I will be more involved this week on that, D. I have not had an “active” posting schedule — other than comments on others. But plan to be more proactive there. Yes, energizing action. Our only hope. Thx.
If that were REALLY true, they would not need to get “campaign” money to win VOTES. We are LOSING our relevance and influence, but it is not gone yet. This COULD be the seminal election, though.
Pat: If you are saying that the need for campaign money is a proof of American democracy, you are sadly mistaken. After hundreds of years of social evolution, elections have emerged as the pretense of democracy to put the blinders on the American public. Yes, it is true that elections are a nominally democratic patch on the oligarchic public system. However, there is no follow through. Once elected, representatives are perfectly free to represent anyone they want. And they are trained to follow the money, and represent those who make major donations to their campaigns. Yes there are progressives, who are wonderful, and not part of this biased system, but money skews the system so badly the progressives really don't count. The only way to achieve the democracy you yearn for is to disallow individuals with obscene amounts of money to, first, pay anything for any political purpose, and second, to exist. Until we get rid of the rich, keep fantasizing about democracy.
Paul, NO … I am NOT saying that “the need for campaign money is a proof of American democracy.”
NOTHING OF THE SORT!
I am saying that, CURRENTLY, the pursuit of money is FOR THE PURPOSE of reaching an electorate and convincing them to vote for a candidate. The pursuit of money RIGHT NOW is still part of creating a public image for the candidate in the pursuit of VOTES for that candidate.
The more money that floods that process, the more it is perverted, misused, and damaged.
I understand that it is an endangered state of affairs. I’m not blind, nor stupid.
BUT, we should realize that — RIGHT NOW — most politicians are not taking direct bribes to vote a certain way {at least those who have to live by a code of ethics aren’t}, but are seeking money through the campaign pipeline to buy visibility, publicity and advertising … to influence VOTERS to elect them again.
Then they let lobbyists give them more money to get votes again when they are up for re-election, and they don’t vote the way their constituency would prefer in the meantime. I know that, too.
Clearly, the more we let the process be run by money, the more we put up with gerrymandering, and the more votes are suppressed, the less our vote will mater. But right now, the money politicians are after is MOSTLY used to generate votes.
Understanding that VOTES still matter is no small consideration …
We lose sight of that, and allow it to be attenuated, at our peril.
It is one of our LAST GREATEST hopes — that our votes still have some value.
And, yeah, I know once politicians are elected, we’re lucky is they fulfill any of their promises, but why is THAT?
Because we don’t hold them to it, that’s why … We vote, and then … what? We sit and wait? What should we do instead?
Answer that question, and maybe we are on a road to making it better….
Pat: You asked: What should we do instead (of sitting and waiting for our representatives to do the right thing?)
Pat, that is a rhetorical question, one that is conventionally thought of as having no answer, but is just a sigh of hope. AS IT HAPPENS: I actually wrote a whole book answering precisely that question in fact, on an operational level. The book is called Parasites Lost (representatives are the parasites) and it is available for next to nothing on gettingtozerowaste.com. Isn't it amazing that there actually is an answer?
The reason I could find an answer is because, in my work, I never just look for a slight tweak of what already exists and assume all the conventional assumptions. I am not interested in putting bandaids on a corrupt system. I am interested in finding superior systems. I am proud of starting a company called Zero Waste Systems Inc. which took thousands of unwanted (usually called wastes - even hazardous wastes) chemicals from Silicon Valley, Lawrence Livermore Lab, Berkeley Radiation Lab, various universities and hospitals and Dow Chemical and many more and we found new homes for all of them as is, thurmbing our noses at the stodgy, unimaginative, backwards EPA. For a great example, read the essay on Baldwin Park at that same website. In the forty years since that very successful company was closed, not one venture with the same mission was started anywhere in the world, so that all the erroneously designated "hazardous wastes" (which are largely perfectly usable and not wastes at all in any realistic sense) are irresponsibly buried underground by the so-called 'responsible" authorities. Of course there is lots of money to follow in all of this but that is a longer story. For ten years, we proved that a new system could work but in the end we got zero support from the gummint (they gigantically supported the destructive garbage industries with draconian regulations) and could not expand.
That's not entirely true. There are many hardworking Senators and House Reps working to represent as best they can all the people of their State or District. That said most are under continual pressure from influences with money. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
As soon as you hear the word freedom being put forward as a goal get very careful. All freedom is relative. My freedom to control my own life runs up against your freedom to control me (think slaves and slaveowners for the quintessential example). The republicans try to pull the emotional wool over the eyes of the public with their call for (non-relative, absolute) freedoms. Even the use of Freedom by the Civil Rights movement has to be understood this way. Black people want the same civil freedoms as everyone else, but the Republican nutjobs want to be free to imprison, oppress and control everyone else, especially blacks. We must always interrogate ourselves which freedom we respect and desire and which we don't.
That is the definition of a Christ-O-Fascist. Goldwater has something to say about that as far back as 1964 (est). No, these people will not negotiate because they believe that they are destined to rule the world with their ignorance and biblical notions (whatever they may be) — and to be accurate there are 40,000 different sects of Christianity and none of them agree on even trivial things like is dancing okay, let alone major things like how to ruin a democracy and make a viable authoritarian government. It would be a disaster to let these fascists ever get total control of our government.
They get $174,000 a year plus benefits, staff, office, expenses each. Multiply by 400 plus, add costs for running hearings, etc. they are on recess and just got back from one.
Taxpayer’s outrage is long overdue. What are we getting for the millions of dollars? Rhetorical question.
I know the money spent on Congress may be your burr under the saddle but it is really chump change in the sweep of things. Rich people, billionaires, oligarchs are the rulers, not the Congresspeople. If you want to make a difference, get rid of them and leave Congress alone.
You have to consider the source, this could all be smoke and mirrors to help Johnson save face. He's not one of the good guys- he still has a Christian Nationalist Agenda!
Actually, they’ve passed about 42 bills. The “do-nothing Congress” that Harry Truman based his 1948 campaign on (squeaking to a narrow victory!) passed over 900, so there’s that…. I guess we should do an upscale Truman and call them “do-nothing Republicans,” since the Dems aren’t playing their game.
When you fly over Washington DC you’re one who has flown over the cuckoo’s nest. Justice Powell and the movement conservatives who took the lid off campaign contributions turned the place into a menagerie.
A very expensive menagerie, on the tax payers tab. The SS Trump is taking on water after hitting several icebergs. The captain is frantically telling his crew and passengers (donors) that all is well. It is not. This is a sad moment for our country.
I think the question needs to be asked in two parts: do you approve of the Republicans in Congress and do you approve of the Democrats in Congress. Asking such a general question only results in people telling you that Congress isn’t working, but it doesn’t tell you who or what they think is responsible for that. So it’s almost a useless question since just about everybody knows it’s not functioning when the budget is always on the brink and Republicans keep hiring and firing their own people. Many of the surveys don’t seem to want to ask the real questions. This is like asking “is the country divided?”. That’s something we all can agree on, so it’s useless to ask the question.
Asking the question so generally suggest that both sides are at fault I’d like to see what independents answer to each question and what Democrats and Republicans separately answer. We might actually learn something that we didn’t expect.
Surveys tend to ask whether the country is going in the wrong direction. At the moment the country is going in two opposite direction, so how do people really answer that in a useful way. We need useful data not just “data”. Remember the saying “garbage and garbage out”
Your point is exactly on target, Jaye. However, you're assuming that most people are knowledgeable about what's actually going on in Congress. Ten bucks says that 75% or more do NOT know.
You try working “with” a party of grandstanders (MTG, Gaetz et al) whose singular purpose is attention for themselves. They have zero interest in legislating.
The Republicans aren’t trying to legislate anymore. They just want to be in control. This is not a both sides issue. The Democrats may not be perfect, but at least they are trying to legislate and have actually passed some sweeping changes despite Trump and the Republican party working constantly to block them, even when both sides agree, Trump intervenes and stops the border decision don’t be fooled by Republican talking points. Follow the legislation instead.
That is a huge part of the problem: ignorance. Many Americans are too busy or too lazy to take notice of what is happening. Most think the country can change on a dime simply by electing a Pesident. They no little about Congress' role.
David, I agree that ignorance is much too prevalent, and I'd submit that part of the cause is the lack of high school civics and government courses. But that's another post.
