It is extraordinary that only two of ten trusted media are from the mainstream. And one of those is from MSNBC; the other is British, the Guardian. It is a disgrace that the American news media is failing to meet its obligations.
This is not new. Most of the media has always been junk, partisan or both. Those of us who grew up in the middle or last part of the 20th century were spoiled, because we lived in a golden age of broadcast news (pioneered by Bill Paley at CBS). We thought that was how it would always be, and while that should be the case, it was a historical aberration.
They were good, in part, because they had to compete with broadcast news--Murrow, Cronkite, Rather, Huntley and Brinkley. I think that NYT has taken a serious downslide in the past couple of years, as they became more a game and human-interest operation than a newspaper.
On TV I find value to two offerings: 1. PBS News Hour, and 2. CBS Sunday Morning. Each provide viewers with very intelligent and reality based reporting.
I’d also add PBS Frontline, they will be posting their election report: The Choice, an excellent investigative reporting of each candidates history, thinking and politics. As soon as it is available I’m post a link. It will air on 9/24/2024 - Here’s a trailer:
Today's column is the Marcus Welby of substack posts: calm, measured, thoughtful, reassuring. It is, if you'll forgive me, just what the doctor ordered.
I know you didn't coin it, Robert, but "persistence and precision" is a great phrase.
To that I would add that Robert has inspired us all to take action, by both his example and his message. Each of us should consider how incredibly invested we have become, and think about how much more we can and must do to make sure our democracy survives for our children and grandchildren.
Thanks for pointing out we need to stay the course. I am going to talk to my daughter's boyfriend, who lives in Texas, while she lives in Europe, and he is upset about the war as a reason for maybe not choosing a presidential candidate. I am going to work on him voting every other person in his state Blue, and hopefully getting him to accept Harris too. My daughter is raised to be tolerant of difference, and as long as he is nice and treats her well, she can overlook this, but has insisted that he vote. He is a millennial while she is Gen Z, and the first election that she could vote in, was a special election in our city and she registered to vote, a month after she turned 18, and voted. The place where she registered and voted all clapped after she put her ballot in the box, because she was a first time voter. It was so nice. Then, we told all of her newly turned 18 friends how to register and vote. One of the counselors in her school also took all the unregistered 18-year olds on a field trip after school to register to vote who wanted to come. It takes a lot of effort to get first time voters to vote, because it is not a normal procedure. That is why in my teaching I would teach government as part of our studies in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, where we had a class government and a campaign. We would either do a local government or a federal government, depending on the year. So we had either a mayor or a president. We also had elected representatives for each table group and we had a court, which is how we handled infractions of class laws, which were developed by the legislative branch. I also taught them all of the national holidays, and we held a Veterans Day assembly where we taught about what it stands for and the branches of the military, and interviewed people in our families who had been in the military, who were all invited as guests of honor to the assembly. We would put the interviews up as posters all over the school prior to that day, and then go on the day to the local VA hospital and sing songs to the Vets. You could tell which ones were in which branch when we sang the Military Medley because they would sing along. We also brought cards to pass out to people. It was a great way to raise awareness of civics and government. Anyway, I hope my former students are all making time to register to vote and voting this year. In Germany my branch of Democrats Abroad Germany will have a rally to both support democracy and get out the vote of Americans Abroad on Sunday. https://www.democratsabroad.org/370992/stand_up_for_democracy
Linda, I just learned of this resource.Maybe they were channeling you.😏 I recruited my 23 year-old nephew to register his 18 year-old sister to vote.He’s way cooler than Aunt Kathy!👩🏻🦳
We help college students in swing states cut through barriers so they can register and vote.
We provide college-specific instructions and 1:1 voting mentors to make sure students have the support they need.
