One of your best commentaries yet, and thanks for all the links. Trump’s tentacles have extended into many aspects of government that “ the average voter” is completely oblivious to. Many thanks to ALL prosecutors who are so diligently pursuing each and every lead and avoiding any and all pitfalls and obfuscation by Trump’s minions to bring the facts to the public and the perpetrators to justice. There are more of us than there are of them, and too much is at stake to ignore or back off from pursuing a course of action that will bring ALL participants in the attempted coup to the bar.
Thanks again Robert for your due diligence in exposing the depths of our national disgrace. Lovers of our unique governmental system, regardless of their political affiliation must unite in spirit and faith that their labors will sustain our fragile democratic republic.
I can't add to what Richard says here, except to say there seems to be a fair degree of larceny in the Republican soul. They have become paranoid as they sense more and more that they are losing power and in their desperation to dominate there is nothing they won't do, within or outside the law to hang on to it. Trump is a prime example.
The suggestion of a plot to "disable" Pence at that very critical historical moment and replace him with Grassley is very frightening. The DOJ should make this investigation their top priority now. The secret service detail should be questioned to see who if anyone in Congress suggested they remove Pence from the premises at that critical time. Was it simply for his protection from the mob, or for the reasons mentioned? Those email/text exchanges will clear the matter up
I can only say what I heard reported, that Pence hesitated to get into the secret service vehicle that was to take him away from the insurrectionists. Ostensibly because of the image it would have presented of him running away. The darker image than fleeing, was that he didn't know where he was going and that he may not have been able to complete the verification of the vote count. Which leads to the "Grassley episode" that went relatively unreported. That is HUGE and needs to be investigated.
Your "there are more of us" reminds me of the old book, "The Aquarian Conspiracy." It gave me faith then and still does now that there are people like us everywhere in society and government working for the same goal. I highly recommend that book to keep ones hopes up.
Starting backwards...the Ukrainians have cause for “exhaustion and fatigue” , they are in a violent war that threatens their lives and their country. Nobody is threatening to destroy our lives and our homes but our system of government .
So we are not asked to go to war, just get out the vote and in the process we can freely order a cappuccino whenever we want! ( my recommendation for an answer. I have a much more blunt answer but not allowed in this forum.) Regarding Biden’s age Democrats should all step up and defend Biden and talk about Trumps total insanity with everything he says. Sorry Democrats stop thinking this is a pillow fight. Regarding the ecosystem of congress and the secret service this needs to be addressed now. They should have the fear of Hod starting now. Brilliant essay Robert!
An excellent comparison to people who who have suffered terrible losses and are truly brave in keeping on going when the odds are against them. Thanks for that. I do feel it is ok for us to be afraid when so many difficult things are happening. Yesterday, Coco Gauff, who won the semi-finals in the US Open, when asked about the pressure she must feel, said that she realizes that her stress level is nothing when compared to families who are struggling to feed their children. And she is 19! It is important to put everything in perspective, as you have suggested!
Agreed that we are not at war. Our physical beings are not in peril. The Ukrainian People are showing great courage and resilience. However, we have been battling these despicable people for years now, and it does exhaust the psyche. We are so fortunate to have people like Robert and Heather Cox Richardson and others on Substack who sift through the dross of the news presented to provide us with an intelligent perspective.
Sep 8, 2023·edited Sep 8, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
I am behind Biden 100%.We all must be.There is no other choice.Just as it was in 2016 , I had some reservations about Hillary Clinton and her not being the ideal candidate but then I saw the handwriting on the wall and got behind her too as the only way to go. CNN is attempting to attract disgruntled Fox “News” viewers and I am completely done with them as a source of accurate and honest information. Their current Biden presidential poll is infuriating and disingenuous. As many have been stating of late, the 2024 election is not a Democrat v Republican thing but is democracy v fascism/ autocracy on full display and the stakes could not be higher.I would much rather be lead by an experienced and knowledgeable elder statesman than to be under the thumb of a slightly younger full-stop terrorist dictator.
Agreed 100%. The focus on Biden’s age is misplaced, misguided, counterproductive and infuriating. Biden is doing an amazing job and shows no signs of decline that I can see, he deserves unreserved support!!
