So excited to hear about the creation of The Contrarian. As soon as I read about it I became a paid subscriber. Please consider signing up now, either for free or paying the $70 yearly rate. Let's make the number of subscribers in the first day a news story. Think of it as another way of voting for democracy.
I agree with making this leaving of the WaPo for their own authentic publication is great for those of us who want more sources of independent information. However, in this talk on Misinformation and the Erosion of Democracy with Profs. Kathleen Belew and Joan Donovan. Donovan points out is that there is no paywall for the right wing media, and I have been struck by how much of the democratic media has a paywall for information and how this limits the audiences to those who can pay. That will keep out a lot of people. It becomes a closed circle.
So, it would be good if these Substacks would have more video interviews as well that could be on YouTube. Also, often the things that the Substack authors paywall are the things that more people should be seeing, so I don't know what the solution is to this.
I wish there were some sort of senior citizen discount for Substack subscriptions. Now that I’ve officially attained that lofty status, I take full advantage of such discounts wherever possible.
I wish that we had more Democratic media in the US that is not paywalled like the right wing does.
In Germany where I mainly live, all broadcast news is covered by a monthly fee of 18€ that every household is required to pay. It does not matter whether we have a tv or radio or watch or listen. We pay the fee and it is covered as a public good. That makes it independent.
Maybe we need to get things done in our states with ballot amendments to be voted on and circumvent legislators who ignore the popular wishes in their legislation.
I like others am retired and on a fixed income, which will be decreased substantially as I am going to have to move and pay at least $300 more a month than I do now to afford a decent place to live in MN, of all places, with my little dog. Right now, it's hard enough to have a little excess income for some fun with Biden in charge. When the Orange Snake's economy busting tariffs and increases in everything, it will become harder if not impossible. And even given that I am not considered low income and don't qualify for any assistance. A senior discount would be more than welcome if they want me to subscribe.
I think a goodly number of Substacks can be read for free. Fewer allow commentary for free, but but still, a number do. Much of the right wing media requires a paid subscription. It seems to me that more of the right wing media do than of the more liberal media. Much of the written right wing media does not allow commentary and that which does often has little that enriches the conversation. You can view nearly endless Youtube videos by liberal pundits with a range of follower size for free. It is easier to be well informed within the liberal media for free than it is to be well informed within the right wing media for the price of a year's subscription to one or two legacy papers.
I would like to eventually see a bundle offering, if such a thing is possible. Similar to having an Apple News subscription (which I no longer have) that allows one to access a number of publications for a set monthly fee. I agree, the paywall can be prohibitive especially as independent news grows.
I have been suggesting this for a long time. A few of the Substacks such as the Contrarian will basically be this sort of thing. I believe the Bulwark is, too. One problem is that when I pick from a menu I get only what I want and only pay for that, when it's bundled this way you get them all and pay commensurately despite perhaps not having wanted the white wall tires, so to speak. I envisioned a system where you got a bundle and then "voted" by being able to view ten of the bundled twenty writers each day, and eventually the stats would thin the herd, suggest additions, etc. while still providing a menu to choose from.
Linda, I agree. The Dems need to have their own Rupert Murdoch or contributions from we citizens to fully fund and make these Substack publications widely available.
Also, the proposal of a “shadow cabinet” should be a serious option for the Dems. Here’s what the Hartman Report tells us today:
So today we learn that Elon Musk may be looking at buying TikTok!! We simply cannot stand by as the right wing extremists are flooding the voters with misinformation, lies, disinformation or movies about the life and times of Melania. Here’s The Guardian link:
Yes John, I too read that Elon Musk is trying to buy TikTok, which is one of the media things I was worried about. More specifically, that with the control he has over Trump he helps to shut down rival platforms. Buying them would serve his purposes even better because he buys a loyal audience too, like he does with everything. He does not create he wisely buys things and then controls the direction in which they will go. He is a venture capitalist who is trying to take over the world.
I also agree that we need to both create a fund to provide media, but better yet, to create liberal media that fills in the gaps in news deserts. A goal of Democrats should be to get media to these news holes that can rival Sinclair and Newsmax and Fox.
Unfortunately, “we” means some fabulously rich, public-spirited, generous liberal who is willing not only to open his/her wallet, but who is willing to endure harassment and threats (the possibility?) of violence.
Or a go fund me. I did suggest to my billionaire governor in the US that he and his friends--the Blue State Governor Group develop their own social media platform to get their information out. Also, they should be backing the Onion is keeping Alex Jones' Info Wars site, so that they start buying up the media sites.
That is a good point, right wing media is mostly ad driven, and on platforms like IG, Podcasts, Twitter and YouTube. It's also mostly supported by ad revenue and grifting their supporters for various supplements and things like that, they do lots of revenue sharing and invite each other to their shows so they all pump each other up. They've definitely figured it out. I'm not sure how Democrats get through that ecosystem at this point. Honestly, I wish I had better answers.
I believe that most democratic people are less comfortable with scamming people who support them.
Today my Democracy readings and discussion group talked about the idea that the word truth is changing its meaning to mean lies, because of the way Republicans and Trump particularly are using them. So, Truth Social, means Lies Social.
Linda, the word Truth has already been corrupted. Many times people and commentators — across the political spectrum! — have talked about “my truth” or “his/her truth”.
