Preach, Robert Hubbell! Amen. I, too, appreciate your optimism, your encouragement that we get to work to make sure that Democracy is not dead yet, and your fine Monty Python title reference. Thank you!
Thanks, Kate. I am glad you appreciate the Monty Python reference. I was worried that some would believe the reference was too silly for such a serious topic. I could have titled it, "Always Look on the Bright Side of life," but that would have been beyond the pale.
Preach, indeed! The rousing conclusion of this essay — soaked in well- and rightly-informed optimism — sends the imagination into video edit mode, with macro, micro, and also fluctuating zoom lens on active duty! SO many scenes across this vast nation of vast population, standing strong for democracy, for our constitution as strong backbone and mooring station in contrast to storm-at-sea unhingedness. And I must admit to zooming in on family, business associates, and likely students of Mr. Hubbell, over time, marveling at the ebullient rallying call to arms of this strong and convincing outpouring! Such a blessing! Such a deep well of faith and fact made available to fuel minds, spirits and wills to act! Yes, so much at stake ongoing, but also so much evidence of course-correction already on record and so many reasons for confidence that we CAN stay on track! We CAN and WILL do this! And, Robert Hubbell, bless you and your family through thick and thin as Today’s Edition stands as an incisive example of stellar leadership on multiple levels! Such a fine model, and here we are to witness, experience, and choose to follow suit, in multiple levels of our lives as well! Whew! Heady stuff! This edition is a keeper! Keep eating those Wheaties, so to speak! Your very self, Mr. Hubbell, your choices and actions (prime example: the informed diligence the regular writing of this newsletter requires of you along with that of your M.E.) bless and inspire us! How did we come to be so lucky? Just wow! Thank you! Onward!
I so agree with your comments. Robert is my go to person for what is REALLY going on and he is always spot on in my humble opinion. He keeps things on a reality level when journalists and media around are sensationalizing events. Thank you Robert, again and again.
Sometimes I think we need freedom FROM the press. I know you are right about the Kagan essay, and Maddow’s analysis of same. Trudging the road to happy destiny, as we say in twelfth-step circles, is often boring and prosaic, whereas melodrama is catnip. Slow, steady, and determined is the only way. Glad you mentioned Newt Gingrich: I was one of those who was completely demoralized in 2000; yet here we are in 2021, we have some control over the fate of the country, and the only thing we have to fear . . .FDR said it. Thank you, Robert!
Thank you. I appreciate your optimism. I particularly appreciation your injunction: "We should contest every race in 2022 and 2024, fight a Trump candidacy with all our might, litigate every illegal maneuver by the GOP, show up at every protest, boycott every corporate funder, and punish every politician who enables or ignores the slow rolling effort to subvert the Constitution."
For myself, I encourage people to donate money to candidates for whom additional resources could be the difference between a Democratic and a Republican victory. I'll encourage your readers, if you don't mind, to take a look at my website -- www.lenspoliticalnotes.com and sign up to get my notes regularly. Give money to candidates. We need your commitments in 2022 and 2024 (2021 in Virginia and the OH 15 special election in November). I say to myself and my wife, we have to give money as if our democracy depends on it, because it does.
A friend of mine, who brought your newsletter to my attention, footnotes all of his email with this quote: "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. Rabbi Tarfon" If one adds "with faith and hope," I think it speaks to the spirit in which you write. Keep on keepin' on ( I have no evidence that a rabbi said that.)
As I understand it, this profound quote is from the Talmud. Perhaps the rabbi was quoting sacred scripture. No matter ... its beauty and depth of purpose are hope for the world. And it seems, reminds us of our part in the unfolding story. And I'm with you ... Robert's words are a source of hope that not all is lost.
I heard Elie Mystal (I think on Joy Reid) say something that hadn't crossed my mind, something ironic and scary: If Republicans win key races in 2022 in red states that changed election laws, how will it not seem rigged? What will we do if the rabid GOP controls the election process? Things seemed "normal" in 2000, but all that has changed. Mystal has a worrisome point. When a spouse cheats and confesses, nothing is the same.
