A good broad summary. But I must submit that there is an additional reason to not jump to conclusions. It's Biden's leadership in going after Putin. The reason this is deeply significant? Simple. Putin as the source of disinformation for the past 30 to 40 years and the cumulative effect on our electorate make him, in my humble opinion, a legitimate target. After all, Putin, or my preferred name for him, "Trump's Friend," has been engaging in his own version of "war by other means" literally for decades. This is key to understanding what is happening to our democracy.
But don't take my word for it. Look at the gradual uptick in Biden's poll numbers; a direct result of our aid to Ukraine and opposition to Putin.
And by the way. Describing Putin as "Trump's Friend" leads us directly to a better way of describing Trump, namely as "Putin's Friend." If Democrats everywhere would never say Trump's name again and substitute "Putin's Friend" it might also be enough to turn this election. Pass it on to every candidate that you encounter. If you, we, all of us do that one simple thing? Well who knows. But it certainly can't hurt.
I love your greeting today: “Hello my friends; don’t be depressed about politics…”
Listening to your essay after reading it always helps me to see how you drive your messages home.
This mornings news has shown that a draft was leaked from the Supreme Court showing them poised to strike down Roe v. Wade. This would really thicken up the trump sauce, if you ask me — we have gone so far backwards since 2016.
Normally I think “Polls — Schmolls” because, who knows where these statistics come from? Never once have I or my immediate family been questioned! However, I can see the fading away of the former occupant of the Peoples House and how some of the GOP are distancing themselves from him (purely to further their own agendas).
June’s televised hearings on the Jan. 6th Committee’s inquiry cannot come soon enough. I read a piece in the Post recently and think the admirable Rep. Jamie Raskin kept his cards close to his chest… but that (they) have been meticulously building their case. Let’s hope prosecutors in Georgia will do the same.
We have a lot to do to keep the promises this Administration made while running for office. And continue to focus on the good that has been done. Trump Sauce is foul and rancid - Biden’s Sauce is smooth and cool 🌻
We can only hope that these things will wake up voters enough to use their brain when choosing who to cast their vote for instead of an automatic “I’ve always voted for conservative candidates“ so they would make better choices & Vote in their best interests! I really think the televised Jan 6 Committee hearings & the recent leaked SCOTUS decision overturning Roe v Wade will have even more impetus for voters especially young voters & Independents & will have the biggest influence on voters choices! The Dems still need to spend more time & effort messaging President Biden’s accomplishments in less than 2 years time, his efforts to curb inflation & to pressure oil companies to pump more oil including the Middle East! The huge drop in unemployment figures should be talked about more & how fast our economy rebounded from the Pandemic! Personally I’m not worried about the National Politics favoring the Dems but KY where I live now has the most poorly educated & rural voters that vote on autopilot without bothering to look into the backgrounds of politicians on the right or even to learn about their political opinions & that makes me worry about KY’s state legislature since it already has a 30 to 8 ratio of Rs to Ds & a wonderful Dem Gov up for re-election in 2023! If we could just get Rand Paul voted out, maybe it would start a movement of people thinking hard about who they vote for! That’s a hopeful wish anyway. Diehard Trumpers, & I know way too many, can never be persuaded to reconsider anything about that criminal! Its like they have blinders & earplugs on! AS always Robert ur comments make sense! I keep hoping the activists are registering more young voters. Only 6 months till V Day, we have time to keep the pressure on.
One thing that can either help or hurt Democrats in the mid-terms is the media coverage. As long as our media believe they should cover "both sides" with equal vigor, even repeating Republican lies (and the Democratic ones too), the lies will have equal coverage with the truths. That really is a problem because even if the reporter says "that is a lie." (which they won't because the word "lie" has become a 4-letter word) believers will dismiss the statement as a lie or some kind of "woke" statement. It seems we need to stay on the media and demand they be more aware of the ways they cover stories and events. R.Sheets
Women did not appear in our documents until 1920 when they were finally allowed to vote. The Supremes are set to take away hard-won rights of women and excise women from our documents once again. If we had a vote I doubt the majority of women would vote to overturn Roe. To do this so close to midterms suggests a party that has smug confidence that their machinations are set to deliver a big win. Will their hubris do them in? Cross your fingers.
