February 6: Featuring Michael Podhorzer, Shalise Manza Young, Olivia Julianna, and Jennifer Weiss Wolf--in addition to Jen Rubin in conversation with Maya Wiley and with author of Fluke, Brian Klaas
I'm not sure how to word this. But is there a simple version of The Contrarian that can be shared with trump supporters who don't read the details? they need bullet points, like trump in his daily briefings. Thanks.
It does no good to "put down" people whose politics we absolutely do not share. In fact, the real danger are those supporters who are very intelligent. I imagine they can ask us the same thing: do we read/watch FoxNews, OAN, etc.?
Not putting them down. Asking for a way in to talk about what's going on. The people I know who supported trump only watch Fox etc. They don't read. Like trump doesn't read. I got the idea of bullet points from the way they have to prepare his presidential daily brief.
I know people who are trump voters. We do not ever talk politics. I think, just like we don't want to read their publications, they don't want to know ours. Perhaps the only way for people to really understand what trump is doing is to see what the effects are going to be long term. Time will tell.
I totally agree with you. Unfortunately the latest poll shows about 61% approval so it looks like it hasn't yet been a story the "approved " are reading.
I mean that one letter is on top, overlaid on another. A paragraph of that is impossible to read. So I do not. Lucky you if your letters are in the normal arrangement. Enough. My problem, not yours😄
We are on our way to a theocracy...trump set up a task force to investigate anti christian bias...seriously ?? AND the my pillow guy is selling crosses.......
Trump and supporters claim that they have a “mandate” for all this outrageous action to dismantle our government. They won the election with a very slim, sufficient majority. That does NOT mean that we must let them do their dirt with no resistance! The key reason that Trump won was that he appealed to people who wanted a little more money in their pockets and they swallowed his promises to arrange that. Many of those people are low-information voters and some were downright wicked and wanted a wicked, low-information president. Those who KNOW BETTER must get creative within the rule of law and RESIST. We see this beginning in courts and among Democratic elected representatives. May their tribe increase!
Hitler had his talking points too...and it only took him to lie and 33 days to take over the entire German Government...we do not need any more evidence ...... we can SEE
love listening to you Jen and Nat and your guests. Hope the democrats can come back into politics. They need new more energetic younger blood. After Roe Wade they needed to create
a message the supreme court is not for the people it;s being run and subserdised by project 2025
people that are conservative white christians that hate anything other!!! and Trump has been bought and paid for
Can you all please write a story about the hypothetical (I hope) possibility the King Trump will defy the courts and just continue on with what the courts have said is illegal? No ne seems to be addressing that.
My fear as well. It’s not clear to me, I’m embarrassed to say, what enforcement role the judiciary has if its orders are blatantly defied. And how is it that the DOJ is part of the executive branch when we supposedly have separation of powers? Dumb basic civics question but recent events have made it seem extremely important! Thank god we have state courts and exec branches too.
This is a broad comment - not on any one story. I just listened to Sen. Chris Murphy explain the proposed Republican tax cut. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFxkxMTR4oB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link This information needs to get out to everyone in the 3 House districts up in special elections (2 in FL and 1 in NY), and, because those races have such national impact, this needs to get out to everyone with the ask that more of us support those races. Perhaps a Contrarian interview with Chris Murphy is in order.
1. Russian and Ukrainian attacks cease. All Russian arms and military personnel either return to Russia (borders 1991) or surrender to Ukrainian forces, including Russian forces in Crimea and Moldova. All Ukrainian arms and military personnel either return to Ukraine or surrender to Russian forces. All mines are removed and destroyed by whomever placed them. NATO and Russia will avoid weapons threats to each other.
2. Russia is guaranteed unfettered commercial access to the Black Sea.
3. There will be free flow of goods, people and money throughout Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova. The terms will be standard contract law, a willing buyer and a willing seller. The requirement for being in this free trade zone is a birth rate below 2.1/1000 and falling, which it is for all 3.
4. There will be no WOWOD (Weapons Of War Or Destruction) move between or into or out of any of the three RUM nations.
5. NATO and each of the RUM nations guarantees the borders and sovereignty of each RUM nation and the terms of this treaty.
