Voting is a right every American Citizen has. MAGA supporters have every right to express their opinions and cast their votes as they see fit, as do you and I. I am probably misinterpreting your comment but that would employ the same strategy Trump is using, keep the voters out of the polls by intimidation , threats or act of Congress and complicity by the Supreme Court.
Your expressed attitude toward voter suppression is admirable. But I do believe you've taken David Solomon's comment too literally. The reality of 2026 is that there is a cohort of voters who DEEPLY identify as Trump Supporters / MAGA. At this point pollsters and social scientists recognize that there is NO WAY to convince these voters to vote for any one but Trump or a Trump-endorsed candidate. These voters are motivated by either irrational fear (manufactured by Trump & his media echo chamber (Fox etc) or by anger stemming from their personal situation. (Read yesterday how Thomas Massie (KY-R) said this group doesn't vote on policy or ideology. "They'll just vote for the most outrageous candidate. The one who will most shock the liberals.") BUT pollsters have found that among these MAGA-Republican voters there IS a substantial number who have found it IMPOSSIBLE to avoid the FACT that Trump has failed on his promises. They are feeling the PAIN caused by Trump's actions. These voters have indicated that they simply CANNOT vote for a Democrat so they will stay home for the midterms. And to this I say, "Yes, let them stay home."
"With a decisive electoral win and a national commitment to oversight, we could ensure that we never again cede power to those who see government as a vehicle for personal revenge, pecuniary gain, or full-scale assault on pluralistic democracy."
Fingers crossed.
All the reasons America used to be great are on the line.
It's OK to be uncomfortable with the truth, and to commit to doing better in the future. That's what makes our human species successful.
Yes! In the 2024 presidential election, 33% of eligible voters chose Trump, 33% chose Harris, and 33% didn’t vote. (Google it to verify.) Trump is constantly losing support among Republicans and unaffiliated, as Jennifer Rubin shows us. There’s hope!
And what rejoicing there will be when “our long, national nightmare” is over! Horns honking, dancing in the streets, fireworks exploding! 1776 all over again when we rid ourselves of this faux-king president!
Ms. Rubin. The Mainstream Media must be rueing the day they lost you to Substack. You are one of the finest journalists of our times. Thank you for your excellently penned articles - the ones that ground us in truth and point to a path forward.
Unfortunately, Jeff Bezos’s Washington Post has no need for a journalist like Jennifer. These days, they would much rather curry favor with the administration.
Something that popped up this weekend: We all know how cowed and compliant most of the "legacy" media outlets based in the USA have been, apparently terrified of being sued rather than protecting their own reporters from harm. Well, the BBC, which has absolutely nothing to lose, has decided the ludicrous 10 billion dollar suit lodged against them is going to continue. And they are demanding all kinds of documents in the discovery phase, which earlier in June the Felon and his minions refused to release. Well, discovery is a mechanism that will use the justice system to compel them to do so. And they are demanding a bunch of stuff, none of it things the Felon wants to have revealed. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, because I doubt that Andy Burnham, a shoe-in to replace Starmer, is no friend to the Orange Menace.
And time is running out for the DOJ to un-redact names of offenders and redact names of survivors of Epstein. I think the judge gave them until July 2nd so I'll be anxious to see what happens then,
We also must do something about the Roberts court. There is nothing "supreme" about a court where some members are corrupt. We need a Supreme Court that follows the rule of law, not bend them to bow to one man.
You can go YouTube and see Jon Ossoff's campaign speech in Savannah last week. It was a barn burner. He is starting to talk about the twin crises of Corruption and Competence which tRump has visited on us. We all need to talk about these things. And, he even brought up amending the Constitution - we need more, much more of this kind of talk. This is a watershed year and we need to carpe diem and take our Nation back.
In the current climate where so many of the state legislatures are heavily MAGA infested, opening the Constitution to amendments might not be a sensible move. Voting the current congresscritters out who don't support it would be a better first move.
Would we need 3/4 of the states to ratify modification to a president's pardon power? But you are accurate on the difficulties in passing ANY amendment to our Constitution. It's a double edge sword, it's super difficult to make changes to our Constitution - but this cuts against rash and abrupt changes which therefore provides stability.
"MAGA’s war on truth, namely its obsessive reliance on lies and conspiracies — no matter how outlandish — to maintain its grip on power, is breathing its last gasps."