Hopefully, but Democrats still need to run highly effective campaigns. No timidity or sitting back and gloating.
I think Republicans' government forced childbearing agenda, taking away couples' freedom to decide when and how many children they will bear, should be a prominent campaign issue. Stop letting them get away with calling themselves "pro life." More generally, Democrats should point out how Republicans are taking away freedoms, such as freedom to vote and freedom to choose what books to read, and how Democrats will preserve those freedoms.
I have seen a number of TV commercials (my state's primary, like Ohio's, is today) with candidates proclaiming themselves "proud conservatives." My response is what's so great about about conservatism? As far as I can tell, conservatism is all about cruelty and bullying and brazen corruption. Democrats should make conservative a dirty word like Republicans made liberal a dirty word in the late 1980's and early 1990's.
It's frustrating that so many progressive, left-leaning pundits and reporting agencies continue to repeat and reinforce the drumbeat that "you know, the party in power always loses seats in the midterms" -- as though we're going to make it a foregone conclusion that the Left will be slaughtered. WE ARE IN A DIFFERENT WORLD NOW! The principles that held decades ago likely no longer apply in the same way. Yes, people are upset about inflation and economic insecurity, but does anyone who's not in a coma think that today's Republican Party is going to make this *better*? It would certainly be the opposite.
I'd like to hear Biden declare that: "Look, I don't give a rat's ass about the polls. I can't waste time on beauty contests. I'm just here to a job, doing what's best for the country. And if the professional whiners need to whine, that’s their business.”
Unfortunately, beliefs trump facts. Jonathan Haidt, author of "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion", 2012) demonstrated how conservatives tend to have a broader set of moral concerns than liberals, placing greater value on the moral foundations of loyalty, authority and sanctity. This helps to understand conservative positions regarding patriotism, law and order, and abortion.
Liberals tend to focus principally (not exclusively) on the moral foundation of care, that is, the prevention of harm. This is manifest in their support for social safety nets, access to affordable medical care, equitable income distribution, etc.
It is very difficult to change someone's belief system. I continue to be amazed at the power of perception and bias. But as Haidt points out: "morality binds and blinds".
SCOTUS just gave us a chance. Antiabortion backlash hopefully coming in time for midterms! Neurosciences show brain neurons start forming right after conception but don’t start communicating until around 20 weeks. Why is it acceptable to declare a person brain dead, harvest their organs and bury them? Take the liberty vs masks canard and flip it back, no one‘s business what one does with their doctor. Make a sign, go stand on any street corner in your area and peacefully protest against these activist judges on this now overtly kangaroo court. Civil laws rule, not made up religious law. History doesn’t repeat, brain biochemistry repeats and this is why the GQP looks like an American version of the Taliban, why conservatives all think the same worldwide, and exactly why the GQP today looks like Nazi Germany yesterday
Trump cannot win, he never has. The problem is in allowing lie upon lie in the media. Take away their licenses! Or can we not do this because we allowed the republicans to buy into every nook of our government without much finger pointing ourselves (Democrats). Democrats are always afraid of how it will look if they take proper action. How does it look now?
The dangerous lies they spew is not news. It is going to create more danger to the Democrats who go out to vote. Our country needs to step in and put and end to the danger being incited by these freakish right wing monsters.
Trump can’t win and Biden has accomplished much. But lies become truth when they can get repeated enough, which they are! Biden should shove through what he can. Supreme Court justices need to be impeached but the Democrats always drag things out as if this will help them win over “swing” voters. There aren’t any swing voters. If you don’t know that TFG is a criminal and traitor, you’re a republican & will stay that way.
So we know the support for Trump isn’t there, but any Qpublican who seemed half reasonable is planting the same seeds of doubt in the minds of republican rubes. Corruption is the worry, not the truth.
