For now nearly six years Robert Hubbell has been our steadfast and indispensable guide in understanding and opposing the insanities of the Trump era and its strange afterlife. In that time, he has alerted me to critical writings by other thinkers, enriching my understanding of this madness and, more important, offering practical advice as to how each of us can oppose these malign tendencies. But nothing he has done equals in impact his alerting his readers to the amazing New Year's speech by Volodomyr Zelensky. His dramatic urging that we actually take 18 minutes to watch this unique moment in modern history caused me to do just that--at 4 in the morning! For this I am deeply grateful, for Robert's depiction of it as a "speech that will make you a better person" was, if anything, an understatement. Nothing could have more clearly brought home to me the immensity of the sacrifice of the Ukrainian people and the absolute necessity that we Americans remain steadfast in our support of these brave people. Yes they are fighting for their country, but they are equally fighting to preserve democracy in Europe and around the world. The Ukrainians will accept nothing less than the total defeat of their Russian invaders. We Americans must be equally determined to help them see this fight through to victory.
Thank you Roger for expressing so eloquently my feelings in regards to watching President Zelensky's New Year's speech. Like me, I find myself waking up at 4-5 in the morning yearning for Robert's optimist, strategic and succinct thoughts on the current events that trouble us most. Robert has created a community of citizens who have the most relevant news stories and information a mere click away. For that I am eternally grateful.
I live in New York City and I myself will turn 80 in four weeks! Contact me at rsmith@rogersmithandco.com and we can pursue our mutual interests! All best, Roger
Sylvia -- You don't seem like a typical Vegas resident! If you write me at my email address, we can explore mutual interests. (I am very happily married but always open to finding a compatible pen pal!) Roger
1. I am so grateful that you urged us to watch President Zelensky’s New Years video. It was deeply moving. I am still wiping away the tears. What a role model for the entire world’s political leaders to emulate!
2. Had the number of SCOTUS justices kept up with the population increase since 1869, the year that 9 justices was settled upon, today we would have over 90 Justices. Certainly the number, never mind complexities, of our laws has increased more than that since then. Instead, justice is being severely compromised with not even 3% of the cases that file for certiorari being granted a hearing. Can you think of any other institution that is functioning under such an obviously outmoded burden?
I can think of one such institution: The House of Representatives-still composed of 435 members, despite our voting age population having tripled in size since 1800.
In 1800, there were 106 members of the House; in 1869, there were 243. Now, there are 435. The population has increased tenfold since 1869. We still have 9 justices.
Jan 2, 2023·edited Jan 2, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
When the GOP and commentators keep talking about going after Hunter Biden I wonder where in the world empathy went. Has anyone thought about the impact of all this on Hunter Biden? If you'd like to understand the price of being shamed then I recommend you listen to Monica Lewinsky talk about her experience in a TED talk. It is a very powerful talk for any one with even the smallest amount of empathy.
https://www.ted.com/talks/monica_lewinsky_the_price_of_shame?language=en One of the characteristics of malignant narcissists as in the previous guy is the ability to rid themselves of their feelings of shame by projecting it on others. Let's see if we can encourage empathy in and for others in 2023. We, the People, all of us this time.
Cathy, you are so right. Hunter Biden managed to successfully overcome his demons and addiction. So have many other people. So there should be more empathy for him and all the rest. We certainly don’t want this situation to end up as a setback.
I read Jill Biden's book in which she talked about Hunter Biden as a young child--a warm, happy kid and now a person who had the courage to conquer his demons. How many Republicans do you suppose there are out there whose kids have had similar problems? They are perhaps afraid to look in the mirror to see what kind of kinky hypocrites they have all become after bedding down with Donald Trump.
Thank you for sharing the Monica Lewinsky TED Talk. It is excellent. The world would be a much better place if we could all practice empathy and compassion.
Thank you for sharing the Monica Lewinsky Ted talk. She was pitch perfect hitting all the correct notes. Shaming is so horrific and so sad that the republican house members not only embrace shaming but derive sadistic pleasure from hurting others.
I’ll do my best to be empathetic and caring during this new year and for as long as I breathe.
excellent column! (although i remember too many of the PR firms writing the speeches that pushed the U.S. into two wars in Iraq to be impressed by the maneuvers of foreign policy establishment and i detest the proxy war funded by U.S. tax dollars). But please emphasize this point for readers (if you agree): the Dem party is stronger without a divisive primary. the Dem party is stronger running an incumbent president. there is no obvious successor to Biden. we are being pushed to abandon him (and I'm no fan) by the same forces who emphasized polling in the midterms. Thank you!