Yes and the dweebs at the msm hanging on TFGs every corrupt word is not helping anyone.I don’t get it.All of these newscasters have family, children, grandchildren,etc.Do they want their loved ones to live in a country fashioned after Donald Trump?We all have our work cut out for ourselves-again.
Absolutely. This morning the Today show highlighted Gavin Newsom as someone who was thinking of running if Biden chose not to. Newsom said he wasn't interested, but the reporter interviewing him acted like Newsom was a choice for Democrats.
Newsom is not ready, nor is he smart enough to be President at this time. Maybe when he grows up and doesn't attend a fundraiser during the time when there was no vaccine for us yet, and when he was telling Californians not to attend events with lots of people! Maybe then he will be ready!
Here is a really thought provoking talk by Dan Pfeiffer (aide to Obama) and Jon Favreau (Obama head speech writer) about how Dem's should "handle" the age issue, and how MSM is really contributing to misinformation about what Biden's age really means to Americans.
Thanks for bringing up the congressional portion of the coup. I was certain this was being glossed over for reasons I couldn't understand. After the identified tourists into the capital on January 6th have now recieved over 700 years of combined prison time it's time to go after the brains (heavy sarcasm) behind action to stop the transfer of power. These creeps are still sitting in Congress and accepting a paycheck and defrauding the rest of us by smugly carrying on with their lives when they should be answering to Jack Smith and the American people. Gym Jordan should be the first in line.
I will continue to say this: The RNC is operated as an organized crime syndicate, with neonazi, fascist billionaires pulling the puppet strings for their Paid-for politicians that they installed into office. “Citizens’ United” is a euphemistic farce perpetrated by the billionaire crime lords organized under Charles Koch (and Lenard Leo); it must be revoked. It was Clarence Thomas, Charles Koch and Mitch McConnell who rammed “Citizens United” through the Supreme Court. Are coup plotters in Congress? You’re damned right there are. And they do their bidding for their billionaire sponsors. This is TREASON AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS, and it needs to be forcibly stopped. Let’s not forget: Ginni Thomas was plotting the Jan. 6 coup, along with Eastman, et al; she was in the mob texting Mark Meadows to “release the kraken.” The Thomases are among the TOP PUBLIC ENEMIES of the MAGAts.
I am so glad that Grassley's role is coming into focus. Another reason that Democrats must win everything in 2024 is that there is so much more to be uncovered. Grassley needs to be investigated. So does Cruz. And a whole bunch of Republican House members. We must rid our government of all of these anti-democratic authoritarian influences.
I loathe Josh Hawley to the depths of my soul (I am from Missouri), but I kind of think he was more of a try-hard than actually being let in on the actual planning. But a good investigation of his role wouldn't be wrong.
I totally agree with you.We must be rid of All of these traitors.I am sure that when all of this comes out( and it will eventually)we will see a ginormous octopus of corruption the scale of which this country has never seen.
Thank you for this excellent letter. The CNN worldview is not going to come to the aid of the democracy. I long for the days when the lexicon did not include references like, red state, blue state, battleground states, etc. What I miss the most is "the United States of America."
Sep 8, 2023·edited Sep 8, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Robert, thanks for delving into the Grassley role. I was completely oblivious to it.
Your Concluding Thoughts fit perfectly with the theme of Felonious Trump and his cohorts flooding the zone with everything imaginable (even unimaginable) to sow chaos and wear us out. We should look at every Republican action and provocation through that lens. They will use any and all means to achieve their ends.
If we do look at “every Republican action and provocation” through the lens applied here to Grassley, do we really believe Sen. Tuberville is gutting military leadership over abortion? Is his reputation for truthfulness different from Trump’s? What is the continuing threat of a coup from inside Congress? I hate to express these words and, Robert, you have my permission to delete them.
I read something yesterday that CNN's poll intentionally was based on querying 59% Republicans, which significantly skewed the results in the direction of the "news' story" CNN wanted to run. Anyone else read that? Everything is so subject to being manipulated by falsehoods, I don't know what to believe. 😒
Robert, great piece! I feel as though one day there will be the final gathering on the Orient Express and we will hear "who dunnit!" The plot thickens!
Polls are a waste of time in this day and age period. There are only ever two or three swing states and I already know who and what I'm voting for next year (DEMOCRACY).