I hope you may be correct in your assessment. Certainly where orange mussolini is concerned Americans may be turning their backs on his lies. I think it is important to recognize and understand that trump has been the vehicle for a fascist coup still being staged by the likes of vance, miller, vought, blanche, bessant, hegseth, the 6 maga operatives on the court, leonard leo, blanche, musk, thiel, and the doge boys creating a massive database of voters within the WH,and all the many now disbarred lawyers who pushed the first coup of J6. This crowd is still breathing. Its tentacles reach into all parts of government and society. Whatever happens in the midterms, and may they mark a huge and unmistakable repudiation of fascism, the fight facing this democracy will be long, requiring fortitude and courage to see clearly how our own national history of white supremacy and monied interests usually calling the shots and making the policies has brought us to yet another tragic time. Both parties have participated in what we're facing today. Defending the right to vote as well as the validity of outcomes will require huge coalitions of Americans. I don't think any of us committed to the structures of a democracy fully comprehend the nature of the forces currently driving us into fascist dictatorship. You have a glimpse in vance sanewashing nixon at the nixon library. IMO vance is even more of a danger to our democracy.
And now we have JD Vance saying that Watergate was nothing. Democrats, make sure to implicate JD Vance in the strongest terms as a voice propagating the lies and misinformation. Trump will be out of office soon, we have to tar Vance with the same brush.
Thank you Jen. The Justice and Accountability Mission has got to be a priority for any of us who care about life and the good of humanity. The Trump regime is mired in death dealing, and sadly that's no hyperbole.
Republicans reject science, wreck the economy, balloon the deficit & transfer wealth to the wealthiest.
Dems: an order of magnitude better than the Trump & Co packs of depraved sociopaths. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_i38-qjtbI Please, 86 47 & his capos with a Blue Tsunami. #VoteBlue!
I have worked in several elections. The accuracy of the count depends upon the voting system being used. Where I live, voting is recorded on a paper ballot with a bar code that matches the bar code on the authorization to vote which has the voter's individual data recorded, so it is possible to see whether any particular individual cast a ballot. The paper ballot is scanned by a tabulator which is not connected to the internet. Ballots are deposited by the machine into a locked chamber until the end of the day when they are collected and transported to the elections office for safeguarding. The thumb drive is kept in a locked chamber and only the chief election judge in the polling place has access to the drive. The drive is secured and delivered to the elections board after the polls have closed on election night. Daily checks are conducted during early voting. All absentee ballots are delivered to the elections board by the post office or by the voter who must show a photo ID when doing so. There really is no way to commit widespread fraud with the system. Can an individual cast a fraudulent ballot risking prosecution and loss of freedom? Sure, but the election problem in our country is lack of participation rather than fraudulent voting. Anyone who is denied the right to vote may cast a provisional ballot. If validly cast, the vote will be counted. Provisional voting may take many days to count since investigation is usually required. I have used machines with mechanical levers and curtains in the past and paper ballots that were all hand counted. I have voted in elections where many different kinds of systems that used data processing such as punch cards were used to record votes and the one described above is the most secure in my view. So, if the election is stolen it will not be done by cheating, it will be done by the use of thuggery and the use of force. It will be done openly and we will be dared to do something about it.
You’re right about all that must be done to clear the decks, as you say. But if the MSM doesn’t help with the sweeping and mopping, the filth and residue of the Trumpmaga will continue to breed and spread again. Democracy needs a constant cleaning effort over years and decades and cleaning rotten wood isn’t going to work. Elections matter. Education matters.
a predictable deflection that is all too common, people who seem opposed to MAGA rule than crap on the opposition as incompetent etc. Mary Pat will you do what you need to do? Like vote, talk up good candidates, etc. The national and state parties can only do so much.
And what could be done about the theft of personal data from social security, Medicare and Medicaid? Who has it? How can this possibly be restored and made secure?
The key will be getting people out to vote. The largest voter block , those who don't vote, need to be mobilized end encouraged to participate.
Keep MAGA home.
Voting is a right every American Citizen has. MAGA supporters have every right to express their opinions and cast their votes as they see fit, as do you and I. I am probably misinterpreting your comment but that would employ the same strategy Trump is using, keep the voters out of the polls by intimidation , threats or act of Congress and complicity by the Supreme Court.
