Congratulations. You are an INFLUENCER. I start every weekday with you, Heather and Jessica. True resistance fighters. Best wishes and regards to the managing editor.
Not just an INFLUENCER, but also an INSPIRATION! Robert has inspired us to share and express our own ideas, and has encouraged many of us to venture into the Substack world. BRAVO!
Janet summed it up for me as well. It’s the first thing I read every weekday morning along with Heather and Jessica. You have all given me hope and the will to continue a lifelong commitment to freedom, which began as a young gay man in 1980 in a small Tennessee town.
"I am not a political consultant or pundit, just a husband, father, and grandfather writing to his family. I am honored that you are interested in what I have to say."
Respectfully, I challenge the word "just" in the above sentence. You are also an experienced lawyer with the wisdom that comes (or should!) from years of study and experience. Your opinions are shaped in part by that wisdom, as well as by your undying optimism and love of family and country. I for one am very grateful for having learned about you through Heather and I'm committed to being a paid subscriber even though I'm a senior with only my SS check as income, relying on my housing subsidy. You are worth every penny! Thank you!
PS You did it again - one of my favorite things about your writing is when you come up with brilliantly descriptive statements like this one: "McCarthy did not specify the “serious and credible” allegations because they are whisps of swamp gas swirling over the MAGA cesspool of disinformation.
True of me, also! I have been with Robert from the beginning! Because I am surrounded by two Republican daughters & many Republican friends, I absolutely need the encouragement of this & the other editorials to begin my day & resolve to continue fighting for democracy! Thank you Robert!
Congratulations, Robert, to you and your Managing Editor, for this momentous occasion of having surpassed 50,000 subscriptions! Your growing popularity is well earned by your astute analysis, intrepid fact-based optimism rallying the troops, and frequent turn of phrase such as McCarthy's impeachment of Biden being "whisps of swamp gas!" Thank you for your good work!
So happy to start my day with Today’s Edition. Thanks to Robert and Jill for all they do. I too “draw strength, comfort and friendship as we navigate challenging times.”
I am in Europe on vacation now and thanks to Wi-Fi I read you, Heather and Joyce daily. Thank you for being an anchor of hope.
When I traveled before I was always embraced by locals who looked at America with awe and wonder. On this trip they have embraced me with pity because of our disfunction and the possibility of re-electing a “sociopath” for President. This is sad and pathetic.
May we all show the world by voting in overwhelming numbers that we reject the politics of hate and division.
I do think Biden has helped the US image in Europe, but we need him re-elected so that really changes people's perception of the country. His last trip was very impressive, I thought!
Joyce Vance can also be seen and heard on MSNBC where she frequently appears as a legal expert. A former federal prosecutor, she is now a law professor and has a great skill in explaining legal processes for the non-lawyers among us. Joyce is also a co-host of the “Sisters in Law” podcast . And yes, I admit to being a fan.
I think it drops on Mondays, weekly, but look up #SistersInLaw wherever you get your podcasts. (Sheesh, I’m starting to sound like one of those announcers myself. 😆)
Joyce Vance is a former US Atty for Alabama. She also has an excellent podcast every Saturday called #SistersInLaw- with Jill Wine Banks (who prosecuted Nixon in Watergate) Kimberly Atkins Stohr (lawyer and journalist) and Barb McQuade (former US Atty for Michigan). Their podcast is always enlightening
Given your brilliant analyses of events and their prime movers, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if you reached 500,000 subscribers by Election Day 2024. You deserve it; and it is my ernest hope that your profound faith in our political system is justified . Your daughters (and your subscribers) will all breathe easier! I add my voice to the swelling chorus who is in awe of you and salute your enormous contribution to civil political discourse.
The amount of time Robert spends not only on the Newsletter, but on speaking at events that helps increase donations to state and local elections, and increases volunteers writing postcards and letters - is awesome!
I am an unusual subscriber to your newsletter. Until 2016, I was a hardline Republican who had never voted for a Democrat in her life (75 years). I was a NeverTrump voter from the moment Trump declared his candidacy. I voted third party in 2016 and for Biden in 2020. In 2022 I voted straight Democrat for the first time in my life. I am not only a former Republican, I am also an Evangelical Christian who refuses to vote for Trump.
I will do whatever it takes to keep Trump and his co-horts in crime away from The White House. Your newsletter (recommended to me by a friend) has been a beacon of light and brings joy to my day. I never miss reading it.
