To Beat Trump and Win House and Senate 2023 Must be a Build Infrastructure Year
As Democrats, we spend far too much money and effort in the roller coaster, boom-and-bust cycle close to elections. And too much on prominent marquee campaigns while other efforts starve. Republicans have for years invested for the long term. We must so the same, and more so.
I see 4 major infrastructure arenas we should invest in, that starve and atrophy during the off-year. For Dem State Party support I see a strong best bet for support - SPAN. For the others there are many excellent opportunities and just providing some of my favorites.
1) State Democratic Parties - SPAN (State Party Advancement Network) is very well connected with state parties in key states. They leverage economies of scale by offering key technical support for multiple states.They take no money themselves, but are great at strategic direction and will advise you.
2) Anti MAGA Propaganda. Favorites: For hands-on where you can amplify key messages yourself - DemCast. For contributions to active, strategic messaging to key voters - Courier Newsroom
3) On-the-ground grassroots groups. There are probably hundreds across the country. Movement Voter Project does provide a good window on many, but to be most effective you should drill down to assess. The ones 31st Street Swing Left have selected are on our website. One organization that supports many and some other fine efforts is Rural Development Initiatives.
4) Voter Registration, especially youth. Again numerous active organizations. Favorites: Students Learn Students Vote, You Can Vote (NC Specific) and Civics Center. All 3 are (c)(3)s.
My reason for posting this is not particularly to push my favorites, but to encourage folks to invest in infrastructure.
We know Trump and his minions are such a huge threat. And investing now can make such a difference
For too long, the Dems sure have taken their time to lead the way in attacking the problem within SCOTUS. It HAS to be reformed right now and not later. We have so many laws, so many rules to cut through that it gets tiresome and worrisome. Cauterize them so we can puncture reforms in!
In referencing the media, I also agree with you, Robert, that they cannot be ignored. We do have Twitter, Tik Tock, and Instagram, for now. The other sites such as Mastadon and Post, I haven’t ventured into yet. It is our job, our duty, to call them out when they feed lies to their audiences. They all deserve oversight from the paying public. It just continues to boggle my mind that Fox news continues their bullshit after getting slammed with a hefty judgment against them. And then you have the pathetic stunt by Comer as he tried so hard to prove he had a Biden whistleblower. Nancy Mace even weighed in on that. Have I told you just how much I really really really despise(hate) the Repubs?
Thank you so much for another great newsletter. On the Supreme Court, I have come to agree with you that we need to expand it. I want to strongly recommend the recently aired PBS documentary about Clarence and Gini Thomas on Frontline. It is 2 hours long and I have only watched 2/3 of it. It is very informative and I understand a great deal more about both of them. While it has increased my understanding of how Clarence Thomas got to be who he is, I am even more horrified by what he is doing and the choices he has made. I know it can also be seen on Passport and on Spectrum on demand in my area at least.
Professor Tribe should be encouraged to get on Substack and off Twitter. Even by the Biblical standard of forgiving 70 times 7, Twitter is well over any reasonable limits and the current owner should have been the last straw.
I highly recommend another Substack writer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He posts about twice a week. Mr. Jabbar is an engaging writer, whose perspective is not always predictable, which I find refreshing and intriguing. His pieces are always well researched and thoughtful.
May 15, 2023·edited May 15, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
About the media. In the '90s when I worked on "helping parents understand how television use affects their families" the stat I carried about was that a half-hour news show has the equivalent amount of information as half a sheet of newsprint. TV news is not a good source. And we see what it has done to our democracy. Ever grateful for Substack writers and similar sources.
I was so outraged by CNN's free campaign ad time with the Trump town hall event, that I am boycotting its website for news updates. My new go-to site is The Guardian, where I ran across this article about Louisiana's Sen. Kennedy: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/14/senator-john-kennedy-mexico-drug-cartels While not as revealingly insane as Trump's Mother's Day invective, the senator is vying for that descriptor. Too bad you have so many other news items to analyze that you can't do an entire edition on hall-of-shame GOP legislators.
