It amazes and frustrates me that while there's been decent coverage of the House and Senate finally passing the funding bills for supporting our allies, there's been little said about how similar they are to what President Biden asked for in the first place, and what the bipartisan group in the Senate negotiated months ago. I hope once President Biden signs the measure, that message is broadcast loudly and clearly.
When you have Gaetz, Biggs, MTG, Jordan, and Comer in charge, and checking in every other day with Mar A Lago to see what the king wants and then checking on what Jess Watters and Fox wants, it's not hard to see why the caucus has become completely dis-functional. If you're not thrilled with it, email: wattersworld@fox.com
I live in a county where 93% of voters turned out in 2022. Voters don’t care?
In what Universe?
And in 2023, for a special election to replace our state representative, our district managed to get 74% to turn out in January. In Minnesota. And yes, efforts included door knocking regardless of the temps outside.
I have a friend who lives in Chip Roy’s district in TX. She’s a blue pinpoint in a sea of red. Yet she spends much of her time in retirement working with the League of Women Voters to help get out the vote. That’s dedication and she needs our help!
Please, no more sweeping generalizations about how so many voters don’t care. It has never been true in my back yard and if its true in yours, then you have a special obligation to help get out the vote in your district regardless the numbers and polls. And to find your fellow pinpoints in that sea of red and band together to support one another. Let’s focus on what we CAN do. You might be surprised.
Here in California many voters assume they do not need to vote “because we’re a Blue state”. This is especially true for mid-term elections and special elections.
We did a lot of canvassing and phone banking in CA-49 in 2022 to make sure voters turned out and thankfully we did win. Many that we spoke with assumed the seat was safe (it was not b/c this district is split between Blue north San Diego County and Red-leaning south east Orange County).
It is so dangerous to assume a win. That’s how democracies die.
Stephen, on this point you might be better served to step back and not be defensive. You always offer good insights. On this one, the lady was correct, there is no merit to sweeping generalizations about people not caring.
I don't think that "voters simply don't care". I think many have given up. Their lives are busy working and taking care of their families. I am bombarded daily with negative news about Biden's campaign (and that's from our side trying to get donations). If I didn't take several hours each morning reading my sources for news, I would think there is no hope. Everyone doesn't have the time to spend to dig through all the crap that's thrown at me. It's overwhelming... even for me. Imagine how it would be for people just trying to keep up with their lives.
And your statement is an opinion until you back it up with citations of articles or numbers validating your statement. As a statement it is also a despondent one which doesn't help GOTV. More positivity, please...or as my four-legged companion would say: more wagging; less growling.
Yes it is an opinion and it based on my interpretation of the many different points of view I am reading and more importantly it is based on feelings which drive voting not facts unfortunately
Thank you, Robert, for focusing above the fold. Maybe you can say more about how President Biden was able to help achieve a bipartisan vote in the House to advance aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel, including funding for humanitarian relief to countries at war.
You mention gerrymandering several times. The unfair mapping of districts where politicians choose their voters has been practiced and litigated to the max by MAGA Republicans. This has allowed them to pass extreme legislation. I learned yesterday from Jessica Craven that many GOP wins are coming from an unforced error by Democratic voters. A recent study by Sister District reveals that an astonishing 80% of Democratic voters roll off the ballot compared to 37% of Republicans. That means they vote for the top of the ticket and leave the rest of their ballots blank.
If our efforts to get out the vote emphasize the critical importance of voting the entire Democratic ticket and we reduce roll offs by as little as 1 or 2%, it’s a game changer. Jessica has posted her summary of these findings in text and a YouTube video in her latest SubStack blog here.
"In 2020 Democrats would have gained control of 14 more chambers in 9 states if they had decreased ballot roll off by 2% or less. These are Biden voters who skipped voting for state legislative seats. FOURTEEN MORE CHAMBERS!
Two of those would likely have been in Arizona. We would have a Democratic majority in the statehouse—and the 1864 abortion ban would already have been repealed—if we’d gotten 4,451 more votes for Democratic state legislative candidates there in 2020. In that same election, 548,000 people voted for Biden but not downballot."
Thank you, Gary, for sharing. I read Jessica's Substack blog (and subscribed) and watched the video. Absolutely mind-boggling! I am sure many are not aware of the roll-off phenomenon and especially the scope of it. It's insane.
Democrats running for national office should make this a central issue of their campaign and also appear as often as possible together with the candidates on the state and local level – in ads as well as events.
Robert, perhaps you could pin Gary's post to the top or take up the roll-off in one of your letters.
