"If you live in a blue state, help to “run up the score” to ensure a large margin of victory in the national popular vote."
Yes, by all means. But that should not be the only reason. Even solid blue states have congressional districts where the Republican candidate prevails, often with very slim margins. With all due respect to the importance of "The Ticket" and all the attention it gets – the down-ballot vote is just as important.
This is the central thesis we are working on in Pennsylvania. Super Blue Philadelphia volunteers are canvassing and donating to state House and Senate races - in 2022 we finally flipped the House blue, barely. This time we are dreaming of the Senate as well, which would give us a trifecta with Governor Shapiro.
Excellent point, Stefan! It cuts both ways. Supporting local candidates turns out voters for Harris/Walz, and vice versa, as long as voters vote the whole ballot. For that, it's important that voters get to know the down ballot candidates.
The down-ballot is critical. Had we secured the down-ballot in '22, the House wouldn't have had a sliver GOP lead favoring extremists like MTG, Gaetz, Johnson and others. A handful of D reps instead would've been monstra-mental to achieving the Biden/Harris agenda.
Not that we'd want this, but had the House had a dozen or so MORE Republican Representatives elected in '22, we wouldn't have had the drama from MTG, Gaetz, Johnson ...
I am phonebanking for my local state senate candidate (NC SD-42) with a Sister District chapter in Metro DC. They are also supporting a candidate in PA although we only called for my candidate on the two times I was able to attend.
I am interested in one reader’s comment that Kamala did not answer the questions exactly as phrased by Dana Bash. While listening to another news source they stated the questions were items the Trump campaign has been pushing, asked in the same language as his campaign. The smart strategy is to reframe them to reflect your position while not engaging in their rhetoric. I thought her response to the racist question was brilliant.
Amen! She does not have to follow Dana Bash’s or any other reporter’s agenda. Harris was in control of her message and that is a great thing. Not allowing a reporter to set the agenda is a strength. And lest we forget, in the Biden-Trump debate, Dana Bash and Jake Tapper did not ask Trump one question about being a convicted felon or an adjudicated sexual offender. They didn’t bring up January 6th until 40 minutes in and then let Trump’s lies go unquestioned. Yet again, they did their part to normalize him. Why on earth would Harris want to let Dana Bash set the agenda in an interview?
Yes, and of course we all know how the other guy always listens intently to the question, pauses to comprehend it, ponders an intelligent response, considers the framing and delivers a clear, concise, single-topic answer satisfying the matter of discussion, don't we!
As Napoleon said in response to Marshal Ney's request that the cavalry be released t o charge the enemy back in 1805 during the Battle of Austerlitz, "Wait twenty minutes; when the enemy is making a false movement we must take good care not to interrupt him.”
Good to see the Harris-Walz campaign knows this one.
That quote has become part of my collection of quotes. It ranks up there with the quote, "I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent."
many of us think somehow we will be more credible if we criticize our candidate, somehow others will be able to look at Trump and his sycophant Republicans more critically. That is not going to happen because we believe in democracy and they want a dictatorship.
I really really hate, hate the fact that the Biden/Harris administration has failed to use the weapons they supply to Israel as a way to force peace and a 2-state solution. But that failure pales in comparison to Trump's role in what is happening now in the Middle East, and the consequences to Gaza and Palestinians were he to win in November. My strategy is to shut up about it now and do whatever I can to complain to President Harris beginning in January of 2025.
And I definitely feel that some sort of imperfect response in an interview pales in comparison to a flip flop on abortion, misogynist slut-shaming comments, and myriad of nonsensical or hate filled posts that Trump manages to spout daily. Go after him, not her.
I believe it’s a political calculation. Most Muslims know that TFG will tell Bibi ‘finish the job’ - and losing a significant chunk of the Jewish vote could tip the election; I think too many Jews consider all Palestinians as pro-Hamas. That would mean Instead of 40k dead in Gaza, there would be hundreds of thousands. In Ukraine, many more hundreds of thousands. But much worse even than that: Worldwide there would be hundreds of millions of deaths as any efforts to mitigate the climate apocalypse are halted and reversed.
