A reader wrote to say that he slightly disagreed with my comments criticizing the media for repetition, which he said is justified given the importance of the issues at stake. He cited a WaPo commentary that has some encouraging comments about the ability of 4-in-10 Trump voters to change their minds. See https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/08/19/trump-voters-change-minds/
Here is the concluding paragraph: ;If 6 out of 10 Trump voters said they’d never lose confidence in him, 4 out of 10 thought they might. There’s a lot of uncertainty and ambiguity in what Trump’s supporters think, even room for persuasion; they’re less uniform than we like to believe. But we might have to change our minds about them if they start changing theirs. Whether we’re prepared to do that is an open question.
First get every registered Dem to vote then work on independents and like minded citizens to vote. Autocrats like DeSantis and Rubio are definitvely vulnerable.
Thank You Mr. Hubbell for that clear and calm and concise summary of where we stand at this point.
America. It really is ok to not be on high alert all the time. I am all in favor of resting in the knowledge that Joe Biden is in our White House, good people such as the January 6 Committee members, Cheney, Garland and many others are going about righting the severe wrongs from the past. The Democratic Party is entering midterms with a brimming basket of excellent work accomplished thus far. We can go about our midterm elections tasks with hope and a clear calm head. At least I am. I refuse to cast the approaching Autumn season aside for drama.
Aug 22, 2022·edited Aug 22, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Facebook and Twitter depend on not being held responsible for defamatory items in third party content, thanks to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. If they were subject to the same sort of liability as their competitors in print and broadcast media, they would have to spend far more money in viewing and moderating posts and ads. The MAGA violence promoters on social media rely on this cover provided by the federal law. Sure somebody could try to sue the violence promoters themselves but they don't have any assets, generally. I think it's time to look into repealing Section 230. Facebook and Twitter have become behemoths thanks in large measure to this government provided protection (in addition to the fact that the government created the internet platform in the first place). Social media companies will claim that without section 230 it will cost them too much money to adequately police their sites. To that the response should be that perhaps social media companies are not a viable business model since they can only remain profitable due to this governmental protection and subsidy created especially for them.
Though recently, when asked, I forecasted that Republicans would retake the House, I write to state unequivocally that I don’t accept my prediction. To start, I understand that the majority of households includes at least one person taking prescription drugs. I note this example not only to press the point of amplifying the ability, now, of Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs, but also to make the case that the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act affords Democrats the credibility to run both on climate and on pocketbook issues connected to things that matter in people’s lives. I imagine Democrats also will underscore that if they hold the House and pick up two Senate seats (hardly far-fetched) that they will be poised, using budget reconciliation, to pass further transformative legislation addressing some of the major issues facing this country, while also improving life for tens and tens of millions of working people. This legislation includes: 1) capping the price of insulin for non-Medicare persons, 2) extending the child tax credit, 3) providing affordable, quality childcare and universal Pre-K, 4) investing in housing, in eldercare, in areas of immigration policy that qualify under reconciliation, and decidedly more.
Additionally, protecting choice is going to be upfront and center. This won’t be an issue just for women, but also for men, for Independent voters, and for some moderate Republicans. So will the matter of passing meaningful gun control legislation so we can send our children to school and not fret every minute for their safety.
Last, but hardly least, current polling indicates that everyday people are becoming increasingly aware of the import of overwhelming the ballot box with votes for democracy.
Aug 22, 2022·edited Aug 22, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
While we cannot let our guard down and have to work hard to GOTV for the midterms, we should all spend more time being very content that we do not have the problems that the GOP has with its party. They are leaderless & rudderless and there are not enough of them working to improve that situation. It seems the GOP is the one who is "going through some things".
My sense is that there has been a real change since about July 4th. Thanks to the successes of Democrats in Congress and an apparent reversal (or at least reduction) of inflationary trends, coupled with the search of Mar-a-Grifto and T____p’s hysterical reactions to it (not to mention the tremendous work of the January 6th Committee), I think momentum has shifted to the forces of good. As you say, Robert, that should not make us complacent, but rather should strengthen our own resolve. As my own small contribution, today and tomorrow I’m making calls for Pat Ryan in the special election in New York’s 19th, and I’ve signed up to be a resource for voters as part of the New Hampshire Democrats’ election protection program.