- I don't try to read the right's BS but if what Linda is saying is true then I think Linda hit the nail on the head. The Maga Media is paid for by the wealthy right. Another example of how $$ has taken over, able to yell loudly from the highest rafters.
- I think another reason for paywalls is to stop Maga Right people from entering, attacking, and degrading people who want to act with dignity and compassion in these places. There certainly seems to be a concerted effort to destroy some of the free speech and right to assemble more respectful people would like to have.
It is disheartening that $$ continues to have such dominance but it does. Until the wealthy left starts putting more of their $$ in the same kinds of opportunities I am afraid that honesty, integrity, and class continues to lose.
I too signed up yesterday. Delighted to access truthful reporting after having cancelled both the Post & the NYT. The NYT offered total digital access for $1/week, but it’s not worth it to support their skewed reporting. Sad that it has come to this. I turned 80 this month, & never expected to spend my last years under a regressive Republican government.
Happy Birthday, Jean in Florida. Stay strong and let's work to make your (and many of our) last years NOT under a regressive Republican government, but in the commmunity of a just and honorable Constitutional Democratic government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. Outlive and out-thrive the bastards!
Stay strong, Jean. As Robert advises, you can view the unpleasantness of the world unrolling around you with the eye of a calm, good, reasonable person who just sees a lot of things to fix in front of her. And you can contribute to fixing them with a day of powerful good thoughts and helping neighbors and people around you in any way you can, however little it seems to you. This stuff works. Don't let anyone tell you it doesn't. There are hundreds of millions of us, and if we each send our good thoughts and words and deeds out there, it has the 100th monkey effect. But it means each of us has to stay mentally and emotionally strong.
Ditto. Never thought that at 81 I would donate so much, read daily Substacks, or be so damn concerned and anguish about the country’s future as a..h… billionaires, who apparently skipped their history classes, are enabling and promoting racism, fascist, and dubious unregulated capitalism policies.
I did the same thing. She and Monica Heese were some of my reasons for hanging on to my subscription to WAPO. I found another source for local news (The Washington Paper and Maryland Matters) and can now safely cancel the Post.
Good that you found something that works locally. Here in Colorado we have The Colorado Sun, Colorado News Collaborative, and several other local sources. Here in Arvada that includes the Arvada Press, Denver Westwood, and several sources out of Boulder.
I want to respond to the people here complaining about paywalls. All major media has paywalls: NYTimes, WPost, LA Times, etc. I don't follow right wing media, but Fox is not free, you have to have cable, and I don't. As far as I can tell, everyone on Substack has free options. I feel that I get sufficient information from those free subscriptions. Because I live on social security, I can only afford to pay for a few that include Robert Hubbell and now The Contrarian. Like Heather Cox Richardson and some others, The Contrarian will be free to everyone with the hope that people who can pay will. For those of us who can afford it, we need to step up, and be willing to spend our money. Republicans have no problem with that, and for some reason we do.
As for the person wanting more videos. The Contrarian will not only be about politics. There will be videos, and everything you can find in a major publication. The way I see it, there are people willing to give up what have to be sizable paychecks to basically, jump off of a career cliff to help save democracy. I for one, am incredibly grateful, and will support them as much as I can. When something good happens, can we just stop being so critical?
We link arms together, all of us in this Hubbell community, and all of us with other communities, and all of us with all the grassroots organizations, and all of us with leaders and people who have common sense and love of country …. And we move forward, together, step by step, with strength, determination, facing all that evil and destruction, relentlessly, until we pulverize it. And we rebuild our nation,
Bea, your idea merits serious action. Recently, I have pondered the notion that the United States of America is, in fact, engaged in a civil war just without guns. Instead, we have what some are calling lawfare, media complicity, billionaires arrogance, high jacked Christianity/dogma.
Thank you for this, SCS. I hadn't heard 'Amanda's DNC convention ode,' but will. And I love these words, and want to believe they are true. And possible.
And how awesome that you'll be wearing your sweatshirt on Monday! 💓
We should have planned an alternative nationally televised inauguration day--the inauguration of our championing what really matters! If we had any kind of national leader on the side of democracy, we would have. We are just a couple of hundred million individuals at the moment, unorganized by anything but our passion for what is right and how democracy can make that happen.
A great idea Christina. But even if we don’t have it organized for Monday, that doesn’t mean we can’t organize it for EVERY day after that going forward. And we don’t need a national leader to do it. We are each leaders, all passionate about this country and what it means to us. And it is far more effective to start making change at the local level than from the national level. That is where all change always comes from anyway.
So each of you find some people in your area to meet with regularly, not to bitch and moan about what is, but to figure out what you can do to make your community a better place for its inhabitants, regardless of their political or religious or racial affiliations. Start simply by walking the neighborhood and picking up trash. Maybe mowing the front lawn of the elderly neighbor. If you know someone who is elderly or infirmed or not well off, knock on their door and see if there is something they need that you can provide. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying good morning to everyone.
We need to rebuild our communities, and not just by new housing or infrastructure. I’m talking about stopping isolating in our houses out of fear,
to get back outside and talk with your neighbors. To work to improve the small area where you live. Then expand into another area when ready. This could be running for a local office or helping at the food kitchen or thrift store, growing some extra vegetables in your garden and taking them to your local food bank. It takes almost nothing to grow and care for 5-10 more plants.