I am an admirer of Joe Biden; he has been a great president. Whether he should run in 2024 is a question that he should decide in the first instance. I am 66 and in good health. I would think twice about taking the job given the physical and psychological demands of the job. Biden will be 82 in January 2024, and 86 at the end of a second term.
There are no obvious choices for the job now--just like there weren't in 2016. People can rise to the occasion.
The same, and the only, reservations I have about a second term for Mr. Biden. How he and the Democrats manage a transition to another candidate who won't be the current Vice President is a huge political challenge but one they'll have to meet. He'll have my vote if he runs but I really hope he doesn't feel that he has to.
Biden's done many things well; the pandemic is a glaring exception. But for instance, why don't we run on the epidemic of "domestic" violence almost always against women? https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-intimate-partner-violence-brain-injuries/ Lets be the party not only against gun violence but also addressing "domestic" violence through public events as well as Presidential actions. I feel the same about climate change; we wouldn't have lost the House if the connection between weather and man made catastrophe had been made explicit to the American people (maybe).
I’m sorry but I must disagree with you on the pandemic. President Biden has done as much as he could, making vaccines and testing widely available. But when you have half of the country not only disavowing vaccines but calling them dangerous, fighting protections at every level and other nefarious things, there is just so much he can do.
Politics is very seldom (2020 was an exception, but I hope that 2024 will not be) a choice between good and evil. Mostly, it’s a choice between not so good and not so bad. In that light, barring a major health crisis, Biden is clearly the man if he wants to put himself forward one more time.
Another major reason polls don't tell you anything is that they only poll the two major political parties. The Independents such as myself are not included. Independents are now about 40% of the voting population with the two parties are each 25-30%. So 80% of Republicans are for something that only represents 20% of the voters. Independents are on the rise as the two major parties go further and further to the extremes and leave the wide middle unrepresented. I always like to quote John Adams who said the worst evil to befall the Constitution would be a two party system. Mr. Adams is being proven right especially when you look at how the Roberts Court is dismantling democracy brick by brick and then throwing the bricks at the People and their rights in a democracy. My answer to have our government be measured by a well-being index (WBI) which measures the well-being of the People unlike GNP which now just measures the greed of income disparity. All legislation would have to prove how it improves the well-being of the People. Only about 20% of our citizens feel they are living lives of well-being. Shouldn't a democracy of, by and for the People measure its success on the well-being of all its citizens?
I'm approaching the end of the final volume of Blanch Weisen Cook's biography of Eleanor Roosevelt who would absolutely agree with you about the WBI. Why we weren't taught more about this amazing woman in school is beyond me. I keep turning down the corners of so many pages because what she was fighting for is still what we are fighting for today--a healthy democracy where everyone has a voice and a fair shake. You can't do that if without health, education, and welfare. How do we mobilize all of us to work together going forward?
Hi Susan, Shall we form a group to promote a WBI? What would you call it? I'm thinking one of my first steps/goals is to write to Dr. Jill Biden and propose it as a program she might like to sponsor and even have it become a campaign platform for President Biden. We would need to put together a position paper on what it is, how it would work and its benefits to democracy. There are a number of countries like Great Britain that already have a WBI where all legislation must show how it will benefit the well being of all its citizens. I would base this WBI on the work of Dr. Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology. I have studied his theory of Well Being -- the PERMA model. Dr. Seligman put together the Soldier and Family Fitness Program for the U.S. Army to measure the well being of our soldiers and their families. This also shows that his methods can scale to millions of people. I've taken the Positive Psychology Specialization given by Dr. Seligman and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania. Just to note President Biden taught history at UPenn so he is probably already familiar with Dr. Seligman and his work. See https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/ for more information on all this. Right now, the next thing I'll so is order a copy of the Eleanor Roosevelt biography you recommend! We, the People, all of us this time!
President Zelensky's speech is one for the history books. So moving. So inspiring. So nurturing for citizens of Ukraine. Thank you, Robert for providing the link and urging us to watch it. I will watch it again, and maybe again.
I like that--nurturing. And he gives full recognition to everyone in the country who is fighting for freedom. Everyone, not just the few. This is how you inspire people and this is how you inspire respect.
