Bidenomics has been great, but elections are about messaging. And Biden and the Dems have been atrocious at that game. They need to start parroting their success stories consistently to drive home the point.
Kerry, yes, Dems are poor with the messaging. I am not sure how much of it is the Democrats, though and how much of it is that conservatives own or operate most of our media sources. Then, there's the problem of repeating the same story over and over so that even when it is found to be either false or not fully true. the correction message does not get through. How do we fix this? I am not sure. I know it is going to be a challenge because if it were easy, someone would have figured it out. We are going to need a really different/innovative approach.
Another problem is the MSM. Most of the time they are quick to point out when the Fascist Rethugs are bashing our side. But they are mostly silent on the Democrats accomplishments.. They seem to be corporate controlled, at least that is what i have read on various websites. If they would only report all the accomplishments the Dems made, i believe we would be much better off.
Most definitely. And their interest lies in ad-dollars, so we can expect more horse-race type coverage, more titillation, unsubstantiated BS, outright lies and all the other crap those who subject themselves to the torture of TV will experience, interspaced with commercials sponsored by top advertisers at regular intervals.
I totally agree with you. That is one reason i avoid the news now, except for MSNBC. It makes me so angry when i hear those outright lies and the blatant misinformation. 50 years ago i liked to watch the news, they seemed much more honest and straightforward back then, ( the early 1970's.) Back then, they covered the Richard Nixon Watergate thing honestly and didn't hold back anything. I was only 17 years old then.
Even MSNBC is a problem in my opinion. For instance the news about Joe biden's son Hunter is really tainted by MSNBC. When they show pictures of Hunter who is the issue here they showed President Biden at his side. What does that tell even the msnbc audience?
I'll tell you it pushes the idea that the president somehow is involved in the crook and Miss dealings of his son.
They do too many things like that. They also, in some cases call Trump president. Trump is not the president. Trump is the former president or the ex-president. All those people that come on to him as MNBC and say president Trump should be taken off the air. Why you ask? Because they were in essence spreading lies and putting the mental image picture of trump as president in the minds of their listeners. I could go on but..
The former President has the news media captured with his BS and the multiple court cases grinding away. It is difficult to wedge in anything else. This suits the Republican Party and the former to a tee. As long as his bloated face in on the screen there isn’t room for the positive message President Biden has to put forward. My hope is that the Democratic Party gets with it, and soon!
Or the bank failures like Siverado seemed to get proper coverage, unlike now.
I have developed a number of accurate news sources, some of which are on Sub-Stack. I absolutely cannot tolerate the current television news-product. I'd rather read a paper or well written article and adjust for bias.
PS: I agree that MSNBC appears to be the best of the lot but that ain't saying much.
You are right about MSNBC, I don't fully agree with their views sometimes. I rely on Sub-Stack and a site called, ''News Corpse''. The News Corpse site is kind of like Sub-stack, but in a smaller format. D KOS is fairly reliable too, but their site is loaded with ads and causes my computer to lock down and freeze, so i don't go to that site any longer. I do need a computer with more memory or something, this thing won't even run the ''Google Earth'' site.
John, I'm a contemporary of yours who, at a very young age, watched Walter Cronkite, and the gospel truth from Eric Sevareid. I feel again obliged to say that news media is a business which has consumers made up of advertisers, and the product they sell to them is an audience. I find the best I can do these days is to figure out the editorial bias that makes me a listener. It seems most common for the bias of omission (of truth, which I avoid) to be the most difficult to resolve.
Ahh, Sevareid. Didn't know what we had until he was gone (he was no longer a newscaster but an opinion guy when I was a kid.) I've since read his books. A kind of Hemingway wanna be with a LOT of opinions, but damn, he was there for a LOT of major events-interviews with Chiang Kai-Shek in China, the fall of France, the invasion of Italy, D-Day...and how many Fox news anchors (or MSNBC for that matter), with no training or previous experience, have had to parachute out of a crashing transport plane over the Burmese jungle, and live with a tribe of actual headhunters for a month, and then trek cross country to safety? There was a reason his opinions were forceful- he lived them.
TV news is generally geared to the lowest common denominator which means you don't get much of substance. The world- moving events going on and they want to do these long stories on some murder whodoneit, or travel problems at airports. Drivel Wasteland.
BBB ; Yes, once in a while, there is a really positive show on MSNBC, where they give good coverage on the Democrats, or information about the wrongdoings of the MAGA 'Republicans' that highlight what the prosecutors are getting done and possibly can do. With no images of tfg or his enablers. I'm leaning toward podcasts because it is inconsistent. 'Both sides ism' just does not work when the obscenely wealthy are owning us all, and threatening our very existence. The enemies of Democracy should get no time at all! Only exposure of their crimes. " just the facts: man!".
Adam ; I record or DVR the shows, so I can fast forward through the commercials. Otherwise I would not watch! I simply refuse to sit through the ads! They are viewer abuse!
Both of those comments correctly identify the problem. The MSM rarely talk about anything except Biden's age, or, heaven forbid, Biden went without socks...the Dems need more great messengers like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Governor Gavin Newsom! I've never understood why the Democrats have such a difficult time with messaging🤷🏼♀️
Why don't we have a Frank Lutz, like the GOP, to test our messaging and fine-tune it to something simple to relay at least a simple concept?
Biden's policies are doing wonderful things for the country, but simply listing names, such as CHIPS or IRA, and what they accomplish, is too complex for the majority of non-political junkies to digest.
If you've ever canvassed door-to-door, you would understand.
Maybe it's easier for the GOP, since they don't really have any policies, and can stick Trump's MAGA message on a ⛑. They latch onto buzzwords like "woke", and repeat, repeat, repeat.
The bottom line is, the messaging is going to be up to US! Talking to our friends, families and acquaintances, and sharing important information on all of our social media platforms, and getting people out to vote, is how we're going to win in 2024.
Good luck to us all, because democracy is on the line!
management of inflation, real growth in GDP and wages, strengthened support of workers rights, unions, and the dignity of work, enforcement of tax laws and other white collar crimes aimed at making the wealthy pay their fair share, staunch defense of human rights for ALL humans - LGBQT, male or female, black, brown, red, or white, refugees and immigrants, homeless and disadvantaged, veterans, victims of the student debt debacle, freedom of choice for healthcare, religious teaching, morality, unfiltered historical perspective, strengthened NATO and bilateral resistance to authoritarian rule, democracy, capitalism, rule of law, energy independence, acknowledgement of science, climate change, alternative energy souces, transparency of clandestine programs, the list is long
Everything in your paragraph will go right over the heads of my Republican friends and neighbors. Your concepts are absolutely accurate but are complex and abstract. Television, internet, talk radio have reduced our national conversation to exchanges of elementary school taunts. And that makes us easy prey for a demagogue like Trump. And yes I think this is by design.
We don't have to convince Republicans, at least the MAGAts, & it would be futile to try. But the truly independent & Never Trumpers we do need to talk about the accomplishments of Biden & the Democrats, especially with regard to the economy, which is the top issue for many Americans, & show why voting Republican would be a disaster for the country.
John T Phillips ; I agree that MSM is the larger part of the problem. I just watched some recorded shows from this past weekend on MSNBC. Constant tRump all the time! If not tRump, DeSantis or other MAGAs. Very little about Biden or certainly other Democrats who are getting things done. Stories about the pending court dates endlessly cite the time problem as 'The election approaches!" I can't believe that this guy is allowed to walk out on bail ; never mind run for President again! It's like a nightmare that will not end! Also the corrupt 'Congress' wants to Impeach President Biden! Can't imagine what the charges are. Giving the middle class and workers a little of what they produce? such a crime! TAX the Rich!
almost nothing about how other countries are dealing with issues we face. Guess the public doesn't case. The public won't care unless the MSM cover the rest of the world more. At least MSM mostly is now covering climate as serious.
Even MSNBC is entertainment news, just look how reporters are dressed and where they sit!..and go on and on with a news that seem to get somewhere...but ...
The conservative and Republican media latest BS narrative is the "Biden Crime Family." Every day there seems to be another set of documents uncovered or a whistleblower coming forward to claim that Biden and his family are a bunch of crooks. Of course, none of this stuff is backed by any evidence or proof, but the Republicans don't care. The goal is to smear Biden. I mention this because it is starting to have an effect on folks in my family that could counteract the good economic news from Bidenomics.
How sad it is that people can be moved so easily by lies, innuendos, and fantasies. I know this is not a new thing, but we understand it a bit better now, but can't seem to counter it successfully when we need to. Trump is a con artist, and I do mean artist. He knows how to read people and respond the way he thinks they will like him best. He needs adulation and will do and say anything to get it. And, he is so self-absorbed he will even steal documents if he thinks he can use them to get some more money and power. Trump didn't know all of what he took from the White House in those documents boxes, but he knew they were valuable and that if no one said anything, he could use them to get money and power. He is definitely not the brightest bulb in the string but what he knows, he knows pretty well, and that is how to take what he wants, blame others for it, and lie through his teeth. His cult is so used to this they accept it, even love Trump for it. They would not find those characteristics so endearing if they were used against them, say by a member of their family or a friend, but since they think they are not directly affected, they just love it, like a reality TV show they can tune into every day for the entertainment. What they don't realize is that they are impacted by attention having to be spent on Donnie the grifter rather than working to help them have a better life.
"like a reality TV show they can tune into every day for the entertainment." is great description of Trump's effect on his supporters. Trump's reality TV show, like most other reality TV shows, is full of bunk!
The "Biden Crime Family"-another page (literally) out of Goebbels propaganda playbook. "Accuse the other of that which you are guilty." It makes you look defensive and guilty if you say "no, not true, YOU'RE the criminal." We should be pushing the "Trump Crime Syndicate." Because in this case, it's true. They harp on Biden's son, while Trump's son in law Jared Kushner's dad was fined a half million bucks in 2004 by the FEC for contributing to Democratic political campaigns in the names of his partnerships. In 2005, following an investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office Attorney Chris Christie (yep, that one) negotiated a plea agreement where he pleaded guilty to 18 counts of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering.The witness-tampering charge arose from Kushner's act of retaliation against William Schulder, his sister Esther's husband, who was cooperating with federal investigators against Kushner. Kushner hired a prostitute he knew to seduce his brother-in-law, arranged to record a sexual encounter between the two, and had the tape sent to his sister.Kushner was sentenced to two years in prison. He served 14 months before being sent to a halfway house and was released from prison in 2006. When his son married Ivanka, surprise, surprise, Trump pardoned him.
Geojock61 ; "We should be pushing the "Trump Crime Syndicate" ; If you look at the MSNBC coverage of Fani Willis, you would see that she is an experienced RICO prosecutor, and is doing just that. Georgia laws allow her to go into other states and pull all these criminals together as she finds their connections in crime. It's hard work to watch most news shows ; even on MSNBC. But there is some gold in those 'tailings'. The coverage is there and keeps me going back. I can fast forward their asses if they slack off or show the '11.780 votes' Request for the 100th time!
There is much to what you say.Whenever I hear someone pontificate about the MSM's "left-leaning bias," I ask them to look into who owns those outlets and what color their flag is. Red, or blue?
Thanks Ruth and agree. I recommend that if those on RR’s substack, if they have not already done so, go back and listen to his Saturday 7/29 Coffee Klatch in which they discussed survey data that shows our younger voters get most of their information from apps such as TicTock and Snap Chat and comes in as 30 seconds or so messages. So MSM is not going to their first choice, not to mention they are on their devices constantly, so Dem messaging needs to find a way to do 30 second messaging that will resonate with those voters. I am not the expert on how to do this but surely there are those folks out there that can given the success of those platforms. All IMHO.
The Republicans have figured it out. They frame the conversation before Dems even arrive. That is what needs to change; Democrats need to be proactive vocal and consistent; that means us too. Regular people talking to their friends and family without ceasing no matter what they say. Often an idea that does not seem to land leaves a see that sprouts later. And we need to get out the vote. If we all voted it would change everything. We can take back power if we activate as a collective.
the Repubs have media information dominance and know how to use it to frame values and issues. Too often Dems try and project their values from a frame of refernce loaded against them.
Thanks Ruth. Also if folks have not listed to RR’s last Coffee Klatch which he does every Saturday, please go back and do so. The first part is a recap of surveys done that show our younger voters get the greatest percent of info from Tic Tok, Snap Chat and in 30 seconds intervals. Long messages don’t grab their attention. Not that one should not be investigating deeper, but you have to capture attention first. Young voters are interested in all the things the Dems are working on and standing for, climate change, corporate greed, student loan relief, healthcare equality for women, truthful education etc. I am not an expert on those 30 sec bites but there are obviously lots of folks out there who are based on the success of those apps.
Chris Soden ; Inequality Media is a good place to contribute to, because they are on tic tok, and Snap Chat with short messages. I give support when I can.
Ruth, thanks for pointing out that, “...conservatives own or operate most of our media sources”. Awareness of this fact needs to be stated at least nearly as often as the lies they tell.
1 thing that would greatly help is if some billionaire like Tom Steyer or a well-endowed progressive organization invested in some progressive media with people like Robert Reich & Thom Hartmann having their own programs.or platforms. Perhaps Move On, Robert Reich's organization, the Justice Democrats (Bernie's organization), etc. could cooperate to fund & organize such a progressive broadcast system.
You are completely right. There have been attempts in the past. Our group will have on Fred Wellman ON DEMOCRACY this Saturday Aug 5th . Fred has been gaining a significant audience 50 to 100K since being picked up by the Meidas Touch netwrok. Come join us https://www.mopag.net/
Jaime, wouldn't it be great if progressives, even Democrats in general could have a medium that people actually pay attention to that could get the truth out and some interesting content. MSNBC is pretty good, but it has been so maligned by Republicans that few outside Democratic circles will even take a chance to watch it. Brainwashing like what Fox et al do is hard to fight. Those folks run their mouths all day mixing lies and some general information so it is hard for viewers to discern which is which. I saw what happens to even intelligent people who get caught up in it. It happened to my mom until we told her we wouldn't visit if that crap was running. When she stopped watching, she returned to her previously decent, interesting, intelligent self. How do we get folks to turn it off so they can check in with other media, even other people who see the world differently from how they see it?
It seems to me that Robert Reich is someone who could help organize it. Have you noticed how this forum keeps growing in number of respondents? I have. Maybe it's just an illusion, but I don't think so. It seems that Reich is getting more popular & influential by the day.
Oh Jaime, I hope you are right. I love seeing all the names I don't recognize. I like the ones I do recognize too, but expanding is great. One thing I have noticed about Prof. Reich since I first heard him speak while he was in the Clinton administration, he speaks clearly limits the jargon, and presents what people need to hear. The listening, he can't account for, but the presentation is excellent. Maybe we'll get some more influential people on the thread who can see what is presented here and spread the message even farther. It's a good thought.
I have long thought that Reich should be utilized by Democratic candidates during the campaign. His sketches on the whiteboard help illustrate & explain sometimes complex problems to make them easily understandable to the viewer.