You are the first commentator that I have read who dug up the quote from Grassley about how he expected Pence to be absent when the electoral votes were counted in 2020. I specifically remember him saying that and I wondered at the time how he could have come to that expectation without having knowledge of the plot to overturn the election. And since then I have wondered how he has escaped accountability. He had to be aware of and ready to participate in the plot to thwart democracy. Good work Robert!
I attended the SPAN (State Party Advancement Network) zoom today - that you co-hosted and recommended to your readers. I found it very informative and inspiring. Thanks very much!
I hope at some point you will discuss in greater detail the incredibly important work of SPAN and state parties in general.
Also, I was told a recording will be available . - please post the link. I encourage everyone to listen at least to the approximately 30 minutes of presentation (before Q and A). This effort is so crucially worthy of our attention and support.
I am in support of Biden 100%…. and tho I have activism fatigue, I have the energy driven by fear to fight for Biden and Democracy. No-one has stepped to the plate to prove themselves more able/capable than Biden to figure out how to protect our democracy. Not just win an election, but keep promises.
In the list of those trying to squeeze themselves into the smokescreen that the execrable Gym Jordan (who belongs behind bars) is spewing, please don't forget the ever-detestable Elise (the Borden's pinup girl who considers chocolate milk produced by her constiuents to be a health food) Stefanik, yet another waste of a Harvard sheepskin.
Commenting on the matter of early polling data, as I stated in a recent posting, we can expect that how voters respond over a year out from an election is measurably different from how they will respond as we approach the decision date. Still, I urge we be clear that Biden’s problem is not his age. Bernie Sanders is a year older than Biden. Biden’s problem is an inability to take full advantage of the bully pulpit, and, therefore, an inability to control the narrative. Because I believe politics, largely, is perception, I remain concerned about the willful denial of the problem at hand and the immeasurable consequences that could ensue.
Michael, I mentioned Bernie, who, despite his age, owns the bully pulpit and, thus, appears young and rigorous, to draw a contrast with Biden, particularly when unscripted, who often speaks hesitantly and can appear old and mentally deficient. My point is to clarify that the problem is not age but the ability to take full advantage of the bully pulpit, which, in my view, is essential to molding public sentiment. As stated in my original comment, willful denial of this serious problem could produce devastating consequences in 24.
I would suggest ghat you listen more closely to the *content* of Biden’s remarks, not just his delivery; I find them coherent and often cogent. I don’t think he’s at all dottering. He has a speech impediment, a stutter that’s remarkably under control.
Have you ever stalled in your conversation, with the “right” word stuck on the tip of your tongue? Many of us have, yet we’re not mentally impaired in a serious way.
Did you see the way Biden cleverly put down MAGA Republicans who heckled and interrupted Biden during his most recent State of the Union speech. It was not the work of a mentally impaired man.
By the way, people who want to see incoherent speech should listen to Trump for just a few minutes. The man is definitely impaired.
Michael, I am well aware of the substance of the Biden Presidency. Nonetheless, I am not blind to the fact that for much of the country, particularly the 60% living precariously from paycheck to paycheck, wherein family income is only sustained by more people working longer hours, while still weighted down by mortgage debt, credit card debt, and the like, “delivery” can be critical to one’s sense that their leader is connecting with their lives.
As for Trump, while your critique is rationally accurate, Trump’s one talent is his capacity seemingly to connect with people’s grievances (several legitimate), their rage, their anxieties, and the like to the point they’re willing to accept any authoritarian option in order, in their view, to provide some sense of normalcy and security in their lives.
I agree with this comment of yours. I think the Biden Administration is doing a horrendous job of linking its programs and intentions to the situations middle- and lower-economic class families are experiencing. When I see Biden’s economic advisors interviewed, e.g., on the nightly PBS News, I cringe most of the time at their lack of ability to address people’s *concrete* economic realities.
Michael, Because I frequently write to the White House, plus House and Senate leadership, pressing the need for Democrats to focus more on their pro-worker agenda—$15 hourly minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, the child tax credit, affordable, quality childcare, universal healthcare, investments in housing, in eldercare, and more—all of which have received zero Republican support, I am heartened that you and I, who fell into dispute, have found common ground on this urgent matter.
