From reader James Shelton: One of the main things we do at 31st Street Swing Left is canvassing. Canvassing is a major comparative advantage of Democrats, but in my view we do not nearly make as much of it as we should. One of the biggest issues is that training, such as it is, is generally highly deficient. Optimal training should have a number of components, but surprisingly, there are just no good overall training videos out there that we can find at least. So we have developed our own in conjunction with a sister organization in PA, called Turn PA Blue. Here is the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8SzuTKD8BA
Thank you, Mr. Shelton and the 31st Street Swing Left crew, for your great work in PA, NC, and GA, and for sharing your canvassing training video! Rock on!
Thank you - I would much rather text bank or write letters/postcards - but I know I have to canvass this fall in RI (Langione's house seat) and in NH (Hassen's re-election).
Thank you Robert, for once again calling our attention to important information and prompting us to action. Following is an email I sent to my senator, Susan Collins, that was prompted by your newsletter this morning. I will also be sharing this letter with our two statewide papers, the Bangor Daily News and the Portland Press Herald.
Dear Senator Collins:
I am a Maine voter who often disagrees with your actions in Congress. However, your efforts to reform the Electoral Count Act have my complete support. I am writing only to ask that you seriously consider one crucial improvement to your draft legislation to close a loophole that, if left open, could become the cause of considerable electoral mischief in the 2024 election and beyond.
For your consideration I extract from “The Big, Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Another Jan. 6 Has One Potentially Fatal Flaw” (published yesterday in Slate by Laurence Tribe, Dennis Aftergut, and Erwin Chemerinsky) what I believe is its core finding and recommendation for improvement:
“ Sen. Angus King of Maine asked (in a Senate Rules Committee hearing) a question putting his finger on it, but the responses were unsatisfactory. King inquired about a fringe legal theory that the Supreme Court will be considering in a case to be argued this fall. King expressed concern about the “independent state legislature theory” that the reactionary court majority may adopt. He asked whether it might undercut what the ECRA seeks to achieve.
Under an extreme version of this theory, state legislatures can purportedly decide whatever they want in presidential elections, without court review or concern for the majority vote, even after the ballots have been cast.
(Congress has the constitutional authority to) state explicitly (in the ECRA) that no device enacted by any state legislature may override the way the state’s people have decided to designate the candidate of their choice. For good measure, Congress could state that the Constitution’s provision guaranteeing a “republican form of government” would be violated by conducting an election and then disregarding votes cast in that election based on alleged fraud in the absence of proof established in a court of law.”
I hope and trust that you and Senator Manchin will take steps to close this loophole before irreparable harm can be done by those intent on using the levers of government to undo our democracy.
Brilliant. And once again I am so frustrated that as a resident of DC I have no representatives who can vote. I hope many of our community will follow your lead. Blessings,
Truly excellent letter. I used your model to write a letter to my Senators from Massachusetts. This is the letter I sent to each of them:
Senator Markey/Warren {one to each},
In your expected support of the bill to adopt the Electoral Count Reform Act [the ECRA] being negotiated by Senators Collins and Manchin, please insist upon one crucial improvement to close a loophole that, if left open, could become the cause of considerable electoral mischief in the 2024 election and beyond.
We must block the “independent state legislature theory” that the Supreme Court could adopt in the absence of congressional action. That theory might undercut what the ECRA seeks to achieve.
Under an extreme version of this theory, state legislatures can purportedly decide whatever they want in presidential elections, without court review or concern for the majority vote, even after the ballots have been cast.
Congress should state explicitly in the ECRA that no device enacted by any state legislature may override the way the state’s people have decided to designate the candidate of their choice. Congress should also state that the Constitution’s provision guaranteeing a “republican form of government” would be violated by conducting an election and then disregarding votes cast in that election based on alleged fraud in the absence of proof established in a court of law.
I hope and trust that you and Senator Markey will support their proposed amendment to the pending bill to close this loophole before irreparable harm can be done by those intent on abusing the levers of government to undo our democracy.
I, too, am writing a letter. Rabbi Van Lanckton, do you mind if I draw freely from yours? I am altering it to suit my addressees (Schumer, Gillibrand, and Tonko).
I'm a little nervous that my current draft includes much of your language verbatim. May I have your permission to do so? I can attribute it to you and provide a link to this web page if you prefer. Or, I can wordsmith the language, perhaps with the freshness of mind I frequently encounter in the morning.
Thank you for your attention. -- Bob Stromberg, Round Lake, NY
I am glad you are writing to Sen. Schumer and your Senators. By all means use whatever in my letter you wish to use. Please do refer to my letter and my permission for you to use anything in it you wish. Please also provide a link to this page and acknowledge Robert Hubbell. Send me a copy of your letter when you have sent it to the Senators.
Thank you. Here's my letter (similar to Gillibrand and Tonko later today):
Dear Senator Schumer,
The Electoral Count Reform Act [the ECRA], being negotiated by Senators Collins and Manchin, looks promising. However, it absolutely needs one crucial improvement to close a loophole that, if left open, could become the cause of considerable electoral mischief in the 2024 election and beyond.
We must block the “independent state legislature theory” that the Supreme Court could adopt in the absence of congressional action. That theory might undercut what the ECRA seeks to achieve.
Under an extreme version of this theory, state legislatures can purportedly decide whatever they want in presidential elections, without court review or concern for the majority vote, even after the ballots have been cast.
Congress must state explicitly in the ECRA that (to quote the article): "no device enacted by any state legislature may override the way the state’s people have decided to designate the candidate of their choice. Congress should also state that the Constitution’s provision guaranteeing a 'republican form of government' would be violated by conducting an election and then disregarding votes cast in that election based on alleged fraud in the absence of proof established in a court of law."
I hope and trust that, should the bill be amended to close this loophole, you will support the bill, and it can be passed and signed into law promptly.
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Stromberg, Round Lake, NY
P.S. I refer you to comments on Robert Hubbell's substack, particularly the comment by Rabbi Van Lanckton, dated, Aug6.
