Re-capturing the "can do" spirit of America is my choice. Great week for democrats. Donald Trump is a very wealthy individual with the emotional immaturity of a child who has never been disciplined. I recognize a spoiled brat when I see one after 23 years of teaching special education emotionally disturbed students. Unfortunately media news will continue to report his whining, accusations and childlike behavior before he is either convicted and/or hopefully jailed. It is unlikely he will shut his mouth as long as he has an audience ..... similar to emotionally disturbed children who have difficulty learning.
Robert. You are totally on point. As a retired teacher, I have called Baby Donnie for what he is since before his run for office. He even talks like a child at times, almost baby talk. Why anyone supports him is far beyond my comprehension except that his toddler behavior might stir the "mother instinct" in some folks. The men who surround him are just users trying to get whatever they can as fast as they can using his fame as cover for their criminal behavior.
Mr. Folds, the question is on what basis do you write an ad hominem attack on someone, a commenter on this blog, and accuse that commenter of being a communist. Your answer should address the definition of communism and should adhere to facts.
I think it's fair to look objectively at candidates, regardless of their political orientation, and decide if they have such poor character that they are not qualified to be President, due to the unreliability of their future behavior. Lack of virtue and presence of vices are reasonable measures of bad character.
Near to virtue analysis is a review of a person's personality traits, characteristic or stereotypical behaviors which regularly manifest themselves invariant in varying circumstances. Assumptions about personality traits is close to psychological study of a subject, which is a formal analysis requiring interview.
“A personality trait is considered dark when, regardless of context and magnitude, it is associated with interpersonal problems and potentially destructive behaviors.” (2 below)
Persons with these malicious constructs to their personality are not trustworthy, and high office requires trustworthiness. Trump is REALLY a member of these groups, it's not an epithet. I believe that he cannot merit office due to that, nor could anyone so constructed.
Interestingly, there seems to be a masochistic streak of worship of leaders with the Dark Triad, as though a projection of frustrated sadists who admire him to the part of extinguishing their own personality. This is Nietzsche's ressentiment, I suspect.
PS: There is a refreshing opposite called the “Light Triad” of traits: faith in humanity, humanism, and Kantianism (obligate moral duty )The theory is often framed as the opposite of the Dark Triad, and hinges on the belief that people are inherently good and should not be treated expediently. Liberalism, perhaps. The Light Triad is a great cluster of virtues in my perspective.
That's because the Constitution was written in an age when honor and good moral character meant something, by honest, honorable men who stood by their word.
It is Republicans who have betrayed the Constitution by their loyalty not to it, but to Trump., the only president in American history who has tried to overturn a legitimate election and led his follower to attack Congress to remain in power. You are the crybaby for supporting a pathetic criminal and dangerous loser.
"We can" hold our high office officials accountable for their criminal actions. "We can" maintain our democracy because we have courageous people who will speak out and act to uphold our constitution. "We can" recover from the lies and criminal activities that have become a plague. "We can" renew our faith in our institutions and "we will".
What an eloquent response, Larry Folds. You must have deliberated long and thoughtful hours to provide such an insightful opinion. I get it ..... you are a man of few words.
I can see why Republicans cling to Trump at this point. They have absolutely nothing else. They mostly didn't support the infrastructure bill and roads and other infrastructure projects are already underway around the country. They didn't support the COVID Relief plan and many many families were benefited. They sort of supported the veterans' medical relief but only after shamed into it. They didn't support the inflation relief bill that is now before the House, not one Senator. The gun law they passed is crap and everyone knows it while they want to claim it as the most important gun bill . . . . Republicans across the country are doing their best to deny women bodily autonomy and keep folks they don't like (people of color) from voting. Some Republicans did go along with the bill to make more chips here (they shouldn't have been permitted to all be sent overseas in the first place), but maybe, we're back. So, in short, Republicans have nothing to brag about and now they are defending a law-breaker who kept top secret documents. I can't help but wonder who he was planning to use them against because that is the kind of person he is. So Dems, stand up, speak up loud and clear and stop trying to defend yourselves against Republican whining and baseless accusations! They have nothing to offer anyone! Democratic Representatives and Senators have done a lot, so get the word out there in the language of each community, explaining how the various laws will help them in particular and everyone in general and how we are called to take care of each other in this life, not just work for ourselves.
Democrats have no need to defend themselves, most have done nothing wrong. But we need to attack - not with negative but with truth. The whole country needs to know what these deceivers have said and done. Just keep the message on point, simple, and honest - most especially irrefutable.
The stink from Trump since the Jan 6 hearings is overpowering. Even many in the Repugnicant Party are tired of him. The LAST thing those in that party want to be doing going to the polls in under 3 months is to have the bloated carcass of Trump between them and voters trying to punch chads. And _THAT_ is why the Repugnicants are screaming foul. Multiple lines of investigation extremely discreditable to Trump are clearly going to hit the nightly news cycle through the Autumn before the midterm vote. Of course the Repugnicants think 'it's all political' since Trump at the top of the hour will be very damaging for them with independent voters and the tiny cadre of moderate Republicans. If the Democrats were managing to do all this by design, it would be as fiendish as it will be effective. I don't credit them with that level of hand-eye coordination, but the outcome is the same, and the Repugnicants just can't stand it. They are used to Democratic milquetoasts clutching pearls and begging them to behave while they spout raving nonsense about 'private email servers' and cast the grossest aspersions about. Having incoming 99 mph subpoenas hitting them right in the political gonads in the weeks before Election Day is the hardest of hardball pitches they are just not used to receiving rather than dishing out.
Me, I don't think the Mar-A-Logo raids have anything much to do with 'missing Presidential records' in the generic sense. The stakes would be too small to be worth the effort. But what is actually missing are a lot of records on what Trump and Meadows and those floating through their offices were doing between the vote in November 2020 and 6 Jan 2021. Many of the key meetings and demands of Trump, Donald J. which would be legally actionable would have/should have had records left behind. Trump was very careless shooting off his mouth to many individuals about substituting fake electors, having state vote counts fraudulently altered, and the rest. Traces of that should have ended up in documents, and the dates and locations of the interactions may well have come up in testimony to the 6 Jan committee for example. It's known that both Trump and Meadows destroyed some documents pertaining to those efforts. To my thinking, this is about finding surviving documents which directly substantiate attempts by Trump and his inner circle of enablers to falsify electoral returns and to organize the mob attempt to storm the Capitol on 6 Jan. And those are exactly the sort of 'mementos' that Trump's minions would most likely have made every effort to 'disappear from the files' on their way out the White House door. Now, they would have been crazy not to have shredded and burned anything like that long since, but Trump is sloppy and manifestly believes that he is the _real_ Teflon Don, so he might well not have bothered to destroy incriminating evidence, particularly if to his mind the documents involved support his view that he _should_ have won that election if others hadn't stolen it so he was and is justified in 'fixing' the totals to get 'the right outcome.' Let's just say I don't think the FBI opened his private safe in his Florida palace to find out his golf scores from December 2020.
We shall see. And if I know anything, we WILL see before the polls open this November. And nothing could serve the Repugnicants better than to have to eat that rotten crow in public while trying to get the vote out then.
Larry, has it ocurred to you that you are in the wrong place? No one is going to listen to your defense of the indefensible and no one cares what you think. This is not a place where republican ideology or trumpism is going to be acknowledged. Your chosen leader lost and should be consigned to the dust bin of history. That he is still making an ass of himself is really embarrassing. That there are people like you still supporting him is a joke.
Alberta, as a general rule I don't reply to trolls. A well managed site pinches them out pretty quick, so Substack passed that test with flying colors there.
I am, deliberately, taking very strong positions in my comments here, with larger purposes in mind. That's bound to provoke some disagreement, and a degree of push back is to be expected. What I find remarkable is how seldom those in strong opposition actually argue their position as opposed so wallowing in ad hominem vomitus that would be laughed at in 3rd grade. That's an indication to me that commenters in that vein either have no command of facts or no respect for them, that their arguments are about beliefs---and that's the problem. Fact free beliefs go toxic very quickly.
I wish I'd seen what this person had to say - and I'm not at all complaining he was booted. I'm always curious, though, about how that group "thinks". I'd bet he used labels because he was too intellectually lazy to describe what he objected to and therefore went on to rely on childish insults, generalized accusations and assertions, and had little to nothing nothing specific to complain about.
It's going to be tougher and tougher for this nation if young people and even adults don't get an education.
He's generally a major trump supporter and was making comments on anything hat was said about how dumb they were and how superior he was because he believes trump and Fox. Literally every comment was naswered with an insult or a piece of misinformation.