I wish I shared your optimism Robert. Just when does a Democracy die? Germany had quite a robust Democracy that fell to a charismatic leader. Today (I've yet to read the election results) Germany is a robust Democracy, but it fell in 1939, six years after Hitler first assumed power with a minority of the vote. Democracies fall. Yes, I agree with you that we, the people, still have the power to stop it, but will we? Merrick Garland is doing a horrible job, as you so frequently state, in showing strength and a willingness to punish Domestic Terrorists. Moderate Democrats in the House and Senate are complicit in preventing Biden from accomplishing his Build Back Better agenda, which is probably our strongest weapon. Give things to people, which this bill really really does, and they will appreciate it. Where are Democrats in telling people what the reconciliation infrastructure bill does? Joe Manchin, a man who makes millions of dollars on coal and gas is deciding our fate? I hope your optimism turns out to be true. Also important, you can't prove a negative. If you are right and Democracy survives, and I'm far from as optimistic as you, it will take more effort on our part than defeating Trump in 2020, and if we succeed, it does not mean that Kagan was wrong, only that we, the people, surprised him. To end I'm not counting on us white people, the "we" who all underestimated Trump, to save us. The only thing perhaps that we have going for us now that Germany did not in 1933 was some very powerful and vocal BIPOC groups. How can "we" unite?
Hi, Lily. I understand your apprehension and the parallels to Germany. There are many reasons to believe the U.S. is not on Germany's path. Our problem lies in the structural deficiencies deliberately embedded in the Constitution to entice small, rural states to join the new nation. White supremacists are exploiting those deliberate design flaws. The small states, which represent the extremist views in the GOP, control only a small minority of the population. They will not be able to force a dictatorship on the the urban, heavily populated states. Some deluded politicians in those states may try, but they will fail.
Lonnie, I hope you're right, I really do, but people go down like sheep. I'm a psychoanalyst and I highly recommend Escape From Freedom by Erich Fromm.
Germany really did NOT have a strong democracy. The system was forced on them by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919...so only 13 years before Hitler became Chancellor. The people never really trusted it because Germany was forced to accept singular fault for WWI and I think a $100Billion reparation. By 1932 it took a wheel barrow full of Marks to buy a loaf of bread...so strong democracy it wasn't.
That is true re: treaty of Versailles, and the situation in Germany, massive inflation, extreme divide between rich and poor, and the emergence of a charismatic leader, their democracy had been weakened, AND democracies rise and fall all the time. Why should we be any different? There is no American exceptionalism
I agree we are not really exceptional. BUT, we have history on our side. Our democratic republic has lasted over 230 years. We have the power to save it, once again!
I join you in disagreeing with Kagan because the Dems are not parading with their automatic weapons, they may March in the streets and may even break some store windows but police will restore order. The elections will be decided by Republican vote reviewering co.mittees like those set now in Florida. 2022 will determine the fate of our democracy. Feeble Democratic pushback against Republican voter nullification will be the critical determinant for 2022. In Florida and now in North Carolina the thousands of children infected with Covid and some of their deaths may finally cause a reaction the Covid denying Governors. What a sad situation when we sacrifice our children.
I don't feel demoralized or depressed by Kagan's piece. I feel as we are now placed on high alert. That the warning lights are flashing. I hear a wake up call - a much needed one. Energized.
The last sentiment is the key to all this. Pass those essential voting rights protections in the Klobuchar and John Lewis bills - no matter what it takes. Dump the filibuster, guarantee some "establishment Republicans" some goodies. Just focus on this legislation and make it happen at all costs and concessions. All. Whatever it takes.
All the wonderful dreams of addressing the Climate Crisis, providing child care, improving health care, infrastructure, etc. will become nightmares if we lose the 2022 elections. And if Trump is elected in 2024, there will be violence. It will be unavoidable.
As to the destruction of our democracy, it is a work in progress. It really picked up steam when SCOTUS anointed "W". And as the court system has been packed by the Federalist Society, it will be generations before reason and fairness are restored.
But resist we must. And it is also important to step back and find the joys in life. I am about to pour a glass of wine with my wife and thank my lucky stars that we have each other and our wonderful dog and a healthy family. No depression here!