Mike, I had drafted a reply I had thought would be helpful that I decided, for good reason in retrospect, to delete. If you received it, please disregard, particularly if the comment was not welcomed.
First, another word of gratitude for your constant encouragement of your readers to remain hopeful as well as viligent, well-informed, and energetic, in our efforts to preserve the democratic, republican, form of government we are privileged to enjoy and which is and has been under intense threat from Republican Party leaders and their “dark money” supporters. I agree with you that recent events seem to prove that Reason, Justice and Honesty may be returning in fashion in the governance realms where they have been missing or in short supply for too long.
I also want to emphasize the importance and necessity of our persistently and collectively engaging in “all of the above” activities - and more too - to accomplish the goals we seek to achieve. Not all of us can canvass, or write post cards or contribute to political candidates, or engage in the other specific activities that “support the cause” that you are so good at reminding us to support or engage in; but all of us, every one of us, can do something important to support the cause - talk to a spouse, or friend or adult/teenage child, or other family member about matters of consequence, including politics and religion, plant a yard sign that supports the cause. Respectfully letting others know where we stand - and why - and listening to the stories of those with whom we can seriously engage - are activities each of us, all of us, can do, no matter our age, health or economic circumstance. We need to be and act like good citizens, and we don’t need to be political experts or scholars or historians or even “activists” in order to function and think as good citizens can and should!
Thank you, John, and thank you, Robert. As an (extremely) old political warrior, I agree with everything you say about the effectiveness of the kind of personal engagement you're endorsing. Canvassing, personal phone calls, notes, cards, anything that doesn't feel like it came off a partisan assembly line, gets the attention and often swings the vote of the person on the receiving end.
I just want to add one thing from my own experience. There is nothing, absolutely not one thing, that feels as good, is as much of a grinning-out-loud sensation, as standing in the sunshine or the pouring rain, exhausted from a.day of knocking on doors and talking to people about your candidate, your values, your and their fears, families, joys, and your candidate.
You'll be happy for days. People love to talk. You're giving them the chance to do that.
I also came here to extoll canvassing. I knocked my first doors in early 2017, eager to help flip a nearby House seat in the 2018 midterms (we succeeded). I was petrified for my first few outings, relying on more experienced canvassing partners to show me the ropes, and then starting to chime in on occasion. Finally I realized I was comfortable to begin "soloing," and have been doing so (or partnering with less experienced canvassers) ever since. I've been phonebanking as well, but it's not quite as easy to make that all-important personal connection with voters that Dean refers to. If you're physically able and have the time to canvass, but are simply not sure it's for you, I urge you to give it a whirl. (By the way, it does not have to be an all-day endeavor -- at least in my area, the typical canvass goes about 90-120 minutes.)
I agree with Barbara. John, you make a point that I have advocated for decades with no platform to reach many if any. We must reach out to find or create new ways to communicate with friends, family, and community members. At least we must start with family members. Many are racing through life focused on making a living, guiding their children to be active in sports, or simply trying to escape the tiresome political drama. It is so urgent to talk with folks without creating despair or angst and concurrently encouraging all to be engaged. Sometimes they are, in fact, more engaged than we recognize. I’d be pleased to hear that from them rather than assume they are blithely moving through life not recognizing the urgency of these times whether political, environmental, culturally or civically, etc. I have also heard people tell me, “Oh! We (family members) don’t talk about these things because we are at such odds.” Our challenge is to recognize both cognitive and emotional aspects of conversations, to master the art of listening and working through conflict. There are resources and help available. Here is one effort, Braver Angels: https://braverangels.org/., which has worked to bring people together. Yet, I’d be thrilled to learn of success stories from people who have been able to engage family members or close neighbors in sharing and listening. The long game asks us to be intent on restoring our civil and shared humanity to save ourselves. No one is coming to help. We are our best and most immediate hope/resource.
John, In the event you’re interested, the Public Conversations Project Dialogue (PCP Dialogue) offers a mighty impressive set of tools based on the idea that intelligent and sincere people can have fundamental disagreements about complex matters. The focus is on letting the other person know that he or she is being listened to and respected, even when being disagreed with or refuted. I understand the rather comprehensive PCP Dialogue manual can be downloaded free of charge.
Republicans have two reasons to be nervous about the inflation reduction act. Firstly, it does not benefit their billionaire pay-masters explicitly as Trump's tax cut did. Secondly, it shows that congress can actually get stuff done that benefits the common man/woman. The Rs never focused on the second, never cared.
You're "Friday brought a strong jobs report as gas prices began to fall (to the shock and dismay of the entertainers on the Fox “news” channel)" is right. But I think Hannity, Carlson, Ingraham and the Murdochs are much worse than entertainers. They are not too far from traitors in their efforts to so discord and promote sedition and to provide aid and comfort to the billionaire class who are few in number but vast in influence.
They have no concern for country, but are driven by money, ego, and power. Recall that Murdoch started first in his home country of Australia, moved on to England and then stepped across the Atlantic to the big prize - the U.S. Putin has played them and us by interfering or enhancing their propaganda efforts. We have all had times when we sit with friends or neighbors talking about how challenged we are by bureaucracy whether it be in pursuit of healthcare, an insurance claim, or minor inconvenience. So, Trump was aided by these talking heads eager to promote the grievance mentality ripe for the poking. How do each of us come to terms with our current complexities without succumbing to disenchanted anger and poor behavior? We must rise above the natural tendency to allow our frustrations and emotions be the driving force - recognizing and overcoming base instincts.
I wish I believed that, in their hearts of hearts, seditionists supported by the Murdochs like Gym Jordan, RonJohn, Hawley, Cotton and Gaetz were patriots who were looking after the average American. But I don't. I believe they and the Murdochs have sold their souls to the devil and will do us nothing but harm and will steal from us if empowered once more.
Wait! Wait! I totally agree with what you have just written. I’ll have to go back to my post to understand what if anything I wrote would suggest anything different. Those you have named and many more have sold their souls to the devil. You could have included McConnell, McCarthy, DeSantis, Cruz, Laura Ingraham, many of the spokespeople for Trump, his family members. Oh! The list is way too long. I wonder how and if they can ever be rounded up if there is to be a full accounting for this dystopian eruption.
