Yes, “we’re doomed if For the People Act doesn’t pass” is a demobilizing and stupid message for Democrats. We should be planning for it not passing and figuring strategy for that.
Which must be to approach 2022 as a “shitshow election” where negative campaigning rules the roost. Their negatives are much worse than ours.
As soon as the reconciliation passes, whatever it is, VP Harris needs to discover her inner Spiro Agnew and become a relentless attack dog against the party of COVID, the party of insurrection, the party of gun madness, the party of no rights for women. She can go on tour with this message and force the media, National and local, to cover it.
I like your fighting spirit, Steve, and I agree. Democrats need to stop worrying about every perceived misstep or weakness. The Republican Party is dissolving before our very eyes and we need to hasten its demise. But major advocacy organizations are fundraising by telling contributors that if we don't pass voting reform, all is lost.
You are the best, Coach! Naturally, I am more than $uspicious (not a misspelling) of Manchin and Sinema’s motives, but we are stuck with them for the moment. Yes, kill the filibuster. As a former employee of an Atlanta trust department, I thank you for coming to the defense of ethical banking practices, because my experience was one of absolute integrity. If we are so craven that we will harbor crooks for the sake of profit, we deserve whatever evil results.
Family trusts help to bring stability, predictability, and comfort to millions. Enacting strict secrecy laws to allow dictators to use them to hide money looted from their countries is an abomination.
Laine, the only way it will happen is to gain 4 seats in the SEnate so that Manchin and Sinema do not matter. They are holding our democracy hostage to an outdated, anti-democratic, patriarchal rule.
thanks, for this, Robert - so it can't happen NOW (unless the comment below is right tho that sounds Fraught indeed!) - onward to 4 MORE DEM SENATORS!!
Well, there is another way. Kamala Harris could declare the filibuster unconstitutional as applied to voting rights. It would be a big step, and it is fraught with danger for the future (think what Mike Pence might have done), but it may well be worth it.
When you write that “Democrats should do a better job of messaging,” who are the Democrats you are addressing? Is this a failure specifically of the DNC? Some other entity responsible for messaging?
Because we are a big tent (good thing) we can't just blurt out consistent phrases that folks can put on T-Shirts. Because the GOP has narrowed it's agenda to obstruction and hate, they can whittle it down to "Stop the Steal" and "Trump Won".
So who can create a few simple phrases for Democrats to chant? The DNC, for sure. But I think the White House has the bully pulpit.
The problem is what would our phrases be? " I love True Democracy"? "Level the Playing Field"? "We're all in the Same Boat"? Someone more clever than I needs to tighten up the messaging and it should come from the lips of the President. "Build Back Better" sounds vague...
Not sure that we need to get Manchin and Sinema to ditch the filibuster entirely, although that would be the best result. But a provision to exclude filibusters for provisions involving voting rights--which could be justified on the ground that those are essential to democracy--would be enough to enact the For the People Act. And as I've noted, the bill is essentially Manchin's, so he would be under even more pressure to go along with the change. Would Sinema scuttle the whole thing? She's acted so crazy lately that I can't say no, but I certainly hope she's not THAT crazy.
New here. So, I am one of those who is afraid that if we don't pass laws protecting voting rights and preventing gerrymandering, we will be doomed (okay I hear your boos) to have a Republican dominated House, Senate and even presidency. Please explain to me, not in terms of messaging and motivational strategies (all of which may be true), why we should believe we can preserve democracy if Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression of Dems and POC is allowed. I have seen breakdowns of likely red, blue and purple districts and states when you consider how many more voters are represented by Dem representatives than are represented by R representatives, it seems like even the present system as currently formulated lacks quite a bit in terms of being a validly democratic system - and we are staring down the barrel of an ever increasingly loaded system. If voter protections are enacted after a significant number of states have finalized their district lines, as you seem to feel likely, what are the chances the rule skewing can be overcome at the ballot box? Dems already have a pretty healthy majority in this country but also the slimmest possible (almost) majority in our legislative body.
As to messaging, my concerns would not lead me to abandon the voting booth and has already led me to write my own representatives (repeatedly) and donate (I hope wisely) to candidates I consider critical. Hopefully blue voters and purple voters who care about the future would not be willing to simply put permanent foreign travel in their future. I agree that I would love to hear the Dem messaging changed to simple, plainly worded explanations that include more firmly worded cause and effect explanations and statements of truth with proof, with fewer cautious codicils and less political lingo. Certainly, catchy phrases can serve as short hand and memory aids and lures, so work some up, but keep them accurate and honest. Sadly, many of the attempts I've seen lack "ring" or substance.
Hm. Apologies. Please insert "and": "... red and purple states and when you..." since I cannot find an edit feature. Perhaps there is none or perhaps I simply can't find it. Proof reading is fundamental!
I saw with my own eyes the gallows that people willing to insist on the victory of a losing Presidential candidate were willing to use. I know the way those red states have changed the authority of election control to political operatives. What Republican victory can be trusted under these new laws? The Wonderland nature of the Big Lie will thrust the Dems into dissenters when GOP win key races. We must hope for a strong voting rights bill, or suspicions over election outcomes will impair the stability of our defining foundation of our democracy. This is a fine kettle of fish is all I can say.
Yes, “we’re doomed if For the People Act doesn’t pass” is a demobilizing and stupid message for Democrats. We should be planning for it not passing and figuring strategy for that.