Sep 8, 2023·edited Sep 8, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Grassley has long been a negative force in the senate, a dark pool where good ideas go to die. Where snow balls melt. One can just imagine how he salivated over the possibility that he would be a "player" in Trump's attempted insurrection. Treason be damned. Yet, Iowa voters always seem to return him. Could one reader reply and identify one good thing he has ever done in all his year in Washington?
Time out for great news! Robert please share. One-half billion dollars ($500 million) will be awarded over the next five years to local newspapers that have won the trust of their communities by a coalition of major foundations such as Ford and MacArthur and other donors called Press Forward. l
Last night in a community here on Cape Cod over a hundred donors gathered to raise at a Give Auction nearly $75,000 for our local paper ‘s nonprofit arm called the Local Journalism Project. The newspaper sells ads and issued shares in the paper on the business side. The LJP awards summer and winter internships to report at the paper. One recent grad is now at the WSJ and another at the Christian Science Monitor. The nonprofit arm has a small advisory board that incudes Drew Gilpin Faust, a former Harvard president, and Andy Moss, former editor of the NYT magazine and New York Magazine. The joy and generosity at last night’s fundraiser was infectious. A donor has also made a grant to support climate change coverage keyed to our fragile coastal environment. Support your community paper!
One of your best commentaries yet, and thanks for all the links. Trump’s tentacles have extended into many aspects of government that “ the average voter” is completely oblivious to. Many thanks to ALL prosecutors who are so diligently pursuing each and every lead and avoiding any and all pitfalls and obfuscation by Trump’s minions to bring the facts to the public and the perpetrators to justice. There are more of us than there are of them, and too much is at stake to ignore or back off from pursuing a course of action that will bring ALL participants in the attempted coup to the bar.
Thanks again Robert for your due diligence in exposing the depths of our national disgrace. Lovers of our unique governmental system, regardless of their political affiliation must unite in spirit and faith that their labors will sustain our fragile democratic republic.
I can't add to what Richard says here, except to say there seems to be a fair degree of larceny in the Republican soul. They have become paranoid as they sense more and more that they are losing power and in their desperation to dominate there is nothing they won't do, within or outside the law to hang on to it. Trump is a prime example.
The suggestion of a plot to "disable" Pence at that very critical historical moment and replace him with Grassley is very frightening. The DOJ should make this investigation their top priority now. The secret service detail should be questioned to see who if anyone in Congress suggested they remove Pence from the premises at that critical time. Was it simply for his protection from the mob, or for the reasons mentioned? Those email/text exchanges will clear the matter up
I can only say what I heard reported, that Pence hesitated to get into the secret service vehicle that was to take him away from the insurrectionists. Ostensibly because of the image it would have presented of him running away. The darker image than fleeing, was that he didn't know where he was going and that he may not have been able to complete the verification of the vote count. Which leads to the "Grassley episode" that went relatively unreported. That is HUGE and needs to be investigated.
Your "there are more of us" reminds me of the old book, "The Aquarian Conspiracy." It gave me faith then and still does now that there are people like us everywhere in society and government working for the same goal. I highly recommend that book to keep ones hopes up.
Well said, Richard!
Very well said.
Starting backwards...the Ukrainians have cause for “exhaustion and fatigue” , they are in a violent war that threatens their lives and their country. Nobody is threatening to destroy our lives and our homes but our system of government .
So we are not asked to go to war, just get out the vote and in the process we can freely order a cappuccino whenever we want! ( my recommendation for an answer. I have a much more blunt answer but not allowed in this forum.) Regarding Biden’s age Democrats should all step up and defend Biden and talk about Trumps total insanity with everything he says. Sorry Democrats stop thinking this is a pillow fight. Regarding the ecosystem of congress and the secret service this needs to be addressed now. They should have the fear of Hod starting now. Brilliant essay Robert!
An excellent comparison to people who who have suffered terrible losses and are truly brave in keeping on going when the odds are against them. Thanks for that. I do feel it is ok for us to be afraid when so many difficult things are happening. Yesterday, Coco Gauff, who won the semi-finals in the US Open, when asked about the pressure she must feel, said that she realizes that her stress level is nothing when compared to families who are struggling to feed their children. And she is 19! It is important to put everything in perspective, as you have suggested!