Essential work with relatives and students, Kathy and Linda and Beth B. Thank you. Look at the model of education that these stories point to. Empowering students, not telling them what they can and cannot think. Helping them realize that learning something is not how you want it to be requires more than head shaking; it compels action. Life is about learning and growing, not hearing one truth from a terrified and terrifying teacher, priest, pastor, or doctor, and then running away and hiding (Josh Hawley wrote a book on masculinity, you know), and true teaching requires teachers with a moral core that is founded not on indoctrination, but freedom from ignorance and apathy, fear and inaction. Inspiring.
My mother took me with her when she voted in the 1960 election (I was 7). She may have taken me another time--I can't remember for sure, but my brother also remembers being taken to the voting booth by my mother at a young age. And my parents went out on that particular night, telling my brother (age 10) and me that we could watch until the election was decided.
I trundled off to bed at 10, despite the election having not been decided. My parents came home at 3AM, my brother still bleary eyed in front of the television. I don't think that election was decided until around 6AM west coast time (we were in Seattle).
We voted as soon as we could, needing no prompting from our parents.
Ha! Love it! As student council advisor, I oversaw a whole school student council officers/class representatives election, K-5, with a "convention" of speeches in the auditorium, posters, flyers, campaigning during recess and lunch. Election day was a to-do, collecting ballots from every classroom, counting, finally announcing the results over the intercom. And I, too, "hope my former students are all making time to register to vote and voting this year."
Your students were lucky to have you. I did something similar, but not as extensive as your lessons. We ran our fourth grade classroom as a democracy, set our "rules" and "norms" together and took turns with everything it takes to manage a classroom. Never had a single behavior problem. Not one.
Linda, I always enjoy your posts and wish I had been a student in your class so long ago! Thank you for your heart and mind and your willingness to share on these Substacks.🙇🏽♀️
Lawrence O'Donnell had an impactful takedown of the Republicans who promoted the overturn of Roe v Wade, leading to the death of Amber Nicole Thurman in Georgia.
Take action in support of right to IVF by supporting these Democratic US Senate candidates running against their 9 Republican opponents who voted today (9/17/24) against the Right to IVF Act (with the guidance of strategic giving research, noting that most of these Republicans are sure-win incumbents).
Here are these 9 Republican Senators and their Democratic opponents:
(Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has a good chance to beat Rick Scott, given her current experience in the House of Representatives and support from the Latino/immigrant communities.)
*From the "Department of Republicans Have No Shame," all 9 of these Senators had also signed a joint statement by all Republican Senators on 6/12/24 supporting access to IVF.
Lawrence's dialogue on the death of Amber Nicole Thurman was very heartfelt and personal. I almost wept along with him and I had already read the ProPublica article about her and another woman's death in Georgia that were judged to have been preventable. The tip of a dreadful iceberg. 😔
As he was speaking about his mother, I remembered when I was a kid 7-8ish years old my mother was on the phone talking about a friend having a DNC. I asked her what that was and she said it was a procedure some women had to have. Obviously, it was a d&c, but that was waaaay before Roe was a gleam in the national eye and was obviously a thing that happened at the doctor's office, and that was 1959-60ish in Texas.
Ellie, Lawrence’s show last night, especially, was very emotional and heartfelt. I was volunteered for free clinics outside of Bethesda, MD in the early 70’s before moving to Northern CA where I began volunteering for Planned Parenthood. I had one young woman who had been sent to us because she had been forcibly raped by two burglars who tied her boyfriend up. PP hadn’t trained me for this interview so I did the best I could to reassure she would be cared for by us. It was my first foray into having a real discussion about rape, but not my last. Anyway, I know we are not necessarily talking about that but I have such a strong commitment to our sisterhood and not being able to get IVF treatments is a travesty.
Thanks for that link to Lawrence's show last night. He was powerful, emotional, and, as usual, spot on with his accuracy. I will share this link on my FB page.
