More good (surprising) news: The House passed the defense appropriations bill on Thursday morning without the "culture war" provisions demanded by the Freedom Caucus. Although there was strong bipartisan support for the bill, a majority of the support came from Democrats (again)--proving that the House is effectively governed by the minority party! To say the least, the Freedom Caucus is upset.
Some days I find myself trying to decide who aggravates me the most. (Usually it’s Mike Johnson. I would be in favor of his removal just for the sake of my blood pressure, though I don’t know who they will tee up next.) On good days I try to focus on who encourages me the most. This week I felt like Jack Smith made a genius move, and Liz Cheney, with whom I have zero in common on policy, is showing us 100 percent determination in her message of Trump Cannot Be President and Republicans Cannot Be Trusted with the Constitution, and I appreciate that persistence.
Susan's message hits two points for me which give me added hope above and beyond the resolve and look from 10,000 feet of Robert's overall thinking today. The good days is what we all need and equaling things out can help all us to find "our" good place! Being able to see the genius of Jack Smith and the toughness of Liz Cheney share a perspective that we need to remake or bring back. People can disagree on some things, agree on others, and be seen by each other as having value! Listening instead of hearing people who have differing views is healthy! Respecting differences is healthy! Respecting efforts for the common good is a must if we are ever going to leave this place on some days I don't recognize. Thank YOU Susan!
Woah. This is one of the most compressed, information rich newsletters you have written. Obviously quite a bit of extremely hard work went into this derecho of a news burst.
Agree! And Robert also provides some levity with Trump’s brief. At least they had the proper citation.😂
It is as if the Special Council” growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming,I must find some way to keep Christmas from coming…but how ?” DR. SEUSS, HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS(Random House 1957)
It was heartwarming to hear Hunter Biden's remarks at the Capitol. He was strong and direct and made it clear that he and his father love each other. I think his words enhanced his reputation which has been in shatters.
He didn't defend himself at all. In fact, he admitted his addiction and what it did to him in terms of his poor financial decisions! The whole impeachment thing is shocking, but will be an embarrassment to Republicans!
Hunter Biden’s integrity and human decency, in spite of his checkered past, far exceeds that of any of these Republicans who are trying to further destroy his life and ruin President Biden’s reputation. They are both strong men who are not afraid to stand up to imbeciles.
Good idea to make this short cut analysis of a complicated situation with developments on so many fronts. What I would like my country (Sweden) to do is to halt the application for NATO, while the US is voting for republic or dictatorship, and avoid being ally to Trump, best friend of Putin, America. The present bilateral agreement between the US and Sweden is OK and I suppose possible to reverse. Such a demonstration is not possible in diplomatic circumstances, and our present prime minister is not capable anyway. Sitting at the side and not have a vote in what matters a lot to all of us outside, I can only be grateful to all of you who stand up for justice and truth.
Dec 14, 2023·edited Dec 14, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Olof, yes, it is frustrating, sobering and at times outright frightening to realize that the world order as we know it at least for the last 30 years, the fight against climate change and a slow but steady progress to more democracy, more human rights and, in general, more common sense is at the mercy of the voters in the US - and, incidentally, the shortcomings of the US electoral system.
Having lived and worked in the US for 12 years I do know the country fairly well, I am in touch with many people on a daily basis and also do my part in supporting those voices and forces which are trying to prevent what you (and I) are so much afraid of.
And a defeatist attitude would be the worst right now. We will have to assume that common sense will prevail, ideas like that Sweden should stay better out of NATO because the insurrectionists might take over would definitely be the wrong answer. Quite to the contrary, even if we don't have a voice in the elections, the international community should do everything in its power to support the Biden administration and its policies.
Stefan, I appreciate both your and Olaf's perspectives. I will never forget the conversation over breakfast with two friends who were visiting me in California from Sweden in the spring of 2016. They told me how worried people in Sweden were if tfg was elected, and I laughed, and assured them that could never happen. I said, "Don't worry, people aren't that stupid." I was sadly so very wrong. I have friends in a variety of countries around the world, and they tell me how we are viewed from those countries. One of my Swedish friends was perplexed by the electoral college, and rightly so.