Unfortunately, as we have seen for decades and are seeing again now, the DNC cannot produce a marketing message for free ice cream on a hot summer day. Where are the great speeches about what is coming in the CHIPs and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and economic gains, and other wins of the current administration, despite being repeatedly hamstrung in Congress? Where is the press coverage? Where is the flood of PR on social media sites? The current and typical tepid DNC activity stands little chance of success against the misguided "moral" outrage and tribal protectionism of the GOP base. If we are lucky enough to find massively condemnatory evidence against Trump made public, the most likely result is still a marginal Dem win in upcoming elections. While it is true that the GOP is actively destroying America, it is the failure of Dem leadership, the failure of people who see it for what it is and are *unable* to move the citizenry that is truly tragic.
We on this forum are repeatedly grateful for the breadth and depth of Prof Reich's clarity and the model he sets for Dem leadership, but he is nearly alone, and that is the problem. FIrst and foremost, this is a failing of President Biden, who I am extremely loathe to criticize, but his is the bully pulpit and him not actively being the compelling source of information about his own accomplishments and the reasons to once again be hopeful for America is a disaster. I get that the DOJ must act independently. I want it to. I get that Garland ensures he can really make the case before he proceeds, and I want that too. I get that for the President to put himself out as the source of information for the previous guy's misdeeds would be bad for the country. But why did we need Reich to explain to us how we could pay for Sanders' proposals, and why do we need Reich to explain to us what Biden has accomplished? Where the F is the DNC?
Hey Bennett. I agree that the Dems are not the best at getting the message out, but the media is partly at fault too. The Democrats present ideas and things they have done which can be boring because they are what is expected. republicans spew conspiracy theories, do a lot of fearmongering, and just plain lie which means the media ends up having to address it, or feels it must. Hillary Clinton got so much less coverage in the 2016 campaign, somewhere around a fourth as much as Trump. Her ideas and plans for the future were lost as the various interviewers and reporters kept bringing up her emails and Ben Gazi. Dems got a little smarter in 2020 by demanding more media attention, but still Trump, as president, got so much more. It is a good thing a lot of people really liked Biden or we would have had another horrific 4 years of Baby Donnie. I am hoping Dems will find really good people to help get the message out, maybe the ones who helped the January 6th Committee present its case to the public.
Couldn't agree more. I long for the days of Cronkite, Rather, Murrow, etc. Instead we get moronic questions from, in your face reporters who seem to think they're a winner if they are noticed. One of the annoying things for me watching the Jan 6 Hearings was the number of reporters shoving their cameras and microphones in the faces of witnesses. They have lost all courtesy.
Yes, Thank You Prof Reich! I agree that we need a blitz of folks out there speaking from the roof tops! -- more than just Biden. Why can't Kamala, key Senators & every cabinet member (e.g., Mayor Pete & other stars) be out there speaking in a coordinated, punchy way, hit the circuit as if this is a Presidential campaign, singing the same tune. Social media works on one level, but it seems too transitory & fragmented. Shouldn't there be live speeches all across the country at universities, Town Halls and other venues -- that can then be picked up, televised, & further pushed -- EVERYWHERE, cable, YouTube, Tik Tok, prime time news -- dare I say Fox News?? I think this is beyond the DNC.
Gee Larry, who peed in your coffee? You really need to focus on learning about the issues you seem to know nothing about, and acceptance of people who don't fall into your category of perfect.
Love it. Great idea. We need to get speakers out on Labor Day and from then until Halloween. As you say shouting from the roof tops, not just in solidly Democratic Districts or big cities, but out in independent land too.
Hear, hear, Bennett Barouch!! Teddy Kennedy's speeches were so extraordinary I made a point to find out who wrote them. Robert Shrum, now an academic but keeping the faith. So where are this generation's Shrums and Ted Sorensens (who denied he ever wrote a word that came out of JFK's mouth or that won JFK a Pulitzer)? Or for that matter Dem Peggy Noonans? Not writing speeches for Democrats, that's for sure. They've never been more needed.
Um, no. He spent most of his time in office fighting a Senate leader who'd vowed when O won the first time that the Republican strategy during his term(s) would be to not let him get anything passed. He didn't give up and resort to the (weak) alternative of executive orders till late in the day, and of course they can be overturned.
Thank you for expressing this outrage so well. I no longer donate to the DNC for exactly that reason. What we need is a strong voice (like Robert Reich) saying exactly what you are saying. We don't need dirty tricks, we need clear loud simple statements. We should also stand up for our support of community - ALL community, not just white. We need to be proud of our support, not apologetic. You don't have to like everyone, you just need to base your dislikes on bad behavior.
Dude, come on - you're spending time on *his* Substack; he's literally lending whomever is on here a voice... (How would anyone who uses that voice just to refute each & every thing hope to be taken seriously? Yeesh, what a microcosmic election moment!)
They aren't silent, but they aren't compelling, aren't "controlling the narrative," aren't rousing passion, aren't inspiring, aren't offering something with which people identify, not giving people something to be proud of, just reporting. As @difny pointed out, we have known great speech writers, and most of us on this forum are of an age that we have heard Kennedy's and MLK and others stir the nation. This is painfully missing from the DNC today, just when the other side is maximizing their play on people's most visceral passions. AOC, Abrams, Pelosi, ... we have star performers, and yet they are clearly not carrying the day. Why is that? What is the DNC doing about it?
I share your frustration with the DNC (and the RNC). For several election cycles, the League of Women Voters conducted the presidential debates up until the campaigns of the major Democratic and Republican candidates made demands on format and participation and substance. The LWV president issued a press release condemning the demands – that the debate format would "perpetrate a fraud on the American voter" and that the organization did not intend to "become an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public." All presidential debates since 1988 have been sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates, a bipartisan corporation run by the two major parties.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if qualifying candidates could debate issues and address what American voters want? Robert Reich wrote three years ago about what the majority of Americans want, and even Fox News polls confirmed trends that Robert Reich documented in his article:
1. 70% of Americans are in favor of Medicare For All, including 60% of Republicans
2. 76% of Americans support higher taxes on the super-rich, including over half of Republicans
3. 92% are in favor of lower drug prices, over 78% think we should be able to buy drugs from Canada
4. More than 80% of Americans want paid maternity leave.
5. 79% of voters want more affordable child care. And that includes 80% of Republicans.
6. 60 % of Americans support free college tuition for those who meet income requirements.
7. 62% think climate change is man-made and needs addressing.
8. 84% think money has too much influence in politics. 77% support limits on campaign spending. And that includes 71% of Republicans.
One person I wish the Democrats would utilize is Reich himself. He is excellent at explaining complex matters concisely in a way people can easily understand, with the help of his sketches. He has made numerous videos on various subjects & could easily design one for a certain issue or a certain candidate, or Democrats could take excerpts of some of the videos he has already made, & they would do a lot better than the DNC or DCCC has done so far.
If you want to compare modern people to Hitler, look no further than Trump & Putin, both of whom have been assiduously following Hitler's playbook. Today's republofascists, russofascists & christofascists are almost identical to the German Nazis & Ku Klux Klan.
Repeating talking points doesn't do the job, Susan. Passion like Bernie's is what moves voters. And I think passion terrifies the DNC more than any other single thing in the universe.
Bernie probably gets sniped on more than Joe Biden. Lately it’s been for his appraisal of the Inflation Reduction Act: "In my view, if we are going to make our planet healthy and habitable for future generations, we cannot provide billions of dollars in new tax breaks to the very same fossil fuel companies that are currently destroying the planet," the Vermont senator said. "Under this legislation, up to 60 million acres of public waters must be offered up for sale EACH AND EVERY YEAR (emphasis mine) to the oil and gas industry before the federal government could approve any new offshore wind development."
As one telling example, the Vermont senator pointed to a recent Bloomberg headline that reads, "Exxon CEO Loves What Manchin Did for Big Oil in $370 Billion Deal."
"If the CEO of ExxonMobil, a company that has done as much as any entity to destroy this planet—if he is 'pleased' with this bill, then I think all of us should have some very deep concerns about what is in this legislation," said Sanders. "In total, this bill will offer the fossil fuel industry up to 700 million acres of public lands and waters... to oil and gas drilling over the next decade—far more than the oil and gas industry could possibly use."
Good for Bernie-- this is also what the prominent climate scientists say, and here in Europe where I'm working this summer this fragment if the original BBB bill is seen as pathetic. We can't just cheer the Democrats on for not doing nothing--we must light a fire under them so more of us feel like cheering. Talk to anyone under 30 lately?