Just wanted to let everyone know that my two middle school daughters and I went canvassing for four hours on Saturday. It was awesome. The enthusiasm, even for this pretty rural, pretty red part of Maine was overwhelming. It was amazing to see old fisherman, jumping up and down and waving their arms from their lobster boats, hollering that they're voting for Harris Walz! Absolutely no hesitation from these white guys re: voting for a brown woman. Lots and lots of yard signs for Harris Walz, many handmade. I did not encounter this level of enthusiasm when I canvassed for Barack Obama. I have a good feeling 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🙏🏽
Hi Mary! Kudos to you and your daughters! As a Mainer from the first district, I am heartened by your post. My canvass in the City of Ships, Bath, ME last Saturday was mixed. But in fairness, we were targeting independents, unenrolled voters, and even Republicans. These person to person conversations are so important!
Dear one. Today was particularly hard for me (for no specific reason except the pain from my broken back!), and you once again helped me get over myself and get back on the horse!! Thank you thank you thank you!
THIS edition today is chockful of resources and needs to be shared widely, thank you so much for this, Robert! For news I read your newsletter and the other sources you cited, but also for global and American perspectives skim through specific editions of Semafor (Flagship, Americana, Principals).
Also you have outdone yourself with the lunar eclipse image - I am downloading it to be my wallpaper on the home screen of my phone. So beautiful!
Women Voters. And men who care. PAY ATTENTION: "Donald Trump takes full credit for the “Trump abortion bans” that are endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of women each year. ...
A Georgia medical committee concluded that the death of a Georgia woman, Amber Nicole Thurman, was a preventable consequence of uncertainty caused by Georgia abortion laws that criminalize common procedures to treat miscarriages or complications of drug induced abortions. See Pro Publica, Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable."
Joe Rogan has a YouTube channel ,with supposedly 11 million followers ,and appeals to young Republican males. He said VP Harris “is nailing it “and “doing a f*$king amazing job” while he mocked Trump.As Victor Shi said…”This is really good and big.”
Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours phone-banking for Kamala. They must have got the list we were calling from the Republican Party. A lot of Trump supporters, a number of them profane. (I’m a sailor, and the only thing I can do like a professional is swear, so it was OK.) The responses from the Trump people let the campaign clean up the list, so that they won’t be called again when we are getting out the vote. I did speak with a number of Harris supporters, and they were heartening. Their determination and enthusiasm continue to surprise me. And I am astonished by how many are willing to volunteer, or are already helping out. And how people who can’t volunteer apologize, although there’s no need to. The tiny slice of people I have spoken to fills me with hope, optimism and determination. As well as wonderment that so many voters are delusional. I’m going to call again tomorrow. Hoping that the job will involve following up with people who’ve said they want to go to a rally with Kamala or Tim. That’s more fun.
But, Robert, instead of asking people to get their friends and family to vote on Election Day, please join the push to Vote on Day 1 (or as early as possible). It is important to bank our votes as early as we can.
Simon Rosenberg has written about this and even Taylor Swift encouraged her fans to vote early.
Thank you, Robert and readers, for directing me to Lawrence O'Donnell's opening last night and to the reader who posted it. Powerful. Also to those sharing get out the vote experiences.
Here's another story...
On a long UBER ride with a chatty driver who had disclosed his love of blues, jazz and gospel music, I asked him if he had a plan to vote. He said no and when I asked him what was getting in the way, he said he didn't like either candidate. I am free forming this as I go, but it's a long ride to DT LA from where I started so I thought, why not keep my conversation going. This was just after the DNC and I was still high on a number of speeches, but Raphael Warnock's line...not quoting...a vote is like a prayer for the country you want...I asked my driver if he knew who Warnock is. No, he didn't, but when I mentioned he pastors Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Atlanta...he knew. I went on to encourage him to think about which 'side' would he want to support with his vote that would get him to the country he wants. Thoughtfully, he responded..."you got me." This is a bit coded, but followed a dialogue about music he plays in his car including gospel and a previous rider having been touched by the music.
As I reflected on this random conversation I realized agreeing with my adversary (not liking either candidate) was important and offered me another avenue to reach him.