You say, “I am sure many are not aware of the roll-off phenomenon and especially the scope of it. It's insane.”
But it’s just human nature. People have largely been conditioned to vote for the person, not the party. And when they don’t know a candidate, it can therefore seem normal not to cast a vote.
What’s necessary is to convince voters that candidacy as a Democrat is, by itself, ample reason to deserve a vote.
As informative as the quantitative info was, this pattern has been known for a while. Although given how tiny the margins can be that flip whole state chambers the detail is crucial. What was new to me was the qualitative work by Data for Progress who collaborated with Sister District. They analyzed WHO was not voting downballot and some of the reasons WHY. It was the latter that really grabbed me. Not voting because they felt they didn't know enough about the candidates. Not voting because state legislative races weren't considered important (Republican have always known.) People who didn't vote downballot were much less likely to know the actual job of state legislators and to think their vote mattered. Check out the details here--they are mind-blowing.
Yup; it all starts at the state level. Listened to David Daley on NPR - years ago (2016)- he explained gerrymandering AND how republicans were counting on people not understanding that it ‘all starts at the state level’. This may sound like old information, but it’s interesting- you can read or listen to the show:
Thanks, Gary, for sharing the study by Sister District.It all starts at the local level in our communities!
I’ve been phonebanking in Fl for the primary and special elections and it is discouraging how many voters are unaware of their local municipal elections.
What can we do to help ? ?
Sign up for Jess Craven’s newsletter/Chop Wood, Carry Water at the link Gary S provided above⬆️ for daily actions to battle the ballot roll-off.
Sign up for phonebanking/psotcarding opportunities for special and municipal elections.📲✍️
Wear a Biden-Harris t-shirt and start a conversation with those in your community ! 👕🛒
Great advice! Postcard campaigns going on now: fieldteam6.org, activateamerica.vote, and postcardstovoters.org. I wrote postcards for Tom Suozzi, Tom Keen Donna Deegan, and so many others that won their races. I also wrote for abortion writes in Kansas. It really helps and it's therapeutic to write cards. :-D
Speaking of gerrymandering, here is a political analysis from one of our "crew", Len Lubinsky, that deserves more exposure. It explains the process in amazing detail.
Please also consider volunteering for Sister District! First state legislative candidates for 2024 to be announced tomorrow https://sisterdistrict.com/
I posted this to Substack's Notes. I have no idea where the Notes go. But maybe I will get an idea after posting this last section of Robert's post today about Jessica Craven's stats.
Robert writes "In a sick and cowardly act, the Tennessee legislature expanded the presence of guns on school campuses to distract from the state’s inaction on gun safety. The mass murder at Uvalde forever debunked the myth that “The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” So I'd like to ask?
- Why do Moms and Dads in Tennessee feel like teachers are qualified to shoot people but not qualifies to stock libraries with books of their choosing?
- Since the GOP led legislature is very "right to life" and has banned virtually all abortions, have they also passed any recent laws for early childcare and feeding and educating kids and kids with disabilities?
Yes, I don't get it with guns and education. The Tennessee legislature took a chickens way out on gun safety legislation. I just found out yesterday that my own alma mater West Virginia University has in place students carrying guns on campus and all that this entails. At a cost of $1 million dollars to West Virginia taxpayers to provide lockers on campus for gun storage and designated areas where firearms can and cannot be carried and more regulations, this seems like an invitation to disaster.As a former substitute teacher, I got out of teaching altogether when I began to feel unsafe at school. It is an unsettling feeling to not know who may or may not be armed or will be provoked.smh
I'm so sorry you felt unsafe at school, Victoria. Teaching has become a much more difficult job in recent years, and many good teachers have left the profession. It is very sad, but I get it!
For general info, and acknowledging that money is the mother's milk of politics, this might be an interesting article to read. Lot's of states are in the mold of Tennessee, unfortunately:
Love this: Why do Moms and Dads in Tennessee feel like teachers are qualified to shoot people but not qualifies to stock libraries with books of their choosing? Many times GOPhers will characterize teachers as lazy, ineffective, parasites whose pension funds drain the coffers-- but then they expect them to be commandos with guns to defend schools!! It's as stupid and inane as most things they say. I guess in addition to coming up with money out-of-pocket to provide school supplies I guess teachers will now have to come up with their own money for bullets, holsters, and target practice. It'll be good perfomative politics until some new tragedy occurs as a result of teachers being armed in class....Sad....