Ruth, I heard one “podcaster” say the “right” is so entrenched and jaded that the only way to prevail is to get as many as possible (who vote blue) to the polls because we do indeed outnumber those on the “right”! It is a challenge but we MUST do it!!!!
For starters the Dems could get some radio broadcasts going over the airwaves. We have 4 rightwing nutjob stations in the St Louis area but nothing similar on the left. The academic infused and marketing uninfused orientation of Dem leadership is a problem. I have no other really good explanation for the obvious marketing gaps. I am open to other explanations always.
I think it would be useful if Democrats started becoming more aggressive with the media. For example, instead of passively cooperating in their often inane questioning, start saying, Why aren’t you asking me about how Bidenomics has saved the country? Or, Why are you asking me about Hunter Biden or even Donald Trump? Voters care more about how Bidenomics is saving them money and repairing our economy.
Yes, “instead of passively cooperating” with media, OWNING them--a great debater orator does this. Pete Buttigieg listens to a question and “brings it around” in this way. “What about those trains with toxic cargo?!” Buttigieg: What about legislation ripped up by previous administration, being put back--rather than prevented (hindered, thwarted, stymied), by unhelpful opposition, who blame us but constrain us?
Squawk with questions but so give media something to gnaw on, snappy quotes, foundation of facts. Media only wants to create a fluster of clicks and likes, they aren’t free to editorialize or they are labelled propaganda rather than news. One writer SHOULD appear to “see” both-sides-isms, AND to reveal the emperor with no clothes, bare facts that belie claims as fake, false, or manipulative.
Kerry - I do this in my kitchen when the radio is on! Until I get disgusted and turn the "news" off. I agree strongly with your thoughts. Pete Buttegieg is very good at doing this. He stands his ground and keeps the focus on topic.
Daniel great links. RR had a bit on this in his latest koffee Klatch. It is an area that needs some aggressive focus to get the young voters attention and get them out to vote these important issues facing the salvation of our democracy. Thanks for posting.
Daniel Solomon ; I think the best GOTV drivers are the 'GOP' themselves! The reversal of Roe alone has energized Democrats! Tfg's threats of 'retribution' are another help to the Blue. The mental health challenges of the far Right actually highlight who they are, and how little they offer to the majority of voters. And who they really work for ; The Rich!
New data supplied by the Harvard Youth Poll sheds light on the powerful undercurrents driving these developments. Young voters have shifted in a markedly progressive direction on multiple issues that are deeply important to them: Climate change, gun violence, economic inequality and LGBTQ+ rights.
As evidence, the recent CBS poll on the economy shows that the average American feels the economy is really shaky and doesn’t see any improvement. A majority are reporting worry over high inflation and don’t believe there have been improvements. That shows us all that those media entities promoting a negative message are doing such a great job that voters are believing the negativity over reality.
The one big problem with Bidenomics is that it has a slow reaction time. While this is also one of Bidenomics's great strengths it make hard for busy people in their day to day life to see how it effects them. It is also hard for folks to see beyond a zero sum game. The total being greater that the sum of its parts is really hard to understand. How can I and the boss and the bosses boss all be better off?
Most voters have not had the chance to take and understand Economics 101 it is much easier to scream Woke Woke Woke.
it defies all work a day logic !! yes, this is an important central issue. Part of the individual vs community ; capitalist-communist binary logic lens. I don't think most people will learn this "value" of community thru econ 101 or reading The Logic of Collective Action. These are things that come in with the mothers milk of the culture.
It is not a simple subject, but I think very few people understand that there is something better than a zero sum game. I also don't think many folks understand the power of diversity or the fact that at least half of the talent in this world is female.
Which makes me think the populace wants and deserves massive pandemic mismanagement, real economic recession, and the hellacious civil unrest like we had in the Trump regime. Not entirely joking.
Brainwashed. "More than eight-in-ten Republican voters in 2022 (85%) were White, non-Hispanic, down slightly (from 88%) compared with the 2018 midterms."
Unfortunately many being polled are uninformed and only hear the worst news. Or they feel the higher prices at the gas pump or store. But more needs to be said about what is right about the economy and how they are experiencing that as well. Stories too often lead with the good news but follow up and therefore end with news about higher prices. We all know that the human brain tend to remember the last thing it heard. Messaging, messaging, messaging!!!
The message has to be brought down to each congressional district, to local contests for Democrats running for re-election, or candidates running for election, especially in "swing" districts. How has Biden economics put money in local coffers.
Democrats have been pathologically bad at messaging. Now we're associated with sex change operations and abortion up to viability. We've made the gamut of Republican operatives from Atwater and Rove to whoever look smart when they're awful little punks in the basement of a frat house, not wanting to grow up or ever go to work. It's Oedipal as hell. They say they hate the federal government but inevitably end up in bed with it, thereby realizing the teen fantasy of never needing to emerge from dependency into adulthood and responsibility. Hence Trump (Bluto, the president) and, if you think back to the movie, our country is the Cadillac, loaned out and returned demolished. It's owner was told it was his fault for loaning it out. What did he think would happen?
You don't entrust something you care about to adolescent boys on drugs, let alone have them trailing around some guy with the nuclear football which is very much not a toy.
I agree. I got a haircut this weekend and the barbershop always has Fox news on. I had to suffer listening to how bad Biden has been for the economy and how badly the country needs a Republican to clean up the government.
With Fox being the #1 most watched news organization for the past decade or more, how do we ever stand a chance of keeping democrats in office? How do we actually spread the word about what Biden has actually quietly done behind the scenes without a lot fanfare. Or is THAT the problem? Democrats, as you said, Kerry, are TERRIBLE at messaging. WHY aren't they out there LOUDY complaining how wrong the Republicans are and how much improvement in our economy has occurred after Trump left office?
Have you ever asked your barber to change stations? Or stated that you will go elsewhere because of that? I have asked for stations to be changed rather than watch that garbage. I know it’s awkward to do.
No, I have not asked her. It is awkward thing to ask, and if I ask her to change the station, I have to be prepared to answer WHY. I don't want to get into any discussions about politics with people who don't share my view, because it's virtually impossible to change someone's political views, no matter how many facts you throw at them. :-(
I fully understand. I just always hope maybe, just maybe, sometimes I can be a small link in a chain that someday might cause change. I recall that once I was a passionate evangelical Christian who thought it was sinful to even vote because I might vote against God’s choice. Now, I’m a passionate atheist progressive, but it happened incrementally over years. Many links in that chain.
I understand. But you don't have to answer why, or just say because you disagree with the views (you don't have to get into why ) . Or fudge and just say you're sick of politics . You're only there for a haircut.Another way to look at it , they know some patrons won't like the views on TV. Why are they imposing these views on a captive audience. subtext:. you're not the asshole here, they are.
in 2012 I had multiple appointments at Cleveland Clinic and Fox news was n in most waiting rooms. I ask the to change to a cooking channel and they did. I also complained to their PR department that this was grossly inappropriate for a medical center. They should only be showing health information. We returned home and I don’t know the outcome. You are the Barber’s customer, You could ask him to change the channel.
Good for you! That's awesome that you spoke up and thus initiated a change. Even the seemingly minor act of requesting a change in TV programming can make a significant difference. What a great example for all of us to follow!
think that's bad ? While getting my car repaired at the dealership they had on closed TV a MO Republican Party produced 30 minute ad touting the economic wonders created by the Republcans in charge of the state.
Absolutely you are so right ..and DR Reich needs to post todays recap on every media outlet.. people do need to understand why things are moving in the right direction and who is doing it
Dem Party can use our help with messaging. Whenever I see an article that highlights projects in my local community that are a result of federal funding (like Infrastructure), I post a thank you on social media. Once it was a nice walking path. People like knowing how they are being helped specifically, but they don’t always read the newspaper and I do.
..they also need to stop worrying about appearing "too partisan" when it comes to standing up to the (R)s and right.
Two years ago Mitch himself declared that partisanship was dead (one of the few statements he's made that I agree with). This party ahs move so polarised itself so far to the right that meaningful and constructive bipartisanship is no longer possible. Yes there was the Infrastructure measure but that was gutted by more than half the original plan and a "dog bone" for the Fossil Fuel Cartel was thrown in to make it more palatable to the (R)s. yet it still didn't pass overwhelmingly (about the only time there is strong bipartisan support in Congress is when it comes time to write that massive annual cheque for the War Department and MICC (the first "C" relating to "Congressional" as Ike originally wanted to say in his 1959 farewell speech).
Most other bills passed by the House received zero votes from the (R) side of the aisle only to fail to make it through the Senate thanks to Joe Manchin's and Kyrsten Sinema's misguided belief that constructive bipartisanship was still possible (hence their almost religious devotion to the 60 vote filibuster).
The party really needs to re-evaluate itself as the neoliberal course isn't working. They need to stop being afraid of casing a "partisan" shadow while the (R)s wear their partisanship like a badge of honour. There is a reason for the adage "nice guys finish last" and the (D)s have been doing that a lot.
If only actions spoke louder than words these days. Seems the “entertainment” value in the form of higher ratings, which drives all things “media”, is what the average viewer is so accustomed to. In this case all things controversial. “If it bleeds, it leads” still seems to be the mantra for news. Hasn’t changed.
I certainly hope you’re right, Robert, in your assessment of what’s to come. I’ve had this desire for many a year myself. Getting at systemic issues and having the courage to do something about them OUGHT to lead any news of relevance, and, guide all those of good will to try, REALLY TRY, to make the appropriate changes. For the benefit of all.
You have no idea how much I hope that you are right about this. It is just so scary to think that we could have Trump again. I never thought that he would win in 2016, and being so wrong the first time is what scares me.
Sheri, this isn’t 2015. Trump has been impeached twice, incited a deadly coup that we watched live, has been found guilty of sexual assault and is awaiting trial for over 37 felonies!! He had none of this exposed during 2015. This is all about the right wing owned media trying to project him into office. Stop believing these nuts and scream FASCISM every time someone mentions the rescumliCon party.
We are fighting a corrupt party who also own most of the airwaves. They love to see people cower.
Yesterday polls showed Trump and Biden tied, 45% to 45%. Something is very wrong and it is scary. The conversations we have here are not being held in the public space. Out there, it's Hunter Biden's dick pics.
The question is always, which polls? Haven’t we learned by now that polls aren’t always accurate, or they can be diluted by R polling. Simon Rosenberg talks of this all the time. Listen or read him, Hopium Chronicle.
My question is: who pays for the polls? If I were a Republican billionaire, I'd pay for a poll that makes it easier for a respondent to seem to favor Republican candidates and policies. I'd like to see a Rachel Maddow-style examination of polling organizations (who ever heard of Quinnipiac University until a couple of years ago?), how they operate, and who pays them.
There was some discussion about it after ‘22 through Simon Rosenberg’s column et al, then like most things, poof gone! Too much written about the orange genius…it floods out everything else.
They can go either way. But generally, cellphones are undercovered, which means that fewer young people are contacted. It is often assumed that younger people won't vote, so it is essential, if we want to prove the polls wrong, to get youth to vote.
Just remember that the polls seem to be getting it wrong much of the time in the last 20 years or so. Use YOUR vote and encourage others to do the same. After all those billionaires are fewer in number than the bottom 90%, so OUR votes should clobber theirs, if we can move them to vote Democrat all the way down the ticket.
For now at least. One proposal by billionaires is to make eligibility to vote according to wealth, either having a minimum amount of wealth or income to vote, or to own property (renters don't get to vote), or to get more votes the more money you have. Doing their best to make sure the system is rigged in their favor even more than it already is.
Right, you go to some places, like the Twitter replies to Ted Lieu or Adam Kinzinger or to the comment section of Newsmax or RealClear, & the comments are overwhelmingly pro-Trump, pro-fascist, pro-Russia, anti-Democrats, anti-"RINO" anti-democracy.
Well, many may actually be from bots, & even some of the people may be trolls paid by Russia, another foreign adversary or the Republican Party.
To be fair, a high percentage of replies to the endless tweets of Lauren Boebert, Jim Jordan, Kevin McCarthy, Marjorie Taylor Greene & Kari Lake are highly critical of them, & I'm sometimes one of those commenters.
Bob Palmer ; I just remind myself that if the highest court in the land can be corrupted and bought ; So can the polls. Not all of them. I avoid them. i don't need them to influence my thinking.
Sheri McCord ; I don't doubt the facts that I have seen over the years. From the 'Access Hollywood' tape, to the latest scary ads showing tfg scowling into the close up film of his darkened visage, while he threatens the entire country with, essentially, revenge. eff him! We are the majority of voters. We outnumber the lying misinformed masochists, AKA MAGAts!
That's true. I have no question that we will win the popular vote but then there's that dreadful, unfair Electoral College that benefits Republicans. And on top of that, there are Republican Secretaries of state that like deleting names from the voter rolls.
Target audience is motivated by culture issues. The Millennial generation is the largest generation in America today and the largest in American history.
You are correct. I have some of my children who will never vote. They claim both sides are playing a game and the outcome will always be the same. They are probably right. I vote because I hope one side is slightly better than the other. Yesterday, I did some searching about child protective services for my project. Fox news was the only media I could find that was telling the stories of innocent parents whose families suffered the horrors of Child Protective Services' do-gooders. The bottom hates Hilliary and her "it takes a village philosophy." Children have been taken away from parents for decades because they couldn't financially support them, some succumbing to alcohol or drugs to treat anxiety. Then the State has the audacity to give money to foster families to support the children when they could have helped their own parents with the money. DCFS claims that is their mandate, but as a practical matter, they don't. As long as we have this cyclical "seesaw" economical system that forces some people to stay on the bottom, in poverty, and forces more to be unemployed every ten years or so as part of this antiquated system, we need a universal basic income with Medicare for All. Once that is in place, everybody can go whole hog, ruthless, dog-eat-dog for the rest of the economy, and let the people join in to the free market as they dare. The masters can afford it.
Sorry. I forgot ProPublica recently did a story telling how poor people don't have rights when it comes to child protective services. Poor people must let them in to search their homes and their bodies or CPS will get a court order to automatically take the kids. Lack of resources for child care is a big problem for working class parents and causes CPS to focus on them.
I think Rees's point is that we recognize that Democrats are far from perfect, but the Republicans are a whole different level of malevolence that doesn't compare & which we must avoid by electing Democrats instead.
It has got to be youth or women because old white men have failed so miserably. The greatest generation led the fight for freedom and boomers have done everything possible to not include everyone.
