Between the J6 Committee and the shenanigans of the Supreme Court, I do believe the House and Senate will remain in the hands of the Democrats in 2023. I also believe that neither President Biden nor the former guy will be on the ballot in 2024. What I'm counting on is the younger generations who have lived in a much more diverse world will step up and take the baton of government. They need to to protect their future and their children's. It is time they accept the responsibility for their own future rather than letting it be decided by the short sighted current old, old members of Congress. Re-elect No One is my motto. We need term limits for MoC and fresh, younger blood taking charge of the ship of state. We, the People, all of us this time. “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” – Thomas Jefferson
I certainly hope that your predictions are correct and will do what I can to help them become so.
I'm surprised that the poll workers in Otero County aren't up in arms about the refusal to certify. It's a long day's work, and, if anyone suggested that I and the people I work with hadn't done our jobs correctly, I'd want more from them than "in my heart I know the machines aren't right".
We would do better with a term limits on lobbyists & congressional staff. I worked for a company that had a "semi-annual reorganization" of department heads. It happened so often that most of the staff ignored it & kept doing what they had been doing.....effectively, little changed. I imagine that something similar happens in congress....
And I agree we need the younger generation to start taking over and the ancients to retire & get out of the way.
Agree but what we need is an age limit both in years and time served as well as an overhaul of the laws that define executive powers and the ability to prosecute a sitting President
Lobbyists are just lawyers whose practice consists of bribing Congress and the relevant executive branches on behalf of their clients. Congressional staff used to come from the elected official's home district but have become a DC class all by itself; chances are that wholesale change would only result in less competent service for constituents although that bar has been lowered along with all the rest.
I think there is a difference between the silence of many and whether or not they care. People are, as we know, tired of the nonsense and, I surmise, do indeed care. We'll see in 2022 and 2024.
….”Loudermilk could have cleared up the confusion and suspicion by telling the truth in the days following the insurrection. Instead, it took more than a year-and-a-half and a surveillance video release for him to admit the truth begrudgingly.…”
Here is the point, in 19 months not a word about this from Garland and the DOJ, not a word from the FBI, not a word, or false words, from Capital Police Chief Thomas Manger.
I do not understand how that is remotely possible. The institutions of our government are badly broken. As is government itself, Congress, SCOTUS, and the administration for not demanding more. Perhaps it is too late to save this democracy as we have known it. Thompson and Cheney, and the J6. Committee, cannot do it alone.
The leadership of of the Capitol police needs to be replaced. No one could look at that video and say it was "not suspicious" given what happened the next day. When you add the footage of the "constituent" on January 6th, it is damning.
Keep the faith! I do see a wave of indictments once the 1/6 hearings are finished. I think they have the same info as 1/6 committee, but don’t want to steal their thunder at this point. So stay tuned!
I think all of us should stop speculating about the DOJ because think about how everyday new revelations and information becomes available and more reluctant lower level administrative people who actually do the work are coming forward and dots are being connected. It’s a slow drip and if I were the DOJ I would wait and collect as much evidence as possible because the J6 situation was larger than all of us knew.
McConnell and McCarthy could stop their Republican colleagues from spreading this voting irregularity BS. But they don't. Why? Well my theory is that it is mostly selfish. They love power and the back door benefits of being the most powerful people in the land. And they saw that 7 million more people preferred Biden than their own deeply flawed candidate. They've concluded for personal, not patriotic, reasons that during their lifetimes, they'll forsake their oaths of office for personal gain. Let's put term limits for Congress back on the table.
I will say *maybe* this to this extent—maybe 5-term house and 3 term senate (numbers up for dialogue!). A lot, at least in the past, (coming from a friend who was a CA legislator), said much of what (he) got done was a result of the “cross aisle” relationships that were developed over time. He convinced me that the give and take, kept him and others to meet more in the middle of issues. Now grant you, not a lot of that going on these days but I believe that’s a ‘people’ problem and not a ‘systems’ problem. A people problem can be redone and restored in and from the voters booth! Back to—we Dems are falling short, here.