Mary Baine Campbell—Perhaps the news hasn't reached Europe yet. The Senate is 50-50 R-D. Two Ds are more responsive to their own interests than to their constituents'. The rest can only do their best to work around that. Back here, where the picture may be in better focus, environmentalists are hailing the bill. I notice that your postings routinely bash older Democrats. Every new generation inherits the mess its elders were unable to resolve. Perhaps your generation's privileges should extend to exemption from history?
difny, the news has reached Europe. I'm getting better coverage, including of Biden's actions, than in the WaPo or Globe in the US. My generation (I'm 68, a retired professor and lifelong activist who's spent a lot of time talking to younger people over the last 40 years!) inherited a mess, yes. It didn't inherit potential species extinction. Well, it did but we didn't know it the way today's young people know it: it was supposed to be 100 years away when I walked on the first Earth Day. I'm an environmentalist, and not one group I belong to, not one climate scientist I know, has anything cheerful to say about this bill. I am however working hard, organizing and phonebanking, to give the corporate Democrats one more chance.
He has stayed true to his original excellent bill, trying to preserve as much as he can, offering many amendments to reinstate important provisions, yet was voted down 95-1 on several. Still Bernie has remained more loyal to the Democratic Party than certain official Democrats, continuing to support the bill despite all the rejections.
I am capable of living a happy, prosperous life without any AC, no car, little meat, low carbon footprint despite all the obstacles put in our way by the fossil fuel industry & other giant usurious multinational corporations & their right-wing sycophants trying to force us to consume loads of energy to pad their obscene profits, which republofascists always prioritize over the sustainability of a livable planet.
I see those tweets on a daily basis (some apparently straight from Biden) touting Biden's accomplishments. He has been counting the number of consecutive days that the price of gasoline has dropped, which recently passed 50 days.
Bennett Barouch ; Our President Biden has not only gotten the message out, but he and his administration have been able to get things done! The Democrat party is showing that even in 'conservative' states, they can show up and vote!
Seen cynically, it's a scenario for Democrats to relish—so very many Republican pols forced to radical-right positions to win primaries, that can only lose them the general. We must never let their noisiness make us forget they are a nuisance minority—IF IF IF we shout our policy successes even louder and vote. Vote. Volunteer, folks. Get out the vote!
And IF the Democrats stop boasting emptily about accomplishments the young-- who did the volunteer work to give him the presidency--see as failures and moral lapses.
Facts matter. TELL the voters who the LAST Repub prez was who balanced a budget: Eisenhower, in fiscal year 1960, 62 years ago before most people alive today in the US were born!
Under Ike there were many more tax brackets than today and the top *marginal* tax rate was 91% (applied only to that part of total income that exceeded the threshold for that top bracket). And the economy boomed. Today the top marginal rate is only 37% which is the main reason US deficits and debt are as high as they are. Under-taxing the very wealthy is not necessary for a robust economy; Ike demonstrated that. Under-taxing the very wealthy does, however, create greater inequality of wealth and, thus, of power. Democracy cannot survive in a political environment in which the wealthy can buy political outcomes with donations of $10's and $100's of MILLIONS.
A simple regression analysis of the top tax rate against the change in GDP shows that there is no correlation between the high tax rate and economic growth.
Recapturing the “can do” spirit of America! The majority of us who aren’t trumpers are sick and tired of being sick and tired-of him 24/7! We’ve forgotten what we would like our country to really look like, not only to ourselves, but to the world. I’ve had it with our Ugly American face and more than ready to be proud of what we can do for the least of ourselves and for others.
The question is not which is more interesting Biden's and the Democratic agenda ot Trumpy's and the RNC shenanigans. What truly matters is what the media covers and very sadly continues to force feed the public. If the media would "STOP" talking about the X-president "ALL THE TIME" I truly think that he would loose a great deal of his popularity! The people who follow him see him as important to a great extent because he is constantly in the media and constantly being talked about. Remember right after he left office and no one talked about him for a wk or two and it seemed like he was fading into the woodwork and then Mitch went to visit him in Florida and that is all the media needed to revive his presence and start talking about him again. This is not to say that we should not cover the news but if it were any other criminal, the news would report the day's occurrence and then move on the the next story. Oddly enough when the x-pres lost the 60+ court cases trying to prove voting fraud, I never heard a single one of those verdicts covered in the media. So I think we give him WAY TO MUCH attention and publicity and if we just stopped giving him so much attention, he would have much less power. Example: Howard Dean was doing well in the polls as a front runner for the 2004 election until he let out a yeehaw at a rally and the media stopped covering him and he just disappeared, eventually dropping out of the race. Not because he made a weird sound though that is what the media implied but once that had happened the media just wasn't interested in covering him anymore and without the spotlight he could not survive. I truly believe the less attention we give our twice impeached x-pres, the better. I know he has a strong following and this should have been done in 2016 when he ran the first time and again when he left office as I said before, but it still could work. Let me know what you think of this idea and if you agree how we as a public can try to communicate this to politically conscious talk show hosts and national news pundits. If we all started communicating to the media that we are soooo over this guy and we want to hear more about the positive improvements of the current regime than the asinine antics of the RNC and their criminal leaders (except when they lose court cases and get jail time) the better off we and our Democracy will be.
Exactly it is like a feedback loop we stop watching and the media needs to get the message that this is not what interests their audience anymore and they will change their focus. But like any loop you can intersect it at any point, so both the public needs to stop watching and the media needs to stop giving this disgraced X who want to destroy our constitution sooooo much status and free publicity.
The hypothesis expressed has one flaw: if this thing that everyone is talking about happens to be an obscenity, it loses its power (its "grip") as it's laid bare; try not to worry too much!
Unfortunately if that were true American Horror Story would have been canceled after the 1st season. No, I think everyone looks at the train wreck. Clearly he and the majority of the RNC are obscene and work hard at being even more obscene ever single day. Why? Because it gets them coverage.
I guess I am trying to suggest that the media and all of the rest of the "Wok" individuals who care, need to work harder to not support the spectacle that these people are soooo addicted to. Thanks
Yes, agreement - but those '"Wok" individuals' could be a jumble of contradictions: voting for progressive candidates & jeering at the tube with their friends/family... but every morning waking up to serve the interests of an evil platform-speech overlord (that, incidentally, not only monetizes & restricts speech - but actively incites it, to the effect of being a contributory factor in electoral subversion and raising questions regarding FEC rules).
(Cheers to your insight regarding speech in the age of the bullhorn!)
True it is hard to live a completely conscious life. I know allot of folks who talk the talk but are may not think of how their day to day behavior supports the status quo. However I feel we are getting off the original point which was how to find a way to encourage the media to stop focusing on Trump Trump Trump because, I believe it is only adding fuel to the fire that we all wish would just burn itself out.
I fear the attractive message is CRT, trans athletes, immigration, Hunter Biden, and, of course, Hillary's emails. And let's not forget that Donald Trump, the greatest of all presidents, saved America from a violent takeover by antifa, BLM, and the dastardly Nancy Pelosi while he presided over the greatest economy in human history. And please, Bob, don't try to confuse the issue with "facts", whatever they are. Republicans may have passed on the covid vaccine, but they are surely inoculated against facts.
Appealing to Independent and intelligent Republicans we should list Biden's accomplishments and their effect on the particular Congressional District. But we also need to get the word out in trumpster districts, on talk radio how ads, billboards LOUD, CLEAR, and SIMPLE The FBI had a warrant for probable cause issued by a trump appointed Judge. Especially in districts like Kevin McCarthy's, Rick Scott, Jim Jordan, DeSantis, etc. These people drive and see billboards, they listen to talk radio - they are avid fans of white alt right trash. If the trumpster can spew his lies in ads on CNN. surely we can reciprocate on talk radio and billboards. (And maybe a really big sign out front of Maralago or a loud speaker on a panel truck driving back and forth (:-) )
Great idea! Wish someone would do that! My fear would be some trumpy nut would retaliate. Though they may be a diverse group as suggested, they tend to have one thing in common, a propensity toward violence toward anyone that questions their belief system.
The population that holds Trump in admiration are not a homogeneous group. They are as diverse as those that hold Trump in contempt. Any conversation between the two must contain at it's beginning, at a bare minimum, a recognition of and a sympathy for those qualities that those that "believe" in Trump hold to be true. The tendency is to believe that that population, as a whole, ARE a homogeneous population of (simplified) indoctrinated clones. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and to hold that view is as good as building an impenetrable brick wall between what is evolving as a massive great divide.
Patronizing platitudes will always be seen through. A genuine, heartfelt, unguarded reaching out is truly the only way to begin to re-unite. It is either that or experience the dire consequences of a Trump "nation" in a retributive state.