Although I now consider myself and Independent voter (I am more conservative than liberal), I will continue to vote for Democrats until Trump and his crime buddies are gone.
As a former Republican I needed a space where I could feel confident I was being told the truth. Your morning newsletter does that for me. Thank you for the time and effort you put it to each daily newsletter. It is greatly appreciated.
To show you how far I have come, I used to watch Fox News exclusively (now MSNBC). I used to listen to conservative talk radio (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, etc.) every day. I have not listened to any of them since 2016.
This is exactly my thoughts! It could have been written by me! The first time that I heard Trump open his mouth & degrade & make fun of handicapped people, I knew what kind of person he was!
Oh! Ellen, your post is most encouraging and amazing. Your ability to confront the reality of the “Trump and his crime buddies” demonstrates just how far afield the Republicans have gone. It is sad to see so many still held captive by the 30% hardcore who have no apparent ability to recognize the deeper threats to our democracy, constitutional law and order. Thank you for sharing.
I am not American. I am Australian. I read your pieces because what happens in America affects the whole world, and the actions of these self opinionated conspiracy peddlers can and will affect day to day life here as well as there. Quite frankly, the thought of a second rabid president, and possibly a third, is terrifying. Thank you for your continued messages of hope.
"...what happens in America affects the whole world..." Would that all Americans realize that. We're all on one small fragile planet, despite effort to spoil it all.
Robert, you said this newsletter is a small contribution. I would like to heartily disagree with you. This newsletter is an act of courage, generosity and most importantly, of hope. It has become a guiding light. My husband and I are so grateful.
I completely agree!!! It is an enormous amount of work on your part and it does an enormous amount of good. I am so grateful to you. I wish everyone in America read your newsletter. But I’ll be happy when it reaches one million subscribers!
It is us, your readers, who are ever so grateful for your providing us with truths and facts one cannot find by reading the news or watching it on television. Your explanation helps us understand and feel good about who we support. So thank you from the bottom of my heart and good night until we will talk to you tomorrow.
And a PS. I am at this moment (12:15 am) communicating with a Hubbell reader who attended Walk The Walk USA's August event - at your referral --- We are organizing a WALK house party at her retirement home. Thank you.
Thank you for your approach to communicating important information. Your intellect, as well as emotional IQ, is impressive and reassuring. We need more of you!
One has to wonder, what's Maserati driving Manchin's beef with the child tax credit? I don't believe I'm wrong when I propose that West Virginia has been very hard on the majority of its residents whether they work in coal or not. Education, people below the poverty line, life expectancy, etc. For a coal fired multi-millionaire to prioritize his own family's well being over the bulk of his state's residents takes a special kind of callousness.
I think Senator Manchin believes in the Rugged Individual myth. As I understand it, the myth tells us that we should not look for -- much less expect -- help from anyone else when dealing with life’s challenges and that all the success or good fortune we receive is due solely to our own efforts. Therefore we get all the credit, do not have to feel any gratitude or humility for help from others, and can feel morally superior to those who don’t “succeed” in the same way. “I did it! You can, too. Suck it up and stick it out.” It’s a “me against the world” mindset widely believed but ultimately too small to guide us through life in peace and harmony. The Senator needs to open his heart and feel the trials and tribulations of his constituents.
You have really hit the nail on the head here. Years ago I had a rare heart-to-heart talk with a wealthy businessman, asking him why he was so against taxes for the rich, social security, national healthcare for everyone, and other social programs. Surely he had enough to not even feel a modest increase in his taxes. His reply was that he never had enough! This greedy attitude, plus feeling of entitlement and lack of sympathy/empathy for others less fortunate was an obvious trait of his wealthy clique of friends as well. I don't know how to deal with that mindset...
Thank you for your story about the rich man, Marilee. It reminds me of the warning in the Christian bible (Old or New testament, I am not sure): “The love of money is the root of all evil.”
Well stated. I have never been able to comprehend the thinking you so aptly describe. It seems to me to be based upon greed and winner take all mentality with little regard for people beyond their own property line. Sad and lacking in compassion or humility.
Thank you, John, for your thought. I share the sense of bewilderment you mention. I think we are a myth-making species and it is important for us to respect — but also examine — the myths we live by. When Love of Money becomes the measure of all value, we have turned it into an idol.