“From 2020 through 2022, Democrats had the theoretical ability to enlarge the Court to dilute the power of the reactionary majority. We failed to do so. We will not have that ability again until we control both chambers of Congress and the presidency. When that moment arrives, we must seize the opportunity.”
When that moment arrives, we must do more than enlarge the Court. We must do everything we can to safeguard democracy for decades to come. To paraphrase the QAnon motto, When we do one, we do all. What would this involve? At least six things (and please add to the list):
1. End the filibuster. Without doing that, we can’t do any of the other items below.
2. Create two new states, Columbia (most of DC except for a federal zone that would remain “DC”) and Puerto Rico. Assuming Puerto Rico votes Democratic, this step would counterbalance some of the imbalance that gives rural states so much power in the Senate. It would also give Dems perhaps 9 additional Electoral College votes (3 for Columbia and 6 for Puerto Rico), again helping to counterbalance the power of rural states. And if Democrats end the filibuster, we would want to maximize the odds that the Senate would remain Democratic. The next item would also help in this regard.
3. Pass a strong federal voting rights act governing state as well as federal elections. Interestingly, Democratic states make voting easier while Republican states make voting harder. Perhaps Republicans fear they would lose if Democrats could vote more easily. Are their fears justified? Let’s find out!
4. End gerrymandering; there are various proposals to this end. So doing, plus item 3, would help cement Democratic control of the House for many years, given demographic trends (people leaving rural areas and moving to cities, the rise of young voters, and the demise of old (“older”) voters).
5. The above steps might bring National Popular Vote https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/ into being. Under NPV, states enact a law that would spring into effect once states with a combined 270 (or perhaps 272 with Columbia and Puerto Rico as new states) pass said law. The law would provide that all these states would cast all their electoral votes for the presidential candidate who receives, nationally, the most popular votes. Some state legislatures now controlled by Republicans thanks to gerrymandering might become controlled by Democrats thanks to items 3 and 4. This item would end the stranglehold of the Electoral College, would force candidates to compete everywhere (not in just a few states), and would make every voter’s vote weigh equally.
6. Expand the Court. With the foregoing five items in place, it would be unlikely that Republicans could, in their turn, further expand the Court because it would be a long time before anything like the current Republican Party could regain power. Indeed, one salutary consequence of the above items would be to force the GOP to become a responsible party once again.
I would add Ranked Choice Voting. The two party system thinks it has all the answers. We need to send a message that other viewpoints could be popular and grow.
With RCV, a good traditional candidate could win - while we simultaneously send a message that a fresh voice with new ideas had better be listened to.
Good idea, Bill! I led a phone bank to Alaska in 2020 (for the ill-fated Al Gross). One of the items on the ballot that year that passed was a new electoral system with an open (or jungle) primary, followed by RCV for the top 4 candidates. The open primary had around 50 candidates, including Santa Claus (his legal name) who lives in North Pole, AK (obviously). That primary meant that two major R candidates won slots in the RCV runoff, leading to victories by Peltola (twice), defeating Palin. Also, it led to Murkowski beating MAGA Tshibaka. (Murkowski was the best that Dems could hope for.) So yes, open primaries plus RCV would be great.
Today's letter inspires me to roll up my sleeves and prepare for the continuing work to save democracy. I look forward to your perspective every morning.
Remember, it was the lynching of a 14 year old boy and the defiance of a seamstress that began the snowball of non-violent activism in the USA. It was a 22 year old arrested by morality police, then killed, for having any of her hair visible from her hijab that has Iran in flux. Movements can start with the smallest of actions. They start when people say "Enough! No more!"
[For those not aware, I am referring to Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley who posthumously receive the Congressional Gold Medal, Rosa Parks, and Mahsa Amini.]
¨ Polling regarding the 2022 midterms was not only wrong, it was so wrong that it may have negatively affected Democratic prospects in some contests.¨ So important to get by everyone! I stopped paying attention to the polls after Hillary lost. The pollsters had egg on their faces, but then (as seems to happen in the U.S. too often) came back again with the same misinformation.
While accomplishing so much midterm success, Dems will sorely miss having Mandela Barnes, Cheri Beasley, Val Demings and Tim Ryan in the senate. Let’s learn and go forward!
Jan 2, 2023·edited Jan 2, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
I can envision the media sharpening their pencils and laying them in a row in preparation for the convening of this House of Representatives session. The love of the media for a good drama is amazing and destructive. The Republicans will not disappoint.