For those of us who succumb to 'arguing' our POV with those we think would benefit from our expertise, I remember that you can't argue someone into a position they did not argue themselves into.
I live three hours from Missoula. I'm seriously considering getting a motel room each weekend spending the final weekends of the campaign there to knock on doors for Jon Tester if my local longshot congressional candidate doesn't ask me for the same thing.
And knocking on doors is WAY outside my comfort zone, but I figure if I'm paired with someone who knows what they're doing, I can just stand there and smile and occasionally interject something useful and/or informative.
Why don't you do the canvassing for your congressional candidate and Jon Tester at the same time. Tester's is a statewide election, so every vote counts, whether in Missoula or your local district.
I am also optimistic that there is some sliver of Republicans, WSJ types, for whom this complete truth breakdown by Trump and Vance is just too much. There comes a point, I would think, where it becomes scary to elect two people who are completely comfortable with fabricating anything--they really don't think twice about it. I have to believe there are some folks out there for whom this can be a final straw.
See this from this morning's BULWARK:
OTHER THAN THAT, THOUGH: Last night, JD Vance was asked by a reporter why he didn’t fact check claims from his constituents who were saying, allegedly, that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating cats. Vance insisted it was the media’s responsibility to fact check the residents of Springfield, “not lie about them.” He seemed pleased with himself as the audience roared with applause. Well, this morning, the Wall Street Journal reports that Vance’s office did actually reach out to the Springfield city manager to see if there was any validity to the rumors about Haitian migrants. The staffer was told that it was all baseless. Vance, nevertheless, kept up his post on X about the rumors. And that night, Donald Trump went on the debate stage and just stated it as fact. But that only touches the surface of the Journal story. The paper was also provided, by Vance’s office, a police report from a resident who said her pet might have been taken by Haitian neighbors. The reporter went to that person’s house. The resident said her cat had actually returned a few days after it went missing, found safe in her own basement. She had apologized to her Haitian neighbors.
It is extraordinary that only two of ten trusted media are from the mainstream. And one of those is from MSNBC; the other is British, the Guardian. It is a disgrace that the American news media is failing to meet its obligations.
This is not new. Most of the media has always been junk, partisan or both. Those of us who grew up in the middle or last part of the 20th century were spoiled, because we lived in a golden age of broadcast news (pioneered by Bill Paley at CBS). We thought that was how it would always be, and while that should be the case, it was a historical aberration.
The NYT was quite good back then, as were a number of other newspapers.
They were good, in part, because they had to compete with broadcast news--Murrow, Cronkite, Rather, Huntley and Brinkley. I think that NYT has taken a serious downslide in the past couple of years, as they became more a game and human-interest operation than a newspaper.
God, I miss those guys!
On TV I find value to two offerings: 1. PBS News Hour, and 2. CBS Sunday Morning. Each provide viewers with very intelligent and reality based reporting.
I’d also add PBS Frontline, they will be posting their election report: The Choice, an excellent investigative reporting of each candidates history, thinking and politics. As soon as it is available I’m post a link. It will air on 9/24/2024 - Here’s a trailer:
https://pbs.org/video/the-choice-2024-harris-vs-trump-series-sell?source=social
What do people think of the BBC? My (English) husband quite likes them as a news source.
BBC is ok, but The Guardian is, IMO, better.
Interesting. Thanks!
Today's column is the Marcus Welby of substack posts: calm, measured, thoughtful, reassuring. It is, if you'll forgive me, just what the doctor ordered.
I know you didn't coin it, Robert, but "persistence and precision" is a great phrase.
To that I would add that Robert has inspired us all to take action, by both his example and his message. Each of us should consider how incredibly invested we have become, and think about how much more we can and must do to make sure our democracy survives for our children and grandchildren.