Agreed. Now get Manchin and Sinema to agree to end the filibuster as to voting legislation--something they have repeatedly refused to do. I believe Manchin's statement was, "What part of "no" don't you understand?" The con game that Manchin is playing is that he says he supports Klobuchar's bill--and the filibuster. Supporting both means the Klobuchar bill doesn't pass. That is the same obstacle that is blocking climate remediation, child care, etc. Until someone solves that dilemma as to voting rights, Biden is doing what he can through reconciliation.
It is often easy to slide into belief in the omniscience of evil. We must never do that. Trump and his allies (a/k/a the Republican Party) are not evil geniuses, they are buffoons. Incompetent buffoons. Don't join the Nothing Can Be Done Caucus. And the sky's not falling, either.
It seems to me that one of the most important actions we can take is to get McConnell out of office. I lost track of where he is in the election/term, maybe just reinstated as Democracy Destroyer in chief, I think. Folks, we gotta turn Kentucky blue, starting now, before the next Senatorial Race.
He was reelected in 2020. We are stuck with him through 2026. But cutting off his corporate funders would be just as effective as defeating him. His power comes from the ability to spread campaign cash to his sycophants.
It will take all six years to turn that state blue enough anyway. Good to know how to pull the rug out from under him. Hummm . . .is there a "Stacy Abrams" in KY? Sure could use one.
Robert...I taught US History for nearly 40 years. There is a scary thesis floating around in my head that neither you, nor Heather Cox Richardson, have dealt with. Most historians agree that only about 1/3 of the colonists actively supported the revolution. 1/3 were active loyalists (and we were lucky many of them departed for Canada and Britain at the end). 1/3 didn't really care as long as they could get on with their lives. If we are honest, our revolution was started by terrorists and propagandists...the likes of Sam Adams and Paul Revere. Revere's woodcut of the "Boston Massacre" took a colonial riot to sacred territory. Our texts, even today, barely mention that the British soldiers would found not guilty with John Adams as a defense lawyer. Sam Adams helped create the Committees of Correspondence that spread the propaganda and then dumped a fortune's worth of tea in Boston harbor. Britain's response (stupidly?) united the colonies behind Boston as the British Navy blockaded Boston harbor. I always told my students to note that it was not those hotheads who fought and won the Revolution....enter Jefferson, Washington, Adams etc. Trump's followers truly believe (I think) they are the modern Sons of Liberty. Trump voters are about 1/3 of the population. I think we need 2/3 of the US citizenry to stand up...in the streets. We need Democrats to "grow a pair" and stop talking about their "friends across the aisle". The question is whether we can stop them from starting another revolution? I hope you are right!
I agree with your analysis. Here is a hopeful fact. Trump won the Independent vote 48 to 44 over Hillary. He lost the independent vote 60 to 40 against Biden. The independents are like the Americans who shifted loyalties many times during the war, but finally sided with democracy when Washington finally began winning battles. Biden is our Washington , and he is winning battles. that is enough to prevail.
I appreciate your higher confidence in our fellow citizens, and Mr. Kagan's column is as much part of the warfare in the Republican Party as it is a comment on the nation as a whole. However, I think both he and you focus so much on the national/presidential level, that what is going on at state and local levels is missed. There are GOPers talking about state nullification either explicitly or implicitly -- such as the construction of the Texas abortion law. County sheriffs and such cannot be assumed ready to enforce federal laws, or even state edicts -- mask mandates, say. The DoJ even now seems either under concerned or simply overburdened and unable to address all the legal cases that it should. And I won't get into the problem of House representation, not simply because of conscious gerrymandering but also because of increasingly divergent living patterns. I worry more about the state and locals levels being overlooked in our highly nationalized media coverage.
Preach, Robert Hubbell! Amen. I, too, appreciate your optimism, your encouragement that we get to work to make sure that Democracy is not dead yet, and your fine Monty Python title reference. Thank you!
Thanks, Kate. I am glad you appreciate the Monty Python reference. I was worried that some would believe the reference was too silly for such a serious topic. I could have titled it, "Always Look on the Bright Side of life," but that would have been beyond the pale.
