There are three Substack newsletters that I read faithfully every day, and yours is one of them. (along with Joyce Vance & Heather Cox Richardson) I like to read ones that are positive, yet factual & realistic. I comment occasionally & enjoy reading comments that inform in insightful ways, allowing me to see how others feel & think. I’m sorry to hear that others attack you for your commentary. Lashing out like that isn’t helpful in any way.
I see too many comments where people seem to think that the President can automatically solve the problems in the Middle East & elsewhere. There is much that goes on behind the scene that we are not privy to, & that is why we want to elect a good person to guide our country, as opposed to someone who bumbles about with consequences that harm us (& others) in the long run. Many of these world problems have been around for centuries. Each country looks out for their own interests & doesn’t always appreciate when America might dictate how we think they should run their affairs. It’s a balancing act.
Thank you for your Newsletter. It is a lot of hard work on your part, and I,for one, do appreciate it.
I read exactly those same three: Vance, HCR, and Hubbell. I find the mix suits me well. I'm grateful for the different approaches and feel like the three, taken together, are a well balanced meal. Albeit one not found on Fox or the WSJ.
What I particularly like about the three you mentioned is that they offer well-researched and well-founded information, and keep their opinions to a minimum. Others, in this day and age of instant communication, offer opinions (or propaganda) masquerading as fact. I find that Robert, Heather, and Joyce keep me informed and encourage me to think things through.
Count me in as well - Heather, Robert, & Joyce are my morning reads each day. They provide excellent commentary and perspective. I feel well-informed and so appreciate the references and links to the sources of their information.
I also appreciate this community of citizens - ordinary people working to understand the national and international forces in play during this inflection point in our history, so we can better communicate with friends and family.
And I don't feel like I'm being fed radical Bullsh**t. For which I'm grateful. I just wish a Fairness Doctrine would be once again adopted that would shut down the conspiring voices of Steve Bannon, One America News and other's enabling Putin's malign influence to infect our country. But I digress....
I'm active in a lot of stuff. Robert referred me to Focus for Democracy. Last night we collected even more than last month's $5 mil for Galvanize and Accelerate for Change. Fred Wellman is also head of Forgotten Democrats.
I too begin each day with Hubbell and Richardson, but I’ve added Hopium to my list on the recommendation of Robert several months ago. You all help me to stay sane and hopeful. As a retired academic, I look for well reasoned opinions that are supported by statistics and other rational analyses by intelligent columnists. Thank you, Robert! I so appreciate you! I support your journalistic choices and if there are others who choose to constantly criticize, remind them Substack is open to them as well. Let them write their own.
You go well above the normal demands of good journalism! Thank you, thank you!
And with Vance, HCR, and Hubbell, all three periodically provide a refreshing palate cleanser of backyard chickens, serene landscape photography, or videos/photos by Robert/Jill.
I, too, read the same 3 letters along with Lucian Truscott IV,TC in LA and Jeff Tiedrich.I send Robert's letters and HCRs to several friends.I get different angles to my information feed which I feel help me to get some sort of balance to my knowledge. I have said this before but will say it again-I am eternally grateful to Robert and the other wordsmiths who have kept me informed and also have helped to keep me sane in these very trying times.Merci.
Hi Jean, I totally agree with everything you wrote. it would be my preference if all humans would consider a Do No Harm approach to how they talk to one another and to always stop and empathize with those who have different view points or awareness. and in our fast food, quick fix belief system, people dont seem to be able to fathom what brokering peace might actually look like between two epically driven forces such as Israel and Palestine. To assign all responsibility on Biden is unfair snd seemingly immature in thought. Thank you for your post.
And thank you! I was born the year that WW2 ended, & have seen many changes. My grandparents were born in the 1890’s. I knew my great grandfather, who was alive during the Civil War, in which his Father fought. The year my Mother was born, women still were unable to vote. My grandparents, who grew up before automobiles were common, watched a man walk on the moon. When I was growing up, I was in first grade before we had a TV. There were 3 stations, which went off the air at night, playing our national anthem. The newspaper was delivered in the evening - real paper! - & John Cameron Swayze delivered the evening news. I think my point is that information took a long time to get to a person, & now it’s instant & condensed into sound bites, & much of it has no depth or research, & sometimes no facts. Instant news is not bad as such, but can lack context, & understanding, which is a loss to our society.
I'm the same generation as you, Jean. We didn't get a TV until about 1954. There was only one channel in our part of rural southern California. The neighbors' kids came over to watch "westerns" with us, because they didn't have an " idiot box" of their own.
I loved The Lone Ranger! Remember that old joke? An intellectual is someone who hears “The William Tell Overture” & doesn’t immediately think of The Lone Ranger.
Lassie! I loved Lassie. I was (and still a) a sensitive little thing- when an alligator was chasing / swimming after Lassie I’d be in the kitchen holding my mother’s apron strings!
I am your age, too. I remember listening to radio dramas like I Remember Mama and Sgt. Preston of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “On, King! On, you huskies!”
I also remember listening to the radio programs. No TV! There was one program - on a Saturday maybe? - with Big John & Sparky, & their opening song was “Teddy Bear’s Picnic”. I still remember the words to it.
In Philadelphia, we had a morning and evening paper. My parents devoured both papers, and discussed the news at dinner. They showed us three kids that knowing what was happening in the world mattered! Thus, here I am, reading and discussing the news with my daughter, who is in her 40s, and is reading and listening to podcasts that inform her. Habits have been passed on. Caring about the world has been passed on.
Reading was big in my family too. These days I love to read physical books. There is something about the touch and smell of the paper in a book! Your post brings back the ‘memory smell’ of a news paper with fresh ink. …. Ohhhhhh there is so much I miss
Karen, books were huge in my life as well as newspapers. Sadly, I have a hard time with books now, and mostly use my kindle. But READING has kept us entertained and current with the news. I can't imagine a life without it!