Thanks for pointing out we need to stay the course. I am going to talk to my daughter's boyfriend, who lives in Texas, while she lives in Europe, and he is upset about the war as a reason for maybe not choosing a presidential candidate. I am going to work on him voting every other person in his state Blue, and hopefully getting him to accept Harris too. My daughter is raised to be tolerant of difference, and as long as he is nice and treats her well, she can overlook this, but has insisted that he vote. He is a millennial while she is Gen Z, and the first election that she could vote in, was a special election in our city and she registered to vote, a month after she turned 18, and voted. The place where she registered and voted all clapped after she put her ballot in the box, because she was a first time voter. It was so nice. Then, we told all of her newly turned 18 friends how to register and vote. One of the counselors in her school also took all the unregistered 18-year olds on a field trip after school to register to vote who wanted to come. It takes a lot of effort to get first time voters to vote, because it is not a normal procedure. That is why in my teaching I would teach government as part of our studies in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, where we had a class government and a campaign. We would either do a local government or a federal government, depending on the year. So we had either a mayor or a president. We also had elected representatives for each table group and we had a court, which is how we handled infractions of class laws, which were developed by the legislative branch. I also taught them all of the national holidays, and we held a Veterans Day assembly where we taught about what it stands for and the branches of the military, and interviewed people in our families who had been in the military, who were all invited as guests of honor to the assembly. We would put the interviews up as posters all over the school prior to that day, and then go on the day to the local VA hospital and sing songs to the Vets. You could tell which ones were in which branch when we sang the Military Medley because they would sing along. We also brought cards to pass out to people. It was a great way to raise awareness of civics and government. Anyway, I hope my former students are all making time to register to vote and voting this year. In Germany my branch of Democrats Abroad Germany will have a rally to both support democracy and get out the vote of Americans Abroad on Sunday. https://www.democratsabroad.org/370992/stand_up_for_democracy
Linda, I just learned of this resource.Maybe they were channeling you.😏 I recruited my 23 year-old nephew to register his 18 year-old sister to vote.He’s way cooler than Aunt Kathy!👩🏻🦳
We help college students in swing states cut through barriers so they can register and vote.
We provide college-specific instructions and 1:1 voting mentors to make sure students have the support they need.
https://www.swingthevote.us/
Essential work with relatives and students, Kathy and Linda and Beth B. Thank you. Look at the model of education that these stories point to. Empowering students, not telling them what they can and cannot think. Helping them realize that learning something is not how you want it to be requires more than head shaking; it compels action. Life is about learning and growing, not hearing one truth from a terrified and terrifying teacher, priest, pastor, or doctor, and then running away and hiding (Josh Hawley wrote a book on masculinity, you know), and true teaching requires teachers with a moral core that is founded not on indoctrination, but freedom from ignorance and apathy, fear and inaction. Inspiring.
WOW!
Remind the boyfriend that either Kamala or Trump is going to be president, and ask if he really doesn’t see a difference between them. 😄
My mother took me with her when she voted in the 1960 election (I was 7). She may have taken me another time--I can't remember for sure, but my brother also remembers being taken to the voting booth by my mother at a young age. And my parents went out on that particular night, telling my brother (age 10) and me that we could watch until the election was decided.
I trundled off to bed at 10, despite the election having not been decided. My parents came home at 3AM, my brother still bleary eyed in front of the television. I don't think that election was decided until around 6AM west coast time (we were in Seattle).
We voted as soon as we could, needing no prompting from our parents.
Ha! Love it! As student council advisor, I oversaw a whole school student council officers/class representatives election, K-5, with a "convention" of speeches in the auditorium, posters, flyers, campaigning during recess and lunch. Election day was a to-do, collecting ballots from every classroom, counting, finally announcing the results over the intercom. And I, too, "hope my former students are all making time to register to vote and voting this year."
I love it Beth!
Fantastic!!
You do good work Linda. Thank you !
Your students were lucky to have you. I did something similar, but not as extensive as your lessons. We ran our fourth grade classroom as a democracy, set our "rules" and "norms" together and took turns with everything it takes to manage a classroom. Never had a single behavior problem. Not one.