Jerry, I posted this not to start a divisive debate about this, but to stress the importance of NOT doing that right now. NOT doing it. Wait til after the election, PLEASE.
Thank you for your passion AND your wisdom. There is a time for protest, and a time for organizing, and this is a critical moment for the latter. A blue trifecta government, with VP Walz as the tie breaking vote in the Senate will allow us to actually get sh*t done. Including negotiating solutions in Gaza, among literally dozens of other priorities. I know. I live in blue trifecta Minnesota and the amount of work that was accomplished to improve life in Minnesota in 2022, with just a one vote margin in the Senate, was impressive and effective. But we don’t live in isolation and so can’t truly solve problems without the other 49. And the rest of our allies around the world.
United, we bargain. Divided, we beg. I’m done begging. I work with Mobilize. Efforts can be local or national. See more at mobilize.us
Absolutely right, Jerry, to remind us of the climate emergency.
When Trump shows disrespect at Arlington National Cemetery, we are rightly outraged. When Trump promises to ease the Fossil Fuel Community of burdensome regulations if they give him a billion dollars for his campaign, the outrage fades fast.
We need constant reminders of what global warming is already showing us with wildfires, floods, heat waves, droughts, hurricanes, rising sea levels, and the rest of it.
Totally. I also just became aware that resistbot has a line directly to Harris: text VICE to 50409. I sent a letter to Harris regarding Gaza yesterday, and I plan to continue to use this vehicle to urge that the US put more pressure on Israel to stop.
If resistbot is not public, and does not suggest people withhold support for Harris, fine, but if the intent is to threaten to withhold support, then I would use that vehicle AFTER the election.
Good idea, Susan. I plan to do the same. Perhaps some charges can be filed since it was a violation of Federal law too.
p.s. Jess Craven will have a Resistbot letter for this in her Chop Wood, Carry Water on Tuesday. In the meantime, anyone can text SIGN PELEQR to 50409 to send email messages almost effortlessly to their Senators and Representatives. Here's the message:
"I am appalled at the Trump campaign's willful abuse and desecration of one of our nation's most solemn and sacred shrines at Arlington National Cemetery. Reports of violation of Federal law and the assault, however minor, of a cemetery employee cannot be ignored.
"I implore you to call for a full investigation and a public hearing on this egregious display of self-serving hubris, and demand an immediate cessation of any inappropriate or illegal photos or videos by Trump or his campaign."
I continue to be frustrated by media’s coverage as though this is a “normal” election. Dana Basch asked Harris about changing her position on fracking from 2019, five years ago. Trump changes positions every five minutes. And that is the point. He has no positions; he will do and say anything, which is part of the reason this is not a “normal” election.
Media should be asking Trump about each aspect of Project 2025 on a daily basis as well as his blundering efforts to hide his connections to it. That would be investigative reporting instead of “gotcha” moments. My wife got subscription to WAPO, which has generally been better than NYT.
We've got 2 months to make this happen before Nov. 5, and many places open early voting a few weeks prior to that. Time to put the pedal to the metal. Mobilize has a great variety of effective options to volunteer, from in person to virtual, from postcarding to text banking to phone banking to door knocking--take your pick of what works for you!
The Guardian is reporting on yet another shocking podcast appearance by JD Vance https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/31/jd-vance-podcast-feminism-immigration. The man definitely did not hold his views in! Now that I understand what he is, I can't help wondering about his wife. She went to Yale Law School and works as a lawyer. That's also true of Erin Hawley, Josh's wife. Is their actual belief that all women shouldn't work, or that only rich women should work? I wish someone would ask them.
“So, of course he thinks it's a 'beautiful thing' that women in Florida and across the country are being turned away from emergency rooms, face life-threatening situations, and are forced to travel hundreds of miles for the care they need.”
Great Lincoln Project Ad:Project 2025/You’re Under Arrest For Evading Motherhood📣
Final orders for postcards! Donation not required:✍️
The Reform Movement through RAC-FL and Women of Reform Judaism is partnering with the "YES on 4, Floridians Protecting Freedom" campaign to protect reproductive freedom through a November ballot amendment.