Stefan, thank you for mentioning the shortcomings of the electoral system, namely, the electoral college, which had a purpose 100 years ago and prior to that, but doesn’t make much sense anymore. Had we not been at the mercy of the electoral college, Trump would never have been president, and George W. Bush would’ve lost handily to Al Gore. The US and the world might be a very different place now, instead of concerned US citizens, and most of the western world, biting their nails waiting for the outcome of the next US election. In spite of all this, our justice system seems to be holding its own against Trump and his lawyers’ shenanigans, so that is one good thing.
Good news on a somewhat related matter: In its recent election, Poland voted out the right-wing, quasi-dictatorial régime and voted in a government headed by Donald Tusk.
Olaf, I am kind of surprised that you would want Sweden to halt their application. Your country is very close to Russia and Sweden needs to defend herself against Putin. I have a dear friend who is from Sweden but is an American citizen. She wants your country to be a part of NATO for protection.
Halt only to know who and what we would be allied to. Hungary and Turkey are playing games with the Swedish application, and doing exactly what Putin wants: delay decision and split Finland and Sweden. Sweden needs to make a strong statement, hopefully a better one. Trump and his crowd has also so far done exactly what Putin wants: sow division along the lines of the civil war and set conditions for another civil war. Most alarming is the delay of appointments for senior officers to the US armed forces, in order to fill the top with political loyalist officers. I am much in favor of Sweden being member of NATO, we have played the neutrality game for far to long, and we very well need a strong alliance. Modern wars are so destructive that part of the game is the choice of battlefield. Even at the risk of becoming the battlefield of choice by the super powers, Sweden needs a strong alliance.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for producing a clear, beautifully referenced newsletter in the midst of an overwhelming amount of newsworthy events. It is greatly appreciated. And thumbs up for Hunter Biden.
Just by agreeing to hear the mifepristone case, SCOTUS has ensured reproductive care as a front and center issue in 2024.
Why?
Because SCOTUS and the Republican Party have lost all trust. SCOTUS said it respected precedent , but it did/does not and in fact issues condescending, gloating right-abolishing decisions. TXLEG said it would go back this special session and revise SB8 to include exceptions for rapid and incest, but it did not. BUT, they assured us, the mother’s health would be protected, but they disregarded Kate Cox’s health, and our indicted state AG threatened her doctors and hospital as they tried to save Ms. Cox’s health.
So, Dems, the message needs to be more than what bad things have already been done by SCOTUS and state legislatures. The message needs to be 1) here’s what they’ve done, 2) here’s how they’ve done it completely devoid of empathy or compassion, and 3) any assurances that they won’t go further are flat out lies.
We need to message that Texas is not an outlier, and DeSantis and Haley support a federal abortion ban.Of course Trump is noncommittal.DeSantis claims exemptions for rape and incest in Fl law….but conveniently leaves out those exemptions are only until 15 weeks.
⬇️
“The most important lesson: The medical exemptions written into abortion-restricting laws in Texas, Florida and elsewhere are difficult to interpret, and offer little certainty for women seeking to end a dangerous pregnancy.”
Trump may be noncommittal about an abortion ban, as Kathy says, but people should be reminded, over & over again, that Trump nominated the SCOTUS “Justices” who overthrew The Roe decision.
Dec 14, 2023·edited Dec 14, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Yes, today was full of head spinning news...thank you, Robert, for putting it all in context. One other newsworthy event under the "Bidenomics" category was the Fed's relatively positive outlook on inflation. Hopefully, the fed can continue to chart a course toward reducing interest rates this coming Spring. Oh, and as far as the Grinch is concerned, we all know exactly who that is!
Thank you Robert, After reading Heather last night, things were looking gloomier than usual. We needed this bit of possitive reality to maybe let us get a good nights sleep. The stress makes it hard sometimes, if you are a consiouse and caring person.