You are awesome!!! Thank you for what you did! I wish I had had you for a teacher. I'm sure they all benefited so much from your teaching!
Wow. What truly great examples of how to teach young people about government and governing. Hats off (if I wore one) to you!
Linda, I always enjoy your posts and wish I had been a student in your class so long ago! Thank you for your heart and mind and your willingness to share on these Substacks.🙇🏽♀️
Amber Nicole Thurman and Roe v Wade:
Lawrence O'Donnell had an impactful takedown of the Republicans who promoted the overturn of Roe v Wade, leading to the death of Amber Nicole Thurman in Georgia.
https://archive.org/details/MSNBCW_20240918_020000_The_Last_Word_With_Lawrence_ODonnell/start/120/end/180
IVF:
Take action in support of right to IVF by supporting these Democratic US Senate candidates running against their 9 Republican opponents who voted today (9/17/24) against the Right to IVF Act (with the guidance of strategic giving research, noting that most of these Republicans are sure-win incumbents).
Here are these 9 Republican Senators and their Democratic opponents:
John Barrasso* R-Wyoming vs Scott Morrow:
https://morrowforwyoming.com/
Marsha Blackburn* R-Tennessee vs Gloria Johnson:
https://www.votegloriajohnson.com/
Kevin Cramer* R-North Dakota vs Katrina Christiansen:
https://www.katrinaforussenate.com/
Ted Cruz* R-Texas vs Colin Allred:
https://colinallred.com/
(Colin Allred has a good chance to beat Ted Cruz, especially with Liz Cheney campaigning for Allred.)
Deb Fischer* R-Nebraska vs Arron Kowalski:
https://www.arronforsenate.com/new-page
Josh Hawley* R-Missouri vs Lucas Kunce:
https://lucaskunce.com/
Pete Ricketts* R-Nebraska vs Preston Love Jr.:
https://love4senate.com/
Rick Scott* R-Florida vs Debbie Mucarsel-Powell:
https://www.debbieforflorida.com/
(Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has a good chance to beat Rick Scott, given her current experience in the House of Representatives and support from the Latino/immigrant communities.)
Roger Wicker* R-Mississippi vs Ty Pinkins:
https://www.typinkins.com/
(JD Vance missed today's vote.)
https://www.threads.net/@rbreich/post/DACKg_aKOuU/?xmt=AQGzTtZgnu21CvbGSDCLVbyG0tJG4UB8ZEp1MwQ6-xmgag
*From the "Department of Republicans Have No Shame," all 9 of these Senators had also signed a joint statement by all Republican Senators on 6/12/24 supporting access to IVF.
https://www.britt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/u-s-senators-katie-britt-ted-cruz-lead-senate-republicans-in-joint-statement-reaffirming-support-for-continued-nationwide-ivf-access/
The moon:
Thank you, Robert, for your beautiful photo and explanation to my wonderment this evening of that "bite" out of the moon with no clouds visible.
I was happy to see it reported yesterday that Liz Cheney is endorsing Colin Allred!
https://www.newsweek.com/liz-cheney-takes-aim-ted-cruz-dangerous-trump-loyalty-1955477
Lawrence's dialogue on the death of Amber Nicole Thurman was very heartfelt and personal. I almost wept along with him and I had already read the ProPublica article about her and another woman's death in Georgia that were judged to have been preventable. The tip of a dreadful iceberg. 😔
As he was speaking about his mother, I remembered when I was a kid 7-8ish years old my mother was on the phone talking about a friend having a DNC. I asked her what that was and she said it was a procedure some women had to have. Obviously, it was a d&c, but that was waaaay before Roe was a gleam in the national eye and was obviously a thing that happened at the doctor's office, and that was 1959-60ish in Texas.