??????? Who fought for civil rights, womens rights, LGBTQ+ rights, supported unions, called out the dangers of pollution, plastics, chemicals, smoking, climate change, the real possible extinction of our species, worked for great public schools and so much more? It wasn’t Boomers fault, but a few rich men supported by white supremacists, misogynists, xenophobia’s, homophobes, who bought off judges and lawmakers who don’t care about destruction of the planet or human rights. It helps to know your enemy. Including everyone won. ‘t happen in just one generation. Each generation will have people who are on both sides of the people or profits first. Discounting all old white men just furthers the hate divide Republicans want. You are better than that
Isn't the generation before the Baby Boomers called the "Silent Generation"? We don't hear much about them, but it seems they at least share in the responsibility of what we've become as a nation. Aren't Biden & Trump in that generation, or at least on the cusp? And there's the Koch brothers, Rupert Murdoch, Chuck Grassley, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, Clarence Thomas, George Will... Henry Kissinger probably belongs to the generation before them, the so-called "Greatest Generation", which Bush Sr. belonged to, too. I suppose Reagan also belonged to that generation. So there's a lot of blame to go around. Generation X has been less than phenomenal. I really hope that Generation Z steps up to accomplish what the generations before them have failed to do, & save us all. I'm eager to help them as much as I can.
Well, I kind of agree with Mike and Linda. It's a complicated tale.Plenty of women have "failed " as well. I do think it generally unhelpful to cast blame on a specific demographic, billionaires excepted of course.
Biden and the Dems should employ joke writers of high caliber to get their message across. I seem to remember that during his speech at the annual journalists' bash in Washington, Joe referenced his fictional nephew named Brandon: that was an excellent putdown of the dummies wearing "Let's Go Brandon" t-shirts.
Great idea, Stan! Biden has a quick mind and he can be very funny in important moments. I loved his "touche" moment in the State of the Union address when he got the Republicans on record for preserving Social Security. He never missed a beat and moved on with his speech, but that was powerful and very entertaining. Biden has what the Irish call the "gift of the gab". It's delightful and genuine at the same time.
I don’t watch much TV, and when I do, it’s MSNBC. I do understand the proliferation of deep fakes. I went to the Apple App Store and discovered many pieces of software that allow very creative and misleading fooling around with photos and videos.
Jul 31, 2023·edited Jul 31, 2023Liked by Robert Reich
Having voted for Sanders in the primary, I can only say that the new green industrial policy part is okay progress, but it needs to be better pitched. The IRA’s climate-smart agriculture spending, ocean shipping reform and antitrust should be the core of Biden’s appeals to rural America, for example.
There are three big flaws in the three big acts as I see it: there’s too much reliance on tax credits overall rather than direct spending and as a result it will be very prone to the whims of asset managers, a consequence of the “submerged state” that is our tangled administrative status quo; not enough action on labor; and not enough climate justice measures for the Global South, which will be crucial to stabilizing the world order.
Biden should 1) use the bully pulpit to shut up asset managers and go big on direct spending for building new public housing and daycares, and electrifying and automating passenger rail to cut at the core of inflation which is housing, child care and car dependency, 2) put the PRO Act or even full Taft-Hartley repeal as his first legislative priority, and work to establish a bank for starting worker cooperatives, and 3) dare Congress to reallocate the war contingency funds to diplomacy, and maybe exporting union-made renewables and trains to the poorest countries.
There is a strike going on at Wabtec’s Erie, PA factory in favor of building cleaner diesel locomotives, and the UAW who are a big player in Michigan politics might vote for Trump if the Big Three don’t give them extra benefits for building EVs. They’re not perfect, but supporting these unions is low-hanging fruit for Biden politically.
The sad reality surrounding all that is Biden will come down to the public's ability to differentiate between a lie and the truth. Trump will get the Republican nomination if he maintains his ability to stay out of jail. He is already bracing half of the country to prepare themselves for the election of 2024 because it will be rigged. Trump knows, even before the sound of the starter's pistol greets the eager contestants at the line, that he has no chance of winning. Like a piece of old gum that has been chewed for far too long, the people have grown tired of the negativity, they will place the flavorless wad on the bedpost overnight. It may have been a crazy old song from 1959 but its point gives credence to what we should do with old Donnie. For the man has definitely lost his flavor.
Donald, I like your image of the over chewed gum as metaphor for our Baby Donnie and his nothingness. After 8 years, I still can't figure out what his "charm" is for some people. Nothing he says means much; he has no real ideas; he is not now and has never been a working man and can't begin to honestly relate to working people, yet somehow does, probably through his insulting and loud mouth, qualities I understand some men value; he is ignorant of most issues and lies incessantly. What is the "charm?" Trump will lie his way through whatever, toss out insults to "friend" and foe, and spew nonsense that alas, a bunch of people see as drippings from god. Admittedly, I have always thought him a jerk, as far back as the 70s when he first hit the scene. He made a bit more sense then, but for the most part said next to nothing of value if you listen to his interviews. Now, though he has gone off the deep end, but his cult still loves him and the media make him a top news story every day whether there is something new related to him or his crimes or not. Yeah, stick that chewing gum on the bedpost and leave it there permanently.
Ruth-- Trump's so called charm lies in his copycat philosophy that Hitler employed. Tell a lie long enough and people will begin to believe it. Trump is as good at lying as Santos is at not telling the truth. The real sad result is the people believe the falsehoods Trump promises them. Mr. Trump knows very well what the people want and need, his approach is to promise them exactly what they're missing, while never intending to give the less fortunate anything but more pain. The problem we face is how do we get his base to wake up.
Trump has been driven by his Sociopathic, Narcissistic, Chronic Lying Criminal mindset!
Fox, Social Media were used to magnify the lie that Trump & his followers are Victims. They incited rage toward a invented enemy to misdirect that rage into the invented “Deep State” “Weaponized Justice System against them” & the Big Lie of a fraudulent election!
Gloria, it is clear there are some processing issues involved with Trump and Kump. The sad thing is that we know this, but can do so little to get people to turn away from the fantasyland that Trump and Kump live in. The fact that Fox and their ilk jumped on board to promote this mass insanity is a problem and they need to be investigated for knowingly misdirecting people on behalf of candidates in their "criminal" behavior. I am guessing Fox will again escape any serious challenges. I don't know how to positively reach their audience.
Why would you buy him? He is lazy and you would get no work out of him. It you are fond of hearing a lot of outright lies, then you might get some kind of upside satisfaction out of that because he is really good at that.
Well, I expect I'd have to drug him into submission. Psilocybin, mescaline, stuff like that. . I would feed him the way Andrew Jackson fed his slaves. . . of course, I'm not buying any of his family, they're shiftless. And he'd wear the same clothes as everyone else on this plantation. The upper hill needs a lot of work, there's poison ivy and bittersweet vine just everywhere, and mosquitoes and ticks. And I need those raspberry canes pruned, and watch out for the black bears.
Jaime--With all Trump's legal woes falling into place simultaneously the man won't be able to take a dump without being given a suppository prior to his visit to the head. Donnie boy isn't looking pale as of late, it's more on the line of feeling a bit "Flushed."
I've been telling anyone who will listen to me (and, keep in mind, Biden was not my first choice back in 2020) that Joe Biden has led the passing of legislation which I consider historic. Stuff I haven't seen since (at least) LBJ and probably closer to FDR. (I'll be 76 in a month and I've been paying attention to politics since I listened to my Mom and Dad arguing about Eisenhower and Stevenson) For the last 23 years of my working life I taught sixth graders and I always ADVOCATED for classroom research to come "from the bottom up" instead of the "top down." Unfortunately, like our recent politics prior to "Bidenomics," much of the changes during my career in education came from the top down - and, often times had little to do with the day to day realities of the classroom - with many teachers ignoring directives out of being in "survival mode." (I was teaching in Middle School and I'm referencing young teachers who first had to learn how to manage a classroom with 30+ students in it before figuring out how to implement the latest "thing") I really like Biden's "bottom up middle out" approach to economic development. It makes total sense that with more people at the "bottom" having money to spend even those at the TOP who've been pushing the "trickle down" garbage on America (I've always called it "trickle up") are benefiting. (just check out corporate profits since Biden took office) And, along with Dr. Reich's comments about the exploding deficits during the Reagan, Both Bush, and Trump administrations due to "tax cuts for the rich," I've always suggested a "bottom up" approach to the economy would, over time, reduce the annual deficits to zero or even surplusses. (Which Clinton accomplished toward the end of his second term) The one thing Biden has failed in doing, in my mind, is MARKETING his successes - but, I would expect if the monthly data remains historically strong, that will change. Biden is proving having an experienced politician (with a conscience) is an asset which should set a precedent for the future. (Despite his "age issue" AND, this is not to mention his foreign policy bona fides - which may end up being his greatest achievement - depending how the Ukraine war ends) The reality of what China is doing around the world (Trump pulled "we the people" out of the TPP agreement Obama negotiated to mitigate China's emerging power) is a serious issue - but, "we the people" must get our own house in order before taking up that impending issue. Just think where we'd be if Trump was successful in his coup d'etat back in 2020 and 2021. Vote and try to get someone else who usually doesn't vote to vote as well. The issues go well beyond the good economic news (ie Climate, women's rights, civil rights, voting rights, etc.) but as James Carville was once quoted: "It's the economy stupid." wise words indeed!
I've always said trickle down economics equals gush up. We need to keep talking about this. The wealthy are NOT a sharing class. Oh, there are a few individuals among them that do share to some degree, but not the wealthiest. We need to get back to the "good old days" when CEO's only took 400 times as much as the median wage employee. I read recently that they are currently at 4000 times.
We need to get it back to no more than 20:1, which if we can't do that by a much more progressive tax system reminiscent of that under Ike, then make it mandatory that no employee in any business may make any more than 20 times the amount any other employee makes.
The legislation passed is historic in its deception. The Inflation Reduction Act as scored by the OMB does not reduce inflation, its climate initiatives mandate approval of a license for gas and oil exploration for every green energy project initiative, child poverty was reduced for one year and is now higher than prepandemic levels, Medicare can negotiate the prices of 10 out of 20000 medications prescribed in the US starting in three years and so on. Meanwhile, Biden is escalating military tensions with three nuclear superpowers while Russia's defense minister says they will use nuclear weapons if the Ukrainian offensive is successful (it will not be). Biden pours weapons into the region when there is zero chance that Ukraine will regain Crimea and that there will be any military solution to the conflict. As Biden liberals on this forum and everywhere else wring their hands about messaging the real problem is that these wonderful "Bidenomics" are using numbers that are skewed towards the upper and donor classes in so many ways. If nearly 25% of Americans have no savings at all, 36% have more credit card debt than savings, 57% could not handle an emergency of $1,000 or more, 41% have medical bill problems or are unable to pay their medical debt, and nearly 60%, yes that's right 60%, are living paycheck to paycheck, what kind of "messaging" is going to make such large swaths of the electorate think "oh yeah, Biden has really helped me out over the past two and half years." As for employment numbers, 44% of Americans say change/reduction in pay or loss of employment is making it difficult or impossible for them to save. This means the jobs that are being created are largely low paying, and that the low unemployment rate masks the millions who have been out of the job market for so long that they are not included in the numbers. What LBJ did was systemic change. Biden is merely tweaking established systems and apart from the core of the infrastructure package not doing very well at that. Please don't conflate the truths of history with your lionization of a judgment-addled, warmongering corporatist who never met a war or regime change he didn't like.
Wow! You're full of statistics. But not the FACT jobs have been positive for something like 30 straight months. Inflation has come down to 3%. You're full of negative thoughts, but I have to say, we have to start somewhere to change the issue of income inequality in this nation. And, Biden is a darn sight better than Trump - which, realistically, is the alternative. And, wages ARE going up. Where I live McDonald's starting wage is $16.50 which, of course, isn't enough for someone with a family but it represents a significant increas over what it was just two or three years ago. And, calling Biden a warmonger is, well, "beyond the pale." He's brought NATO together - an institution founded on the premise of preventing war. In Ukraine Vladimir Putin has proved himself to be. in my view, a mirror image of Hitler. And, if you actually believe Putin's aim was just Ukraine you've been reading different books than me. Putin, himself, has made it more likely Ukraine will regain Crimea simply by authorizing the destruction of Kakhovka Dam, which cut off the water supply to Crimea. And, the Ukrainians will likely take out the Kerch bridge, cutting it off from the supply chain from Russia. I have no idea what your idea of solutions to the issues in America are, but I firmly believe Biden was the practical (and best) choice for this time. What he really needs is a fully democratic Congress so his initiatives can't be blocked by republicans and democrats like Joe Manchin and (now "independent") Kirsten Sinema. Apparently you'd prefer Trump. Yikes!!! (And, if your thoughts go to a third party candidate - that just means you'd prefer Trump)
Biden was not the best choice for this time, Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren would have been far better. While you're wrapped up in the war strategies of Ukraine with the generals, the fact is that Crimea will never be returned to Ukraine short of nuclear confrontation. There was no reason for Biden not to pick up the phone and call Putin, who he has known for decades, apart from the fact that war benefits the warhawks in the US who want to prove they can do something right. The people you are listening to, from the generals to The New York Times, WaPo, MSNBC and NPR, all pushed us into Iraq and Afghanistan and were totally wrong. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is fresh from a multimillion dollar stint at Raytheon. NATO is a weapons clearinghouse, forcing nations to buy weapons from us. It is not a defensive organization, with offensive strikes in Libya and Syria to name a few, both of which are now effectively failed states. Calling Putin Hitler is a way to make it seem like he is a madman who can't be negotiated with, justifying Biden's interference with two opportunities for a cease fire. And doing so reduces what Hitler did to mere imperialism, which the US is far and away the most guilty of, far above any other country on the planet. Hitler was not an imperialist, he was a psychotic sadist. Putin has been and can be negotiated with, but you and Biden liberals believe what you are fed by news organizations that have promoted and lied about every war and regime change since Vietnam. My solution is to tell the truth about the Democratic Party and Biden/Clinton/Obama, and to support candidates who do not take corporate PAC money. Face the facts--Biden is a racist, anti-abortion political expedient who recently crushed a railway worker strike all the while proclaiming what a pro-labor president he is. The standard issue response to truthtellers is to tell them they support Trump, but it is indeed possible while Trump is a terrible threat and an American pig, he is merely a symptom of the ineffectual politics and public policy put forth by Democrats and Republicans alike. If people could access health care, and didn't have to work two jobs to make ends meet, they wouldn't be swayed by Trump's xenophobia (that is the same as Hitler). Saying Biden is "better" than Trump is true but it leaves an awful lot of room above him. And Biden is near the bottom of that spectrum.
The only thing on which I agree with you is that Bernie & Elizabeth would've been better, & would be now (& so would Merkley or Whitehouse). I think Biden should not run again.
You're awful sure of youself. But as I said, you appear to be OK with Trump - because Trump would have beat both Sanders (my first choice) and Warren. And, suggesting Putin's going to drop the bomb if he loses in Ukraine is absurd speculation. If he's going to do that he'll do it "whenever." Keep in mind there are other maybe less delusional "leaders" in Russia. Lest I remind you of Neville Chamberlain, appeasement to fascists is a losing proposition.
Trump would not have beaten Sanders or Warren. The droves of people who went to the polls just to vote against Trump would've done the same had the Democratic nominee been Sanders or Warren. It would probably have been an even bigger landslide.