I could go on with a long list of things we each can do. Heck, my granddaughter always has ideas about what to do for her neighbors, and she’s only 9 yrs old. Certainly many of us “couple of hundred million individuals” can find a few things to do. Especially if we do it with others. It all starts with one small action. So take a walk around your neighborhood and see if anything spots your eye. Then grab someone and the two of you begin to better your world right where you live.
I find your comment as reported in the Wall Street Journal very encouraging.
“I do think a lot of our society has become…kind of like, neutered, or like, emasculated.”
It is rare to find a man as powerful and obviously in tune with his own masculinity who would be brave enough to offer this kind of frank self-assessment. Your diagnosis is right on. You and Jeff Bezos and many American males today have been emasculated and are afraid to stand up to the bully in the school yard, even when he poses no real threat to you. You demonstrate that everyday in your craven obeisance to Donald Trump, who fears women, hates perceived weakness (remember when he didn't want to see any injured and disabled veterans), and sees any ambiguity as a threat to his "because I said so" arrogant pseudo-masculinity.
I am so glad you see the problem. The first step to becoming a true man, a mensch, is to recognize that it is difficult. You and Mr. Bezos have abandoned your commitment to equality and diversity showing the emasculation variant that arises when you are so afraid of losing power and control, of being questioned, especially by women and people of color that you wish to remove them from your sight.
I wish you well on your road to recovery, which may be long, but be assured it is the way of the future. Real men, as you undoubtedly know, do not fear women or DEI inititiatives and I look forward to seeing you restore efforts to equality. You probably never heard of me, but I served one of the four remaining all-male colleges in the U.S. as president for seven years and I would welcome the opportunity to work with you as a consultant on your journey. Like anyone who tries to live up to an honorable masculinity, as the gentlemen of Wabash Colleges pledge to do, you are aware that a vision of honorable masculine behavior is not easily achieved or enacted. We are all imperfect, but we are working together. Since I am retired, I will have to charge you a modest consulting fee. Let's just say you offer ten hundred men in your company and your circles paid subscriptions to Robert Hubbell's, Jennifer Rubin's, Simon Rosenberg's, Jess Craven's, and Jess Piper's Substacks.
Reading these thinkers and their comment sections should also provide some grist for your discussions. Your next MOPES (Men-On-Pause Educational Society) meeting. Give me a call. And again congratulations on showing a little bit of self-awareness. We'll get right to work on those pesky humility, courage, intellectual rigor, discipline, and respect issues, qualities that, as you recognize, you lost when you sold your manhood to Donald Trump.
Thanks, Christina, Ela, Carmany and others, for your comments. I did not send this to Mark Z. Maybe I should, but I don't think1) he'd read it or 2) get it or 3) have much of a sense of humor, irony, or self-knowledge. But it's worth a shot. I'll see if I can. Happy you all found it to be on the mark and a bit funny.
I think that Zuckerberg and Bezos, like Musk, are extremely insecure men who at some point in adolescence were bullied or ridiculed for bring needy dweebs. Now they are determined to be "real" men- body building, pursuing stereotypical masculine pastimes and regressive attitudes.
Thry also believe that white men should be thr only ones holding power.
Regarding the FBI failure to properly investigate Hegseth, and their presentation to Congress of a failed vetting: Once again, the FBI reveals it is still Fools & Buffoons, Inc., as I knew them to be 55 years ago when they were running COINTELPRO on me. They'll mostly become Trump's willing Sicherheitsdienst.
I hardly know where to start to comment on this fine report, so I'll just adopt the fire, aim, ready approach. First, I'm very glad to learn that Jennifer Rubin has left WaPo. I've admired her expertise for a long time. My life is so busy that I haven't gotten around to cancelling my WaPo digital subscription, but that just moved up the list. Second, I, like countless others, find the actions of the president-elect nauseating. But I think there may be an upside. It goes like this: I believe he was elected due to the ignorance of many of his followers, a lot of whom are women, who have forgotten about his bragging about getting away with grabbing women by their privates, as well as other offenses. They think that they will be better off financially with this choice and that's all they care about. I also believe there's a good chance that when he implements some of his plans (emasculating the EPA, attempting to annex Greenland, etc.), eventually enough people will come to their senses and when the midterms roll around, the present trifecta will disintegrate. It's possible that there could even be enough dissatisfaction that it will lead to impeachment no. 3. At my advanced age--I will turn 88 tomorrow--I realize that I may not live to see the hoped-for disintegration.
In conclusion I have already decided to exercise my right to ignore the event that will occur on January 20th and wonder if Biden and Harris will attend. They probably will, in keeping with tradition, but I hope they don't. After all, the president-elect boycotted his predecessor's inauguration.
Jennifer Rubin is alright with me! I'll be signing up.
Time to change the narrative. Make the Republicans tie raising the debt ceiling to aid for CA, not aid for CA to raising the debt ceiling. Every Democratic Congressperson should file or sign on to a "clean" aid for CA bill and make that the focus of their support*. And don't forget, those Republicans are just plain mean and cruel. Let's scream it from the rooftops.
*Yes, I know those bills won't get out of Committee; the idea is to have something to point to, something to hang one's hat on, something that "proves" that your not against aid for CA.