6. Russian pays $340 billion, and US, UK, EU, Ukraine also fund a special NATO committee to rebuild infrastructure damaged in RUM since 24 Feb 2022.
7. All sanctions are ended: All people may resume commercial interactions with RUM without interference from any nation in NATO. EU, UK or RUM.
This is too good for all involved to pass up.
This plan leaves President Putin in a world minus his perceived 'threats' and territorial conquests but with a new and very beneficial trade zone which may be so attractive that former "Soviet" states and EU states may want to join. It has never been US foreign policy to invade or harm the Russian Federation, only to restrain Russian Imperialism.
We hope the Russians, Ukrainians and Moldovans thrive economically so long as thriving is not translated into military aggression.
Such a treaty tends to move Putin personally out of his Tsarist/Soviet mindset. He has lived 30 years in a "wild west" transition from Stalinist Communism where every pitchfork was owned by the State toward a democratic republic political structure and a free market economy where everything was up for grabs.
Future amalgamation with the EU becomes a more open option as EU already meets the falling birth rate provision.
President Zelensky should approve as well, seeing an end to destruction, a vast reconstruction, no loss of territory, and greatly enhanced economic opportunities. Putin will not see "conquest" in such a scheme but will see enhanced Russian "influence". Expect widow Navalny to disapprove as her agenda is to collapse Putin's power.
The United States and UK and EU should see a greatly reduced threat from Russia. The drain on resources and money drops dramatically as an opportunity of enhanced commerce grows. All results in a reduced likelihood of war over Taiwan.
Rewrite to President Biden:Dr. Dykers, former student of Dr. Hal P. Ford, former Chief of the Far Eastern Desk, State Department. Taught him to write "Position Papers" for State Department. Familiar with Hans Morgenthau, Henry Kissinger, General Milley, et al. Asks you to evaluate the Peace Plan. The key concern now is inside Xi's head as to when and IF he will invade Taiwan.
Knowing that PEACE could be a framework within which all could function would persuade many former Soviets to abandon Putin's war propaganda and support his role as peacemaker gaining a massive free trade zone. Putin has a face-saving exit to prevent more destructive aggression and any need for closer alliance with China, N. Korea, or Viet Nam.
The RUM (Russia, Ukraine, Moldova) concept is new. RUM presents a way out of territorial disputes and into functionality that does not cascade into new dysfunctions for China and Taiwan.
Excellent conversation with Brian Klaas. Indeed, we have to go back to the basics and think what society is all about. Of course, Margaret Thatcher famously said there is no society but only individuals. Listening to Brian Klaas, though, he points out interesting perspectives on this idea. One thought that strikes me is that billionaires have no sense of place (which even the Robber Barons supposedly had) and are not beholden to the structures they exploit and feast on. They just move on to the next place without any sense of responsibilities. It’s just like one of the plagues the bible talks about when locusts destroyed crops and land. Wisconsin’s very interesting progressive movement was built on a sense of place and stewardship. This way of thinking about communities mostly disappeared in that state when Republican locusts strangled government in 2010. Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, I am afraid, have never been grounded in that sense of place and responsibility. The confluence of their attitudes, while technologically brilliant, and libertarian and (Reagan) Republican values have finally got us to the dark place we are finding ourselves in now. So the question is how we can, as a country, define values that hold us together as a society. I firmly believe that an articulate conversation about this idea will bring back some MAGA folks who also seem to suffer from their perception of loss of place, specifically their loss of place in economic hierarchies. I am not sure to what extent the Democratic party is equipped to lead that conversation, given that many of their congressional members are, too, beholden to the strings attached to the money given by billionaires. There must be outside pressure on Democrats. Unfortunately, that is a difficult task in electoral terms, where only two parties rule the roost. In a parliamentary system, Republicans and Democrats would divide into different parties and find programatic coalitions to move forward. The current system is clearly not working.
The system you seem to recommend is not working either. Look at Germany, where there are many different parties and all those who receive a minimum of 5% in parliamentary elections participate, either as hole-fillers with bigger parties to form the government, or as spoilers.
That’s not perfect, I agree. But I think it is a system that is much more flexible than ours. Yes, the AfD currently polls at a scary 20%. Here, Trump was voted in with the majority of votes, definitely with a majority of electoral votes. He would not be the king he is now if we had a parliamentary system.
