Excellent column, Tom - you have described exactly the reason I am not, and most likely will never be, a registered Democrat..... Too many of the liberal motherfuckers will not fight for our country because it might upset someone on the other side..... After the last 9 years, that is an inexcusable position to take, and they can bloody w…
Excellent column, Tom - you have described exactly the reason I am not, and most likely will never be, a registered Democrat..... Too many of the liberal motherfuckers will not fight for our country because it might upset someone on the other side..... After the last 9 years, that is an inexcusable position to take, and they can bloody well take it without me. Trump's toadies have the Bride spooked - she's already planning to decamp for Old Blighty if the balloon goes up. I'd miss a few things here and the kids, but hell, I'd be able to attend Telford and meet some of the UK FB pals I have. I hope to stay here, but to do that, we gotta beat the Orcs and the Eye of Sauron.....hell, it worked the last time.....
This is the part that irritates and enrages me: enemies should be called enemies, and they should be eliminated, not coddled. Especially when they have made it clear that their agenda is to do the same.
There are a ton of energized, pro-democracy grassroots organizations out there. This is not just about the Democratic Party. This is about democracy. Subscribe to Hopium and listen to Simon Rosenberg’s interviews with Democratic candidates. You’ll be informed and energized. We have to do the work and toot our own horns loudly. Nobody is coming to save us but I’m learning daily about all the non-wimps out there doing amazing, heroic work. Case in point: a 20 year old whose cousin was killed in the Parkland Shooting in Florida has organized a group to go cross country for a month this summer to register young people to vote. I wish I could remember his name but I think it’s Josh Stein. These are our heroes and we need to let people know about them. We can do this. History does not have to repeat itself. Every week I learn something new through the SeniorsTakingAction.org Speakers Series. It’s free. Wednesday, 11am EST. I’m going to stop writing and go watch it now.
The Bride is spooked; I am not. I believe that Trump will lose the 2024 election. There are now a few pundits (and Peter Zeihan) who believe that he will lose in a blowout, which also bears good news for taking back the country for democratic principles. I tend to believe that also. A lot of people are not looking at all at anything in politics, but they start in October. It is even possible that Judge Tanya Chutkan in DC will have the DC election interference trial started by early October after the Supremes rule on Trump's claim of absolute immunity. Just think, a trial on the most serious assault on American democracy in our entire history (except for the Civil War) going on during the end of the 2024 campaign, and Trump will have to be present in the courtroom every day.....not able to campaign except at night. I think we will be pretty happy come November 6.....
I agree; I remain hopeful but not complacent. I agree about the evil of MAGA, but I still don't think that all Republican VOTERS are with the program--those who are just habitually Republicans but don't really pay attention to politics. (MAGAts clearly do pay attention). When they do, I think that even if they don't change from great-grandpa's favorite party, the box they check will be Biden--or at least not trump. What TC says about motivated ignorance is true but there is also just plain ignorance.
My mantra, stated here and more or less everywhere, is get both the vote and the WORD out. I have begun to think about how to link the policies of Stalin's Russia to Project 2025. (Hitler is too loaded an example for most people not yet awake.) It should be fairly easy to start a discussion of the one man/nomenklatura rule of Stalin, the gulags, the show trials--meat for the basic Republican non--MAGAt--and then read them the right chunks of Project 2025 or a trump speech and ask them who today is saying stuff like that. You can do that with the not-paying-attention Dems, too.
Joyce Vance is about to start what she calls the Project 2025 "Book Club" where she goes through the whole document bit by bit. Should be a lot of stuff one can use in that.
Wow. That's great. I like the idea of linking 2025 to Stalin. I'm slowly making my way through Bloodlands and it's hard to read, but important to know. Evil leaders will kill you without blinking an eye. That has to be made clear to everyone.
Bruce, I think this is wonderful and I think you are right. The resistance to Trump and MAGA is growing. I forget what the exact number is but it takes 3.something percent of the population to make a movement work. If we can find a way to bring together the multitude of grassroots organizations, voices, entertainers, artists, teachers, scholars, you name it that detest the minority rule offered by MAGA and the handful of billionaires who fund this crowd, that would be wonderful. We need this to be an intergenerational movement. There must be some way to make this happen.
One of the most serious problems we have now is the failure of most of the mainstream media to take the threats of Trump and the MAGA crowd seriously and writing news articles about the stakes in this race. The commercialization of our news (dependent on advertising and clicks) has corrupted many of the news outlets so that "real" news is shoved aside or downplayed to cover trivial things (see the blanket coverage of Justin Timberlake's DWI arrest today.....). It's all bread and circuses - may have worked for Rome but not for us.....
Intergenerational political action is happening! From established programs like old League of Women Voter members registering young highschoolers to vote and teaching them about the ballot, to students across the nation pressuring us grown ups to vote against NRA Republicans. Over my 50 plus years of protesting and lobbying, I have never seen this much fervor and power and savvy devoted to political action (not even with Vietnam). That said, we cannot take any of it for granted, and we must each do our part to support these efforts.
It is exciting. Getting out the vote, teaching young people about the ballot, learning from young people. All of it is good and getting better. It is not just preserving democracy but putting democracy into action. That is exactly what is expected of citizens in a democracy. So glad to be a part of th.
Sam Schwartz is the cousin and tour director. I see Seniors Taking Action is a co-host 👍along with Robert Hubbell, Jess Carven +. 💙 any good news with a Florida origin!