I have tried to read some of the coverage on the Hegseth nomination. I have not yet seen one that has made the positive case for his approval; it's all about how voting for Hegseth is a test of loyalty to Trump and threats of being primaried or cut off from funding spigots. Somewhere, somehow, at some level, this is still the Department of Defense, something a lot of people supposedly think is important. Let's focus on the guy's absolute lack of qualifications for the job as in "what will you do, how will you do it and what experience do you have doing those things?"
I don't like saying it, but this is not the time to base opposition on allegations of sexual assault or having a drinking problem. We have learned over and over again that right now in this country those are not winning arguments. We can talk until the next election about why that's true and why it's wrong, but that is the reality. So let's be real. Either find another "scandal" that resonates or focus on the actual skills, abilities and experience to do the job.
And his absolute lack of experience. One question that should be asked of every Senate Committee:
"Knowing what you know about Pete Hegseth experience and behavior, would you hire him to be your chief of staff? Or would you recommend him to run the largest private company in your home state?"
As I said in a separate comment, is he the best candidate for the job? Senators should be asking themselves that question. If they truly want to "make America great," we deserve no less than the absolute best person this country has. On that basis alone he's not qualified.
It just occurred to me: Armed Services Committee members should ask Hegseth: In view of your misbehaviors, (how) can you assure us and the Nation that you can not be blackmailed over your past actions?
I will be attending a MLK breakfast Monday morning sponsored by our local NAACP, then probably going out hiking. Definitely not watching the inauguration. And am praying for a blizzard to hit Washington on Monday.
There is a movement to put TV on seasame street or something during the inauguration so as to not give firepower to the inauguration in terms of viewership. Another I heard is to not use TV/ avoid news from 6am 1/20/25 to 6am 1/25/25 (of course, Hubbell may be an exception)
Hey, Robert. You may remember Nikole Hannah Jones' The 1619 Project which she presented back in August 2019. Here is an introductory letter she wrote about her father and the flag. You might want to include it on Inauguration Day 2025.
Good morning, i subscribed to The Contrarian! Very excited to have that. And I canceled Amazon which will be an adjustment. Ahem. But I don’t want to be a part of that nonsense. Thank you all for being here. Love you Robert. Look forward to the newsletter and Saturday mornings. LA, no words can describe. Good healing thoughts are being sent.
Red Cross. Ok. I need to look at their cfo salary. I always thought these well known helping places gave the money to the victims of the crisis but a lot of the money goes to their top management. There’s an acceptable percentage to the top and I need to make sure Red Cross is cool before I part with my buckorinos.
And donations via Red Cross! The NFL stepped up and into the breach Sunday, strongly and repeatedly asking for CA support via a special Red Cross fund. Proud of them! We donated.
Jimmy Kimmel returned last night with an emotional and uplifting 15 min monologue highlighting the strength of Angelenos. It also served as a fundraiser for LAFD and WCK.
As a constituent of Susan Collins (who consistently voted for anyone running against her), I called her DC office last evening for the second time since Nov 5. I begged her, via the office staffer who answered the phone live, to vote against confirming Kennedy, Hegseth, Gabbard and Patel. I said I wasn't happy about the rest of the clowns nominated, but that those four were the worst of the worst, and would do irreparable harm to the federal government and the fabric of this nation. It doesn't feel like much, but it was what I could do in the moment. All we can do is the next right thing...
For MLK, Jr live stream, please consider a reading from Fannie Lou Hamer — for example, before the 1964 Democratic Convention or the credentials committee. ‘I am sick and tired of being sick and tired’ FLH
The Report of the Special Counsel is well written and definitive - and interesting. Well worth reading even though there we are familiar with many of the facts.
So excited to hear about the creation of The Contrarian. As soon as I read about it I became a paid subscriber. Please consider signing up now, either for free or paying the $70 yearly rate. Let's make the number of subscribers in the first day a news story. Think of it as another way of voting for democracy.
I agree with making this leaving of the WaPo for their own authentic publication is great for those of us who want more sources of independent information. However, in this talk on Misinformation and the Erosion of Democracy with Profs. Kathleen Belew and Joan Donovan. Donovan points out is that there is no paywall for the right wing media, and I have been struck by how much of the democratic media has a paywall for information and how this limits the audiences to those who can pay. That will keep out a lot of people. It becomes a closed circle.
https://youtu.be/tMEnvIQokQg?si=JYSiCY9mbYrqHXCr
So, it would be good if these Substacks would have more video interviews as well that could be on YouTube. Also, often the things that the Substack authors paywall are the things that more people should be seeing, so I don't know what the solution is to this.
I wish there were some sort of senior citizen discount for Substack subscriptions. Now that I’ve officially attained that lofty status, I take full advantage of such discounts wherever possible.
I wish that we had more Democratic media in the US that is not paywalled like the right wing does.
In Germany where I mainly live, all broadcast news is covered by a monthly fee of 18€ that every household is required to pay. It does not matter whether we have a tv or radio or watch or listen. We pay the fee and it is covered as a public good. That makes it independent.
That's a nice idea... it will have to wait until the nasty socialist Dems are back in office though. The Rs had a hay day screaming about NPR.
Maybe we need to get things done in our states with ballot amendments to be voted on and circumvent legislators who ignore the popular wishes in their legislation.
I like others am retired and on a fixed income, which will be decreased substantially as I am going to have to move and pay at least $300 more a month than I do now to afford a decent place to live in MN, of all places, with my little dog. Right now, it's hard enough to have a little excess income for some fun with Biden in charge. When the Orange Snake's economy busting tariffs and increases in everything, it will become harder if not impossible. And even given that I am not considered low income and don't qualify for any assistance. A senior discount would be more than welcome if they want me to subscribe.