I think your 5 and 3 is good. I believe Newt Gingrich, instant social media tweets, FOX News, and Citizens United have, taken together, forever destroyed bipartisanship. I think US politics is all about money or power. Period. Social service for the good of the country, a la Mr Smith goes to Washington, is only to be read about in history books (unless that is too sensitive a topic for certain school boards)
Yes, correct (about “money and power”), is sure the norm, but I also believe that at some point, (my view), when McConnell is gone, the ship can be righted again! In these times, it’s our responsibility to send cards, march, contact our representatives, whatever we can, to keep the ship from being swamped! Once again, I believe, that can only be done by voting!
I keep hearing that Democrats do not have a compelling message for the election in November. Balderdash! Or, as Bill Barr might put it b___s__t. The message is staring us in the face: Vote for Democrats to save the nation! Nothing more complicated than that. Make every contest about which candidate supports democracy and the Constitution and which one opposes them. Simple as that. Oh, sure, the pundits tell us that that message will be swamped by inflation, but remember that during World War II the American people put up with rationing and price controls and the complete absence of new cars (no new civilian automobiles were manufactured between early 1942 and 1945), and a lot more. Yet they did not falter. If Democrats make the issue for November the survival of the Constitution, we shall win.
But just having the slogan is only a start. Democrats must work the bring it home to the voters every hour of every day (including the 4th of July, Labor Day and Halloween) until November 8. We can’t expect the media and the pundits to do our job for us. We need to shout it from the rooftops, in the streets, over emails and in advertisements, loudly and constantly. If we do that, the media will do their job and the voters will come around. On to victory, for our nation and Constitution!
Tuesday was primary day in Nevada and I served as a poll observer. I really like doing this having done it the last two election cycles. As I texted my husband during the day: I feel like a patriot. I am reclaiming the term. While I did not see any shenanigans, I did see poll workers that could have used more help and at some locations, a bit of disorganization. And my main takeaway is that we need many volunteers and poll observers in November! I strongly encourage readers to consider doing this in Nov. The plots that Robert writes about are real, and we need to be the eyes on the process to ensure voters are not disenfranchised (as one voter at my precinct was).
Good advice in todays newsletter. The primary outcomes have been a little overhyped but what was rarely mentioned was the voter turnout which in most states was very low and typical. The summer months and high heat probably was a deterrent. There are two messages which the Democratic candidates need to address which are inflation ( higher gas and food costs) and what it means that candidates supported the Big Lie and what that says about their character and the future of democracy and our individual,rights. What voters need to understand and realize is that the Republicans who traffic in the protection of the 1st and 2nd Amendments are actually trying to eliminate and mange those rights and individuals who disagree with them and those who attempt to manage gun safety as an example. The Democrats need to paint the picture and tell the story of what “ life under a Republican government looks like. “ If you have a chance read Tim Nichols editorial about Joe Biden and the job he is doing. https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/06/leave-joe-biden-alone/661278/
I live in New Mexico and it’s a blue state, but the commission in Otero county shows how just a few people with bad intentions can disrupt a legitimate election. We can take nothing for granted and be constantly vigilant against republican election fraud.
Hi, Ernie. Good to hear from you. I see that Otero County has 65,000 residents, so I am assuming it has about 30,00 registered voters. It appears (from Ballotpedia) that about 5,500 people voted in Tuesday's primaries--or about 18%. Disappointing, like elsewhere in the nation. My guess is that those three commissioners received about 1,000 votes each to win their seats. That demonstrates the need for turnout up and down the ballot--and why incessant fretting over Congress may depress turnout. Every election matters (I know I am preaching to the choir, so forgive my diatribe.)