As for the myth of change on a dime with electing a new President, to be fair, modern election campaigns are the culprits there. We all heard TFG's, "I alone can fix it," which is obviously ridiculous, except to the MAGA faithful. But Obama said, "Change you can believe in," which was equally deceptive. He proceeded to install Wall Street fat cats in his administration, then bail out the big banks and leave the little guys hanging, among other things.
All this to say that the entire political machine, no matter the party, is geared toward promoting this or that candidate while obscuring or sliding past the actual process. And candidates continue to buy into it ('cause, after all the DNC and RNC get them into position), which is a huge problem.
You can blame the American people for being Ignorant, and that is part of the problem, but the real problem is the media and the “news”. People are working long hours, having children’s schedules to deal with now that we don’t dare to send them out to play on their own, and negotiating their bills with companies that don’t even bother to answer the phone or solve a problem. I was just on the phone with the IRS for two hours when it told me I was right and I didn’t deserve the 1099 but I would have to negotiate that with the Uncooperative company and probably need tohire a lawyer. The truth of the matter is a lawyer cost more than $1500 and there’s no guarantee I could win.
When people get time to get the news, it’s not really news And if you listen to more than one outlet, it’s completely conflicting. The “News” Is generally just another commodity creating wars between people and fake news. To earn money for shareholders Fake news seems to be as relevant as actual news At this point can you blame people for not knowing what to believe And who to trust? On the other hand, this country seems to be “more Evangelally religious” and yet less caring or empathetic to anyone but themselves. It’s a very sad state of affairs, where democracy is on the line and one side is still shouting that the last election was stolen. The news seems to keep Insisting that they’re good people on both sides, even when one side keeps lying constantly and gaslighting constantly. They only give us two sides to choose from and both are able to be manipulated by money Since that’s how our political system is set up. Why do we have to donate Billions to campaigns just to find out they intend to represent us. In general, the New seems to think the Palestinians are all bad people and the Israelis are all good People, but they refused to distinguish the citizens from the leaders. The news continues to make the mistake The fascist leaders represent “the people”.
Jaye, the thing is, does the pollster actually want real information or data that will prove his point? Asking stupid questions gets us stupid answers or no answers at all since most of the people asked won't bother to think about an answer. Then when there are no follow-up questions asking for an explanation, the answer is for the most part, useless. It's like when Trump supporters are asked why they support Trump and they say something like "He stands for what I stand for." That means nothing because beyond wrecking this nation and getting more money and power for himself, Trump stands for nothing. Asking if the nation is moving in the right or wrong direction also means nothing because the reasons can be so wide apart in understanding of the question, anything that can be gleaned from the collection of answers means absolutely nothing beyond that people are discontented to some extent. We need to pay less attention to polls and find out what issues people actually see as of value, then take suggestions from them as to what people should/could be doing to address them. The challenge for all of us is that Republicans have no positive ideas when they have any ideas at all. I have heard nothing constructive from any Republican in years and suspect Trumpland has squashed any positive ideas. Doing harm to people whose backs now bear Republican targets seems to be the only mission. They've got slogans like "build the wall" and "drill baby drill" but want cheap farm labor which immigrants do and are desperate when their house is flooded due to global warming. Thinking clearly if at all is not a Republican strong suit and has not been for a long time. That's why they are now worshipping Trump.
I totally agree thatpolllsters and interviewers let Republican voters get away with vague statements and opinions on things like “woke” which nobody actually can define, and people respond to it for their own purposes. I totally agree that people need to explain what they actually want and what they actually mean, particularly on the Republican side, they seem to think that Donald would just tell other countries what to do and they will do it. It’s like they live in a comic book world where there’s good and evil and somehow they are good. But what’s concerned me is a large proportion of the Democrats couldn’t sort out Hamas being evil, and 10, 20, 30,000 Gazan civilians being murdered by Netanyahu. Both can be evil and unacceptable at the same time. . Also,. You would think having lived in the United States the past eight years that people could sort leaders decisions as possibly not representing the country that they stand for. Netanyahu doesn’t represent all Israelis in the same way Trump did not represent all Americans. So it’s possible for people to be pro-Israel and against Netanyahu. It’s very hard to solve problems if people can only thinking black-and-white terms and can’t distinguish their own values from their undying allegiance to leaders.
Sue, I do wonder how it is people are so unable to hold two separate thoughts in their minds at the same time. Hamas is evil as are all terrorist groups. They are generally disgruntled young men who get benefits from doing violence against the people their leaders target. Then there are folks like Netanyahu who have respect only for themselves and believe that whatever they do just must be OK because they did it: bribery, no problem, undermining justice, no problem. Netanyahu and Trump as well as Orban, Putin, Xi, and a bunch of others in the world right now are cut from the same cloth. There are few things they would not do to get and keep power and the money they work hard to make go along with the power. These are not good people because they have no true concept of the common good, or even good at all, just what makes them happy/content/orgasmic; it is unclear which. A people may pick a leader, but once that leader is chosen, it is really hard to curb their bad behavior and, everyone else suffers as is happening now in Gaza and Israel.
It helps if their leaders constantly lie and get others to lie for them. Propaganda goes a long way, especially if you can control or influence the media.
Correct! Someone may say they disapprove of Biden because they don't like his policies, while I may disapprove because I think he doesn't go far enough, but still I much prefer what he is doing to what Republicans are doing or what Trump would do.
I totally agree and have written most of that elsewhere. The navigator pool is interesting because sometimes it does ask very specific questions that get beyond Republican talking points. But so far, I haven’t seen any pools that address Gaza in any particularly enlightened way, and the college camps protests have decided that students are prejudice and violent, which is the opposite of what they are representing. Money And the white rich Heterosexual male point of view has infiltrated everything. I have noticed how easy it is to get the public to take the side of the poor little white boy who may have to hear About a black child’s experience and perspective and how damaging that might be To the psychic of a young white boy. Or how the “me, too” movement had to look at it from the white male perspective of losing a job And how soon this male could Get his job back in entertainment or the media or Congress. Or how female fetuses have rights until they’re born.
Yes, Jaie, this is avoidance of responsibility. It reminds me of Thomas Jefferson's lament, who already in the 1820s foresaw the outbreak of civil war and thought that both sides would be equally at fault.
Jayne—Exactly. The answer to a question definitely depends on the wording of the initial question. Without a follow up to that initial question concerning the origin of the dysfunction, the answer is pretty much meaningless—a pox on both houses.
In this case the problem is directly coming from the Republican paid-for congressional members who are there to specifically cause dysfunction, disharmony, and division in our country.
Yeah - just look at that sham impeachment hearing - obviously there’s no goal there just a stall tactic - meanwhile we the public are paying at least $175,000 for each person in congress ( x435) = $76 million a year for ZERO
It could be useful to ask a generic question. ‘Do you think the party in charge of the House is responsible for assessment you have made about the functioning of the Congress?’
Some people do not know which party has that majority and will be blaming the Party they do not support. It might be quite instructive to some voters to realise which party has been screwing up.
If you watch the “man in the street” Interviews on late night TV, you’ll get the impression that even students in college. Don’t even know what you mean by the “house”. They can’t seem to identify the basic 3 branches of government, and don’t seem to be informed about the balance of power. Then they cruise them on the entertainment business and they all get it right.
There’s the concept of a ‘push poll.’ It asks questions designed to influence the possible answers and come up with the ‘conclusion’ desired. True surveys and polls are not simplistic. They are carefully done. I don’t think we get enough of THOSE.
But folks won't give Democrats credit even though we are following Our Platform not any one candidate. We/I expect our candidates to follow Our Platform. The GOP's/Greed Over People's platform IS trump/all about trump and proving government doesn't work.
NOT proving government “doesn’t” work. Only proving if you are willing to bend or break any rule {or even law} that you can get away with, you CAN gum up the works for a while and put a crimp in how government DOES work.
NOW, voters have a chance to grab it back and put it to work again. That CAN be done. Because government CAN work. But we have to make it work.
That's where I disagree with Dr. Reich's statement "House Republicans got exactly nowhere". They delayed and caused chaos. That's what Broke Don wants, so they did accomplish their goal of proving that government doesn't work. It's their argument for why a dictator is needed.