I don't think the Ukraine war will be good for Biden the chances of winning are not good + the amount of military aid should be going to the country. I think Biden should be negotiating peace.
Since the notion of voting for Putin came up, I thought I'd bring up the fact that a vote for Trump is equivalent to a vote for Putin. Not saying that anyone on this esteemed forum would be foolish or malevolent enough to vote for Trump.
But since Russia's unprovoked & abominable aggression against Ukraine was injected into this conversation, this might be a good opportunity to remind everybody how critical it is for world peace & security that we do everything possible to stop Russia here & now in the most crucial conflict since WWII, otherwise Russia will go on to invade other countries in its neverending, centuries old obsession to expand empire.
I think in an ideal world you're right, but in the one we have I don't think that the excellent economic news is being heard by the people who need to hear it. Also I fear that what should be an easy win for Biden will in fact be close or a loss due to outrageous gerrymandering and outright election theft in key states.
Ana, I suspect you may be right about the message not being heard. With so few people owning most of our media, some communities only get to hear the lies and whining about how awful things are. I remember the 2016 election where Hillary had a lot of good ideas for continuing the work to improve life since the 2008 great recession, but they were rarely heard. Only Trump's lying, unproven accusations, insults, blaming, and fantasies were covered, and every single day. If someone felt they just HAD to cover Clinton, it was Ben Gazi or emails, both of which were nonsense topics, but the media made them paramount. There are tallies of how much each candidate was covered in the 2016 election, and on what issues. We got Idiotland and our media helped a whole lot to give it to us. Then there are the anti-democratic anti-voting laws passed all over the country to keep non-white, young, and non-Republicans from voting despite our constitution which states every American citizen 18 years of age and older, has the right to vote. Where are our honest constitutional courts and justices and judges? How are these laws even allowed to stand. Where is our department of Justice and why are they not bringing charges against every state that in the past decade has worked to restrict voting? Yep, I suspect the 2024 election will be close even though it should not be.
Don’t forget Putin and his cronies had a large hand in helping trump..trump was shocked that he won, but thanks to the Russian interference via every social media platform they pushed him over the line. It can’t be allowed to happen again!
Janet, it is going to be a bit difficult to keep foreign interference in the 2024 election from happening since our social media, the place a lot of the Russian interference showed up, seem to be fine with such interference. They don't even seem to be interested in stopping it. maybe our media need to stand up and let Americans know when Russia or someone else is trying to influence their thinking, like a brain takeover. That might get their attention.
You're right, Russia uses Z, V, and even O Congress needs to act to rein in social media but likely too little too late. Recommend The Hype Machine and The Chaos Machine to better understand what social media is doing to society..It is largely unaccountable power.
Ruth, why isn’t anyone stopping the voter suppression, gerrymandering, etc? While thankfully there have been a few exceptions, the GOP has spent decades building a compliant judiciary at every level, up to and including SCOTUS.
Exactly and I think while we have a democratic president we should place more democratic thinking judges in place, they after all stole from Obama the chance to elect one for our side. We can’t allow the likes of Thomas and others to railroad us. The SCOTUS have way too much power over our lives, that’s what’s scary to me. Balance the court!!!
I would like to feel a little confident about the 2024 election but there are just too many possible wildcards out there. Candidate health and legal issues, Repub shenanigans aka cheating , foreign interference, economic or natural disasters, etc. It's kind of a crapshoot.
The die-hard republicans are turning agains Trump. My in-laws just admitted to me they detest that person (used to love him). They are conservative military types.
They don’t much care about and don’t understand the poor/disenfranchised/“others”. However, his outright attempt to overthrow the government was the final straw (we’re talking conservative military people - they can’t stomach that).
George, in some ways, I think you are right. It is almost as though the media are pushing Trump on everyone, almost hoping that his crimes will win him more popularity and a possible victory next year which would get them something. I am not sure what, though because he uses the media like they are toys and that should not be a goal of our media.
And the media uses him for profits, so said the head of CBS: "He's been good for our bottom line." I've backed off TV, going with 2 or 3 to keep up; also, record - fast forward the nonsense. Always read your thoughtful posts.
I agree I’m so sick and tired of trump and the trump party and the mindless followers that blindly follow and worship him , it’s baffling really some of my own family members say they would vote for him again. I don’t get it, it’s sick he’s sick they are all sick! I can’t watch anything anymore that allows that man’s face and voice to dominate the the airwaves. Save us please, I fast forwarded threw it all, he makes me sick! But I will vote to ensure he doesn’t get a chance. And by the way I pray the lock his ugly ass up and don’t think he should get anyone to protect him in jail after all he’s in jail because he’s a criminal and doesn’t deserve protection!
Ruth, it’s not “almost as though the media are pushing Trump...” Much of the media is now owned by the American oligarchs, who would support a Hitler wannabe as long as he was anti-union, pro-monopoly, anti-tax.
I am so glad to hear that your in-laws no longer love TFG but in the privacy of the voting booth...maybe they will consider him better than the liberal alternative?
When the concept of free speech gets twisted out of context by those with unholy agendas, poisonous lies that are trumpeted (pun intended) loud and long enough become their own 'truth'. If Republican leaders, media lords, oligarchs and influencers are not immediately reined in under the Biden administration's remaining term, I fear we will become as a 'nation of sheep' subject to Republican state media and that our history will be written to echo the terrifying 'Handmaid's Tale. Voting is our only weapon of choice; color it BLUE and wield it wisely!
You said that very well. Thank you. I think our media, at least the media that is on the side of democracy, should go on vacation with Trump. Stop covering him for an entire week no matter what he does unless he has the codes for the atomic bombs. Just stop covering them for a while. There is a lot of other news out there. And we don't have to inundate us with news about climate change either.That will calm things down in this country.
Regarding today’s question of why President Biden will get another term, and Democrats control over Congress, what does one think? We’ll many hope that comes to pass in 2024. Let us hope the Democrats find a way with the Media to portray Bidenomics in a positive light and Democrats at the city, state, and national level can get the word out in facts and figures that give those willing to listen cause for spreading the news and reason to show up and vote in 2024. Thanks RR!
From your lips to God’s ear as my grandmother used to say. I do still worry about the capacity of workers to buy the populist garbage Trump and the GOP are selling and to vote against their self-interest, especially if they can be convinced that as much as Bidenomics is helping them it’s helping those undeserving “others” too or more.
Tracy, I have wondered for a long time why people would vote against their own interests, but I think you have hit on a good explanation. People have been trained to resent anyone who gets something people don't think they deserve. That includes: young people who just don't work hard "like we did when we were young;" those who want to steal "my" place in society when only white or rich or male or smart or christian people deserve that; poor people who are just takers; city folks who don't care about anyone else. So, seeing someone else rise, even if they are rising too is too terrible to contemplate. I am fascinated that they who feel and act this way claim to be not only christian but the super holy kind of christian. Maybe Democrats need to work together to come up with a positive message that could reach this crowd that seems to enjoy wallowing in misery and want to drag everyone else down with them.
Young people work hard in my observation. I have come across many young people at work over the years, & have trained many of them, & they keep getting better & better.
Jaime, you are so right about young people. I have enjoyed working with young teachers and other staff members in my school district and am only sad that they are not always appreciated for their creativity and intelligence as they should be. Is it a regular thing for older people to malign and resent young people? I just don't get it. Maybe we need a new model of mixed age cooperation in all jobs. I am sure we would all benefit from that, particularly if there is mutual respect at the center.
I noticed quite an uptick recently in older people maligning young people. The most since my youth when there was quite a "generation gap" that went both ways. "Don't trust anyone over 30/40." "I hope I die before I get old."
Jaime, I have noticed that disregard for young people by older people lately too. It is strange, but grandparents just love their grand kids, but everyone else's are scum of the earth or something like that. I am grateful the people I spend time with do not feel this way. I guess being a teacher and having another teacher in the family makes a difference. We truly love young people and want them to succeed and move into our places where they can hopefully step in and pick up where we left off and add their own innovations, dreams, and heart to whatever they do. Now, how do we get those no longer young to appreciate the upcoming generations. Despite all that don't trust anyone over 30 nonsense, my siblings and I never bought it. I think it might be because our family valued us and our dreams and didn't constantly tell us how awful we were for not being . . . We need more positive presentations of young people in our media with a full range of the work and play that make them so amazing.
If Biden and Democrats are going to do well in the election because of the strong economy, then they’re really going to have to get that message out themselves (something they are astoundingly sucky at doing) because not only will the media NOT relay that message, the media will steadfastly claim the economy isn’t doing well.
Hundreds of millions of dollars will not be earned by media companies if the 2024 election isn’t a horse race.
A close race means viewers and advertising dollars. A forgone conclusion means they don’t get those advertising dollars.
So the news folks are working overtime to ignore any good news about the economy. They’ve been promising a recession is imminent for years and that it will mean trouble for Biden’s re-election chances.
It hasn’t come. The economy is doing extremely well and is going to continue to do so. And they can’t stand it and won’t report on it.
Great comment, Christopher, and oh so true. They certainly aren't on our side when it comes to reporting the accomplishments from our side. It drives me mad.
You are right off course but I am not as optimistic as you are considering that historically around 30% of our compatriots harbor fascistic feelings ( just check the NYT polls in the 30s) and when one thinks this ways he does not care about objectivity, economics, or improved conditions. He votes his beliefs and only his beliefs. I just hope that the majority of Americans will find the brain and courage to vote so that we will maintain the democracy in our country.
I absolutely agree. My biggest concern is that the Fed will continue to raise interest rates for too long and undo the positives that have been happening.
Sari Rose, I am concerned about the interest rates too. With a staunch Republican at the helm, the Fed seems to be willing to bring the whole nation down for an arbitrary 2% interest rate. I have said it before and still worry that Powell would like to bring about a recession so Republicans can take over our government and bring about whatever anti-democratic society they are longing for. It makes no sense, but Republicans in general make no sense these days. If anyone is not sure of this, just look at the bills the House is passing and the laws red state legislatures are passing and the rich white governors are signing despite what the people want. Then members of our conservative Republican Supreme Court 6 don't want any kind of Congressional oversight even though the Constitution calls for it. I guess they are into bribery and other shenanigans because they have been so severely corrupted. OK, I think they were corrupted before they were ever on the court and that this may be a strong reason they were picked. Buth, that's another story.
Thank you Professor, great column, Yes the economy is much improved. If it weren't for the Do Nothing Trump party in Congress we might even get a wealth tax passed. The proposals of 2% to 5% sound very insignificant, but when you realize we are talking about billions of dollars, that is a lot of money for our Treasury and very little for the billionaire class, no matter how much they squeak and whine. We must retain Joe and Kamala, the Senate, and regain the House. Let's get to work.
I fear Bidenomics will fail to persuade voters. Continued inflation in the bread and butter categories - especially food and fuel which aren't even counted in the "official" inflation calculation because they're too volatile - is the one fact that voters confront every day. And then there's the cost of shelter. I live in a state where the median income can't afford the median two-bedroom apartment. A falling published inflation rate and vanishingly low unemployment are good news for people who can afford to see the macro. Families struggling with the basics have no such luxury.
Bidenomics has been great, but elections are about messaging. And Biden and the Dems have been atrocious at that game. They need to start parroting their success stories consistently to drive home the point.
Kerry, yes, Dems are poor with the messaging. I am not sure how much of it is the Democrats, though and how much of it is that conservatives own or operate most of our media sources. Then, there's the problem of repeating the same story over and over so that even when it is found to be either false or not fully true. the correction message does not get through. How do we fix this? I am not sure. I know it is going to be a challenge because if it were easy, someone would have figured it out. We are going to need a really different/innovative approach.
Another problem is the MSM. Most of the time they are quick to point out when the Fascist Rethugs are bashing our side. But they are mostly silent on the Democrats accomplishments.. They seem to be corporate controlled, at least that is what i have read on various websites. If they would only report all the accomplishments the Dems made, i believe we would be much better off.
"They seem to be corporate controlled"
Most definitely. And their interest lies in ad-dollars, so we can expect more horse-race type coverage, more titillation, unsubstantiated BS, outright lies and all the other crap those who subject themselves to the torture of TV will experience, interspaced with commercials sponsored by top advertisers at regular intervals.
I totally agree with you. That is one reason i avoid the news now, except for MSNBC. It makes me so angry when i hear those outright lies and the blatant misinformation. 50 years ago i liked to watch the news, they seemed much more honest and straightforward back then, ( the early 1970's.) Back then, they covered the Richard Nixon Watergate thing honestly and didn't hold back anything. I was only 17 years old then.
Even MSNBC is a problem in my opinion. For instance the news about Joe biden's son Hunter is really tainted by MSNBC. When they show pictures of Hunter who is the issue here they showed President Biden at his side. What does that tell even the msnbc audience?
I'll tell you it pushes the idea that the president somehow is involved in the crook and Miss dealings of his son.
They do too many things like that. They also, in some cases call Trump president. Trump is not the president. Trump is the former president or the ex-president. All those people that come on to him as MNBC and say president Trump should be taken off the air. Why you ask? Because they were in essence spreading lies and putting the mental image picture of trump as president in the minds of their listeners. I could go on but..
And that's it. In the case of television "news" they all DO do it! That's why I consider it to be "the torture of TV" and mostly avoid it.
There are other ways for reasonable folk to keep up with current events and get accurate, factual news.
But one has to leave the nest and explore the big, bad internet.
The former President has the news media captured with his BS and the multiple court cases grinding away. It is difficult to wedge in anything else. This suits the Republican Party and the former to a tee. As long as his bloated face in on the screen there isn’t room for the positive message President Biden has to put forward. My hope is that the Democratic Party gets with it, and soon!
Or the bank failures like Siverado seemed to get proper coverage, unlike now.
I have developed a number of accurate news sources, some of which are on Sub-Stack. I absolutely cannot tolerate the current television news-product. I'd rather read a paper or well written article and adjust for bias.
PS: I agree that MSNBC appears to be the best of the lot but that ain't saying much.
I like PBS.
You are right about MSNBC, I don't fully agree with their views sometimes. I rely on Sub-Stack and a site called, ''News Corpse''. The News Corpse site is kind of like Sub-stack, but in a smaller format. D KOS is fairly reliable too, but their site is loaded with ads and causes my computer to lock down and freeze, so i don't go to that site any longer. I do need a computer with more memory or something, this thing won't even run the ''Google Earth'' site.
John, I'm a contemporary of yours who, at a very young age, watched Walter Cronkite, and the gospel truth from Eric Sevareid. I feel again obliged to say that news media is a business which has consumers made up of advertisers, and the product they sell to them is an audience. I find the best I can do these days is to figure out the editorial bias that makes me a listener. It seems most common for the bias of omission (of truth, which I avoid) to be the most difficult to resolve.