Yes and thank you Kathleen!
Agreed that we are not at war. Our physical beings are not in peril. The Ukrainian People are showing great courage and resilience. However, we have been battling these despicable people for years now, and it does exhaust the psyche. We are so fortunate to have people like Robert and Heather Cox Richardson and others on Substack who sift through the dross of the news presented to provide us with an intelligent perspective.
I am behind Biden 100%.We all must be.There is no other choice.Just as it was in 2016 , I had some reservations about Hillary Clinton and her not being the ideal candidate but then I saw the handwriting on the wall and got behind her too as the only way to go. CNN is attempting to attract disgruntled Fox “News” viewers and I am completely done with them as a source of accurate and honest information. Their current Biden presidential poll is infuriating and disingenuous. As many have been stating of late, the 2024 election is not a Democrat v Republican thing but is democracy v fascism/ autocracy on full display and the stakes could not be higher.I would much rather be lead by an experienced and knowledgeable elder statesman than to be under the thumb of a slightly younger full-stop terrorist dictator.
Agreed 100%. The focus on Biden’s age is misplaced, misguided, counterproductive and infuriating. Biden is doing an amazing job and shows no signs of decline that I can see, he deserves unreserved support!!
Yes and the dweebs at the msm hanging on TFGs every corrupt word is not helping anyone.I don’t get it.All of these newscasters have family, children, grandchildren,etc.Do they want their loved ones to live in a country fashioned after Donald Trump?We all have our work cut out for ourselves-again.
Absolutely. This morning the Today show highlighted Gavin Newsom as someone who was thinking of running if Biden chose not to. Newsom said he wasn't interested, but the reporter interviewing him acted like Newsom was a choice for Democrats.
Newsom is not ready, nor is he smart enough to be President at this time. Maybe when he grows up and doesn't attend a fundraiser during the time when there was no vaccine for us yet, and when he was telling Californians not to attend events with lots of people! Maybe then he will be ready!
Here is a really thought provoking talk by Dan Pfeiffer (aide to Obama) and Jon Favreau (Obama head speech writer) about how Dem's should "handle" the age issue, and how MSM is really contributing to misinformation about what Biden's age really means to Americans.
https://youtu.be/kJdIy4PlJ04?si=IJNlqgDnniLCjFVh
Thanks for bringing up the congressional portion of the coup. I was certain this was being glossed over for reasons I couldn't understand. After the identified tourists into the capital on January 6th have now recieved over 700 years of combined prison time it's time to go after the brains (heavy sarcasm) behind action to stop the transfer of power. These creeps are still sitting in Congress and accepting a paycheck and defrauding the rest of us by smugly carrying on with their lives when they should be answering to Jack Smith and the American people. Gym Jordan should be the first in line.
I agree, Jeff. Perhaps they will eventually get their comeuppance. Go get 'em, Jack Smith!
Jeff, While I agree, I also applaud Smith’s tactics of streamlining his Jan 6th indictment better to insure a speedy trial.
Absolutely agree with your and cousin Jack. They must all eventually falk - traitors all
I will continue to say this: The RNC is operated as an organized crime syndicate, with neonazi, fascist billionaires pulling the puppet strings for their Paid-for politicians that they installed into office. “Citizens’ United” is a euphemistic farce perpetrated by the billionaire crime lords organized under Charles Koch (and Lenard Leo); it must be revoked. It was Clarence Thomas, Charles Koch and Mitch McConnell who rammed “Citizens United” through the Supreme Court. Are coup plotters in Congress? You’re damned right there are. And they do their bidding for their billionaire sponsors. This is TREASON AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS, and it needs to be forcibly stopped. Let’s not forget: Ginni Thomas was plotting the Jan. 6 coup, along with Eastman, et al; she was in the mob texting Mark Meadows to “release the kraken.” The Thomases are among the TOP PUBLIC ENEMIES of the MAGAts.
I am so glad that Grassley's role is coming into focus. Another reason that Democrats must win everything in 2024 is that there is so much more to be uncovered. Grassley needs to be investigated. So does Cruz. And a whole bunch of Republican House members. We must rid our government of all of these anti-democratic authoritarian influences.