Thank you so much for your efforts on behalf of our democracy Robert. I am by nature a worrier. Your words educate me and calm me. I read your newsletter pretty much every night. I am deeply grateful for you and for Today’s Edition. You are indeed an influencer (thank you Janet Saunders for pointing this out!! 🧡❤️💜💚💛🤍🧡💜
You’re doing an excellent job, Bob; I admire your hard work, calm demeanor and determination. It’s hard to understand why the right wing can’t see what they’re doing to themselves and our country. Every day they dig themselves deeper into the hole of disloyalty and sedition from which they’ll never escape. It’s such a bad choice. Nonetheless, we’ve always been able to rise above people who make bad choices like these and we will again. We’re doing it everyday and everywhere because the majority of us know right from wrong...and we can vote.
As you like to say, we need to take responsibility for the direction of our country by making sure that qualified adults run for and get elected to Congress so that the excellent agenda being pushed forward by Joe Biden and his supporters can be delivered and successfully implemented.
I rarely watch any mainstream media, except for weather coverage, because their job is to endlessly debate the color & length of every hair on the heads of most politicians. I rely on you, HCR, Joyce Vance, a few others, to distill & make sense of all the craziness. Thank you for this tedious work!
I really appreciate your analysis as well as that of HCR, Joyce Vance, and Jay Kuo. The insights I am getting and the communities I have joined because of your and other Substack blogs make me feel more in touch with who is living in the USA. Thanks for that. I share these notes with my cousin too. She enjoys them as well.
Congratulations. You are an INFLUENCER. I start every weekday with you, Heather and Jessica. True resistance fighters. Best wishes and regards to the managing editor.
Not just an INFLUENCER, but also an INSPIRATION! Robert has inspired us to share and express our own ideas, and has encouraged many of us to venture into the Substack world. BRAVO!
Share info on Jessica please
https://open.substack.com/pub/chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions/p/chop-wood-carry-water-912-1d8?r=23g7j3&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Jessica Craven. Chop Wood, Carry Water on Substack. Check her out, join up 😎
Janet summed it up for me as well. It’s the first thing I read every weekday morning along with Heather and Jessica. You have all given me hope and the will to continue a lifelong commitment to freedom, which began as a young gay man in 1980 in a small Tennessee town.
"I am not a political consultant or pundit, just a husband, father, and grandfather writing to his family. I am honored that you are interested in what I have to say."
Respectfully, I challenge the word "just" in the above sentence. You are also an experienced lawyer with the wisdom that comes (or should!) from years of study and experience. Your opinions are shaped in part by that wisdom, as well as by your undying optimism and love of family and country. I for one am very grateful for having learned about you through Heather and I'm committed to being a paid subscriber even though I'm a senior with only my SS check as income, relying on my housing subsidy. You are worth every penny! Thank you!
PS You did it again - one of my favorite things about your writing is when you come up with brilliantly descriptive statements like this one: "McCarthy did not specify the “serious and credible” allegations because they are whisps of swamp gas swirling over the MAGA cesspool of disinformation.
True of me, also! I have been with Robert from the beginning! Because I am surrounded by two Republican daughters & many Republican friends, I absolutely need the encouragement of this & the other editorials to begin my day & resolve to continue fighting for democracy! Thank you Robert!
For those who don’t know by first name,
Heather Cox Richardson. Letters from an American.
Jessica Craven. Cop wood Carry water
Chop Wood.
Congratulations, Robert, to you and your Managing Editor, for this momentous occasion of having surpassed 50,000 subscriptions! Your growing popularity is well earned by your astute analysis, intrepid fact-based optimism rallying the troops, and frequent turn of phrase such as McCarthy's impeachment of Biden being "whisps of swamp gas!" Thank you for your good work!
I also loved that phrase, "whips of swamp gas!"and often love your turns of phrase several times a week! Keep up the excellent work!
So happy to start my day with Today’s Edition. Thanks to Robert and Jill for all they do. I too “draw strength, comfort and friendship as we navigate challenging times.”
I am in Europe on vacation now and thanks to Wi-Fi I read you, Heather and Joyce daily. Thank you for being an anchor of hope.
When I traveled before I was always embraced by locals who looked at America with awe and wonder. On this trip they have embraced me with pity because of our disfunction and the possibility of re-electing a “sociopath” for President. This is sad and pathetic.
May we all show the world by voting in overwhelming numbers that we reject the politics of hate and division.
I read the same three!
Me three!
Me three - and also Judd at Popular Information.
And Joyce Vance!
Yes I like Joyce Vance as well
So do I. The three give me legal, historical, and fact based optimism to start my day.
My trifecta of morning reading also. We are blessed to have these patriots helping us navigate our challenging times.