Ahh, Sevareid. Didn't know what we had until he was gone (he was no longer a newscaster but an opinion guy when I was a kid.) I've since read his books. A kind of Hemingway wanna be with a LOT of opinions, but damn, he was there for a LOT of major events-interviews with Chiang Kai-Shek in China, the fall of France, the invasion of Italy, D-Day...and how many Fox news anchors (or MSNBC for that matter), with no training or previous experience, have had to parachute out of a crashing transport plane over the Burmese jungle, and live with a tribe of actual headhunters for a month, and then trek cross country to safety? There was a reason his opinions were forceful- he lived them.
TV news is generally geared to the lowest common denominator which means you don't get much of substance. The world- moving events going on and they want to do these long stories on some murder whodoneit, or travel problems at airports. Drivel Wasteland.
The airwaves are regulated. Let’s regulate them by golly!
I can't stand the regular NEWS either. They seem to put a corporate or rich spin on what they are reporting.
Equal time doctrine?
BBB ; Yes, once in a while, there is a really positive show on MSNBC, where they give good coverage on the Democrats, or information about the wrongdoings of the MAGA 'Republicans' that highlight what the prosecutors are getting done and possibly can do. With no images of tfg or his enablers. I'm leaning toward podcasts because it is inconsistent. 'Both sides ism' just does not work when the obscenely wealthy are owning us all, and threatening our very existence. The enemies of Democracy should get no time at all! Only exposure of their crimes. " just the facts: man!".
Adam ; I record or DVR the shows, so I can fast forward through the commercials. Otherwise I would not watch! I simply refuse to sit through the ads! They are viewer abuse!
Indeed Laurie. Abusive behavior legalized, formalized and in your living room.
Both of those comments correctly identify the problem. The MSM rarely talk about anything except Biden's age, or, heaven forbid, Biden went without socks...the Dems need more great messengers like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Governor Gavin Newsom! I've never understood why the Democrats have such a difficult time with messaging🤷🏼♀️
Why don't we have a Frank Lutz, like the GOP, to test our messaging and fine-tune it to something simple to relay at least a simple concept?
Biden's policies are doing wonderful things for the country, but simply listing names, such as CHIPS or IRA, and what they accomplish, is too complex for the majority of non-political junkies to digest.
If you've ever canvassed door-to-door, you would understand.
Maybe it's easier for the GOP, since they don't really have any policies, and can stick Trump's MAGA message on a ⛑. They latch onto buzzwords like "woke", and repeat, repeat, repeat.
The bottom line is, the messaging is going to be up to US! Talking to our friends, families and acquaintances, and sharing important information on all of our social media platforms, and getting people out to vote, is how we're going to win in 2024.
Good luck to us all, because democracy is on the line!
I have a degree in a field of marketing. If you don't get results deeper than messaging, you're out of luck again.
They talk a lot about Hunter Biden.
Yes, they do. The GOP are excellent at hammering a message; doesn't matter if it's true or false! 🤬
It makes our job even more difficult!
And pointing out the obvious... red states sucking up Federal money for improving their states. Why aren’t the Dems putting their label on that!!!
Absolutely. What has Joe done for the average Joe locally.
management of inflation, real growth in GDP and wages, strengthened support of workers rights, unions, and the dignity of work, enforcement of tax laws and other white collar crimes aimed at making the wealthy pay their fair share, staunch defense of human rights for ALL humans - LGBQT, male or female, black, brown, red, or white, refugees and immigrants, homeless and disadvantaged, veterans, victims of the student debt debacle, freedom of choice for healthcare, religious teaching, morality, unfiltered historical perspective, strengthened NATO and bilateral resistance to authoritarian rule, democracy, capitalism, rule of law, energy independence, acknowledgement of science, climate change, alternative energy souces, transparency of clandestine programs, the list is long
Everything in your paragraph will go right over the heads of my Republican friends and neighbors. Your concepts are absolutely accurate but are complex and abstract. Television, internet, talk radio have reduced our national conversation to exchanges of elementary school taunts. And that makes us easy prey for a demagogue like Trump. And yes I think this is by design.
We don't have to convince Republicans, at least the MAGAts, & it would be futile to try. But the truly independent & Never Trumpers we do need to talk about the accomplishments of Biden & the Democrats, especially with regard to the economy, which is the top issue for many Americans, & show why voting Republican would be a disaster for the country.
This is a great article showing what
republicans know and use that
democrats don’t.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/25/2183348/-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-explained-how-stupidity-enables-MAGA?detail=emaildkbow&pm_source=DKRE&pm_medium=email
The con man pulling off the biggest con of his career with support coming from legislator wannabes.
😢
In that case, what did Trump, as the Republican candidate, ever do?
He plays the role of the meanest son of a b**** in the valley and he's very good at it.
He is a do nothing racist sexist and fascist blowhard who works for the filthy rich and despises everyone else!
John T Phillips ; I agree that MSM is the larger part of the problem. I just watched some recorded shows from this past weekend on MSNBC. Constant tRump all the time! If not tRump, DeSantis or other MAGAs. Very little about Biden or certainly other Democrats who are getting things done. Stories about the pending court dates endlessly cite the time problem as 'The election approaches!" I can't believe that this guy is allowed to walk out on bail ; never mind run for President again! It's like a nightmare that will not end! Also the corrupt 'Congress' wants to Impeach President Biden! Can't imagine what the charges are. Giving the middle class and workers a little of what they produce? such a crime! TAX the Rich!
almost nothing about how other countries are dealing with issues we face. Guess the public doesn't case. The public won't care unless the MSM cover the rest of the world more. At least MSM mostly is now covering climate as serious.
I like Democracy Now
Same here. I will say, '' I hate Fascism and Dictatorships. That is what Donald TUMP will bring if he steals the election next year.
Even MSNBC is entertainment news, just look how reporters are dressed and where they sit!..and go on and on with a news that seem to get somewhere...but ...
The conservative and Republican media latest BS narrative is the "Biden Crime Family." Every day there seems to be another set of documents uncovered or a whistleblower coming forward to claim that Biden and his family are a bunch of crooks. Of course, none of this stuff is backed by any evidence or proof, but the Republicans don't care. The goal is to smear Biden. I mention this because it is starting to have an effect on folks in my family that could counteract the good economic news from Bidenomics.
How sad it is that people can be moved so easily by lies, innuendos, and fantasies. I know this is not a new thing, but we understand it a bit better now, but can't seem to counter it successfully when we need to. Trump is a con artist, and I do mean artist. He knows how to read people and respond the way he thinks they will like him best. He needs adulation and will do and say anything to get it. And, he is so self-absorbed he will even steal documents if he thinks he can use them to get some more money and power. Trump didn't know all of what he took from the White House in those documents boxes, but he knew they were valuable and that if no one said anything, he could use them to get money and power. He is definitely not the brightest bulb in the string but what he knows, he knows pretty well, and that is how to take what he wants, blame others for it, and lie through his teeth. His cult is so used to this they accept it, even love Trump for it. They would not find those characteristics so endearing if they were used against them, say by a member of their family or a friend, but since they think they are not directly affected, they just love it, like a reality TV show they can tune into every day for the entertainment. What they don't realize is that they are impacted by attention having to be spent on Donnie the grifter rather than working to help them have a better life.
"like a reality TV show they can tune into every day for the entertainment." is great description of Trump's effect on his supporters. Trump's reality TV show, like most other reality TV shows, is full of bunk!
Stupid is as stupid does!!!
True!
Love your posts, Ruth.
Cathi, Thanks so much.
And Tim isn’t it ironic that the true, real, dangerous crooks aren’t being locked up?
We need Katie Porter out there asking questions. She knows how to listen, and she knows how to challenge the liars.
Ironic, isn’t it. When you look at the Trump family.
As a parent I feel for Joe Biden. 2 children died young. 2 are totally useless. And yet he continues. Hunter? There is nothing to say. So he doesn't
Just surviving addiction is hard. The fact that he is still here says something. Judge not lest you be judged. Nobody is totally useless.
The "Biden Crime Family"-another page (literally) out of Goebbels propaganda playbook. "Accuse the other of that which you are guilty." It makes you look defensive and guilty if you say "no, not true, YOU'RE the criminal." We should be pushing the "Trump Crime Syndicate." Because in this case, it's true. They harp on Biden's son, while Trump's son in law Jared Kushner's dad was fined a half million bucks in 2004 by the FEC for contributing to Democratic political campaigns in the names of his partnerships. In 2005, following an investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office Attorney Chris Christie (yep, that one) negotiated a plea agreement where he pleaded guilty to 18 counts of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering.The witness-tampering charge arose from Kushner's act of retaliation against William Schulder, his sister Esther's husband, who was cooperating with federal investigators against Kushner. Kushner hired a prostitute he knew to seduce his brother-in-law, arranged to record a sexual encounter between the two, and had the tape sent to his sister.Kushner was sentenced to two years in prison. He served 14 months before being sent to a halfway house and was released from prison in 2006. When his son married Ivanka, surprise, surprise, Trump pardoned him.
Geojock61 ; "We should be pushing the "Trump Crime Syndicate" ; If you look at the MSNBC coverage of Fani Willis, you would see that she is an experienced RICO prosecutor, and is doing just that. Georgia laws allow her to go into other states and pull all these criminals together as she finds their connections in crime. It's hard work to watch most news shows ; even on MSNBC. But there is some gold in those 'tailings'. The coverage is there and keeps me going back. I can fast forward their asses if they slack off or show the '11.780 votes' Request for the 100th time!
yeah, but whatabout Jared and Ivanka ? Try that out on them.
Everytime it amounts to nothing, although the Republicans always spin it to be much worse for Biden than it is. So we remain at an impasse.
Just brand the other side as a pack of "twisters".
Ballast in the bilge
There is much to what you say.Whenever I hear someone pontificate about the MSM's "left-leaning bias," I ask them to look into who owns those outlets and what color their flag is. Red, or blue?
Thanks Ruth and agree. I recommend that if those on RR’s substack, if they have not already done so, go back and listen to his Saturday 7/29 Coffee Klatch in which they discussed survey data that shows our younger voters get most of their information from apps such as TicTock and Snap Chat and comes in as 30 seconds or so messages. So MSM is not going to their first choice, not to mention they are on their devices constantly, so Dem messaging needs to find a way to do 30 second messaging that will resonate with those voters. I am not the expert on how to do this but surely there are those folks out there that can given the success of those platforms. All IMHO.
yes social media marketing is part of what's needed.
You know whose team was really good at social media marketing? Obama’s.
The Republicans have figured it out. They frame the conversation before Dems even arrive. That is what needs to change; Democrats need to be proactive vocal and consistent; that means us too. Regular people talking to their friends and family without ceasing no matter what they say. Often an idea that does not seem to land leaves a see that sprouts later. And we need to get out the vote. If we all voted it would change everything. We can take back power if we activate as a collective.
the Repubs have media information dominance and know how to use it to frame values and issues. Too often Dems try and project their values from a frame of refernce loaded against them.
Good points.
Thanks Ruth. Also if folks have not listed to RR’s last Coffee Klatch which he does every Saturday, please go back and do so. The first part is a recap of surveys done that show our younger voters get the greatest percent of info from Tic Tok, Snap Chat and in 30 seconds intervals. Long messages don’t grab their attention. Not that one should not be investigating deeper, but you have to capture attention first. Young voters are interested in all the things the Dems are working on and standing for, climate change, corporate greed, student loan relief, healthcare equality for women, truthful education etc. I am not an expert on those 30 sec bites but there are obviously lots of folks out there who are based on the success of those apps.
Chris Soden ; Inequality Media is a good place to contribute to, because they are on tic tok, and Snap Chat with short messages. I give support when I can.
Ruth, thanks for pointing out that, “...conservatives own or operate most of our media sources”. Awareness of this fact needs to be stated at least nearly as often as the lies they tell.
1 thing that would greatly help is if some billionaire like Tom Steyer or a well-endowed progressive organization invested in some progressive media with people like Robert Reich & Thom Hartmann having their own programs.or platforms. Perhaps Move On, Robert Reich's organization, the Justice Democrats (Bernie's organization), etc. could cooperate to fund & organize such a progressive broadcast system.
You are completely right. There have been attempts in the past. Our group will have on Fred Wellman ON DEMOCRACY this Saturday Aug 5th . Fred has been gaining a significant audience 50 to 100K since being picked up by the Meidas Touch netwrok. Come join us https://www.mopag.net/
Jaime, wouldn't it be great if progressives, even Democrats in general could have a medium that people actually pay attention to that could get the truth out and some interesting content. MSNBC is pretty good, but it has been so maligned by Republicans that few outside Democratic circles will even take a chance to watch it. Brainwashing like what Fox et al do is hard to fight. Those folks run their mouths all day mixing lies and some general information so it is hard for viewers to discern which is which. I saw what happens to even intelligent people who get caught up in it. It happened to my mom until we told her we wouldn't visit if that crap was running. When she stopped watching, she returned to her previously decent, interesting, intelligent self. How do we get folks to turn it off so they can check in with other media, even other people who see the world differently from how they see it?
It seems to me that Robert Reich is someone who could help organize it. Have you noticed how this forum keeps growing in number of respondents? I have. Maybe it's just an illusion, but I don't think so. It seems that Reich is getting more popular & influential by the day.
Oh Jaime, I hope you are right. I love seeing all the names I don't recognize. I like the ones I do recognize too, but expanding is great. One thing I have noticed about Prof. Reich since I first heard him speak while he was in the Clinton administration, he speaks clearly limits the jargon, and presents what people need to hear. The listening, he can't account for, but the presentation is excellent. Maybe we'll get some more influential people on the thread who can see what is presented here and spread the message even farther. It's a good thought.
I have long thought that Reich should be utilized by Democratic candidates during the campaign. His sketches on the whiteboard help illustrate & explain sometimes complex problems to make them easily understandable to the viewer.
Ruth, I heard one “podcaster” say the “right” is so entrenched and jaded that the only way to prevail is to get as many as possible (who vote blue) to the polls because we do indeed outnumber those on the “right”! It is a challenge but we MUST do it!!!!
We have to rely a lot on word of mouth. There are many of us who can help get the message out. It can be part of the fix.
For starters the Dems could get some radio broadcasts going over the airwaves. We have 4 rightwing nutjob stations in the St Louis area but nothing similar on the left. The academic infused and marketing uninfused orientation of Dem leadership is a problem. I have no other really good explanation for the obvious marketing gaps. I am open to other explanations always.
I think it would be useful if Democrats started becoming more aggressive with the media. For example, instead of passively cooperating in their often inane questioning, start saying, Why aren’t you asking me about how Bidenomics has saved the country? Or, Why are you asking me about Hunter Biden or even Donald Trump? Voters care more about how Bidenomics is saving them money and repairing our economy.
Amen to more assertive/aggressive communication by Democrats!
Again Carol, watch Katie Porter ask questions. We need to learn from her. A real teacher... challenges the point by asking those tough questions.
Yes, “instead of passively cooperating” with media, OWNING them--a great debater orator does this. Pete Buttigieg listens to a question and “brings it around” in this way. “What about those trains with toxic cargo?!” Buttigieg: What about legislation ripped up by previous administration, being put back--rather than prevented (hindered, thwarted, stymied), by unhelpful opposition, who blame us but constrain us?