Three significant caveats to a compelling analysis, one of which you mentioned: 1) The Democrats actually need to accomplish something through legislation, which, given Manchin's 1980s worldview, his corruption, his narcissism and the strength of disinformation in his voting base, is still problematic. He wants to be sure his voters and donors support whatever is passed, a steep barrier for progressive legislation. 2) The economy, which is not as bad as people think (but what they think matters) may deteriorate further as the year progresses. Companies like the large profits that high prices bring, and unless Democrats counter that with a windfall profits tax and strong rhetoric (see point one), that - as well as legitimate food shortage issues due to the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine and Chinese supply constraints due to their draconian Covid policy - will likely keep prices high and delay product supply through this year. Additionally, the Fed will use the blunt tool of interest rate increases to exacerbate the cost of borrowing for shelter, already in short supply, increasing consumer pessimism while doing little to solve fuel, food and commodity inflation. 3) The hallowed people, though we are strongly divided politically, are not well-versed in political dynamics, economics and history, and are subject to fearmongering and conspiracy theories of both short and long duration. We do not know how to prioritize risks and threats (so many people exaggerate the negative impact of cancel culture and "wokeness", primarily because it can be personal and instances are easy to dissect) and our memories are poor. We also choose to read and watch and believe our own myths, mostly on the right, and the facts, as we have seen, do not always permeate the bubble with much magnitude. So thanks for the optimism, but I am wary and would call us all to action to help make Professor Reich's prognostication come to fruition.
In the USA citizens no longer live around, work around or pal around with people who think any differently than each other. It is called: "Tribes". Why we see red states and blue states. We watch cable news that affirms what we already think. We read ideological “news” sites that tell us how good our side is and how bad the other one is. At some point in time in order for this country to heal and move forward both sides must learn to work together. If not, Russia and China will destroy the USA. Think about this when you post on social media, or write a blog. 1 by 1 we can make a difference. Spewing hatred for 1 man is beyond childish. Time for adults to grow up. People dislike, Obama, Biden, Trump, Putin, Gates, Musk, Bezos and other world leaders. They are mere human men. Focus on the issues rather than their personalities. Future generations are counting on us. Time to understand we are living in a brand new world. Technology is moving faster than anything we have ever witnessed. It is not the smartest or strongest that survive but those that can adapt to change.
A good broad summary. But I must submit that there is an additional reason to not jump to conclusions. It's Biden's leadership in going after Putin. The reason this is deeply significant? Simple. Putin as the source of disinformation for the past 30 to 40 years and the cumulative effect on our electorate make him, in my humble opinion, a legitimate target. After all, Putin, or my preferred name for him, "Trump's Friend," has been engaging in his own version of "war by other means" literally for decades. This is key to understanding what is happening to our democracy.
But don't take my word for it. Look at the gradual uptick in Biden's poll numbers; a direct result of our aid to Ukraine and opposition to Putin.
And by the way. Describing Putin as "Trump's Friend" leads us directly to a better way of describing Trump, namely as "Putin's Friend." If Democrats everywhere would never say Trump's name again and substitute "Putin's Friend" it might also be enough to turn this election. Pass it on to every candidate that you encounter. If you, we, all of us do that one simple thing? Well who knows. But it certainly can't hurt.
I love your greeting today: “Hello my friends; don’t be depressed about politics…”
Listening to your essay after reading it always helps me to see how you drive your messages home.
This mornings news has shown that a draft was leaked from the Supreme Court showing them poised to strike down Roe v. Wade. This would really thicken up the trump sauce, if you ask me — we have gone so far backwards since 2016.
Normally I think “Polls — Schmolls” because, who knows where these statistics come from? Never once have I or my immediate family been questioned! However, I can see the fading away of the former occupant of the Peoples House and how some of the GOP are distancing themselves from him (purely to further their own agendas).
June’s televised hearings on the Jan. 6th Committee’s inquiry cannot come soon enough. I read a piece in the Post recently and think the admirable Rep. Jamie Raskin kept his cards close to his chest… but that (they) have been meticulously building their case. Let’s hope prosecutors in Georgia will do the same.