My book club is reading "Time's Echo" by Jeremy Eichler. I wrote down this quote. "Knowledge of history has been replaced by information about history." Similar to the thought that data is not knowledge.
What an incredible time you lived in as a child....Family was most important. I too had a very close family with a variety of viewpoints and family that fought in all the Wars. It gives you a close and personal view of the world.
My father would not even stop for gas in a town where there was a polio outbreak.
We worried for the one Black student who would now attend my brother’s high school. This was the Maryland suburbs of D.C. Not worried about his safety, but loneliness.
I just expected that everyone thinks I am white. ( I am.)
Racism will be with us as long as White is the default assumption unless otherwise stated.
Hi Carol, I also grew up in the DC suburbs in Bowie (Prince Georges Co.)
My earliest memory of racism was when I was in early grade school attending a neighborhood block party with my family. Some of the adults were whispering about a neighbor who had <gasp> sold their house to a black family. I had to ask my parents what that was all about when we got home because I couldn't figure out why everyone was so agitated. By the time I hit junior high, school busing was in place.
Howdy Doody! Before we got our television, the entire neighborhood in St. Louis congregated in the living room of the one family that had a TV. That and the Saturday cowboy shows were always on the agenda!
"To assign all responsibility on Biden is unfair and seemingly immature in thought".
I agree with the immaturity -- plus lack of critical thinking skills. These protesters seem to take everything they see on social media at face value and 👍or retweet stuff without thinking first.
Back in the early days of email (and before social media), I would get chain emails from friends that were either designed to cause panic (people were leaving flyers under your windshield wiper in a parking lot so you would get back out of the car and they could hijack your car) or too-good-to-be-true get-rich schemes that I was urged to "send to all of my friends". I would look it up on Snopes.com and forward the person who had sent the email the Snopes post that showed it was inevitably false. But some of my gullible friends would include me on the next one they received. UGH! I just started deleting their emails!
FYI, I went to a great webinar on Zoom last night by Indivisible's Truth Brigade (https://indivisible.org/campaign/truth-brigade) and they talked about the differences between disinformation, misinformation and malinformation and how to address the issue on both social media and off-line in conversations with your friends. You can find out more information here: https://indivisible.org/resource/welcome-indivisible-truth-brigade, including how to sign up for the next meeting on May 22nd.
Love Kuo -- in particular, I treasure his Saturday Xeets & Giggles where he curates the presents the very best snark mostly from Twitter but elsewhere, too. And, always includes some cat or other animal videos to cleanse our palates!! :)
Yep. I deleted my Twitter account some time ago but miss it occasionally because of the wit and also discussions (at times). Kuo takes care of the most important part of that for me!!
Exactly. Take the Middle East. The situation is, truly, unimaginably complex. Many want the US to hold up arms shipments to Israel, conveniently forgetting Iran’s massive attack a couple of weeks ago (and NOT “a couple weeks” ago). It’s easy to say, Don’t let Israel have offensive weapons, but it’s very difficult to say what weapons are offensive and which are defensive. For all of Israel’s maddening, massive defects, it is the only democracy between Casablanca and New Delhi (whether New Delhi merits that title is debatable). And Israel is blamed for all deaths in Gaza, which are not divided between civilians and Hamas fighters; there is virtually no acknowledgment that Hamas’s strategy of fighting from behind civilians—which is a crime against humanity—is responsible for the death of many innocents. At the same time Israel has chosen just about the worst strategy to deal with Hamas, and Netanyahu might almost be a Hamas agent, given how effective he is at recruiting for the organization and giving it respectability. Oh, and Joe Biden has to deal with this while saving democracy here at home. Oy, gevalt!
I feel like it is Always important to add that Israeli citizens would probably vote Netanyahu out if they had the opportunity. I feel like he is single handedly one of the biggest reasons for the rise of antisemitism world wide and in the U.S. and yet he is not Israel, and he is not representative of most Jews... he is somewhat akin to who Trump is and was to America and Americans when he was in power. I know people who went overseas during those years with tee shirts loudly proclaiming things like "I did not vote for Trump".
As so many have, you write, “the rise of antisemitism”. I disagree, somewhat:
I believe the antisemitism evidently was latent and *widespread*. Events have exposed the latent antisemitism and have given rise to increases in *overt expressions* of antisemitism.
To speak of a “rise of” or “increase in” antisemitism is, implicitly (and unintentionally, I hope), to attribute the antisemitism to actions of Jews and/or Israel.
I am deeply dismayed and troubled by the extent of antisemitism that recent events have uncovered.
I see what you are saying, but I think it needs disentangling.
I've often thought about whether I believe racism, and now antisemitism, are always sourced from latent beliefs and attitudes and I don't think it's always something that preexisted and has just been released or encouraged. I think some people's beliefs change with exposure to ideas and events (which include emotionally charged behavior models) which can become uglier or more tolerant, and that is more hopeful.
I do believe that some background beliefs and even personality types are more prone to the uglier responses to events. Those are in fact, latent conditions at least, waiting to be primed or permitted.
I definitely don't think saying people respond to world events, which includes the actions of any nation including Israel, is the same as blaming Jews or even the nation of Israel, because we are in a period (maybe we always are) when the actions taken by a national leader should be viewed as reflecting only the values and morality of that one leader and his or her henchmen. As I said, many Jews within and outside of Israel disagree with Netanyahu's choices now and also often in the past. He has a long history of making political choices that serve himself way more than the country. I'm actually saying that people should not blame Israel or Jews for things for which Netanyahu is responsible.
I made several tries to continue that conversation, but each time I was interrupted and lost what I‘d drafted.
My apologies.
I appreciate your thoughtful commentary about the origins of contemporary antisemitism. I hope you are correct to believe antisemitism is not “baked in”, but I believe history shows that for some population groups it has been endemic for centuries. Making generalizations across various groups is hazardous.