Of course ‘sew’ but we get the picture. As I always tell my hubby “you do business with people for Asia and you are genius at inferring what they are saying… but when it comes to me you can’t infer that I meant washer and not dryer?!!!”. So. Sew… I get you
Is it possible to ask for a thorough vetting of Brett Kavanaugh, since Trump’s White House made sure that this objectionable nominee made it through the process without having the FBI check the 4500 tips about what this man may have done???? Talk about a rigged system. If someone if selected on an erroneous basis, then in my opinion, that selection no longer is valid. We are not surprised at anything the Trump years did to us, but shocked that it gets to stand now that we know better. We knew front the get-go that Trump tried to intimidate Zelensky to find dirt on Biden, and finally, the 1/6 Committee is bringing to light exactly who Trump is and all the ways he has scammed the American people. My prayer is that he will be brought to justice. Likewise, Kavanaugh should be brought to justice. And, for good measure, let’s review Clarence Thomas’ case with Anita Hills, another egregious injustice we watched before our very eyes. Someone tell me again why this Extreme Court isn’t illegitimate???
Robert, I greatly benefitted from reading the piece in Slate discussing the proposed bipartisan ECA reforms. Thank you for providing it. Perhaps, most importantly, despite machinations we can expect at the local and state levels, I now understand the urgency of repairing the ECA before this Congress ends. Additionally, I benefitted from the piece’s comprehensive consideration of the Independent State Legislature legal theory.
As I understand, the fringe ISL legal theory, that has advanced to the Supreme Court, argues, that because the Constitution says that state legislatures redistrict or set the time, place, and manner of elections, that it means only the legislature has to be power to determine how Congressional elections are conducted (thus also impacting how Presidential electors are chosen) without any checks and balances from state constitutions or state courts, or perhaps even from a governor’s veto.
This past July, when I expressed concern regarding the High Court granting state legislatures this superpower where no one could check what they did, you explained that ISL “does not assert that the legislatures are above the US Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection [and] due process…”. Still, I worry about a High Court that would ignore 50 years of settled precedent in Roe, and would overturn a fundamental right relied upon by tens of millions every year. Clearly, a court willing to do that with a protection, over and over again reaffirmed, would do it to another fundamental protection.
As for the piece’s point about legislatures being subject to regulations of Congress, while, admittedly, state legislatures are not exempt from federal regulations, as we recently saw with the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, enforcing federal regulations requires either reaching the Senate’s 60-vote threshold or modifying the Senate’s filibuster rule to allow for debate and an up or down majority vote.
The foregoing concerns notwithstanding, I now genuinely appreciate the urgency of repairing the ECA before this Congress ends and also fully relate to the concerns of the piece’s authors that we not hold the good hostage to the perfect. Still, I would submit it would be a mistake were the public to be misled into believing that passage of the Electoral Count Reform Act, though necessary, sufficiently provides the requisite voter protections to safeguard our democracy.
John, Given I work tirelessly to provide the necessary information and promote a level of discourse aimed at preserving our democratic republic, I especially appreciate your validating reply.
Having canvassed over the decades, I encourage folks to do it. It takes a while and many doors are not answered but I remember one fellow in Maine. He was fixing his roof when I appeared to chat, so we talked from roof to front walk. He was so pleased that I had come "all the way out here" (rural Maine) that he promised to register to vote and to vote for Jared Golden, so now all new England Congress members are Democrats. He liked that Jared was a Vet. Maybe he actually did. But i know I did my best, and i remember him.
Great story! I’m new to canvassing, but I’m enjoying it (mostly). I don’t know if people are persuaded these days by brief interactions with a stranger, but it normalizes talking about actual issues, not just sound bites. And there are lots of lovely people! Many more than the talking heads would have us believe.
I agree! It can be awkward to discuss issues at a picnic fr’instance, but if you knock on a door with candidate flyers in hand, of COURSE you’re going to talk issues, and you can unapologetically ask, “what do you think about X?”
Right. But how can we discover or create more spaces where it is non-awkward to talk issues? One characteristic of the canvassing scenario that may contribute to making it work is that the initiator (canvasser) is not in charge -- the householder retains power to end the discussion.
I wish I had an answer for that. Town halls with candidates would be good, but do any of them do that anymore? A local woman gathers people around films she likes, and some art galleries take on specific topics, like gun violence. Have you been to effective gatherings as well??
With respect to abortion and women’s rights to decide about their reproductive health: How does the U.S. determine fertilization, conception, and birth, and define when life begins? One bit of evidence is one of the requirements to be a candidate for President, namely one must be a U.S. citizen from birth. Clearly birth is when one leaves the womb /birth mother, not fertilization, 6 weeks, viability, or other time earlier. The vaunted concept of separation of church and state has gotten badly disregarded and disrespected in the Dobbs decision.
In 3 months or so I have moved from hope against hope to guarded optimism for midterms. The tide appears to be turning for the Biden administration on the domestic side; dare I extend my transformation to unguarded enthusiasm?
I sure never hear anything about the infrastructure improvements being made (if any) - this is something that the administration should be talking about all the time. Who wouldn't like to hear about bridges, roadways, airports, internet, port, etc improvements - yet we hear nothing. Come on dems - toot your own horn more because you have done some great things and more to come.
Reporting and focus has been mostly on results. We need to focus more on preparation. More than 33,000 people in Kansas registered to vote between April and the mid-July deadline. Registrations I believe were up close to 1,000% over averages. (Needs verification.) Still searching for that exact number.
Data indicate most of those registrations came after the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision in late June — and 70% of those new voters were women, according to an analysis by TargetSmart, a nonpartisan political data organization.
Unofficial numbers suggest turnout for the capital city area is sitting close to 54.8%. The state primary record is 49.7%. Republicans crossed over to vote on the issue because only somewhere around 25% of the state electorate is Democrat. (Needs verification.) I saw the crossover number but it escapes me at the moment. I want to say 70,000. (Needs verification.)
