I love “hanging the crazy around the Republicans’ necks.” I also admire your calling out of Dem analysis paralysis/designer hair shirt. We can do this, and we will!
I wonder how many Oklahoman's knew beforehand that a woman's right to choose would be taken away in one fell swoop? Not even incest or rape are good enough reasons for the Oklahoma GOP?
Apr 6, 2022·edited Apr 6, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
I'd like to make a small but essential point regarding the Koch brothers lie about government "dictating" drug prices: the answer is, "No," and neither should corporate pharmaceuticals. (Any more that Korporation Koch should be dictating American policies and politics, their primary directive since the 1950's.) That's why Democrats advocate for negotiation, not control. Lets not let them frame the argument.
It was a major league game, just not regular season unless both teams were using only AAA minor leaguers.
Mr. Biden said, in his State of the Union message, that pieces of the BBB would be released "in chunks" for Congressional action. It's well past time for that to happen and the Child Tax Credit, whether Mr. Manchin likes it or not, should be the first chunk out. A close second although much less impactful immediately, would be the ending of federal restrictions on cannabis in all its forms and the expungement of the records of anyone convicted under those laws. Both are overwhelmingly popular across the American people and would show both concern and engagement on the part of Congress with their constituents.
Legalizing pot may be popular, but you could count the number of people for whom it is a deciding issue without taking off your shoes. In the limited time before November, Democrats need to focus only on issues that do decide voters’ choices.
The deciding issues for most people will be those on which progress has been made, and, given the popularity of the legalization issue, it's a relatively cheap win that has been pending for a long time and will have a direct impact on what is already a multi-billion dollar industry in this country. CTC will have an even broader impact and should be a 'no brainer'.
I'm sure I'm in a minority position here. The best thing I've ever heard said about marijuana for recreational use is that it's no worse than alcohol. Have you ever stopped to think how many people alcohol kills in America each year?
As a matter of fact, I've been familiar with that figure and its ups and downs for the 30 years I've worked as, among other things, a TIPS trainer for hospitality workers. I agree that you're probably in the minority but that's OK. There is a fair amount of anecdotal evidence and a growing body of clinical indication that there is more to cannabis than just getting high without a hangover. The greater economic impact of cannabis is in its non-recreational use, it is a far more productive fibre producer than trees or cotton and requires less chemical input to get the same or better yield.
Right now, very little because the laws in most states are still based on the "Reefer Madness" prohibition and, before taking any action, most state governments spend a great deal of time trying to figure out how to maximize tax revenue while restricting anyone's ability to get high. The most straightforward solution is complete repeal of all laws and regulations and move to a completely open market with transactions taxed just like any other sale.
The federal legal status is an offshoot of the "War on Drugs" and has been just as effective as the War itself which is to say, not at all.
A great Edition today. The bottom line folks instead of posting and tweeting how upset, angry and scared you are it’s time to do something about it that is actionable and Robert has identified many worthwhile organizations and groups. Join one and get involved. It can both help save Democracy and your mental health.
As a coda to the title of today’s Newsletter I offer this thought. After thanking God for Obamacare, let us all remember to thank those actually responsible for it's passage - the Obama administration and Democrats.
Well, Robert, if the federal government wants to take over my medicine cabinet, it’s welcome to try. But I prophecy that it will fail—the cabinet is too crowded and messy.
What do Democrats need to do this year? We need to tell our story. Proudly. Forthrightly. Repeatedly. Indeed, any trial lawyer will tell you that repetition is one of the most effective ways to persuade, so we Democrats need to make our points and repeat them over and over. And over again.
If I remember correctly, the Affordable Care Act was intended to be a stepping stone- or so I was told- toward a national health plan. What it proposed was such a popular idea, the Republicans branded it Obamacare to vilify it. I remember having clients in my mental health practice who had no idea the new law that allowed them to carry their adult children on their Health insurance plan until they were 26, was due to the Affordable Care Act just passed. And they said they hated Obamacare. They had never heard of The Affordable Care Act. This was a decade ago. Layers and layers of misinformation need to be addressed.
I lived in Ohio for 17 years. I watched Mike DeWine be a permanent candidate. Attorney general of Ohio, senator from Ohio, and now governor. He never met a political office he would not run for. He just wants a political job. He doesn’t really care about the ordinary folks of Ohio.
Excellent closing comment. You, Robert, and many of your readers have been saying this for months. Are Democratic leaders throughout the country listening? Are each of us doing enough? Keep up the drumbeat. The clock is ticking. "Democrats must prioritize broadly popular policies, they must tell the voters what they’re doing, and they must hang the crazy around Republicans’ necks."