I'd like to hear from Mike Pompeo and John Kelly regarding the Trump Campaign's decision process - against all the tradition in the history of our country since the Civil War - that guided Trump's clumsy and tasteless participation in a photo op on hallowed ground. Oh and the continued misogyny of shoving out of the way a female service member doing her duty.
But, especially in her case, McConnell's love of power cut her off. McConnell will go down in history as one of the most scheming and amoral politicians of this century. Another Bilbo.
That's another nifty shot! I don't see the apparent very bright star that was present in your first photo yesterday. Although I'm not sure if this new image includes that part of yesterday's photo. It's fascinating what a longer exposure time can do for you.
There were a dozen witnesses to the scuffle, but no one has identified the campaign staff member who shoved the cemetery official. That is a knowable fact—and one certainly capable of ascertainment by the media. But the press seems to be giving Trump wide latitude on this story. Why??
⬆️
I watched Fred Wellman's "On Democracy" podcast on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKgK9p5xaGY) last night and he discussed the incident in the 2nd half of the pod (starting shortly before the 19 minute mark). Per Fred, the Pentagon press corp (unlike the MSM) is on the job and they will be (or have already) filed FOIA results for the public records associated with this disgusting incident. He firmly believes that it will come out.
He also mentioned that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson put pressure on the staff at Arlington to let Trump do the wreath laying ceremony that came before they invaded Section 60. I will need to add him to my list for making phonecalls.
And I did the "extra credit" assignment and called James Comer's office. There was an option on the phone tree to choose that the call was about House oversight and that gave me the further option to leave a message for the majority (GOP) or minority (DEM) party. I encourage other readers to do the same - they need to hear a tsunami of outrage!!
I also made another donation to VoteVets - they are going to need $$ to get the word out about this outrageous incident. Here is a link to their most recent ads about it on their YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@votevets):
"If you live in a blue state, help to “run up the score” to ensure a large margin of victory in the national popular vote."
Yes, by all means. But that should not be the only reason. Even solid blue states have congressional districts where the Republican candidate prevails, often with very slim margins. With all due respect to the importance of "The Ticket" and all the attention it gets – the down-ballot vote is just as important.
This is the central thesis we are working on in Pennsylvania. Super Blue Philadelphia volunteers are canvassing and donating to state House and Senate races - in 2022 we finally flipped the House blue, barely. This time we are dreaming of the Senate as well, which would give us a trifecta with Governor Shapiro.
Great work, Betsy!
Harris Walz have been boosting local Democratic candidates in their rallies.
Yay!
Excellent point, Stefan! It cuts both ways. Supporting local candidates turns out voters for Harris/Walz, and vice versa, as long as voters vote the whole ballot. For that, it's important that voters get to know the down ballot candidates.
The down-ballot is critical. Had we secured the down-ballot in '22, the House wouldn't have had a sliver GOP lead favoring extremists like MTG, Gaetz, Johnson and others. A handful of D reps instead would've been monstra-mental to achieving the Biden/Harris agenda.
Not that we'd want this, but had the House had a dozen or so MORE Republican Representatives elected in '22, we wouldn't have had the drama from MTG, Gaetz, Johnson ...
Yes to down ballot support:
Sister District directs donations and volunteer work for maximum impact to Democrats in Congressional races:
https://swingleft.org/
The States Project directs donations for maximum impact in state legislature races:
https://statesproject.org/
I am phonebanking for my local state senate candidate (NC SD-42) with a Sister District chapter in Metro DC. They are also supporting a candidate in PA although we only called for my candidate on the two times I was able to attend.
the phone bank I'm calling for: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/617843/
Mobilize search for other Sister District phone banks:
https://www.mobilize.us/?event_type=2&is_virtual=true&org_ids=3235&org_ids=6493&org_ids=6495&org_ids=6496&org_ids=6521&org_ids=6523&org_ids=6525&org_ids=6526&org_ids=6527&org_ids=6529&org_ids=6694&org_ids=7234&org_ids=36474&org_ids=6934
Thanks, Ellie! Just donated to the States Project
Thank you!