Ellie, Lawrence’s show last night, especially, was very emotional and heartfelt. I was volunteered for free clinics outside of Bethesda, MD in the early 70’s before moving to Northern CA where I began volunteering for Planned Parenthood. I had one young woman who had been sent to us because she had been forcibly raped by two burglars who tied her boyfriend up. PP hadn’t trained me for this interview so I did the best I could to reassure she would be cared for by us. It was my first foray into having a real discussion about rape, but not my last. Anyway, I know we are not necessarily talking about that but I have such a strong commitment to our sisterhood and not being able to get IVF treatments is a travesty.
Thanks for that link to Lawrence's show last night. He was powerful, emotional, and, as usual, spot on with his accuracy. I will share this link on my FB page.
Just wanted to let everyone know that my two middle school daughters and I went canvassing for four hours on Saturday. It was awesome. The enthusiasm, even for this pretty rural, pretty red part of Maine was overwhelming. It was amazing to see old fisherman, jumping up and down and waving their arms from their lobster boats, hollering that they're voting for Harris Walz! Absolutely no hesitation from these white guys re: voting for a brown woman. Lots and lots of yard signs for Harris Walz, many handmade. I did not encounter this level of enthusiasm when I canvassed for Barack Obama. I have a good feeling 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🙏🏽
Hi Mary! Kudos to you and your daughters! As a Mainer from the first district, I am heartened by your post. My canvass in the City of Ships, Bath, ME last Saturday was mixed. But in fairness, we were targeting independents, unenrolled voters, and even Republicans. These person to person conversations are so important!
Love this! I've found some little ones in my world who enjoy helping with post carding:-) (I mean who doesn't like stickers?) https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gdBKUBKUozapiV7gT1bWMImjhe8F4TVpZjIgjr4YE0M/edit?usp=sharing
Dear one. Today was particularly hard for me (for no specific reason except the pain from my broken back!), and you once again helped me get over myself and get back on the horse!! Thank you thank you thank you!
So sorry to hear that, Cecilia. Many years ago I broke my third lumbar and I remember that pain. So grateful you have this healing community.💙
THIS edition today is chockful of resources and needs to be shared widely, thank you so much for this, Robert! For news I read your newsletter and the other sources you cited, but also for global and American perspectives skim through specific editions of Semafor (Flagship, Americana, Principals).
Also you have outdone yourself with the lunar eclipse image - I am downloading it to be my wallpaper on the home screen of my phone. So beautiful!
Yes, I am finding Senator helpful also.
As I approach 91 in October and 1000 postca
Women Voters. And men who care. PAY ATTENTION: "Donald Trump takes full credit for the “Trump abortion bans” that are endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of women each year. ...
A Georgia medical committee concluded that the death of a Georgia woman, Amber Nicole Thurman, was a preventable consequence of uncertainty caused by Georgia abortion laws that criminalize common procedures to treat miscarriages or complications of drug induced abortions. See Pro Publica, Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable."
Still time to register millions of unregistered women who trend Democratic..
https://www.fieldteam6.org/all-volunteer-ops/volunteer
Joe Rogan has a YouTube channel ,with supposedly 11 million followers ,and appeals to young Republican males. He said VP Harris “is nailing it “and “doing a f*$king amazing job” while he mocked Trump.As Victor Shi said…”This is really good and big.”
https://x.com/Victorshi2020/status/1836091493087400443
Wow. I am surprised, but we should take the win!
But is he endorsing Harris? Or is he back on the Trump train?
Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours phone-banking for Kamala. They must have got the list we were calling from the Republican Party. A lot of Trump supporters, a number of them profane. (I’m a sailor, and the only thing I can do like a professional is swear, so it was OK.) The responses from the Trump people let the campaign clean up the list, so that they won’t be called again when we are getting out the vote. I did speak with a number of Harris supporters, and they were heartening. Their determination and enthusiasm continue to surprise me. And I am astonished by how many are willing to volunteer, or are already helping out. And how people who can’t volunteer apologize, although there’s no need to. The tiny slice of people I have spoken to fills me with hope, optimism and determination. As well as wonderment that so many voters are delusional. I’m going to call again tomorrow. Hoping that the job will involve following up with people who’ve said they want to go to a rally with Kamala or Tim. That’s more fun.
