Sep 5, 2023·edited Sep 5, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Incredibly inspiring rant, thank you! Before I had even read the Concluding Thoughts I'd copied two quotes from today's missive to post and repost every opportunity I get between now and up to and including election day. 1) "No one who votes in 2024 will be deciding between Biden and Trump. They will be deciding between democracy and autocracy, moderation and extremism, equality and white nationalism, reproductive liberty and religious intolerance, dignity and bigotry, climate protection and fossil fuels, the Constitution and insurrection, and order and chaos." ~ Robert Hubbell, Today’s Edition Newsletter on Substack. And, 2) "In the lead-up to 2024, we can take nothing for granted, leave nothing on the table, and spare no effort. We have learned from bitter experience that Trump will enlist our foreign adversaries and encourage violence to gain the presidency. We should assume he will do the same in 2024." ~ Robert Hubbell, Today’s Edition Newsletter on Substack. Both excellent and enduring additions to the 2024 playbook!!! Onward.
Thanks for the cogent reminder to IGNORE the polls. I’ve learned that they are like slick 30 second adds on TV. If you say them enough, MAYBE we will believe them. NONSENSE! Do the math. MAGA is a distinct minority voting bloc. Yes, we should flood the mainstream media with letters and calls asking for more positive coverage of the Biden administration’s remarkable achievements. Yes, we need to donate to states running blue candidates against the good ole boys. But the GOP sunk their chances with the abortion issue big time and denial of climate change. (Can I say Global Warming)? Women and youth are going to come out en mass and vote BLUE. The grey haired South will never change but they are distinctly in the minority and flailing. Look at De Santis. Look at Abbot, preventing pregnant women from leaving his state. Witch burning next?
As for Robert’s valid justifications for not getting hung up on polling data, I will add one more. How people respond more than one year out from an election is measurably different from how they respond as the decision date approaches. On a related matter, while, admittedly, I am one of the people who is deeply concerned that Biden fails to take full advantage of the bully pulpit, especially at a time when a substantial swath of Americans do not have a felt sense of the Administration’s accomplishments, were I a party spokesperson, every time anyone questioned Biden’s competence, I would emphatically drive home results these past three years both at home and abroad.
I read some stuff about the WSJ poll & the person/pollster that conducted it. 600 of the 750 respondants were Republican primary voters. The poll itself was conducted by Tony Fabrizio who is/was in league with Paul Manafort & trump at the time of the Mueller Report
I completely agree with this edition but I am faced with the remote (?) possibility that Trump won't be the candidate. Living in a community of the wealthy retired I do hear that many have said they won't vote for Trump, but "Biden is too old" (this in a community filled with over 80 year olds).. My fear is that either DeSantis or Ramaswamy or some other Republican will be the candidate we face. As much as I fear Trump's candidacy I believe he is beatable. But I believe that, reviewing Scott's 11 or 12 points I believe that any Republican, though especially the Trump wannabees, will implement the anti Democracy and vicious destruction of our institutions that Trump targets. Our target should be defend Biden and condemn the autocracy promised by the Republican party.
Someone famous once said that “ perception is reality” and right wing media has been flooding the media with so much misinformation that many people don’t know what to believe any more. President Biden was in Philadelphia for a Labor Day event and when he finished speaking he walked the rope and spoke with and shook hands with the people in attendance. One bystander complimented President Biden on his Presidential hat and Joe took the hat off and exchanged it with the bystander for his hat. A simple gesture and a telling one about the man himself. It’s a shame voters don’t care more about a person’s character and ability to do the job rather than the entertainment and playing to the audience value of the person. At the end of the day you could say that President Biden is boring but definitely honest and most importantly is getting the job done.
Polls are useless, whether months ahead, or the day before the election. What matters is how people vote. Ignore the polls, and continue all efforts to register new voters and encouraging people to vote.
I share the concern that the realities of the improving economy are not being touted loud enough - or even at all by the MSM. Very frustrating. But let's face it. Despite significant improvements, there are still terrible things happening to working class families.
Mortgage rates prohibit buying ever more expensive houses. Biden has extended some relief to student borrowers, but the courts and Congress won't allow him to do enough. And my favorite subject, help with child care is expiring along with Covid era SNAP benefits.
So sure, inflation is better. Millions of jobs are being created. Good! But if you are still living in your parents basement and you had to quit your job because you can't afford child care, while the government demands repayment of a student loan, how would you respond to a rigged poll?
There is only so much that a president can do to control an economy. The new student loan plan is a good effort. But in fact, without support from the Fed and Congress, the executive branch can just trim around the edges.
The campaign for democracy should refocus on the enormous threat to our freedom. We need to scream about the efforts to white wash history. We need to scream about women losing their reproductive freedom. We need to scream about the world wide disasters caused by the warming planet - and the role the GQP politicians play in causing it. We have gobs of ammunition.