This in my opinion this was one of the best Today’s Editions Robert has written and concisely provides the facts and information on a variety of on going issues and drama.
Why it Matters. To be effective in 2024 we need to effectively communicate messages and facts framed in an easy to comprehend manner like Today’s Edition has for all us today. The “ why it matters “ needs to be connected to all the responses we make regarding Republican Legislators and what they are doing and why.
The likely outcome. If voters are given the facts about what a Republican administration looks and feels like and why it matters to them then we will be successful in 2024 as long as we stay the course and do the work.
You don't need to know much more about Mike Johnson's morality and his support for the Biden Impeachment than: "When Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) was asked Tuesday on Capitol Hill what he's hoping to gain from an impeachment inquiry, Nehls responded: “All I can say is: Donald J. Trump 2024, baby!”
I agree, although, as a UT Austin alum, that makes me very sad. As I have written before, we are also losing young adults who have grown up here but do not see Texas, with our gun-friendly and woman-hostile governance, as a wholesome place to raise their family. (Though, on a lighter note, I will say they miss the Tex-Mex:-))
I have lived in San Antonio for 40+ years and I'm proud of our blue city. We welcome asylum seekers (we have a welcome center) and have the best progressive Mayor and City Council.
And great Tex-Mex! And great Democrats!
Please remember the TX Planned Parenthood chapters that are under siege from AG Paxton for a meritless False Claims Suit. The trial will be under Judge Kacsmaryk, the ideologue who ruled against Mifepristone. The goal is to decimate us financially.
We need to move to Texas and change things for good...LOL
The front lines in Red States is thinner than you may think. Look at Georgia...Texas, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi are next. That is why these people are fighting so hard. They are about to go down forever....
Hi, Barbara -- I have lived in Houston almost all my life (born here) and am proud that we and Harris County are a nice shade of blue. We can also be proud and grateful to be one of, if not THE, most diverse city in the U.S. One of the many happy results of that is we have not only great Tex-Mex, but probably any other cuisine you can think of! Thank you for reminding me of yet another way we need to get rid of criminal Paxton.
And Houston is a great City too. Now if we can only get rid of the gerrymandering that disgracefully discounts Austin, San Antonio, and Houston in favor of the state's deep red areas, I think Texas would be a lovely shade of purple.
Cathy, good letter from you on the Paxton subject -- printed in the Houston Chronicle the other day, along with Bronwyn's heart-wrenching story of her experience.
So.....Johnson doesn't believe in climate change or that carbon emissions are harmful and, what the heck, the earth was only created 6,000 years ago. I guess scientists won't gain much traction in Congress until Mike Johnson is replaced in the Speaker's chair.
Very well put. I can hardly find a friend to even read the scary news coming out daily. We desperately need a national messaging machine, a more competent press secretary , billboards all over the US about who Trump really is, and an end to the war in Gaza
Mr. Hubbell, your daily letters are amazingly informative and educational. I swear I don’t know how you and your Managing Editor do this every day, but I’m so grateful to you both. I hope you’ll give yourselves a well-deserved break during the holidays. My deepest thanks to both of you.
Any thoughts on the revelation that Qatar’s funding Hamas with hundreds of millions of dollars was approved by Netanyahu even though his government had knowledge of the Hamas attack months in advance? Cynics would interpret this, plus encouraging illegal expansion in the West Bank, as a desire on Netanyahu’s part to keep Hamas in power to avoid a just two state solution
I am not a middle east expert, but I think this is right: "to avoid a just two state solution." FWIW, Biden has single-handedly revised the two-state solution.
It’s not only cynics who have interpreted Netanyahu’s actions as you do, Tom. Israelis have said much the same thing (see articles in the Times of Israel, e.g.).
Moreover: settlement expansion in the West Bank is driven by settlers’ hopes to create a de facto annexation of that territory by Israel.