Robert, last night on Jen Psaki’s show on MSNBC, she interviewed the head of Planned Parenthood. That organization has now formally called for 1) adding more members to the Court, 2) imposing term limits on the justices, and 3) creating ethics standards for them as well. It was a major announcement that apparently PP has never taken before! I have one other suggestion until we can do any of those things: when the Extreme Court makes a decision that we believe is unfair and unjust, we should thank them for their time, and tell them we will not abide by that decision. I am ready for Democrats to stand up and defy these reactionists who are destroying our democracy. Let’s “own the MAGAS” for a change. But I’m serious. What they have done to harm women with their Dobbs’ decision is barbaric. And they sit in their chambers and watch the carnage with no remorse, no shame, and no heart to say “enough”. The same with voting rights. They sit back and watch all the red states deny the right to vote to millions of Americans. How can that be tolerated!!!!!
May 15, 2023·edited May 15, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
On immigration, one often-overlooked aspect is that our gain is—in general—other nations’ loss. Immigrants tend to be the most intelligent and vigorous people in the nation from which they come, which is one of the reasons why immigration is so valuable. But if we want to reduce the strain at our borders, and we should, we need to help to build up other nations’ societies so that fewer of their people will want to flee. That means that we need to spend many billions to aid in building honest, fair societies in the nations to our south, in particular.
One area where more immigration would really help reduce the costs of health care in this country would be to allow for more foreign doctors to practice in the US. We have a definite shortage of doctors in this country, especially general practitioners in rural parts of the country. However, the AMA has much political clout in Congress, which keeps the barriers to immigration high for doctors and many other high end professionals. The gains for our economy would be very significant if we reduced the protections for doctors and other high end professionals.
To Beat Trump and Win House and Senate 2023 Must be a Build Infrastructure Year
As Democrats, we spend far too much money and effort in the roller coaster, boom-and-bust cycle close to elections. And too much on prominent marquee campaigns while other efforts starve. Republicans have for years invested for the long term. We must so the same, and more so.
I see 4 major infrastructure arenas we should invest in, that starve and atrophy during the off-year. For Dem State Party support I see a strong best bet for support - SPAN. For the others there are many excellent opportunities and just providing some of my favorites.
1) State Democratic Parties - SPAN (State Party Advancement Network) is very well connected with state parties in key states. They leverage economies of scale by offering key technical support for multiple states.They take no money themselves, but are great at strategic direction and will advise you.
2) Anti MAGA Propaganda. Favorites: For hands-on where you can amplify key messages yourself - DemCast. For contributions to active, strategic messaging to key voters - Courier Newsroom
3) On-the-ground grassroots groups. There are probably hundreds across the country. Movement Voter Project does provide a good window on many, but to be most effective you should drill down to assess. The ones 31st Street Swing Left have selected are on our website. One organization that supports many and some other fine efforts is Rural Development Initiatives.
4) Voter Registration, especially youth. Again numerous active organizations. Favorites: Students Learn Students Vote, You Can Vote (NC Specific) and Civics Center. All 3 are (c)(3)s.
My reason for posting this is not particularly to push my favorites, but to encourage folks to invest in infrastructure.
We know Trump and his minions are such a huge threat. And investing now can make such a difference
Reforming the Court is an excellent idea. Let's go elect 62 Democratic Senators, and do it.
For too long, the Dems sure have taken their time to lead the way in attacking the problem within SCOTUS. It HAS to be reformed right now and not later. We have so many laws, so many rules to cut through that it gets tiresome and worrisome. Cauterize them so we can puncture reforms in!
In referencing the media, I also agree with you, Robert, that they cannot be ignored. We do have Twitter, Tik Tock, and Instagram, for now. The other sites such as Mastadon and Post, I haven’t ventured into yet. It is our job, our duty, to call them out when they feed lies to their audiences. They all deserve oversight from the paying public. It just continues to boggle my mind that Fox news continues their bullshit after getting slammed with a hefty judgment against them. And then you have the pathetic stunt by Comer as he tried so hard to prove he had a Biden whistleblower. Nancy Mace even weighed in on that. Have I told you just how much I really really really despise(hate) the Repubs?
Two trustworthy news sources:
DemocracyNow.org
TheGuardian.com
For me these sources' daily free newsletters cover pretty much all top-priority topics.
And yes, expand the court!