Trump is conductor, and Republicans do as directed. Trump wants to look like the knight in shinning armor, who comes to the rescue in November. Once Trump is in, we won't have to worry about voting again. Our vote will mean nothing, just as it doesn't in Russia.
Susan - you've probably never done anything that would get you extorted, blackmailed, or otherwise exposed as something socially unacceptable or illegal. look at lindsey graham. i'm wondering what trump has on him? something epsteinish?
I think you should very concerned. I have heard him talk about ending SS and Medicare. When that didn't go over well with his supporters, he has now decided they should be taxed. Question is, how much.
THAT part is true. They accomplished nothing of legislative intent, for sure. But their chaos agenda was furthered, I have to agree with you on that. Dammit.
Politics/Common Good is not a spectator sport. You can't complain if you don't vote Or as others have said vote for trump and you won't ever have to vote again.
it's a mystery. Vanity? Why did Nader do it? To show that the 2 Party system is broken. But there are many people who want to engage in fantasy ideals. I don't regard them as serious people.
Yes i support Green party platform or likely alot of it which is why i want Stein to drop out. But its rfk jr who worries me more.
It is people like you who in your haughty certainty insure that Ralph Nader or Jill Stein have no chance. Had Ralph Nader been elected this country would be unrecognizable as a (relative to now) paradise. When I listen to Nader, I am astounded at his pragmatism, his idealism and his encyclopedic knowledge of every political event of the last 100 years, plus all the actors.
Remember her in Russia, sitting at the table with Putin. She is getting her orders from him, and that is to run and lower Biden's chances of winning. She is taking votes away that have gone to Biden.
She could decide the election in the swing states, if she takes enough from Biden. This is what Trump is counting on, and I am sure Putin would also like Trump in office. Trump is rubber stamp for anything Putin wants.
she was there as window dressing, a stage prop, just as Fiona Hill was with Putin decades ago. I have no reason to think she is taking orders from Putin.
Faye, I do wonder what would happen if Republicans turned their back on their deity. It could be liberating for them, but so many of them are so desperate to be told what to do, so they have someone to blame if things don't go well, they wouldn't be able to let him go. Trump is beyond ignorant, but somehow they are so interested in doing harm to the people they hate (immigrants, LGBTQ+ persons, women, college grads, people of color, they can't any longer see the damage they are doing to themselves. It seems they want an ignoramus to tell them what to do while in their eyes, this country is failing. Who will they whine to and for when things get worse than they are now? It really is a form of systemic insanity.
It's why Bill Gates refuses to waste his time dealing directly with Congress: "They're all idiots."
As for MTG, what does her mere presence in Congress say about those who vote for her?
We have a very simple problem in the US: low taxes on the wealthy and on the corporations. This is promulgated by those voting their racist identities above their finances. This country prospered when the South voted Democrat. Dixiecrats were all racists, but they voted for high taxes. Why did the South vote Democrat? Basically, because Lincoln was a Republican. Then along came Civil Rights, pushed by Northern Democrats, and guess what? The South switched allegiance to the Republicans. This was noticed by Lewis Powell and others, and in 1973, at the urging of Nixon, the Heritage Foundation was set up, having lofty espoused views, but really in the name of lowering taxes on the wealthy.
Do you really think that the Democrats have been delivering for working families over the last 40 years? That if people in the South had just voted their finances they would now be so much better off? The Dems have not been the complete corporate tools that Republicans are, but they also sometimes hurt, and sometimes did not help enough. Biden is finally doing many of the things the Dems should have been doing.
Steve, You are correct to identify the 40 year time frame for the deterioration in the economic ‘equality ratio’ across the population. Reagan’s embrace of the Milton Freidman’s ‘market’ orientated economic policies has led to the shift of money from 90+% of the population to the top 2% over these last 40 years.
The divisions within the countries around the world have increased as the top 2% in each Neoliberal country wield huge political power by controlling politicians, so the rich can hold onto their money.
Both political parties swallowed the same Koolaid. Democrats (mostly) are seeing the light and Biden has begun to get passed legislation that is reversing that shift.
The choice is clear. Trump Republicans want to keep the Neoliberal polices that have robbed the people of a chance of a ‘fair go’ and Biden wants to give the majority of Americans the chance of a ‘fair go’.
Vote Democrat down the Ballot! It is not the ‘least worst’. Way to vote. It is voting for ‘best’ for All Americans.
Agree, but the Dems may have tacked to the right in part because the country had moved to the right. While that's a possible reason, it's no excuse, and I agree again that the Dems may be (finally) back on track.
They can look at themselves in the mirror because they’re accomplishing what they set out to do: create chaos, dysfunction, and in so doing erode people’s faith in a democracy’s ability to get anything done. Of course, corporate media contributes to this perception by focusing on Biden’s age instead of the significant strides he and the Democrats have made in spite of a rabid, entrenched and ongoing fascist insurrection.
Why is it OK to say dismissive things about Biden's age, which he doesn't hide, but nobody is talking about Bobaert, MTG or Ms Sen Britt's botox bills.
This is no surprise. I think the Republicans are going to burn their cult to the ground. It will be necessary so they can rebuild it in a sane fashion. Going to take awhile though.
I continue to believe that the most stunning recent body blow to our democracy has come via NBC/MSNBC's decision to platform the former RNC chairwoman...someone who actively participated in the effort to overthrow our democracy.
Jaime, maybe (I hope) you can help me. My gmail inbox says you replied to my comment. Then it says "view comment". I clicked on that, and it took me here where I see your comment, but that's all I see. I see none of the preceding comments, so that leaves your comment isolated and out of context, making it hard for me to know how to reply. I know you are here a lot and respect what you have to say. (I read your comments every time I see one.) So do you have any suggestions as to what I might be missing, or how I can fix this problem? Thanks.
That has happened to me a number of times & I likewise become flummoxed (not sure I used that word correctly, but I couldn't resist, since it popped in my mind). Fortunately, I have some (far from full or precise) recollection of what the conversation was about. Someone came up with the phrase "Hate That I Love" or something similar as part of some rather poetic comment, & another person replied that that those words would make a good song title.
This unattached reply seems to happen when the comments are not part of the main "page". In other words, either goes below to a lower page where it says "load more", which comes after about 20 mainline comments (comments directly to Dr. Reich), or to the right in a thread that goes beyond 8 or so comments "continued" to another page to the right.
Thanks for the explanation for my having trouble finding reply comments referenced in my email inbox. It's nice to know I'm not the only one having that problem. Apparently there was nothing big that I was missing. That was my concern. Thanks.
BTW, you did correctly use the word "flummoxed". I've always liked that word, so I looked it up just for the fun of it. I noticed that the correct pronunciation of flummoxed flummoxed me.
Supposedly it is pronounced "flum-ixt" with equal emphasis on flum and ixt. I've always said "floo-moxt" with an emphasis on floo. So I suppose the choices might be "flum vs. floo" and
"ixt vs. moxt". Now I'm flummoxing myself writing about this. Is flummoxing a verb or even a word? I'm not even going to look that one up right now. Maybe later when I'm less flummoxed.
You also said "another person replied that that those words would make a good song title". That was me.
Haha! My assumption of the pronunciation of "flummoxed" is "mixt" between your assumption & the official pronunciation you gave. I thought it was "flum-moxt".
Probably a comforting statistic? If only 12% approve of the absurd circus called today's Congress, especially the ill-named House of "Representatives", perhaps that is the level of Maggot support and will be reflected in the election results. One can pray, or even better VOTE!
The current 118th Congress is on track to being one of the least functional sessions, passing the fewest bills in its first year of a congressional session since the Great Depression, according to congressional records.
Put the blame on the House Republicans. Chaos, moral cowardice and idiocy. They are truly the No Good, Good for Nothing, Know Nothing House Republican Party.
I wonder if the public at large really knows what Congress does. I'll bet if you asked, the average American would say that it's Congress' job to support the President's agenda. When are the majority gonna realize their Gov't is MORE than just who occupies the Oval Office?
It would be really good for the country if public schools re-instated CIVICS as a mandatory course for graduation. Of course, that might cost a few more pennies and goodness gracious, we can't have THAT, now can we? Republicans have been starving public school of funds for decades--because ignorant constituents are a benefit for MAGA and Republican politicians.