I agree that Netanyahu has been self-seeking. However, my understanding has been that with regard to fighting Hamas, the overwhelming bulk of Israelis do not differ significantly from Netanyahu (this may not apply to hostage issues).
From what I understand, almost all Israelis are boiling mad at Hamas and Gazans. They understandably have little sympathy for ‘ordinary’ Gazans, who assisted in the October 7 massacres and cheered as hostages were dragged into Gaza. So until now there seems to have been little domestic opposition to Netanyahu’s prosecution of the war.
On the other hand, if the war ends or significantly cools down, it seems likely that Israelis will oust Netanyahu. (I think they should.)
Yes . The collegiate protestors are historically myopic, forgetting who started the war. They have a weak point . Divestment has already been happening for two decades, and remains problematic. This is NOT the reason peaceful protesting began. The President knows factors that must remain secret, I trust Joe Biden even though I think we (USA) should be getting peace for the 75 years of supporting Israel and some $400B . Hamas embedded themselves into the daily lives of the Palestinians to make it harder to dislodge them. Did they count on the death of 35K people and the destruction of 80K homes ? As a proto-nation the Palestinians made a faustian bargain which ranks as the most ill advised political decision in human history. They are being used by Iran to their detriment. I have no sympathy for their plight, which they alone arranged.
You say, “I think we (USA) should be getting peace for the 75 years of supporting Israel and some $400B .” We haven’t gotten peace, obviously, if only because Israel isn’t the only ‘actor’ in the Middle East.
We might, however, muse on how bad things might be, there, if Israel’s strong military were not there, deterring military actions by others. Moreover, Israel has supplied the US with military technology and and political intelligence of several kinds.
I think it was Abba Eben (former Deputy PM of Israel; VP of UN General Assembly, etc) who said: "the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity"
I read the same 3 faithfully along with Simon Rosenberg and the Bulwark (although sometimes I wonder why and can't finish the Bulwark but it gives me a different perspective and they are pro-democracy)...
The newsletters are obviously hard work and I sincerely appreciate the efforts... not sure where I would be without a them.
I also read the same Substack newsletters, for the same reasons, plus enjoy Robert Reich's commentary. 'Lashing out' these days seems to be what passes for conversation.
I'll add to the chorus... I read the same three newsletters. I just want to say to Robert... what I have written several times about how I feel about Gaza. I think it's a really complicated and tough place for Biden. I HATE what is going on in Gaza... I put the blame squarely in Netanyahu... not Israel. I think Biden has the experience, understanding and temperament to deal with it. I personally don't have any experience and probably not the understanding. I have faith that Binden will do his best to protect us and find a solution (if there is one). I can't think of anyone I trust more with this situation.
I agree completely. The complexity of the situation between Israel and the Palestinians has such a very long and convoluted history. Seeing it as an either/or issues is useless. One can be appalled at the attacks on both Israel and Gaza and not be counted as antisemitic or Islamophobic. Both have suffered centuries of conflict. Why anyone would think President Biden should be able to solve the situation is beyond my understanding.
THANK YOU for beginning with President Biden. I start each day asking myself, “what am I grateful for?” Joe Biden is a decent human being! And that’s a wonderful way to start my day. Biden and other issues first. Trump, second or third . . . .
It's important to remember why we support President Biden, and there are meaningful reasons besides the fact that he is not Trump. This brings us confidence and hope in moving forward.
Todays column is impressive in its thoughtful approach to the difficult questions we are all dealing with. THANK YOU, Robert, for clearly spelling out your rationale for all you are writing. Your voice is one of reason and substance. We need more commentators like you!
I doubt if declining readership is due to your decision not to cover a fraught topic like the Israel/Gaza war and the related student protests. I think you have made the right choice there. I think it is more that everything happening in the world these days is so damn depressing. Ukraine is losing in its war with Russia, the Gaza war seems in no sight of ending, and President Biden remains infuriatingly behind Trump in the polls, such that the prospect of a second Trump presidency, which might end only with his demise, which is almost too horrifying to contemplate, seems a real possibility. I personally have enjoyed your interludes about your and your wife's camping trips, reminding me as they have of a period in my life 50 years ago when I was able to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur and Monterey to San Francisco and then over to Yosemite, not once but twice within a two-year period. Those were magical times. I am extremely grateful for your newsletters, and look forward to them more than anything else in my email.
I seldom respond, but avidly read you, Robert.. HCR, Vance, Simon and Jessica. Today’s letter was important on many levels. As with many others, I start the day with Hubbell. I am a researcher by nature, so while at one point I read “News of the day”more widely, I tired of constantly checking “facts”. I now read sources that have proven to use truth and diligent research as the foundation for their writing. I thank you each day.
Sharon, when I wake up in the middle of the night, on the East Coast, I am hopeful that Robert’s Substack is available so I, too, listen to it first thing!
I APPRECIATE wholeheartedly your editorial stance in focusing on Biden & then, as appropriate, Trump. Your reasoning has been well explained. It’s clear & insightful — feels right as rain to me! Ie, aligned w your integrity & well honed values. Your work encouraging us to protect & promote our democracy — I assume is not only effective … to me, your generous service is indeed soul inspiring. The strong sense of mission & hope you exude, are infectious. Don’t let those — who maybe tainted by social media culture (ie, rushed condemnation, little comprehension of subtlety or ambiguity, & overreacting w prejudgment vs. curiosity, to name a few) — well, don’t let them get you down! You Rock!!