Hey Robert. I. Voted in person in Santa Fe County and was happy to see a line to vote at my precinct. There are a few conservative rural counties in NM sit you don’t smack them they’ll cause all kinds of mischief. Gotta get out the vo”te.(
Some comments you made to Tony the Democrat rang true for me—being a Postcards to Voters writer from the start has raised my political activism, awareness about candidates across the country and voting rights 1000%! Previously I thought I wasn’t smart enough to mentally manage all of this, but it’s not that complex if you follow along. Reading you, Robert, and watching and reading HCR are my other open secrets to this feat!! Thank you.
The Supreme Court of New Mexico has ordered the Otero County Commission to certify the results. Otero County is far south in our state, which borders on Texas. Sometimes I think there’s something in the water in Texas which makes people wacko, and it seems like the GOP in Otero County may be drinking from the same source.
Professional Pessimist that I am, I never doubt the ability of the world to surprise me and love nothing better than to be proved wrong. The Jan 6 hearings, far from being drowned out by some Trumpish circus, are astonishing everyone. Hallelujah!
An aside: my laptop is about to spend a week or two at the Apple Hospital so unless I can beg,
I am with you on media negligence. In this moment all we have is Ds to keep the crazies and the R lackeys out and to maintain the precarious balance of power.
Between the J6 Committee and the shenanigans of the Supreme Court, I do believe the House and Senate will remain in the hands of the Democrats in 2023. I also believe that neither President Biden nor the former guy will be on the ballot in 2024. What I'm counting on is the younger generations who have lived in a much more diverse world will step up and take the baton of government. They need to to protect their future and their children's. It is time they accept the responsibility for their own future rather than letting it be decided by the short sighted current old, old members of Congress. Re-elect No One is my motto. We need term limits for MoC and fresh, younger blood taking charge of the ship of state. We, the People, all of us this time. “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” – Thomas Jefferson
I certainly hope that your predictions are correct and will do what I can to help them become so.
I'm surprised that the poll workers in Otero County aren't up in arms about the refusal to certify. It's a long day's work, and, if anyone suggested that I and the people I work with hadn't done our jobs correctly, I'd want more from them than "in my heart I know the machines aren't right".
We would do better with a term limits on lobbyists & congressional staff. I worked for a company that had a "semi-annual reorganization" of department heads. It happened so often that most of the staff ignored it & kept doing what they had been doing.....effectively, little changed. I imagine that something similar happens in congress....
And I agree we need the younger generation to start taking over and the ancients to retire & get out of the way.
Agree but what we need is an age limit both in years and time served as well as an overhaul of the laws that define executive powers and the ability to prosecute a sitting President
Lobbyists are just lawyers whose practice consists of bribing Congress and the relevant executive branches on behalf of their clients. Congressional staff used to come from the elected official's home district but have become a DC class all by itself; chances are that wholesale change would only result in less competent service for constituents although that bar has been lowered along with all the rest.
I hope your right but too many voters in this country either don’t care about the J6 or Ginny Thomas and we have to shock them. The truth hurts.
I think there is a difference between the silence of many and whether or not they care. People are, as we know, tired of the nonsense and, I surmise, do indeed care. We'll see in 2022 and 2024.
Haha! "R-elect No One," is good.
….”Loudermilk could have cleared up the confusion and suspicion by telling the truth in the days following the insurrection. Instead, it took more than a year-and-a-half and a surveillance video release for him to admit the truth begrudgingly.…”
Here is the point, in 19 months not a word about this from Garland and the DOJ, not a word from the FBI, not a word, or false words, from Capital Police Chief Thomas Manger.
I do not understand how that is remotely possible. The institutions of our government are badly broken. As is government itself, Congress, SCOTUS, and the administration for not demanding more. Perhaps it is too late to save this democracy as we have known it. Thompson and Cheney, and the J6. Committee, cannot do it alone.
Wake up Democrats!
The leadership of of the Capitol police needs to be replaced. No one could look at that video and say it was "not suspicious" given what happened the next day. When you add the footage of the "constituent" on January 6th, it is damning.