Outstanding point, T L. I don't doubt for a second that the dumbing-down of the last 40 years is no accident. As TFG said, "I love the poorly educated." Of course, Wharton notwithstanding, the orange one is in that category himself.
Dubya seemed to be quite proud of his ignorance. In the book by Andy Borowitz "Profiles in Ignorance", Borowitz catalogues how our political candidates became dumber and dumber. These days some candidates are fools and some are quite smart but manage to disguise or hide that fact (because their constituents might think them "uppity") and perversely, the most ignorant ones (such as Dubya) are actually proud of their ignorance. Very strange...
If they're proud of their ignorance, they're not elitists, by definition. Therefore, they think they automatically appeal to average Joes and Janes. It probably works more often than not.
TL Mills, starving public ed also because their big donors don't want to fund anything that they don't "benefit" from and their big donors don't want higher taxes due to inevitable higher funding. Awful.
The thing is...most businesses benefit from employees who have a good education--even if the business doesn't require specialized technical levels in every employee. Who would want to employ people who cannot spell, read directions, have a grasp of basic math/science and/or have some sense of decorum or how to converse politely with a client?
It hardly matters if it's made mandatory if civcis is not valued to begin with. But to understand the value is to have at least some better understanding of issues with capitalism and that is for some a sacred cow. Our form of capitalism has been undermining the role of government in our society continually because government is a check on power of the few which operates at the expense of the many. So there is a built in tension.
WELL, if Republicans have their way next year, that will be less true. They want to institute what they call the Unitary President. And they float the idea as “executive,” the President has the authority to “execute” the law of the land as he sees fit. {Pretty much, in other words, they hold that the law means what he says it means, and he can suspend executing laws that he deems in need of being suspended from time to time. OK, that’s my shorthand for what the R’s are after, but when Donald says, as President, “the Constitution gives me the authority to do whatever I want, “ you better believe that’s what he plans to do. }
David, I fear you are right, and this reminds me of the presidential debates. The standard question is "What would you do if elected president?" The usual reply is bla-bla-bla, and none of the candidates acknowledges that his agenda depends on Congressional support. A valuable educational opportunity is thereby wasted.
I'd carry your point farther, Victor. Across the board, candidates make all kinds of promises without reference to the fact that they need Congressional votes to make good on those promises. Then, when the promises fall through, the excuse is invariably, "Well, but Congress wouldn't approve it." In other words, during the campaign, candidates want voters to think it's all them, without acknowledging the process. If they're unsuccessful, THEN it's Congress' fault. IMO, if ya can't count on enough votes to get it done, ya don't make the promise. But politicians do it all the time, anyway, which is why people don't trust them.
Valid point, Denise, but your point ignores the fact that the Republican Party has for the past thirty years consistently followed a policy of preventing Democratic presidents from accomplishing anything.
That fact about the GOP, while accurate, is neither here nor there, on relation to my main point. No politician of either party should make promises unless he/she has the votes. Just as Nancy Pelosi made it a policy not to bring a bill up for a vote unless she knew she had enough "yeas." Party whips don't promise things to prominent legislators to assure their votes on specific bills unless they know they can make good.
But when it comes to the public, politicians will promise the moon, regardless if the Congressional votes are there. And they are rightfully distrusted.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but it seems to me that, knowing that truth about the GOP's intentions, Dem candidates would be even more careful about the promises they make, at every level. Or be more circumspect about wording: instead of making flat-out promises, talk about what they want to see happen.
You are quite right, Denise, and the media has responsibility to the public to press candidates on how they plan to accomplish their goals. To his credit, Trump has already told us what he intends to do, and it not by upholding the Constitution. We have been warned. Sadly, this year many Americans intend to price toilet paper higher than democracy.
Yes, TFG has given us the broad strokes, which are horrifying in and of themselves. It's the details that are truly frightening: Project 2025, etc. Of course, those strategies avoid linking directly to TFG; rather, they're supposed to be the plan for, "any conservative President."
The media are collectively a double-edged sword. As you point out, Victor, they often don't press candidates on specifics, but instead, allow them to slide with unsupported generalizations. OTOH, we can be grateful for reporting about the diabolical, behind-the-scenes nuts and bolts of the GOP's and their fearful leader's plans.
The fact of the matter is much lip sevice is given to civics but when it comes to our values its Johnnie and Jill get the good scores on tests so you can go to a good college and be a "success". This is what we value as a society. That and bullshit. We must otherwise there wouldn't be so much of it.
Democrats are awfully close now to the same number as the Republicans. Just keep the same unanimity they had before & get 2 Republicans to not vote in a House-wide vote, & an all-present Democratic caucus can take it.
I have a friend who lives near her district. Evidently, there are a LOT of people who are ashamed to acknowledge she's their representative. But not nearly as many people as vote for her, obviously.
As much as I hated having Trump as president I shudder to think how I would have felt having it compounded with having MTG as my rep. My heart goes out to the progressives in her district. 🤢❤️✊️
To be fair, the congress of today is pro-Insurrection, anti-American, and has literally passed ZERO, yes ZERO, legislation!
That's Trumplicans for you: WORTHLESS COWARDS.
We're close to a reversal. Only need 15 more House signatures to get the 216 representatives in the House needed for a “discharge petition.” As of Wednesday, here is a list of signatories to the discharge petition for aid to Ukraine:.https://substack.com/redirect/ba3f7129-5389-4900-ab4a-932560581a49?j=eyJ1IjoiemM2OWkifQ.c-Ir1W06Zo4FbvuztrhY2sLipcdAY-5E8VJO7_b2eS0
https://jerryweiss.substack.com/
Maybe Coloado will flip CD4 we're working on options. Need one more quitter
Proud of our rep McGovern.. (and all the MA reps on board!!)
Thank you
D. Solomon
You are a good man.
Our Becca is on there..
None of the 3 Batistianos here in Baghdad By the Sea will cooperate.
Please discuss Field Team 6 and post a link on your Substack. https://www.fieldteam6.org/actions
I will be more involved this week on that, D. I have not had an “active” posting schedule — other than comments on others. But plan to be more proactive there. Yes, energizing action. Our only hope. Thx.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/actions
My 2 are onboard.
America, notwithstanding its democratic pretense, is a country of the 1% capitalist class. The 99% don't count.
We should be somewhat more precise. The Senate has done significantly better than the House though certainly not near what can be expected from them.
And yes, the House absolutely needs a new speaker. It has to be Jeffries.
If that were REALLY true, they would not need to get “campaign” money to win VOTES. We are LOSING our relevance and influence, but it is not gone yet. This COULD be the seminal election, though.
Pat: If you are saying that the need for campaign money is a proof of American democracy, you are sadly mistaken. After hundreds of years of social evolution, elections have emerged as the pretense of democracy to put the blinders on the American public. Yes, it is true that elections are a nominally democratic patch on the oligarchic public system. However, there is no follow through. Once elected, representatives are perfectly free to represent anyone they want. And they are trained to follow the money, and represent those who make major donations to their campaigns. Yes there are progressives, who are wonderful, and not part of this biased system, but money skews the system so badly the progressives really don't count. The only way to achieve the democracy you yearn for is to disallow individuals with obscene amounts of money to, first, pay anything for any political purpose, and second, to exist. Until we get rid of the rich, keep fantasizing about democracy.
Paul, NO … I am NOT saying that “the need for campaign money is a proof of American democracy.”
NOTHING OF THE SORT!
I am saying that, CURRENTLY, the pursuit of money is FOR THE PURPOSE of reaching an electorate and convincing them to vote for a candidate. The pursuit of money RIGHT NOW is still part of creating a public image for the candidate in the pursuit of VOTES for that candidate.
The more money that floods that process, the more it is perverted, misused, and damaged.
I understand that it is an endangered state of affairs. I’m not blind, nor stupid.
BUT, we should realize that — RIGHT NOW — most politicians are not taking direct bribes to vote a certain way {at least those who have to live by a code of ethics aren’t}, but are seeking money through the campaign pipeline to buy visibility, publicity and advertising … to influence VOTERS to elect them again.
Then they let lobbyists give them more money to get votes again when they are up for re-election, and they don’t vote the way their constituency would prefer in the meantime. I know that, too.