In my opinion, “the two state solution” is mostly an incantation, not a genuine solution. The important issue is to think much harder about *what kind of* two-state solution should be favored.
Israel-and-Hamas would be a two-state “solution”, albeit one that thinking, caring people should reject out of hand. Israel-and-the-PLO is almost as bad, given the PLO’s hopelessly embedded corruption, its Israel-hating, sneakily antisemitic orientation, and the disdain West Bank Palestinians have for it.
No, I don’t have an alternative to the PLO to propose. Some kind of temporary (5-10 years) receivership, maybe.
Excellent way to frame the news, so many things happening.
Tuesday I had a troubling, but enlightening conversation with a young person with whom I work with in my volunteer gig at our Botanical Gardens. She is voted for Biden, but not now, and said, among other talking points, that he is responsible for the killing in Gaza, and is building the wall. She said it not in an angry way, but surprised and sad that he is not "doing his job" that she thought he would.
I asked her where she gets her news from. It is from twitter (x), tik tok, and other very brief social media. She says that they take headlines from reputable sources like the Washington Post, and whoever is posting frames the issue (Biden is continuing Trump's building of the wall), and cites to a Washington Post article. Since it is the Post, she does not question the way something is framed in the tweet.
Most young people are like her, and get their information sporadically from sound bites on twitter-type media, and do not question the way things are framed.
I did explain to her that there were people who know how to target young people, and frame the issue so that Trump wins. I told her that Biden is not building the wall, but had to agree to finish a small portion of the wall in order to get the house to agree to fund the government.
My point here is that I think we need to launch a well thought out counter messaging strategy on the platforms that are being used by the extreme right wing, in order to change the narrative on the issues that are reaching young voters.
I do not think Facebook or substack type newsletters are doing the trick as far as reaching young voters. I wonder if there are people out there who are capable of focusing on media that reaches young people?
I guess I am seeing whether we can create our own campaign on the same platforms that she is on, as a way to frame the issues from our perspective, to reach people like her who are not going to read Jessica's email. in other words I wish there were people who can create our own sound bites and put them out on those platforms.
I copied this out and sent your story to several young friends who passionately only get their information sporadically and believe it face-value. They also tend to deride Biden as being too old, without respecting the complexities of international relations as they are negotiated or are unfolding and often very passionately take one side or the other (Palestinian oppression by Israelis without the necessary context).
I wish I knew people who regularly post on twitter type places, and know how to get their post to be viewed. Then we do the same thing the bad guys are doing, which is frame the particular issue from our point of view, but using one liners, and in a way that is attractive to the reader.
More good (surprising) news: The House passed the defense appropriations bill on Thursday morning without the "culture war" provisions demanded by the Freedom Caucus. Although there was strong bipartisan support for the bill, a majority of the support came from Democrats (again)--proving that the House is effectively governed by the minority party! To say the least, the Freedom Caucus is upset.
Thank you, Robert! And things will be even better when Hakeem Jeffries becomes speaker in January 2025!
Thank you Robert! Huge, huge relief!
They should be upset. Really, they need to be voted out, God willing!
Some days I find myself trying to decide who aggravates me the most. (Usually it’s Mike Johnson. I would be in favor of his removal just for the sake of my blood pressure, though I don’t know who they will tee up next.) On good days I try to focus on who encourages me the most. This week I felt like Jack Smith made a genius move, and Liz Cheney, with whom I have zero in common on policy, is showing us 100 percent determination in her message of Trump Cannot Be President and Republicans Cannot Be Trusted with the Constitution, and I appreciate that persistence.
Susan's message hits two points for me which give me added hope above and beyond the resolve and look from 10,000 feet of Robert's overall thinking today. The good days is what we all need and equaling things out can help all us to find "our" good place! Being able to see the genius of Jack Smith and the toughness of Liz Cheney share a perspective that we need to remake or bring back. People can disagree on some things, agree on others, and be seen by each other as having value! Listening instead of hearing people who have differing views is healthy! Respecting differences is healthy! Respecting efforts for the common good is a must if we are ever going to leave this place on some days I don't recognize. Thank YOU Susan!