So many good points today. I have been trying to calmly inform friends and family that Biden's tactic to get Johnson to move on the funding for Ukraine was really brilliant. He didn't pressure, cajole, or negotiate; he simply invited him to the daily briefings on what's happening there on the ground and Johnson was moved to act. It's one thing to take a political stance that you think may help your career; it's quite another to face the human toll of your position on a daily basis when it's presented in real terms. Wishing this could be done effectively with the gun-obsessed who claim to care about children.
Joyce, thank you, a very precise comment on Biden's leadership and the wisdom of true bipartisan leadership, with an empathetic imagination of Mike Johnson as a human being, a complex man who is motivated in complex ways. Trump's leadership style, or rather his pathological habits of thought and behavior, is "me vs. horrible people," an us vs. them style that treats political opponent's as enemies, subhumans, hateful, "bad people," who should be insulted by ludicrous nicknames, intimidated, and lied about, while lying to one's followers at every opportunity -- the style of an autocrat and dictator. Biden's leadership style, as you describe so well, is "let us reason together, as citizens. Let's look at what is best for the country and the people of the world and let's get things done." He says implicitly "I don't have to like you or your ideas, but we can work together." And in so doing he builds trust and potential allies. Telling anyone they are stupid, or fanatical Christian white nationalists (or any other terms of derision and division) simply insults and demeans them and their long and dearly held beliefs. Who among us enjoys being called a "libtard"? Biden is a citizen leader who has spent his entire life in service to his country. Trump has followed another path. The choice could not be clearer. Do we hang with Biden, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Barack Obama, Ted Kennedy, Jamie Raskin, and John Lewis, or Marjorie Taylor Green, Paul Gosar, and Donald Trump.
Thank you Patrick. You mentioned some of my heroes there at the end; brave people doing the right thing even when it's very difficult. Let's hope America finds her better self again! Peace to you.
The most revealing revelation on Tuesday was the testimony of David Pecker who admitted he published stories that were pure fiction about rival candidates to Donald Trump. The National Enquirer and other publications and media outlets have to be held accountable when they knowingly print or broadcast false information. The First Amendment should not protect the media from these outrageous practices. The trial so far has clearly demonstrated Trump has no regard for the law or cares about the law and has lied and cheated every step of the way. For once Trump must be held accountable and pay the price.
Thanks. Robert Please ask the Texas candidates to partner with FT 6, currently calling, texting unregistered Texans to become Democrats. Here is the Texas brief:
Texas has a crucial Senate race in 2024, with our latest chance to defeat the Senate’s most hated member, Ted Cruz. Texas has been getting more purple each year, and when it goes blue, so will the entire country. We need to register Texas Democrats – to vote by mail (for those who qualify). This is a job for Field Team 6!
DEMOCRATS…
...are the only major party fighting Trumpism and the extremist MAGA Republicans.
...and the only party fighting for voting rights, women’s rights, civil rights, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ rights.
...are fighting to expand health care rather than take it away.
...are fighting to make college more affordable, not less.
...are addressing the climate crisis, not denying it until it’s too late to take action.
REPUBLICANS...
...support over 380 anti-voter bills in 48 states, launching a national war on voting rights.
Registration deadline for the General Presidential Election on November 5, 2024 is October 7, 2024.
Vote-by-Mail Ballot Application for the General Presidential Election on November 5, 2024 is October 25, 2024 (received, not postmarked).
If you need help getting an ID, contact VoteRiders.org or call/text 1-844-338-8743.
Mail ballots should be mailed back at least a week prior to the election; or dropped off at an Early Voting site, or at ANY polling location on Election Day (no ID or waiting in line required). Ballots not received by 7pm on Election Day will not count.
I have been pleased to see he and his former wife (the alternative facts Trump supporter) are no longer just separated but truly divorced. This really seals the deal, I suspect!
This trial is not only an indictment of Trump, but also of the National Enquirer and any other news agency that spreads lies (think Fox News), and by doing that is also guilty of Election interference. Judge Merchan is awesome so far, but dealing with Trump's lies is going to be a challenge, because Trump lives a lie and probably does not even know how to tell the truth. He is THE BIG LIAR!
Trump’s current trial highlights another downside to being a sociopath. Trump, being who he is, has no idea how to admit he is wrong, pay the price and move on. He is willing to pay $100Ms to lawyers to fight obvious crimes and play the victim. I think he believes he is the victim and that being honest is for losers. However, in the case now in trial, IF Trump had decided months ago that this case had a chance to go to court, he could have gone to the judge and coped a plea to the misdemeanor and avoided the trail for a felony. Given all the cost and security of the trail the judge probably would have allowed the plea. He would have paid another fine and the whole thing would be forgotten by now. It probably never occurred to him, because he is not only a sociopath, he isn’t that bright, cunning, or manipulative. By contrast, Putin would have sent the judge to Siberia, but Trump is out of office.