Clearly, the more we let the process be run by money, the more we put up with gerrymandering, and the more votes are suppressed, the less our vote will mater. But right now, the money politicians are after is MOSTLY used to generate votes.
Understanding that VOTES still matter is no small consideration …
We lose sight of that, and allow it to be attenuated, at our peril.
It is one of our LAST GREATEST hopes — that our votes still have some value.
And, yeah, I know once politicians are elected, we’re lucky is they fulfill any of their promises, but why is THAT?
Because we don’t hold them to it, that’s why … We vote, and then … what? We sit and wait? What should we do instead?
Answer that question, and maybe we are on a road to making it better….
Pat: You asked: What should we do instead (of sitting and waiting for our representatives to do the right thing?)
Pat, that is a rhetorical question, one that is conventionally thought of as having no answer, but is just a sigh of hope. AS IT HAPPENS: I actually wrote a whole book answering precisely that question in fact, on an operational level. The book is called Parasites Lost (representatives are the parasites) and it is available for next to nothing on gettingtozerowaste.com. Isn't it amazing that there actually is an answer?
The reason I could find an answer is because, in my work, I never just look for a slight tweak of what already exists and assume all the conventional assumptions. I am not interested in putting bandaids on a corrupt system. I am interested in finding superior systems. I am proud of starting a company called Zero Waste Systems Inc. which took thousands of unwanted (usually called wastes - even hazardous wastes) chemicals from Silicon Valley, Lawrence Livermore Lab, Berkeley Radiation Lab, various universities and hospitals and Dow Chemical and many more and we found new homes for all of them as is, thurmbing our noses at the stodgy, unimaginative, backwards EPA. For a great example, read the essay on Baldwin Park at that same website. In the forty years since that very successful company was closed, not one venture with the same mission was started anywhere in the world, so that all the erroneously designated "hazardous wastes" (which are largely perfectly usable and not wastes at all in any realistic sense) are irresponsibly buried underground by the so-called 'responsible" authorities. Of course there is lots of money to follow in all of this but that is a longer story. For ten years, we proved that a new system could work but in the end we got zero support from the gummint (they gigantically supported the destructive garbage industries with draconian regulations) and could not expand.
Did you reclaim materials and perhaps render them to their natural or elemental state?
That's not entirely true. There are many hardworking Senators and House Reps working to represent as best they can all the people of their State or District. That said most are under continual pressure from influences with money. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Power-> Money-> Politics
Yes, Congress has been dysfunctional, but let’s
cast the blame for it where it belongs—on the so-
called ‘freedom caucus.’ They’ve been consistently
unreasonable and refused to negotiate like grown-
up men and women. I think that’s exactly what the
rich & powerful republicans who actually call the shots wanted. They’ve wanted our government
to be dysfunctional & chaotic.
The title "freedom" caucus is a joke! Their idea of freedom is destroying the federal government.
As soon as you hear the word freedom being put forward as a goal get very careful. All freedom is relative. My freedom to control my own life runs up against your freedom to control me (think slaves and slaveowners for the quintessential example). The republicans try to pull the emotional wool over the eyes of the public with their call for (non-relative, absolute) freedoms. Even the use of Freedom by the Civil Rights movement has to be understood this way. Black people want the same civil freedoms as everyone else, but the Republican nutjobs want to be free to imprison, oppress and control everyone else, especially blacks. We must always interrogate ourselves which freedom we respect and desire and which we don't.
I agree!
That is the definition of a Christ-O-Fascist. Goldwater has something to say about that as far back as 1964 (est). No, these people will not negotiate because they believe that they are destined to rule the world with their ignorance and biblical notions (whatever they may be) — and to be accurate there are 40,000 different sects of Christianity and none of them agree on even trivial things like is dancing okay, let alone major things like how to ruin a democracy and make a viable authoritarian government. It would be a disaster to let these fascists ever get total control of our government.
Freedom Caucus only works w/ spineless malleable House members to vote as instructed… they all mock the very privilege of the democratic vote.
Except for they aren’t cowards they are uneducated rams, following a Demented Pied Piper Donald Trump
Uneducated is too kind. Ignorant, brainwashed, mean-spirited, sycophants.
They get $174,000 a year plus benefits, staff, office, expenses each. Multiply by 400 plus, add costs for running hearings, etc. they are on recess and just got back from one.
Taxpayer’s outrage is long overdue. What are we getting for the millions of dollars? Rhetorical question.
And receive pensions if they serve 5 years, amount based on how many years they served.
I know the money spent on Congress may be your burr under the saddle but it is really chump change in the sweep of things. Rich people, billionaires, oligarchs are the rulers, not the Congresspeople. If you want to make a difference, get rid of them and leave Congress alone.
You are way too hard on this Congress. From what I’ve been told, they managed to name a bunch of Post Offices, so there’s that….:
You have to consider the source, this could all be smoke and mirrors to help Johnson save face. He's not one of the good guys- he still has a Christian Nationalist Agenda!
Actually, they’ve passed about 42 bills. The “do-nothing Congress” that Harry Truman based his 1948 campaign on (squeaking to a narrow victory!) passed over 900, so there’s that…. I guess we should do an upscale Truman and call them “do-nothing Republicans,” since the Dems aren’t playing their game.
When you fly over Washington DC you’re one who has flown over the cuckoo’s nest. Justice Powell and the movement conservatives who took the lid off campaign contributions turned the place into a menagerie.
A very expensive menagerie, on the tax payers tab. The SS Trump is taking on water after hitting several icebergs. The captain is frantically telling his crew and passengers (donors) that all is well. It is not. This is a sad moment for our country.
Only a blue wave in Nov. can start the healing.
Hopefully many Democrats excepted. Don't toss out the baby with the bathwater.
The baby they should throw out is IQo3 Marjorie Taylor Greene they would’ve been better off to keep George Santos and have thrown her out.
HA, I almost agree on the Santos thing … actually, yeah! Probably.
And they continue to sow chaos with almost each decision.
I think the question needs to be asked in two parts: do you approve of the Republicans in Congress and do you approve of the Democrats in Congress. Asking such a general question only results in people telling you that Congress isn’t working, but it doesn’t tell you who or what they think is responsible for that. So it’s almost a useless question since just about everybody knows it’s not functioning when the budget is always on the brink and Republicans keep hiring and firing their own people. Many of the surveys don’t seem to want to ask the real questions. This is like asking “is the country divided?”. That’s something we all can agree on, so it’s useless to ask the question.
Asking the question so generally suggest that both sides are at fault I’d like to see what independents answer to each question and what Democrats and Republicans separately answer. We might actually learn something that we didn’t expect.
Surveys tend to ask whether the country is going in the wrong direction. At the moment the country is going in two opposite direction, so how do people really answer that in a useful way. We need useful data not just “data”. Remember the saying “garbage and garbage out”
Your point is exactly on target, Jaye. However, you're assuming that most people are knowledgeable about what's actually going on in Congress. Ten bucks says that 75% or more do NOT know.
they just know nothing much is getting done, the Parties don't work together, food fights, and thus "a pox on both Parties".
You try working “with” a party of grandstanders (MTG, Gaetz et al) whose singular purpose is attention for themselves. They have zero interest in legislating.
The Republicans aren’t trying to legislate anymore. They just want to be in control. This is not a both sides issue. The Democrats may not be perfect, but at least they are trying to legislate and have actually passed some sweeping changes despite Trump and the Republican party working constantly to block them, even when both sides agree, Trump intervenes and stops the border decision don’t be fooled by Republican talking points. Follow the legislation instead.
That is a huge part of the problem: ignorance. Many Americans are too busy or too lazy to take notice of what is happening. Most think the country can change on a dime simply by electing a Pesident. They no little about Congress' role.
David, I agree that ignorance is much too prevalent, and I'd submit that part of the cause is the lack of high school civics and government courses. But that's another post.
As for the myth of change on a dime with electing a new President, to be fair, modern election campaigns are the culprits there. We all heard TFG's, "I alone can fix it," which is obviously ridiculous, except to the MAGA faithful. But Obama said, "Change you can believe in," which was equally deceptive. He proceeded to install Wall Street fat cats in his administration, then bail out the big banks and leave the little guys hanging, among other things.
All this to say that the entire political machine, no matter the party, is geared toward promoting this or that candidate while obscuring or sliding past the actual process. And candidates continue to buy into it ('cause, after all the DNC and RNC get them into position), which is a huge problem.