Squawk with questions but so give media something to gnaw on, snappy quotes, foundation of facts. Media only wants to create a fluster of clicks and likes, they aren’t free to editorialize or they are labelled propaganda rather than news. One writer SHOULD appear to “see” both-sides-isms, AND to reveal the emperor with no clothes, bare facts that belie claims as fake, false, or manipulative.
Pete for President! He speaks eloquently with few words to make a point!
Well said Kerry!
👍👍
Kerry - I do this in my kitchen when the radio is on! Until I get disgusted and turn the "news" off. I agree strongly with your thoughts. Pete Buttegieg is very good at doing this. He stands his ground and keeps the focus on topic.
dream on. I like it.
The Republicans are fighting a culture war. 90% of them vote against their own economic and health well being.
Hopefully we can get the younger vote out this time.
The Democratic Party Can Work With Influencers In a Way That Actually Relates to Young People https://www.teenvogue.com/story/influencers-politics-democratic-party
How Democrats Are Using Social Media Influencers to Get Out the Vote
https://time.com/6227149/democrats-tiktok-influencers-midterms-2022/
Daniel great links. RR had a bit on this in his latest koffee Klatch. It is an area that needs some aggressive focus to get the young voters attention and get them out to vote these important issues facing the salvation of our democracy. Thanks for posting.
Daniel Solomon ; I think the best GOTV drivers are the 'GOP' themselves! The reversal of Roe alone has energized Democrats! Tfg's threats of 'retribution' are another help to the Blue. The mental health challenges of the far Right actually highlight who they are, and how little they offer to the majority of voters. And who they really work for ; The Rich!
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/young-conservatives-reflect-gops-move-away-from-economic-priorities-political-scientist-says-8de5034e
New data supplied by the Harvard Youth Poll sheds light on the powerful undercurrents driving these developments. Young voters have shifted in a markedly progressive direction on multiple issues that are deeply important to them: Climate change, gun violence, economic inequality and LGBTQ+ rights.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/25/voters-progressive-trump-harvard-youth-poll-gop/
As evidence, the recent CBS poll on the economy shows that the average American feels the economy is really shaky and doesn’t see any improvement. A majority are reporting worry over high inflation and don’t believe there have been improvements. That shows us all that those media entities promoting a negative message are doing such a great job that voters are believing the negativity over reality.
The one big problem with Bidenomics is that it has a slow reaction time. While this is also one of Bidenomics's great strengths it make hard for busy people in their day to day life to see how it effects them. It is also hard for folks to see beyond a zero sum game. The total being greater that the sum of its parts is really hard to understand. How can I and the boss and the bosses boss all be better off?
Most voters have not had the chance to take and understand Economics 101 it is much easier to scream Woke Woke Woke.
it defies all work a day logic !! yes, this is an important central issue. Part of the individual vs community ; capitalist-communist binary logic lens. I don't think most people will learn this "value" of community thru econ 101 or reading The Logic of Collective Action. These are things that come in with the mothers milk of the culture.
It is not a simple subject, but I think very few people understand that there is something better than a zero sum game. I also don't think many folks understand the power of diversity or the fact that at least half of the talent in this world is female.
True
Better Woke than asleep.
Being Woke is good. After all Jesus was very Woke.
Some people hear "woke" and think "anti-white"
That's were WE have to step up. Be informed, so we can make sure others understand the truth. And we need to start now!
Which makes me think the populace wants and deserves massive pandemic mismanagement, real economic recession, and the hellacious civil unrest like we had in the Trump regime. Not entirely joking.
Brainwashed. "More than eight-in-ten Republican voters in 2022 (85%) were White, non-Hispanic, down slightly (from 88%) compared with the 2018 midterms."
Back to the future.
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/demographic-profiles-of-republican-and-democratic-voters/
Unfortunately many being polled are uninformed and only hear the worst news. Or they feel the higher prices at the gas pump or store. But more needs to be said about what is right about the economy and how they are experiencing that as well. Stories too often lead with the good news but follow up and therefore end with news about higher prices. We all know that the human brain tend to remember the last thing it heard. Messaging, messaging, messaging!!!
how about that big recession they would not stop talking about...
The message has to be brought down to each congressional district, to local contests for Democrats running for re-election, or candidates running for election, especially in "swing" districts. How has Biden economics put money in local coffers.
Democrats have been pathologically bad at messaging. Now we're associated with sex change operations and abortion up to viability. We've made the gamut of Republican operatives from Atwater and Rove to whoever look smart when they're awful little punks in the basement of a frat house, not wanting to grow up or ever go to work. It's Oedipal as hell. They say they hate the federal government but inevitably end up in bed with it, thereby realizing the teen fantasy of never needing to emerge from dependency into adulthood and responsibility. Hence Trump (Bluto, the president) and, if you think back to the movie, our country is the Cadillac, loaned out and returned demolished. It's owner was told it was his fault for loaning it out. What did he think would happen?
You don't entrust something you care about to adolescent boys on drugs, let alone have them trailing around some guy with the nuclear football which is very much not a toy.
The culture has been steadily infantilized by our media for the last forty years. It’s bedtime for Bonzo in America.
That's why Trump should be considered to be Bluto.
Hahaha!
I agree. I got a haircut this weekend and the barbershop always has Fox news on. I had to suffer listening to how bad Biden has been for the economy and how badly the country needs a Republican to clean up the government.
With Fox being the #1 most watched news organization for the past decade or more, how do we ever stand a chance of keeping democrats in office? How do we actually spread the word about what Biden has actually quietly done behind the scenes without a lot fanfare. Or is THAT the problem? Democrats, as you said, Kerry, are TERRIBLE at messaging. WHY aren't they out there LOUDY complaining how wrong the Republicans are and how much improvement in our economy has occurred after Trump left office?
Have you ever asked your barber to change stations? Or stated that you will go elsewhere because of that? I have asked for stations to be changed rather than watch that garbage. I know it’s awkward to do.
Hi Rees,
No, I have not asked her. It is awkward thing to ask, and if I ask her to change the station, I have to be prepared to answer WHY. I don't want to get into any discussions about politics with people who don't share my view, because it's virtually impossible to change someone's political views, no matter how many facts you throw at them. :-(
I fully understand. I just always hope maybe, just maybe, sometimes I can be a small link in a chain that someday might cause change. I recall that once I was a passionate evangelical Christian who thought it was sinful to even vote because I might vote against God’s choice. Now, I’m a passionate atheist progressive, but it happened incrementally over years. Many links in that chain.
Bravo!
You can simply say you would prefer something more relaxing during your haircut if you don’t want to say you find it offensive?
Linda, good idea!
I understand. But you don't have to answer why, or just say because you disagree with the views (you don't have to get into why ) . Or fudge and just say you're sick of politics . You're only there for a haircut.Another way to look at it , they know some patrons won't like the views on TV. Why are they imposing these views on a captive audience. subtext:. you're not the asshole here, they are.
Rees Coa ; My shop has no TV.
in 2012 I had multiple appointments at Cleveland Clinic and Fox news was n in most waiting rooms. I ask the to change to a cooking channel and they did. I also complained to their PR department that this was grossly inappropriate for a medical center. They should only be showing health information. We returned home and I don’t know the outcome. You are the Barber’s customer, You could ask him to change the channel.
Good for you! That's awesome that you spoke up and thus initiated a change. Even the seemingly minor act of requesting a change in TV programming can make a significant difference. What a great example for all of us to follow!
think that's bad ? While getting my car repaired at the dealership they had on closed TV a MO Republican Party produced 30 minute ad touting the economic wonders created by the Republcans in charge of the state.
Yes. Make it simple, concrete: Bidenomics is Jobs!
Absolutely you are so right ..and DR Reich needs to post todays recap on every media outlet.. people do need to understand why things are moving in the right direction and who is doing it
Dem Party can use our help with messaging. Whenever I see an article that highlights projects in my local community that are a result of federal funding (like Infrastructure), I post a thank you on social media. Once it was a nice walking path. People like knowing how they are being helped specifically, but they don’t always read the newspaper and I do.
..they also need to stop worrying about appearing "too partisan" when it comes to standing up to the (R)s and right.
Two years ago Mitch himself declared that partisanship was dead (one of the few statements he's made that I agree with). This party ahs move so polarised itself so far to the right that meaningful and constructive bipartisanship is no longer possible. Yes there was the Infrastructure measure but that was gutted by more than half the original plan and a "dog bone" for the Fossil Fuel Cartel was thrown in to make it more palatable to the (R)s. yet it still didn't pass overwhelmingly (about the only time there is strong bipartisan support in Congress is when it comes time to write that massive annual cheque for the War Department and MICC (the first "C" relating to "Congressional" as Ike originally wanted to say in his 1959 farewell speech).
Most other bills passed by the House received zero votes from the (R) side of the aisle only to fail to make it through the Senate thanks to Joe Manchin's and Kyrsten Sinema's misguided belief that constructive bipartisanship was still possible (hence their almost religious devotion to the 60 vote filibuster).
The party really needs to re-evaluate itself as the neoliberal course isn't working. They need to stop being afraid of casing a "partisan" shadow while the (R)s wear their partisanship like a badge of honour. There is a reason for the adage "nice guys finish last" and the (D)s have been doing that a lot.
and Senate rules that are dysfunctional in today's political reality
If only actions spoke louder than words these days. Seems the “entertainment” value in the form of higher ratings, which drives all things “media”, is what the average viewer is so accustomed to. In this case all things controversial. “If it bleeds, it leads” still seems to be the mantra for news. Hasn’t changed.
I certainly hope you’re right, Robert, in your assessment of what’s to come. I’ve had this desire for many a year myself. Getting at systemic issues and having the courage to do something about them OUGHT to lead any news of relevance, and, guide all those of good will to try, REALLY TRY, to make the appropriate changes. For the benefit of all.
👍👍
Here, here Kerry! Well said.
Yes, my opinion as well!
I completely agree with you, Kerry.
You have no idea how much I hope that you are right about this. It is just so scary to think that we could have Trump again. I never thought that he would win in 2016, and being so wrong the first time is what scares me.
Sheri, this isn’t 2015. Trump has been impeached twice, incited a deadly coup that we watched live, has been found guilty of sexual assault and is awaiting trial for over 37 felonies!! He had none of this exposed during 2015. This is all about the right wing owned media trying to project him into office. Stop believing these nuts and scream FASCISM every time someone mentions the rescumliCon party.
We are fighting a corrupt party who also own most of the airwaves. They love to see people cower.
Yesterday polls showed Trump and Biden tied, 45% to 45%. Something is very wrong and it is scary. The conversations we have here are not being held in the public space. Out there, it's Hunter Biden's dick pics.
The question is always, which polls? Haven’t we learned by now that polls aren’t always accurate, or they can be diluted by R polling. Simon Rosenberg talks of this all the time. Listen or read him, Hopium Chronicle.
My question is: who pays for the polls? If I were a Republican billionaire, I'd pay for a poll that makes it easier for a respondent to seem to favor Republican candidates and policies. I'd like to see a Rachel Maddow-style examination of polling organizations (who ever heard of Quinnipiac University until a couple of years ago?), how they operate, and who pays them.
There was some discussion about it after ‘22 through Simon Rosenberg’s column et al, then like most things, poof gone! Too much written about the orange genius…it floods out everything else.
My sense is that Quinnipiac is considered one of the more reliable polls. Rasmussen tends to swing conservative/Republican.
They can go either way. But generally, cellphones are undercovered, which means that fewer young people are contacted. It is often assumed that younger people won't vote, so it is essential, if we want to prove the polls wrong, to get youth to vote.
Just remember that the polls seem to be getting it wrong much of the time in the last 20 years or so. Use YOUR vote and encourage others to do the same. After all those billionaires are fewer in number than the bottom 90%, so OUR votes should clobber theirs, if we can move them to vote Democrat all the way down the ticket.
For now at least. One proposal by billionaires is to make eligibility to vote according to wealth, either having a minimum amount of wealth or income to vote, or to own property (renters don't get to vote), or to get more votes the more money you have. Doing their best to make sure the system is rigged in their favor even more than it already is.
OMG
in 2020 it was Biden 81M to TFG 74 million. I'm thinking that current poll is likely favoring Trump to much. Even so, it's sickening.
that has to be about the most depressing stat ever. But if it really reflects reality, then that also means......the mind reels with the implications.
Right, you go to some places, like the Twitter replies to Ted Lieu or Adam Kinzinger or to the comment section of Newsmax or RealClear, & the comments are overwhelmingly pro-Trump, pro-fascist, pro-Russia, anti-Democrats, anti-"RINO" anti-democracy.
and some of the comments are from people ?
Well, many may actually be from bots, & even some of the people may be trolls paid by Russia, another foreign adversary or the Republican Party.
To be fair, a high percentage of replies to the endless tweets of Lauren Boebert, Jim Jordan, Kevin McCarthy, Marjorie Taylor Greene & Kari Lake are highly critical of them, & I'm sometimes one of those commenters.
Bob Palmer ; I just remind myself that if the highest court in the land can be corrupted and bought ; So can the polls. Not all of them. I avoid them. i don't need them to influence my thinking.
And that is the problem, they "own most of the airwaves."
Sheri McCord ; I don't doubt the facts that I have seen over the years. From the 'Access Hollywood' tape, to the latest scary ads showing tfg scowling into the close up film of his darkened visage, while he threatens the entire country with, essentially, revenge. eff him! We are the majority of voters. We outnumber the lying misinformed masochists, AKA MAGAts!
That's true. I have no question that we will win the popular vote but then there's that dreadful, unfair Electoral College that benefits Republicans. And on top of that, there are Republican Secretaries of state that like deleting names from the voter rolls.
Very well said!
I agree, but Democrats and the Biden campaign must continue to highlight it, talk about it, and push the message.
Target audience is motivated by culture issues. The Millennial generation is the largest generation in America today and the largest in American history.
.https://www.brookings.edu/articles/younger-voters-are-poised-to-upend-american-politics/
You are correct. I have some of my children who will never vote. They claim both sides are playing a game and the outcome will always be the same. They are probably right. I vote because I hope one side is slightly better than the other. Yesterday, I did some searching about child protective services for my project. Fox news was the only media I could find that was telling the stories of innocent parents whose families suffered the horrors of Child Protective Services' do-gooders. The bottom hates Hilliary and her "it takes a village philosophy." Children have been taken away from parents for decades because they couldn't financially support them, some succumbing to alcohol or drugs to treat anxiety. Then the State has the audacity to give money to foster families to support the children when they could have helped their own parents with the money. DCFS claims that is their mandate, but as a practical matter, they don't. As long as we have this cyclical "seesaw" economical system that forces some people to stay on the bottom, in poverty, and forces more to be unemployed every ten years or so as part of this antiquated system, we need a universal basic income with Medicare for All. Once that is in place, everybody can go whole hog, ruthless, dog-eat-dog for the rest of the economy, and let the people join in to the free market as they dare. The masters can afford it.