These numbers are so telling. Clearly abortion is the platform that is driving this swell. It is swell. Nothing else has “moved markets” like this.
Yesterday, Robert quoted the Heritage Foundation from a 1920 piece stating the following:
"America is threatened by an egalitarianism that undermines the social, familial, religious, and economic distinctions and inequalities that undergird our political liberty."
He repeated it a couple of times and asked us to reflect on the assertion that our fundamental political liberty stands on a foundation of inequality. Where does this come from? How can the Republican Party openly assert such fundamentally evil doctrine? Of course, there are many reasons and many sources, but later in the day yesterday I came across a very good explanation in a Ted Talk posted on YouTube. It is well worth your time (18 minutes) to watch. Here you go. It tells all.
WOW, Yes, very sadly, it tells all.Thank You Mike Schell:
John Biewen (white guy) explains that RACISM WAS INVENTED at the Portugese King's request in the 1450s, when he commissioned Gomes Eanes de Zurara to write a book to describe Africans as a distinct group, "inferior and beastly" so the king and merchants could justify their lucrative slave trade, "the brutal exploitation of other humans for profit." The USA is founded on this Big Lie.
I did watch the video and while it speaks to the origins of slavery from early times of a Portuguese ruler and who promoted the notion that African’s are less than. That being said, it does not explain the absurdity of The Heritage Foundation or the Republican Party’s embrace of such thinking or the advocacy of the inferiority of any human being. It is particularly disconcerting to see this as a tenet of white Christian supremacy. It is nothing short of an outrageous and preposterous failing to embrace the idea that all god’s children are born equal. (I paraphrase.) It is the antithesis of our shared humanity regardless of any religious indoctrination. The mere thought that this might, in 2022, guide the thinking of anyone has my blood boiling. (A little voice is telling, “calm yourself.) Another cogent reason to abandon any organized religion. Look too at how this type of thinking has to be seen in the context of the subjugation of women offered by six Catholics justices. (Yes! I include Gorsuch who was brought up in that faith.)
Lucian Truscott posted this and I am sharing it with you.
“ the Kansas referendum that made me remember that night in the Lion’s Head and my years and years of not suffering fools gladly, because that’s exactly what the voters of Kansas did on Tuesday – they listened to each other and came together at least on the issue of abortion, 59 percent of them did, anyway, agreeing across party lines and gender and the chasm of the culture wars that women have the basic right of what the Kansas Supreme Court had called “autonomy” over their lives, and that included their bodies.
They found something they agreed on, and they meant it. Coverage on election day described lines of voters that went out of polling places onto the street and around corners in 100-degree heat. The last voter in one precinct in a small town in central Kansas cast her vote at 9:30 at night, more than two hours after the polls closed.
We need to gather voters from all parties and all agree on how we want government to work for all of us.
My wife, Amy MacDonald, who shares my subscription asked me to post the following:
I started my own, very partisan voter registration drive in Southern Maine, devoted to signing up new Democratic voters. I wrote to the Secretary of State, got 1,000 blank cards, and trained a team of volunteers. There are now about 20 of us. We attend Pride Parades, Farmer's Markets, concerts, First Friday events, and the colleges located in the Portland area. We've added about 90 new Democratic voters to the rolls so far, and expect much bigger numbers when college starts at the end of this month. I was trained by Field Team 6 in 2020, but decided to do this on my own this summer, as one concrete thing I could do to help Maine stay Blue (the Gov race is going to be very tight, as is CD2 House race).
I’m hoping that Democratic campaign strategists will use the video footage of the so called preacher that menaced a Beto O’Rourke campaign event, previewing exactly what cristo- fascism will look like if they gain control of the national government. Some straight outta Iran stuff. The ad guys could do a “Beto has a man card the size of Texas” campaign; or highlight the insane creepiness of the “great men products of rape” the christo-terrorist is spewing. https://youtu.be/Td4N3e3YMis
Unbelievable. I wonder what would have happened if the same man had shown up at an Abbott campaign event carrying an assault rifle. Would Abbott have engaged him in polite debate, or would his bodyguard have shot the man first, and asked questions later?
This is what “open carry” looks like - an ordinary man, purporting to be a minister, in an political meeting, making nonsensical statements about great “men “ who are the products of rape and carrying, what I assume, is an assault weapon. Jesus weeps ! And all those people sitting there frozen in their seats or at their stations. In all my 83 years I have never seen anything like this. To think that my government has enabled that kind of action by us citizens is a travesty. That man carrying that weapon for his safety menaces me ! And Beto O’Rourke has to potentially face this everyday on the Campaign trail ? Travesty is too weak a word.
Thank you, Jean. At 79 there is little that my brain can comprehend about what we hear and see every day. When I see so many of the current elected officials, e.g., Cruz, Cotton, Hawley, DeSantis with law degrees from Ivy League schools I am always curious as to what the heck they are teaching in those high priced universities. (Rest assured, my intent is not to discredit any higher education institution.) It’s a most troubling time.
From reader James Shelton: One of the main things we do at 31st Street Swing Left is canvassing. Canvassing is a major comparative advantage of Democrats, but in my view we do not nearly make as much of it as we should. One of the biggest issues is that training, such as it is, is generally highly deficient. Optimal training should have a number of components, but surprisingly, there are just no good overall training videos out there that we can find at least. So we have developed our own in conjunction with a sister organization in PA, called Turn PA Blue. Here is the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8SzuTKD8BA
Thank you, Mr. Shelton and the 31st Street Swing Left crew, for your great work in PA, NC, and GA, and for sharing your canvassing training video! Rock on!
https://www.31ststreet.org/
Thank you - I would much rather text bank or write letters/postcards - but I know I have to canvass this fall in RI (Langione's house seat) and in NH (Hassen's re-election).
Thank you Robert, for once again calling our attention to important information and prompting us to action. Following is an email I sent to my senator, Susan Collins, that was prompted by your newsletter this morning. I will also be sharing this letter with our two statewide papers, the Bangor Daily News and the Portland Press Herald.