Woah. This is one of the most compressed, information rich newsletters you have written. Obviously quite a bit of extremely hard work went into this derecho of a news burst.
I appreciated the framing with “Why does this matter?” and “What is the likely outcome?” followed by deeper dive sources.
Like "derecho of a news burst."
It’s an excellent newsletter, Robert; plus, I love this format you chose. Hint, hint. 😊
LOL!
Agree! And Robert also provides some levity with Trump’s brief. At least they had the proper citation.😂
It is as if the Special Council” growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming,I must find some way to keep Christmas from coming…but how ?” DR. SEUSS, HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS(Random House 1957)
Just the pep talk (or less emotionally, the analysis) I needed tonight to get beyond the headline stories. Thank you.
It was heartwarming to hear Hunter Biden's remarks at the Capitol. He was strong and direct and made it clear that he and his father love each other. I think his words enhanced his reputation which has been in shatters.
And he didn’t try to defend himself.
He didn't defend himself at all. In fact, he admitted his addiction and what it did to him in terms of his poor financial decisions! The whole impeachment thing is shocking, but will be an embarrassment to Republicans!
… an embarrassment among thinking people.
Hunter Biden’s integrity and human decency, in spite of his checkered past, far exceeds that of any of these Republicans who are trying to further destroy his life and ruin President Biden’s reputation. They are both strong men who are not afraid to stand up to imbeciles.
Yes, they are strong men (as opposed to being strongmen...and are opposed to strongmen).
Good idea to make this short cut analysis of a complicated situation with developments on so many fronts. What I would like my country (Sweden) to do is to halt the application for NATO, while the US is voting for republic or dictatorship, and avoid being ally to Trump, best friend of Putin, America. The present bilateral agreement between the US and Sweden is OK and I suppose possible to reverse. Such a demonstration is not possible in diplomatic circumstances, and our present prime minister is not capable anyway. Sitting at the side and not have a vote in what matters a lot to all of us outside, I can only be grateful to all of you who stand up for justice and truth.
Olof, yes, it is frustrating, sobering and at times outright frightening to realize that the world order as we know it at least for the last 30 years, the fight against climate change and a slow but steady progress to more democracy, more human rights and, in general, more common sense is at the mercy of the voters in the US - and, incidentally, the shortcomings of the US electoral system.
Having lived and worked in the US for 12 years I do know the country fairly well, I am in touch with many people on a daily basis and also do my part in supporting those voices and forces which are trying to prevent what you (and I) are so much afraid of.
And a defeatist attitude would be the worst right now. We will have to assume that common sense will prevail, ideas like that Sweden should stay better out of NATO because the insurrectionists might take over would definitely be the wrong answer. Quite to the contrary, even if we don't have a voice in the elections, the international community should do everything in its power to support the Biden administration and its policies.
Stefan, I appreciate both your and Olaf's perspectives. I will never forget the conversation over breakfast with two friends who were visiting me in California from Sweden in the spring of 2016. They told me how worried people in Sweden were if tfg was elected, and I laughed, and assured them that could never happen. I said, "Don't worry, people aren't that stupid." I was sadly so very wrong. I have friends in a variety of countries around the world, and they tell me how we are viewed from those countries. One of my Swedish friends was perplexed by the electoral college, and rightly so.
Well said
Stefan, thank you for mentioning the shortcomings of the electoral system, namely, the electoral college, which had a purpose 100 years ago and prior to that, but doesn’t make much sense anymore. Had we not been at the mercy of the electoral college, Trump would never have been president, and George W. Bush would’ve lost handily to Al Gore. The US and the world might be a very different place now, instead of concerned US citizens, and most of the western world, biting their nails waiting for the outcome of the next US election. In spite of all this, our justice system seems to be holding its own against Trump and his lawyers’ shenanigans, so that is one good thing.