My personal goal and I would hope the Democratic Party goal for 2023 is to not get sucked in. I'm not spending my days in outrage and feeling overwhelmed by what's happening in the Republican House nor Party. I'm just not. I'm cashing in emotionally on the peace and good work of Joe Biden. Politically we calmly prepare for the 2024 election.
It’s 3:58 in the morning. I read this post as soon as it is published and, at your urging, I watched the video, too. It truly is a “Churchill moment”. History being written.
Oh Wow! That message from President Zelensky is world inspiring. It is that rare being that is born at a time when needed. He, and the Ukrainian people are inspirations to us all. Thank you Robert. I have posted it everywhere in the hope that others listen. 💖
You are right, the Zelensky speech totally worth the 17 minutes.
On the Republican side and the "Impossibility of Breaking with Trump" I often think of the biblical passage from Proverbs 5:21-23 "The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is caught in the toils of his sin." (Revised Standard Version). Or the the Evangelical Heritage Version: "The evil deeds of the wicked man will capture him, and he will be bound by the ropes of his sin." The next verse is: "He will die for lack of discipline, and he will go astray because of his great stupidity." 👀
I cannot tell you how ordinary this non-Native American is. So it is with respect that I applaud Robert's invocation of the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). To wit:
1. "Polls are not elections." Believing them led me to vote for my primary pick over the preferred Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia last year, which may have led to her ouster. However, she is now the frontrunner for being elected to the U.S. Congress. I will not repeat my mistake. Voting for Jenn McClellan this time, no matter what the polls say!
2. "Instead, over the next two years, we should expect that the reactionary majority will continue to disregard the law and facilitate the religious and social agenda of Christian nationalism." Simply simple is how I see it.
Headed now to hear Man of the Year Volodymyr Zelenskyy's speech. I know it will be epic.
Only 364 more days to go in 2023...time's a wasting!
For now nearly six years Robert Hubbell has been our steadfast and indispensable guide in understanding and opposing the insanities of the Trump era and its strange afterlife. In that time, he has alerted me to critical writings by other thinkers, enriching my understanding of this madness and, more important, offering practical advice as to how each of us can oppose these malign tendencies. But nothing he has done equals in impact his alerting his readers to the amazing New Year's speech by Volodomyr Zelensky. His dramatic urging that we actually take 18 minutes to watch this unique moment in modern history caused me to do just that--at 4 in the morning! For this I am deeply grateful, for Robert's depiction of it as a "speech that will make you a better person" was, if anything, an understatement. Nothing could have more clearly brought home to me the immensity of the sacrifice of the Ukrainian people and the absolute necessity that we Americans remain steadfast in our support of these brave people. Yes they are fighting for their country, but they are equally fighting to preserve democracy in Europe and around the world. The Ukrainians will accept nothing less than the total defeat of their Russian invaders. We Americans must be equally determined to help them see this fight through to victory.
Thank you Roger for expressing so eloquently my feelings in regards to watching President Zelensky's New Year's speech. Like me, I find myself waking up at 4-5 in the morning yearning for Robert's optimist, strategic and succinct thoughts on the current events that trouble us most. Robert has created a community of citizens who have the most relevant news stories and information a mere click away. For that I am eternally grateful.
Sylvia,
I live in New York City and I myself will turn 80 in four weeks! Contact me at rsmith@rogersmithandco.com and we can pursue our mutual interests! All best, Roger
Sylvia -- You don't seem like a typical Vegas resident! If you write me at my email address, we can explore mutual interests. (I am very happily married but always open to finding a compatible pen pal!) Roger
Two thoughts:
1. I am so grateful that you urged us to watch President Zelensky’s New Years video. It was deeply moving. I am still wiping away the tears. What a role model for the entire world’s political leaders to emulate!
2. Had the number of SCOTUS justices kept up with the population increase since 1869, the year that 9 justices was settled upon, today we would have over 90 Justices. Certainly the number, never mind complexities, of our laws has increased more than that since then. Instead, justice is being severely compromised with not even 3% of the cases that file for certiorari being granted a hearing. Can you think of any other institution that is functioning under such an obviously outmoded burden?
I can think of one such institution: The House of Representatives-still composed of 435 members, despite our voting age population having tripled in size since 1800.
In 1800, there were 106 members of the House; in 1869, there were 243. Now, there are 435. The population has increased tenfold since 1869. We still have 9 justices.