I think a goodly number of Substacks can be read for free. Fewer allow commentary for free, but but still, a number do. Much of the right wing media requires a paid subscription. It seems to me that more of the right wing media do than of the more liberal media. Much of the written right wing media does not allow commentary and that which does often has little that enriches the conversation. You can view nearly endless Youtube videos by liberal pundits with a range of follower size for free. It is easier to be well informed within the liberal media for free than it is to be well informed within the right wing media for the price of a year's subscription to one or two legacy papers.
I would like to eventually see a bundle offering, if such a thing is possible. Similar to having an Apple News subscription (which I no longer have) that allows one to access a number of publications for a set monthly fee. I agree, the paywall can be prohibitive especially as independent news grows.
I have been suggesting this for a long time. A few of the Substacks such as the Contrarian will basically be this sort of thing. I believe the Bulwark is, too. One problem is that when I pick from a menu I get only what I want and only pay for that, when it's bundled this way you get them all and pay commensurately despite perhaps not having wanted the white wall tires, so to speak. I envisioned a system where you got a bundle and then "voted" by being able to view ten of the bundled twenty writers each day, and eventually the stats would thin the herd, suggest additions, etc. while still providing a menu to choose from.
Linda, I agree. The Dems need to have their own Rupert Murdoch or contributions from we citizens to fully fund and make these Substack publications widely available.
Also, the proposal of a “shadow cabinet” should be a serious option for the Dems. Here’s what the Hartman Report tells us today:
https://open.substack.com/pub/thomhartmann/p/the-grievance-machine-how-republicans-d04?r=39h2h&utm_medium=ios
So today we learn that Elon Musk may be looking at buying TikTok!! We simply cannot stand by as the right wing extremists are flooding the voters with misinformation, lies, disinformation or movies about the life and times of Melania. Here’s The Guardian link:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/13/china-tiktok-sale-elon-musk
Yes John, I too read that Elon Musk is trying to buy TikTok, which is one of the media things I was worried about. More specifically, that with the control he has over Trump he helps to shut down rival platforms. Buying them would serve his purposes even better because he buys a loyal audience too, like he does with everything. He does not create he wisely buys things and then controls the direction in which they will go. He is a venture capitalist who is trying to take over the world.
I also agree that we need to both create a fund to provide media, but better yet, to create liberal media that fills in the gaps in news deserts. A goal of Democrats should be to get media to these news holes that can rival Sinclair and Newsmax and Fox.
Unfortunately, “we” means some fabulously rich, public-spirited, generous liberal who is willing not only to open his/her wallet, but who is willing to endure harassment and threats (the possibility?) of violence.
Or a go fund me. I did suggest to my billionaire governor in the US that he and his friends--the Blue State Governor Group develop their own social media platform to get their information out. Also, they should be backing the Onion is keeping Alex Jones' Info Wars site, so that they start buying up the media sites.
Good ideas!
Maybe that Governor (I think I know who he is) will take up your recommendation.
Well, Mark Cuban has certainly been sparring with other billionaires. He could actually give Elon a run for his money, if he wanted to.
That is a good point, right wing media is mostly ad driven, and on platforms like IG, Podcasts, Twitter and YouTube. It's also mostly supported by ad revenue and grifting their supporters for various supplements and things like that, they do lots of revenue sharing and invite each other to their shows so they all pump each other up. They've definitely figured it out. I'm not sure how Democrats get through that ecosystem at this point. Honestly, I wish I had better answers.
I believe that most democratic people are less comfortable with scamming people who support them.
Today my Democracy readings and discussion group talked about the idea that the word truth is changing its meaning to mean lies, because of the way Republicans and Trump particularly are using them. So, Truth Social, means Lies Social.
Linda, the word Truth has already been corrupted. Many times people and commentators — across the political spectrum! — have talked about “my truth” or “his/her truth”.
So true! And talking amongst ourselves doesn’t promote our positions well enough.
Good Evening from Maine!
Two points:
- I don't try to read the right's BS but if what Linda is saying is true then I think Linda hit the nail on the head. The Maga Media is paid for by the wealthy right. Another example of how $$ has taken over, able to yell loudly from the highest rafters.
- I think another reason for paywalls is to stop Maga Right people from entering, attacking, and degrading people who want to act with dignity and compassion in these places. There certainly seems to be a concerted effort to destroy some of the free speech and right to assemble more respectful people would like to have.
It is disheartening that $$ continues to have such dominance but it does. Until the wealthy left starts putting more of their $$ in the same kinds of opportunities I am afraid that honesty, integrity, and class continues to lose.
I too signed up yesterday. Delighted to access truthful reporting after having cancelled both the Post & the NYT. The NYT offered total digital access for $1/week, but it’s not worth it to support their skewed reporting. Sad that it has come to this. I turned 80 this month, & never expected to spend my last years under a regressive Republican government.
Happy Birthday, Jean in Florida. Stay strong and let's work to make your (and many of our) last years NOT under a regressive Republican government, but in the commmunity of a just and honorable Constitutional Democratic government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. Outlive and out-thrive the bastards!