Good news on a somewhat related matter: In its recent election, Poland voted out the right-wing, quasi-dictatorial régime and voted in a government headed by Donald Tusk.
Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation.
Olof, if Trump is elected, he will depart NATO post haste. NATO will need Sweden.
Olaf, I am kind of surprised that you would want Sweden to halt their application. Your country is very close to Russia and Sweden needs to defend herself against Putin. I have a dear friend who is from Sweden but is an American citizen. She wants your country to be a part of NATO for protection.
Halt only to know who and what we would be allied to. Hungary and Turkey are playing games with the Swedish application, and doing exactly what Putin wants: delay decision and split Finland and Sweden. Sweden needs to make a strong statement, hopefully a better one. Trump and his crowd has also so far done exactly what Putin wants: sow division along the lines of the civil war and set conditions for another civil war. Most alarming is the delay of appointments for senior officers to the US armed forces, in order to fill the top with political loyalist officers. I am much in favor of Sweden being member of NATO, we have played the neutrality game for far to long, and we very well need a strong alliance. Modern wars are so destructive that part of the game is the choice of battlefield. Even at the risk of becoming the battlefield of choice by the super powers, Sweden needs a strong alliance.
Thanks for clarifying this. “A strong statement” makes sense to me, especially as Turkey and Hungary are playing games.
Kick Hungary out of NATO and admit Sweden.
Thank you, Olaf, for your excellent response.
I am stunned, Olof. But I know very little of how our 2024 election is viewed elsewhere, so I am glad to learn how you see us.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for producing a clear, beautifully referenced newsletter in the midst of an overwhelming amount of newsworthy events. It is greatly appreciated. And thumbs up for Hunter Biden.
Just by agreeing to hear the mifepristone case, SCOTUS has ensured reproductive care as a front and center issue in 2024.
Why?
Because SCOTUS and the Republican Party have lost all trust. SCOTUS said it respected precedent , but it did/does not and in fact issues condescending, gloating right-abolishing decisions. TXLEG said it would go back this special session and revise SB8 to include exceptions for rapid and incest, but it did not. BUT, they assured us, the mother’s health would be protected, but they disregarded Kate Cox’s health, and our indicted state AG threatened her doctors and hospital as they tried to save Ms. Cox’s health.
So, Dems, the message needs to be more than what bad things have already been done by SCOTUS and state legislatures. The message needs to be 1) here’s what they’ve done, 2) here’s how they’ve done it completely devoid of empathy or compassion, and 3) any assurances that they won’t go further are flat out lies.
We need to message that Texas is not an outlier, and DeSantis and Haley support a federal abortion ban.Of course Trump is noncommittal.DeSantis claims exemptions for rape and incest in Fl law….but conveniently leaves out those exemptions are only until 15 weeks.
⬇️
“The most important lesson: The medical exemptions written into abortion-restricting laws in Texas, Florida and elsewhere are difficult to interpret, and offer little certainty for women seeking to end a dangerous pregnancy.”
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/12/13/texas-barred-abortion-for-a-fetus-with-a-fatal-diagnosis-does-florida-law-do-the-same/?share=0raaredfa1tmhe3ndcia
Trump may be noncommittal about an abortion ban, as Kathy says, but people should be reminded, over & over again, that Trump nominated the SCOTUS “Justices” who overthrew The Roe decision.
Add “ why it matters “ and the likely outcome
Yes, today was full of head spinning news...thank you, Robert, for putting it all in context. One other newsworthy event under the "Bidenomics" category was the Fed's relatively positive outlook on inflation. Hopefully, the fed can continue to chart a course toward reducing interest rates this coming Spring. Oh, and as far as the Grinch is concerned, we all know exactly who that is!
Good point!! I should have included that development.
Thank you Robert, After reading Heather last night, things were looking gloomier than usual. We needed this bit of possitive reality to maybe let us get a good nights sleep. The stress makes it hard sometimes, if you are a consiouse and caring person.
This in my opinion this was one of the best Today’s Editions Robert has written and concisely provides the facts and information on a variety of on going issues and drama.