Exhausted from agonizing over the turning back of America's clock by 70 years, the impending doom of our planet's ability to sustain human life, and a majority of the SCOTUS that has obviously lost its legal mind, I am asked to be afraid that nuclear war will be upon us if we actively help Ukraine defeat Putin. Most (or all) of you may disagree with me, but I think we are more at risk of a third world (this time nuclear) war if we continue to stay in the passive zone and let this humanitarian crisis of dictatorship versus democracy continue with us on the sidelines. If Putin wins, God forbid, the threat of nuclear war will always be there to make us stand aside. Now is the time, in my view, to step up to the plate. It's a joke that we think we can control human behaviors. If we've learned anything in the last 6 years, it is this: We have no idea what Putin will do next, or how the dynamics might change if we do the morally right thing. Remember the Fram Oil Filter ad from the 70s? We can pay now or pay later. The choice is ours.
I do not disagree with you. Putin is trying to bring back the old Soviet Union. If he takes Ukraine, he will continue on that path. As soon as he attacks a NATO member country, we will all be involved in the war.
We can not allow the Russian thugs to continue their reign of terror over Ukraine. We must aid the Ukrainians in every way that we can.
Dana Milbank said exactly what I was thinking after watching Obama's speech upon returning to the White House:
"President Obama: Your country needs you. Democracy is on the ropes. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for the ship of state, and no one is better able to help the cause than Obama."
I'd like to see Obama go out on the road and pitch the accomplishments of the Biden administration and the need to vote for Democrats in November! How can we convince him to do that?
In 2011 I quit a good job to go and live in a better place for my wife and I. After Cobra ran out, I looked for health insurance. Because I had had major surgery 9.5 years prior, I was denied by three major insurance companies ( no option for a a high priced option). Took a position at a big box store so I had health insurance (at less than $8/hr). In 2014 I went onto ObamaCare and quit my quit job to spend more time with my wife that is considerably older. I am now 65 and on Medicare.
Excellent Today’s Edition, Robert. Yes, thank God for Obamacare. Let us not forget Senator John McCain who voted in favor of Obamacare! He truly was a hero, no matter what Trump said!
Maybe what the Dems need is some new blood. As much as I adore the "old guard", we've seen the difference a youngster can make in the Russian/Ukrainian war. Zelenskyy is a young, tech savvy individual while Putin is running an ancient war plan.
I love “hanging the crazy around the Republicans’ necks.” I also admire your calling out of Dem analysis paralysis/designer hair shirt. We can do this, and we will!
It should be easy enough - they are wearing the crazy in plain sight and it seems they just get crazier by the day, by the hour. Proudly crazy.
I wonder how many Oklahoman's knew beforehand that a woman's right to choose would be taken away in one fell swoop? Not even incest or rape are good enough reasons for the Oklahoma GOP?
Apparently not many, as the provision was added to be bill the night before it was voted on.
Thanks for the information, Was not aware of that fact.
I saw it in HCR's letter today!
Of course they did that- can't have the public giving their 2 cents worth can we? (S/)
I'd like to make a small but essential point regarding the Koch brothers lie about government "dictating" drug prices: the answer is, "No," and neither should corporate pharmaceuticals. (Any more that Korporation Koch should be dictating American policies and politics, their primary directive since the 1950's.) That's why Democrats advocate for negotiation, not control. Lets not let them frame the argument.
It was a major league game, just not regular season unless both teams were using only AAA minor leaguers.
Mr. Biden said, in his State of the Union message, that pieces of the BBB would be released "in chunks" for Congressional action. It's well past time for that to happen and the Child Tax Credit, whether Mr. Manchin likes it or not, should be the first chunk out. A close second although much less impactful immediately, would be the ending of federal restrictions on cannabis in all its forms and the expungement of the records of anyone convicted under those laws. Both are overwhelmingly popular across the American people and would show both concern and engagement on the part of Congress with their constituents.
Legalizing pot may be popular, but you could count the number of people for whom it is a deciding issue without taking off your shoes. In the limited time before November, Democrats need to focus only on issues that do decide voters’ choices.
The deciding issues for most people will be those on which progress has been made, and, given the popularity of the legalization issue, it's a relatively cheap win that has been pending for a long time and will have a direct impact on what is already a multi-billion dollar industry in this country. CTC will have an even broader impact and should be a 'no brainer'.
I'm sure I'm in a minority position here. The best thing I've ever heard said about marijuana for recreational use is that it's no worse than alcohol. Have you ever stopped to think how many people alcohol kills in America each year?
As a matter of fact, I've been familiar with that figure and its ups and downs for the 30 years I've worked as, among other things, a TIPS trainer for hospitality workers. I agree that you're probably in the minority but that's OK. There is a fair amount of anecdotal evidence and a growing body of clinical indication that there is more to cannabis than just getting high without a hangover. The greater economic impact of cannabis is in its non-recreational use, it is a far more productive fibre producer than trees or cotton and requires less chemical input to get the same or better yield.
Hemp is a good material. But how much of it is grown for non-medicinal use? Little, I'd say.