I do think Biden has helped the US image in Europe, but we need him re-elected so that really changes people's perception of the country. His last trip was very impressive, I thought!
I read those also, along with Jay Kuo at Status Kuo. Give him a try.
I read Jay along with HCR, Joyce and you, Robert. I also enjoy reading Lucien K Truscott IV.
Who is the Joyce you reference?
Joyce Vance
Joyce Vance can also be seen and heard on MSNBC where she frequently appears as a legal expert. A former federal prosecutor, she is now a law professor and has a great skill in explaining legal processes for the non-lawyers among us. Joyce is also a co-host of the “Sisters in Law” podcast . And yes, I admit to being a fan.
She also does a podcast with Preet Bahrara on Cafe Insider
When does the podcase take place?
Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse.
A real plus is her frequent weekend tension-breaking update on her chickens and other pets!
I think it drops on Mondays, weekly, but look up #SistersInLaw wherever you get your podcasts. (Sheesh, I’m starting to sound like one of those announcers myself. 😆)
Thanks Howard, I found it.
Joyce Vance is a former US Atty for Alabama. She also has an excellent podcast every Saturday called #SistersInLaw- with Jill Wine Banks (who prosecuted Nixon in Watergate) Kimberly Atkins Stohr (lawyer and journalist) and Barb McQuade (former US Atty for Michigan). Their podcast is always enlightening
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sistersinlaw/id1551206847
Joyce Vance with Sisters in law
Joyce's mother recently died and so has been absent from some outlets.
Me too. They are critical to understanding and taking action.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also provides an interesting, enlightening and entertaining blog.
Given your brilliant analyses of events and their prime movers, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if you reached 500,000 subscribers by Election Day 2024. You deserve it; and it is my ernest hope that your profound faith in our political system is justified . Your daughters (and your subscribers) will all breathe easier! I add my voice to the swelling chorus who is in awe of you and salute your enormous contribution to civil political discourse.
The amount of time Robert spends not only on the Newsletter, but on speaking at events that helps increase donations to state and local elections, and increases volunteers writing postcards and letters - is awesome!
Robert,
I am an unusual subscriber to your newsletter. Until 2016, I was a hardline Republican who had never voted for a Democrat in her life (75 years). I was a NeverTrump voter from the moment Trump declared his candidacy. I voted third party in 2016 and for Biden in 2020. In 2022 I voted straight Democrat for the first time in my life. I am not only a former Republican, I am also an Evangelical Christian who refuses to vote for Trump.
I will do whatever it takes to keep Trump and his co-horts in crime away from The White House. Your newsletter (recommended to me by a friend) has been a beacon of light and brings joy to my day. I never miss reading it.
Although I now consider myself and Independent voter (I am more conservative than liberal), I will continue to vote for Democrats until Trump and his crime buddies are gone.
As a former Republican I needed a space where I could feel confident I was being told the truth. Your morning newsletter does that for me. Thank you for the time and effort you put it to each daily newsletter. It is greatly appreciated.
To show you how far I have come, I used to watch Fox News exclusively (now MSNBC). I used to listen to conservative talk radio (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, etc.) every day. I have not listened to any of them since 2016.
Ellen Elmore
Naples, FL
This is exactly my thoughts! It could have been written by me! The first time that I heard Trump open his mouth & degrade & make fun of handicapped people, I knew what kind of person he was!
Well said, Ellen. I admire your willingness to look at the facts and put your country, our country, above politics.
🤗
Oh! Ellen, your post is most encouraging and amazing. Your ability to confront the reality of the “Trump and his crime buddies” demonstrates just how far afield the Republicans have gone. It is sad to see so many still held captive by the 30% hardcore who have no apparent ability to recognize the deeper threats to our democracy, constitutional law and order. Thank you for sharing.
I am not American. I am Australian. I read your pieces because what happens in America affects the whole world, and the actions of these self opinionated conspiracy peddlers can and will affect day to day life here as well as there. Quite frankly, the thought of a second rabid president, and possibly a third, is terrifying. Thank you for your continued messages of hope.
"...what happens in America affects the whole world..." Would that all Americans realize that. We're all on one small fragile planet, despite effort to spoil it all.
Robert, you said this newsletter is a small contribution. I would like to heartily disagree with you. This newsletter is an act of courage, generosity and most importantly, of hope. It has become a guiding light. My husband and I are so grateful.
I completely agree!!! It is an enormous amount of work on your part and it does an enormous amount of good. I am so grateful to you. I wish everyone in America read your newsletter. But I’ll be happy when it reaches one million subscribers!
