic. yes, we can be eyes wide open, but on paper, he's the ticket! heads above the other two blemished candidates who really dont care about new yorkers one bit.
Many aren't from NY/NYC. I'm not from there. In order to know more about someone, I want more information on mandami (sp?). He's made some controversial statements that are quite anti-Israeli instead of anti-netanyahu. If I lived in NYC, I'd want to make sure someone isn't anti-Semitic. He's made comments that make him seem anti-Semitic.
The mission of Hopium is to help Democratic candidates defeat Republicans. Since it is a foregone conclusion that the next Mayor of NYC will be a Democrat, either Mamdani or Cuomo, Hopium need not, and should not, be involved in this election.
Moreover, Mamdani is a problematic candidate whose election to one of the highest profile political offices in the country may turn out to be a gift to Republican Party. His record of extreme positions - "Globalize the Intifada" and "Defund the Police" (yes, he tweeted support for this in December 2020), would be used against the Democratic Party.
First of all, thank-you for allowing “non-paid” subscribers to leave messages. This is appreciated!! Thank GOD for the Epstein Files. I know Trump is involved. I know Epstein is from Coney Island and lots of shenanigans went on in the projects where I think he came from. Trump’s whole administration has to go. I don’t trust Vance or Musk. I have no interest in what either of them have to say. I’m hoping that the Epstein files get rid of Trump, however we need good clean, honest leadership and I’m not sure that can be found in either party. Money has corrupted our leaders. Legislature has been written for the elites, the Oligarchs, (meaning: Few to Rule or Command). The oil industry, Black Rock, State Street, Vanguard (investment companies) the pharmaceutical industry and of course Wall Street. We are living in a second “Gilded Age”, the first one was in 1940. It is the Oligarchs who are running our country!! They run our political system. So am I worried? You bet.
The cartoonish both-sideserism of this comment is another indicator of how weak the blubbery baby man is, imo. Isn't the corrupt dem. (Menendez) in jail now? (His son is his opposite, a pillar of the community.)
Yes. I don’t agree about disparaging Democrats. We have a number of great leaders with integrity in the party. Also, I thought this chat was only for paid subscribers.
I thought that too. And the chat is supposed to be for self reporting and constructive discussion. And I agree we have great elected officials and many stellar talented leaders. To my knowledge that commentor has never self reported anything.
Correct, so is his daughter Alicia.
Ah, did not know about daughter Alicia. Thank you for posting.
Yah, she's been on MSNBC for a while. She's a bada$$--they both are.
2 things can be true here as well. T may not be done with Putin but Putin may be done with T.
He is erratic, aging and short term. It is entirely possible he may be looking for plan B as a longterm plan. The media & wings turning against him say a lot. Influencers were uncovered in the past recent years to be funded by Russia. That may be why he is panicking. For me...GOP is still moving toward unitary executive order.
It is not invisible that they are all still preparing for this as the future. Let's not be caught flat footed in the midst of a change.
Part of what has made them so successful is the projection. Or the getting ahead of it. Right? In some cases the accusation is the admission. That doesn't mean that we do the propaganda. But it means that THAT getting ahead of it always worked toward the public. The blame set the narratives that both sides do the same things even when with one side it was propaganda. Again... I'm not saying we participate in the propaganda but I'm saying the reason democrats have been so hobbled is due to being flat footed for not for seeing the patterns of what is probably coming in order to get ahead of it. They do perform in patterns. We need to be better about calling this out when accused. They either have already been doing it or plan to. They lay the groundwork to sane wash or white wash...trivialize or normalize.
It's that getting ahead of it that has made them successful because it becomes old news to the public and they view it as just more corruption. We need to start recognizing the patterns...the tells...and preparing for them.
I do think for various reasons we are seeing the start of a change that is being planned...before an election. But their motives will be the same. You can see this in scotus and the bills they are passing.
But as for the future if they are accusing we need to be in the habit of training the public to see this more as a tell.
GEORGE WILL NAILS IT!
