Robert—Your final two paragraphs today are two of your best ever—clear and inspiring. I’m saving them because they speak the individual and collective hopes of Americans over 200 + years of time. Those hopes may have been dimmed or threatened in recent times, but it’s past time for us to resurrect them in our own hearts to replace the cynical anxiety so many of us have felt during the past 6 years. Now we must vote to regain the heart and soul of our nation.
As a Clinical Psychologist, I can tell you that the focus on carpools to soccer practice trumps you know who, regularly.
"It is the America of 320 million people, 99.9% of whom want nothing more than to make a better life for themselves and their families—even if they are angry over politics. They still get up in the morning and go to their jobs, drop their kids off at school and take them to soccer practice. They are not bivouacking in make-believe military exercises with misguided and impotent men looking for a way to release their anger."
Thank you Robert for an upbeat and refreshing post! The reminder in your Concluding Thoughts was a balm to the soul and a reminder that most of us are just trying to live the best we can day to day. The trolls are an insignificant minority, they are just loud and obnoxious.
Trolls infiltrated Dan Rather’s newsletter yesterday with som particularly vile comments. I posted a link to this newsletter there in the hope it will help people cope and remind us these folks are the minority.
As several other commenters have noted, today's Concluding Thoughts were excellent and hopeful. They also raise the question "why would any reasonable person pay attention to Twitter?" since most of the content is spurious and many/most of the Tweeters are twits. As is true of the failed insurrectionist, if those of us who know better ignore it, Twitter will die from lack of attention and go away. The former president will do the same once he is locked up.
The moral decay being lived out by DJT, seemingly every single month, is being carried forward by certain GOP pols like McCarthy, Jordan, and RonJohn. I hope and pray that there are registered members of the GOP who can't stand it. That they vote Dem this year just to hold back the red tide of moral and financial corruption even while fully intending to return to the GOPs ranks down the road.
"They are not bivouacking in make-believe military exercises with misguided and impotent men looking for a way to release their anger." I am saving this sentence.
One of your subscribers offered this tasty bit the other day: why did it take 10 beefy men to carry Ivana's coffin when she was cremated and then buried at Trump's golf course? Could it be that there is something more interesting than her ashes in there?
Nicely organized and presented observations of where we are now. Thanks. There is so much happening on various fronts these days, it is good to pull it all together and point out that for the majority of Americans things are getting better. The threat of a fall Covid surge causes me a lot of concern and I always cringe when I see Biden in close proximity to others without wearing a mask following his multi-day Covid bout, but these folks are pols and unfortunately, that is how they behave. As we get closer to the mid-term election date I believe the various law enforcement organizations seeking to hold Trump accountable will escalate the pace of their work and reach a decision to charge him or not. Maybe as a few analysts have suggested to avoid another ego bruising setback, Trump will choose not to enter the 2024 election and instead try to make a quiet arrangement with DeSantis or another power hungry POTUS aspirant to trade a Trump endorsement and his election support with rallies for a post-election pardon that would sweep away Trump’s federal legal problems and allow him to claim his innocence and promote his fiction of government over-reach and harassment. Nixon and Ford showed that plan worked well to allow Nixon many years to rehabilitate his terribly tarnished public reputation as an elder statesman before his death. To avoid any chance of being labeled a two time loser possibly in either the 2024 primary or the general election, Trump may choose this direction. His wisest advisors should encourage this plan for him. I guess we’ll watch him - his real goal of staying prominent in the daily news cycle - and see what happens. If someone produced this melodrama as a prime time political reality television show, many critics would judge it to be too unbelievable.
You and Joyce Vance share some common thoughts today! Yes, we need to take a deep breath and learn how to talk to people who don't necessarily agree with us. While I will be the first to admit that some are beyond talking to, not all are. I have actively avoided this in the past, but will try harder in future. Thanks for the reminder!