Hey George. I hope you are right and that trying to meet the Trump cult with understanding will work. Those I have met were not in any way open to even communicating with me even on other subjects. For them, if I don't like Trump, I must be unworthy of their communication (I have one in my family and some in my church). I am not sure how to even get a conversation started, so most of the time, I just smile and move on. It is hard to find common ground with folks who bow to a child-man who cares nothing for the law and decency in general. They tell me they really like what he did for this country, but when asked to elaborate, the best they can say is "everything." The Trump folks I know can't even name one thing they actually like about him except that "he tells it like it is." That is pretty weird to be said about a man who lied more than 30,000 times in public while president. Maybe we need a set of guidelines from someone who has been successful in connecting with any of the Trump crew to help us out.
"Telling it like it is" is the trumpster's greatest appeal. He doesn't need to do anything, just tell the folks he's mad as hell for them. That is what they want to hear. They don't understand how America got into the situation we're in today with most of the wealth held by a handful of people and ordinary folks unable to buy a small house. They don't want to be preached at (which is what they think we do) They want to be told they are right, it's 'someone' else who caused their financial pain, their lack of recognition and respect. So, it is immigrants, people of color, people who don't belong to their church, people who don't go to bible class, city people, the elites. Nobody explains to them in their own language the tax structure that moved their savings to the top 10% of the wealthy, or how Ronnie Reagan (who they are told is next to god) destroyed their unions (yes I know the destruction began in the 50's and 60's, but Reagan drove the nail in the coffin) I have family members like that too, and they don't want to talk to me because I am a left leaning lunatic (:-)
George, your approach makes sense as strategy but how can that be converted into tactics that persuade people who believe things that are demonstrably false but reject things that are demonstrably true?
Perhaps the Dems simply need more creative marketeers. Remember that it was Reagan who staffed up with seasoned advertising execs who had little or no political experience. They did, however, know how to sell ice cubes in the Arctic.
The answer(s) to your questions, or solutions to your observations, are above my pay grade. I simply do not , absolutely, KNOW what an effective "strategy" would be. I am sure there are those here, and elsewhere who, when presented with the challenge could formulate one.
I DO know this: Trust, at least as we were used to thinking about, and experiencing it, is gone. Not unrecoverable, but certainly lost in the morass of mediums available to us ALL.
How does a gentle, supportive, sympathetic TRUTH find it way to ears overwhelmed with
their own internal cacophony of "truths"? I don't know. But I suspect that path begins with
some way, we collectively, or independently have not thought of before. Some "out of the box" pursuit. Collectively, both sides have all seen the results thus far: more hurt, anger and a further deepening of the alienation between sentient beings.
I truly wish I had the ability to offer up such a path. I do not. But I know it will evolve. It has to.
George, in speaking of "strategy" I referred to your observation that we [all] need to avoid stereotyping Trump supporters and not reduce them to a single, negative characteristic: address people where they are and as who they are. The only "tactic" that comes to mind is to flood into various media as many pithy factoids as do-able, communicating easily understandable accomplishments of the Biden administration in health/infrastructure/roads/bridges/water&sewer/Covid support, job creation, etc. Most people know more about ephemera than about who represents them, what policies they support, etc. ad nauseam. In short, Dems have to blow their own horn, and do so when and where audiences receptive to specific factoids will hear them. Marketing and PR people know the techniques for targeting audiences; Reagan used them to cover up his doubling the entire national debt that had accumulated since 1776. Most alive in the US today do not know that they have never lived under a Repub prez who balanced the budget, the last being Ike in 1960. A touchier subject, but how many US citizens know that the US Constitution does not include the word "god" even once? Inform people of the Founders' wisdom in order to blunt the false appeal of religious nationalists who now seek to control the government of all.
... but there is a time & a place for everything; should someone who chooses to disrespect time that is shared honestly have a claim to yet more time - simply by threat/promise of incivility?
Part of the "indoctrination" that is being referenced - and what makes it so pernicious (really, dangerous) - is actually the exploitation of folks who are only too happy to learn at someone else's expense: to, essentially, take what are generally reserved rights as an obligation to seek conflict - to regress to a pattern of contempt, expression of contempt, punishment, and then the begging for socialization (by doing more things which cannot be dignified by what little proper attention there may happen to be). In short, *their* suggestion of having nothing to lose is the thing that couldn't be further from the truth.
Defending Trump vs. the can-do spirit of America? If that were the choice, the resolution would be easy. But it’s not like that. It’s emotion vs. reason. It’s fantasy vs. fact. Are Americans ready to use their brains instead of their spleens? We don’t know.
Hey Rick, in Pennsylvania, Republicans have ads out claiming that John Fetterman is going to practically empty the prisons and destroy our state. It is the new version of Willie Horton. The pathetic woman's voice whines that everyone better get out to vote or our state will be destroyed. The lies pile on from beginning to end. I don't understand why ads like that are allowed on TV or anywhere else, but I guess truth in advertising doesn't apply to politics.
Now back to the issue at hand, & the substance of your comment, Fetterman has vastly outcampaigned Oz & appears headed for a landslide.
It's so regrettable that we lost standards such as "truth in advertising" & the Fairness Doctrine. This is a significant factor in the loss of trust in public figures & institutions.
The ability to do critical thinking is gradually learned and developed as is the desire to do research to find information and the knowledge of legitimate information sites. It can help develop the inner compass, a guide to navigate the news sites and media in general.
Ruth Sheets ; the 'Fairness Doctrine' and 'Truth in Advertising' went away a while ago. Decency is not en vogue now. : "Money doesn't talk it swears, Obscenity who really cares? Propaganda ; All is Phony" (Bob Dylan).
This is an aside far from today's subject, but your post made me think of this...
Back in the 1960s & 70s one of the top players of the Detroit Tigers was a slugger named Willie Horton. He was 1 of several great baseball players of that time period named Willie -- Mays, McCovey, Stargell, Davis, Smith... Ever since those awful ads vilifying the released convict of the same name, I wonder how that has affected his life.
Between defending Lump and defending the Supreme Court's overturning Roe vs Wade... The Republicans are riding the edge of a very sharp sword!... Not to mention the House and Senate Republicans voting no on everything that would benefit the American people... Including those swing voters they are chasing after!
Republican candidates need to be a true representative of all the people in their state first. Not be a slave to Trump, the Republican Party, or any organization, that is not in line with the majority of the voters they represent.
Re-capturing the "can do" spirit of America is my choice. Great week for democrats. Donald Trump is a very wealthy individual with the emotional immaturity of a child who has never been disciplined. I recognize a spoiled brat when I see one after 23 years of teaching special education emotionally disturbed students. Unfortunately media news will continue to report his whining, accusations and childlike behavior before he is either convicted and/or hopefully jailed. It is unlikely he will shut his mouth as long as he has an audience ..... similar to emotionally disturbed children who have difficulty learning.
Robert. You are totally on point. As a retired teacher, I have called Baby Donnie for what he is since before his run for office. He even talks like a child at times, almost baby talk. Why anyone supports him is far beyond my comprehension except that his toddler behavior might stir the "mother instinct" in some folks. The men who surround him are just users trying to get whatever they can as fast as they can using his fame as cover for their criminal behavior.
Mr. Folds, can you substantiate your ad hominem attack with any facts?
Mr. Folds, the question is on what basis do you write an ad hominem attack on someone, a commenter on this blog, and accuse that commenter of being a communist. Your answer should address the definition of communism and should adhere to facts.
Larry Folds is a Troll
Mr Folds ; Your guy gave Trillions to those with billions! Talk about tax hikes!
I think it's fair to look objectively at candidates, regardless of their political orientation, and decide if they have such poor character that they are not qualified to be President, due to the unreliability of their future behavior. Lack of virtue and presence of vices are reasonable measures of bad character.
Near to virtue analysis is a review of a person's personality traits, characteristic or stereotypical behaviors which regularly manifest themselves invariant in varying circumstances. Assumptions about personality traits is close to psychological study of a subject, which is a formal analysis requiring interview.
“A personality trait is considered dark when, regardless of context and magnitude, it is associated with interpersonal problems and potentially destructive behaviors.” (2 below)
Trump has long manifested the aspects of the Dark Triad, Machiavellianism (e.g., cynical outlook on humanity, highly manipulative), psychopathy (e.g., emotional coldness, lack of empathy), and narcissism (e.g., unrealistic sense of entitlement, grandiosity), which are referred to as the “Dark Triad” of personality traits. These malevolent characteristics combine in certain individuals. (link https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/dark-triad ) Some expand this to the Dark Pentad - sadism, and spitefulness (link https://www.psypost.org/2022/03/dark-personality-traits-associated-with-maladaptive-responses-to-the-covid-19-pandemic-62757)
Persons with these malicious constructs to their personality are not trustworthy, and high office requires trustworthiness. Trump is REALLY a member of these groups, it's not an epithet. I believe that he cannot merit office due to that, nor could anyone so constructed.