Thank you.
“I am still wiping away the tears.” As am I and my wife……
When the GOP and commentators keep talking about going after Hunter Biden I wonder where in the world empathy went. Has anyone thought about the impact of all this on Hunter Biden? If you'd like to understand the price of being shamed then I recommend you listen to Monica Lewinsky talk about her experience in a TED talk. It is a very powerful talk for any one with even the smallest amount of empathy.
https://www.ted.com/talks/monica_lewinsky_the_price_of_shame?language=en One of the characteristics of malignant narcissists as in the previous guy is the ability to rid themselves of their feelings of shame by projecting it on others. Let's see if we can encourage empathy in and for others in 2023. We, the People, all of us this time.
Cathy, the word "empathy" does not exist in the Republican dictionary. Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich burned the previous edition that Lincoln used.
Andrew, I agree. It's been replaced by the word "cruelty".
Cathy, you are so right. Hunter Biden managed to successfully overcome his demons and addiction. So have many other people. So there should be more empathy for him and all the rest. We certainly don’t want this situation to end up as a setback.
I read Jill Biden's book in which she talked about Hunter Biden as a young child--a warm, happy kid and now a person who had the courage to conquer his demons. How many Republicans do you suppose there are out there whose kids have had similar problems? They are perhaps afraid to look in the mirror to see what kind of kinky hypocrites they have all become after bedding down with Donald Trump.
Thank you for sharing the Monica Lewinsky TED Talk. It is excellent. The world would be a much better place if we could all practice empathy and compassion.
Thank you for sharing the Monica Lewinsky Ted talk. She was pitch perfect hitting all the correct notes. Shaming is so horrific and so sad that the republican house members not only embrace shaming but derive sadistic pleasure from hurting others.
I’ll do my best to be empathetic and caring during this new year and for as long as I breathe.
excellent column! (although i remember too many of the PR firms writing the speeches that pushed the U.S. into two wars in Iraq to be impressed by the maneuvers of foreign policy establishment and i detest the proxy war funded by U.S. tax dollars). But please emphasize this point for readers (if you agree): the Dem party is stronger without a divisive primary. the Dem party is stronger running an incumbent president. there is no obvious successor to Biden. we are being pushed to abandon him (and I'm no fan) by the same forces who emphasized polling in the midterms. Thank you!
I am an admirer of Joe Biden; he has been a great president. Whether he should run in 2024 is a question that he should decide in the first instance. I am 66 and in good health. I would think twice about taking the job given the physical and psychological demands of the job. Biden will be 82 in January 2024, and 86 at the end of a second term.
There are no obvious choices for the job now--just like there weren't in 2016. People can rise to the occasion.
The same, and the only, reservations I have about a second term for Mr. Biden. How he and the Democrats manage a transition to another candidate who won't be the current Vice President is a huge political challenge but one they'll have to meet. He'll have my vote if he runs but I really hope he doesn't feel that he has to.
Biden's done many things well; the pandemic is a glaring exception. But for instance, why don't we run on the epidemic of "domestic" violence almost always against women? https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-intimate-partner-violence-brain-injuries/ Lets be the party not only against gun violence but also addressing "domestic" violence through public events as well as Presidential actions. I feel the same about climate change; we wouldn't have lost the House if the connection between weather and man made catastrophe had been made explicit to the American people (maybe).
I’m sorry but I must disagree with you on the pandemic. President Biden has done as much as he could, making vaccines and testing widely available. But when you have half of the country not only disavowing vaccines but calling them dangerous, fighting protections at every level and other nefarious things, there is just so much he can do.
Agreed.
take a look: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/03/peoples-cdc-covid-guidelines
Politics is very seldom (2020 was an exception, but I hope that 2024 will not be) a choice between good and evil. Mostly, it’s a choice between not so good and not so bad. In that light, barring a major health crisis, Biden is clearly the man if he wants to put himself forward one more time.
Another major reason polls don't tell you anything is that they only poll the two major political parties. The Independents such as myself are not included. Independents are now about 40% of the voting population with the two parties are each 25-30%. So 80% of Republicans are for something that only represents 20% of the voters. Independents are on the rise as the two major parties go further and further to the extremes and leave the wide middle unrepresented. I always like to quote John Adams who said the worst evil to befall the Constitution would be a two party system. Mr. Adams is being proven right especially when you look at how the Roberts Court is dismantling democracy brick by brick and then throwing the bricks at the People and their rights in a democracy. My answer to have our government be measured by a well-being index (WBI) which measures the well-being of the People unlike GNP which now just measures the greed of income disparity. All legislation would have to prove how it improves the well-being of the People. Only about 20% of our citizens feel they are living lives of well-being. Shouldn't a democracy of, by and for the People measure its success on the well-being of all its citizens?