You can blame the American people for being Ignorant, and that is part of the problem, but the real problem is the media and the “news”. People are working long hours, having children’s schedules to deal with now that we don’t dare to send them out to play on their own, and negotiating their bills with companies that don’t even bother to answer the phone or solve a problem. I was just on the phone with the IRS for two hours when it told me I was right and I didn’t deserve the 1099 but I would have to negotiate that with the Uncooperative company and probably need tohire a lawyer. The truth of the matter is a lawyer cost more than $1500 and there’s no guarantee I could win.
When people get time to get the news, it’s not really news And if you listen to more than one outlet, it’s completely conflicting. The “News” Is generally just another commodity creating wars between people and fake news. To earn money for shareholders Fake news seems to be as relevant as actual news At this point can you blame people for not knowing what to believe And who to trust? On the other hand, this country seems to be “more Evangelally religious” and yet less caring or empathetic to anyone but themselves. It’s a very sad state of affairs, where democracy is on the line and one side is still shouting that the last election was stolen. The news seems to keep Insisting that they’re good people on both sides, even when one side keeps lying constantly and gaslighting constantly. They only give us two sides to choose from and both are able to be manipulated by money Since that’s how our political system is set up. Why do we have to donate Billions to campaigns just to find out they intend to represent us. In general, the New seems to think the Palestinians are all bad people and the Israelis are all good People, but they refused to distinguish the citizens from the leaders. The news continues to make the mistake The fascist leaders represent “the people”.
But think they know by an influencing friend/ relative or grab a news headline
Jaye, the thing is, does the pollster actually want real information or data that will prove his point? Asking stupid questions gets us stupid answers or no answers at all since most of the people asked won't bother to think about an answer. Then when there are no follow-up questions asking for an explanation, the answer is for the most part, useless. It's like when Trump supporters are asked why they support Trump and they say something like "He stands for what I stand for." That means nothing because beyond wrecking this nation and getting more money and power for himself, Trump stands for nothing. Asking if the nation is moving in the right or wrong direction also means nothing because the reasons can be so wide apart in understanding of the question, anything that can be gleaned from the collection of answers means absolutely nothing beyond that people are discontented to some extent. We need to pay less attention to polls and find out what issues people actually see as of value, then take suggestions from them as to what people should/could be doing to address them. The challenge for all of us is that Republicans have no positive ideas when they have any ideas at all. I have heard nothing constructive from any Republican in years and suspect Trumpland has squashed any positive ideas. Doing harm to people whose backs now bear Republican targets seems to be the only mission. They've got slogans like "build the wall" and "drill baby drill" but want cheap farm labor which immigrants do and are desperate when their house is flooded due to global warming. Thinking clearly if at all is not a Republican strong suit and has not been for a long time. That's why they are now worshipping Trump.
I totally agree thatpolllsters and interviewers let Republican voters get away with vague statements and opinions on things like “woke” which nobody actually can define, and people respond to it for their own purposes. I totally agree that people need to explain what they actually want and what they actually mean, particularly on the Republican side, they seem to think that Donald would just tell other countries what to do and they will do it. It’s like they live in a comic book world where there’s good and evil and somehow they are good. But what’s concerned me is a large proportion of the Democrats couldn’t sort out Hamas being evil, and 10, 20, 30,000 Gazan civilians being murdered by Netanyahu. Both can be evil and unacceptable at the same time. . Also,. You would think having lived in the United States the past eight years that people could sort leaders decisions as possibly not representing the country that they stand for. Netanyahu doesn’t represent all Israelis in the same way Trump did not represent all Americans. So it’s possible for people to be pro-Israel and against Netanyahu. It’s very hard to solve problems if people can only thinking black-and-white terms and can’t distinguish their own values from their undying allegiance to leaders.
Sue, I do wonder how it is people are so unable to hold two separate thoughts in their minds at the same time. Hamas is evil as are all terrorist groups. They are generally disgruntled young men who get benefits from doing violence against the people their leaders target. Then there are folks like Netanyahu who have respect only for themselves and believe that whatever they do just must be OK because they did it: bribery, no problem, undermining justice, no problem. Netanyahu and Trump as well as Orban, Putin, Xi, and a bunch of others in the world right now are cut from the same cloth. There are few things they would not do to get and keep power and the money they work hard to make go along with the power. These are not good people because they have no true concept of the common good, or even good at all, just what makes them happy/content/orgasmic; it is unclear which. A people may pick a leader, but once that leader is chosen, it is really hard to curb their bad behavior and, everyone else suffers as is happening now in Gaza and Israel.
It helps if their leaders constantly lie and get others to lie for them. Propaganda goes a long way, especially if you can control or influence the media.
Correct! Someone may say they disapprove of Biden because they don't like his policies, while I may disapprove because I think he doesn't go far enough, but still I much prefer what he is doing to what Republicans are doing or what Trump would do.
Ruth - I agree; you stated it better than I did. I stated something similar before I started reading the comments. thanks
I totally agree and have written most of that elsewhere. The navigator pool is interesting because sometimes it does ask very specific questions that get beyond Republican talking points. But so far, I haven’t seen any pools that address Gaza in any particularly enlightened way, and the college camps protests have decided that students are prejudice and violent, which is the opposite of what they are representing. Money And the white rich Heterosexual male point of view has infiltrated everything. I have noticed how easy it is to get the public to take the side of the poor little white boy who may have to hear About a black child’s experience and perspective and how damaging that might be To the psychic of a young white boy. Or how the “me, too” movement had to look at it from the white male perspective of losing a job And how soon this male could Get his job back in entertainment or the media or Congress. Or how female fetuses have rights until they’re born.
Yes, Jaie, this is avoidance of responsibility. It reminds me of Thomas Jefferson's lament, who already in the 1820s foresaw the outbreak of civil war and thought that both sides would be equally at fault.
Jayne—Exactly. The answer to a question definitely depends on the wording of the initial question. Without a follow up to that initial question concerning the origin of the dysfunction, the answer is pretty much meaningless—a pox on both houses.
In this case the problem is directly coming from the Republican paid-for congressional members who are there to specifically cause dysfunction, disharmony, and division in our country.
Yeah - just look at that sham impeachment hearing - obviously there’s no goal there just a stall tactic - meanwhile we the public are paying at least $175,000 for each person in congress ( x435) = $76 million a year for ZERO
Diversion tactic to try to falsely make it look like Biden is guilty of similar ethical issues as Trump.
Jaye Raye, excellent point!
👍
Exactly. Everybody is unhappy but for different reasons or the same?
Jaye, you said it!!!
It could be useful to ask a generic question. ‘Do you think the party in charge of the House is responsible for assessment you have made about the functioning of the Congress?’
Some people do not know which party has that majority and will be blaming the Party they do not support. It might be quite instructive to some voters to realise which party has been screwing up.
If you watch the “man in the street” Interviews on late night TV, you’ll get the impression that even students in college. Don’t even know what you mean by the “house”. They can’t seem to identify the basic 3 branches of government, and don’t seem to be informed about the balance of power. Then they cruise them on the entertainment business and they all get it right.
There’s the concept of a ‘push poll.’ It asks questions designed to influence the possible answers and come up with the ‘conclusion’ desired. True surveys and polls are not simplistic. They are carefully done. I don’t think we get enough of THOSE.
It's split on who they want to see in Congress. Says here.
Which is a bit different from the question you asked, but a good indicator.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/generic-ballot/2024/
I don't trust 538 anymore. Nate Kohn has a bias against Biden.
well find what others say. I have some discomfort with 538 also
"I’m surprised it’s even that high."
That's because Democrats deliver.
But folks won't give Democrats credit even though we are following Our Platform not any one candidate. We/I expect our candidates to follow Our Platform. The GOP's/Greed Over People's platform IS trump/all about trump and proving government doesn't work.
NOT proving government “doesn’t” work. Only proving if you are willing to bend or break any rule {or even law} that you can get away with, you CAN gum up the works for a while and put a crimp in how government DOES work.
NOW, voters have a chance to grab it back and put it to work again. That CAN be done. Because government CAN work. But we have to make it work.