"How Trump Dominates and Corrupts the Private Sector"
Yes, you read that right. Usually I find George Will extremely annoying; even when he is voicing anti-Trump sentiments he has a habit of blaming Biden or Hillary or Obamo or other Democrats. Not this time. For once I didn’t find any bothsiderist or whataboutist fault with his column – just an astute analysis by Mr Will of our current predicament. Imho, this is a very worthwhile complement to Simon’s Hopium. (Gift link)
https://wapo.st/4eV36k5
I'm shocked he didn't write a column raging about something something left wing academics and radical college students
Self report: Even though I have two (2) very Democratic senators, I called both of their offices this morning in support of their upcoming NO vote to confirm that dirty, lawless, Fascist supporting, so-called lawyer, Emil Bove for a LIFETIME appointment to the Federal bench. UGH!!! 🤬🤬
I feel like I have to shower every time I look at that guy.
It's a low bar, but maybe we finally found common ground on the Epstein horrors
We went about this all wrong. This whole time we thought people cared about boring issues like health care, democracy, or due process. Pfthht. Fuck that. We’ve been fools for hand wringing over better messaging about those irrelevant things when we could be focusing on what matters: Epstein. (I'm being sarcastic of course)
What about ... contrails!
/s
LOL!
Ditto
Nonono. We say “chemtrails” which are the nefarious contrails /s.
(I worked with someone who never met a conspiracy he didn’t like. Chemtrails were high on the list, which I could chuckle at, but birtherism was too, which I couldn’t. My late coworker also had a lot of theories about modern medicine)
Thanks for the correction. Just goes to show how poorly versed I am in the terminology of conspiracy theories.
lol much to your credit!
Would I be reading between the lines if I made a connection between his lateness and his beliefs about modern medicine? :/
Umm. Not necessarily no.
Yeah, mea culpa John, that was a weird question for me to ask. Just Friday punchiness on my part (I hope!)
Trump’s problem is expressed in the very last line of his attack on the Wall Street Journal for... bringing attention to his fan letter to Jeffrey Epstein.
https://bsky.app/profile/joshtpm.bsky.social/post/3lu7i7c3npk2y
MAGA Americans are indeed "giving attention to [the Epstein] matter". Lots of attention! Far more than Trump wants.
Trump’s usual diversion: "Look over there! There’s something Crooked Hillary and Sleepy Joe and Obama did. They wrote the Epstein Files. Can’t trust ’em."
Nope. Not even the most Q-Anon of Donald’s MAGA cult members are buying it.
That makes sense. After all, we all share a common ground beneath our feet.
I was one of those who never paid much attention to the Epstein thing because I assumed it was a QAnon talking point designed to go after democrats. Even a couple of weeks ago I believed there wasn't a physical client list or even a file and that's what Bondi and trump were hiding-- that it was all bullshit, and that they had to get out ahead of it before doing something like pardoning Maxwell and upsetting their base as a result. Now it seems like there is way more to this than I assumed. Each day brings something else that confirms a larger coverup.
Here's the glaring issue that has always existed for me. All these girls were sex trafficked. To whom? Sex trafficking means there was a client who paid for sexual access. Yet none of these men, all of whom are guilty CSAM, have been prosecuted.
It's important to note that SOME of the very young women were brought into Epstein's system from Mar a Lago's "spa."
I try to remind the MAGA-verse about the Boy Scouts of America. For decades, they successfully kept gays out of scouting. And, just a few years ago, they had to declare bankruptcy under the weight of a massive class-action lawsuit -- abuse of young men -- over 80,000 plaintiff/victims over those decades.
Did Epstein have something labelled "Client List"? Probably not. But he sure as hell had a highly-visible network of rich and powerful men, and enablers. The photo and video evidence is legion and legendary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzwEQVJ4gOA
Yeah so maybe Trump is guilty of all of this, but look who we will be left with, JD Vance, and Marco Rubio. Truly a scary combination. HOW do we take down the whole crooked bunch!!!!
One problem at a time. If somehow (big if) this scandal takes down the mad king that would be a monumental win and leave them very weak and fractured.