We have met the enemy, and he is us. so said Pogo, correctly. Our checks and balances held up for near 250 years. We were not prepared to deal with a demagogue/ TV bully/ real life bully/native New Yorker/narcicist determined to destroy the government. Remember Hitler was simply a WWl corporal who wanted to be famous. Sue with they had accepted him to art school. Sad there was not a less harmful path for Trump. Try "Every War Is An UnCivil War" Amazon Kindle or Paperback. Love, Doc www.dykers.com
A suggestion for the Contrarian team. It would be really helpful to hear some reporting and discussion of how Trump-friendly mainstream outlets like Fox are covering Trump and Musk and the havoc they’re wreaking. There are a few Trumpies in my orbit who I assume are getting a lot of their “news” and analysis there - what are their sources telling them about what’s going on? Is there any pushback at all to the anti-democratic moves? How does right wing media spin all this mayhem? Are there any cracks in the wall? For those of us who can’t stomach watching Fox, it would be great to have some reporting on that undeniably key player in the mix.
Remember...Trump is slated to attend the Supebowl in New Orleans ....I think we should be there to welcome him and have a dialogue ...maybe one loud enough that could be heard INSIDE the stadium...hard for the main stream media to ignore all that Patriotism :)....." Our Government Of the People, By the People , For the People shall NOT PERISH from this Earth" :) Amen
While it seems logical to write to AARP, they are connected businesswise to United Health Care, the most profitable healthcare insurer in the world. "... AARP and UnitedHealthcare have a partnership that provides Medicare plans to AARP members. AARP endorses UnitedHealthcare as their top choice for Medicare supplement insurance. " 'Not sure how much AARP will support senior advocacy given this business relationship, but it can't hurt to try.
I'm not sure how to word this. But is there a simple version of The Contrarian that can be shared with trump supporters who don't read the details? they need bullet points, like trump in his daily briefings. Thanks.
Yes- needed
It does no good to "put down" people whose politics we absolutely do not share. In fact, the real danger are those supporters who are very intelligent. I imagine they can ask us the same thing: do we read/watch FoxNews, OAN, etc.?
Not putting them down. Asking for a way in to talk about what's going on. The people I know who supported trump only watch Fox etc. They don't read. Like trump doesn't read. I got the idea of bullet points from the way they have to prepare his presidential daily brief.
I know people who are trump voters. We do not ever talk politics. I think, just like we don't want to read their publications, they don't want to know ours. Perhaps the only way for people to really understand what trump is doing is to see what the effects are going to be long term. Time will tell.
Time has already told. Destruction politics.
I totally agree with you. Unfortunately the latest poll shows about 61% approval so it looks like it hasn't yet been a story the "approved " are reading.
If you have a 401k, IRA, mutual funds etc, call your brokerage firm and ask them divest from Tesla #divestfromtesla
I cannot read this. Why does the Contrarian make it so hard? Can you please post like Heather Cox Richardson or Joyce Vance? Thank you.
I don't understand. Why can you not read this?
The words were piled on top of one another.
I'm sorry, I must be slow, but I still don't understand. Isn't it the nature of any written article that "words were piled on top of one another?"
Do you mean breaking articles down into more paragraphs? I'm truly at a loss here.
Agreed
???
I mean that one letter is on top, overlaid on another. A paragraph of that is impossible to read. So I do not. Lucky you if your letters are in the normal arrangement. Enough. My problem, not yours😄
We are on our way to a theocracy...trump set up a task force to investigate anti christian bias...seriously ?? AND the my pillow guy is selling crosses.......
Trump and supporters claim that they have a “mandate” for all this outrageous action to dismantle our government. They won the election with a very slim, sufficient majority. That does NOT mean that we must let them do their dirt with no resistance! The key reason that Trump won was that he appealed to people who wanted a little more money in their pockets and they swallowed his promises to arrange that. Many of those people are low-information voters and some were downright wicked and wanted a wicked, low-information president. Those who KNOW BETTER must get creative within the rule of law and RESIST. We see this beginning in courts and among Democratic elected representatives. May their tribe increase!