Dear Senator Collins:
I am a Maine voter who often disagrees with your actions in Congress. However, your efforts to reform the Electoral Count Act have my complete support. I am writing only to ask that you seriously consider one crucial improvement to your draft legislation to close a loophole that, if left open, could become the cause of considerable electoral mischief in the 2024 election and beyond.
For your consideration I extract from “The Big, Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Another Jan. 6 Has One Potentially Fatal Flaw” (published yesterday in Slate by Laurence Tribe, Dennis Aftergut, and Erwin Chemerinsky) what I believe is its core finding and recommendation for improvement:
“ Sen. Angus King of Maine asked (in a Senate Rules Committee hearing) a question putting his finger on it, but the responses were unsatisfactory. King inquired about a fringe legal theory that the Supreme Court will be considering in a case to be argued this fall. King expressed concern about the “independent state legislature theory” that the reactionary court majority may adopt. He asked whether it might undercut what the ECRA seeks to achieve.
Under an extreme version of this theory, state legislatures can purportedly decide whatever they want in presidential elections, without court review or concern for the majority vote, even after the ballots have been cast.
(Congress has the constitutional authority to) state explicitly (in the ECRA) that no device enacted by any state legislature may override the way the state’s people have decided to designate the candidate of their choice. For good measure, Congress could state that the Constitution’s provision guaranteeing a “republican form of government” would be violated by conducting an election and then disregarding votes cast in that election based on alleged fraud in the absence of proof established in a court of law.”
I hope and trust that you and Senator Manchin will take steps to close this loophole before irreparable harm can be done by those intent on using the levers of government to undo our democracy.
Thank you sincerely for you consideration,
Michael McMillen
Harborside, ME 04642
Thanks for sharing your letter. I will pin it to the top of the Comments.
Brilliant. And once again I am so frustrated that as a resident of DC I have no representatives who can vote. I hope many of our community will follow your lead. Blessings,
Truly excellent letter. I used your model to write a letter to my Senators from Massachusetts. This is the letter I sent to each of them:
Senator Markey/Warren {one to each},
In your expected support of the bill to adopt the Electoral Count Reform Act [the ECRA] being negotiated by Senators Collins and Manchin, please insist upon one crucial improvement to close a loophole that, if left open, could become the cause of considerable electoral mischief in the 2024 election and beyond.
I extract here from “The Big, Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Another Jan. 6 Has One Potentially Fatal Flaw” (published in Slate by Laurence Tribe, Dennis Aftergut, and Erwin Chemerinsky) its core recommendation for improvement [see their article at https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/08/congress-fix-electoral-count-reform-flaw-january-six.html
We must block the “independent state legislature theory” that the Supreme Court could adopt in the absence of congressional action. That theory might undercut what the ECRA seeks to achieve.
Under an extreme version of this theory, state legislatures can purportedly decide whatever they want in presidential elections, without court review or concern for the majority vote, even after the ballots have been cast.
Congress should state explicitly in the ECRA that no device enacted by any state legislature may override the way the state’s people have decided to designate the candidate of their choice. Congress should also state that the Constitution’s provision guaranteeing a “republican form of government” would be violated by conducting an election and then disregarding votes cast in that election based on alleged fraud in the absence of proof established in a court of law.
I hope and trust that you and Senator Markey will support their proposed amendment to the pending bill to close this loophole before irreparable harm can be done by those intent on abusing the levers of government to undo our democracy.
Thank you sincerely for your consideration,
Rabbi Van Lanckton
Harvard Law School, cum laude, Class of 1967
I, too, am writing a letter. Rabbi Van Lanckton, do you mind if I draw freely from yours? I am altering it to suit my addressees (Schumer, Gillibrand, and Tonko).
I'm a little nervous that my current draft includes much of your language verbatim. May I have your permission to do so? I can attribute it to you and provide a link to this web page if you prefer. Or, I can wordsmith the language, perhaps with the freshness of mind I frequently encounter in the morning.
Thank you for your attention. -- Bob Stromberg, Round Lake, NY
Mr. Stromberg,
I am glad you are writing to Sen. Schumer and your Senators. By all means use whatever in my letter you wish to use. Please do refer to my letter and my permission for you to use anything in it you wish. Please also provide a link to this page and acknowledge Robert Hubbell. Send me a copy of your letter when you have sent it to the Senators.
Glad to be in this fight with you.
Rabbi Van Lanckton
Thank you. Here's my letter (similar to Gillibrand and Tonko later today):
Dear Senator Schumer,
The Electoral Count Reform Act [the ECRA], being negotiated by Senators Collins and Manchin, looks promising. However, it absolutely needs one crucial improvement to close a loophole that, if left open, could become the cause of considerable electoral mischief in the 2024 election and beyond.
The article “The Big, Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Another Jan. 6 Has One Potentially Fatal Flaw” (published in Slate by Laurence Tribe, Dennis Aftergut, and Erwin Chemerinsky (see https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/08/congress-fix-electoral-count-reform-flaw-january-six.html) gives an essential recommendation:
We must block the “independent state legislature theory” that the Supreme Court could adopt in the absence of congressional action. That theory might undercut what the ECRA seeks to achieve.
Under an extreme version of this theory, state legislatures can purportedly decide whatever they want in presidential elections, without court review or concern for the majority vote, even after the ballots have been cast.
Congress must state explicitly in the ECRA that (to quote the article): "no device enacted by any state legislature may override the way the state’s people have decided to designate the candidate of their choice. Congress should also state that the Constitution’s provision guaranteeing a 'republican form of government' would be violated by conducting an election and then disregarding votes cast in that election based on alleged fraud in the absence of proof established in a court of law."
I hope and trust that, should the bill be amended to close this loophole, you will support the bill, and it can be passed and signed into law promptly.
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Stromberg, Round Lake, NY
P.S. I refer you to comments on Robert Hubbell's substack, particularly the comment by Rabbi Van Lanckton, dated, Aug6.
Looks great. I'm glad we are working together toward the protection of our democracy.