More good news, Robert, and all. "Officials in Baltimore plan to open a deeper channel for commercial ships to enter and leave the city’s port starting on Thursday — a significant step toward reopening the major maritime shipping hub that has remained closed to most traffic since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed last month. Five of the seven cargo ships that have been stuck in Baltimore’s harbor will be able to pass through the new channel..."
"After Donald J. Trump’s hush money trial exposed the Enquirer’s inner workings, the newspaper’s reputation for unimpeachable journalism suffered a severe blow, media insiders say.
Harland Dorrinson, an Enquirer subscriber for over thirty years, said discovering that the weekly periodical was not a dependable information source was “a gut punch.”
“In a complex and confusing world, I always felt that there was one news outlet that could make sense of it all,” he said. “That’s been stolen from me.”
If the Enquirer distorted its coverage to support Trump’s election in 2016, Dorrinson wondered, “Does that mean Hillary Clinton wasn’t really dying? Or that she didn’t delete emails from her multiple lesbian lovers? Or that Bill Clinton didn’t have a sex romp in a pickup truck that was caught on video? Now I don’t know what to believe.”
The longtime subscriber said that the Enquirer’s sudden loss of credibility would force him to seek reliable reporting elsewhere, adding, “I guess I’ll give Fox a shot.”
“The longtime [Enquirer] subscriber said that the Enquirer’s sudden loss of credibility would force him to seek reliable reporting elsewhere, adding, “I guess I’ll give Fox a shot.”” –
With King Karma steadily gaining speed, trump has all but lost his entertainment value to his masses. Basically, the hook is coming as his wall of delusion is fast eroding. He perpetually pounds himself further into the ground, more so every day. Keep pounding away, putz. I support your fundraising proposals Robert. Thank you. I appreciate your eclectic and thorough presentations of the days events, and remain cautiously optimistic that sanity will continue to prevail as we head in to flushing more of the felons as fall approaches. Yay for Democracy!
That's a yes from me for Dr. Kristin Hook, Colin Allred, and obviously Biden-Harris. I'll try to make the "meetings" but will surely donate to all. Thanks, Robert!
When helping to fundraise the shadow of constant requests becomes overwhelming and stops many of us smaller donors. Our family has supported several causes over the years to the tune of several thousand dollars per year. At the height there were about 14 or 15 we supported on a yearly basis. As we did these groups such as the local fire dept to Public Radio, Veterans to programs for poverty asked for more and more, more times each year. It was awful! We then decided three years ago to focus on 6 groups. Problem is we still get letter after letter and emails from all we have stopped supporting again, and again, and again. Now add in politics where we know several friends and family who once they have given by envelope or website are inundated almost every day to give more.
Is there a way we can send funds for a one-time offering to each of the well-meaning people you mentioned through the "Newsletter" so we don't get bombarded after the fact??? Many of us want to help but not to be pushed constantly so we don't make contributions unless cash is accepted at an event!!! We don't want recognition just to give some support/ help on our terms!!!
It amazes and frustrates me that while there's been decent coverage of the House and Senate finally passing the funding bills for supporting our allies, there's been little said about how similar they are to what President Biden asked for in the first place, and what the bipartisan group in the Senate negotiated months ago. I hope once President Biden signs the measure, that message is broadcast loudly and clearly.
When you have Gaetz, Biggs, MTG, Jordan, and Comer in charge, and checking in every other day with Mar A Lago to see what the king wants and then checking on what Jess Watters and Fox wants, it's not hard to see why the caucus has become completely dis-functional. If you're not thrilled with it, email: wattersworld@fox.com
The media rightly believes the vast number of voters simply don’t care.
I live in a county where 93% of voters turned out in 2022. Voters don’t care?
In what Universe?
And in 2023, for a special election to replace our state representative, our district managed to get 74% to turn out in January. In Minnesota. And yes, efforts included door knocking regardless of the temps outside.
I have a friend who lives in Chip Roy’s district in TX. She’s a blue pinpoint in a sea of red. Yet she spends much of her time in retirement working with the League of Women Voters to help get out the vote. That’s dedication and she needs our help!