Interestingly, there seems to be a masochistic streak of worship of leaders with the Dark Triad, as though a projection of frustrated sadists who admire him to the part of extinguishing their own personality. This is Nietzsche's ressentiment, I suspect.
PS: There is a refreshing opposite called the “Light Triad” of traits: faith in humanity, humanism, and Kantianism (obligate moral duty )The theory is often framed as the opposite of the Dark Triad, and hinges on the belief that people are inherently good and should not be treated expediently. Liberalism, perhaps. The Light Triad is a great cluster of virtues in my perspective.
Brilliant comment, thanks!
I’ve read that it might even be possible for him to run for office while in jail! Unless we get the 14th Amendment on board. What a concept!
That's because the Constitution was written in an age when honor and good moral character meant something, by honest, honorable men who stood by their word.
That can be questioned because they were slaveholders. I’m not sure just how honorable they were.
All men are sinners, doubtless.
And that includes Women, because we are the family of man. We are men with wombs (Womb- man) ; wombmen. Mind blowing huh?
Wo.
It is Republicans who have betrayed the Constitution by their loyalty not to it, but to Trump., the only president in American history who has tried to overturn a legitimate election and led his follower to attack Congress to remain in power. You are the crybaby for supporting a pathetic criminal and dangerous loser.
"We can" hold our high office officials accountable for their criminal actions. "We can" maintain our democracy because we have courageous people who will speak out and act to uphold our constitution. "We can" recover from the lies and criminal activities that have become a plague. "We can" renew our faith in our institutions and "we will".
Carla Pena ; Yes, We Can!
SAD!
Mr. Folds, I find your comment childish and inappropriate.
What an eloquent response, Larry Folds. You must have deliberated long and thoughtful hours to provide such an insightful opinion. I get it ..... you are a man of few words.
I can see why Republicans cling to Trump at this point. They have absolutely nothing else. They mostly didn't support the infrastructure bill and roads and other infrastructure projects are already underway around the country. They didn't support the COVID Relief plan and many many families were benefited. They sort of supported the veterans' medical relief but only after shamed into it. They didn't support the inflation relief bill that is now before the House, not one Senator. The gun law they passed is crap and everyone knows it while they want to claim it as the most important gun bill . . . . Republicans across the country are doing their best to deny women bodily autonomy and keep folks they don't like (people of color) from voting. Some Republicans did go along with the bill to make more chips here (they shouldn't have been permitted to all be sent overseas in the first place), but maybe, we're back. So, in short, Republicans have nothing to brag about and now they are defending a law-breaker who kept top secret documents. I can't help but wonder who he was planning to use them against because that is the kind of person he is. So Dems, stand up, speak up loud and clear and stop trying to defend yourselves against Republican whining and baseless accusations! They have nothing to offer anyone! Democratic Representatives and Senators have done a lot, so get the word out there in the language of each community, explaining how the various laws will help them in particular and everyone in general and how we are called to take care of each other in this life, not just work for ourselves.
Democrats have no need to defend themselves, most have done nothing wrong. But we need to attack - not with negative but with truth. The whole country needs to know what these deceivers have said and done. Just keep the message on point, simple, and honest - most especially irrefutable.
Larry, go away. You're being muted here.
here too
That’s all you’ve got, Larry? Lol
Give it up, Boris.
Putin lover Larry Folds
The stink from Trump since the Jan 6 hearings is overpowering. Even many in the Repugnicant Party are tired of him. The LAST thing those in that party want to be doing going to the polls in under 3 months is to have the bloated carcass of Trump between them and voters trying to punch chads. And _THAT_ is why the Repugnicants are screaming foul. Multiple lines of investigation extremely discreditable to Trump are clearly going to hit the nightly news cycle through the Autumn before the midterm vote. Of course the Repugnicants think 'it's all political' since Trump at the top of the hour will be very damaging for them with independent voters and the tiny cadre of moderate Republicans. If the Democrats were managing to do all this by design, it would be as fiendish as it will be effective. I don't credit them with that level of hand-eye coordination, but the outcome is the same, and the Repugnicants just can't stand it. They are used to Democratic milquetoasts clutching pearls and begging them to behave while they spout raving nonsense about 'private email servers' and cast the grossest aspersions about. Having incoming 99 mph subpoenas hitting them right in the political gonads in the weeks before Election Day is the hardest of hardball pitches they are just not used to receiving rather than dishing out.
Me, I don't think the Mar-A-Logo raids have anything much to do with 'missing Presidential records' in the generic sense. The stakes would be too small to be worth the effort. But what is actually missing are a lot of records on what Trump and Meadows and those floating through their offices were doing between the vote in November 2020 and 6 Jan 2021. Many of the key meetings and demands of Trump, Donald J. which would be legally actionable would have/should have had records left behind. Trump was very careless shooting off his mouth to many individuals about substituting fake electors, having state vote counts fraudulently altered, and the rest. Traces of that should have ended up in documents, and the dates and locations of the interactions may well have come up in testimony to the 6 Jan committee for example. It's known that both Trump and Meadows destroyed some documents pertaining to those efforts. To my thinking, this is about finding surviving documents which directly substantiate attempts by Trump and his inner circle of enablers to falsify electoral returns and to organize the mob attempt to storm the Capitol on 6 Jan. And those are exactly the sort of 'mementos' that Trump's minions would most likely have made every effort to 'disappear from the files' on their way out the White House door. Now, they would have been crazy not to have shredded and burned anything like that long since, but Trump is sloppy and manifestly believes that he is the _real_ Teflon Don, so he might well not have bothered to destroy incriminating evidence, particularly if to his mind the documents involved support his view that he _should_ have won that election if others hadn't stolen it so he was and is justified in 'fixing' the totals to get 'the right outcome.' Let's just say I don't think the FBI opened his private safe in his Florida palace to find out his golf scores from December 2020.
We shall see. And if I know anything, we WILL see before the polls open this November. And nothing could serve the Repugnicants better than to have to eat that rotten crow in public while trying to get the vote out then.
Boris, please crawl back into the sewer whence you came.
Larry, has it ocurred to you that you are in the wrong place? No one is going to listen to your defense of the indefensible and no one cares what you think. This is not a place where republican ideology or trumpism is going to be acknowledged. Your chosen leader lost and should be consigned to the dust bin of history. That he is still making an ass of himself is really embarrassing. That there are people like you still supporting him is a joke.
He’s a troll and is probably using a fake name. Ignore him. He’s just seeking attention.
So glad I "tuned out" on that! I was just plain in no mood to waste keystrokes on that wanker today! Good riddance.
I have a theory about all of them but I don’t want to tip my hand.
Thoughts have crossed my mind, too.
Alberta, as a general rule I don't reply to trolls. A well managed site pinches them out pretty quick, so Substack passed that test with flying colors there.
I am, deliberately, taking very strong positions in my comments here, with larger purposes in mind. That's bound to provoke some disagreement, and a degree of push back is to be expected. What I find remarkable is how seldom those in strong opposition actually argue their position as opposed so wallowing in ad hominem vomitus that would be laughed at in 3rd grade. That's an indication to me that commenters in that vein either have no command of facts or no respect for them, that their arguments are about beliefs---and that's the problem. Fact free beliefs go toxic very quickly.
I wish I'd seen what this person had to say - and I'm not at all complaining he was booted. I'm always curious, though, about how that group "thinks". I'd bet he used labels because he was too intellectually lazy to describe what he objected to and therefore went on to rely on childish insults, generalized accusations and assertions, and had little to nothing nothing specific to complain about.
It's going to be tougher and tougher for this nation if young people and even adults don't get an education.
He's generally a major trump supporter and was making comments on anything hat was said about how dumb they were and how superior he was because he believes trump and Fox. Literally every comment was naswered with an insult or a piece of misinformation.
Unfortunately, as we have seen for decades and are seeing again now, the DNC cannot produce a marketing message for free ice cream on a hot summer day. Where are the great speeches about what is coming in the CHIPs and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and economic gains, and other wins of the current administration, despite being repeatedly hamstrung in Congress? Where is the press coverage? Where is the flood of PR on social media sites? The current and typical tepid DNC activity stands little chance of success against the misguided "moral" outrage and tribal protectionism of the GOP base. If we are lucky enough to find massively condemnatory evidence against Trump made public, the most likely result is still a marginal Dem win in upcoming elections. While it is true that the GOP is actively destroying America, it is the failure of Dem leadership, the failure of people who see it for what it is and are *unable* to move the citizenry that is truly tragic.
