This morning I happened upon a quote from Thoreau (iin WoodenBoat, my favorite magazine): "[I]f one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unimagined in common hours." We need to advance confidently and determinedly toward the goal of saving America (yes, no less than that), reminding ourselves that the United States is still "the last, best hope of mankind." And that we can overcome any obstacle we face, because surely the ones that obstruct our path are nothing compared to those that our predecessors faced in 1776, 1787, 1861 or 1941.
(On a baser level, a Black friend of mine says that CRT means "Caucasian Race Tantrums."
Thank you, Robert. And I'll be borrowing that Dan Rather quote, that "fatalism has never been a winning strategy." So we dust ourselves off, regroup, and get back to work.
Here is some 11/02/2021 progressive down ballot inspiration:
Thank you as always. Our confusion reminds me of 1968, when Democrats could not agree on anything. We are so big, so intelligent, and encompass so many voices that we can’t agree on anything! That is our strength. Just because we don’t agree doesn’t mean we can’t walk to the polls, if necessary, to defeat an opponent (in some cases, a crazy one) and our own feelings of lethargy, depression, and defeat. I know this from experience. Our feelings only seem to be reality. Acy our way to better feelings, that’s the ticket.
I'm not sure which makes me sadder/madder -- Republican cruelty and insanity or Democrats' wimpiness. When you say that some of your readers want to give up, I want to tear my hair out. I love reading stories about the French Resistance against the Nazis....those people never gave up, and thanks in part to them, the Germans gave up. We need to fight more, harder and smarter, period. I, for one, will never quit fighting.
We must work on "our own page". That is the one we write. So we can do better with message clarification, with voter registration and turnout, and with the inclusive, positive message of helping each other.
Great stuff, Robert. Your point about the fixability of election turnout is exactly right--frankly, to echo something that you have said and I have said, the media (even the so-called liberal media like the Post, the Times, etc.) bears much blame for where we are. They have continued to spin the story that the Dems have failed to deliver and therefore people have not turned out for them--how about if those headlines read "Republicans do not support any of the initiatives that Biden and virtually every Democrat supports and majorities of Americans favor" and if the CNNs and NBCs of the world accurately reported that--might that not make more American come out and vote for Dems?
I'm sticking with Rachel's spiel from Tuesday night where she pointed out that every incumbent president since the late '80s has given up the gubernatorial races in both VA and NJ in the year after they were elected, so in losing only ONE of those two, Biden has done far better that we might have expected!
I am determined more than ever to do something every day to keep our democracy! Every action, no matter how small, will help! We can save our democracy!
This is a question not related to today's topics, but you were the first lawyer I thought of! In the Arbery murder trial, the judge stated that he thought there was "intentional discrimination" in the fact that there is only one juror of color selected, but then he cited some rule and said he couldn't do anything about it. Is that like an automatic ticket the prosecution can use for an appeal if the defendants are found not guilty?
Thanks for continually encouraging the folks. I may be off base with my observation since it has no justification, but I feel that the majority of Democrats are more educated, more policy driven, more idealistic and more sensitive towards justice and equity than their Republican counterparts. However the BIG plus that the Republicans hold over us in voting dynamics is that they are absolutely committed to an authoritarian style of leadership and hardly ever waiver regardless of right or wrong. We argue facts and policy but they don’t care, they commit to emotion and leadership and we’re like two ships sailing by each other without communicating. But their commitment whether right or wrong carries them further than our insecure questioning of ourselves when it comes to difficult issues. We need a stronger spine and more moxie in our attitude going forward.
Robert, I suspect that with the increasing popularity of your (and the managing editor's) newsletter that now you have amassed enough of a following to be thought of as being "influential." Are you able to pass some of the suggestions--pleadings--about messaging on to Dems in high places? Or are we just all screaming into the wind?
This morning I happened upon a quote from Thoreau (iin WoodenBoat, my favorite magazine): "[I]f one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unimagined in common hours." We need to advance confidently and determinedly toward the goal of saving America (yes, no less than that), reminding ourselves that the United States is still "the last, best hope of mankind." And that we can overcome any obstacle we face, because surely the ones that obstruct our path are nothing compared to those that our predecessors faced in 1776, 1787, 1861 or 1941.
(On a baser level, a Black friend of mine says that CRT means "Caucasian Race Tantrums."
Thank you, Robert. And I'll be borrowing that Dan Rather quote, that "fatalism has never been a winning strategy." So we dust ourselves off, regroup, and get back to work.