We are working to flip NY22 blue!
I am interested in one reader’s comment that Kamala did not answer the questions exactly as phrased by Dana Bash. While listening to another news source they stated the questions were items the Trump campaign has been pushing, asked in the same language as his campaign. The smart strategy is to reframe them to reflect your position while not engaging in their rhetoric. I thought her response to the racist question was brilliant.
Amen! She does not have to follow Dana Bash’s or any other reporter’s agenda. Harris was in control of her message and that is a great thing. Not allowing a reporter to set the agenda is a strength. And lest we forget, in the Biden-Trump debate, Dana Bash and Jake Tapper did not ask Trump one question about being a convicted felon or an adjudicated sexual offender. They didn’t bring up January 6th until 40 minutes in and then let Trump’s lies go unquestioned. Yet again, they did their part to normalize him. Why on earth would Harris want to let Dana Bash set the agenda in an interview?
Exactly. While the questioner is in control of how the question is put, the answerer is in control of the framing of the answer.
Amen to the 10th Power!
Yes, and of course we all know how the other guy always listens intently to the question, pauses to comprehend it, ponders an intelligent response, considers the framing and delivers a clear, concise, single-topic answer satisfying the matter of discussion, don't we!
Like he did when he was asked about reducing grocery prices a few days ago. He NEVER answers questions.
Sarah, yes, reframing questions is critical to leveling the playing field by providing context NOT included in “gotcha” interviewer’s original ask
As Napoleon said in response to Marshal Ney's request that the cavalry be released t o charge the enemy back in 1805 during the Battle of Austerlitz, "Wait twenty minutes; when the enemy is making a false movement we must take good care not to interrupt him.”
Good to see the Harris-Walz campaign knows this one.
That quote has become part of my collection of quotes. It ranks up there with the quote, "I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent."
many of us think somehow we will be more credible if we criticize our candidate, somehow others will be able to look at Trump and his sycophant Republicans more critically. That is not going to happen because we believe in democracy and they want a dictatorship.
I really really hate, hate the fact that the Biden/Harris administration has failed to use the weapons they supply to Israel as a way to force peace and a 2-state solution. But that failure pales in comparison to Trump's role in what is happening now in the Middle East, and the consequences to Gaza and Palestinians were he to win in November. My strategy is to shut up about it now and do whatever I can to complain to President Harris beginning in January of 2025.
And I definitely feel that some sort of imperfect response in an interview pales in comparison to a flip flop on abortion, misogynist slut-shaming comments, and myriad of nonsensical or hate filled posts that Trump manages to spout daily. Go after him, not her.
I believe it’s a political calculation. Most Muslims know that TFG will tell Bibi ‘finish the job’ - and losing a significant chunk of the Jewish vote could tip the election; I think too many Jews consider all Palestinians as pro-Hamas. That would mean Instead of 40k dead in Gaza, there would be hundreds of thousands. In Ukraine, many more hundreds of thousands. But much worse even than that: Worldwide there would be hundreds of millions of deaths as any efforts to mitigate the climate apocalypse are halted and reversed.
Jerry, I posted this not to start a divisive debate about this, but to stress the importance of NOT doing that right now. NOT doing it. Wait til after the election, PLEASE.
Thank you for your passion AND your wisdom. There is a time for protest, and a time for organizing, and this is a critical moment for the latter. A blue trifecta government, with VP Walz as the tie breaking vote in the Senate will allow us to actually get sh*t done. Including negotiating solutions in Gaza, among literally dozens of other priorities. I know. I live in blue trifecta Minnesota and the amount of work that was accomplished to improve life in Minnesota in 2022, with just a one vote margin in the Senate, was impressive and effective. But we don’t live in isolation and so can’t truly solve problems without the other 49. And the rest of our allies around the world.
United, we bargain. Divided, we beg. I’m done begging. I work with Mobilize. Efforts can be local or national. See more at mobilize.us
Judy - Indeed; my comment is entirely in agreement with yours. I think Harris’ answers were smart in the circumstances, and was trying to explain why.