We on this forum are repeatedly grateful for the breadth and depth of Prof Reich's clarity and the model he sets for Dem leadership, but he is nearly alone, and that is the problem. FIrst and foremost, this is a failing of President Biden, who I am extremely loathe to criticize, but his is the bully pulpit and him not actively being the compelling source of information about his own accomplishments and the reasons to once again be hopeful for America is a disaster. I get that the DOJ must act independently. I want it to. I get that Garland ensures he can really make the case before he proceeds, and I want that too. I get that for the President to put himself out as the source of information for the previous guy's misdeeds would be bad for the country. But why did we need Reich to explain to us how we could pay for Sanders' proposals, and why do we need Reich to explain to us what Biden has accomplished? Where the F is the DNC?
Hey Bennett. I agree that the Dems are not the best at getting the message out, but the media is partly at fault too. The Democrats present ideas and things they have done which can be boring because they are what is expected. republicans spew conspiracy theories, do a lot of fearmongering, and just plain lie which means the media ends up having to address it, or feels it must. Hillary Clinton got so much less coverage in the 2016 campaign, somewhere around a fourth as much as Trump. Her ideas and plans for the future were lost as the various interviewers and reporters kept bringing up her emails and Ben Gazi. Dems got a little smarter in 2020 by demanding more media attention, but still Trump, as president, got so much more. It is a good thing a lot of people really liked Biden or we would have had another horrific 4 years of Baby Donnie. I am hoping Dems will find really good people to help get the message out, maybe the ones who helped the January 6th Committee present its case to the public.
Absolutely. We have almost completely lost journalism over the past few decades.
Couldn't agree more. I long for the days of Cronkite, Rather, Murrow, etc. Instead we get moronic questions from, in your face reporters who seem to think they're a winner if they are noticed. One of the annoying things for me watching the Jan 6 Hearings was the number of reporters shoving their cameras and microphones in the faces of witnesses. They have lost all courtesy.
Yes!
https://statesnewsroom.com/ Find the newsroom for your state. They report on state legislatures
Yes, Thank You Prof Reich! I agree that we need a blitz of folks out there speaking from the roof tops! -- more than just Biden. Why can't Kamala, key Senators & every cabinet member (e.g., Mayor Pete & other stars) be out there speaking in a coordinated, punchy way, hit the circuit as if this is a Presidential campaign, singing the same tune. Social media works on one level, but it seems too transitory & fragmented. Shouldn't there be live speeches all across the country at universities, Town Halls and other venues -- that can then be picked up, televised, & further pushed -- EVERYWHERE, cable, YouTube, Tik Tok, prime time news -- dare I say Fox News?? I think this is beyond the DNC.
Buttigieg is one of the few on the left, along with Bernie, who is willing to go on Fox to eloquently refute the Republican line.
Gee Larry, who peed in your coffee? You really need to focus on learning about the issues you seem to know nothing about, and acceptance of people who don't fall into your category of perfect.
Looks like you're talking to yourself, you bigot!
J'aime Remirez: don't feed the trolls.
Puerile gutter language isn't welcome here. I'm surprised you haven't been booted yet.
Love it. Great idea. We need to get speakers out on Labor Day and from then until Halloween. As you say shouting from the roof tops, not just in solidly Democratic Districts or big cities, but out in independent land too.
Typical hate & projection from the extreme right
Jeanne Schapp ; Genius!
You are out of your league on this format. This is a place for thoughtful, civil, intellectual discussion. You will never feel at home here.
Hear, hear, Bennett Barouch!! Teddy Kennedy's speeches were so extraordinary I made a point to find out who wrote them. Robert Shrum, now an academic but keeping the faith. So where are this generation's Shrums and Ted Sorensens (who denied he ever wrote a word that came out of JFK's mouth or that won JFK a Pulitzer)? Or for that matter Dem Peggy Noonans? Not writing speeches for Democrats, that's for sure. They've never been more needed.
Obama's good at speeches (his best were his own work) but he seems to be off on island somewhere.
He spent a lot of his time in office 'off on an island'. We've gotten the bills.
Um, no. He spent most of his time in office fighting a Senate leader who'd vowed when O won the first time that the Republican strategy during his term(s) would be to not let him get anything passed. He didn't give up and resort to the (weak) alternative of executive orders till late in the day, and of course they can be overturned.
Thank you for expressing this outrage so well. I no longer donate to the DNC for exactly that reason. What we need is a strong voice (like Robert Reich) saying exactly what you are saying. We don't need dirty tricks, we need clear loud simple statements. We should also stand up for our support of community - ALL community, not just white. We need to be proud of our support, not apologetic. You don't have to like everyone, you just need to base your dislikes on bad behavior.
Agreed!!! Well put.
Dude, come on - you're spending time on *his* Substack; he's literally lending whomever is on here a voice... (How would anyone who uses that voice just to refute each & every thing hope to be taken seriously? Yeesh, what a microcosmic election moment!)
I see daily tweets promoting President Biden’s accomplishments: @BidenWins @What46HasDone @DemocraticWins
https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1553389046805700609
…and more folks calling out NYT and others for disparaging remarks about President Biden
https://twitter.com/soledadobrien/status/1556679028341358594
https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/05/opinions/biden-wins-approval-rating-ghitis/index.html
They aren't silent, but they aren't compelling, aren't "controlling the narrative," aren't rousing passion, aren't inspiring, aren't offering something with which people identify, not giving people something to be proud of, just reporting. As @difny pointed out, we have known great speech writers, and most of us on this forum are of an age that we have heard Kennedy's and MLK and others stir the nation. This is painfully missing from the DNC today, just when the other side is maximizing their play on people's most visceral passions. AOC, Abrams, Pelosi, ... we have star performers, and yet they are clearly not carrying the day. Why is that? What is the DNC doing about it?
I share your frustration with the DNC (and the RNC). For several election cycles, the League of Women Voters conducted the presidential debates up until the campaigns of the major Democratic and Republican candidates made demands on format and participation and substance. The LWV president issued a press release condemning the demands – that the debate format would "perpetrate a fraud on the American voter" and that the organization did not intend to "become an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public." All presidential debates since 1988 have been sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates, a bipartisan corporation run by the two major parties.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if qualifying candidates could debate issues and address what American voters want? Robert Reich wrote three years ago about what the majority of Americans want, and even Fox News polls confirmed trends that Robert Reich documented in his article:
1. 70% of Americans are in favor of Medicare For All, including 60% of Republicans
2. 76% of Americans support higher taxes on the super-rich, including over half of Republicans
3. 92% are in favor of lower drug prices, over 78% think we should be able to buy drugs from Canada
4. More than 80% of Americans want paid maternity leave.
5. 79% of voters want more affordable child care. And that includes 80% of Republicans.
6. 60 % of Americans support free college tuition for those who meet income requirements.
7. 62% think climate change is man-made and needs addressing.
8. 84% think money has too much influence in politics. 77% support limits on campaign spending. And that includes 71% of Republicans.
https://prospect.org/economy/center-american-politics-left/
And this is what Democratic Candidates and their teams need to be shouting loud, and clear.
One person I wish the Democrats would utilize is Reich himself. He is excellent at explaining complex matters concisely in a way people can easily understand, with the help of his sketches. He has made numerous videos on various subjects & could easily design one for a certain issue or a certain candidate, or Democrats could take excerpts of some of the videos he has already made, & they would do a lot better than the DNC or DCCC has done so far.
Absolutely
What they always do. Sit on their hands and pick their noses. They are one of the reasons I became an Independent voter.
JFK got us safely out of a nuclear threat.
If you want to compare modern people to Hitler, look no further than Trump & Putin, both of whom have been assiduously following Hitler's playbook. Today's republofascists, russofascists & christofascists are almost identical to the German Nazis & Ku Klux Klan.
DeSantis is right up there with Putin and Trump. Possibly more dangerous than Trump...
He certainly has made Florida his personal fiefdom, or maybe it should be called a "reich" (apologies to the host of this forum).
I am from the Vietnam War draft era too. I am not a resident of Camelot, but the man could deliver a speech. So could Bobby K. Just sayin.
Repeating talking points doesn't do the job, Susan. Passion like Bernie's is what moves voters. And I think passion terrifies the DNC more than any other single thing in the universe.
Bernie probably gets sniped on more than Joe Biden. Lately it’s been for his appraisal of the Inflation Reduction Act: "In my view, if we are going to make our planet healthy and habitable for future generations, we cannot provide billions of dollars in new tax breaks to the very same fossil fuel companies that are currently destroying the planet," the Vermont senator said. "Under this legislation, up to 60 million acres of public waters must be offered up for sale EACH AND EVERY YEAR (emphasis mine) to the oil and gas industry before the federal government could approve any new offshore wind development."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/08/03/sanders-blasts-huge-giveaway-fossil-fuel-industry-manchin-deal
As one telling example, the Vermont senator pointed to a recent Bloomberg headline that reads, "Exxon CEO Loves What Manchin Did for Big Oil in $370 Billion Deal."