Your expressed attitude toward voter suppression is admirable. But I do believe you've taken David Solomon's comment too literally. The reality of 2026 is that there is a cohort of voters who DEEPLY identify as Trump Supporters / MAGA. At this point pollsters and social scientists recognize that there is NO WAY to convince these voters to vote for any one but Trump or a Trump-endorsed candidate. These voters are motivated by either irrational fear (manufactured by Trump & his media echo chamber (Fox etc) or by anger stemming from their personal situation. (Read yesterday how Thomas Massie (KY-R) said this group doesn't vote on policy or ideology. "They'll just vote for the most outrageous candidate. The one who will most shock the liberals.") BUT pollsters have found that among these MAGA-Republican voters there IS a substantial number who have found it IMPOSSIBLE to avoid the FACT that Trump has failed on his promises. They are feeling the PAIN caused by Trump's actions. These voters have indicated that they simply CANNOT vote for a Democrat so they will stay home for the midterms. And to this I say, "Yes, let them stay home."
If they want to stay away, that is their right. Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your input.
War is hell. Make them apatheic again.
And we continue to do nothing.
Congress continues to do nothing. Fix that organization and we likely fix the problem. Good comment.
"With a decisive electoral win and a national commitment to oversight, we could ensure that we never again cede power to those who see government as a vehicle for personal revenge, pecuniary gain, or full-scale assault on pluralistic democracy."
Fingers crossed.
All the reasons America used to be great are on the line.
It's OK to be uncomfortable with the truth, and to commit to doing better in the future. That's what makes our human species successful.
Yes! In the 2024 presidential election, 33% of eligible voters chose Trump, 33% chose Harris, and 33% didn’t vote. (Google it to verify.) Trump is constantly losing support among Republicans and unaffiliated, as Jennifer Rubin shows us. There’s hope!
And what rejoicing there will be when “our long, national nightmare” is over! Horns honking, dancing in the streets, fireworks exploding! 1776 all over again when we rid ourselves of this faux-king president!
Ms. Rubin. The Mainstream Media must be rueing the day they lost you to Substack. You are one of the finest journalists of our times. Thank you for your excellently penned articles - the ones that ground us in truth and point to a path forward.
Agree. And, Ms. Rubin, you should be a consultant to the DNC.
Unfortunately, Jeff Bezos’s Washington Post has no need for a journalist like Jennifer. These days, they would much rather curry favor with the administration.
Something that popped up this weekend: We all know how cowed and compliant most of the "legacy" media outlets based in the USA have been, apparently terrified of being sued rather than protecting their own reporters from harm. Well, the BBC, which has absolutely nothing to lose, has decided the ludicrous 10 billion dollar suit lodged against them is going to continue. And they are demanding all kinds of documents in the discovery phase, which earlier in June the Felon and his minions refused to release. Well, discovery is a mechanism that will use the justice system to compel them to do so. And they are demanding a bunch of stuff, none of it things the Felon wants to have revealed. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, because I doubt that Andy Burnham, a shoe-in to replace Starmer, is no friend to the Orange Menace.
Outstanding! I hope the BBC chokes them in discovery.
Great!
And time is running out for the DOJ to un-redact names of offenders and redact names of survivors of Epstein. I think the judge gave them until July 2nd so I'll be anxious to see what happens then,
That's just the Katie Pfang case. What about New Mexico? UK? France? et al?
And who did what to Bubba?
Will we figure out what is right and what is wrong before July 2?
We also must do something about the Roberts court. There is nothing "supreme" about a court where some members are corrupt. We need a Supreme Court that follows the rule of law, not bend them to bow to one man.
expand the court
You can go YouTube and see Jon Ossoff's campaign speech in Savannah last week. It was a barn burner. He is starting to talk about the twin crises of Corruption and Competence which tRump has visited on us. We all need to talk about these things. And, he even brought up amending the Constitution - we need more, much more of this kind of talk. This is a watershed year and we need to carpe diem and take our Nation back.
In the current climate where so many of the state legislatures are heavily MAGA infested, opening the Constitution to amendments might not be a sensible move. Voting the current congresscritters out who don't support it would be a better first move.
Would we need 3/4 of the states to ratify modification to a president's pardon power? But you are accurate on the difficulties in passing ANY amendment to our Constitution. It's a double edge sword, it's super difficult to make changes to our Constitution - but this cuts against rash and abrupt changes which therefore provides stability.
To your question, congress cannot modify/remove a president's pardon power. It is set by the Constitution (Article II).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT6av30-WEg
Trump only lies when he’s talking. The trouble is he never shuts up!
Watch, if his lips are moving, things are being said that are not truthful nor grounded in any fact-based reality.
"MAGA’s war on truth, namely its obsessive reliance on lies and conspiracies — no matter how outlandish — to maintain its grip on power, is breathing its last gasps."