Mr. Garland will never rival Bill Barr or John Mitchell as the worst AG ever, but he has no peer as the most disappointing.
Keep the faith! I do see a wave of indictments once the 1/6 hearings are finished. I think they have the same info as 1/6 committee, but don’t want to steal their thunder at this point. So stay tuned!
Here is a list of overdue indictments for Trump:
1. Twelve instances of obstruction of justice identified by Mueller.
2. Extorting Ukraine.
3. Campaign finance violation for which Michael Cohen went to jail and Trump was identified as an un-indicted co-conspirator.
4. Interfering in Georgia's presidential election.
5. Defrauding the US in connection with the electoral count.
6. Inciting insurrection.
7. Seditious conspiracy.
I am waiting with bated breath!
Don't hold it too long unless the ME is First Aid certified and can provide resuscitation.
That’s what I keep hoping for.
Faith is about all we have. I share your hope but we'll see.
I think all of us should stop speculating about the DOJ because think about how everyday new revelations and information becomes available and more reluctant lower level administrative people who actually do the work are coming forward and dots are being connected. It’s a slow drip and if I were the DOJ I would wait and collect as much evidence as possible because the J6 situation was larger than all of us knew.
See my list above. Many of the overdue indictments are five years old.
McConnell and McCarthy could stop their Republican colleagues from spreading this voting irregularity BS. But they don't. Why? Well my theory is that it is mostly selfish. They love power and the back door benefits of being the most powerful people in the land. And they saw that 7 million more people preferred Biden than their own deeply flawed candidate. They've concluded for personal, not patriotic, reasons that during their lifetimes, they'll forsake their oaths of office for personal gain. Let's put term limits for Congress back on the table.
We have term limits—it’s called voting! Dems don’t seem to have any sustaining will in this act!
And because of voter lethargy, we need term limits also
I will say *maybe* this to this extent—maybe 5-term house and 3 term senate (numbers up for dialogue!). A lot, at least in the past, (coming from a friend who was a CA legislator), said much of what (he) got done was a result of the “cross aisle” relationships that were developed over time. He convinced me that the give and take, kept him and others to meet more in the middle of issues. Now grant you, not a lot of that going on these days but I believe that’s a ‘people’ problem and not a ‘systems’ problem. A people problem can be redone and restored in and from the voters booth! Back to—we Dems are falling short, here.
I think your 5 and 3 is good. I believe Newt Gingrich, instant social media tweets, FOX News, and Citizens United have, taken together, forever destroyed bipartisanship. I think US politics is all about money or power. Period. Social service for the good of the country, a la Mr Smith goes to Washington, is only to be read about in history books (unless that is too sensitive a topic for certain school boards)
Yes, correct (about “money and power”), is sure the norm, but I also believe that at some point, (my view), when McConnell is gone, the ship can be righted again! In these times, it’s our responsibility to send cards, march, contact our representatives, whatever we can, to keep the ship from being swamped! Once again, I believe, that can only be done by voting!
I keep hearing that Democrats do not have a compelling message for the election in November. Balderdash! Or, as Bill Barr might put it b___s__t. The message is staring us in the face: Vote for Democrats to save the nation! Nothing more complicated than that. Make every contest about which candidate supports democracy and the Constitution and which one opposes them. Simple as that. Oh, sure, the pundits tell us that that message will be swamped by inflation, but remember that during World War II the American people put up with rationing and price controls and the complete absence of new cars (no new civilian automobiles were manufactured between early 1942 and 1945), and a lot more. Yet they did not falter. If Democrats make the issue for November the survival of the Constitution, we shall win.
But just having the slogan is only a start. Democrats must work the bring it home to the voters every hour of every day (including the 4th of July, Labor Day and Halloween) until November 8. We can’t expect the media and the pundits to do our job for us. We need to shout it from the rooftops, in the streets, over emails and in advertisements, loudly and constantly. If we do that, the media will do their job and the voters will come around. On to victory, for our nation and Constitution!