I am at the Chautauqua Institute the site of the attack on Salman Rushdie attack. While walking yesterday I came upon the following sign. It said “ Everything will be Ok” and it was next to an American flag. A few yards down the road was a big sign on top of a hill which read “ Love”. These are expressions of the hope and resolve of a lot of people. I don’t put a lot of stock in the polls right now if for no other reason than many things can happen between now and the election but several well respected analysts have indicated that “ the threat to Democracy “ is polling as the number one concern of voters ahead of inflation and abortion. The current public behaviors of leading Republicans is getting old and MAL Gate has confirmed what many people already know. It’s not important today and before the election if Trump is convicted or even indicted. It the court of public opinion that is the only court that will matter.
Whatever influence Trump has on this November election has happened. The less about him at this point the better as it may motivate his base who may sit this out without him on the ballot.
Democrats have plenty to run on, positive accomplishments as well as the fears that Republican control of congress presents.
As President Biden said over the weekend in one of his social media posts, all the good and popular things in the recent bills have been without any Republicans voting for them. Republicans are the anti-people party. That’s the message.
Next, it is time to preempt the Republican negative claims that they will campaign on—-a caravan invasion, crime in cities, schools teaching stuff parents don’t want taught, Democratic pedophiles and grooming, Men in girls bathrooms, take away your guns, socialism (new) IRS will audit you and FBI in your home, inflation. Pelosi is corrupt.
Don’t fall for the lies and compare a congress with Jim Jordan, MT Green, Cruz , Hawley, in control with McConnell deciding on judges, to the congress we have now
Robert, I too appreciate your hopeful, realistic and plausibility optimistic report on the upcoming election. However, again I point out that there is no such thing as an “expert” on political prognostication. Of course, there are professionals in this realm, but I summit that you and many of your committed readers/activists would qualify as “experts” in reading political tea leaves. We certainly know that polling is a quite inexact “science,” yet it is frequently reported as determinative of a future event. In short, we should not mitigate our hopefulness or reduce confidence in the effectiveness of our efforts simply on the ground of uncertainty, much less the absence of “expertise.”
Thanks for another great newsletter! I just wanted to add that I participated in a training with https://workingfamilies.org/ on Saturday. I was very impressed. They have great ways for people to donate and volunteer for important races. They also offer great resources for candidates running at every level. Just wanted to pass that option along.
Thank you for providing the umbrella for me to use during the upcoming media thunderstorm. Having been trained as a journalist in the 60s, I remember the dictum ,” If it bleeds, it leads.” So wish that had been “ let us refrain from assaulting the brain.”
Mr. Hubbell, I really appreciate your newsletter today. You have confirmed for me the uneasy feeling I have had that we are just not going to get the quick results we would like as these multitudes of investigations play out. Your message has given me permission to tune out the media a little for the next few weeks, freeing me from going down that "hole." What I will do with all the extra time is go to work for Vote Forward and get as many letters in the mail as I can, to voters in Michigan and other places. Because of your level-headed steadiness in these times, and especially this morning, I will be "hopeful but not complacent!" Thank you again!
Well. . . THAT was depressing. (And yes, I read the whole thing.)
But I was inspried last night as I once again watched PBS's presentation of Les Miserables' 25th. "Will you join in our crusade?" the schoolboy revolutionaries asked. And I will find strength in their cry of "One more day - one day more!" Will you join me?
Two thoughts: First, the pessimist in me doubts they will ever indict Trump but the optimist points out that if they decline to do so, Trump's supporters will scream about how that proves he's innocent of all crimes just like they did when the Muller Report didn't end up delineating a prosecutable crime. It might actually be better for the left if the final indictment decisions do not come out before the elections. The threat of indictment, suspense and drama might be more powerful. It sure did work out that way for Comey with his (eye brow waggle) "but wait - there are tons more emails we just found and there is likely to be something terrible to find in all those!" eleven days before the 2016 election.
Second, is there some possibility that the J6 committee is pursuing information on the discussions within the White House after J6 re Trump's capabilities because that is further indication those most in the know believed he was directly responsible for the insurrection? In that case, it does relate directly to a case for his indictment.