"Soul inspiring" is a perfect way to describe what Robert does! Those words will now echo in my head as I read his words first thing daily! Sometimes for whatever reason all my email doesn't pop up and I panic thinking that Robert skipped a day! Keep up the important work! 💓
I started reading your newsletter a year ago and haven't missed a single issue. I just easily renewed my paid subscription. I also read a few other substack as a free reader as I am putting my other funds into supporting several candidates and purchasing postage for all the postcards I write. Thanks to your newsletter, I recently posted on FB about how easy and empowering it is to write postcards using Postcards to Swing States using words I lifted from your newsletter and some of the related comments. In just a few days over 2000 cards have been ordered by some of my FB friends who were grateful to read about and easily click on the provided link. Point being...you are making a huge difference and perhaps former subscribers are spending their money and time stepping up as you have encouraged us to do in your writing and by your example.
On the Palestinian /Israeli issue your comments help me to think about both sides. And perhaps that's frustrating to some (including me) because it is much easier to deal with issues that are clearly right vs wrong. Good vs Evil. Easy to agree with others about. You know, like the current presidential election. I wish the Palestinian /Israeli conflict were that easy.. Thank you. You are doing great work.
I was very sorry to hear that you have been viciously attacked the way you described. I am a paid subscriber because your column (and Heather Cox Richardson's!) help me keep alive a sense of hope that we can work our way out of this sordid moment in our history. Keep doing what you're doing!
THANK YOU ALSO, for beginning with President Biden. As I have said in other Substacks, in which deep concerns about what just appears to be Biden’s non-handling of Netanyahu with regard to the massive deaths and destruction in Gaza, now focused on Rafah, just watch him (Biden), just watch him. The man has 50 years of public service under his belt, and has an incredible team behind him (Secretary of State Antony Blinken, et al). Just watch him.
Im with you who believe Biden will come through… will facilitate a 2 state base for Palestine’s safety and stability… Israel will agree. Together they will be a strong civilized force against radical evil, keeping it at bay…
Thanks 🙏 Robert for your steady leadership in speaking the truth. We need this in our fight against fascism. Keep the faith…We will keep the faith.
I was watching TV (antenna, not cable) when Channel 9 cut to President Biden's speech. I thought it unusual that they chose to show more than a "clip." He seemed angry that he had to admonish his fellow Americans that there is no tolerance for hate speech. Good on you, Mr. President.
You have basically volunteered for a difficult and important job and for that you deserve our thanks and respect. The folks who have harassed you need to ask themselves what is the difference in judgment and principles between them and MAGA Republicans.
For what it matters, for this subscriber (and his spouse) you are doing an outstanding job. We look forward to reading your comments each morning, even before we open the NYT. Please keep it up.
Ellie, you read my mind. Substack is growing. And there are more newsletters now than ever before. I subscribe to many. But realistically I can't read each one every single day. There are other things in life like dogs and family and plants and cooking. Meetings, volunteerism and all manner of positive human activities that take time.
There is nothing that Robert can change about that.
But as with many other commenters here, Robert Hubbell is in my top three. I appreciate his philosophy and his perspectives that provide balance from the pablum we are fed by the MSM.
Over at TAFM, my well-known subterranean pain threshold for the idiots and morons seems to have been communicated to them, since there are almost none of them showing up any more, though the blog is experiencing tremendous growth of late.
Congrats to you, TC. The hate mail almost always comes via email. Rarely are they paid subscribers, although yesterday I unsubscribed someone who has been a paid subscriber for six years. Sad.
I endorse your strategy Bob (poll of 1). Would that the malign actors at our major media outlets would follow suit. Apparently that would constitute “bias” while normalizing the former president isn’t “bias” it’s news. There’s a reason Dante reserved the innermost circle of hell for hypocrites.
Thank you Robert, you are doing a great job in keeping us informed and helping us to understand these very complex times we are living through. We are all learning to be more compassionate and tolerant, though some may be clueless to that. We see what we don’t like and choose a different behavior. Some are quicker and better at this “awakening” than others. There are a ton of triggers out there and again some are better at navigating those land fields. I keep trying to be compassionate, give everyone the space they need to process, and pray they can find the way to a more peaceful place.
You do not need to be perfect or more importantly perfect for everyone. Give us what you think is needed that fits within what works for you. We will take it or not, but don’t take it personally. Especially when they are name calling you. It is really about how they are handling being triggered emotionally. You are doing fine and are very appreciated!
We have six months to go. A lot can happen. But I agree that halting a shipment of arms is a big step and can, I believe, help slow down the war and help Biden's credibility.
I didn't know this, Carol! So Biden spoke strongly about anti-semitism and also stopped the movement of arms to Israel. Good for him. He is trying to address the multiple issues that this war entails.
There are three Substack newsletters that I read faithfully every day, and yours is one of them. (along with Joyce Vance & Heather Cox Richardson) I like to read ones that are positive, yet factual & realistic. I comment occasionally & enjoy reading comments that inform in insightful ways, allowing me to see how others feel & think. I’m sorry to hear that others attack you for your commentary. Lashing out like that isn’t helpful in any way.
I see too many comments where people seem to think that the President can automatically solve the problems in the Middle East & elsewhere. There is much that goes on behind the scene that we are not privy to, & that is why we want to elect a good person to guide our country, as opposed to someone who bumbles about with consequences that harm us (& others) in the long run. Many of these world problems have been around for centuries. Each country looks out for their own interests & doesn’t always appreciate when America might dictate how we think they should run their affairs. It’s a balancing act.
Thank you for your Newsletter. It is a lot of hard work on your part, and I,for one, do appreciate it.
I read exactly those same three: Vance, HCR, and Hubbell. I find the mix suits me well. I'm grateful for the different approaches and feel like the three, taken together, are a well balanced meal. Albeit one not found on Fox or the WSJ.
What I particularly like about the three you mentioned is that they offer well-researched and well-founded information, and keep their opinions to a minimum. Others, in this day and age of instant communication, offer opinions (or propaganda) masquerading as fact. I find that Robert, Heather, and Joyce keep me informed and encourage me to think things through.