I hope you may be correct in your assessment. Certainly where orange mussolini is concerned Americans may be turning their backs on his lies. I think it is important to recognize and understand that trump has been the vehicle for a fascist coup still being staged by the likes of vance, miller, vought, blanche, bessant, hegseth, the 6 maga operatives on the court, leonard leo, blanche, musk, thiel, and the doge boys creating a massive database of voters within the WH,and all the many now disbarred lawyers who pushed the first coup of J6. This crowd is still breathing. Its tentacles reach into all parts of government and society. Whatever happens in the midterms, and may they mark a huge and unmistakable repudiation of fascism, the fight facing this democracy will be long, requiring fortitude and courage to see clearly how our own national history of white supremacy and monied interests usually calling the shots and making the policies has brought us to yet another tragic time. Both parties have participated in what we're facing today. Defending the right to vote as well as the validity of outcomes will require huge coalitions of Americans. I don't think any of us committed to the structures of a democracy fully comprehend the nature of the forces currently driving us into fascist dictatorship. You have a glimpse in vance sanewashing nixon at the nixon library. IMO vance is even more of a danger to our democracy.
And now we have JD Vance saying that Watergate was nothing. Democrats, make sure to implicate JD Vance in the strongest terms as a voice propagating the lies and misinformation. Trump will be out of office soon, we have to tar Vance with the same brush.
Trump, his oligarchs and their tame Republican Party will work hard to disrupt our elections. We will need to get out the vote in spite of this.
Thank you Jen. The Justice and Accountability Mission has got to be a priority for any of us who care about life and the good of humanity. The Trump regime is mired in death dealing, and sadly that's no hyperbole.
Corruption on an epic scale: https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/corruption-for-make-benefit-glorious?r=aexlz&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Republicans reject science, wreck the economy, balloon the deficit & transfer wealth to the wealthiest.
Dems: an order of magnitude better than the Trump & Co packs of depraved sociopaths. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_i38-qjtbI Please, 86 47 & his capos with a Blue Tsunami. #VoteBlue!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6ji9EFt9Lg
So many ways to showcase not right vs left but top vs bottom (read DJT and his minions)!
Yes, but can we overcome the cheating to come on Election Day and during the counting of ballots?
I have worked in several elections. The accuracy of the count depends upon the voting system being used. Where I live, voting is recorded on a paper ballot with a bar code that matches the bar code on the authorization to vote which has the voter's individual data recorded, so it is possible to see whether any particular individual cast a ballot. The paper ballot is scanned by a tabulator which is not connected to the internet. Ballots are deposited by the machine into a locked chamber until the end of the day when they are collected and transported to the elections office for safeguarding. The thumb drive is kept in a locked chamber and only the chief election judge in the polling place has access to the drive. The drive is secured and delivered to the elections board after the polls have closed on election night. Daily checks are conducted during early voting. All absentee ballots are delivered to the elections board by the post office or by the voter who must show a photo ID when doing so. There really is no way to commit widespread fraud with the system. Can an individual cast a fraudulent ballot risking prosecution and loss of freedom? Sure, but the election problem in our country is lack of participation rather than fraudulent voting. Anyone who is denied the right to vote may cast a provisional ballot. If validly cast, the vote will be counted. Provisional voting may take many days to count since investigation is usually required. I have used machines with mechanical levers and curtains in the past and paper ballots that were all hand counted. I have voted in elections where many different kinds of systems that used data processing such as punch cards were used to record votes and the one described above is the most secure in my view. So, if the election is stolen it will not be done by cheating, it will be done by the use of thuggery and the use of force. It will be done openly and we will be dared to do something about it.
You’re right about all that must be done to clear the decks, as you say. But if the MSM doesn’t help with the sweeping and mopping, the filth and residue of the Trumpmaga will continue to breed and spread again. Democracy needs a constant cleaning effort over years and decades and cleaning rotten wood isn’t going to work. Elections matter. Education matters.
Mainstream media will not help, until the influence of large dark money donors is removed.
But will the Dems do what they need to do?
a predictable deflection that is all too common, people who seem opposed to MAGA rule than crap on the opposition as incompetent etc. Mary Pat will you do what you need to do? Like vote, talk up good candidates, etc. The national and state parties can only do so much.
And what could be done about the theft of personal data from social security, Medicare and Medicaid? Who has it? How can this possibly be restored and made secure?
We have literally GIVEN our democracy away. We MUST start thinking.
We must start thinking soon.
And the case of the personal information from those agencies above, it was not given away – it was stolen by DOGE.