Another great column.
But, Robert, instead of asking people to get their friends and family to vote on Election Day, please join the push to Vote on Day 1 (or as early as possible). It is important to bank our votes as early as we can.
Simon Rosenberg has written about this and even Taylor Swift encouraged her fans to vote early.
Thank you, Robert and readers, for directing me to Lawrence O'Donnell's opening last night and to the reader who posted it. Powerful. Also to those sharing get out the vote experiences.
Here's another story...
On a long UBER ride with a chatty driver who had disclosed his love of blues, jazz and gospel music, I asked him if he had a plan to vote. He said no and when I asked him what was getting in the way, he said he didn't like either candidate. I am free forming this as I go, but it's a long ride to DT LA from where I started so I thought, why not keep my conversation going. This was just after the DNC and I was still high on a number of speeches, but Raphael Warnock's line...not quoting...a vote is like a prayer for the country you want...I asked my driver if he knew who Warnock is. No, he didn't, but when I mentioned he pastors Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Atlanta...he knew. I went on to encourage him to think about which 'side' would he want to support with his vote that would get him to the country he wants. Thoughtfully, he responded..."you got me." This is a bit coded, but followed a dialogue about music he plays in his car including gospel and a previous rider having been touched by the music.
As I reflected on this random conversation I realized agreeing with my adversary (not liking either candidate) was important and offered me another avenue to reach him.
For those of us who succumb to 'arguing' our POV with those we think would benefit from our expertise, I remember that you can't argue someone into a position they did not argue themselves into.
Happy campaigning...
Yes! Asking questions, listening and probing to allow the person to think rather than react or ignore the bigger picture is always best. Good for you.
I live three hours from Missoula. I'm seriously considering getting a motel room each weekend spending the final weekends of the campaign there to knock on doors for Jon Tester if my local longshot congressional candidate doesn't ask me for the same thing.
And knocking on doors is WAY outside my comfort zone, but I figure if I'm paired with someone who knows what they're doing, I can just stand there and smile and occasionally interject something useful and/or informative.
Why don't you do the canvassing for your congressional candidate and Jon Tester at the same time. Tester's is a statewide election, so every vote counts, whether in Missoula or your local district.
Good luck!
I am also optimistic that there is some sliver of Republicans, WSJ types, for whom this complete truth breakdown by Trump and Vance is just too much. There comes a point, I would think, where it becomes scary to elect two people who are completely comfortable with fabricating anything--they really don't think twice about it. I have to believe there are some folks out there for whom this can be a final straw.
See this from this morning's BULWARK:
OTHER THAN THAT, THOUGH: Last night, JD Vance was asked by a reporter why he didn’t fact check claims from his constituents who were saying, allegedly, that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating cats. Vance insisted it was the media’s responsibility to fact check the residents of Springfield, “not lie about them.” He seemed pleased with himself as the audience roared with applause. Well, this morning, the Wall Street Journal reports that Vance’s office did actually reach out to the Springfield city manager to see if there was any validity to the rumors about Haitian migrants. The staffer was told that it was all baseless. Vance, nevertheless, kept up his post on X about the rumors. And that night, Donald Trump went on the debate stage and just stated it as fact. But that only touches the surface of the Journal story. The paper was also provided, by Vance’s office, a police report from a resident who said her pet might have been taken by Haitian neighbors. The reporter went to that person’s house. The resident said her cat had actually returned a few days after it went missing, found safe in her own basement. She had apologized to her Haitian neighbors.
I made one little contribution to keeping us motivated with this comic: http://www.smallpeculiar.com/comic/the-dead-cat-strategy/
Great work! Keep it up!