LOL. As always, you made the right choice.
Preach, indeed! The rousing conclusion of this essay — soaked in well- and rightly-informed optimism — sends the imagination into video edit mode, with macro, micro, and also fluctuating zoom lens on active duty! SO many scenes across this vast nation of vast population, standing strong for democracy, for our constitution as strong backbone and mooring station in contrast to storm-at-sea unhingedness. And I must admit to zooming in on family, business associates, and likely students of Mr. Hubbell, over time, marveling at the ebullient rallying call to arms of this strong and convincing outpouring! Such a blessing! Such a deep well of faith and fact made available to fuel minds, spirits and wills to act! Yes, so much at stake ongoing, but also so much evidence of course-correction already on record and so many reasons for confidence that we CAN stay on track! We CAN and WILL do this! And, Robert Hubbell, bless you and your family through thick and thin as Today’s Edition stands as an incisive example of stellar leadership on multiple levels! Such a fine model, and here we are to witness, experience, and choose to follow suit, in multiple levels of our lives as well! Whew! Heady stuff! This edition is a keeper! Keep eating those Wheaties, so to speak! Your very self, Mr. Hubbell, your choices and actions (prime example: the informed diligence the regular writing of this newsletter requires of you along with that of your M.E.) bless and inspire us! How did we come to be so lucky? Just wow! Thank you! Onward!
Thanks, Katherine. i appreciate your words of support.
I so agree with your comments. Robert is my go to person for what is REALLY going on and he is always spot on in my humble opinion. He keeps things on a reality level when journalists and media around are sensationalizing events. Thank you Robert, again and again.
Sometimes I think we need freedom FROM the press. I know you are right about the Kagan essay, and Maddow’s analysis of same. Trudging the road to happy destiny, as we say in twelfth-step circles, is often boring and prosaic, whereas melodrama is catnip. Slow, steady, and determined is the only way. Glad you mentioned Newt Gingrich: I was one of those who was completely demoralized in 2000; yet here we are in 2021, we have some control over the fate of the country, and the only thing we have to fear . . .FDR said it. Thank you, Robert!
Newt Gingrich's cynicism destroyed the GOP long ago. Trump is a vulture, picking over the carcass.
Well said!
Thank you. I appreciate your optimism. I particularly appreciation your injunction: "We should contest every race in 2022 and 2024, fight a Trump candidacy with all our might, litigate every illegal maneuver by the GOP, show up at every protest, boycott every corporate funder, and punish every politician who enables or ignores the slow rolling effort to subvert the Constitution."
For myself, I encourage people to donate money to candidates for whom additional resources could be the difference between a Democratic and a Republican victory. I'll encourage your readers, if you don't mind, to take a look at my website -- www.lenspoliticalnotes.com and sign up to get my notes regularly. Give money to candidates. We need your commitments in 2022 and 2024 (2021 in Virginia and the OH 15 special election in November). I say to myself and my wife, we have to give money as if our democracy depends on it, because it does.
Thanks, Leonard. your work is vitally important. Keep it up, and I will continue to promote your efforts!
A friend of mine, who brought your newsletter to my attention, footnotes all of his email with this quote: "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. Rabbi Tarfon" If one adds "with faith and hope," I think it speaks to the spirit in which you write. Keep on keepin' on ( I have no evidence that a rabbi said that.)
As I understand it, this profound quote is from the Talmud. Perhaps the rabbi was quoting sacred scripture. No matter ... its beauty and depth of purpose are hope for the world. And it seems, reminds us of our part in the unfolding story. And I'm with you ... Robert's words are a source of hope that not all is lost.
I just hope Trump's bad eating habits catch up with him.
whew! I feel like Ive just lost 100 lbs -- of angst. I'm still worried, but have come out from under the bed. thank you, Robert.
Everyone feels the same angst, Mary. We need to turn that angst into action. Stay strong!