Please, no more sweeping generalizations about how so many voters don’t care. It has never been true in my back yard and if its true in yours, then you have a special obligation to help get out the vote in your district regardless the numbers and polls. And to find your fellow pinpoints in that sea of red and band together to support one another. Let’s focus on what we CAN do. You might be surprised.
Thank you Sheila!!!
Here in California many voters assume they do not need to vote “because we’re a Blue state”. This is especially true for mid-term elections and special elections.
We did a lot of canvassing and phone banking in CA-49 in 2022 to make sure voters turned out and thankfully we did win. Many that we spoke with assumed the seat was safe (it was not b/c this district is split between Blue north San Diego County and Red-leaning south east Orange County).
It is so dangerous to assume a win. That’s how democracies die.
Well said! 👏
💙💙💙
I agree, Sheila!
Oh yes!!! Thank you!
What the voters don’t care about is how legislation is passed and the idiocies of how it happened.
Stephen, on this point you might be better served to step back and not be defensive. You always offer good insights. On this one, the lady was correct, there is no merit to sweeping generalizations about people not caring.
March on with giving your best.
John I will accept and respect your comments.
I don't think that "voters simply don't care". I think many have given up. Their lives are busy working and taking care of their families. I am bombarded daily with negative news about Biden's campaign (and that's from our side trying to get donations). If I didn't take several hours each morning reading my sources for news, I would think there is no hope. Everyone doesn't have the time to spend to dig through all the crap that's thrown at me. It's overwhelming... even for me. Imagine how it would be for people just trying to keep up with their lives.
And your statement is an opinion until you back it up with citations of articles or numbers validating your statement. As a statement it is also a despondent one which doesn't help GOTV. More positivity, please...or as my four-legged companion would say: more wagging; less growling.
Yes it is an opinion and it based on my interpretation of the many different points of view I am reading and more importantly it is based on feelings which drive voting not facts unfortunately
That's true, although it's sad.
I'm sure he will, Bob!
Thank you, Robert, for focusing above the fold. Maybe you can say more about how President Biden was able to help achieve a bipartisan vote in the House to advance aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel, including funding for humanitarian relief to countries at war.
You mention gerrymandering several times. The unfair mapping of districts where politicians choose their voters has been practiced and litigated to the max by MAGA Republicans. This has allowed them to pass extreme legislation. I learned yesterday from Jessica Craven that many GOP wins are coming from an unforced error by Democratic voters. A recent study by Sister District reveals that an astonishing 80% of Democratic voters roll off the ballot compared to 37% of Republicans. That means they vote for the top of the ticket and leave the rest of their ballots blank.
If our efforts to get out the vote emphasize the critical importance of voting the entire Democratic ticket and we reduce roll offs by as little as 1 or 2%, it’s a game changer. Jessica has posted her summary of these findings in text and a YouTube video in her latest SubStack blog here.
https://open.substack.com/pub/chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions/p/chop-wood-carry-water-423?r=dpmrd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
To quote Jessica:
"In 2020 Democrats would have gained control of 14 more chambers in 9 states if they had decreased ballot roll off by 2% or less. These are Biden voters who skipped voting for state legislative seats. FOURTEEN MORE CHAMBERS!
Two of those would likely have been in Arizona. We would have a Democratic majority in the statehouse—and the 1864 abortion ban would already have been repealed—if we’d gotten 4,451 more votes for Democratic state legislative candidates there in 2020. In that same election, 548,000 people voted for Biden but not downballot."
Thank you, Gary, for sharing. I read Jessica's Substack blog (and subscribed) and watched the video. Absolutely mind-boggling! I am sure many are not aware of the roll-off phenomenon and especially the scope of it. It's insane.
Democrats running for national office should make this a central issue of their campaign and also appear as often as possible together with the candidates on the state and local level – in ads as well as events.
Robert, perhaps you could pin Gary's post to the top or take up the roll-off in one of your letters.
I will address the issue of roll off tonight. thanks.
Stefan –
You say, “I am sure many are not aware of the roll-off phenomenon and especially the scope of it. It's insane.”
But it’s just human nature. People have largely been conditioned to vote for the person, not the party. And when they don’t know a candidate, it can therefore seem normal not to cast a vote.
What’s necessary is to convince voters that candidacy as a Democrat is, by itself, ample reason to deserve a vote.