Hitler had his talking points too...and it only took him to lie and 33 days to take over the entire German Government...we do not need any more evidence ...... we can SEE
love listening to you Jen and Nat and your guests. Hope the democrats can come back into politics. They need new more energetic younger blood. After Roe Wade they needed to create
a message the supreme court is not for the people it;s being run and subserdised by project 2025
people that are conservative white christians that hate anything other!!! and Trump has been bought and paid for
Can you all please write a story about the hypothetical (I hope) possibility the King Trump will defy the courts and just continue on with what the courts have said is illegal? No ne seems to be addressing that.
Thanks
My fear as well. It’s not clear to me, I’m embarrassed to say, what enforcement role the judiciary has if its orders are blatantly defied. And how is it that the DOJ is part of the executive branch when we supposedly have separation of powers? Dumb basic civics question but recent events have made it seem extremely important! Thank god we have state courts and exec branches too.
This is a broad comment - not on any one story. I just listened to Sen. Chris Murphy explain the proposed Republican tax cut. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFxkxMTR4oB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link This information needs to get out to everyone in the 3 House districts up in special elections (2 in FL and 1 in NY), and, because those races have such national impact, this needs to get out to everyone with the ask that more of us support those races. Perhaps a Contrarian interview with Chris Murphy is in order.
I really like this digest-like posting of articles/conversations.
PEACE PLAN TO END PUTIN'S WAR
1. Russian and Ukrainian attacks cease. All Russian arms and military personnel either return to Russia (borders 1991) or surrender to Ukrainian forces, including Russian forces in Crimea and Moldova. All Ukrainian arms and military personnel either return to Ukraine or surrender to Russian forces. All mines are removed and destroyed by whomever placed them. NATO and Russia will avoid weapons threats to each other.
2. Russia is guaranteed unfettered commercial access to the Black Sea.
3. There will be free flow of goods, people and money throughout Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova. The terms will be standard contract law, a willing buyer and a willing seller. The requirement for being in this free trade zone is a birth rate below 2.1/1000 and falling, which it is for all 3.
4. There will be no WOWOD (Weapons Of War Or Destruction) move between or into or out of any of the three RUM nations.
5. NATO and each of the RUM nations guarantees the borders and sovereignty of each RUM nation and the terms of this treaty.
6. Russian pays $340 billion, and US, UK, EU, Ukraine also fund a special NATO committee to rebuild infrastructure damaged in RUM since 24 Feb 2022.
7. All sanctions are ended: All people may resume commercial interactions with RUM without interference from any nation in NATO. EU, UK or RUM.
This is too good for all involved to pass up.
This plan leaves President Putin in a world minus his perceived 'threats' and territorial conquests but with a new and very beneficial trade zone which may be so attractive that former "Soviet" states and EU states may want to join. It has never been US foreign policy to invade or harm the Russian Federation, only to restrain Russian Imperialism.
We hope the Russians, Ukrainians and Moldovans thrive economically so long as thriving is not translated into military aggression.
Such a treaty tends to move Putin personally out of his Tsarist/Soviet mindset. He has lived 30 years in a "wild west" transition from Stalinist Communism where every pitchfork was owned by the State toward a democratic republic political structure and a free market economy where everything was up for grabs.
Future amalgamation with the EU becomes a more open option as EU already meets the falling birth rate provision.
President Zelensky should approve as well, seeing an end to destruction, a vast reconstruction, no loss of territory, and greatly enhanced economic opportunities. Putin will not see "conquest" in such a scheme but will see enhanced Russian "influence". Expect widow Navalny to disapprove as her agenda is to collapse Putin's power.
The United States and UK and EU should see a greatly reduced threat from Russia. The drain on resources and money drops dramatically as an opportunity of enhanced commerce grows. All results in a reduced likelihood of war over Taiwan.
Rewrite to President Biden:Dr. Dykers, former student of Dr. Hal P. Ford, former Chief of the Far Eastern Desk, State Department. Taught him to write "Position Papers" for State Department. Familiar with Hans Morgenthau, Henry Kissinger, General Milley, et al. Asks you to evaluate the Peace Plan. The key concern now is inside Xi's head as to when and IF he will invade Taiwan.