Count me in as well - Heather, Robert, & Joyce are my morning reads each day. They provide excellent commentary and perspective. I feel well-informed and so appreciate the references and links to the sources of their information.
I also appreciate this community of citizens - ordinary people working to understand the national and international forces in play during this inflection point in our history, so we can better communicate with friends and family.
I agree. You can always depend on them to keep you well informed!
You have good taste…. ;-))
And I don't feel like I'm being fed radical Bullsh**t. For which I'm grateful. I just wish a Fairness Doctrine would be once again adopted that would shut down the conspiring voices of Steve Bannon, One America News and other's enabling Putin's malign influence to infect our country. But I digress....
Also Hopium/Simon Rosenberg, Thom Hartmann. Many more. FP Wellman and I are in a DNC veteran's group. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTQ3zC1b1LEosLEocu9MXQ
I'm active in a lot of stuff. Robert referred me to Focus for Democracy. Last night we collected even more than last month's $5 mil for Galvanize and Accelerate for Change. Fred Wellman is also head of Forgotten Democrats.
The loss of the fairness doctrine opened the door for the propaganda and brainwashing that have corrupted small MAGA minds by the millions.
Plus $$$& in all the wrong places following Roberts’ gift to billionaires in his Citizens United ruling.
I too begin each day with Hubbell and Richardson, but I’ve added Hopium to my list on the recommendation of Robert several months ago. You all help me to stay sane and hopeful. As a retired academic, I look for well reasoned opinions that are supported by statistics and other rational analyses by intelligent columnists. Thank you, Robert! I so appreciate you! I support your journalistic choices and if there are others who choose to constantly criticize, remind them Substack is open to them as well. Let them write their own.
You go well above the normal demands of good journalism! Thank you, thank you!
Me too, Swbv!
And with Vance, HCR, and Hubbell, all three periodically provide a refreshing palate cleanser of backyard chickens, serene landscape photography, or videos/photos by Robert/Jill.
Actually one of my favorites recently was the photo of the skies Mr. Hubbell included.
Me too. They each offer some different perspective.
I, too, read the same 3 letters along with Lucian Truscott IV,TC in LA and Jeff Tiedrich.I send Robert's letters and HCRs to several friends.I get different angles to my information feed which I feel help me to get some sort of balance to my knowledge. I have said this before but will say it again-I am eternally grateful to Robert and the other wordsmiths who have kept me informed and also have helped to keep me sane in these very trying times.Merci.
Ditto, Victoria!
You've said it all. You've said it well. Nothing to add. Still, I'd like to go on record that you nailed it with your post. Three likes!
🥰
Hi Jean, I totally agree with everything you wrote. it would be my preference if all humans would consider a Do No Harm approach to how they talk to one another and to always stop and empathize with those who have different view points or awareness. and in our fast food, quick fix belief system, people dont seem to be able to fathom what brokering peace might actually look like between two epically driven forces such as Israel and Palestine. To assign all responsibility on Biden is unfair snd seemingly immature in thought. Thank you for your post.
And thank you! I was born the year that WW2 ended, & have seen many changes. My grandparents were born in the 1890’s. I knew my great grandfather, who was alive during the Civil War, in which his Father fought. The year my Mother was born, women still were unable to vote. My grandparents, who grew up before automobiles were common, watched a man walk on the moon. When I was growing up, I was in first grade before we had a TV. There were 3 stations, which went off the air at night, playing our national anthem. The newspaper was delivered in the evening - real paper! - & John Cameron Swayze delivered the evening news. I think my point is that information took a long time to get to a person, & now it’s instant & condensed into sound bites, & much of it has no depth or research, & sometimes no facts. Instant news is not bad as such, but can lack context, & understanding, which is a loss to our society.
I'm the same generation as you, Jean. We didn't get a TV until about 1954. There was only one channel in our part of rural southern California. The neighbors' kids came over to watch "westerns" with us, because they didn't have an " idiot box" of their own.
I loved The Lone Ranger! Remember that old joke? An intellectual is someone who hears “The William Tell Overture” & doesn’t immediately think of The Lone Ranger.
Don't forget Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, and when you heard the name Roy you knew it meant Roy Rogers!
Lassie! I loved Lassie. I was (and still a) a sensitive little thing- when an alligator was chasing / swimming after Lassie I’d be in the kitchen holding my mother’s apron strings!
Gene Autry & Hopalong Cassidy, too! You can tell that I used to love the westerns!
I am your age, too. I remember listening to radio dramas like I Remember Mama and Sgt. Preston of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “On, King! On, you huskies!”
I also remember listening to the radio programs. No TV! There was one program - on a Saturday maybe? - with Big John & Sparky, & their opening song was “Teddy Bear’s Picnic”. I still remember the words to it.
Guess I don’t qualify.
I can never hear the William Tell Overture without hearing, “Hi Ho Silver! Away!”
In Philadelphia, we had a morning and evening paper. My parents devoured both papers, and discussed the news at dinner. They showed us three kids that knowing what was happening in the world mattered! Thus, here I am, reading and discussing the news with my daughter, who is in her 40s, and is reading and listening to podcasts that inform her. Habits have been passed on. Caring about the world has been passed on.
Reading was big in my family too. These days I love to read physical books. There is something about the touch and smell of the paper in a book! Your post brings back the ‘memory smell’ of a news paper with fresh ink. …. Ohhhhhh there is so much I miss
Karen, books were huge in my life as well as newspapers. Sadly, I have a hard time with books now, and mostly use my kindle. But READING has kept us entertained and current with the news. I can't imagine a life without it!
My book club is reading "Time's Echo" by Jeremy Eichler. I wrote down this quote. "Knowledge of history has been replaced by information about history." Similar to the thought that data is not knowledge.
What an incredible time you lived in as a child....Family was most important. I too had a very close family with a variety of viewpoints and family that fought in all the Wars. It gives you a close and personal view of the world.