Mike, I had drafted a reply I had thought would be helpful that I decided, for good reason in retrospect, to delete. If you received it, please disregard, particularly if the comment was not welcomed.
First, another word of gratitude for your constant encouragement of your readers to remain hopeful as well as viligent, well-informed, and energetic, in our efforts to preserve the democratic, republican, form of government we are privileged to enjoy and which is and has been under intense threat from Republican Party leaders and their “dark money” supporters. I agree with you that recent events seem to prove that Reason, Justice and Honesty may be returning in fashion in the governance realms where they have been missing or in short supply for too long.
I also want to emphasize the importance and necessity of our persistently and collectively engaging in “all of the above” activities - and more too - to accomplish the goals we seek to achieve. Not all of us can canvass, or write post cards or contribute to political candidates, or engage in the other specific activities that “support the cause” that you are so good at reminding us to support or engage in; but all of us, every one of us, can do something important to support the cause - talk to a spouse, or friend or adult/teenage child, or other family member about matters of consequence, including politics and religion, plant a yard sign that supports the cause. Respectfully letting others know where we stand - and why - and listening to the stories of those with whom we can seriously engage - are activities each of us, all of us, can do, no matter our age, health or economic circumstance. We need to be and act like good citizens, and we don’t need to be political experts or scholars or historians or even “activists” in order to function and think as good citizens can and should!
Thank you, John, and thank you, Robert. As an (extremely) old political warrior, I agree with everything you say about the effectiveness of the kind of personal engagement you're endorsing. Canvassing, personal phone calls, notes, cards, anything that doesn't feel like it came off a partisan assembly line, gets the attention and often swings the vote of the person on the receiving end.
I just want to add one thing from my own experience. There is nothing, absolutely not one thing, that feels as good, is as much of a grinning-out-loud sensation, as standing in the sunshine or the pouring rain, exhausted from a.day of knocking on doors and talking to people about your candidate, your values, your and their fears, families, joys, and your candidate.
You'll be happy for days. People love to talk. You're giving them the chance to do that.
Thanks for the wonderful affirmation of canvassing!
I also came here to extoll canvassing. I knocked my first doors in early 2017, eager to help flip a nearby House seat in the 2018 midterms (we succeeded). I was petrified for my first few outings, relying on more experienced canvassing partners to show me the ropes, and then starting to chime in on occasion. Finally I realized I was comfortable to begin "soloing," and have been doing so (or partnering with less experienced canvassers) ever since. I've been phonebanking as well, but it's not quite as easy to make that all-important personal connection with voters that Dean refers to. If you're physically able and have the time to canvass, but are simply not sure it's for you, I urge you to give it a whirl. (By the way, it does not have to be an all-day endeavor -- at least in my area, the typical canvass goes about 90-120 minutes.)
John, Your comment is among the most thoughtful, caring, and generous I’ve ever encountered.
Thank you!
I agree with Barbara. John, you make a point that I have advocated for decades with no platform to reach many if any. We must reach out to find or create new ways to communicate with friends, family, and community members. At least we must start with family members. Many are racing through life focused on making a living, guiding their children to be active in sports, or simply trying to escape the tiresome political drama. It is so urgent to talk with folks without creating despair or angst and concurrently encouraging all to be engaged. Sometimes they are, in fact, more engaged than we recognize. I’d be pleased to hear that from them rather than assume they are blithely moving through life not recognizing the urgency of these times whether political, environmental, culturally or civically, etc. I have also heard people tell me, “Oh! We (family members) don’t talk about these things because we are at such odds.” Our challenge is to recognize both cognitive and emotional aspects of conversations, to master the art of listening and working through conflict. There are resources and help available. Here is one effort, Braver Angels: https://braverangels.org/., which has worked to bring people together. Yet, I’d be thrilled to learn of success stories from people who have been able to engage family members or close neighbors in sharing and listening. The long game asks us to be intent on restoring our civil and shared humanity to save ourselves. No one is coming to help. We are our best and most immediate hope/resource.
John, In the event you’re interested, the Public Conversations Project Dialogue (PCP Dialogue) offers a mighty impressive set of tools based on the idea that intelligent and sincere people can have fundamental disagreements about complex matters. The focus is on letting the other person know that he or she is being listened to and respected, even when being disagreed with or refuted. I understand the rather comprehensive PCP Dialogue manual can be downloaded free of charge.
Republicans have two reasons to be nervous about the inflation reduction act. Firstly, it does not benefit their billionaire pay-masters explicitly as Trump's tax cut did. Secondly, it shows that congress can actually get stuff done that benefits the common man/woman. The Rs never focused on the second, never cared.
You're "Friday brought a strong jobs report as gas prices began to fall (to the shock and dismay of the entertainers on the Fox “news” channel)" is right. But I think Hannity, Carlson, Ingraham and the Murdochs are much worse than entertainers. They are not too far from traitors in their efforts to so discord and promote sedition and to provide aid and comfort to the billionaire class who are few in number but vast in influence.
Agreed
They have no concern for country, but are driven by money, ego, and power. Recall that Murdoch started first in his home country of Australia, moved on to England and then stepped across the Atlantic to the big prize - the U.S. Putin has played them and us by interfering or enhancing their propaganda efforts. We have all had times when we sit with friends or neighbors talking about how challenged we are by bureaucracy whether it be in pursuit of healthcare, an insurance claim, or minor inconvenience. So, Trump was aided by these talking heads eager to promote the grievance mentality ripe for the poking. How do each of us come to terms with our current complexities without succumbing to disenchanted anger and poor behavior? We must rise above the natural tendency to allow our frustrations and emotions be the driving force - recognizing and overcoming base instincts.
I wish I believed that, in their hearts of hearts, seditionists supported by the Murdochs like Gym Jordan, RonJohn, Hawley, Cotton and Gaetz were patriots who were looking after the average American. But I don't. I believe they and the Murdochs have sold their souls to the devil and will do us nothing but harm and will steal from us if empowered once more.