Stay strong, Jean. As Robert advises, you can view the unpleasantness of the world unrolling around you with the eye of a calm, good, reasonable person who just sees a lot of things to fix in front of her. And you can contribute to fixing them with a day of powerful good thoughts and helping neighbors and people around you in any way you can, however little it seems to you. This stuff works. Don't let anyone tell you it doesn't. There are hundreds of millions of us, and if we each send our good thoughts and words and deeds out there, it has the 100th monkey effect. But it means each of us has to stay mentally and emotionally strong.
Ditto. Never thought that at 81 I would donate so much, read daily Substacks, or be so damn concerned and anguish about the country’s future as a..h… billionaires, who apparently skipped their history classes, are enabling and promoting racism, fascist, and dubious unregulated capitalism policies.
I did the same thing. She and Monica Heese were some of my reasons for hanging on to my subscription to WAPO. I found another source for local news (The Washington Paper and Maryland Matters) and can now safely cancel the Post.
Good that you found something that works locally. Here in Colorado we have The Colorado Sun, Colorado News Collaborative, and several other local sources. Here in Arvada that includes the Arvada Press, Denver Westwood, and several sources out of Boulder.
I want to respond to the people here complaining about paywalls. All major media has paywalls: NYTimes, WPost, LA Times, etc. I don't follow right wing media, but Fox is not free, you have to have cable, and I don't. As far as I can tell, everyone on Substack has free options. I feel that I get sufficient information from those free subscriptions. Because I live on social security, I can only afford to pay for a few that include Robert Hubbell and now The Contrarian. Like Heather Cox Richardson and some others, The Contrarian will be free to everyone with the hope that people who can pay will. For those of us who can afford it, we need to step up, and be willing to spend our money. Republicans have no problem with that, and for some reason we do.
As for the person wanting more videos. The Contrarian will not only be about politics. There will be videos, and everything you can find in a major publication. The way I see it, there are people willing to give up what have to be sizable paychecks to basically, jump off of a career cliff to help save democracy. I for one, am incredibly grateful, and will support them as much as I can. When something good happens, can we just stop being so critical?
done.
I have a vision:
We link arms together, all of us in this Hubbell community, and all of us with other communities, and all of us with all the grassroots organizations, and all of us with leaders and people who have common sense and love of country …. And we move forward, together, step by step, with strength, determination, facing all that evil and destruction, relentlessly, until we pulverize it. And we rebuild our nation,
That’s my vision!
Wonderful vision, Bea!
Bea, your idea merits serious action. Recently, I have pondered the notion that the United States of America is, in fact, engaged in a civil war just without guns. Instead, we have what some are calling lawfare, media complicity, billionaires arrogance, high jacked Christianity/dogma.
I’m with you Bea!
Love it, Bea! Thank you.
Hear! Hear!
PS I suggest Amanda Gorman's inauguration poem for your 1/20 "syllabus."
Add Amanda's DNC Convention ode, please. I bought a sweatshirt that says "Love frees us all". I'm wearing it on Monday!!!
Thank you for this, SCS. I hadn't heard 'Amanda's DNC convention ode,' but will. And I love these words, and want to believe they are true. And possible.
And how awesome that you'll be wearing your sweatshirt on Monday! 💓
yes! Invite AG to read her inauguration poem and speak to diversity!
We should have planned an alternative nationally televised inauguration day--the inauguration of our championing what really matters! If we had any kind of national leader on the side of democracy, we would have. We are just a couple of hundred million individuals at the moment, unorganized by anything but our passion for what is right and how democracy can make that happen.
A great idea Christina. But even if we don’t have it organized for Monday, that doesn’t mean we can’t organize it for EVERY day after that going forward. And we don’t need a national leader to do it. We are each leaders, all passionate about this country and what it means to us. And it is far more effective to start making change at the local level than from the national level. That is where all change always comes from anyway.
So each of you find some people in your area to meet with regularly, not to bitch and moan about what is, but to figure out what you can do to make your community a better place for its inhabitants, regardless of their political or religious or racial affiliations. Start simply by walking the neighborhood and picking up trash. Maybe mowing the front lawn of the elderly neighbor. If you know someone who is elderly or infirmed or not well off, knock on their door and see if there is something they need that you can provide. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying good morning to everyone.
We need to rebuild our communities, and not just by new housing or infrastructure. I’m talking about stopping isolating in our houses out of fear,
to get back outside and talk with your neighbors. To work to improve the small area where you live. Then expand into another area when ready. This could be running for a local office or helping at the food kitchen or thrift store, growing some extra vegetables in your garden and taking them to your local food bank. It takes almost nothing to grow and care for 5-10 more plants.
I could go on with a long list of things we each can do. Heck, my granddaughter always has ideas about what to do for her neighbors, and she’s only 9 yrs old. Certainly many of us “couple of hundred million individuals” can find a few things to do. Especially if we do it with others. It all starts with one small action. So take a walk around your neighborhood and see if anything spots your eye. Then grab someone and the two of you begin to better your world right where you live.
Trump cries "Where's my Roy Cohen?"
I ask "Where's our Daniel Ellsberg?"
Well, at least we know Jack Smith runs a tight ship.
We already knew that, and so did Felon 47, that's why he was panicked.
Cohn – not Cohen.
Emasculated? Neutered? I think Zuck and Bezos need to look in their mirrors for emasculated or neutered images.