Tuesday was primary day in Nevada and I served as a poll observer. I really like doing this having done it the last two election cycles. As I texted my husband during the day: I feel like a patriot. I am reclaiming the term. While I did not see any shenanigans, I did see poll workers that could have used more help and at some locations, a bit of disorganization. And my main takeaway is that we need many volunteers and poll observers in November! I strongly encourage readers to consider doing this in Nov. The plots that Robert writes about are real, and we need to be the eyes on the process to ensure voters are not disenfranchised (as one voter at my precinct was).
Thanks for doing your part, Jennifer!
Good advice in todays newsletter. The primary outcomes have been a little overhyped but what was rarely mentioned was the voter turnout which in most states was very low and typical. The summer months and high heat probably was a deterrent. There are two messages which the Democratic candidates need to address which are inflation ( higher gas and food costs) and what it means that candidates supported the Big Lie and what that says about their character and the future of democracy and our individual,rights. What voters need to understand and realize is that the Republicans who traffic in the protection of the 1st and 2nd Amendments are actually trying to eliminate and mange those rights and individuals who disagree with them and those who attempt to manage gun safety as an example. The Democrats need to paint the picture and tell the story of what “ life under a Republican government looks like. “ If you have a chance read Tim Nichols editorial about Joe Biden and the job he is doing. https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/06/leave-joe-biden-alone/661278/
I believe that the truth sets us free. I just never realized how hard it might be to hail it.
Writing postcards!!!!Hooray for Tony! Let's get on it!!
I live in New Mexico and it’s a blue state, but the commission in Otero county shows how just a few people with bad intentions can disrupt a legitimate election. We can take nothing for granted and be constantly vigilant against republican election fraud.
Hi, Ernie. Good to hear from you. I see that Otero County has 65,000 residents, so I am assuming it has about 30,00 registered voters. It appears (from Ballotpedia) that about 5,500 people voted in Tuesday's primaries--or about 18%. Disappointing, like elsewhere in the nation. My guess is that those three commissioners received about 1,000 votes each to win their seats. That demonstrates the need for turnout up and down the ballot--and why incessant fretting over Congress may depress turnout. Every election matters (I know I am preaching to the choir, so forgive my diatribe.)
Hey Robert. I. Voted in person in Santa Fe County and was happy to see a line to vote at my precinct. There are a few conservative rural counties in NM sit you don’t smack them they’ll cause all kinds of mischief. Gotta get out the vo”te.(
Some comments you made to Tony the Democrat rang true for me—being a Postcards to Voters writer from the start has raised my political activism, awareness about candidates across the country and voting rights 1000%! Previously I thought I wasn’t smart enough to mentally manage all of this, but it’s not that complex if you follow along. Reading you, Robert, and watching and reading HCR are my other open secrets to this feat!! Thank you.
Breaking News: Barry Loudermilk has changed his name to Scarry Louderliar.
(;<{)
The Supreme Court of New Mexico has ordered the Otero County Commission to certify the results. Otero County is far south in our state, which borders on Texas. Sometimes I think there’s something in the water in Texas which makes people wacko, and it seems like the GOP in Otero County may be drinking from the same source.
Professional Pessimist that I am, I never doubt the ability of the world to surprise me and love nothing better than to be proved wrong. The Jan 6 hearings, far from being drowned out by some Trumpish circus, are astonishing everyone. Hallelujah!
An aside: my laptop is about to spend a week or two at the Apple Hospital so unless I can beg,
borrow etc I'll be MIA.
See if your library has a computer lending program.
I am with you on media negligence. In this moment all we have is Ds to keep the crazies and the R lackeys out and to maintain the precarious balance of power.
I appreciate your measured response. We must keep our thoughts high and forge on!
You never fail to inform, encourage, and inspire us, Robert. Keep digging for that pony in there, somewhere!