That's where I disagree with Dr. Reich's statement "House Republicans got exactly nowhere". They delayed and caused chaos. That's what Broke Don wants, so they did accomplish their goal of proving that government doesn't work. It's their argument for why a dictator is needed.
Trump is conductor, and Republicans do as directed. Trump wants to look like the knight in shinning armor, who comes to the rescue in November. Once Trump is in, we won't have to worry about voting again. Our vote will mean nothing, just as it doesn't in Russia.
Why are they scared of that orange bully bastard? I wouldn’t be and I’m 72.
Susan - you've probably never done anything that would get you extorted, blackmailed, or otherwise exposed as something socially unacceptable or illegal. look at lindsey graham. i'm wondering what trump has on him? something epsteinish?
I think you should very concerned. I have heard him talk about ending SS and Medicare. When that didn't go over well with his supporters, he has now decided they should be taxed. Question is, how much.
THAT part is true. They accomplished nothing of legislative intent, for sure. But their chaos agenda was furthered, I have to agree with you on that. Dammit.
Politics/Common Good is not a spectator sport. You can't complain if you don't vote Or as others have said vote for trump and you won't ever have to vote again.
That's right. Trump equals autocracy, where no one's vote means anything.
We have the capacity to overwhelm them. Register Democrats to save democracy.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
This is a great website. I am going to post it to my Democratic buddies. There are over 480 in our group. We live in a very red place!!!
Thank you! What a cool resource!
And only the trumpster can assure a government doesn't work.
And only we from the human race promoting the Common Good can prevent him from getting that opportunity.
Just what can being going through Jill Stein's brain? Hasn't she done enough damage?
Follow the money. Of course, she knows she doesn't have a snowball's chance. Maybe she just needs the contributions from deluded voters.
it's a mystery. Vanity? Why did Nader do it? To show that the 2 Party system is broken. But there are many people who want to engage in fantasy ideals. I don't regard them as serious people.
Yes i support Green party platform or likely alot of it which is why i want Stein to drop out. But its rfk jr who worries me more.
It is people like you who in your haughty certainty insure that Ralph Nader or Jill Stein have no chance. Had Ralph Nader been elected this country would be unrecognizable as a (relative to now) paradise. When I listen to Nader, I am astounded at his pragmatism, his idealism and his encyclopedic knowledge of every political event of the last 100 years, plus all the actors.
Not to mention Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., whose family is furious with him for entering the race.
The Yddenek .. dropped on his head at birth .. or Unfairly ignored .. in his estimation ..now a Hero .. for the dimmest and the worst .. ..
Remember her in Russia, sitting at the table with Putin. She is getting her orders from him, and that is to run and lower Biden's chances of winning. She is taking votes away that have gone to Biden.
At least not many votes. She’s not that popular.
She could decide the election in the swing states, if she takes enough from Biden. This is what Trump is counting on, and I am sure Putin would also like Trump in office. Trump is rubber stamp for anything Putin wants.
she was there as window dressing, a stage prop, just as Fiona Hill was with Putin decades ago. I have no reason to think she is taking orders from Putin.
Agreed
Faye, I do wonder what would happen if Republicans turned their back on their deity. It could be liberating for them, but so many of them are so desperate to be told what to do, so they have someone to blame if things don't go well, they wouldn't be able to let him go. Trump is beyond ignorant, but somehow they are so interested in doing harm to the people they hate (immigrants, LGBTQ+ persons, women, college grads, people of color, they can't any longer see the damage they are doing to themselves. It seems they want an ignoramus to tell them what to do while in their eyes, this country is failing. Who will they whine to and for when things get worse than they are now? It really is a form of systemic insanity.
This - ME FIRST ATTITUDE -like Trump, is spreading worldwide … is it a zombie virus?
That's been the plan since Jude Waninski and nixon
Exactly right. Democrats may be the minority, but when has that ever stopped AMERICANS from doing work?
💪🏻👊🏻🙏🏻💙
It's why Bill Gates refuses to waste his time dealing directly with Congress: "They're all idiots."
As for MTG, what does her mere presence in Congress say about those who vote for her?
We have a very simple problem in the US: low taxes on the wealthy and on the corporations. This is promulgated by those voting their racist identities above their finances. This country prospered when the South voted Democrat. Dixiecrats were all racists, but they voted for high taxes. Why did the South vote Democrat? Basically, because Lincoln was a Republican. Then along came Civil Rights, pushed by Northern Democrats, and guess what? The South switched allegiance to the Republicans. This was noticed by Lewis Powell and others, and in 1973, at the urging of Nixon, the Heritage Foundation was set up, having lofty espoused views, but really in the name of lowering taxes on the wealthy.
Reagan, W, and Trump were merely useful idiots.
Do you really think that the Democrats have been delivering for working families over the last 40 years? That if people in the South had just voted their finances they would now be so much better off? The Dems have not been the complete corporate tools that Republicans are, but they also sometimes hurt, and sometimes did not help enough. Biden is finally doing many of the things the Dems should have been doing.
Steve, You are correct to identify the 40 year time frame for the deterioration in the economic ‘equality ratio’ across the population. Reagan’s embrace of the Milton Freidman’s ‘market’ orientated economic policies has led to the shift of money from 90+% of the population to the top 2% over these last 40 years.
The divisions within the countries around the world have increased as the top 2% in each Neoliberal country wield huge political power by controlling politicians, so the rich can hold onto their money.
Both political parties swallowed the same Koolaid. Democrats (mostly) are seeing the light and Biden has begun to get passed legislation that is reversing that shift.
The choice is clear. Trump Republicans want to keep the Neoliberal polices that have robbed the people of a chance of a ‘fair go’ and Biden wants to give the majority of Americans the chance of a ‘fair go’.
Vote Democrat down the Ballot! It is not the ‘least worst’. Way to vote. It is voting for ‘best’ for All Americans.
Agree, but the Dems may have tacked to the right in part because the country had moved to the right. While that's a possible reason, it's no excuse, and I agree again that the Dems may be (finally) back on track.
Greene should be brought up on interference and insurrection charges - she and Gaetz are trying to undermine the will of the people
Excellent point about MTG, Michael.
You are exactly right!
Perfectly said!
How do they look at themselves in mirror. How do they even get their shoes on?
They can look at themselves in the mirror because they’re accomplishing what they set out to do: create chaos, dysfunction, and in so doing erode people’s faith in a democracy’s ability to get anything done. Of course, corporate media contributes to this perception by focusing on Biden’s age instead of the significant strides he and the Democrats have made in spite of a rabid, entrenched and ongoing fascist insurrection.
Why is it OK to say dismissive things about Biden's age, which he doesn't hide, but nobody is talking about Bobaert, MTG or Ms Sen Britt's botox bills.
They don't! Do you honestly think Bunkerboy can BEND OVER?!?
HA!
They don’t care about approval numbers.
This is no surprise. I think the Republicans are going to burn their cult to the ground. It will be necessary so they can rebuild it in a sane fashion. Going to take awhile though.
I hope it’s only their party and not the entire country they are going to burn down!
As Amanda Gorman said, some people would destroy the country rather than share it.
We have to work hard to avoid that. A scary time.
I continue to believe that the most stunning recent body blow to our democracy has come via NBC/MSNBC's decision to platform the former RNC chairwoman...someone who actively participated in the effort to overthrow our democracy.
Another rubicon has been crossed...
Yes, hw … a sad day on many levels.
Yup. Chuck Todd was not able to cover his distress.
Will someone please oust MTG ??‼️‼️
I love this cartoon, Bob! Well, hate to love.
Fascinating comment. "Hate to Love" would make a excellent song and title. I'm not a songwriter but I might give it a try on this one.
I think I recall in the deep recesses of my mind a song titled something like that, & actually not too many years ago.
Jaime, maybe (I hope) you can help me. My gmail inbox says you replied to my comment. Then it says "view comment". I clicked on that, and it took me here where I see your comment, but that's all I see. I see none of the preceding comments, so that leaves your comment isolated and out of context, making it hard for me to know how to reply. I know you are here a lot and respect what you have to say. (I read your comments every time I see one.) So do you have any suggestions as to what I might be missing, or how I can fix this problem? Thanks.
That has happened to me a number of times & I likewise become flummoxed (not sure I used that word correctly, but I couldn't resist, since it popped in my mind). Fortunately, I have some (far from full or precise) recollection of what the conversation was about. Someone came up with the phrase "Hate That I Love" or something similar as part of some rather poetic comment, & another person replied that that those words would make a good song title.