And don't forget Josh Hawley.
I loathe Josh Hawley to the depths of my soul (I am from Missouri), but I kind of think he was more of a try-hard than actually being let in on the actual planning. But a good investigation of his role wouldn't be wrong.
I totally agree with you.We must be rid of All of these traitors.I am sure that when all of this comes out( and it will eventually)we will see a ginormous octopus of corruption the scale of which this country has never seen.
Thank you for this excellent letter. The CNN worldview is not going to come to the aid of the democracy. I long for the days when the lexicon did not include references like, red state, blue state, battleground states, etc. What I miss the most is "the United States of America."
Robert, thanks for delving into the Grassley role. I was completely oblivious to it.
Your Concluding Thoughts fit perfectly with the theme of Felonious Trump and his cohorts flooding the zone with everything imaginable (even unimaginable) to sow chaos and wear us out. We should look at every Republican action and provocation through that lens. They will use any and all means to achieve their ends.
If we do look at “every Republican action and provocation” through the lens applied here to Grassley, do we really believe Sen. Tuberville is gutting military leadership over abortion? Is his reputation for truthfulness different from Trump’s? What is the continuing threat of a coup from inside Congress? I hate to express these words and, Robert, you have my permission to delete them.
Heather Cox Richardson has something to say about this from marker 22:56 to 28:50 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQRArVv6Ga0&t=156s
There is something eerily similar to the stasis the Trump Senate bestowed on Merrick Garland’s nomination, awaiting a change of administration.
I read something yesterday that CNN's poll intentionally was based on querying 59% Republicans, which significantly skewed the results in the direction of the "news' story" CNN wanted to run. Anyone else read that? Everything is so subject to being manipulated by falsehoods, I don't know what to believe. 😒
Robert, great piece! I feel as though one day there will be the final gathering on the Orient Express and we will hear "who dunnit!" The plot thickens!
I have not heard that analysis of the CNN poll, but would be interested in any information about skewed demographics.
I will see if I can track it down. I think it was Mediaite.
I trust polls about as much as I trust Faux "News." I don't know why people pay attention to political polls.
Especially polls taken 18 months out from the election!
Polls are a waste of time in this day and age period. There are only ever two or three swing states and I already know who and what I'm voting for next year (DEMOCRACY).
Your point is well made and I think many Americans don’t trust the polls because they have been rigged by special interest groups.
You are the first commentator that I have read who dug up the quote from Grassley about how he expected Pence to be absent when the electoral votes were counted in 2020. I specifically remember him saying that and I wondered at the time how he could have come to that expectation without having knowledge of the plot to overturn the election. And since then I have wondered how he has escaped accountability. He had to be aware of and ready to participate in the plot to thwart democracy. Good work Robert!
I attended the SPAN (State Party Advancement Network) zoom today - that you co-hosted and recommended to your readers. I found it very informative and inspiring. Thanks very much!
I hope at some point you will discuss in greater detail the incredibly important work of SPAN and state parties in general.
Also, I was told a recording will be available . - please post the link. I encourage everyone to listen at least to the approximately 30 minutes of presentation (before Q and A). This effort is so crucially worthy of our attention and support.
Hi, Alexandra. I will do so. The good news is that there is so much good work to report on that I can't get to it all. I will fill in the details.
yes, I could not be there as I had other meetings, but really want to listen to the recording.
I am in support of Biden 100%…. and tho I have activism fatigue, I have the energy driven by fear to fight for Biden and Democracy. No-one has stepped to the plate to prove themselves more able/capable than Biden to figure out how to protect our democracy. Not just win an election, but keep promises.
In the list of those trying to squeeze themselves into the smokescreen that the execrable Gym Jordan (who belongs behind bars) is spewing, please don't forget the ever-detestable Elise (the Borden's pinup girl who considers chocolate milk produced by her constiuents to be a health food) Stefanik, yet another waste of a Harvard sheepskin.
Commenting on the matter of early polling data, as I stated in a recent posting, we can expect that how voters respond over a year out from an election is measurably different from how they will respond as we approach the decision date. Still, I urge we be clear that Biden’s problem is not his age. Bernie Sanders is a year older than Biden. Biden’s problem is an inability to take full advantage of the bully pulpit, and, therefore, an inability to control the narrative. Because I believe politics, largely, is perception, I remain concerned about the willful denial of the problem at hand and the immeasurable consequences that could ensue.