I heard Elie Mystal (I think on Joy Reid) say something that hadn't crossed my mind, something ironic and scary: If Republicans win key races in 2022 in red states that changed election laws, how will it not seem rigged? What will we do if the rabid GOP controls the election process? Things seemed "normal" in 2000, but all that has changed. Mystal has a worrisome point. When a spouse cheats and confesses, nothing is the same.
I wish I shared your optimism Robert. Just when does a Democracy die? Germany had quite a robust Democracy that fell to a charismatic leader. Today (I've yet to read the election results) Germany is a robust Democracy, but it fell in 1939, six years after Hitler first assumed power with a minority of the vote. Democracies fall. Yes, I agree with you that we, the people, still have the power to stop it, but will we? Merrick Garland is doing a horrible job, as you so frequently state, in showing strength and a willingness to punish Domestic Terrorists. Moderate Democrats in the House and Senate are complicit in preventing Biden from accomplishing his Build Back Better agenda, which is probably our strongest weapon. Give things to people, which this bill really really does, and they will appreciate it. Where are Democrats in telling people what the reconciliation infrastructure bill does? Joe Manchin, a man who makes millions of dollars on coal and gas is deciding our fate? I hope your optimism turns out to be true. Also important, you can't prove a negative. If you are right and Democracy survives, and I'm far from as optimistic as you, it will take more effort on our part than defeating Trump in 2020, and if we succeed, it does not mean that Kagan was wrong, only that we, the people, surprised him. To end I'm not counting on us white people, the "we" who all underestimated Trump, to save us. The only thing perhaps that we have going for us now that Germany did not in 1933 was some very powerful and vocal BIPOC groups. How can "we" unite?
Hi, Lily. I understand your apprehension and the parallels to Germany. There are many reasons to believe the U.S. is not on Germany's path. Our problem lies in the structural deficiencies deliberately embedded in the Constitution to entice small, rural states to join the new nation. White supremacists are exploiting those deliberate design flaws. The small states, which represent the extremist views in the GOP, control only a small minority of the population. They will not be able to force a dictatorship on the the urban, heavily populated states. Some deluded politicians in those states may try, but they will fail.
Lonnie, I hope you're right, I really do, but people go down like sheep. I'm a psychoanalyst and I highly recommend Escape From Freedom by Erich Fromm.
Germany really did NOT have a strong democracy. The system was forced on them by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919...so only 13 years before Hitler became Chancellor. The people never really trusted it because Germany was forced to accept singular fault for WWI and I think a $100Billion reparation. By 1932 it took a wheel barrow full of Marks to buy a loaf of bread...so strong democracy it wasn't.
That is true re: treaty of Versailles, and the situation in Germany, massive inflation, extreme divide between rich and poor, and the emergence of a charismatic leader, their democracy had been weakened, AND democracies rise and fall all the time. Why should we be any different? There is no American exceptionalism
I agree we are not really exceptional. BUT, we have history on our side. Our democratic republic has lasted over 230 years. We have the power to save it, once again!
I join you in disagreeing with Kagan because the Dems are not parading with their automatic weapons, they may March in the streets and may even break some store windows but police will restore order. The elections will be decided by Republican vote reviewering co.mittees like those set now in Florida. 2022 will determine the fate of our democracy. Feeble Democratic pushback against Republican voter nullification will be the critical determinant for 2022. In Florida and now in North Carolina the thousands of children infected with Covid and some of their deaths may finally cause a reaction the Covid denying Governors. What a sad situation when we sacrifice our children.
Thanks so much for a calming and well thought out response. Judy Fishman
I don't feel demoralized or depressed by Kagan's piece. I feel as we are now placed on high alert. That the warning lights are flashing. I hear a wake up call - a much needed one. Energized.
The last sentiment is the key to all this. Pass those essential voting rights protections in the Klobuchar and John Lewis bills - no matter what it takes. Dump the filibuster, guarantee some "establishment Republicans" some goodies. Just focus on this legislation and make it happen at all costs and concessions. All. Whatever it takes.
All the wonderful dreams of addressing the Climate Crisis, providing child care, improving health care, infrastructure, etc. will become nightmares if we lose the 2022 elections. And if Trump is elected in 2024, there will be violence. It will be unavoidable.