We have a lot to do to keep the promises this Administration made while running for office. And continue to focus on the good that has been done. Trump Sauce is foul and rancid - Biden’s Sauce is smooth and cool 🌻
We can only hope that these things will wake up voters enough to use their brain when choosing who to cast their vote for instead of an automatic “I’ve always voted for conservative candidates“ so they would make better choices & Vote in their best interests! I really think the televised Jan 6 Committee hearings & the recent leaked SCOTUS decision overturning Roe v Wade will have even more impetus for voters especially young voters & Independents & will have the biggest influence on voters choices! The Dems still need to spend more time & effort messaging President Biden’s accomplishments in less than 2 years time, his efforts to curb inflation & to pressure oil companies to pump more oil including the Middle East! The huge drop in unemployment figures should be talked about more & how fast our economy rebounded from the Pandemic! Personally I’m not worried about the National Politics favoring the Dems but KY where I live now has the most poorly educated & rural voters that vote on autopilot without bothering to look into the backgrounds of politicians on the right or even to learn about their political opinions & that makes me worry about KY’s state legislature since it already has a 30 to 8 ratio of Rs to Ds & a wonderful Dem Gov up for re-election in 2023! If we could just get Rand Paul voted out, maybe it would start a movement of people thinking hard about who they vote for! That’s a hopeful wish anyway. Diehard Trumpers, & I know way too many, can never be persuaded to reconsider anything about that criminal! Its like they have blinders & earplugs on! AS always Robert ur comments make sense! I keep hoping the activists are registering more young voters. Only 6 months till V Day, we have time to keep the pressure on.
One thing that can either help or hurt Democrats in the mid-terms is the media coverage. As long as our media believe they should cover "both sides" with equal vigor, even repeating Republican lies (and the Democratic ones too), the lies will have equal coverage with the truths. That really is a problem because even if the reporter says "that is a lie." (which they won't because the word "lie" has become a 4-letter word) believers will dismiss the statement as a lie or some kind of "woke" statement. It seems we need to stay on the media and demand they be more aware of the ways they cover stories and events. R.Sheets
Women did not appear in our documents until 1920 when they were finally allowed to vote. The Supremes are set to take away hard-won rights of women and excise women from our documents once again. If we had a vote I doubt the majority of women would vote to overturn Roe. To do this so close to midterms suggests a party that has smug confidence that their machinations are set to deliver a big win. Will their hubris do them in? Cross your fingers.
Hopefully, but Democrats still need to run highly effective campaigns. No timidity or sitting back and gloating.
I think Republicans' government forced childbearing agenda, taking away couples' freedom to decide when and how many children they will bear, should be a prominent campaign issue. Stop letting them get away with calling themselves "pro life." More generally, Democrats should point out how Republicans are taking away freedoms, such as freedom to vote and freedom to choose what books to read, and how Democrats will preserve those freedoms.
I have seen a number of TV commercials (my state's primary, like Ohio's, is today) with candidates proclaiming themselves "proud conservatives." My response is what's so great about about conservatism? As far as I can tell, conservatism is all about cruelty and bullying and brazen corruption. Democrats should make conservative a dirty word like Republicans made liberal a dirty word in the late 1980's and early 1990's.
It's frustrating that so many progressive, left-leaning pundits and reporting agencies continue to repeat and reinforce the drumbeat that "you know, the party in power always loses seats in the midterms" -- as though we're going to make it a foregone conclusion that the Left will be slaughtered. WE ARE IN A DIFFERENT WORLD NOW! The principles that held decades ago likely no longer apply in the same way. Yes, people are upset about inflation and economic insecurity, but does anyone who's not in a coma think that today's Republican Party is going to make this *better*? It would certainly be the opposite.
I'd like to hear Biden declare that: "Look, I don't give a rat's ass about the polls. I can't waste time on beauty contests. I'm just here to a job, doing what's best for the country. And if the professional whiners need to whine, that’s their business.”
Unfortunately, beliefs trump facts. Jonathan Haidt, author of "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion", 2012) demonstrated how conservatives tend to have a broader set of moral concerns than liberals, placing greater value on the moral foundations of loyalty, authority and sanctity. This helps to understand conservative positions regarding patriotism, law and order, and abortion.
Liberals tend to focus principally (not exclusively) on the moral foundation of care, that is, the prevention of harm. This is manifest in their support for social safety nets, access to affordable medical care, equitable income distribution, etc.
It is very difficult to change someone's belief system. I continue to be amazed at the power of perception and bias. But as Haidt points out: "morality binds and blinds".
One can only hope that democrats don’t f$&k upthe opportunity handed to them by trump and the GQP
For anyone who has been paying attention there is only one best choice ; and it isn't tRump or one of his sycophant Elephants!