As informative as the quantitative info was, this pattern has been known for a while. Although given how tiny the margins can be that flip whole state chambers the detail is crucial. What was new to me was the qualitative work by Data for Progress who collaborated with Sister District. They analyzed WHO was not voting downballot and some of the reasons WHY. It was the latter that really grabbed me. Not voting because they felt they didn't know enough about the candidates. Not voting because state legislative races weren't considered important (Republican have always known.) People who didn't vote downballot were much less likely to know the actual job of state legislators and to think their vote mattered. Check out the details here--they are mind-blowing.
https://sisterdistrict.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Roll-Off-Toplines-Memo.pdf
It’s what we are going to do about it that matters.
Yup; it all starts at the state level. Listened to David Daley on NPR - years ago (2016)- he explained gerrymandering AND how republicans were counting on people not understanding that it ‘all starts at the state level’. This may sound like old information, but it’s interesting- you can read or listen to the show:
https://www.npr.org/2016/06/15/482150951/understanding-congressional-gerrymandering-its-moneyball-applied-to-politics
Shocking!
Thanks, Gary, for sharing the study by Sister District.It all starts at the local level in our communities!
I’ve been phonebanking in Fl for the primary and special elections and it is discouraging how many voters are unaware of their local municipal elections.
What can we do to help ? ?
Sign up for Jess Craven’s newsletter/Chop Wood, Carry Water at the link Gary S provided above⬆️ for daily actions to battle the ballot roll-off.
Sign up for phonebanking/psotcarding opportunities for special and municipal elections.📲✍️
Wear a Biden-Harris t-shirt and start a conversation with those in your community ! 👕🛒
🌊🌊
Great advice! Postcard campaigns going on now: fieldteam6.org, activateamerica.vote, and postcardstovoters.org. I wrote postcards for Tom Suozzi, Tom Keen Donna Deegan, and so many others that won their races. I also wrote for abortion writes in Kansas. It really helps and it's therapeutic to write cards. :-D
Agree!
Good info for sure!
Speaking of gerrymandering, here is a political analysis from one of our "crew", Len Lubinsky, that deserves more exposure. It explains the process in amazing detail.
https://mailchi.mp/f124caefb145/lens-letter-69-a-gerrymander-index-for-the-house-of-representatives?e=582bf4c96a
You share very important information!
Yes, and the info is very compelling. Addressing "roll-off" is both an opportunity and an imperative!
Thanks, Gary, for highlighting Jessica's post from yesterday. Astonishing revelations.
Thank you, Gary S.! Stunning info, unknown to me until your comments here, which must be rectified presto!!
Critical for sharing! Wondering if Vote Forward could include this point in their letters to encourage voters. https://votefwd.org/campaigns
Please also consider volunteering for Sister District! First state legislative candidates for 2024 to be announced tomorrow https://sisterdistrict.com/
I posted this to Substack's Notes. I have no idea where the Notes go. But maybe I will get an idea after posting this last section of Robert's post today about Jessica Craven's stats.
Robert writes "In a sick and cowardly act, the Tennessee legislature expanded the presence of guns on school campuses to distract from the state’s inaction on gun safety. The mass murder at Uvalde forever debunked the myth that “The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” So I'd like to ask?
- Why do Moms and Dads in Tennessee feel like teachers are qualified to shoot people but not qualifies to stock libraries with books of their choosing?
- Since the GOP led legislature is very "right to life" and has banned virtually all abortions, have they also passed any recent laws for early childcare and feeding and educating kids and kids with disabilities?
Yes, I don't get it with guns and education. The Tennessee legislature took a chickens way out on gun safety legislation. I just found out yesterday that my own alma mater West Virginia University has in place students carrying guns on campus and all that this entails. At a cost of $1 million dollars to West Virginia taxpayers to provide lockers on campus for gun storage and designated areas where firearms can and cannot be carried and more regulations, this seems like an invitation to disaster.As a former substitute teacher, I got out of teaching altogether when I began to feel unsafe at school. It is an unsettling feeling to not know who may or may not be armed or will be provoked.smh
I'm so sorry you felt unsafe at school, Victoria. Teaching has become a much more difficult job in recent years, and many good teachers have left the profession. It is very sad, but I get it!
For general info, and acknowledging that money is the mother's milk of politics, this might be an interesting article to read. Lot's of states are in the mold of Tennessee, unfortunately:
https://247wallst.com/state/how-tennessee-ranks-in-gun-manufacturing/
Love this: Why do Moms and Dads in Tennessee feel like teachers are qualified to shoot people but not qualifies to stock libraries with books of their choosing? Many times GOPhers will characterize teachers as lazy, ineffective, parasites whose pension funds drain the coffers-- but then they expect them to be commandos with guns to defend schools!! It's as stupid and inane as most things they say. I guess in addition to coming up with money out-of-pocket to provide school supplies I guess teachers will now have to come up with their own money for bullets, holsters, and target practice. It'll be good perfomative politics until some new tragedy occurs as a result of teachers being armed in class....Sad....