Also, like Robert, I signed up for a paid subscription to The Contrarian.
Finally, here's the U.S. DOJ link to Jack Smith's final report on the J6 prosecution: https://www.justice.gov/storage/Report-of-Special-Counsel-Smith-Volume-1-January-2025.pdf.
Mr. Zuckerberg:
I find your comment as reported in the Wall Street Journal very encouraging.
“I do think a lot of our society has become…kind of like, neutered, or like, emasculated.”
It is rare to find a man as powerful and obviously in tune with his own masculinity who would be brave enough to offer this kind of frank self-assessment. Your diagnosis is right on. You and Jeff Bezos and many American males today have been emasculated and are afraid to stand up to the bully in the school yard, even when he poses no real threat to you. You demonstrate that everyday in your craven obeisance to Donald Trump, who fears women, hates perceived weakness (remember when he didn't want to see any injured and disabled veterans), and sees any ambiguity as a threat to his "because I said so" arrogant pseudo-masculinity.
I am so glad you see the problem. The first step to becoming a true man, a mensch, is to recognize that it is difficult. You and Mr. Bezos have abandoned your commitment to equality and diversity showing the emasculation variant that arises when you are so afraid of losing power and control, of being questioned, especially by women and people of color that you wish to remove them from your sight.
I wish you well on your road to recovery, which may be long, but be assured it is the way of the future. Real men, as you undoubtedly know, do not fear women or DEI inititiatives and I look forward to seeing you restore efforts to equality. You probably never heard of me, but I served one of the four remaining all-male colleges in the U.S. as president for seven years and I would welcome the opportunity to work with you as a consultant on your journey. Like anyone who tries to live up to an honorable masculinity, as the gentlemen of Wabash Colleges pledge to do, you are aware that a vision of honorable masculine behavior is not easily achieved or enacted. We are all imperfect, but we are working together. Since I am retired, I will have to charge you a modest consulting fee. Let's just say you offer ten hundred men in your company and your circles paid subscriptions to Robert Hubbell's, Jennifer Rubin's, Simon Rosenberg's, Jess Craven's, and Jess Piper's Substacks.
Reading these thinkers and their comment sections should also provide some grist for your discussions. Your next MOPES (Men-On-Pause Educational Society) meeting. Give me a call. And again congratulations on showing a little bit of self-awareness. We'll get right to work on those pesky humility, courage, intellectual rigor, discipline, and respect issues, qualities that, as you recognize, you lost when you sold your manhood to Donald Trump.
Yours sincerely,
P. White
Patrick your caustic brilliance gives me such joy! I am assuming you actually did send this missive to the fearful boys.
Thanks, Christina, Ela, Carmany and others, for your comments. I did not send this to Mark Z. Maybe I should, but I don't think1) he'd read it or 2) get it or 3) have much of a sense of humor, irony, or self-knowledge. But it's worth a shot. I'll see if I can. Happy you all found it to be on the mark and a bit funny.
Please, oh, please, send this if you haven’t already!
Your letter to MZ is spectacular! In a world of increasingly sad and dire news, this made me smile. I too hope you actually sent it. Thank you.
You are very clever!! Love it.
Thanks for providing this link, CGW.
I, too, joined The Contrarian yesterday!
Two subscriptions from our household!
I think that Zuckerberg and Bezos, like Musk, are extremely insecure men who at some point in adolescence were bullied or ridiculed for bring needy dweebs. Now they are determined to be "real" men- body building, pursuing stereotypical masculine pastimes and regressive attitudes.
Thry also believe that white men should be thr only ones holding power.
I just signed up this morning. And thank-you for this link!
Regarding the FBI failure to properly investigate Hegseth, and their presentation to Congress of a failed vetting: Once again, the FBI reveals it is still Fools & Buffoons, Inc., as I knew them to be 55 years ago when they were running COINTELPRO on me. They'll mostly become Trump's willing Sicherheitsdienst.
Some. Things. Never. Change.
Just like Kavanaugh's confirmation.
Yeah, this is the FBI that is still under the control of the Biden administration, not doing the most basic parts of their job so they can help mump.
Theoretically under the control of the Biden administration. Already surrendering in advance.
Ooooh do tell! :)
I hardly know where to start to comment on this fine report, so I'll just adopt the fire, aim, ready approach. First, I'm very glad to learn that Jennifer Rubin has left WaPo. I've admired her expertise for a long time. My life is so busy that I haven't gotten around to cancelling my WaPo digital subscription, but that just moved up the list. Second, I, like countless others, find the actions of the president-elect nauseating. But I think there may be an upside. It goes like this: I believe he was elected due to the ignorance of many of his followers, a lot of whom are women, who have forgotten about his bragging about getting away with grabbing women by their privates, as well as other offenses. They think that they will be better off financially with this choice and that's all they care about. I also believe there's a good chance that when he implements some of his plans (emasculating the EPA, attempting to annex Greenland, etc.), eventually enough people will come to their senses and when the midterms roll around, the present trifecta will disintegrate. It's possible that there could even be enough dissatisfaction that it will lead to impeachment no. 3. At my advanced age--I will turn 88 tomorrow--I realize that I may not live to see the hoped-for disintegration.
In conclusion I have already decided to exercise my right to ignore the event that will occur on January 20th and wonder if Biden and Harris will attend. They probably will, in keeping with tradition, but I hope they don't. After all, the president-elect boycotted his predecessor's inauguration.