Yes, Robert is a force multiplier for saving democracy!
So we’ll put. I totally agree.
Right on! “This newsletter is an act of courage, generosity and most importantly, of hope. It has become a guiding light.”
It is us, your readers, who are ever so grateful for your providing us with truths and facts one cannot find by reading the news or watching it on television. Your explanation helps us understand and feel good about who we support. So thank you from the bottom of my heart and good night until we will talk to you tomorrow.
And a PS. I am at this moment (12:15 am) communicating with a Hubbell reader who attended Walk The Walk USA's August event - at your referral --- We are organizing a WALK house party at her retirement home. Thank you.
Thank you for your approach to communicating important information. Your intellect, as well as emotional IQ, is impressive and reassuring. We need more of you!
One has to wonder, what's Maserati driving Manchin's beef with the child tax credit? I don't believe I'm wrong when I propose that West Virginia has been very hard on the majority of its residents whether they work in coal or not. Education, people below the poverty line, life expectancy, etc. For a coal fired multi-millionaire to prioritize his own family's well being over the bulk of his state's residents takes a special kind of callousness.
I think Senator Manchin believes in the Rugged Individual myth. As I understand it, the myth tells us that we should not look for -- much less expect -- help from anyone else when dealing with life’s challenges and that all the success or good fortune we receive is due solely to our own efforts. Therefore we get all the credit, do not have to feel any gratitude or humility for help from others, and can feel morally superior to those who don’t “succeed” in the same way. “I did it! You can, too. Suck it up and stick it out.” It’s a “me against the world” mindset widely believed but ultimately too small to guide us through life in peace and harmony. The Senator needs to open his heart and feel the trials and tribulations of his constituents.
You have really hit the nail on the head here. Years ago I had a rare heart-to-heart talk with a wealthy businessman, asking him why he was so against taxes for the rich, social security, national healthcare for everyone, and other social programs. Surely he had enough to not even feel a modest increase in his taxes. His reply was that he never had enough! This greedy attitude, plus feeling of entitlement and lack of sympathy/empathy for others less fortunate was an obvious trait of his wealthy clique of friends as well. I don't know how to deal with that mindset...
Thank you for your story about the rich man, Marilee. It reminds me of the warning in the Christian bible (Old or New testament, I am not sure): “The love of money is the root of all evil.”
Yet this viewpoint allows for tax reductions for the wealthy which is basically a handout! How to square that?
Well stated. I have never been able to comprehend the thinking you so aptly describe. It seems to me to be based upon greed and winner take all mentality with little regard for people beyond their own property line. Sad and lacking in compassion or humility.
Thank you, John, for your thought. I share the sense of bewilderment you mention. I think we are a myth-making species and it is important for us to respect — but also examine — the myths we live by. When Love of Money becomes the measure of all value, we have turned it into an idol.
Thank you so much for your efforts on behalf of our democracy Robert. I am by nature a worrier. Your words educate me and calm me. I read your newsletter pretty much every night. I am deeply grateful for you and for Today’s Edition. You are indeed an influencer (thank you Janet Saunders for pointing this out!! 🧡❤️💜💚💛🤍🧡💜
Thank you for your daily efforts to enlighten and reassure us. We are grateful for your insights and wisdom!
You’re doing an excellent job, Bob; I admire your hard work, calm demeanor and determination. It’s hard to understand why the right wing can’t see what they’re doing to themselves and our country. Every day they dig themselves deeper into the hole of disloyalty and sedition from which they’ll never escape. It’s such a bad choice. Nonetheless, we’ve always been able to rise above people who make bad choices like these and we will again. We’re doing it everyday and everywhere because the majority of us know right from wrong...and we can vote.
As you like to say, we need to take responsibility for the direction of our country by making sure that qualified adults run for and get elected to Congress so that the excellent agenda being pushed forward by Joe Biden and his supporters can be delivered and successfully implemented.
I rarely watch any mainstream media, except for weather coverage, because their job is to endlessly debate the color & length of every hair on the heads of most politicians. I rely on you, HCR, Joyce Vance, a few others, to distill & make sense of all the craziness. Thank you for this tedious work!
I really appreciate your analysis as well as that of HCR, Joyce Vance, and Jay Kuo. The insights I am getting and the communities I have joined because of your and other Substack blogs make me feel more in touch with who is living in the USA. Thanks for that. I share these notes with my cousin too. She enjoys them as well.