I'm approaching the end of the final volume of Blanch Weisen Cook's biography of Eleanor Roosevelt who would absolutely agree with you about the WBI. Why we weren't taught more about this amazing woman in school is beyond me. I keep turning down the corners of so many pages because what she was fighting for is still what we are fighting for today--a healthy democracy where everyone has a voice and a fair shake. You can't do that if without health, education, and welfare. How do we mobilize all of us to work together going forward?
Hi Susan, Shall we form a group to promote a WBI? What would you call it? I'm thinking one of my first steps/goals is to write to Dr. Jill Biden and propose it as a program she might like to sponsor and even have it become a campaign platform for President Biden. We would need to put together a position paper on what it is, how it would work and its benefits to democracy. There are a number of countries like Great Britain that already have a WBI where all legislation must show how it will benefit the well being of all its citizens. I would base this WBI on the work of Dr. Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology. I have studied his theory of Well Being -- the PERMA model. Dr. Seligman put together the Soldier and Family Fitness Program for the U.S. Army to measure the well being of our soldiers and their families. This also shows that his methods can scale to millions of people. I've taken the Positive Psychology Specialization given by Dr. Seligman and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania. Just to note President Biden taught history at UPenn so he is probably already familiar with Dr. Seligman and his work. See https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/ for more information on all this. Right now, the next thing I'll so is order a copy of the Eleanor Roosevelt biography you recommend! We, the People, all of us this time!
President Zelensky's speech is one for the history books. So moving. So inspiring. So nurturing for citizens of Ukraine. Thank you, Robert for providing the link and urging us to watch it. I will watch it again, and maybe again.
I like that--nurturing. And he gives full recognition to everyone in the country who is fighting for freedom. Everyone, not just the few. This is how you inspire people and this is how you inspire respect.
“From 2020 through 2022, Democrats had the theoretical ability to enlarge the Court to dilute the power of the reactionary majority. We failed to do so. We will not have that ability again until we control both chambers of Congress and the presidency. When that moment arrives, we must seize the opportunity.”
When that moment arrives, we must do more than enlarge the Court. We must do everything we can to safeguard democracy for decades to come. To paraphrase the QAnon motto, When we do one, we do all. What would this involve? At least six things (and please add to the list):
1. End the filibuster. Without doing that, we can’t do any of the other items below.
2. Create two new states, Columbia (most of DC except for a federal zone that would remain “DC”) and Puerto Rico. Assuming Puerto Rico votes Democratic, this step would counterbalance some of the imbalance that gives rural states so much power in the Senate. It would also give Dems perhaps 9 additional Electoral College votes (3 for Columbia and 6 for Puerto Rico), again helping to counterbalance the power of rural states. And if Democrats end the filibuster, we would want to maximize the odds that the Senate would remain Democratic. The next item would also help in this regard.
3. Pass a strong federal voting rights act governing state as well as federal elections. Interestingly, Democratic states make voting easier while Republican states make voting harder. Perhaps Republicans fear they would lose if Democrats could vote more easily. Are their fears justified? Let’s find out!
4. End gerrymandering; there are various proposals to this end. So doing, plus item 3, would help cement Democratic control of the House for many years, given demographic trends (people leaving rural areas and moving to cities, the rise of young voters, and the demise of old (“older”) voters).
5. The above steps might bring National Popular Vote https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/ into being. Under NPV, states enact a law that would spring into effect once states with a combined 270 (or perhaps 272 with Columbia and Puerto Rico as new states) pass said law. The law would provide that all these states would cast all their electoral votes for the presidential candidate who receives, nationally, the most popular votes. Some state legislatures now controlled by Republicans thanks to gerrymandering might become controlled by Democrats thanks to items 3 and 4. This item would end the stranglehold of the Electoral College, would force candidates to compete everywhere (not in just a few states), and would make every voter’s vote weigh equally.
6. Expand the Court. With the foregoing five items in place, it would be unlikely that Republicans could, in their turn, further expand the Court because it would be a long time before anything like the current Republican Party could regain power. Indeed, one salutary consequence of the above items would be to force the GOP to become a responsible party once again.