First we must win.
thank you. so now, what does TFG stand for?
lol. “The Former Guy” - Biden made that up. I hate using the name.
explains why I did not understand your initial post!!! TFG, a new acronym to add to all the others I never understand!
Absolutely right, Jerry, to remind us of the climate emergency.
When Trump shows disrespect at Arlington National Cemetery, we are rightly outraged. When Trump promises to ease the Fossil Fuel Community of burdensome regulations if they give him a billion dollars for his campaign, the outrage fades fast.
We need constant reminders of what global warming is already showing us with wildfires, floods, heat waves, droughts, hurricanes, rising sea levels, and the rest of it.
Never mind the climate part - he was asking them for a bribe openly. He also plans to get rid of the EPA and other environmental regulations.
“My strategy is to shut up about it now and do whatever I can to complain to President Harris beginning in January of 2025.” This, right here.
Totally. I also just became aware that resistbot has a line directly to Harris: text VICE to 50409. I sent a letter to Harris regarding Gaza yesterday, and I plan to continue to use this vehicle to urge that the US put more pressure on Israel to stop.
If resistbot is not public, and does not suggest people withhold support for Harris, fine, but if the intent is to threaten to withhold support, then I would use that vehicle AFTER the election.
I fully agree that during the campaign we advocate for the best candidate, and after they are in office we lobby them to improve their policies.
I don’t think it suggests any particular course of action. Offers a vehicle for communication
Thanks for the Truscott link. I am going to write to my representatives today objecting to Donald’s despicable show.
Good idea, Susan. I plan to do the same. Perhaps some charges can be filed since it was a violation of Federal law too.
p.s. Jess Craven will have a Resistbot letter for this in her Chop Wood, Carry Water on Tuesday. In the meantime, anyone can text SIGN PELEQR to 50409 to send email messages almost effortlessly to their Senators and Representatives. Here's the message:
"I am appalled at the Trump campaign's willful abuse and desecration of one of our nation's most solemn and sacred shrines at Arlington National Cemetery. Reports of violation of Federal law and the assault, however minor, of a cemetery employee cannot be ignored.
"I implore you to call for a full investigation and a public hearing on this egregious display of self-serving hubris, and demand an immediate cessation of any inappropriate or illegal photos or videos by Trump or his campaign."
Thank you Robert for keeping up the wisdom pressure that more needs to be pursued on Arlington.
Even more importantly is your campaign focus. And not the how, when, why, what of the interview. i believe they engaged wonderfully.
I continue to be frustrated by media’s coverage as though this is a “normal” election. Dana Basch asked Harris about changing her position on fracking from 2019, five years ago. Trump changes positions every five minutes. And that is the point. He has no positions; he will do and say anything, which is part of the reason this is not a “normal” election.
Media should be asking Trump about each aspect of Project 2025 on a daily basis as well as his blundering efforts to hide his connections to it. That would be investigative reporting instead of “gotcha” moments. My wife got subscription to WAPO, which has generally been better than NYT.
Heather Cox Anderson today shared a brilliant ad from Lincoln Project. “Impotus Americanus” suits the beast to a “T.”
Please share with your readers. I was not successful.
“When The Predator Becomes The Prey”📣
https://x.com/ProjectLincoln/status/1829459052016832986
A superb ad.
HC Richardson is the greatest!!!
Sorry about typing Prof Richardson’s name incorrectly. Thanks for the correction!
We've got 2 months to make this happen before Nov. 5, and many places open early voting a few weeks prior to that. Time to put the pedal to the metal. Mobilize has a great variety of effective options to volunteer, from in person to virtual, from postcarding to text banking to phone banking to door knocking--take your pick of what works for you!
https://www.mobilize.us/
Still time to make a blue tsunami by registering more Democrats.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/fund-the-mission
The Guardian is reporting on yet another shocking podcast appearance by JD Vance https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/31/jd-vance-podcast-feminism-immigration. The man definitely did not hold his views in! Now that I understand what he is, I can't help wondering about his wife. She went to Yale Law School and works as a lawyer. That's also true of Erin Hawley, Josh's wife. Is their actual belief that all women shouldn't work, or that only rich women should work? I wish someone would ask them.