Sorry. I forgot ProPublica recently did a story telling how poor people don't have rights when it comes to child protective services. Poor people must let them in to search their homes and their bodies or CPS will get a court order to automatically take the kids. Lack of resources for child care is a big problem for working class parents and causes CPS to focus on them.
If only people would believe as I do, “Dems are flawed. Repubs are evil!”
So, what do you suggest? We are all flawed.
I think Rees's point is that we recognize that Democrats are far from perfect, but the Republicans are a whole different level of malevolence that doesn't compare & which we must avoid by electing Democrats instead.
Please check with PBS. They had a program just recently that addresses your concerns about 'child protective services.
Thank you. I will do that right now.
Good. The youth may help save us from ourselves?
It has got to be youth or women because old white men have failed so miserably. The greatest generation led the fight for freedom and boomers have done everything possible to not include everyone.
??????? Who fought for civil rights, womens rights, LGBTQ+ rights, supported unions, called out the dangers of pollution, plastics, chemicals, smoking, climate change, the real possible extinction of our species, worked for great public schools and so much more? It wasn’t Boomers fault, but a few rich men supported by white supremacists, misogynists, xenophobia’s, homophobes, who bought off judges and lawmakers who don’t care about destruction of the planet or human rights. It helps to know your enemy. Including everyone won. ‘t happen in just one generation. Each generation will have people who are on both sides of the people or profits first. Discounting all old white men just furthers the hate divide Republicans want. You are better than that
Isn't the generation before the Baby Boomers called the "Silent Generation"? We don't hear much about them, but it seems they at least share in the responsibility of what we've become as a nation. Aren't Biden & Trump in that generation, or at least on the cusp? And there's the Koch brothers, Rupert Murdoch, Chuck Grassley, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, Clarence Thomas, George Will... Henry Kissinger probably belongs to the generation before them, the so-called "Greatest Generation", which Bush Sr. belonged to, too. I suppose Reagan also belonged to that generation. So there's a lot of blame to go around. Generation X has been less than phenomenal. I really hope that Generation Z steps up to accomplish what the generations before them have failed to do, & save us all. I'm eager to help them as much as I can.
Well, I kind of agree with Mike and Linda. It's a complicated tale.Plenty of women have "failed " as well. I do think it generally unhelpful to cast blame on a specific demographic, billionaires excepted of course.
Rubbish!
Biden and the Dems should employ joke writers of high caliber to get their message across. I seem to remember that during his speech at the annual journalists' bash in Washington, Joe referenced his fictional nephew named Brandon: that was an excellent putdown of the dummies wearing "Let's Go Brandon" t-shirts.
Great idea, Stan! Biden has a quick mind and he can be very funny in important moments. I loved his "touche" moment in the State of the Union address when he got the Republicans on record for preserving Social Security. He never missed a beat and moved on with his speech, but that was powerful and very entertaining. Biden has what the Irish call the "gift of the gab". It's delightful and genuine at the same time.
I don’t watch much TV, and when I do, it’s MSNBC. I do understand the proliferation of deep fakes. I went to the Apple App Store and discovered many pieces of software that allow very creative and misleading fooling around with photos and videos.
Yes repeat , repeat and repeat again! The truth will set us free!
Having voted for Sanders in the primary, I can only say that the new green industrial policy part is okay progress, but it needs to be better pitched. The IRA’s climate-smart agriculture spending, ocean shipping reform and antitrust should be the core of Biden’s appeals to rural America, for example.
There are three big flaws in the three big acts as I see it: there’s too much reliance on tax credits overall rather than direct spending and as a result it will be very prone to the whims of asset managers, a consequence of the “submerged state” that is our tangled administrative status quo; not enough action on labor; and not enough climate justice measures for the Global South, which will be crucial to stabilizing the world order.
Biden should 1) use the bully pulpit to shut up asset managers and go big on direct spending for building new public housing and daycares, and electrifying and automating passenger rail to cut at the core of inflation which is housing, child care and car dependency, 2) put the PRO Act or even full Taft-Hartley repeal as his first legislative priority, and work to establish a bank for starting worker cooperatives, and 3) dare Congress to reallocate the war contingency funds to diplomacy, and maybe exporting union-made renewables and trains to the poorest countries.
There is a strike going on at Wabtec’s Erie, PA factory in favor of building cleaner diesel locomotives, and the UAW who are a big player in Michigan politics might vote for Trump if the Big Three don’t give them extra benefits for building EVs. They’re not perfect, but supporting these unions is low-hanging fruit for Biden politically.
can’t NEVER FORGET our birdie friend 🦢✨🫶🏼
Donald Hodgins
Writes Donald’s Substack
3 min ago
The sad reality surrounding all that is Biden will come down to the public's ability to differentiate between a lie and the truth. Trump will get the Republican nomination if he maintains his ability to stay out of jail. He is already bracing half of the country to prepare themselves for the election of 2024 because it will be rigged. Trump knows, even before the sound of the starter's pistol greets the eager contestants at the line, that he has no chance of winning. Like a piece of old gum that has been chewed for far too long, the people have grown tired of the negativity, they will place the flavorless wad on the bedpost overnight. It may have been a crazy old song from 1959 but its point gives credence to what we should do with old Donnie. For the man has definitely lost his flavor.
Donald, I like your image of the over chewed gum as metaphor for our Baby Donnie and his nothingness. After 8 years, I still can't figure out what his "charm" is for some people. Nothing he says means much; he has no real ideas; he is not now and has never been a working man and can't begin to honestly relate to working people, yet somehow does, probably through his insulting and loud mouth, qualities I understand some men value; he is ignorant of most issues and lies incessantly. What is the "charm?" Trump will lie his way through whatever, toss out insults to "friend" and foe, and spew nonsense that alas, a bunch of people see as drippings from god. Admittedly, I have always thought him a jerk, as far back as the 70s when he first hit the scene. He made a bit more sense then, but for the most part said next to nothing of value if you listen to his interviews. Now, though he has gone off the deep end, but his cult still loves him and the media make him a top news story every day whether there is something new related to him or his crimes or not. Yeah, stick that chewing gum on the bedpost and leave it there permanently.
Ruth-- Trump's so called charm lies in his copycat philosophy that Hitler employed. Tell a lie long enough and people will begin to believe it. Trump is as good at lying as Santos is at not telling the truth. The real sad result is the people believe the falsehoods Trump promises them. Mr. Trump knows very well what the people want and need, his approach is to promise them exactly what they're missing, while never intending to give the less fortunate anything but more pain. The problem we face is how do we get his base to wake up.
you can't wake his base. You can turn out more Dems and convince more independents. That would be really significant.
steve--His base is past connecting with, stupidity deserves itself.
Trump has been driven by his Sociopathic, Narcissistic, Chronic Lying Criminal mindset!
Fox, Social Media were used to magnify the lie that Trump & his followers are Victims. They incited rage toward a invented enemy to misdirect that rage into the invented “Deep State” “Weaponized Justice System against them” & the Big Lie of a fraudulent election!
Gloria, it is clear there are some processing issues involved with Trump and Kump. The sad thing is that we know this, but can do so little to get people to turn away from the fantasyland that Trump and Kump live in. The fact that Fox and their ilk jumped on board to promote this mass insanity is a problem and they need to be investigated for knowingly misdirecting people on behalf of candidates in their "criminal" behavior. I am guessing Fox will again escape any serious challenges. I don't know how to positively reach their audience.
If Ron DeSantis brings slavery back to Florida I'm going to buy Trump.
Why would you buy him? He is lazy and you would get no work out of him. It you are fond of hearing a lot of outright lies, then you might get some kind of upside satisfaction out of that because he is really good at that.
Well, I expect I'd have to drug him into submission. Psilocybin, mescaline, stuff like that. . I would feed him the way Andrew Jackson fed his slaves. . . of course, I'm not buying any of his family, they're shiftless. And he'd wear the same clothes as everyone else on this plantation. The upper hill needs a lot of work, there's poison ivy and bittersweet vine just everywhere, and mosquitoes and ticks. And I need those raspberry canes pruned, and watch out for the black bears.
Yes, you could teach Drumpf to do useful work.
I doubt you could teach him anything.
Eugene Debs ran for president from a jail cell in 1920. I look forward to watching Drumpf do that in 2024.
Stan--I know its possible but do you really believe he would do that and retain the support he thinks he has.
We hope he doesn't retain his support, but enough to make an interesting, competitive, wild primary & fatally diminish the eventual nominee
Jaime--With all Trump's legal woes falling into place simultaneously the man won't be able to take a dump without being given a suppository prior to his visit to the head. Donnie boy isn't looking pale as of late, it's more on the line of feeling a bit "Flushed."
Scumbag, Donald TUMP has lost all of his flavor and turned a sickly bitter flavor.
I've been telling anyone who will listen to me (and, keep in mind, Biden was not my first choice back in 2020) that Joe Biden has led the passing of legislation which I consider historic. Stuff I haven't seen since (at least) LBJ and probably closer to FDR. (I'll be 76 in a month and I've been paying attention to politics since I listened to my Mom and Dad arguing about Eisenhower and Stevenson) For the last 23 years of my working life I taught sixth graders and I always ADVOCATED for classroom research to come "from the bottom up" instead of the "top down." Unfortunately, like our recent politics prior to "Bidenomics," much of the changes during my career in education came from the top down - and, often times had little to do with the day to day realities of the classroom - with many teachers ignoring directives out of being in "survival mode." (I was teaching in Middle School and I'm referencing young teachers who first had to learn how to manage a classroom with 30+ students in it before figuring out how to implement the latest "thing") I really like Biden's "bottom up middle out" approach to economic development. It makes total sense that with more people at the "bottom" having money to spend even those at the TOP who've been pushing the "trickle down" garbage on America (I've always called it "trickle up") are benefiting. (just check out corporate profits since Biden took office) And, along with Dr. Reich's comments about the exploding deficits during the Reagan, Both Bush, and Trump administrations due to "tax cuts for the rich," I've always suggested a "bottom up" approach to the economy would, over time, reduce the annual deficits to zero or even surplusses. (Which Clinton accomplished toward the end of his second term) The one thing Biden has failed in doing, in my mind, is MARKETING his successes - but, I would expect if the monthly data remains historically strong, that will change. Biden is proving having an experienced politician (with a conscience) is an asset which should set a precedent for the future. (Despite his "age issue" AND, this is not to mention his foreign policy bona fides - which may end up being his greatest achievement - depending how the Ukraine war ends) The reality of what China is doing around the world (Trump pulled "we the people" out of the TPP agreement Obama negotiated to mitigate China's emerging power) is a serious issue - but, "we the people" must get our own house in order before taking up that impending issue. Just think where we'd be if Trump was successful in his coup d'etat back in 2020 and 2021. Vote and try to get someone else who usually doesn't vote to vote as well. The issues go well beyond the good economic news (ie Climate, women's rights, civil rights, voting rights, etc.) but as James Carville was once quoted: "It's the economy stupid." wise words indeed!
I've always said trickle down economics equals gush up. We need to keep talking about this. The wealthy are NOT a sharing class. Oh, there are a few individuals among them that do share to some degree, but not the wealthiest. We need to get back to the "good old days" when CEO's only took 400 times as much as the median wage employee. I read recently that they are currently at 4000 times.
We need to get it back to no more than 20:1, which if we can't do that by a much more progressive tax system reminiscent of that under Ike, then make it mandatory that no employee in any business may make any more than 20 times the amount any other employee makes.
That would be nice, but I'd happily settle to 100:1, better than the thousands to one we now have
The bolder our demands the more likely we'll obtain something remotely acceptable.
Agree, stand up to bullies.
The legislation passed is historic in its deception. The Inflation Reduction Act as scored by the OMB does not reduce inflation, its climate initiatives mandate approval of a license for gas and oil exploration for every green energy project initiative, child poverty was reduced for one year and is now higher than prepandemic levels, Medicare can negotiate the prices of 10 out of 20000 medications prescribed in the US starting in three years and so on. Meanwhile, Biden is escalating military tensions with three nuclear superpowers while Russia's defense minister says they will use nuclear weapons if the Ukrainian offensive is successful (it will not be). Biden pours weapons into the region when there is zero chance that Ukraine will regain Crimea and that there will be any military solution to the conflict. As Biden liberals on this forum and everywhere else wring their hands about messaging the real problem is that these wonderful "Bidenomics" are using numbers that are skewed towards the upper and donor classes in so many ways. If nearly 25% of Americans have no savings at all, 36% have more credit card debt than savings, 57% could not handle an emergency of $1,000 or more, 41% have medical bill problems or are unable to pay their medical debt, and nearly 60%, yes that's right 60%, are living paycheck to paycheck, what kind of "messaging" is going to make such large swaths of the electorate think "oh yeah, Biden has really helped me out over the past two and half years." As for employment numbers, 44% of Americans say change/reduction in pay or loss of employment is making it difficult or impossible for them to save. This means the jobs that are being created are largely low paying, and that the low unemployment rate masks the millions who have been out of the job market for so long that they are not included in the numbers. What LBJ did was systemic change. Biden is merely tweaking established systems and apart from the core of the infrastructure package not doing very well at that. Please don't conflate the truths of history with your lionization of a judgment-addled, warmongering corporatist who never met a war or regime change he didn't like.
Wow! You're full of statistics. But not the FACT jobs have been positive for something like 30 straight months. Inflation has come down to 3%. You're full of negative thoughts, but I have to say, we have to start somewhere to change the issue of income inequality in this nation. And, Biden is a darn sight better than Trump - which, realistically, is the alternative. And, wages ARE going up. Where I live McDonald's starting wage is $16.50 which, of course, isn't enough for someone with a family but it represents a significant increas over what it was just two or three years ago. And, calling Biden a warmonger is, well, "beyond the pale." He's brought NATO together - an institution founded on the premise of preventing war. In Ukraine Vladimir Putin has proved himself to be. in my view, a mirror image of Hitler. And, if you actually believe Putin's aim was just Ukraine you've been reading different books than me. Putin, himself, has made it more likely Ukraine will regain Crimea simply by authorizing the destruction of Kakhovka Dam, which cut off the water supply to Crimea. And, the Ukrainians will likely take out the Kerch bridge, cutting it off from the supply chain from Russia. I have no idea what your idea of solutions to the issues in America are, but I firmly believe Biden was the practical (and best) choice for this time. What he really needs is a fully democratic Congress so his initiatives can't be blocked by republicans and democrats like Joe Manchin and (now "independent") Kirsten Sinema. Apparently you'd prefer Trump. Yikes!!! (And, if your thoughts go to a third party candidate - that just means you'd prefer Trump)
Biden was not the best choice for this time, Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren would have been far better. While you're wrapped up in the war strategies of Ukraine with the generals, the fact is that Crimea will never be returned to Ukraine short of nuclear confrontation. There was no reason for Biden not to pick up the phone and call Putin, who he has known for decades, apart from the fact that war benefits the warhawks in the US who want to prove they can do something right. The people you are listening to, from the generals to The New York Times, WaPo, MSNBC and NPR, all pushed us into Iraq and Afghanistan and were totally wrong. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is fresh from a multimillion dollar stint at Raytheon. NATO is a weapons clearinghouse, forcing nations to buy weapons from us. It is not a defensive organization, with offensive strikes in Libya and Syria to name a few, both of which are now effectively failed states. Calling Putin Hitler is a way to make it seem like he is a madman who can't be negotiated with, justifying Biden's interference with two opportunities for a cease fire. And doing so reduces what Hitler did to mere imperialism, which the US is far and away the most guilty of, far above any other country on the planet. Hitler was not an imperialist, he was a psychotic sadist. Putin has been and can be negotiated with, but you and Biden liberals believe what you are fed by news organizations that have promoted and lied about every war and regime change since Vietnam. My solution is to tell the truth about the Democratic Party and Biden/Clinton/Obama, and to support candidates who do not take corporate PAC money. Face the facts--Biden is a racist, anti-abortion political expedient who recently crushed a railway worker strike all the while proclaiming what a pro-labor president he is. The standard issue response to truthtellers is to tell them they support Trump, but it is indeed possible while Trump is a terrible threat and an American pig, he is merely a symptom of the ineffectual politics and public policy put forth by Democrats and Republicans alike. If people could access health care, and didn't have to work two jobs to make ends meet, they wouldn't be swayed by Trump's xenophobia (that is the same as Hitler). Saying Biden is "better" than Trump is true but it leaves an awful lot of room above him. And Biden is near the bottom of that spectrum.