I think that would be a NO.
So many good points today. I have been trying to calmly inform friends and family that Biden's tactic to get Johnson to move on the funding for Ukraine was really brilliant. He didn't pressure, cajole, or negotiate; he simply invited him to the daily briefings on what's happening there on the ground and Johnson was moved to act. It's one thing to take a political stance that you think may help your career; it's quite another to face the human toll of your position on a daily basis when it's presented in real terms. Wishing this could be done effectively with the gun-obsessed who claim to care about children.
Joyce, thank you, a very precise comment on Biden's leadership and the wisdom of true bipartisan leadership, with an empathetic imagination of Mike Johnson as a human being, a complex man who is motivated in complex ways. Trump's leadership style, or rather his pathological habits of thought and behavior, is "me vs. horrible people," an us vs. them style that treats political opponent's as enemies, subhumans, hateful, "bad people," who should be insulted by ludicrous nicknames, intimidated, and lied about, while lying to one's followers at every opportunity -- the style of an autocrat and dictator. Biden's leadership style, as you describe so well, is "let us reason together, as citizens. Let's look at what is best for the country and the people of the world and let's get things done." He says implicitly "I don't have to like you or your ideas, but we can work together." And in so doing he builds trust and potential allies. Telling anyone they are stupid, or fanatical Christian white nationalists (or any other terms of derision and division) simply insults and demeans them and their long and dearly held beliefs. Who among us enjoys being called a "libtard"? Biden is a citizen leader who has spent his entire life in service to his country. Trump has followed another path. The choice could not be clearer. Do we hang with Biden, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Barack Obama, Ted Kennedy, Jamie Raskin, and John Lewis, or Marjorie Taylor Green, Paul Gosar, and Donald Trump.
Thank you Patrick. You mentioned some of my heroes there at the end; brave people doing the right thing even when it's very difficult. Let's hope America finds her better self again! Peace to you.
Your thoughts were a good inspiration. Onward!
And…..Johnson’s son just got accepted into West Point!?? Remember his statement re he’d “rather send munitions than people?”
The most revealing revelation on Tuesday was the testimony of David Pecker who admitted he published stories that were pure fiction about rival candidates to Donald Trump. The National Enquirer and other publications and media outlets have to be held accountable when they knowingly print or broadcast false information. The First Amendment should not protect the media from these outrageous practices. The trial so far has clearly demonstrated Trump has no regard for the law or cares about the law and has lied and cheated every step of the way. For once Trump must be held accountable and pay the price.
Thanks. Robert Please ask the Texas candidates to partner with FT 6, currently calling, texting unregistered Texans to become Democrats. Here is the Texas brief:
Texas has a crucial Senate race in 2024, with our latest chance to defeat the Senate’s most hated member, Ted Cruz. Texas has been getting more purple each year, and when it goes blue, so will the entire country. We need to register Texas Democrats – to vote by mail (for those who qualify). This is a job for Field Team 6!
DEMOCRATS…
...are the only major party fighting Trumpism and the extremist MAGA Republicans.
...and the only party fighting for voting rights, women’s rights, civil rights, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ rights.
...are fighting to expand health care rather than take it away.
...are fighting to make college more affordable, not less.
...are addressing the climate crisis, not denying it until it’s too late to take action.
REPUBLICANS...
...support over 380 anti-voter bills in 48 states, launching a national war on voting rights.
...are fighting to eliminate healthcare.
...support Trump’s racist, sexist, anti-democracy agenda.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Registration deadline for the General Presidential Election on November 5, 2024 is October 7, 2024.
Vote-by-Mail Ballot Application for the General Presidential Election on November 5, 2024 is October 25, 2024 (received, not postmarked).
If you need help getting an ID, contact VoteRiders.org or call/text 1-844-338-8743.
Mail ballots should be mailed back at least a week prior to the election; or dropped off at an Early Voting site, or at ANY polling location on Election Day (no ID or waiting in line required). Ballots not received by 7pm on Election Day will not count.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
George Conway gave 1 million dollars to the Biden campaign. Great News .....
I have been pleased to see he and his former wife (the alternative facts Trump supporter) are no longer just separated but truly divorced. This really seals the deal, I suspect!