Incredible, but we lived with the real, constant threat of nuclear war. And segregation. And polio…
My father would not even stop for gas in a town where there was a polio outbreak.
We worried for the one Black student who would now attend my brother’s high school. This was the Maryland suburbs of D.C. Not worried about his safety, but loneliness.
I just expected that everyone thinks I am white. ( I am.)
Racism will be with us as long as White is the default assumption unless otherwise stated.
Hi Carol, I also grew up in the DC suburbs in Bowie (Prince Georges Co.)
My earliest memory of racism was when I was in early grade school attending a neighborhood block party with my family. Some of the adults were whispering about a neighbor who had <gasp> sold their house to a black family. I had to ask my parents what that was all about when we got home because I couldn't figure out why everyone was so agitated. By the time I hit junior high, school busing was in place.
I agree. It makes history come alive.
Howdy Doody! Before we got our television, the entire neighborhood in St. Louis congregated in the living room of the one family that had a TV. That and the Saturday cowboy shows were always on the agenda!
Yes, Howdy Doody! I can still sing that song! Always wished I could be in the Peanut Gallery.
"To assign all responsibility on Biden is unfair and seemingly immature in thought".
I agree with the immaturity -- plus lack of critical thinking skills. These protesters seem to take everything they see on social media at face value and 👍or retweet stuff without thinking first.
Back in the early days of email (and before social media), I would get chain emails from friends that were either designed to cause panic (people were leaving flyers under your windshield wiper in a parking lot so you would get back out of the car and they could hijack your car) or too-good-to-be-true get-rich schemes that I was urged to "send to all of my friends". I would look it up on Snopes.com and forward the person who had sent the email the Snopes post that showed it was inevitably false. But some of my gullible friends would include me on the next one they received. UGH! I just started deleting their emails!
FYI, I went to a great webinar on Zoom last night by Indivisible's Truth Brigade (https://indivisible.org/campaign/truth-brigade) and they talked about the differences between disinformation, misinformation and malinformation and how to address the issue on both social media and off-line in conversations with your friends. You can find out more information here: https://indivisible.org/resource/welcome-indivisible-truth-brigade, including how to sign up for the next meeting on May 22nd.
I add the following writers for balance and mental health:
Jay Kuo
Jess Piper
Jess Craven
Dan Rather
Simon Rosenberg
and
Andy Borowitz (for fun!)
Love Kuo -- in particular, I treasure his Saturday Xeets & Giggles where he curates the presents the very best snark mostly from Twitter but elsewhere, too. And, always includes some cat or other animal videos to cleanse our palates!! :)
I look forward to Saturday. Just for that reason! Hysterical!
Yep. I deleted my Twitter account some time ago but miss it occasionally because of the wit and also discussions (at times). Kuo takes care of the most important part of that for me!!
Now you've reminded me, Sheila, why it takes me so long to get through my daily reading!
Exactly. Take the Middle East. The situation is, truly, unimaginably complex. Many want the US to hold up arms shipments to Israel, conveniently forgetting Iran’s massive attack a couple of weeks ago (and NOT “a couple weeks” ago). It’s easy to say, Don’t let Israel have offensive weapons, but it’s very difficult to say what weapons are offensive and which are defensive. For all of Israel’s maddening, massive defects, it is the only democracy between Casablanca and New Delhi (whether New Delhi merits that title is debatable). And Israel is blamed for all deaths in Gaza, which are not divided between civilians and Hamas fighters; there is virtually no acknowledgment that Hamas’s strategy of fighting from behind civilians—which is a crime against humanity—is responsible for the death of many innocents. At the same time Israel has chosen just about the worst strategy to deal with Hamas, and Netanyahu might almost be a Hamas agent, given how effective he is at recruiting for the organization and giving it respectability. Oh, and Joe Biden has to deal with this while saving democracy here at home. Oy, gevalt!
I feel like it is Always important to add that Israeli citizens would probably vote Netanyahu out if they had the opportunity. I feel like he is single handedly one of the biggest reasons for the rise of antisemitism world wide and in the U.S. and yet he is not Israel, and he is not representative of most Jews... he is somewhat akin to who Trump is and was to America and Americans when he was in power. I know people who went overseas during those years with tee shirts loudly proclaiming things like "I did not vote for Trump".
As so many have, you write, “the rise of antisemitism”. I disagree, somewhat:
I believe the antisemitism evidently was latent and *widespread*. Events have exposed the latent antisemitism and have given rise to increases in *overt expressions* of antisemitism.
To speak of a “rise of” or “increase in” antisemitism is, implicitly (and unintentionally, I hope), to attribute the antisemitism to actions of Jews and/or Israel.
I am deeply dismayed and troubled by the extent of antisemitism that recent events have uncovered.
I see what you are saying, but I think it needs disentangling.
I've often thought about whether I believe racism, and now antisemitism, are always sourced from latent beliefs and attitudes and I don't think it's always something that preexisted and has just been released or encouraged. I think some people's beliefs change with exposure to ideas and events (which include emotionally charged behavior models) which can become uglier or more tolerant, and that is more hopeful.
I do believe that some background beliefs and even personality types are more prone to the uglier responses to events. Those are in fact, latent conditions at least, waiting to be primed or permitted.
I definitely don't think saying people respond to world events, which includes the actions of any nation including Israel, is the same as blaming Jews or even the nation of Israel, because we are in a period (maybe we always are) when the actions taken by a national leader should be viewed as reflecting only the values and morality of that one leader and his or her henchmen. As I said, many Jews within and outside of Israel disagree with Netanyahu's choices now and also often in the past. He has a long history of making political choices that serve himself way more than the country. I'm actually saying that people should not blame Israel or Jews for things for which Netanyahu is responsible.
Thank you for your thoughtful post.
I made several tries to continue that conversation, but each time I was interrupted and lost what I‘d drafted.
My apologies.