SCOTUS just gave us a chance. Antiabortion backlash hopefully coming in time for midterms! Neurosciences show brain neurons start forming right after conception but don’t start communicating until around 20 weeks. Why is it acceptable to declare a person brain dead, harvest their organs and bury them? Take the liberty vs masks canard and flip it back, no one‘s business what one does with their doctor. Make a sign, go stand on any street corner in your area and peacefully protest against these activist judges on this now overtly kangaroo court. Civil laws rule, not made up religious law. History doesn’t repeat, brain biochemistry repeats and this is why the GQP looks like an American version of the Taliban, why conservatives all think the same worldwide, and exactly why the GQP today looks like Nazi Germany yesterday
Sapolsky’s Behave
Trump cannot win, he never has. The problem is in allowing lie upon lie in the media. Take away their licenses! Or can we not do this because we allowed the republicans to buy into every nook of our government without much finger pointing ourselves (Democrats). Democrats are always afraid of how it will look if they take proper action. How does it look now?
The dangerous lies they spew is not news. It is going to create more danger to the Democrats who go out to vote. Our country needs to step in and put and end to the danger being incited by these freakish right wing monsters.
Trump can’t win and Biden has accomplished much. But lies become truth when they can get repeated enough, which they are! Biden should shove through what he can. Supreme Court justices need to be impeached but the Democrats always drag things out as if this will help them win over “swing” voters. There aren’t any swing voters. If you don’t know that TFG is a criminal and traitor, you’re a republican & will stay that way.
So we know the support for Trump isn’t there, but any Qpublican who seemed half reasonable is planting the same seeds of doubt in the minds of republican rubes. Corruption is the worry, not the truth.
Multiple choice
The opposite of “woke” is:
1 asleep
2 dead
3 zombie
4 bigot
5 Republican
6 All of the above. *
I think it would be great if Biden forgave student debt maybe a month before the midterms so it’s fresh and so younger voters get on board.
Three significant caveats to a compelling analysis, one of which you mentioned: 1) The Democrats actually need to accomplish something through legislation, which, given Manchin's 1980s worldview, his corruption, his narcissism and the strength of disinformation in his voting base, is still problematic. He wants to be sure his voters and donors support whatever is passed, a steep barrier for progressive legislation. 2) The economy, which is not as bad as people think (but what they think matters) may deteriorate further as the year progresses. Companies like the large profits that high prices bring, and unless Democrats counter that with a windfall profits tax and strong rhetoric (see point one), that - as well as legitimate food shortage issues due to the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine and Chinese supply constraints due to their draconian Covid policy - will likely keep prices high and delay product supply through this year. Additionally, the Fed will use the blunt tool of interest rate increases to exacerbate the cost of borrowing for shelter, already in short supply, increasing consumer pessimism while doing little to solve fuel, food and commodity inflation. 3) The hallowed people, though we are strongly divided politically, are not well-versed in political dynamics, economics and history, and are subject to fearmongering and conspiracy theories of both short and long duration. We do not know how to prioritize risks and threats (so many people exaggerate the negative impact of cancel culture and "wokeness", primarily because it can be personal and instances are easy to dissect) and our memories are poor. We also choose to read and watch and believe our own myths, mostly on the right, and the facts, as we have seen, do not always permeate the bubble with much magnitude. So thanks for the optimism, but I am wary and would call us all to action to help make Professor Reich's prognostication come to fruition.
In the USA citizens no longer live around, work around or pal around with people who think any differently than each other. It is called: "Tribes". Why we see red states and blue states. We watch cable news that affirms what we already think. We read ideological “news” sites that tell us how good our side is and how bad the other one is. At some point in time in order for this country to heal and move forward both sides must learn to work together. If not, Russia and China will destroy the USA. Think about this when you post on social media, or write a blog. 1 by 1 we can make a difference. Spewing hatred for 1 man is beyond childish. Time for adults to grow up. People dislike, Obama, Biden, Trump, Putin, Gates, Musk, Bezos and other world leaders. They are mere human men. Focus on the issues rather than their personalities. Future generations are counting on us. Time to understand we are living in a brand new world. Technology is moving faster than anything we have ever witnessed. It is not the smartest or strongest that survive but those that can adapt to change.