Does anyone else find it funny that it is another “pecker” that is getting Donald in trouble? You can’t make this stuff up
This trial is not only an indictment of Trump, but also of the National Enquirer and any other news agency that spreads lies (think Fox News), and by doing that is also guilty of Election interference. Judge Merchan is awesome so far, but dealing with Trump's lies is going to be a challenge, because Trump lives a lie and probably does not even know how to tell the truth. He is THE BIG LIAR!
Trump’s current trial highlights another downside to being a sociopath. Trump, being who he is, has no idea how to admit he is wrong, pay the price and move on. He is willing to pay $100Ms to lawyers to fight obvious crimes and play the victim. I think he believes he is the victim and that being honest is for losers. However, in the case now in trial, IF Trump had decided months ago that this case had a chance to go to court, he could have gone to the judge and coped a plea to the misdemeanor and avoided the trail for a felony. Given all the cost and security of the trail the judge probably would have allowed the plea. He would have paid another fine and the whole thing would be forgotten by now. It probably never occurred to him, because he is not only a sociopath, he isn’t that bright, cunning, or manipulative. By contrast, Putin would have sent the judge to Siberia, but Trump is out of office.
Your last sentence is so important.
More good news, Robert, and all. "Officials in Baltimore plan to open a deeper channel for commercial ships to enter and leave the city’s port starting on Thursday — a significant step toward reopening the major maritime shipping hub that has remained closed to most traffic since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed last month. Five of the seven cargo ships that have been stuck in Baltimore’s harbor will be able to pass through the new channel..."
https://apnews.com/article/baltimore-bridge-collapse-new-channel-e7bdfc8ba58a7263679bc574550a6625
From The Borowitz Report:
"After Donald J. Trump’s hush money trial exposed the Enquirer’s inner workings, the newspaper’s reputation for unimpeachable journalism suffered a severe blow, media insiders say.
Harland Dorrinson, an Enquirer subscriber for over thirty years, said discovering that the weekly periodical was not a dependable information source was “a gut punch.”
“In a complex and confusing world, I always felt that there was one news outlet that could make sense of it all,” he said. “That’s been stolen from me.”
If the Enquirer distorted its coverage to support Trump’s election in 2016, Dorrinson wondered, “Does that mean Hillary Clinton wasn’t really dying? Or that she didn’t delete emails from her multiple lesbian lovers? Or that Bill Clinton didn’t have a sex romp in a pickup truck that was caught on video? Now I don’t know what to believe.”
The longtime subscriber said that the Enquirer’s sudden loss of credibility would force him to seek reliable reporting elsewhere, adding, “I guess I’ll give Fox a shot.”
“The longtime [Enquirer] subscriber said that the Enquirer’s sudden loss of credibility would force him to seek reliable reporting elsewhere, adding, “I guess I’ll give Fox a shot.”” –
Was his tongue glued to his cheek?
With King Karma steadily gaining speed, trump has all but lost his entertainment value to his masses. Basically, the hook is coming as his wall of delusion is fast eroding. He perpetually pounds himself further into the ground, more so every day. Keep pounding away, putz. I support your fundraising proposals Robert. Thank you. I appreciate your eclectic and thorough presentations of the days events, and remain cautiously optimistic that sanity will continue to prevail as we head in to flushing more of the felons as fall approaches. Yay for Democracy!
Keep up your good work with that fiddle Victoria!
That's a yes from me for Dr. Kristin Hook, Colin Allred, and obviously Biden-Harris. I'll try to make the "meetings" but will surely donate to all. Thanks, Robert!
When a trump cult member says she would vote for putin instead of President Biden if that is the choice, you know we have a long way to go.
That is just traitorous. Even Tricky Dicky would be horrified.
Good Morning ALL!
When helping to fundraise the shadow of constant requests becomes overwhelming and stops many of us smaller donors. Our family has supported several causes over the years to the tune of several thousand dollars per year. At the height there were about 14 or 15 we supported on a yearly basis. As we did these groups such as the local fire dept to Public Radio, Veterans to programs for poverty asked for more and more, more times each year. It was awful! We then decided three years ago to focus on 6 groups. Problem is we still get letter after letter and emails from all we have stopped supporting again, and again, and again. Now add in politics where we know several friends and family who once they have given by envelope or website are inundated almost every day to give more.
Is there a way we can send funds for a one-time offering to each of the well-meaning people you mentioned through the "Newsletter" so we don't get bombarded after the fact??? Many of us want to help but not to be pushed constantly so we don't make contributions unless cash is accepted at an event!!! We don't want recognition just to give some support/ help on our terms!!!
My best to all to have a great day!
Chris