The only thing on which I agree with you is that Bernie & Elizabeth would've been better, & would be now (& so would Merkley or Whitehouse). I think Biden should not run again.
You're awful sure of youself. But as I said, you appear to be OK with Trump - because Trump would have beat both Sanders (my first choice) and Warren. And, suggesting Putin's going to drop the bomb if he loses in Ukraine is absurd speculation. If he's going to do that he'll do it "whenever." Keep in mind there are other maybe less delusional "leaders" in Russia. Lest I remind you of Neville Chamberlain, appeasement to fascists is a losing proposition.
Trump would not have beaten Sanders or Warren. The droves of people who went to the polls just to vote against Trump would've done the same had the Democratic nominee been Sanders or Warren. It would probably have been an even bigger landslide.
I disagree Jamie, or at a minimum, I don't see good evidence fror that. All water under the bridge now.
I don't think the Ukraine war will be good for Biden the chances of winning are not good + the amount of military aid should be going to the country. I think Biden should be negotiating peace.
So smart reply.
...which is what you're actually doing if you vote for Trump.
Who said anything about voting for Trump?????????????
Since the notion of voting for Putin came up, I thought I'd bring up the fact that a vote for Trump is equivalent to a vote for Putin. Not saying that anyone on this esteemed forum would be foolish or malevolent enough to vote for Trump.
But since Russia's unprovoked & abominable aggression against Ukraine was injected into this conversation, this might be a good opportunity to remind everybody how critical it is for world peace & security that we do everything possible to stop Russia here & now in the most crucial conflict since WWII, otherwise Russia will go on to invade other countries in its neverending, centuries old obsession to expand empire.
I think in an ideal world you're right, but in the one we have I don't think that the excellent economic news is being heard by the people who need to hear it. Also I fear that what should be an easy win for Biden will in fact be close or a loss due to outrageous gerrymandering and outright election theft in key states.
Ana, I suspect you may be right about the message not being heard. With so few people owning most of our media, some communities only get to hear the lies and whining about how awful things are. I remember the 2016 election where Hillary had a lot of good ideas for continuing the work to improve life since the 2008 great recession, but they were rarely heard. Only Trump's lying, unproven accusations, insults, blaming, and fantasies were covered, and every single day. If someone felt they just HAD to cover Clinton, it was Ben Gazi or emails, both of which were nonsense topics, but the media made them paramount. There are tallies of how much each candidate was covered in the 2016 election, and on what issues. We got Idiotland and our media helped a whole lot to give it to us. Then there are the anti-democratic anti-voting laws passed all over the country to keep non-white, young, and non-Republicans from voting despite our constitution which states every American citizen 18 years of age and older, has the right to vote. Where are our honest constitutional courts and justices and judges? How are these laws even allowed to stand. Where is our department of Justice and why are they not bringing charges against every state that in the past decade has worked to restrict voting? Yep, I suspect the 2024 election will be close even though it should not be.
I hope Biden will win easily this time again.
Don’t forget Putin and his cronies had a large hand in helping trump..trump was shocked that he won, but thanks to the Russian interference via every social media platform they pushed him over the line. It can’t be allowed to happen again!
Janet, it is going to be a bit difficult to keep foreign interference in the 2024 election from happening since our social media, the place a lot of the Russian interference showed up, seem to be fine with such interference. They don't even seem to be interested in stopping it. maybe our media need to stand up and let Americans know when Russia or someone else is trying to influence their thinking, like a brain takeover. That might get their attention.
Social media has done alot to respond. Whether it's enough to prevent another life changing disruption of the continuum--I certainly don't know.
The way Twitter has responded has been to urge foreign interference, & some of the other social media haven't been much better.
Okay, please tell that to Elon Musk.
Mr X, like they put on their tanks. Real subtle Musk.
It's actually Z or V they've been putting on their tanks, but X is in the same vicinity of the alphabet, in fact, halfway between V & Z.
You're right, Russia uses Z, V, and even O Congress needs to act to rein in social media but likely too little too late. Recommend The Hype Machine and The Chaos Machine to better understand what social media is doing to society..It is largely unaccountable power.
Ruth, why isn’t anyone stopping the voter suppression, gerrymandering, etc? While thankfully there have been a few exceptions, the GOP has spent decades building a compliant judiciary at every level, up to and including SCOTUS.
I'm fairly sure that you answered your own question Marge.
Exactly and I think while we have a democratic president we should place more democratic thinking judges in place, they after all stole from Obama the chance to elect one for our side. We can’t allow the likes of Thomas and others to railroad us. The SCOTUS have way too much power over our lives, that’s what’s scary to me. Balance the court!!!
It was not easy last time. The electoral tally is misleading.
I would like to feel a little confident about the 2024 election but there are just too many possible wildcards out there. Candidate health and legal issues, Repub shenanigans aka cheating , foreign interference, economic or natural disasters, etc. It's kind of a crapshoot.
Gerrymandering should only affect the House, not the Senate (except perhaps Nebraska & Maine) nor the presidency.
Brilliant and wonderfully presented.
Congratulations!
I totally agree and on top of that I believe that Trump popularity is way overstated!
The die-hard republicans are turning agains Trump. My in-laws just admitted to me they detest that person (used to love him). They are conservative military types.
They don’t much care about and don’t understand the poor/disenfranchised/“others”. However, his outright attempt to overthrow the government was the final straw (we’re talking conservative military people - they can’t stomach that).
George, in some ways, I think you are right. It is almost as though the media are pushing Trump on everyone, almost hoping that his crimes will win him more popularity and a possible victory next year which would get them something. I am not sure what, though because he uses the media like they are toys and that should not be a goal of our media.
And the media uses him for profits, so said the head of CBS: "He's been good for our bottom line." I've backed off TV, going with 2 or 3 to keep up; also, record - fast forward the nonsense. Always read your thoughtful posts.
I agree I’m so sick and tired of trump and the trump party and the mindless followers that blindly follow and worship him , it’s baffling really some of my own family members say they would vote for him again. I don’t get it, it’s sick he’s sick they are all sick! I can’t watch anything anymore that allows that man’s face and voice to dominate the the airwaves. Save us please, I fast forwarded threw it all, he makes me sick! But I will vote to ensure he doesn’t get a chance. And by the way I pray the lock his ugly ass up and don’t think he should get anyone to protect him in jail after all he’s in jail because he’s a criminal and doesn’t deserve protection!
CBS is owned by right wing media outlet. And in fact they bleed some right-wing news to CBS all of the time. So, you're right, CBS is a problem.
Ruth, it’s not “almost as though the media are pushing Trump...” Much of the media is now owned by the American oligarchs, who would support a Hitler wannabe as long as he was anti-union, pro-monopoly, anti-tax.
I am so glad to hear that your in-laws no longer love TFG but in the privacy of the voting booth...maybe they will consider him better than the liberal alternative?
When the concept of free speech gets twisted out of context by those with unholy agendas, poisonous lies that are trumpeted (pun intended) loud and long enough become their own 'truth'. If Republican leaders, media lords, oligarchs and influencers are not immediately reined in under the Biden administration's remaining term, I fear we will become as a 'nation of sheep' subject to Republican state media and that our history will be written to echo the terrifying 'Handmaid's Tale. Voting is our only weapon of choice; color it BLUE and wield it wisely!
You said that very well. Thank you. I think our media, at least the media that is on the side of democracy, should go on vacation with Trump. Stop covering him for an entire week no matter what he does unless he has the codes for the atomic bombs. Just stop covering them for a while. There is a lot of other news out there. And we don't have to inundate us with news about climate change either.That will calm things down in this country.
Just remember who controls the media, for the most part. So why are you surprised that the media are pushing the orange buffoon?
I think it may be just over loud.
Regarding today’s question of why President Biden will get another term, and Democrats control over Congress, what does one think? We’ll many hope that comes to pass in 2024. Let us hope the Democrats find a way with the Media to portray Bidenomics in a positive light and Democrats at the city, state, and national level can get the word out in facts and figures that give those willing to listen cause for spreading the news and reason to show up and vote in 2024. Thanks RR!
Sounds great In theory. So why are people feeling insecure, professor; and not just about the economy either.
Maybe because we have a fascist party that we're fighting for control?
From your lips to God’s ear as my grandmother used to say. I do still worry about the capacity of workers to buy the populist garbage Trump and the GOP are selling and to vote against their self-interest, especially if they can be convinced that as much as Bidenomics is helping them it’s helping those undeserving “others” too or more.
Tracy, I have wondered for a long time why people would vote against their own interests, but I think you have hit on a good explanation. People have been trained to resent anyone who gets something people don't think they deserve. That includes: young people who just don't work hard "like we did when we were young;" those who want to steal "my" place in society when only white or rich or male or smart or christian people deserve that; poor people who are just takers; city folks who don't care about anyone else. So, seeing someone else rise, even if they are rising too is too terrible to contemplate. I am fascinated that they who feel and act this way claim to be not only christian but the super holy kind of christian. Maybe Democrats need to work together to come up with a positive message that could reach this crowd that seems to enjoy wallowing in misery and want to drag everyone else down with them.
Young people work hard in my observation. I have come across many young people at work over the years, & have trained many of them, & they keep getting better & better.
Jaime, you are so right about young people. I have enjoyed working with young teachers and other staff members in my school district and am only sad that they are not always appreciated for their creativity and intelligence as they should be. Is it a regular thing for older people to malign and resent young people? I just don't get it. Maybe we need a new model of mixed age cooperation in all jobs. I am sure we would all benefit from that, particularly if there is mutual respect at the center.
I noticed quite an uptick recently in older people maligning young people. The most since my youth when there was quite a "generation gap" that went both ways. "Don't trust anyone over 30/40." "I hope I die before I get old."
Jaime, I have noticed that disregard for young people by older people lately too. It is strange, but grandparents just love their grand kids, but everyone else's are scum of the earth or something like that. I am grateful the people I spend time with do not feel this way. I guess being a teacher and having another teacher in the family makes a difference. We truly love young people and want them to succeed and move into our places where they can hopefully step in and pick up where we left off and add their own innovations, dreams, and heart to whatever they do. Now, how do we get those no longer young to appreciate the upcoming generations. Despite all that don't trust anyone over 30 nonsense, my siblings and I never bought it. I think it might be because our family valued us and our dreams and didn't constantly tell us how awful we were for not being . . . We need more positive presentations of young people in our media with a full range of the work and play that make them so amazing.
Very well said!
I've worked on a university campus most of my career, so I know & appreciate young people. Some are rowdy, for sure, but most are nice to have around.
If Biden and Democrats are going to do well in the election because of the strong economy, then they’re really going to have to get that message out themselves (something they are astoundingly sucky at doing) because not only will the media NOT relay that message, the media will steadfastly claim the economy isn’t doing well.
Hundreds of millions of dollars will not be earned by media companies if the 2024 election isn’t a horse race.
A close race means viewers and advertising dollars. A forgone conclusion means they don’t get those advertising dollars.
So the news folks are working overtime to ignore any good news about the economy. They’ve been promising a recession is imminent for years and that it will mean trouble for Biden’s re-election chances.
It hasn’t come. The economy is doing extremely well and is going to continue to do so. And they can’t stand it and won’t report on it.
Great comment, Christopher, and oh so true. They certainly aren't on our side when it comes to reporting the accomplishments from our side. It drives me mad.
You are right off course but I am not as optimistic as you are considering that historically around 30% of our compatriots harbor fascistic feelings ( just check the NYT polls in the 30s) and when one thinks this ways he does not care about objectivity, economics, or improved conditions. He votes his beliefs and only his beliefs. I just hope that the majority of Americans will find the brain and courage to vote so that we will maintain the democracy in our country.
I absolutely agree. My biggest concern is that the Fed will continue to raise interest rates for too long and undo the positives that have been happening.
Sari Rose, I am concerned about the interest rates too. With a staunch Republican at the helm, the Fed seems to be willing to bring the whole nation down for an arbitrary 2% interest rate. I have said it before and still worry that Powell would like to bring about a recession so Republicans can take over our government and bring about whatever anti-democratic society they are longing for. It makes no sense, but Republicans in general make no sense these days. If anyone is not sure of this, just look at the bills the House is passing and the laws red state legislatures are passing and the rich white governors are signing despite what the people want. Then members of our conservative Republican Supreme Court 6 don't want any kind of Congressional oversight even though the Constitution calls for it. I guess they are into bribery and other shenanigans because they have been so severely corrupted. OK, I think they were corrupted before they were ever on the court and that this may be a strong reason they were picked. Buth, that's another story.
Thank you Professor, great column, Yes the economy is much improved. If it weren't for the Do Nothing Trump party in Congress we might even get a wealth tax passed. The proposals of 2% to 5% sound very insignificant, but when you realize we are talking about billions of dollars, that is a lot of money for our Treasury and very little for the billionaire class, no matter how much they squeak and whine. We must retain Joe and Kamala, the Senate, and regain the House. Let's get to work.
I fear Bidenomics will fail to persuade voters. Continued inflation in the bread and butter categories - especially food and fuel which aren't even counted in the "official" inflation calculation because they're too volatile - is the one fact that voters confront every day. And then there's the cost of shelter. I live in a state where the median income can't afford the median two-bedroom apartment. A falling published inflation rate and vanishingly low unemployment are good news for people who can afford to see the macro. Families struggling with the basics have no such luxury.
Good points William. But I must say, infrastructure improvements passed by Biden ate quite visible down to neighborhoods.