"If the CEO of ExxonMobil, a company that has done as much as any entity to destroy this planet—if he is 'pleased' with this bill, then I think all of us should have some very deep concerns about what is in this legislation," said Sanders. "In total, this bill will offer the fossil fuel industry up to 700 million acres of public lands and waters... to oil and gas drilling over the next decade—far more than the oil and gas industry could possibly use."
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-29/exxon-s-woods-calls-manchin-bill-step-in-the-right-direction#xj4y7vzkg
Good for Bernie-- this is also what the prominent climate scientists say, and here in Europe where I'm working this summer this fragment if the original BBB bill is seen as pathetic. We can't just cheer the Democrats on for not doing nothing--we must light a fire under them so more of us feel like cheering. Talk to anyone under 30 lately?
Mary Baine Campbell—Perhaps the news hasn't reached Europe yet. The Senate is 50-50 R-D. Two Ds are more responsive to their own interests than to their constituents'. The rest can only do their best to work around that. Back here, where the picture may be in better focus, environmentalists are hailing the bill. I notice that your postings routinely bash older Democrats. Every new generation inherits the mess its elders were unable to resolve. Perhaps your generation's privileges should extend to exemption from history?
difny, the news has reached Europe. I'm getting better coverage, including of Biden's actions, than in the WaPo or Globe in the US. My generation (I'm 68, a retired professor and lifelong activist who's spent a lot of time talking to younger people over the last 40 years!) inherited a mess, yes. It didn't inherit potential species extinction. Well, it did but we didn't know it the way today's young people know it: it was supposed to be 100 years away when I walked on the first Earth Day. I'm an environmentalist, and not one group I belong to, not one climate scientist I know, has anything cheerful to say about this bill. I am however working hard, organizing and phonebanking, to give the corporate Democrats one more chance.
He has stayed true to his original excellent bill, trying to preserve as much as he can, offering many amendments to reinstate important provisions, yet was voted down 95-1 on several. Still Bernie has remained more loyal to the Democratic Party than certain official Democrats, continuing to support the bill despite all the rejections.
I am capable of living a happy, prosperous life without any AC, no car, little meat, low carbon footprint despite all the obstacles put in our way by the fossil fuel industry & other giant usurious multinational corporations & their right-wing sycophants trying to force us to consume loads of energy to pad their obscene profits, which republofascists always prioritize over the sustainability of a livable planet.
Why don't you anti-American hatemongering fascists stay away from America?
I see those tweets on a daily basis (some apparently straight from Biden) touting Biden's accomplishments. He has been counting the number of consecutive days that the price of gasoline has dropped, which recently passed 50 days.
Bennett Barouch ; Our President Biden has not only gotten the message out, but he and his administration have been able to get things done! The Democrat party is showing that even in 'conservative' states, they can show up and vote!
some of the Dem ads are getting better. Don't rely on the calvary.
Did you mean cavalry?
well, you can't rely on calvary either , ha!
Seen cynically, it's a scenario for Democrats to relish—so very many Republican pols forced to radical-right positions to win primaries, that can only lose them the general. We must never let their noisiness make us forget they are a nuisance minority—IF IF IF we shout our policy successes even louder and vote. Vote. Volunteer, folks. Get out the vote!
And IF the Democrats stop boasting emptily about accomplishments the young-- who did the volunteer work to give him the presidency--see as failures and moral lapses.
Facts matter. TELL the voters who the LAST Repub prez was who balanced a budget: Eisenhower, in fiscal year 1960, 62 years ago before most people alive today in the US were born!
Under Ike there were many more tax brackets than today and the top *marginal* tax rate was 91% (applied only to that part of total income that exceeded the threshold for that top bracket). And the economy boomed. Today the top marginal rate is only 37% which is the main reason US deficits and debt are as high as they are. Under-taxing the very wealthy is not necessary for a robust economy; Ike demonstrated that. Under-taxing the very wealthy does, however, create greater inequality of wealth and, thus, of power. Democracy cannot survive in a political environment in which the wealthy can buy political outcomes with donations of $10's and $100's of MILLIONS.
A simple regression analysis of the top tax rate against the change in GDP shows that there is no correlation between the high tax rate and economic growth.
Recapturing the “can do” spirit of America! The majority of us who aren’t trumpers are sick and tired of being sick and tired-of him 24/7! We’ve forgotten what we would like our country to really look like, not only to ourselves, but to the world. I’ve had it with our Ugly American face and more than ready to be proud of what we can do for the least of ourselves and for others.
The question is not which is more interesting Biden's and the Democratic agenda ot Trumpy's and the RNC shenanigans. What truly matters is what the media covers and very sadly continues to force feed the public. If the media would "STOP" talking about the X-president "ALL THE TIME" I truly think that he would loose a great deal of his popularity! The people who follow him see him as important to a great extent because he is constantly in the media and constantly being talked about. Remember right after he left office and no one talked about him for a wk or two and it seemed like he was fading into the woodwork and then Mitch went to visit him in Florida and that is all the media needed to revive his presence and start talking about him again. This is not to say that we should not cover the news but if it were any other criminal, the news would report the day's occurrence and then move on the the next story. Oddly enough when the x-pres lost the 60+ court cases trying to prove voting fraud, I never heard a single one of those verdicts covered in the media. So I think we give him WAY TO MUCH attention and publicity and if we just stopped giving him so much attention, he would have much less power. Example: Howard Dean was doing well in the polls as a front runner for the 2004 election until he let out a yeehaw at a rally and the media stopped covering him and he just disappeared, eventually dropping out of the race. Not because he made a weird sound though that is what the media implied but once that had happened the media just wasn't interested in covering him anymore and without the spotlight he could not survive. I truly believe the less attention we give our twice impeached x-pres, the better. I know he has a strong following and this should have been done in 2016 when he ran the first time and again when he left office as I said before, but it still could work. Let me know what you think of this idea and if you agree how we as a public can try to communicate this to politically conscious talk show hosts and national news pundits. If we all started communicating to the media that we are soooo over this guy and we want to hear more about the positive improvements of the current regime than the asinine antics of the RNC and their criminal leaders (except when they lose court cases and get jail time) the better off we and our Democracy will be.
it's all about the money so I don't think this will work. Best is to quit watching or readig such media. Maybe.
Exactly it is like a feedback loop we stop watching and the media needs to get the message that this is not what interests their audience anymore and they will change their focus. But like any loop you can intersect it at any point, so both the public needs to stop watching and the media needs to stop giving this disgraced X who want to destroy our constitution sooooo much status and free publicity.
The hypothesis expressed has one flaw: if this thing that everyone is talking about happens to be an obscenity, it loses its power (its "grip") as it's laid bare; try not to worry too much!
Unfortunately if that were true American Horror Story would have been canceled after the 1st season. No, I think everyone looks at the train wreck. Clearly he and the majority of the RNC are obscene and work hard at being even more obscene ever single day. Why? Because it gets them coverage.
Ah; that is a misunderstanding (the comment was only pertaining to the obscenity itself - not the spectacle that can be made of it!)...
I guess I am trying to suggest that the media and all of the rest of the "Wok" individuals who care, need to work harder to not support the spectacle that these people are soooo addicted to. Thanks
Yes, agreement - but those '"Wok" individuals' could be a jumble of contradictions: voting for progressive candidates & jeering at the tube with their friends/family... but every morning waking up to serve the interests of an evil platform-speech overlord (that, incidentally, not only monetizes & restricts speech - but actively incites it, to the effect of being a contributory factor in electoral subversion and raising questions regarding FEC rules).
(Cheers to your insight regarding speech in the age of the bullhorn!)
= )
True it is hard to live a completely conscious life. I know allot of folks who talk the talk but are may not think of how their day to day behavior supports the status quo. However I feel we are getting off the original point which was how to find a way to encourage the media to stop focusing on Trump Trump Trump because, I believe it is only adding fuel to the fire that we all wish would just burn itself out.
I fear the attractive message is CRT, trans athletes, immigration, Hunter Biden, and, of course, Hillary's emails. And let's not forget that Donald Trump, the greatest of all presidents, saved America from a violent takeover by antifa, BLM, and the dastardly Nancy Pelosi while he presided over the greatest economy in human history. And please, Bob, don't try to confuse the issue with "facts", whatever they are. Republicans may have passed on the covid vaccine, but they are surely inoculated against facts.