Good point about Bernie Sanders. It should be shoved in the faces of ageist Biden detractors.
Michael, I mentioned Bernie, who, despite his age, owns the bully pulpit and, thus, appears young and rigorous, to draw a contrast with Biden, particularly when unscripted, who often speaks hesitantly and can appear old and mentally deficient. My point is to clarify that the problem is not age but the ability to take full advantage of the bully pulpit, which, in my view, is essential to molding public sentiment. As stated in my original comment, willful denial of this serious problem could produce devastating consequences in 24.
Barbara,
I would suggest ghat you listen more closely to the *content* of Biden’s remarks, not just his delivery; I find them coherent and often cogent. I don’t think he’s at all dottering. He has a speech impediment, a stutter that’s remarkably under control.
Have you ever stalled in your conversation, with the “right” word stuck on the tip of your tongue? Many of us have, yet we’re not mentally impaired in a serious way.
Did you see the way Biden cleverly put down MAGA Republicans who heckled and interrupted Biden during his most recent State of the Union speech. It was not the work of a mentally impaired man.
By the way, people who want to see incoherent speech should listen to Trump for just a few minutes. The man is definitely impaired.
Michael, I am well aware of the substance of the Biden Presidency. Nonetheless, I am not blind to the fact that for much of the country, particularly the 60% living precariously from paycheck to paycheck, wherein family income is only sustained by more people working longer hours, while still weighted down by mortgage debt, credit card debt, and the like, “delivery” can be critical to one’s sense that their leader is connecting with their lives.
As for Trump, while your critique is rationally accurate, Trump’s one talent is his capacity seemingly to connect with people’s grievances (several legitimate), their rage, their anxieties, and the like to the point they’re willing to accept any authoritarian option in order, in their view, to provide some sense of normalcy and security in their lives.
Barbara,
I agree with this comment of yours. I think the Biden Administration is doing a horrendous job of linking its programs and intentions to the situations middle- and lower-economic class families are experiencing. When I see Biden’s economic advisors interviewed, e.g., on the nightly PBS News, I cringe most of the time at their lack of ability to address people’s *concrete* economic realities.
Michael, Because I frequently write to the White House, plus House and Senate leadership, pressing the need for Democrats to focus more on their pro-worker agenda—$15 hourly minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, the child tax credit, affordable, quality childcare, universal healthcare, investments in housing, in eldercare, and more—all of which have received zero Republican support, I am heartened that you and I, who fell into dispute, have found common ground on this urgent matter.
Grassley has long been a negative force in the senate, a dark pool where good ideas go to die. Where snow balls melt. One can just imagine how he salivated over the possibility that he would be a "player" in Trump's attempted insurrection. Treason be damned. Yet, Iowa voters always seem to return him. Could one reader reply and identify one good thing he has ever done in all his year in Washington?
"Where sow balls melt." They have no balls so melt before tfg's directives. (Methinks the typo is actually fitting 😉)
Time out for great news! Robert please share. One-half billion dollars ($500 million) will be awarded over the next five years to local newspapers that have won the trust of their communities by a coalition of major foundations such as Ford and MacArthur and other donors called Press Forward. l
Last night in a community here on Cape Cod over a hundred donors gathered to raise at a Give Auction nearly $75,000 for our local paper ‘s nonprofit arm called the Local Journalism Project. The newspaper sells ads and issued shares in the paper on the business side. The LJP awards summer and winter internships to report at the paper. One recent grad is now at the WSJ and another at the Christian Science Monitor. The nonprofit arm has a small advisory board that incudes Drew Gilpin Faust, a former Harvard president, and Andy Moss, former editor of the NYT magazine and New York Magazine. The joy and generosity at last night’s fundraiser was infectious. A donor has also made a grant to support climate change coverage keyed to our fragile coastal environment. Support your community paper!
This really is good news! thanks for sharing. can you send me a link to any of the organizations involved? rhubbell@outlook.com
https://www.macfound.org/press/press-releases/press-forward-will-award-more-than-500-million-to-revitalize-local-news