Why it Matters. To be effective in 2024 we need to effectively communicate messages and facts framed in an easy to comprehend manner like Today’s Edition has for all us today. The “ why it matters “ needs to be connected to all the responses we make regarding Republican Legislators and what they are doing and why.
The likely outcome. If voters are given the facts about what a Republican administration looks and feels like and why it matters to them then we will be successful in 2024 as long as we stay the course and do the work.
You don't need to know much more about Mike Johnson's morality and his support for the Biden Impeachment than: "When Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) was asked Tuesday on Capitol Hill what he's hoping to gain from an impeachment inquiry, Nehls responded: “All I can say is: Donald J. Trump 2024, baby!”
In addition to not protecting women's health, this is another good reason to send your college age kids to anywhere but Texas for college
I agree, although, as a UT Austin alum, that makes me very sad. As I have written before, we are also losing young adults who have grown up here but do not see Texas, with our gun-friendly and woman-hostile governance, as a wholesome place to raise their family. (Though, on a lighter note, I will say they miss the Tex-Mex:-))
Austin is a great city. Wonderful people. Austonians must be anguished by what's going on around them.
I have lived in San Antonio for 40+ years and I'm proud of our blue city. We welcome asylum seekers (we have a welcome center) and have the best progressive Mayor and City Council.
And great Tex-Mex! And great Democrats!
Please remember the TX Planned Parenthood chapters that are under siege from AG Paxton for a meritless False Claims Suit. The trial will be under Judge Kacsmaryk, the ideologue who ruled against Mifepristone. The goal is to decimate us financially.
Hey, Barbara. Thanks for the reminder. I will check out stories on this development
We need to move to Texas and change things for good...LOL
The front lines in Red States is thinner than you may think. Look at Georgia...Texas, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi are next. That is why these people are fighting so hard. They are about to go down forever....
If only that can happen soon!
Hi, Barbara -- I have lived in Houston almost all my life (born here) and am proud that we and Harris County are a nice shade of blue. We can also be proud and grateful to be one of, if not THE, most diverse city in the U.S. One of the many happy results of that is we have not only great Tex-Mex, but probably any other cuisine you can think of! Thank you for reminding me of yet another way we need to get rid of criminal Paxton.
And Houston is a great City too. Now if we can only get rid of the gerrymandering that disgracefully discounts Austin, San Antonio, and Houston in favor of the state's deep red areas, I think Texas would be a lovely shade of purple.
Ken Paxton. Enough said. He and morality are strangers. No wonder he loves Trump. Birds of a feather….,.
And thank goodness for the Island of San Antonio!
That's okay; we Tex-Mex-less states can import the cuisine. If you love rural areas and snow, come to lavender Maine and turn us emphatically blue!
Cathy, good letter from you on the Paxton subject -- printed in the Houston Chronicle the other day, along with Bronwyn's heart-wrenching story of her experience.
You are right Cathy. STILL miss the Tex-Mex.
Interesting piece in the Guardian about Mike Johnson’s refusal to act on his firefighter father’s pleading that he do what he could about toxic burn pits. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/13/mike-johnson-creationist-beliefs-clash-with-climate-facts?
So.....Johnson doesn't believe in climate change or that carbon emissions are harmful and, what the heck, the earth was only created 6,000 years ago. I guess scientists won't gain much traction in Congress until Mike Johnson is replaced in the Speaker's chair.
Yes, again and again we discover the lack of morality and decency residing in the present GOP.
How unspeakably disgusting! I would not have known who Troy is from a hole in the wall. Now I’ll remember that name.
Troy Nehls is from TX's 22nd District - starting just west of Houston and then heading south, sweeping up apparently red voters as much as possible.
Thanks for the explanation.
Yesterday was a despairing, rough news day; had to walk away for the better part of it.
Thank you for the layout of this letter, Robert, it organized a lot of that chaos!
I truly believe part of the strategy republicans employ includes wearing the general population down with lies and outrage; it takes it's toll.