Happy Birthday! Hang in as long as you can - surely this country will right itself!
Thanks, Carmany.
Jennifer Rubin is alright with me! I'll be signing up.
Time to change the narrative. Make the Republicans tie raising the debt ceiling to aid for CA, not aid for CA to raising the debt ceiling. Every Democratic Congressperson should file or sign on to a "clean" aid for CA bill and make that the focus of their support*. And don't forget, those Republicans are just plain mean and cruel. Let's scream it from the rooftops.
*Yes, I know those bills won't get out of Committee; the idea is to have something to point to, something to hang one's hat on, something that "proves" that your not against aid for CA.
I have tried to read some of the coverage on the Hegseth nomination. I have not yet seen one that has made the positive case for his approval; it's all about how voting for Hegseth is a test of loyalty to Trump and threats of being primaried or cut off from funding spigots. Somewhere, somehow, at some level, this is still the Department of Defense, something a lot of people supposedly think is important. Let's focus on the guy's absolute lack of qualifications for the job as in "what will you do, how will you do it and what experience do you have doing those things?"
I don't like saying it, but this is not the time to base opposition on allegations of sexual assault or having a drinking problem. We have learned over and over again that right now in this country those are not winning arguments. We can talk until the next election about why that's true and why it's wrong, but that is the reality. So let's be real. Either find another "scandal" that resonates or focus on the actual skills, abilities and experience to do the job.
Agree. Even putting aside his personal repulsive behavior, his financial misuse of funds should disqualify him.
And his absolute lack of experience. One question that should be asked of every Senate Committee:
"Knowing what you know about Pete Hegseth experience and behavior, would you hire him to be your chief of staff? Or would you recommend him to run the largest private company in your home state?"
As I said in a separate comment, is he the best candidate for the job? Senators should be asking themselves that question. If they truly want to "make America great," we deserve no less than the absolute best person this country has. On that basis alone he's not qualified.
It just occurred to me: Armed Services Committee members should ask Hegseth: In view of your misbehaviors, (how) can you assure us and the Nation that you can not be blackmailed over your past actions?
I agree Hegseth's mismanagement of 2 small non-profits for veterans should be the focus, and all that is needed to disqualify him.
Rather, that *should* be all that is needed to disqualify him.
I will be attending a MLK breakfast Monday morning sponsored by our local NAACP, then probably going out hiking. Definitely not watching the inauguration. And am praying for a blizzard to hit Washington on Monday.
Oh yes, a blizzard!❄️❄️❄️❄️
A blizzard is what I've been going for as well. Or the former Presidents and VPs standing up and exiting as Trump goes off the cliff in his speech.
I have some gale force winds I can send from LA.
There is a movement to put TV on seasame street or something during the inauguration so as to not give firepower to the inauguration in terms of viewership. Another I heard is to not use TV/ avoid news from 6am 1/20/25 to 6am 1/25/25 (of course, Hubbell may be an exception)
Hey, Robert. You may remember Nikole Hannah Jones' The 1619 Project which she presented back in August 2019. Here is an introductory letter she wrote about her father and the flag. You might want to include it on Inauguration Day 2025.
https://courageousconversation.com/the-1619-project/
Good morning, i subscribed to The Contrarian! Very excited to have that. And I canceled Amazon which will be an adjustment. Ahem. But I don’t want to be a part of that nonsense. Thank you all for being here. Love you Robert. Look forward to the newsletter and Saturday mornings. LA, no words can describe. Good healing thoughts are being sent.
Red Cross. Ok. I need to look at their cfo salary. I always thought these well known helping places gave the money to the victims of the crisis but a lot of the money goes to their top management. There’s an acceptable percentage to the top and I need to make sure Red Cross is cool before I part with my buckorinos.
And donations via Red Cross! The NFL stepped up and into the breach Sunday, strongly and repeatedly asking for CA support via a special Red Cross fund. Proud of them! We donated.
Jimmy Kimmel returned last night with an emotional and uplifting 15 min monologue highlighting the strength of Angelenos. It also served as a fundraiser for LAFD and WCK.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa6vGFO9ty8v5KZJXQxdhaw
As a constituent of Susan Collins (who consistently voted for anyone running against her), I called her DC office last evening for the second time since Nov 5. I begged her, via the office staffer who answered the phone live, to vote against confirming Kennedy, Hegseth, Gabbard and Patel. I said I wasn't happy about the rest of the clowns nominated, but that those four were the worst of the worst, and would do irreparable harm to the federal government and the fabric of this nation. It doesn't feel like much, but it was what I could do in the moment. All we can do is the next right thing...
Susan Collins will, at best, make a public spectacle of wringing her hands, and then will vote to confirm.
For MLK, Jr live stream, please consider a reading from Fannie Lou Hamer — for example, before the 1964 Democratic Convention or the credentials committee. ‘I am sick and tired of being sick and tired’ FLH
I signed up for The Contrarian as soon as I read about it this morning. Looking forward to your program on the 20th honoring MLK,Jr.
Yes and yes. Me, too.
I joined The Contrarian as a paid subscriber. I want to support as many democracy writers as possible as we face the awful next 4 years.
I also look forward to Robert's chat on 1/20!
The Report of the Special Counsel is well written and definitive - and interesting. Well worth reading even though there we are familiar with many of the facts.