Thanks for a sane and realistic report. Your optimism shines through all the negative newspeak.
A reader wrote to say that he slightly disagreed with my comments criticizing the media for repetition, which he said is justified given the importance of the issues at stake. He cited a WaPo commentary that has some encouraging comments about the ability of 4-in-10 Trump voters to change their minds. See https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/08/19/trump-voters-change-minds/
Here is the concluding paragraph: ;If 6 out of 10 Trump voters said they’d never lose confidence in him, 4 out of 10 thought they might. There’s a lot of uncertainty and ambiguity in what Trump’s supporters think, even room for persuasion; they’re less uniform than we like to believe. But we might have to change our minds about them if they start changing theirs. Whether we’re prepared to do that is an open question.
First get every registered Dem to vote then work on independents and like minded citizens to vote. Autocrats like DeSantis and Rubio are definitvely vulnerable.
Thank You Mr. Hubbell for that clear and calm and concise summary of where we stand at this point.
America. It really is ok to not be on high alert all the time. I am all in favor of resting in the knowledge that Joe Biden is in our White House, good people such as the January 6 Committee members, Cheney, Garland and many others are going about righting the severe wrongs from the past. The Democratic Party is entering midterms with a brimming basket of excellent work accomplished thus far. We can go about our midterm elections tasks with hope and a clear calm head. At least I am. I refuse to cast the approaching Autumn season aside for drama.
Facebook and Twitter depend on not being held responsible for defamatory items in third party content, thanks to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. If they were subject to the same sort of liability as their competitors in print and broadcast media, they would have to spend far more money in viewing and moderating posts and ads. The MAGA violence promoters on social media rely on this cover provided by the federal law. Sure somebody could try to sue the violence promoters themselves but they don't have any assets, generally. I think it's time to look into repealing Section 230. Facebook and Twitter have become behemoths thanks in large measure to this government provided protection (in addition to the fact that the government created the internet platform in the first place). Social media companies will claim that without section 230 it will cost them too much money to adequately police their sites. To that the response should be that perhaps social media companies are not a viable business model since they can only remain profitable due to this governmental protection and subsidy created especially for them.
Though recently, when asked, I forecasted that Republicans would retake the House, I write to state unequivocally that I don’t accept my prediction. To start, I understand that the majority of households includes at least one person taking prescription drugs. I note this example not only to press the point of amplifying the ability, now, of Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs, but also to make the case that the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act affords Democrats the credibility to run both on climate and on pocketbook issues connected to things that matter in people’s lives. I imagine Democrats also will underscore that if they hold the House and pick up two Senate seats (hardly far-fetched) that they will be poised, using budget reconciliation, to pass further transformative legislation addressing some of the major issues facing this country, while also improving life for tens and tens of millions of working people. This legislation includes: 1) capping the price of insulin for non-Medicare persons, 2) extending the child tax credit, 3) providing affordable, quality childcare and universal Pre-K, 4) investing in housing, in eldercare, in areas of immigration policy that qualify under reconciliation, and decidedly more.
Additionally, protecting choice is going to be upfront and center. This won’t be an issue just for women, but also for men, for Independent voters, and for some moderate Republicans. So will the matter of passing meaningful gun control legislation so we can send our children to school and not fret every minute for their safety.
Last, but hardly least, current polling indicates that everyday people are becoming increasingly aware of the import of overwhelming the ballot box with votes for democracy.
While we cannot let our guard down and have to work hard to GOTV for the midterms, we should all spend more time being very content that we do not have the problems that the GOP has with its party. They are leaderless & rudderless and there are not enough of them working to improve that situation. It seems the GOP is the one who is "going through some things".
https://steady.substack.com/p/republicans-in-disarray
My sense is that there has been a real change since about July 4th. Thanks to the successes of Democrats in Congress and an apparent reversal (or at least reduction) of inflationary trends, coupled with the search of Mar-a-Grifto and T____p’s hysterical reactions to it (not to mention the tremendous work of the January 6th Committee), I think momentum has shifted to the forces of good. As you say, Robert, that should not make us complacent, but rather should strengthen our own resolve. As my own small contribution, today and tomorrow I’m making calls for Pat Ryan in the special election in New York’s 19th, and I’ve signed up to be a resource for voters as part of the New Hampshire Democrats’ election protection program.