Talking about achievements is fine. But here is the thing. When people vote in a presidential election, they tend to vote out the presiding party if they are unhappy. Despite all the fine accomplishments of this and other Democratic administrations, it doesn't bode well when people are struggling more than ever.
There are multiple reasons why peoples lives will get significantly worse with the GQP and MAGA mania. And we need to make that clear. People should be terrified. We need to rain down some other reality that is scary. A future dominated by sexist old white bigots who don't care if the planet burns to a crisp.
And this effort should be directed primarily to social media. The voters we are looking for stare at their phones. They don't follow ABC, CBS or NBC, etc. MSM is for us old timers. Find Gen Y and Z where they live - not what our generation watched. Boomer votes are already locked in. Spend campaign money where it will matter. Getting younger potential voters angry enough to vote will deliver a Blue Trifecta. Without them, we are in a spiral dive.
Thanks for another thought-provoking post. I too think the facts are on Biden’s side but wonder if you have any thoughts on the relative power of facts vs. emotion? I’ve spent most of my life trying to use facts, logic, and reason to convince people to see the world how it really is and failed 99.9% of the time. It’s been said that you can’t reason someone out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into, and I worry that an over-reliance on ‘reason’ by the Dems may in fact show a fatal misunderstanding of how best to persuade someone to change their mind. Even though I revere facts and reason, I still find myself persuaded by stories, humor, and emotion. Because of that, I sometimes ask myself if Dems are more fluent in ‘fact’ and Republicans are more fluent in ‘emotion’? And I can’t help wondering if the Dems could persuade more Republicans to switch sides if they communicated ‘the facts’ with more stories, humor, and emotion?
Sep 5, 2023·edited Sep 5, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Robert, you spoke of horse races regarding polls. Pardon my language, but polls are horseshit. I loved that you vented your frustrations to us. I feel exactly the same way. I honestly try not to pay attention to them. Actually, Biden doesn’t believe in polls either and he has said so. Let’s just concentrate on one thing...SAVING DEMOCRACY!
Yes, indeed what can you expect from people making polls, standing up to their knees in efforts to manipulate the election. It is about setting conditions for later accusations of a manipulated election.
Incredibly inspiring rant, thank you! Before I had even read the Concluding Thoughts I'd copied two quotes from today's missive to post and repost every opportunity I get between now and up to and including election day. 1) "No one who votes in 2024 will be deciding between Biden and Trump. They will be deciding between democracy and autocracy, moderation and extremism, equality and white nationalism, reproductive liberty and religious intolerance, dignity and bigotry, climate protection and fossil fuels, the Constitution and insurrection, and order and chaos." ~ Robert Hubbell, Today’s Edition Newsletter on Substack. And, 2) "In the lead-up to 2024, we can take nothing for granted, leave nothing on the table, and spare no effort. We have learned from bitter experience that Trump will enlist our foreign adversaries and encourage violence to gain the presidency. We should assume he will do the same in 2024." ~ Robert Hubbell, Today’s Edition Newsletter on Substack. Both excellent and enduring additions to the 2024 playbook!!! Onward.
Thanks for the cogent reminder to IGNORE the polls. I’ve learned that they are like slick 30 second adds on TV. If you say them enough, MAYBE we will believe them. NONSENSE! Do the math. MAGA is a distinct minority voting bloc. Yes, we should flood the mainstream media with letters and calls asking for more positive coverage of the Biden administration’s remarkable achievements. Yes, we need to donate to states running blue candidates against the good ole boys. But the GOP sunk their chances with the abortion issue big time and denial of climate change. (Can I say Global Warming)? Women and youth are going to come out en mass and vote BLUE. The grey haired South will never change but they are distinctly in the minority and flailing. Look at De Santis. Look at Abbot, preventing pregnant women from leaving his state. Witch burning next?
As for Robert’s valid justifications for not getting hung up on polling data, I will add one more. How people respond more than one year out from an election is measurably different from how they respond as the decision date approaches. On a related matter, while, admittedly, I am one of the people who is deeply concerned that Biden fails to take full advantage of the bully pulpit, especially at a time when a substantial swath of Americans do not have a felt sense of the Administration’s accomplishments, were I a party spokesperson, every time anyone questioned Biden’s competence, I would emphatically drive home results these past three years both at home and abroad.
I read some stuff about the WSJ poll & the person/pollster that conducted it. 600 of the 750 respondants were Republican primary voters. The poll itself was conducted by Tony Fabrizio who is/was in league with Paul Manafort & trump at the time of the Mueller Report
Ignore the polls!!
I completely agree with this edition but I am faced with the remote (?) possibility that Trump won't be the candidate. Living in a community of the wealthy retired I do hear that many have said they won't vote for Trump, but "Biden is too old" (this in a community filled with over 80 year olds).. My fear is that either DeSantis or Ramaswamy or some other Republican will be the candidate we face. As much as I fear Trump's candidacy I believe he is beatable. But I believe that, reviewing Scott's 11 or 12 points I believe that any Republican, though especially the Trump wannabees, will implement the anti Democracy and vicious destruction of our institutions that Trump targets. Our target should be defend Biden and condemn the autocracy promised by the Republican party.