Robert, I join other commenters this morning thanking you for the perspective you provide in the concluding paragraphs of today’s newsletter. I live and work “inside the Beltway” where the urgency of political maneuvering and real policy making and implementation not only make headlines but occupy much of the focused attention of at least some of us. However, I have had the opportunity to visit large cities and small towns in the Midwest and South in recent months, to attend family celebrations and other extended family gatherings; while my evidence is anecdotal, it is clear and convincing to me that most Americans are still going about their daily lives of working and supporting their families and others in the community as best they can. In short, the world really does continue to spin on its axis, especially in America, in spite of the efforts of some others who think they will benefit by bearing false witness. Thanks again for reminding us to keep our wits about us - and to vote!
Dear sir: your last paragraph is uplifting, but IMO, almost too promising. I would love to embrace that soaring rhetoric, but in the face of our machine gun epidemic, and the continuing blather of “war is fun” right-wing commentators, I’m not completely sure that regaining our democratic principles will be quite so painless. But, thank you for that gleaming hope this morning.
Though Trump's disqualification would obviously be a boon to the nation and democracy, I wonder how disqualification under Section 2071 squares with Powell v. McCormack, 395 U.S. 486 (1969). There, the House of Representatives tried to exclude duly elected Adam Clayton Powell from his seat for alleged malfeasance. The Court held that Powell's disqualification violated Art. I, § 2, cl. 2, which sets forth the qualifications for House membership of age, citizenship, and residence. Having met these, Powell could not be disqualified on other grounds.
I LOVED your Concluding Thoughts today - They gave me such a sense of hope, and made me particularly proud to share your newsletter on Twitter and FB today.
And just to add to the good vibes, look what I stumbled upon on Twitter: Jessica Tarlov, Fox news contributor, whom I never heard of but who apparently is their liberal commentator, saying "When you look at how many Republicans are dashing without information to defend Trump.. you can see that this is a piece of the puzzle of why Republicans cannot be given control again of the government… " Say what?? https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1557781029460516866
Robert—Your final two paragraphs today are two of your best ever—clear and inspiring. I’m saving them because they speak the individual and collective hopes of Americans over 200 + years of time. Those hopes may have been dimmed or threatened in recent times, but it’s past time for us to resurrect them in our own hearts to replace the cynical anxiety so many of us have felt during the past 6 years. Now we must vote to regain the heart and soul of our nation.
Robert, thank you.
Remarkably well put!
As a Clinical Psychologist, I can tell you that the focus on carpools to soccer practice trumps you know who, regularly.
"It is the America of 320 million people, 99.9% of whom want nothing more than to make a better life for themselves and their families—even if they are angry over politics. They still get up in the morning and go to their jobs, drop their kids off at school and take them to soccer practice. They are not bivouacking in make-believe military exercises with misguided and impotent men looking for a way to release their anger."
Thank you Robert for an upbeat and refreshing post! The reminder in your Concluding Thoughts was a balm to the soul and a reminder that most of us are just trying to live the best we can day to day. The trolls are an insignificant minority, they are just loud and obnoxious.
Trolls infiltrated Dan Rather’s newsletter yesterday with som particularly vile comments. I posted a link to this newsletter there in the hope it will help people cope and remind us these folks are the minority.
As several other commenters have noted, today's Concluding Thoughts were excellent and hopeful. They also raise the question "why would any reasonable person pay attention to Twitter?" since most of the content is spurious and many/most of the Tweeters are twits. As is true of the failed insurrectionist, if those of us who know better ignore it, Twitter will die from lack of attention and go away. The former president will do the same once he is locked up.
The moral decay being lived out by DJT, seemingly every single month, is being carried forward by certain GOP pols like McCarthy, Jordan, and RonJohn. I hope and pray that there are registered members of the GOP who can't stand it. That they vote Dem this year just to hold back the red tide of moral and financial corruption even while fully intending to return to the GOPs ranks down the road.
"They are not bivouacking in make-believe military exercises with misguided and impotent men looking for a way to release their anger." I am saving this sentence.
One of your subscribers offered this tasty bit the other day: why did it take 10 beefy men to carry Ivana's coffin when she was cremated and then buried at Trump's golf course? Could it be that there is something more interesting than her ashes in there?
Budding crime writers, take note! : >
Yay for the Hubbell substack newsletter leading with the accomplishments of Joe Biden. I will be sharing on my FB page.