Knowing that PEACE could be a framework within which all could function would persuade many former Soviets to abandon Putin's war propaganda and support his role as peacemaker gaining a massive free trade zone. Putin has a face-saving exit to prevent more destructive aggression and any need for closer alliance with China, N. Korea, or Viet Nam.
The RUM (Russia, Ukraine, Moldova) concept is new. RUM presents a way out of territorial disputes and into functionality that does not cascade into new dysfunctions for China and Taiwan.
Excellent conversation with Brian Klaas. Indeed, we have to go back to the basics and think what society is all about. Of course, Margaret Thatcher famously said there is no society but only individuals. Listening to Brian Klaas, though, he points out interesting perspectives on this idea. One thought that strikes me is that billionaires have no sense of place (which even the Robber Barons supposedly had) and are not beholden to the structures they exploit and feast on. They just move on to the next place without any sense of responsibilities. It’s just like one of the plagues the bible talks about when locusts destroyed crops and land. Wisconsin’s very interesting progressive movement was built on a sense of place and stewardship. This way of thinking about communities mostly disappeared in that state when Republican locusts strangled government in 2010. Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, I am afraid, have never been grounded in that sense of place and responsibility. The confluence of their attitudes, while technologically brilliant, and libertarian and (Reagan) Republican values have finally got us to the dark place we are finding ourselves in now. So the question is how we can, as a country, define values that hold us together as a society. I firmly believe that an articulate conversation about this idea will bring back some MAGA folks who also seem to suffer from their perception of loss of place, specifically their loss of place in economic hierarchies. I am not sure to what extent the Democratic party is equipped to lead that conversation, given that many of their congressional members are, too, beholden to the strings attached to the money given by billionaires. There must be outside pressure on Democrats. Unfortunately, that is a difficult task in electoral terms, where only two parties rule the roost. In a parliamentary system, Republicans and Democrats would divide into different parties and find programatic coalitions to move forward. The current system is clearly not working.
The system you seem to recommend is not working either. Look at Germany, where there are many different parties and all those who receive a minimum of 5% in parliamentary elections participate, either as hole-fillers with bigger parties to form the government, or as spoilers.
That’s not perfect, I agree. But I think it is a system that is much more flexible than ours. Yes, the AfD currently polls at a scary 20%. Here, Trump was voted in with the majority of votes, definitely with a majority of electoral votes. He would not be the king he is now if we had a parliamentary system.
We have met the enemy, and he is us. so said Pogo, correctly. Our checks and balances held up for near 250 years. We were not prepared to deal with a demagogue/ TV bully/ real life bully/native New Yorker/narcicist determined to destroy the government. Remember Hitler was simply a WWl corporal who wanted to be famous. Sue with they had accepted him to art school. Sad there was not a less harmful path for Trump. Try "Every War Is An UnCivil War" Amazon Kindle or Paperback. Love, Doc www.dykers.com
I am a subscriber and have not received the Contrarian since the 6th. What is going on?
A suggestion for the Contrarian team. It would be really helpful to hear some reporting and discussion of how Trump-friendly mainstream outlets like Fox are covering Trump and Musk and the havoc they’re wreaking. There are a few Trumpies in my orbit who I assume are getting a lot of their “news” and analysis there - what are their sources telling them about what’s going on? Is there any pushback at all to the anti-democratic moves? How does right wing media spin all this mayhem? Are there any cracks in the wall? For those of us who can’t stomach watching Fox, it would be great to have some reporting on that undeniably key player in the mix.
Remember...Trump is slated to attend the Supebowl in New Orleans ....I think we should be there to welcome him and have a dialogue ...maybe one loud enough that could be heard INSIDE the stadium...hard for the main stream media to ignore all that Patriotism :)....." Our Government Of the People, By the People , For the People shall NOT PERISH from this Earth" :) Amen
Great idea, but they would always be the same. 1.Violating the Constitution 2. Conflict of interest. 3. Emolument violations. Need I mention more…
While it seems logical to write to AARP, they are connected businesswise to United Health Care, the most profitable healthcare insurer in the world. "... AARP and UnitedHealthcare have a partnership that provides Medicare plans to AARP members. AARP endorses UnitedHealthcare as their top choice for Medicare supplement insurance. " 'Not sure how much AARP will support senior advocacy given this business relationship, but it can't hurt to try.