Wait! Wait! I totally agree with what you have just written. I’ll have to go back to my post to understand what if anything I wrote would suggest anything different. Those you have named and many more have sold their souls to the devil. You could have included McConnell, McCarthy, DeSantis, Cruz, Laura Ingraham, many of the spokespeople for Trump, his family members. Oh! The list is way too long. I wonder how and if they can ever be rounded up if there is to be a full accounting for this dystopian eruption.
Be good to have spelt "sew"
Of course ‘sew’ but we get the picture. As I always tell my hubby “you do business with people for Asia and you are genius at inferring what they are saying… but when it comes to me you can’t infer that I meant washer and not dryer?!!!”. So. Sew… I get you
Sow.
Sow.
Is it possible to ask for a thorough vetting of Brett Kavanaugh, since Trump’s White House made sure that this objectionable nominee made it through the process without having the FBI check the 4500 tips about what this man may have done???? Talk about a rigged system. If someone if selected on an erroneous basis, then in my opinion, that selection no longer is valid. We are not surprised at anything the Trump years did to us, but shocked that it gets to stand now that we know better. We knew front the get-go that Trump tried to intimidate Zelensky to find dirt on Biden, and finally, the 1/6 Committee is bringing to light exactly who Trump is and all the ways he has scammed the American people. My prayer is that he will be brought to justice. Likewise, Kavanaugh should be brought to justice. And, for good measure, let’s review Clarence Thomas’ case with Anita Hills, another egregious injustice we watched before our very eyes. Someone tell me again why this Extreme Court isn’t illegitimate???
Robert, I greatly benefitted from reading the piece in Slate discussing the proposed bipartisan ECA reforms. Thank you for providing it. Perhaps, most importantly, despite machinations we can expect at the local and state levels, I now understand the urgency of repairing the ECA before this Congress ends. Additionally, I benefitted from the piece’s comprehensive consideration of the Independent State Legislature legal theory.
As I understand, the fringe ISL legal theory, that has advanced to the Supreme Court, argues, that because the Constitution says that state legislatures redistrict or set the time, place, and manner of elections, that it means only the legislature has to be power to determine how Congressional elections are conducted (thus also impacting how Presidential electors are chosen) without any checks and balances from state constitutions or state courts, or perhaps even from a governor’s veto.
This past July, when I expressed concern regarding the High Court granting state legislatures this superpower where no one could check what they did, you explained that ISL “does not assert that the legislatures are above the US Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection [and] due process…”. Still, I worry about a High Court that would ignore 50 years of settled precedent in Roe, and would overturn a fundamental right relied upon by tens of millions every year. Clearly, a court willing to do that with a protection, over and over again reaffirmed, would do it to another fundamental protection.
As for the piece’s point about legislatures being subject to regulations of Congress, while, admittedly, state legislatures are not exempt from federal regulations, as we recently saw with the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, enforcing federal regulations requires either reaching the Senate’s 60-vote threshold or modifying the Senate’s filibuster rule to allow for debate and an up or down majority vote.
The foregoing concerns notwithstanding, I now genuinely appreciate the urgency of repairing the ECA before this Congress ends and also fully relate to the concerns of the piece’s authors that we not hold the good hostage to the perfect. Still, I would submit it would be a mistake were the public to be misled into believing that passage of the Electoral Count Reform Act, though necessary, sufficiently provides the requisite voter protections to safeguard our democracy.
Excellent summary Barbara. At the end of the day, our democracy requires that citizens understand the issues and vote intelligently. Thank you.
John, Given I work tirelessly to provide the necessary information and promote a level of discourse aimed at preserving our democratic republic, I especially appreciate your validating reply.
Having canvassed over the decades, I encourage folks to do it. It takes a while and many doors are not answered but I remember one fellow in Maine. He was fixing his roof when I appeared to chat, so we talked from roof to front walk. He was so pleased that I had come "all the way out here" (rural Maine) that he promised to register to vote and to vote for Jared Golden, so now all new England Congress members are Democrats. He liked that Jared was a Vet. Maybe he actually did. But i know I did my best, and i remember him.
Great story! I’m new to canvassing, but I’m enjoying it (mostly). I don’t know if people are persuaded these days by brief interactions with a stranger, but it normalizes talking about actual issues, not just sound bites. And there are lots of lovely people! Many more than the talking heads would have us believe.
Loved "normalizes talking about actual issues"! I think discussion is as integral to democracy as voting, and more fun.
I agree! It can be awkward to discuss issues at a picnic fr’instance, but if you knock on a door with candidate flyers in hand, of COURSE you’re going to talk issues, and you can unapologetically ask, “what do you think about X?”
Right. But how can we discover or create more spaces where it is non-awkward to talk issues? One characteristic of the canvassing scenario that may contribute to making it work is that the initiator (canvasser) is not in charge -- the householder retains power to end the discussion.
I wish I had an answer for that. Town halls with candidates would be good, but do any of them do that anymore? A local woman gathers people around films she likes, and some art galleries take on specific topics, like gun violence. Have you been to effective gatherings as well??
I have done my share of canvassing and understand most appreciated the knock on their door.
With respect to abortion and women’s rights to decide about their reproductive health: How does the U.S. determine fertilization, conception, and birth, and define when life begins? One bit of evidence is one of the requirements to be a candidate for President, namely one must be a U.S. citizen from birth. Clearly birth is when one leaves the womb /birth mother, not fertilization, 6 weeks, viability, or other time earlier. The vaunted concept of separation of church and state has gotten badly disregarded and disrespected in the Dobbs decision.
In 3 months or so I have moved from hope against hope to guarded optimism for midterms. The tide appears to be turning for the Biden administration on the domestic side; dare I extend my transformation to unguarded enthusiasm?
Absolutely not. Do everything you can to promote a positive message and get out the vote up and down the ballot.
The Democrats have had some good successes. Let’s make sure everyone hears about them!
I sure never hear anything about the infrastructure improvements being made (if any) - this is something that the administration should be talking about all the time. Who wouldn't like to hear about bridges, roadways, airports, internet, port, etc improvements - yet we hear nothing. Come on dems - toot your own horn more because you have done some great things and more to come.