Virtual event is June 20th, 8PM for any interested.⬇️
Excellent column, Tom - you have described exactly the reason I am not, and most likely will never be, a registered Democrat..... Too many of the liberal motherfuckers will not fight for our country because it might upset someone on the other side..... After the last 9 years, that is an inexcusable position to take, and they can bloody well take it without me. Trump's toadies have the Bride spooked - she's already planning to decamp for Old Blighty if the balloon goes up. I'd miss a few things here and the kids, but hell, I'd be able to attend Telford and meet some of the UK FB pals I have. I hope to stay here, but to do that, we gotta beat the Orcs and the Eye of Sauron.....hell, it worked the last time.....
We do.
This is the part that irritates and enrages me: enemies should be called enemies, and they should be eliminated, not coddled. Especially when they have made it clear that their agenda is to do the same.
There are a ton of energized, pro-democracy grassroots organizations out there. This is not just about the Democratic Party. This is about democracy. Subscribe to Hopium and listen to Simon Rosenberg’s interviews with Democratic candidates. You’ll be informed and energized. We have to do the work and toot our own horns loudly. Nobody is coming to save us but I’m learning daily about all the non-wimps out there doing amazing, heroic work. Case in point: a 20 year old whose cousin was killed in the Parkland Shooting in Florida has organized a group to go cross country for a month this summer to register young people to vote. I wish I could remember his name but I think it’s Josh Stein. These are our heroes and we need to let people know about them. We can do this. History does not have to repeat itself. Every week I learn something new through the SeniorsTakingAction.org Speakers Series. It’s free. Wednesday, 11am EST. I’m going to stop writing and go watch it now.
The Bride is spooked; I am not. I believe that Trump will lose the 2024 election. There are now a few pundits (and Peter Zeihan) who believe that he will lose in a blowout, which also bears good news for taking back the country for democratic principles. I tend to believe that also. A lot of people are not looking at all at anything in politics, but they start in October. It is even possible that Judge Tanya Chutkan in DC will have the DC election interference trial started by early October after the Supremes rule on Trump's claim of absolute immunity. Just think, a trial on the most serious assault on American democracy in our entire history (except for the Civil War) going on during the end of the 2024 campaign, and Trump will have to be present in the courtroom every day.....not able to campaign except at night. I think we will be pretty happy come November 6.....
I agree; I remain hopeful but not complacent. I agree about the evil of MAGA, but I still don't think that all Republican VOTERS are with the program--those who are just habitually Republicans but don't really pay attention to politics. (MAGAts clearly do pay attention). When they do, I think that even if they don't change from great-grandpa's favorite party, the box they check will be Biden--or at least not trump. What TC says about motivated ignorance is true but there is also just plain ignorance.
My mantra, stated here and more or less everywhere, is get both the vote and the WORD out. I have begun to think about how to link the policies of Stalin's Russia to Project 2025. (Hitler is too loaded an example for most people not yet awake.) It should be fairly easy to start a discussion of the one man/nomenklatura rule of Stalin, the gulags, the show trials--meat for the basic Republican non--MAGAt--and then read them the right chunks of Project 2025 or a trump speech and ask them who today is saying stuff like that. You can do that with the not-paying-attention Dems, too.
Joyce Vance is about to start what she calls the Project 2025 "Book Club" where she goes through the whole document bit by bit. Should be a lot of stuff one can use in that.
Wow. That's great. I like the idea of linking 2025 to Stalin. I'm slowly making my way through Bloodlands and it's hard to read, but important to know. Evil leaders will kill you without blinking an eye. That has to be made clear to everyone.
"hopeful but not complacent." Exactly!
Bruce, I think this is wonderful and I think you are right. The resistance to Trump and MAGA is growing. I forget what the exact number is but it takes 3.something percent of the population to make a movement work. If we can find a way to bring together the multitude of grassroots organizations, voices, entertainers, artists, teachers, scholars, you name it that detest the minority rule offered by MAGA and the handful of billionaires who fund this crowd, that would be wonderful. We need this to be an intergenerational movement. There must be some way to make this happen.
One of the most serious problems we have now is the failure of most of the mainstream media to take the threats of Trump and the MAGA crowd seriously and writing news articles about the stakes in this race. The commercialization of our news (dependent on advertising and clicks) has corrupted many of the news outlets so that "real" news is shoved aside or downplayed to cover trivial things (see the blanket coverage of Justin Timberlake's DWI arrest today.....). It's all bread and circuses - may have worked for Rome but not for us.....
Intergenerational political action is happening! From established programs like old League of Women Voter members registering young highschoolers to vote and teaching them about the ballot, to students across the nation pressuring us grown ups to vote against NRA Republicans. Over my 50 plus years of protesting and lobbying, I have never seen this much fervor and power and savvy devoted to political action (not even with Vietnam). That said, we cannot take any of it for granted, and we must each do our part to support these efforts.
It is exciting. Getting out the vote, teaching young people about the ballot, learning from young people. All of it is good and getting better. It is not just preserving democracy but putting democracy into action. That is exactly what is expected of citizens in a democracy. So glad to be a part of th.
Sam Schwartz is the cousin and tour director. I see Seniors Taking Action is a co-host 👍along with Robert Hubbell, Jess Carven +. 💙 any good news with a Florida origin!
Virtual event is June 20th, 8PM for any interested.⬇️
🚌
https://www.mobilize.us/theunion/event/634419/