Excellent post! And now that you have written it, I think you should provide a link to it in every issue of Today's Edition that goes out. :) My rant, if I were to write it, would be that 6 companies own 90% of all media. There are a bunch of articles/charts on this, I like this one: https://techstartups.com/2020/09/18/6-corporations-control-90-media-america-illusion-choice-objectivity-2020/
Guess which side they are on? this is why I'm grateful for you, Substack, podcasts etc.
Someone famous once said that “ perception is reality” and right wing media has been flooding the media with so much misinformation that many people don’t know what to believe any more. President Biden was in Philadelphia for a Labor Day event and when he finished speaking he walked the rope and spoke with and shook hands with the people in attendance. One bystander complimented President Biden on his Presidential hat and Joe took the hat off and exchanged it with the bystander for his hat. A simple gesture and a telling one about the man himself. It’s a shame voters don’t care more about a person’s character and ability to do the job rather than the entertainment and playing to the audience value of the person. At the end of the day you could say that President Biden is boring but definitely honest and most importantly is getting the job done.
Polls are useless, whether months ahead, or the day before the election. What matters is how people vote. Ignore the polls, and continue all efforts to register new voters and encouraging people to vote.
I share the concern that the realities of the improving economy are not being touted loud enough - or even at all by the MSM. Very frustrating. But let's face it. Despite significant improvements, there are still terrible things happening to working class families.
Mortgage rates prohibit buying ever more expensive houses. Biden has extended some relief to student borrowers, but the courts and Congress won't allow him to do enough. And my favorite subject, help with child care is expiring along with Covid era SNAP benefits.
So sure, inflation is better. Millions of jobs are being created. Good! But if you are still living in your parents basement and you had to quit your job because you can't afford child care, while the government demands repayment of a student loan, how would you respond to a rigged poll?
There is only so much that a president can do to control an economy. The new student loan plan is a good effort. But in fact, without support from the Fed and Congress, the executive branch can just trim around the edges.
The campaign for democracy should refocus on the enormous threat to our freedom. We need to scream about the efforts to white wash history. We need to scream about women losing their reproductive freedom. We need to scream about the world wide disasters caused by the warming planet - and the role the GQP politicians play in causing it. We have gobs of ammunition.
Talking about achievements is fine. But here is the thing. When people vote in a presidential election, they tend to vote out the presiding party if they are unhappy. Despite all the fine accomplishments of this and other Democratic administrations, it doesn't bode well when people are struggling more than ever.
There are multiple reasons why peoples lives will get significantly worse with the GQP and MAGA mania. And we need to make that clear. People should be terrified. We need to rain down some other reality that is scary. A future dominated by sexist old white bigots who don't care if the planet burns to a crisp.
And this effort should be directed primarily to social media. The voters we are looking for stare at their phones. They don't follow ABC, CBS or NBC, etc. MSM is for us old timers. Find Gen Y and Z where they live - not what our generation watched. Boomer votes are already locked in. Spend campaign money where it will matter. Getting younger potential voters angry enough to vote will deliver a Blue Trifecta. Without them, we are in a spiral dive.
Thanks for another thought-provoking post. I too think the facts are on Biden’s side but wonder if you have any thoughts on the relative power of facts vs. emotion? I’ve spent most of my life trying to use facts, logic, and reason to convince people to see the world how it really is and failed 99.9% of the time. It’s been said that you can’t reason someone out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into, and I worry that an over-reliance on ‘reason’ by the Dems may in fact show a fatal misunderstanding of how best to persuade someone to change their mind. Even though I revere facts and reason, I still find myself persuaded by stories, humor, and emotion. Because of that, I sometimes ask myself if Dems are more fluent in ‘fact’ and Republicans are more fluent in ‘emotion’? And I can’t help wondering if the Dems could persuade more Republicans to switch sides if they communicated ‘the facts’ with more stories, humor, and emotion?
You are so sane, Robert.
Robert, you spoke of horse races regarding polls. Pardon my language, but polls are horseshit. I loved that you vented your frustrations to us. I feel exactly the same way. I honestly try not to pay attention to them. Actually, Biden doesn’t believe in polls either and he has said so. Let’s just concentrate on one thing...SAVING DEMOCRACY!
Your effort to reassure and keep us on a rational footing is much appreciated. Thank you.
MSM bias is endless... the “bad news bias” is endless.. some things never change...
PRESIDENT Harry S Truman lost to NY’s GOVERNOR Thomas E. Dewey, SCREAMED The Tribune of Chicago.. HEADLINE... ON ELECTION DAY, 1948.
Thanks for your post!
Yes, indeed what can you expect from people making polls, standing up to their knees in efforts to manipulate the election. It is about setting conditions for later accusations of a manipulated election.