I am at the Chautauqua Institute the site of the attack on Salman Rushdie attack. While walking yesterday I came upon the following sign. It said “ Everything will be Ok” and it was next to an American flag. A few yards down the road was a big sign on top of a hill which read “ Love”. These are expressions of the hope and resolve of a lot of people. I don’t put a lot of stock in the polls right now if for no other reason than many things can happen between now and the election but several well respected analysts have indicated that “ the threat to Democracy “ is polling as the number one concern of voters ahead of inflation and abortion. The current public behaviors of leading Republicans is getting old and MAL Gate has confirmed what many people already know. It’s not important today and before the election if Trump is convicted or even indicted. It the court of public opinion that is the only court that will matter.
Whatever influence Trump has on this November election has happened. The less about him at this point the better as it may motivate his base who may sit this out without him on the ballot.
Democrats have plenty to run on, positive accomplishments as well as the fears that Republican control of congress presents.
As President Biden said over the weekend in one of his social media posts, all the good and popular things in the recent bills have been without any Republicans voting for them. Republicans are the anti-people party. That’s the message.
Next, it is time to preempt the Republican negative claims that they will campaign on—-a caravan invasion, crime in cities, schools teaching stuff parents don’t want taught, Democratic pedophiles and grooming, Men in girls bathrooms, take away your guns, socialism (new) IRS will audit you and FBI in your home, inflation. Pelosi is corrupt.
Don’t fall for the lies and compare a congress with Jim Jordan, MT Green, Cruz , Hawley, in control with McConnell deciding on judges, to the congress we have now
Robert, I too appreciate your hopeful, realistic and plausibility optimistic report on the upcoming election. However, again I point out that there is no such thing as an “expert” on political prognostication. Of course, there are professionals in this realm, but I summit that you and many of your committed readers/activists would qualify as “experts” in reading political tea leaves. We certainly know that polling is a quite inexact “science,” yet it is frequently reported as determinative of a future event. In short, we should not mitigate our hopefulness or reduce confidence in the effectiveness of our efforts simply on the ground of uncertainty, much less the absence of “expertise.”
Thanks for another great newsletter! I just wanted to add that I participated in a training with https://workingfamilies.org/ on Saturday. I was very impressed. They have great ways for people to donate and volunteer for important races. They also offer great resources for candidates running at every level. Just wanted to pass that option along.
Thank you for providing the umbrella for me to use during the upcoming media thunderstorm. Having been trained as a journalist in the 60s, I remember the dictum ,” If it bleeds, it leads.” So wish that had been “ let us refrain from assaulting the brain.”
Mr. Hubbell, I really appreciate your newsletter today. You have confirmed for me the uneasy feeling I have had that we are just not going to get the quick results we would like as these multitudes of investigations play out. Your message has given me permission to tune out the media a little for the next few weeks, freeing me from going down that "hole." What I will do with all the extra time is go to work for Vote Forward and get as many letters in the mail as I can, to voters in Michigan and other places. Because of your level-headed steadiness in these times, and especially this morning, I will be "hopeful but not complacent!" Thank you again!
Well. . . THAT was depressing. (And yes, I read the whole thing.)
But I was inspried last night as I once again watched PBS's presentation of Les Miserables' 25th. "Will you join in our crusade?" the schoolboy revolutionaries asked. And I will find strength in their cry of "One more day - one day more!" Will you join me?
Two thoughts: First, the pessimist in me doubts they will ever indict Trump but the optimist points out that if they decline to do so, Trump's supporters will scream about how that proves he's innocent of all crimes just like they did when the Muller Report didn't end up delineating a prosecutable crime. It might actually be better for the left if the final indictment decisions do not come out before the elections. The threat of indictment, suspense and drama might be more powerful. It sure did work out that way for Comey with his (eye brow waggle) "but wait - there are tons more emails we just found and there is likely to be something terrible to find in all those!" eleven days before the 2016 election.
Second, is there some possibility that the J6 committee is pursuing information on the discussions within the White House after J6 re Trump's capabilities because that is further indication those most in the know believed he was directly responsible for the insurrection? In that case, it does relate directly to a case for his indictment.