Thank you so much for another great newsletter. On the Supreme Court, I have come to agree with you that we need to expand it. I want to strongly recommend the recently aired PBS documentary about Clarence and Gini Thomas on Frontline. It is 2 hours long and I have only watched 2/3 of it. It is very informative and I understand a great deal more about both of them. While it has increased my understanding of how Clarence Thomas got to be who he is, I am even more horrified by what he is doing and the choices he has made. I know it can also be seen on Passport and on Spectrum on demand in my area at least.
Professor Tribe should be encouraged to get on Substack and off Twitter. Even by the Biblical standard of forgiving 70 times 7, Twitter is well over any reasonable limits and the current owner should have been the last straw.
I highly recommend another Substack writer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He posts about twice a week. Mr. Jabbar is an engaging writer, whose perspective is not always predictable, which I find refreshing and intriguing. His pieces are always well researched and thoughtful.
Yes to expanding the court! and term-limits and a binding code of ethics.
I completely agree with reforming the courts!
About the media. In the '90s when I worked on "helping parents understand how television use affects their families" the stat I carried about was that a half-hour news show has the equivalent amount of information as half a sheet of newsprint. TV news is not a good source. And we see what it has done to our democracy. Ever grateful for Substack writers and similar sources.
I was so outraged by CNN's free campaign ad time with the Trump town hall event, that I am boycotting its website for news updates. My new go-to site is The Guardian, where I ran across this article about Louisiana's Sen. Kennedy: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/14/senator-john-kennedy-mexico-drug-cartels While not as revealingly insane as Trump's Mother's Day invective, the senator is vying for that descriptor. Too bad you have so many other news items to analyze that you can't do an entire edition on hall-of-shame GOP legislators.
Sorry for the multiple comments. Since reading this, "The sooner we all acknowledge Trump is mentally ill, the safer we will be.” I've been thinking about it. Then I encountered this from Steve Schmidt https://action.lincolnproject.us/ricktakesdowncnn?utm_campaign=051223_rick&utm_medium=email&utm_source=lincolnproject. Another statement of "insanity"
Robert, last night on Jen Psaki’s show on MSNBC, she interviewed the head of Planned Parenthood. That organization has now formally called for 1) adding more members to the Court, 2) imposing term limits on the justices, and 3) creating ethics standards for them as well. It was a major announcement that apparently PP has never taken before! I have one other suggestion until we can do any of those things: when the Extreme Court makes a decision that we believe is unfair and unjust, we should thank them for their time, and tell them we will not abide by that decision. I am ready for Democrats to stand up and defy these reactionists who are destroying our democracy. Let’s “own the MAGAS” for a change. But I’m serious. What they have done to harm women with their Dobbs’ decision is barbaric. And they sit in their chambers and watch the carnage with no remorse, no shame, and no heart to say “enough”. The same with voting rights. They sit back and watch all the red states deny the right to vote to millions of Americans. How can that be tolerated!!!!!
DJT has insulted me. I'm now either a fascist, Marxist or communist? None of the above.
I am a woman and voter. My blood runs blue and I don't like
ketchup.
When I say, "take it to them", I don't mean just Republicans. We
need to energize the Democratic party. What have they done in the House since January? Only
a few have been outspoken. Too
many are silent, or infighting. They need to support, openly and collectively, Biden/Harris.
Yes, expand the SCOTUS and
Congress needs to do the job
WE pay them for. Ethics, strong
ethics. Close off all these loop
holes people keep slipping through. Term limits. No judge
should have a job for life.
On immigration, one often-overlooked aspect is that our gain is—in general—other nations’ loss. Immigrants tend to be the most intelligent and vigorous people in the nation from which they come, which is one of the reasons why immigration is so valuable. But if we want to reduce the strain at our borders, and we should, we need to help to build up other nations’ societies so that fewer of their people will want to flee. That means that we need to spend many billions to aid in building honest, fair societies in the nations to our south, in particular.
One area where more immigration would really help reduce the costs of health care in this country would be to allow for more foreign doctors to practice in the US. We have a definite shortage of doctors in this country, especially general practitioners in rural parts of the country. However, the AMA has much political clout in Congress, which keeps the barriers to immigration high for doctors and many other high end professionals. The gains for our economy would be very significant if we reduced the protections for doctors and other high end professionals.