You got that right.
Very well put. I can hardly find a friend to even read the scary news coming out daily. We desperately need a national messaging machine, a more competent press secretary , billboards all over the US about who Trump really is, and an end to the war in Gaza
Mr. Hubbell, your daily letters are amazingly informative and educational. I swear I don’t know how you and your Managing Editor do this every day, but I’m so grateful to you both. I hope you’ll give yourselves a well-deserved break during the holidays. My deepest thanks to both of you.
Any thoughts on the revelation that Qatar’s funding Hamas with hundreds of millions of dollars was approved by Netanyahu even though his government had knowledge of the Hamas attack months in advance? Cynics would interpret this, plus encouraging illegal expansion in the West Bank, as a desire on Netanyahu’s part to keep Hamas in power to avoid a just two state solution
I am not a middle east expert, but I think this is right: "to avoid a just two state solution." FWIW, Biden has single-handedly revised the two-state solution.
It’s not only cynics who have interpreted Netanyahu’s actions as you do, Tom. Israelis have said much the same thing (see articles in the Times of Israel, e.g.).
Moreover: settlement expansion in the West Bank is driven by settlers’ hopes to create a de facto annexation of that territory by Israel.
In my opinion, “the two state solution” is mostly an incantation, not a genuine solution. The important issue is to think much harder about *what kind of* two-state solution should be favored.
Israel-and-Hamas would be a two-state “solution”, albeit one that thinking, caring people should reject out of hand. Israel-and-the-PLO is almost as bad, given the PLO’s hopelessly embedded corruption, its Israel-hating, sneakily antisemitic orientation, and the disdain West Bank Palestinians have for it.
No, I don’t have an alternative to the PLO to propose. Some kind of temporary (5-10 years) receivership, maybe.
Excellent way to frame the news, so many things happening.
Tuesday I had a troubling, but enlightening conversation with a young person with whom I work with in my volunteer gig at our Botanical Gardens. She is voted for Biden, but not now, and said, among other talking points, that he is responsible for the killing in Gaza, and is building the wall. She said it not in an angry way, but surprised and sad that he is not "doing his job" that she thought he would.
I asked her where she gets her news from. It is from twitter (x), tik tok, and other very brief social media. She says that they take headlines from reputable sources like the Washington Post, and whoever is posting frames the issue (Biden is continuing Trump's building of the wall), and cites to a Washington Post article. Since it is the Post, she does not question the way something is framed in the tweet.
Most young people are like her, and get their information sporadically from sound bites on twitter-type media, and do not question the way things are framed.
I did explain to her that there were people who know how to target young people, and frame the issue so that Trump wins. I told her that Biden is not building the wall, but had to agree to finish a small portion of the wall in order to get the house to agree to fund the government.
My point here is that I think we need to launch a well thought out counter messaging strategy on the platforms that are being used by the extreme right wing, in order to change the narrative on the issues that are reaching young voters.
I do not think Facebook or substack type newsletters are doing the trick as far as reaching young voters. I wonder if there are people out there who are capable of focusing on media that reaches young people?
Agree➡️“ I do not think Facebook or substack type newsletters are doing the trick as far as reaching young voters.”
Maybe your co-worker could follow Jessica Craven on TikTok?
I guess I am seeing whether we can create our own campaign on the same platforms that she is on, as a way to frame the issues from our perspective, to reach people like her who are not going to read Jessica's email. in other words I wish there were people who can create our own sound bites and put them out on those platforms.
I copied this out and sent your story to several young friends who passionately only get their information sporadically and believe it face-value. They also tend to deride Biden as being too old, without respecting the complexities of international relations as they are negotiated or are unfolding and often very passionately take one side or the other (Palestinian oppression by Israelis without the necessary context).
I wish I knew people who regularly post on twitter type places, and know how to get their post to be viewed. Then we do the same thing the bad guys are doing, which is frame the particular issue from our point of view, but using one liners, and in a way that is attractive to the reader.