Here is some 11/02/2021 progressive down ballot inspiration:
https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1456016687803817985?s=20
Tips to be "ruthlessly patriotic" in clear messaging for democracy:
https://twitter.com/TeaPainUSA/status/1455894093826076691?s=20
"People need to know what we stand for...in six words or less."
https://twitter.com/MeidasTouch/status/1456063647181000707?s=20
Pick 6 words. Okay, 7 bullet points.
The Build Back Better Act delivers:
1. Childcare
2. Universal pre-k
3. Affordable housing
4. Lower prescription costs
5. Monthly payments per child
6. Home and community based care
7. Millions of good-paying jobs
...the list from a Democrat who knows what she's talking about.
https://twitter.com/RepJayapal/status/1455961725136605188?s=20
Go forth and amplify!
Robert, this message is spot on. I am very sad about Virginia, but focusing my energy on what I can do so that Dems fare better in 2022.
Thank you as always. Our confusion reminds me of 1968, when Democrats could not agree on anything. We are so big, so intelligent, and encompass so many voices that we can’t agree on anything! That is our strength. Just because we don’t agree doesn’t mean we can’t walk to the polls, if necessary, to defeat an opponent (in some cases, a crazy one) and our own feelings of lethargy, depression, and defeat. I know this from experience. Our feelings only seem to be reality. Acy our way to better feelings, that’s the ticket.
I'm not sure which makes me sadder/madder -- Republican cruelty and insanity or Democrats' wimpiness. When you say that some of your readers want to give up, I want to tear my hair out. I love reading stories about the French Resistance against the Nazis....those people never gave up, and thanks in part to them, the Germans gave up. We need to fight more, harder and smarter, period. I, for one, will never quit fighting.
We must work on "our own page". That is the one we write. So we can do better with message clarification, with voter registration and turnout, and with the inclusive, positive message of helping each other.
After a good Republican friend asserted with great authority that Virginia textbooks did in fact teach that "white is bad, black is good," I found that Fox (of course) is twisting the attempt by Virginia educators to promote more equity in the schools and the way teachers approach it. Here is an interesting link: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/virginia-promotes-book-telling-teachers-to-embrace-critical-race-theory-mcauliffe-says-crt-isnt-being-taught
A turnout problem in a highly publicized, highly contested, highly pointed set of races? Ahem. That's worrisome in its own right.
Thank you for grounding me.
Great stuff, Robert. Your point about the fixability of election turnout is exactly right--frankly, to echo something that you have said and I have said, the media (even the so-called liberal media like the Post, the Times, etc.) bears much blame for where we are. They have continued to spin the story that the Dems have failed to deliver and therefore people have not turned out for them--how about if those headlines read "Republicans do not support any of the initiatives that Biden and virtually every Democrat supports and majorities of Americans favor" and if the CNNs and NBCs of the world accurately reported that--might that not make more American come out and vote for Dems?
Here is a link I got from Chop Wood, Carry Water that includes many election outcomes throughout the country that are relevant to our discussion. There is hope! https://politicalcharge.org/2021/11/04/looking-beyond-the-initial-election-results/
I'm sticking with Rachel's spiel from Tuesday night where she pointed out that every incumbent president since the late '80s has given up the gubernatorial races in both VA and NJ in the year after they were elected, so in losing only ONE of those two, Biden has done far better that we might have expected!
I am determined more than ever to do something every day to keep our democracy! Every action, no matter how small, will help! We can save our democracy!
This is a question not related to today's topics, but you were the first lawyer I thought of! In the Arbery murder trial, the judge stated that he thought there was "intentional discrimination" in the fact that there is only one juror of color selected, but then he cited some rule and said he couldn't do anything about it. Is that like an automatic ticket the prosecution can use for an appeal if the defendants are found not guilty?
Thanks for continually encouraging the folks. I may be off base with my observation since it has no justification, but I feel that the majority of Democrats are more educated, more policy driven, more idealistic and more sensitive towards justice and equity than their Republican counterparts. However the BIG plus that the Republicans hold over us in voting dynamics is that they are absolutely committed to an authoritarian style of leadership and hardly ever waiver regardless of right or wrong. We argue facts and policy but they don’t care, they commit to emotion and leadership and we’re like two ships sailing by each other without communicating. But their commitment whether right or wrong carries them further than our insecure questioning of ourselves when it comes to difficult issues. We need a stronger spine and more moxie in our attitude going forward.
Robert, I suspect that with the increasing popularity of your (and the managing editor's) newsletter that now you have amassed enough of a following to be thought of as being "influential." Are you able to pass some of the suggestions--pleadings--about messaging on to Dems in high places? Or are we just all screaming into the wind?