Lawrence O'Donnell interviews Ron Klain about the Inflation Reduction Act. It is a BF Deal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRTbPaNbI2c&list=PLDIVi-vBsOEygID4uPKD-GL39WY-tEDyp&index=6
Hi Robert,
Nicely organized and presented observations of where we are now. Thanks. There is so much happening on various fronts these days, it is good to pull it all together and point out that for the majority of Americans things are getting better. The threat of a fall Covid surge causes me a lot of concern and I always cringe when I see Biden in close proximity to others without wearing a mask following his multi-day Covid bout, but these folks are pols and unfortunately, that is how they behave. As we get closer to the mid-term election date I believe the various law enforcement organizations seeking to hold Trump accountable will escalate the pace of their work and reach a decision to charge him or not. Maybe as a few analysts have suggested to avoid another ego bruising setback, Trump will choose not to enter the 2024 election and instead try to make a quiet arrangement with DeSantis or another power hungry POTUS aspirant to trade a Trump endorsement and his election support with rallies for a post-election pardon that would sweep away Trump’s federal legal problems and allow him to claim his innocence and promote his fiction of government over-reach and harassment. Nixon and Ford showed that plan worked well to allow Nixon many years to rehabilitate his terribly tarnished public reputation as an elder statesman before his death. To avoid any chance of being labeled a two time loser possibly in either the 2024 primary or the general election, Trump may choose this direction. His wisest advisors should encourage this plan for him. I guess we’ll watch him - his real goal of staying prominent in the daily news cycle - and see what happens. If someone produced this melodrama as a prime time political reality television show, many critics would judge it to be too unbelievable.
JPD
You and Joyce Vance share some common thoughts today! Yes, we need to take a deep breath and learn how to talk to people who don't necessarily agree with us. While I will be the first to admit that some are beyond talking to, not all are. I have actively avoided this in the past, but will try harder in future. Thanks for the reminder!
Good balanced upbeat report!
The message needs to get beyond Trump and on what good things the Democrats are doing and will do.
Robert, I join other commenters this morning thanking you for the perspective you provide in the concluding paragraphs of today’s newsletter. I live and work “inside the Beltway” where the urgency of political maneuvering and real policy making and implementation not only make headlines but occupy much of the focused attention of at least some of us. However, I have had the opportunity to visit large cities and small towns in the Midwest and South in recent months, to attend family celebrations and other extended family gatherings; while my evidence is anecdotal, it is clear and convincing to me that most Americans are still going about their daily lives of working and supporting their families and others in the community as best they can. In short, the world really does continue to spin on its axis, especially in America, in spite of the efforts of some others who think they will benefit by bearing false witness. Thanks again for reminding us to keep our wits about us - and to vote!
Dear sir: your last paragraph is uplifting, but IMO, almost too promising. I would love to embrace that soaring rhetoric, but in the face of our machine gun epidemic, and the continuing blather of “war is fun” right-wing commentators, I’m not completely sure that regaining our democratic principles will be quite so painless. But, thank you for that gleaming hope this morning.
Mr. Hubbell, in your newsletter today you used the phrase "Christian nationalists," when I think you meant to say "white Christian Nationalists."
Though Trump's disqualification would obviously be a boon to the nation and democracy, I wonder how disqualification under Section 2071 squares with Powell v. McCormack, 395 U.S. 486 (1969). There, the House of Representatives tried to exclude duly elected Adam Clayton Powell from his seat for alleged malfeasance. The Court held that Powell's disqualification violated Art. I, § 2, cl. 2, which sets forth the qualifications for House membership of age, citizenship, and residence. Having met these, Powell could not be disqualified on other grounds.
I LOVED your Concluding Thoughts today - They gave me such a sense of hope, and made me particularly proud to share your newsletter on Twitter and FB today.
And just to add to the good vibes, look what I stumbled upon on Twitter: Jessica Tarlov, Fox news contributor, whom I never heard of but who apparently is their liberal commentator, saying "When you look at how many Republicans are dashing without information to defend Trump.. you can see that this is a piece of the puzzle of why Republicans cannot be given control again of the government… " Say what?? https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1557781029460516866