I appreciate your thoughtful commentary about the origins of contemporary antisemitism. I hope you are correct to believe antisemitism is not “baked in”, but I believe history shows that for some population groups it has been endemic for centuries. Making generalizations across various groups is hazardous.
I agree that Netanyahu has been self-seeking. However, my understanding has been that with regard to fighting Hamas, the overwhelming bulk of Israelis do not differ significantly from Netanyahu (this may not apply to hostage issues).
From what I understand, almost all Israelis are boiling mad at Hamas and Gazans. They understandably have little sympathy for ‘ordinary’ Gazans, who assisted in the October 7 massacres and cheered as hostages were dragged into Gaza. So until now there seems to have been little domestic opposition to Netanyahu’s prosecution of the war.
On the other hand, if the war ends or significantly cools down, it seems likely that Israelis will oust Netanyahu. (I think they should.)
Yes . The collegiate protestors are historically myopic, forgetting who started the war. They have a weak point . Divestment has already been happening for two decades, and remains problematic. This is NOT the reason peaceful protesting began. The President knows factors that must remain secret, I trust Joe Biden even though I think we (USA) should be getting peace for the 75 years of supporting Israel and some $400B . Hamas embedded themselves into the daily lives of the Palestinians to make it harder to dislodge them. Did they count on the death of 35K people and the destruction of 80K homes ? As a proto-nation the Palestinians made a faustian bargain which ranks as the most ill advised political decision in human history. They are being used by Iran to their detriment. I have no sympathy for their plight, which they alone arranged.
Alan,
You say, “I think we (USA) should be getting peace for the 75 years of supporting Israel and some $400B .” We haven’t gotten peace, obviously, if only because Israel isn’t the only ‘actor’ in the Middle East.
We might, however, muse on how bad things might be, there, if Israel’s strong military were not there, deterring military actions by others. Moreover, Israel has supplied the US with military technology and and political intelligence of several kinds.
I think it was Abba Eben (former Deputy PM of Israel; VP of UN General Assembly, etc) who said: "the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity"
I too read the same newsletters as well as Democracy Docket. I recommend that one too.
I read the same 3 faithfully along with Simon Rosenberg and the Bulwark (although sometimes I wonder why and can't finish the Bulwark but it gives me a different perspective and they are pro-democracy)...
The newsletters are obviously hard work and I sincerely appreciate the efforts... not sure where I would be without a them.
I also read the same Substack newsletters, for the same reasons, plus enjoy Robert Reich's commentary. 'Lashing out' these days seems to be what passes for conversation.
I have been reading Reich but I often end up more upset from him or comments that I am thinking of unsubscribing from him.
I'll add to the chorus... I read the same three newsletters. I just want to say to Robert... what I have written several times about how I feel about Gaza. I think it's a really complicated and tough place for Biden. I HATE what is going on in Gaza... I put the blame squarely in Netanyahu... not Israel. I think Biden has the experience, understanding and temperament to deal with it. I personally don't have any experience and probably not the understanding. I have faith that Binden will do his best to protect us and find a solution (if there is one). I can't think of anyone I trust more with this situation.
Just a reminder that everyone who posts on here are not 'friendlies'
I agree completely. The complexity of the situation between Israel and the Palestinians has such a very long and convoluted history. Seeing it as an either/or issues is useless. One can be appalled at the attacks on both Israel and Gaza and not be counted as antisemitic or Islamophobic. Both have suffered centuries of conflict. Why anyone would think President Biden should be able to solve the situation is beyond my understanding.
OMLG! Jean! I am same!!!
Well said. I totally agree. Thank you, Robert.
100% agree with your analysis and could not have said it better myself. Thank you.
Those three are my coffee reads, ending with Robert for a little boost to get things started.
THANK YOU for beginning with President Biden. I start each day asking myself, “what am I grateful for?” Joe Biden is a decent human being! And that’s a wonderful way to start my day. Biden and other issues first. Trump, second or third . . . .
It's important to remember why we support President Biden, and there are meaningful reasons besides the fact that he is not Trump. This brings us confidence and hope in moving forward.
Todays column is impressive in its thoughtful approach to the difficult questions we are all dealing with. THANK YOU, Robert, for clearly spelling out your rationale for all you are writing. Your voice is one of reason and substance. We need more commentators like you!
I doubt if declining readership is due to your decision not to cover a fraught topic like the Israel/Gaza war and the related student protests. I think you have made the right choice there. I think it is more that everything happening in the world these days is so damn depressing. Ukraine is losing in its war with Russia, the Gaza war seems in no sight of ending, and President Biden remains infuriatingly behind Trump in the polls, such that the prospect of a second Trump presidency, which might end only with his demise, which is almost too horrifying to contemplate, seems a real possibility. I personally have enjoyed your interludes about your and your wife's camping trips, reminding me as they have of a period in my life 50 years ago when I was able to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur and Monterey to San Francisco and then over to Yosemite, not once but twice within a two-year period. Those were magical times. I am extremely grateful for your newsletters, and look forward to them more than anything else in my email.
@Sharon. Biden is LEADING in the new poling.
I seldom respond, but avidly read you, Robert.. HCR, Vance, Simon and Jessica. Today’s letter was important on many levels. As with many others, I start the day with Hubbell. I am a researcher by nature, so while at one point I read “News of the day”more widely, I tired of constantly checking “facts”. I now read sources that have proven to use truth and diligent research as the foundation for their writing. I thank you each day.
Sharon, when I wake up in the middle of the night, on the East Coast, I am hopeful that Robert’s Substack is available so I, too, listen to it first thing!