As to the destruction of our democracy, it is a work in progress. It really picked up steam when SCOTUS anointed "W". And as the court system has been packed by the Federalist Society, it will be generations before reason and fairness are restored.
But resist we must. And it is also important to step back and find the joys in life. I am about to pour a glass of wine with my wife and thank my lucky stars that we have each other and our wonderful dog and a healthy family. No depression here!
Agreed. Now get Manchin and Sinema to agree to end the filibuster as to voting legislation--something they have repeatedly refused to do. I believe Manchin's statement was, "What part of "no" don't you understand?" The con game that Manchin is playing is that he says he supports Klobuchar's bill--and the filibuster. Supporting both means the Klobuchar bill doesn't pass. That is the same obstacle that is blocking climate remediation, child care, etc. Until someone solves that dilemma as to voting rights, Biden is doing what he can through reconciliation.
Thank you!
It is often easy to slide into belief in the omniscience of evil. We must never do that. Trump and his allies (a/k/a the Republican Party) are not evil geniuses, they are buffoons. Incompetent buffoons. Don't join the Nothing Can Be Done Caucus. And the sky's not falling, either.
It seems to me that one of the most important actions we can take is to get McConnell out of office. I lost track of where he is in the election/term, maybe just reinstated as Democracy Destroyer in chief, I think. Folks, we gotta turn Kentucky blue, starting now, before the next Senatorial Race.
He was reelected in 2020. We are stuck with him through 2026. But cutting off his corporate funders would be just as effective as defeating him. His power comes from the ability to spread campaign cash to his sycophants.
It will take all six years to turn that state blue enough anyway. Good to know how to pull the rug out from under him. Hummm . . .is there a "Stacy Abrams" in KY? Sure could use one.
Robert...I taught US History for nearly 40 years. There is a scary thesis floating around in my head that neither you, nor Heather Cox Richardson, have dealt with. Most historians agree that only about 1/3 of the colonists actively supported the revolution. 1/3 were active loyalists (and we were lucky many of them departed for Canada and Britain at the end). 1/3 didn't really care as long as they could get on with their lives. If we are honest, our revolution was started by terrorists and propagandists...the likes of Sam Adams and Paul Revere. Revere's woodcut of the "Boston Massacre" took a colonial riot to sacred territory. Our texts, even today, barely mention that the British soldiers would found not guilty with John Adams as a defense lawyer. Sam Adams helped create the Committees of Correspondence that spread the propaganda and then dumped a fortune's worth of tea in Boston harbor. Britain's response (stupidly?) united the colonies behind Boston as the British Navy blockaded Boston harbor. I always told my students to note that it was not those hotheads who fought and won the Revolution....enter Jefferson, Washington, Adams etc. Trump's followers truly believe (I think) they are the modern Sons of Liberty. Trump voters are about 1/3 of the population. I think we need 2/3 of the US citizenry to stand up...in the streets. We need Democrats to "grow a pair" and stop talking about their "friends across the aisle". The question is whether we can stop them from starting another revolution? I hope you are right!
I agree with your analysis. Here is a hopeful fact. Trump won the Independent vote 48 to 44 over Hillary. He lost the independent vote 60 to 40 against Biden. The independents are like the Americans who shifted loyalties many times during the war, but finally sided with democracy when Washington finally began winning battles. Biden is our Washington , and he is winning battles. that is enough to prevail.
I appreciate your higher confidence in our fellow citizens, and Mr. Kagan's column is as much part of the warfare in the Republican Party as it is a comment on the nation as a whole. However, I think both he and you focus so much on the national/presidential level, that what is going on at state and local levels is missed. There are GOPers talking about state nullification either explicitly or implicitly -- such as the construction of the Texas abortion law. County sheriffs and such cannot be assumed ready to enforce federal laws, or even state edicts -- mask mandates, say. The DoJ even now seems either under concerned or simply overburdened and unable to address all the legal cases that it should. And I won't get into the problem of House representation, not simply because of conscious gerrymandering but also because of increasingly divergent living patterns. I worry more about the state and locals levels being overlooked in our highly nationalized media coverage.
Let’s hope you’re right.