If I have the hypothesis that Trump was just an empty Trojan Horse whose role was to create as much chaos as possible -- the real leaders knowing he was expendable -- what's left of the base will look to redeem themselves with the new boss.... who will not be the same as the old boss.
Agreed. Vance is a bad bad man, but he is also generally disliked and can't even order donuts without looking like a creep. He will still be the front man for project 2025 and the oligarchs, but the MAGA verse will not support him in same way. Remember, the next in line after Vance is Mike Johnson... and then Chuck Grassley.
Mike Johnson. Which is why I continue to promote the People using the Ninth Amendment in coordination with Democratic governors -- like G. Newsom -- to overturn four seats in the House long before mid-terms.
Those four (minimum) seats are the lowest hanging fruit we have before us.
What's the strategy? Which 4 seats? How does the 9th amendment come into play (I.e which unenumerated rights are you referring to?) What can the Governors do?
OK.. one step at a time. "Four seats"
There are many more than four eligible, but only four are required.
What makes a seat eligible is that it is held by someone who has betrayed their Oath of office AND who is serving a district in a state governed by a Democrat.
So far so good?
Somebody on the DownBallot has documented how California could achieve a legally-compliant 50–2 gerrymander. I believe there currently are 9 Republicans in California’s House delegation, so this alone would be a seven-seat gain for Democrats!
(Note: California would first have to change its redistricting system.)
I'm all for that, but... not seeing this within the months needed to avert a potential catastrophe.
JD Vance is a techno-feudalist neo-monarchist with malicious intent for our country, but my working theory is that he won’t be able to hold together the MAGA coalition. The whole reason the various factions who want to destroy the constitutional republic have coalesced around Trump is because Trump has the ability to charm the base. Vance won’t be able to do that, which will weaken his party’s electoral odds and make it harder to get away with holding onto power through sheer brute force and lies.
Agree completely. Well said
I don't think Vance has a friend in D.C. I think everyone despises him.
I contend that in order to be a fascist, someone has to like you.
Good point. I'll cogitate further and get back to you!
Just one person’s opinion: the approach I would take with respect to the Epstein affair would be to emphasize how Trump and his coterie used it to deceive their own supporters, with the objective of breaking through their unconditional trust. Use it to demonstrate that if this is filled with lies and deception, then everything else about Trump and this Administration can be the same.
Corporate media is generally useless for democracy and often downright dangerous, but their incentive structure may play to our benefit here. If they smell blood in the water they won’t let this Epstein thing go and will contribute to the positive feedback cycle. Just like they did with Biden with his age. They aren’t doing the “right” thing, but for once we just need them to follow the money and keep this story alive. I recommend going to every corporate media site and clicking every Epstein story you can find. Turn off your ad blocker so they get the ad dollars and see this story as a cash cow.
That's a terrific idea, Jason, especially when we're too wiped out to do anything else and need a break from thinking--thanks! :)
Self report: Yesterday attended the John Lewis Good Trouble event in Richmond--protesters 3 miles along Monument Avenue. My sign, WE the PEOPLE and an American flag inspired by Simon. One woman said that was the reason she was there--it is about everyone. Called my Senators to thank them for their good work and staff are really appreciative. Today signed up to make calls to people in Georgia who are being removed from the rolls.
This is off topic as far as the Epstein files but yesterday I went to a Good Trouble rally in a small California coastal town that has a decent sized Hispanic population. The rally was at 12:00 noon so the rally goers were mostly the typical white over 50 crowd, but those driving by in pickup trucks were not. I saw so many young Hispanic folks driving by honking and grinning from ear to ear at our enthusiasm, our signs and our obvious support for them. I’m sure some of them are undocumented or have a family member that is.
I was also at a “Good Trouble” event yesterday, this one in a small “Gold Country” town in the Sierras, also 100% white grey-heads. My heart was torn when, while walking a friend with heart problems, slowly and carefully across the street to her car, a homeless man cheered and thanked us.
Made my calls and my posts. Let’s do this!