Hi Robert,
I APPRECIATE wholeheartedly your editorial stance in focusing on Biden & then, as appropriate, Trump. Your reasoning has been well explained. It’s clear & insightful — feels right as rain to me! Ie, aligned w your integrity & well honed values. Your work encouraging us to protect & promote our democracy — I assume is not only effective … to me, your generous service is indeed soul inspiring. The strong sense of mission & hope you exude, are infectious. Don’t let those — who maybe tainted by social media culture (ie, rushed condemnation, little comprehension of subtlety or ambiguity, & overreacting w prejudgment vs. curiosity, to name a few) — well, don’t let them get you down! You Rock!!
"Soul inspiring" is a perfect way to describe what Robert does! Those words will now echo in my head as I read his words first thing daily! Sometimes for whatever reason all my email doesn't pop up and I panic thinking that Robert skipped a day! Keep up the important work! 💓
I started reading your newsletter a year ago and haven't missed a single issue. I just easily renewed my paid subscription. I also read a few other substack as a free reader as I am putting my other funds into supporting several candidates and purchasing postage for all the postcards I write. Thanks to your newsletter, I recently posted on FB about how easy and empowering it is to write postcards using Postcards to Swing States using words I lifted from your newsletter and some of the related comments. In just a few days over 2000 cards have been ordered by some of my FB friends who were grateful to read about and easily click on the provided link. Point being...you are making a huge difference and perhaps former subscribers are spending their money and time stepping up as you have encouraged us to do in your writing and by your example.
On the Palestinian /Israeli issue your comments help me to think about both sides. And perhaps that's frustrating to some (including me) because it is much easier to deal with issues that are clearly right vs wrong. Good vs Evil. Easy to agree with others about. You know, like the current presidential election. I wish the Palestinian /Israeli conflict were that easy.. Thank you. You are doing great work.
Thanks, Shirlz. Excellent points.
Love how you're growing your postcarding work--thank you!
I was very sorry to hear that you have been viciously attacked the way you described. I am a paid subscriber because your column (and Heather Cox Richardson's!) help me keep alive a sense of hope that we can work our way out of this sordid moment in our history. Keep doing what you're doing!
Ditto for my daily Must Reads: HCR and Hubbell!
THANK YOU ALSO, for beginning with President Biden. As I have said in other Substacks, in which deep concerns about what just appears to be Biden’s non-handling of Netanyahu with regard to the massive deaths and destruction in Gaza, now focused on Rafah, just watch him (Biden), just watch him. The man has 50 years of public service under his belt, and has an incredible team behind him (Secretary of State Antony Blinken, et al). Just watch him.
Im with you who believe Biden will come through… will facilitate a 2 state base for Palestine’s safety and stability… Israel will agree. Together they will be a strong civilized force against radical evil, keeping it at bay…
Thanks 🙏 Robert for your steady leadership in speaking the truth. We need this in our fight against fascism. Keep the faith…We will keep the faith.
I was watching TV (antenna, not cable) when Channel 9 cut to President Biden's speech. I thought it unusual that they chose to show more than a "clip." He seemed angry that he had to admonish his fellow Americans that there is no tolerance for hate speech. Good on you, Mr. President.
You have basically volunteered for a difficult and important job and for that you deserve our thanks and respect. The folks who have harassed you need to ask themselves what is the difference in judgment and principles between them and MAGA Republicans.
For what it matters, for this subscriber (and his spouse) you are doing an outstanding job. We look forward to reading your comments each morning, even before we open the NYT. Please keep it up.
Robert, I appreciate your self-reflection, especially in support of democracy, but: You do You.
Your decline in subscriptions may also be a function of an ever-widening span of writers on Substack and social media--more and more choices.
Ellie, you read my mind. Substack is growing. And there are more newsletters now than ever before. I subscribe to many. But realistically I can't read each one every single day. There are other things in life like dogs and family and plants and cooking. Meetings, volunteerism and all manner of positive human activities that take time.
There is nothing that Robert can change about that.
But as with many other commenters here, Robert Hubbell is in my top three. I appreciate his philosophy and his perspectives that provide balance from the pablum we are fed by the MSM.
if that's the reason, I am happy!! A strong Substack with pro democracy readers is good for us all!!
...and sailing!
I think this is it. There are so many good pro-democracy writers to read now.
Good point about substack growing!
Over at TAFM, my well-known subterranean pain threshold for the idiots and morons seems to have been communicated to them, since there are almost none of them showing up any more, though the blog is experiencing tremendous growth of late.
Congrats to you, TC. The hate mail almost always comes via email. Rarely are they paid subscribers, although yesterday I unsubscribed someone who has been a paid subscriber for six years. Sad.
Their loss.
That's my experience also. Making them easier to reduce to their component electrons.
I endorse your strategy Bob (poll of 1). Would that the malign actors at our major media outlets would follow suit. Apparently that would constitute “bias” while normalizing the former president isn’t “bias” it’s news. There’s a reason Dante reserved the innermost circle of hell for hypocrites.
Thank you Robert, you are doing a great job in keeping us informed and helping us to understand these very complex times we are living through. We are all learning to be more compassionate and tolerant, though some may be clueless to that. We see what we don’t like and choose a different behavior. Some are quicker and better at this “awakening” than others. There are a ton of triggers out there and again some are better at navigating those land fields. I keep trying to be compassionate, give everyone the space they need to process, and pray they can find the way to a more peaceful place.
You do not need to be perfect or more importantly perfect for everyone. Give us what you think is needed that fits within what works for you. We will take it or not, but don’t take it personally. Especially when they are name calling you. It is really about how they are handling being triggered emotionally. You are doing fine and are very appreciated!
The good news is that Biden just halted shipments of arms to Israel/ maybe that will convince the protestors to vote for him- one can only hope!!
We have six months to go. A lot can happen. But I agree that halting a shipment of arms is a big step and can, I believe, help slow down the war and help Biden's credibility.
I didn't know this, Carol! So Biden spoke strongly about anti-semitism and also stopped the movement of arms to Israel. Good for him. He is trying to address the multiple issues that this war entails.