This unattached reply seems to happen when the comments are not part of the main "page". In other words, either goes below to a lower page where it says "load more", which comes after about 20 mainline comments (comments directly to Dr. Reich), or to the right in a thread that goes beyond 8 or so comments "continued" to another page to the right.
Thanks for the explanation for my having trouble finding reply comments referenced in my email inbox. It's nice to know I'm not the only one having that problem. Apparently there was nothing big that I was missing. That was my concern. Thanks.
BTW, you did correctly use the word "flummoxed". I've always liked that word, so I looked it up just for the fun of it. I noticed that the correct pronunciation of flummoxed flummoxed me.
Supposedly it is pronounced "flum-ixt" with equal emphasis on flum and ixt. I've always said "floo-moxt" with an emphasis on floo. So I suppose the choices might be "flum vs. floo" and
"ixt vs. moxt". Now I'm flummoxing myself writing about this. Is flummoxing a verb or even a word? I'm not even going to look that one up right now. Maybe later when I'm less flummoxed.
You also said "another person replied that that those words would make a good song title". That was me.
Haha! My assumption of the pronunciation of "flummoxed" is "mixt" between your assumption & the official pronunciation you gave. I thought it was "flum-moxt".
Probably a comforting statistic? If only 12% approve of the absurd circus called today's Congress, especially the ill-named House of "Representatives", perhaps that is the level of Maggot support and will be reflected in the election results. One can pray, or even better VOTE!
Now that would be truly lovely, Clark…
The current 118th Congress is on track to being one of the least functional sessions, passing the fewest bills in its first year of a congressional session since the Great Depression, according to congressional records.
Put the blame on the House Republicans. Chaos, moral cowardice and idiocy. They are truly the No Good, Good for Nothing, Know Nothing House Republican Party.
Eugene Gorrin, and Do Nothing Congress.
I wonder if the public at large really knows what Congress does. I'll bet if you asked, the average American would say that it's Congress' job to support the President's agenda. When are the majority gonna realize their Gov't is MORE than just who occupies the Oval Office?
It would be really good for the country if public schools re-instated CIVICS as a mandatory course for graduation. Of course, that might cost a few more pennies and goodness gracious, we can't have THAT, now can we? Republicans have been starving public school of funds for decades--because ignorant constituents are a benefit for MAGA and Republican politicians.
Outstanding point, T L. I don't doubt for a second that the dumbing-down of the last 40 years is no accident. As TFG said, "I love the poorly educated." Of course, Wharton notwithstanding, the orange one is in that category himself.
Who thinks he ever warmed a chair in any classroom? Daddy bought the diplomas.
Same as with Dubya. Nobody home in the attic.
Dubya seemed to be quite proud of his ignorance. In the book by Andy Borowitz "Profiles in Ignorance", Borowitz catalogues how our political candidates became dumber and dumber. These days some candidates are fools and some are quite smart but manage to disguise or hide that fact (because their constituents might think them "uppity") and perversely, the most ignorant ones (such as Dubya) are actually proud of their ignorance. Very strange...
The dumb like Trump are used as puppets for their rich donors
If they're proud of their ignorance, they're not elitists, by definition. Therefore, they think they automatically appeal to average Joes and Janes. It probably works more often than not.
TL Mills, starving public ed also because their big donors don't want to fund anything that they don't "benefit" from and their big donors don't want higher taxes due to inevitable higher funding. Awful.
The thing is...most businesses benefit from employees who have a good education--even if the business doesn't require specialized technical levels in every employee. Who would want to employ people who cannot spell, read directions, have a grasp of basic math/science and/or have some sense of decorum or how to converse politely with a client?
TL Mills, I agree. Greed is not a rational thinker though.
Bingo, T L Mills
Yes - it’s true just ask the average 21 year old - they have no clue what Congress does
It hardly matters if it's made mandatory if civcis is not valued to begin with. But to understand the value is to have at least some better understanding of issues with capitalism and that is for some a sacred cow. Our form of capitalism has been undermining the role of government in our society continually because government is a check on power of the few which operates at the expense of the many. So there is a built in tension.
WELL, if Republicans have their way next year, that will be less true. They want to institute what they call the Unitary President. And they float the idea as “executive,” the President has the authority to “execute” the law of the land as he sees fit. {Pretty much, in other words, they hold that the law means what he says it means, and he can suspend executing laws that he deems in need of being suspended from time to time. OK, that’s my shorthand for what the R’s are after, but when Donald says, as President, “the Constitution gives me the authority to do whatever I want, “ you better believe that’s what he plans to do. }
Exactly! That thought terrifies me.
David, I fear you are right, and this reminds me of the presidential debates. The standard question is "What would you do if elected president?" The usual reply is bla-bla-bla, and none of the candidates acknowledges that his agenda depends on Congressional support. A valuable educational opportunity is thereby wasted.
I'd carry your point farther, Victor. Across the board, candidates make all kinds of promises without reference to the fact that they need Congressional votes to make good on those promises. Then, when the promises fall through, the excuse is invariably, "Well, but Congress wouldn't approve it." In other words, during the campaign, candidates want voters to think it's all them, without acknowledging the process. If they're unsuccessful, THEN it's Congress' fault. IMO, if ya can't count on enough votes to get it done, ya don't make the promise. But politicians do it all the time, anyway, which is why people don't trust them.
Valid point, Denise, but your point ignores the fact that the Republican Party has for the past thirty years consistently followed a policy of preventing Democratic presidents from accomplishing anything.
That fact about the GOP, while accurate, is neither here nor there, on relation to my main point. No politician of either party should make promises unless he/she has the votes. Just as Nancy Pelosi made it a policy not to bring a bill up for a vote unless she knew she had enough "yeas." Party whips don't promise things to prominent legislators to assure their votes on specific bills unless they know they can make good.
But when it comes to the public, politicians will promise the moon, regardless if the Congressional votes are there. And they are rightfully distrusted.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but it seems to me that, knowing that truth about the GOP's intentions, Dem candidates would be even more careful about the promises they make, at every level. Or be more circumspect about wording: instead of making flat-out promises, talk about what they want to see happen.
You are quite right, Denise, and the media has responsibility to the public to press candidates on how they plan to accomplish their goals. To his credit, Trump has already told us what he intends to do, and it not by upholding the Constitution. We have been warned. Sadly, this year many Americans intend to price toilet paper higher than democracy.
Yes, TFG has given us the broad strokes, which are horrifying in and of themselves. It's the details that are truly frightening: Project 2025, etc. Of course, those strategies avoid linking directly to TFG; rather, they're supposed to be the plan for, "any conservative President."
The media are collectively a double-edged sword. As you point out, Victor, they often don't press candidates on specifics, but instead, allow them to slide with unsupported generalizations. OTOH, we can be grateful for reporting about the diabolical, behind-the-scenes nuts and bolts of the GOP's and their fearful leader's plans.
That's average. Those below average: What is Congress? Never heard of it.
They don’t
The fact of the matter is much lip sevice is given to civics but when it comes to our values its Johnnie and Jill get the good scores on tests so you can go to a good college and be a "success". This is what we value as a society. That and bullshit. We must otherwise there wouldn't be so much of it.
I’m literally nauseated by today’s Republican Congress
Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene has started the ball rolling on a process to oust Johnson. “We have to find a new speaker of the House,” she said.
How about Hakeem Jeffries?
Democrats are awfully close now to the same number as the Republicans. Just keep the same unanimity they had before & get 2 Republicans to not vote in a House-wide vote, & an all-present Democratic caucus can take it.
Here here
I hope this last gambit is MTG-3-Toes’ final stand. She’s made enemies.
That's true but perhaps not relevant. It's my understanding she's popular in her district.
Scum rise to the top when you stir the pot.
I have a friend who lives near her district. Evidently, there are a LOT of people who are ashamed to acknowledge she's their representative. But not nearly as many people as vote for her, obviously.
As much as I hated having Trump as president I shudder to think how I would have felt having it compounded with having MTG as my rep. My heart goes out to the progressives in her district. 🤢❤️✊️
I’m sure Greene has plans to be in Trump cabinet if he’s elected
You can say THAT again, G G!