Which must be to approach 2022 as a “shitshow election” where negative campaigning rules the roost. Their negatives are much worse than ours.
As soon as the reconciliation passes, whatever it is, VP Harris needs to discover her inner Spiro Agnew and become a relentless attack dog against the party of COVID, the party of insurrection, the party of gun madness, the party of no rights for women. She can go on tour with this message and force the media, National and local, to cover it.
I like your fighting spirit, Steve, and I agree. Democrats need to stop worrying about every perceived misstep or weakness. The Republican Party is dissolving before our very eyes and we need to hasten its demise. But major advocacy organizations are fundraising by telling contributors that if we don't pass voting reform, all is lost.
You are the best, Coach! Naturally, I am more than $uspicious (not a misspelling) of Manchin and Sinema’s motives, but we are stuck with them for the moment. Yes, kill the filibuster. As a former employee of an Atlanta trust department, I thank you for coming to the defense of ethical banking practices, because my experience was one of absolute integrity. If we are so craven that we will harbor crooks for the sake of profit, we deserve whatever evil results.
Family trusts help to bring stability, predictability, and comfort to millions. Enacting strict secrecy laws to allow dictators to use them to hide money looted from their countries is an abomination.
I hear that!
YES!!! DOWN WITH THE FILIBUSTER!!!!
Please do a whole newsletter on how WE can make this happen!
Laine, the only way it will happen is to gain 4 seats in the SEnate so that Manchin and Sinema do not matter. They are holding our democracy hostage to an outdated, anti-democratic, patriarchal rule.
thanks, for this, Robert - so it can't happen NOW (unless the comment below is right tho that sounds Fraught indeed!) - onward to 4 MORE DEM SENATORS!!
Well, there is another way. Kamala Harris could declare the filibuster unconstitutional as applied to voting rights. It would be a big step, and it is fraught with danger for the future (think what Mike Pence might have done), but it may well be worth it.
When you write that “Democrats should do a better job of messaging,” who are the Democrats you are addressing? Is this a failure specifically of the DNC? Some other entity responsible for messaging?
Because we are a big tent (good thing) we can't just blurt out consistent phrases that folks can put on T-Shirts. Because the GOP has narrowed it's agenda to obstruction and hate, they can whittle it down to "Stop the Steal" and "Trump Won".
So who can create a few simple phrases for Democrats to chant? The DNC, for sure. But I think the White House has the bully pulpit.
The problem is what would our phrases be? " I love True Democracy"? "Level the Playing Field"? "We're all in the Same Boat"? Someone more clever than I needs to tighten up the messaging and it should come from the lips of the President. "Build Back Better" sounds vague...
love you but chickens "lay awake," humans "lie awake." You're welcome...
Not sure that we need to get Manchin and Sinema to ditch the filibuster entirely, although that would be the best result. But a provision to exclude filibusters for provisions involving voting rights--which could be justified on the ground that those are essential to democracy--would be enough to enact the For the People Act. And as I've noted, the bill is essentially Manchin's, so he would be under even more pressure to go along with the change. Would Sinema scuttle the whole thing? She's acted so crazy lately that I can't say no, but I certainly hope she's not THAT crazy.
New here. So, I am one of those who is afraid that if we don't pass laws protecting voting rights and preventing gerrymandering, we will be doomed (okay I hear your boos) to have a Republican dominated House, Senate and even presidency. Please explain to me, not in terms of messaging and motivational strategies (all of which may be true), why we should believe we can preserve democracy if Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression of Dems and POC is allowed. I have seen breakdowns of likely red, blue and purple districts and states when you consider how many more voters are represented by Dem representatives than are represented by R representatives, it seems like even the present system as currently formulated lacks quite a bit in terms of being a validly democratic system - and we are staring down the barrel of an ever increasingly loaded system. If voter protections are enacted after a significant number of states have finalized their district lines, as you seem to feel likely, what are the chances the rule skewing can be overcome at the ballot box? Dems already have a pretty healthy majority in this country but also the slimmest possible (almost) majority in our legislative body.
As to messaging, my concerns would not lead me to abandon the voting booth and has already led me to write my own representatives (repeatedly) and donate (I hope wisely) to candidates I consider critical. Hopefully blue voters and purple voters who care about the future would not be willing to simply put permanent foreign travel in their future. I agree that I would love to hear the Dem messaging changed to simple, plainly worded explanations that include more firmly worded cause and effect explanations and statements of truth with proof, with fewer cautious codicils and less political lingo. Certainly, catchy phrases can serve as short hand and memory aids and lures, so work some up, but keep them accurate and honest. Sadly, many of the attempts I've seen lack "ring" or substance.
Hm. Apologies. Please insert "and": "... red and purple states and when you..." since I cannot find an edit feature. Perhaps there is none or perhaps I simply can't find it. Proof reading is fundamental!
I saw with my own eyes the gallows that people willing to insist on the victory of a losing Presidential candidate were willing to use. I know the way those red states have changed the authority of election control to political operatives. What Republican victory can be trusted under these new laws? The Wonderland nature of the Big Lie will thrust the Dems into dissenters when GOP win key races. We must hope for a strong voting rights bill, or suspicions over election outcomes will impair the stability of our defining foundation of our democracy. This is a fine kettle of fish is all I can say.