It's an obvious choice for rational thinkers. But we all know that members of a cult are anything but.
Appealing to Independent and intelligent Republicans we should list Biden's accomplishments and their effect on the particular Congressional District. But we also need to get the word out in trumpster districts, on talk radio how ads, billboards LOUD, CLEAR, and SIMPLE The FBI had a warrant for probable cause issued by a trump appointed Judge. Especially in districts like Kevin McCarthy's, Rick Scott, Jim Jordan, DeSantis, etc. These people drive and see billboards, they listen to talk radio - they are avid fans of white alt right trash. If the trumpster can spew his lies in ads on CNN. surely we can reciprocate on talk radio and billboards. (And maybe a really big sign out front of Maralago or a loud speaker on a panel truck driving back and forth (:-) )
Great idea! Wish someone would do that! My fear would be some trumpy nut would retaliate. Though they may be a diverse group as suggested, they tend to have one thing in common, a propensity toward violence toward anyone that questions their belief system.
The population that holds Trump in admiration are not a homogeneous group. They are as diverse as those that hold Trump in contempt. Any conversation between the two must contain at it's beginning, at a bare minimum, a recognition of and a sympathy for those qualities that those that "believe" in Trump hold to be true. The tendency is to believe that that population, as a whole, ARE a homogeneous population of (simplified) indoctrinated clones. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and to hold that view is as good as building an impenetrable brick wall between what is evolving as a massive great divide.
Patronizing platitudes will always be seen through. A genuine, heartfelt, unguarded reaching out is truly the only way to begin to re-unite. It is either that or experience the dire consequences of a Trump "nation" in a retributive state.
Hey George. I hope you are right and that trying to meet the Trump cult with understanding will work. Those I have met were not in any way open to even communicating with me even on other subjects. For them, if I don't like Trump, I must be unworthy of their communication (I have one in my family and some in my church). I am not sure how to even get a conversation started, so most of the time, I just smile and move on. It is hard to find common ground with folks who bow to a child-man who cares nothing for the law and decency in general. They tell me they really like what he did for this country, but when asked to elaborate, the best they can say is "everything." The Trump folks I know can't even name one thing they actually like about him except that "he tells it like it is." That is pretty weird to be said about a man who lied more than 30,000 times in public while president. Maybe we need a set of guidelines from someone who has been successful in connecting with any of the Trump crew to help us out.
"Telling it like it is" is the trumpster's greatest appeal. He doesn't need to do anything, just tell the folks he's mad as hell for them. That is what they want to hear. They don't understand how America got into the situation we're in today with most of the wealth held by a handful of people and ordinary folks unable to buy a small house. They don't want to be preached at (which is what they think we do) They want to be told they are right, it's 'someone' else who caused their financial pain, their lack of recognition and respect. So, it is immigrants, people of color, people who don't belong to their church, people who don't go to bible class, city people, the elites. Nobody explains to them in their own language the tax structure that moved their savings to the top 10% of the wealthy, or how Ronnie Reagan (who they are told is next to god) destroyed their unions (yes I know the destruction began in the 50's and 60's, but Reagan drove the nail in the coffin) I have family members like that too, and they don't want to talk to me because I am a left leaning lunatic (:-)
don't bother w/Trumpsters. It's turnout of Dems and capturing the independents
George, your approach makes sense as strategy but how can that be converted into tactics that persuade people who believe things that are demonstrably false but reject things that are demonstrably true?
Perhaps the Dems simply need more creative marketeers. Remember that it was Reagan who staffed up with seasoned advertising execs who had little or no political experience. They did, however, know how to sell ice cubes in the Arctic.
William,
The answer(s) to your questions, or solutions to your observations, are above my pay grade. I simply do not , absolutely, KNOW what an effective "strategy" would be. I am sure there are those here, and elsewhere who, when presented with the challenge could formulate one.
I DO know this: Trust, at least as we were used to thinking about, and experiencing it, is gone. Not unrecoverable, but certainly lost in the morass of mediums available to us ALL.
How does a gentle, supportive, sympathetic TRUTH find it way to ears overwhelmed with
their own internal cacophony of "truths"? I don't know. But I suspect that path begins with
some way, we collectively, or independently have not thought of before. Some "out of the box" pursuit. Collectively, both sides have all seen the results thus far: more hurt, anger and a further deepening of the alienation between sentient beings.
I truly wish I had the ability to offer up such a path. I do not. But I know it will evolve. It has to.
George, in speaking of "strategy" I referred to your observation that we [all] need to avoid stereotyping Trump supporters and not reduce them to a single, negative characteristic: address people where they are and as who they are. The only "tactic" that comes to mind is to flood into various media as many pithy factoids as do-able, communicating easily understandable accomplishments of the Biden administration in health/infrastructure/roads/bridges/water&sewer/Covid support, job creation, etc. Most people know more about ephemera than about who represents them, what policies they support, etc. ad nauseam. In short, Dems have to blow their own horn, and do so when and where audiences receptive to specific factoids will hear them. Marketing and PR people know the techniques for targeting audiences; Reagan used them to cover up his doubling the entire national debt that had accumulated since 1776. Most alive in the US today do not know that they have never lived under a Repub prez who balanced the budget, the last being Ike in 1960. A touchier subject, but how many US citizens know that the US Constitution does not include the word "god" even once? Inform people of the Founders' wisdom in order to blunt the false appeal of religious nationalists who now seek to control the government of all.
... but there is a time & a place for everything; should someone who chooses to disrespect time that is shared honestly have a claim to yet more time - simply by threat/promise of incivility?
Part of the "indoctrination" that is being referenced - and what makes it so pernicious (really, dangerous) - is actually the exploitation of folks who are only too happy to learn at someone else's expense: to, essentially, take what are generally reserved rights as an obligation to seek conflict - to regress to a pattern of contempt, expression of contempt, punishment, and then the begging for socialization (by doing more things which cannot be dignified by what little proper attention there may happen to be). In short, *their* suggestion of having nothing to lose is the thing that couldn't be further from the truth.
Defending Trump vs. the can-do spirit of America? If that were the choice, the resolution would be easy. But it’s not like that. It’s emotion vs. reason. It’s fantasy vs. fact. Are Americans ready to use their brains instead of their spleens? We don’t know.
The ‘law & order’ groupies are outraged! Maybe they have finally realized they’ve been conned by Trump & big money!
Hey Rick, in Pennsylvania, Republicans have ads out claiming that John Fetterman is going to practically empty the prisons and destroy our state. It is the new version of Willie Horton. The pathetic woman's voice whines that everyone better get out to vote or our state will be destroyed. The lies pile on from beginning to end. I don't understand why ads like that are allowed on TV or anywhere else, but I guess truth in advertising doesn't apply to politics.
Now back to the issue at hand, & the substance of your comment, Fetterman has vastly outcampaigned Oz & appears headed for a landslide.
It's so regrettable that we lost standards such as "truth in advertising" & the Fairness Doctrine. This is a significant factor in the loss of trust in public figures & institutions.
One needs an internal compass.
Unfortunately, many don't have that, & don't have the good judgment to follow good, honest external compasses (like Dr. Reich, for instance).
Dr. Reich is certainly a big help.
The ability to do critical thinking is gradually learned and developed as is the desire to do research to find information and the knowledge of legitimate information sites. It can help develop the inner compass, a guide to navigate the news sites and media in general.
Ruth Sheets ; the 'Fairness Doctrine' and 'Truth in Advertising' went away a while ago. Decency is not en vogue now. : "Money doesn't talk it swears, Obscenity who really cares? Propaganda ; All is Phony" (Bob Dylan).
This is an aside far from today's subject, but your post made me think of this...
Back in the 1960s & 70s one of the top players of the Detroit Tigers was a slugger named Willie Horton. He was 1 of several great baseball players of that time period named Willie -- Mays, McCovey, Stargell, Davis, Smith... Ever since those awful ads vilifying the released convict of the same name, I wonder how that has affected his life.
Stoic Silence
Boy, The Turtle must really be ticked. .who wants Rid of the Son of a . .glitch
Now they're all rallyin round . .the insane Mango Clown
when Gravitas-y Not Hanged Mike his pick . . .#into Each Life a little . . .
Whose aversion therapy idea . .could now zoom his career ..
adapted to a Wants to drop it Witch . ..
Between defending Lump and defending the Supreme Court's overturning Roe vs Wade... The Republicans are riding the edge of a very sharp sword!... Not to mention the House and Senate Republicans voting no on everything that would benefit the American people... Including those swing voters they are chasing after!
Republican candidates need to be a true representative of all the people in their state first. Not be a slave to Trump, the Republican Party, or any organization, that is not in line with the majority of the voters they represent.