Great list, Jon!
I would add Ranked Choice Voting. The two party system thinks it has all the answers. We need to send a message that other viewpoints could be popular and grow.
With RCV, a good traditional candidate could win - while we simultaneously send a message that a fresh voice with new ideas had better be listened to.
Good idea, Bill! I led a phone bank to Alaska in 2020 (for the ill-fated Al Gross). One of the items on the ballot that year that passed was a new electoral system with an open (or jungle) primary, followed by RCV for the top 4 candidates. The open primary had around 50 candidates, including Santa Claus (his legal name) who lives in North Pole, AK (obviously). That primary meant that two major R candidates won slots in the RCV runoff, leading to victories by Peltola (twice), defeating Palin. Also, it led to Murkowski beating MAGA Tshibaka. (Murkowski was the best that Dems could hope for.) So yes, open primaries plus RCV would be great.
Great ideas. I completely second what Bill said.
Today's letter inspires me to roll up my sleeves and prepare for the continuing work to save democracy. I look forward to your perspective every morning.
Remember, it was the lynching of a 14 year old boy and the defiance of a seamstress that began the snowball of non-violent activism in the USA. It was a 22 year old arrested by morality police, then killed, for having any of her hair visible from her hijab that has Iran in flux. Movements can start with the smallest of actions. They start when people say "Enough! No more!"
[For those not aware, I am referring to Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley who posthumously receive the Congressional Gold Medal, Rosa Parks, and Mahsa Amini.]
Excellent observations, Beverly. And for those who haven’t yet seen it, I highly recommend the movie “Till” which is excellent.
¨ Polling regarding the 2022 midterms was not only wrong, it was so wrong that it may have negatively affected Democratic prospects in some contests.¨ So important to get by everyone! I stopped paying attention to the polls after Hillary lost. The pollsters had egg on their faces, but then (as seems to happen in the U.S. too often) came back again with the same misinformation.
While accomplishing so much midterm success, Dems will sorely miss having Mandela Barnes, Cheri Beasley, Val Demings and Tim Ryan in the senate. Let’s learn and go forward!
I hope lessons have been learned in losing those people and other Dems who lacked support...no excuse
I can envision the media sharpening their pencils and laying them in a row in preparation for the convening of this House of Representatives session. The love of the media for a good drama is amazing and destructive. The Republicans will not disappoint.
My personal goal and I would hope the Democratic Party goal for 2023 is to not get sucked in. I'm not spending my days in outrage and feeling overwhelmed by what's happening in the Republican House nor Party. I'm just not. I'm cashing in emotionally on the peace and good work of Joe Biden. Politically we calmly prepare for the 2024 election.
It’s 3:58 in the morning. I read this post as soon as it is published and, at your urging, I watched the video, too. It truly is a “Churchill moment”. History being written.
Happy New Year, Robert, to you, Jill and your whole family. Wishing you good health, peace and joy.
Oh Wow! That message from President Zelensky is world inspiring. It is that rare being that is born at a time when needed. He, and the Ukrainian people are inspirations to us all. Thank you Robert. I have posted it everywhere in the hope that others listen. 💖
You are right, the Zelensky speech totally worth the 17 minutes.
On the Republican side and the "Impossibility of Breaking with Trump" I often think of the biblical passage from Proverbs 5:21-23 "The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is caught in the toils of his sin." (Revised Standard Version). Or the the Evangelical Heritage Version: "The evil deeds of the wicked man will capture him, and he will be bound by the ropes of his sin." The next verse is: "He will die for lack of discipline, and he will go astray because of his great stupidity." 👀
I cannot tell you how ordinary this non-Native American is. So it is with respect that I applaud Robert's invocation of the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). To wit:
1. "Polls are not elections." Believing them led me to vote for my primary pick over the preferred Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia last year, which may have led to her ouster. However, she is now the frontrunner for being elected to the U.S. Congress. I will not repeat my mistake. Voting for Jenn McClellan this time, no matter what the polls say!
2. "Instead, over the next two years, we should expect that the reactionary majority will continue to disregard the law and facilitate the religious and social agenda of Christian nationalism." Simply simple is how I see it.
Headed now to hear Man of the Year Volodymyr Zelenskyy's speech. I know it will be epic.
Only 364 more days to go in 2023...time's a wasting!