Reporting and focus has been mostly on results. We need to focus more on preparation. More than 33,000 people in Kansas registered to vote between April and the mid-July deadline. Registrations I believe were up close to 1,000% over averages. (Needs verification.) Still searching for that exact number.
Data indicate most of those registrations came after the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision in late June — and 70% of those new voters were women, according to an analysis by TargetSmart, a nonpartisan political data organization.
Unofficial numbers suggest turnout for the capital city area is sitting close to 54.8%. The state primary record is 49.7%. Republicans crossed over to vote on the issue because only somewhere around 25% of the state electorate is Democrat. (Needs verification.) I saw the crossover number but it escapes me at the moment. I want to say 70,000. (Needs verification.)
These numbers are so telling. Clearly abortion is the platform that is driving this swell. It is swell. Nothing else has “moved markets” like this.
Yesterday, Robert quoted the Heritage Foundation from a 1920 piece stating the following:
"America is threatened by an egalitarianism that undermines the social, familial, religious, and economic distinctions and inequalities that undergird our political liberty."
He repeated it a couple of times and asked us to reflect on the assertion that our fundamental political liberty stands on a foundation of inequality. Where does this come from? How can the Republican Party openly assert such fundamentally evil doctrine? Of course, there are many reasons and many sources, but later in the day yesterday I came across a very good explanation in a Ted Talk posted on YouTube. It is well worth your time (18 minutes) to watch. Here you go. It tells all.
https://youtu.be/oIZDtqWX6Fk The Lie that Invented Racism
Thanks for the link! I will check it out.
WOW, Yes, very sadly, it tells all.Thank You Mike Schell:
John Biewen (white guy) explains that RACISM WAS INVENTED at the Portugese King's request in the 1450s, when he commissioned Gomes Eanes de Zurara to write a book to describe Africans as a distinct group, "inferior and beastly" so the king and merchants could justify their lucrative slave trade, "the brutal exploitation of other humans for profit." The USA is founded on this Big Lie.
Thank you Mike, some new history to me. I’ll be sure to share it with others.
Also shared this. Thanks
I did watch the video and while it speaks to the origins of slavery from early times of a Portuguese ruler and who promoted the notion that African’s are less than. That being said, it does not explain the absurdity of The Heritage Foundation or the Republican Party’s embrace of such thinking or the advocacy of the inferiority of any human being. It is particularly disconcerting to see this as a tenet of white Christian supremacy. It is nothing short of an outrageous and preposterous failing to embrace the idea that all god’s children are born equal. (I paraphrase.) It is the antithesis of our shared humanity regardless of any religious indoctrination. The mere thought that this might, in 2022, guide the thinking of anyone has my blood boiling. (A little voice is telling, “calm yourself.) Another cogent reason to abandon any organized religion. Look too at how this type of thinking has to be seen in the context of the subjugation of women offered by six Catholics justices. (Yes! I include Gorsuch who was brought up in that faith.)
Lucian Truscott posted this and I am sharing it with you.
“ the Kansas referendum that made me remember that night in the Lion’s Head and my years and years of not suffering fools gladly, because that’s exactly what the voters of Kansas did on Tuesday – they listened to each other and came together at least on the issue of abortion, 59 percent of them did, anyway, agreeing across party lines and gender and the chasm of the culture wars that women have the basic right of what the Kansas Supreme Court had called “autonomy” over their lives, and that included their bodies.
They found something they agreed on, and they meant it. Coverage on election day described lines of voters that went out of polling places onto the street and around corners in 100-degree heat. The last voter in one precinct in a small town in central Kansas cast her vote at 9:30 at night, more than two hours after the polls closed.
We need to gather voters from all parties and all agree on how we want government to work for all of us.
My wife, Amy MacDonald, who shares my subscription asked me to post the following:
I started my own, very partisan voter registration drive in Southern Maine, devoted to signing up new Democratic voters. I wrote to the Secretary of State, got 1,000 blank cards, and trained a team of volunteers. There are now about 20 of us. We attend Pride Parades, Farmer's Markets, concerts, First Friday events, and the colleges located in the Portland area. We've added about 90 new Democratic voters to the rolls so far, and expect much bigger numbers when college starts at the end of this month. I was trained by Field Team 6 in 2020, but decided to do this on my own this summer, as one concrete thing I could do to help Maine stay Blue (the Gov race is going to be very tight, as is CD2 House race).
Now THAT is taking charge! We need many more like Amy!
I’m hoping that Democratic campaign strategists will use the video footage of the so called preacher that menaced a Beto O’Rourke campaign event, previewing exactly what cristo- fascism will look like if they gain control of the national government. Some straight outta Iran stuff. The ad guys could do a “Beto has a man card the size of Texas” campaign; or highlight the insane creepiness of the “great men products of rape” the christo-terrorist is spewing. https://youtu.be/Td4N3e3YMis
Unbelievable. I wonder what would have happened if the same man had shown up at an Abbott campaign event carrying an assault rifle. Would Abbott have engaged him in polite debate, or would his bodyguard have shot the man first, and asked questions later?
This is what “open carry” looks like - an ordinary man, purporting to be a minister, in an political meeting, making nonsensical statements about great “men “ who are the products of rape and carrying, what I assume, is an assault weapon. Jesus weeps ! And all those people sitting there frozen in their seats or at their stations. In all my 83 years I have never seen anything like this. To think that my government has enabled that kind of action by us citizens is a travesty. That man carrying that weapon for his safety menaces me ! And Beto O’Rourke has to potentially face this everyday on the Campaign trail ? Travesty is too weak a word.
Thank you, Jean. At 79 there is little that my brain can comprehend about what we hear and see every day. When I see so many of the current elected officials, e.g., Cruz, Cotton, Hawley, DeSantis with law degrees from Ivy League schools I am always curious as to what the heck they are teaching in those high priced universities. (Rest assured, my intent is not to discredit any higher education institution.) It’s a most troubling time.
Incredible video of pastor w/gun. But far better to see how astutely Beto answered the man. Go Beto!!