Right now, very little because the laws in most states are still based on the "Reefer Madness" prohibition and, before taking any action, most state governments spend a great deal of time trying to figure out how to maximize tax revenue while restricting anyone's ability to get high. The most straightforward solution is complete repeal of all laws and regulations and move to a completely open market with transactions taxed just like any other sale.
The federal legal status is an offshoot of the "War on Drugs" and has been just as effective as the War itself which is to say, not at all.
This is an important issue for young people. Hopefully it will help bring them out to vote in larger numbers.
A great Edition today. The bottom line folks instead of posting and tweeting how upset, angry and scared you are it’s time to do something about it that is actionable and Robert has identified many worthwhile organizations and groups. Join one and get involved. It can both help save Democracy and your mental health.
As a coda to the title of today’s Newsletter I offer this thought. After thanking God for Obamacare, let us all remember to thank those actually responsible for it's passage - the Obama administration and Democrats.
Well, Robert, if the federal government wants to take over my medicine cabinet, it’s welcome to try. But I prophecy that it will fail—the cabinet is too crowded and messy.
What do Democrats need to do this year? We need to tell our story. Proudly. Forthrightly. Repeatedly. Indeed, any trial lawyer will tell you that repetition is one of the most effective ways to persuade, so we Democrats need to make our points and repeat them over and over. And over again.
If I remember correctly, the Affordable Care Act was intended to be a stepping stone- or so I was told- toward a national health plan. What it proposed was such a popular idea, the Republicans branded it Obamacare to vilify it. I remember having clients in my mental health practice who had no idea the new law that allowed them to carry their adult children on their Health insurance plan until they were 26, was due to the Affordable Care Act just passed. And they said they hated Obamacare. They had never heard of The Affordable Care Act. This was a decade ago. Layers and layers of misinformation need to be addressed.
- Thanks, Robert, for the SCOTUS expansion template. Highly motivating!
I lived in Ohio for 17 years. I watched Mike DeWine be a permanent candidate. Attorney general of Ohio, senator from Ohio, and now governor. He never met a political office he would not run for. He just wants a political job. He doesn’t really care about the ordinary folks of Ohio.
Excellent closing comment. You, Robert, and many of your readers have been saying this for months. Are Democratic leaders throughout the country listening? Are each of us doing enough? Keep up the drumbeat. The clock is ticking. "Democrats must prioritize broadly popular policies, they must tell the voters what they’re doing, and they must hang the crazy around Republicans’ necks."
Exhausted from agonizing over the turning back of America's clock by 70 years, the impending doom of our planet's ability to sustain human life, and a majority of the SCOTUS that has obviously lost its legal mind, I am asked to be afraid that nuclear war will be upon us if we actively help Ukraine defeat Putin. Most (or all) of you may disagree with me, but I think we are more at risk of a third world (this time nuclear) war if we continue to stay in the passive zone and let this humanitarian crisis of dictatorship versus democracy continue with us on the sidelines. If Putin wins, God forbid, the threat of nuclear war will always be there to make us stand aside. Now is the time, in my view, to step up to the plate. It's a joke that we think we can control human behaviors. If we've learned anything in the last 6 years, it is this: We have no idea what Putin will do next, or how the dynamics might change if we do the morally right thing. Remember the Fram Oil Filter ad from the 70s? We can pay now or pay later. The choice is ours.
Janet, I agree with you. I urge everyone to read this editorial from the English language website of the Kyiv Independent newspaper:
https://kyivindependent.com/opinion/editorial-give-ukraine-everything-it-asks-for-and-now/
Exactly. Thank you.
I do not disagree with you. Putin is trying to bring back the old Soviet Union. If he takes Ukraine, he will continue on that path. As soon as he attacks a NATO member country, we will all be involved in the war.
We can not allow the Russian thugs to continue their reign of terror over Ukraine. We must aid the Ukrainians in every way that we can.
Dana Milbank said exactly what I was thinking after watching Obama's speech upon returning to the White House:
"President Obama: Your country needs you. Democracy is on the ropes. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for the ship of state, and no one is better able to help the cause than Obama."
I'd like to see Obama go out on the road and pitch the accomplishments of the Biden administration and the need to vote for Democrats in November! How can we convince him to do that?
In 2011 I quit a good job to go and live in a better place for my wife and I. After Cobra ran out, I looked for health insurance. Because I had had major surgery 9.5 years prior, I was denied by three major insurance companies ( no option for a a high priced option). Took a position at a big box store so I had health insurance (at less than $8/hr). In 2014 I went onto ObamaCare and quit my quit job to spend more time with my wife that is considerably older. I am now 65 and on Medicare.
Thank God for ObamaCare
Martin
Excellent Today’s Edition, Robert. Yes, thank God for Obamacare. Let us not forget Senator John McCain who voted in favor of Obamacare! He truly was a hero, no matter what Trump said!
Maybe what the Dems need is some new blood. As much as I adore the "old guard", we've seen the difference a youngster can make in the Russian/Ukrainian war. Zelenskyy is a young, tech savvy individual while Putin is running an ancient war plan.