“Win now - criticize later.”
https://youtu.be/_wiKVqSZCzk?si=MDCf4vqECL5PU_z6
Exactly!
Vote: Character first; Integrity second; Policy & Position third (Policy can change and Position can evolve).
“So, of course he thinks it's a 'beautiful thing' that women in Florida and across the country are being turned away from emergency rooms, face life-threatening situations, and are forced to travel hundreds of miles for the care they need.”
Great Lincoln Project Ad:Project 2025/You’re Under Arrest For Evading Motherhood📣
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRz5XHRpifw
Final orders for postcards! Donation not required:✍️
The Reform Movement through RAC-FL and Women of Reform Judaism is partnering with the "YES on 4, Floridians Protecting Freedom" campaign to protect reproductive freedom through a November ballot amendment.
https://rac.org/take-action/rac-your-state/rac-fl/guidelines-writing-postcards-floridians-about-reproductive-freedom
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is now using FT 6 texting. She has a great shot at beating "Sunset" Rick Scott. https://www.debbieforflorida.com/
Registration closes October 7 in Florida. We have a window of opportunity to flip the state. Partner with us. https://www.fieldteam6.org/all-volunteer-ops
Picked up window signs at the democratic headquarters here in Harrisburg, Pa. The excitement there was beautiful & contagious.
I love my signs, our fantastic candidates & the beautiful people that inhabit our party.
I'd like to hear from Mike Pompeo and John Kelly regarding the Trump Campaign's decision process - against all the tradition in the history of our country since the Civil War - that guided Trump's clumsy and tasteless participation in a photo op on hallowed ground. Oh and the continued misogyny of shoving out of the way a female service member doing her duty.
How about, Elaine Chao and other Trump cabinet members who wanted to use the 25th amendment when Trump was in office because he is unfit to serve.
In their guts they know Trump is nuts.
But, especially in her case, McConnell's love of power cut her off. McConnell will go down in history as one of the most scheming and amoral politicians of this century. Another Bilbo.
I keep wondering about McConnell….and Graham and some of the others who were around before the maggots (Hawley et all) took over……
Their love of power and pomp and circumstance trumps all the decency they may have had as younger men
That's another nifty shot! I don't see the apparent very bright star that was present in your first photo yesterday. Although I'm not sure if this new image includes that part of yesterday's photo. It's fascinating what a longer exposure time can do for you.
There were a dozen witnesses to the scuffle, but no one has identified the campaign staff member who shoved the cemetery official. That is a knowable fact—and one certainly capable of ascertainment by the media. But the press seems to be giving Trump wide latitude on this story. Why??
⬆️
I watched Fred Wellman's "On Democracy" podcast on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKgK9p5xaGY) last night and he discussed the incident in the 2nd half of the pod (starting shortly before the 19 minute mark). Per Fred, the Pentagon press corp (unlike the MSM) is on the job and they will be (or have already) filed FOIA results for the public records associated with this disgusting incident. He firmly believes that it will come out.
He also mentioned that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson put pressure on the staff at Arlington to let Trump do the wreath laying ceremony that came before they invaded Section 60. I will need to add him to my list for making phonecalls.
Based on a call to action in yesterday's Chop Wood, Carry Water post (https://open.substack.com/pub/chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions/p/chop-wood-carry-water-830-3e3?r=1aiy5t&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web) I already placed calls to my senators and congressman using her script as a template to request that they hold hearings about this incident.
And I did the "extra credit" assignment and called James Comer's office. There was an option on the phone tree to choose that the call was about House oversight and that gave me the further option to leave a message for the majority (GOP) or minority (DEM) party. I encourage other readers to do the same - they need to hear a tsunami of outrage!!
I also made another donation to VoteVets - they are going to need $$ to get the word out about this outrageous incident. Here is a link to their most recent ads about it on their YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@votevets):
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMrK2Zw4bgc
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlDMbYojaF0
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh65qAQ0RG4