Republicans' turn away from democracy has already resulted in a collapse in their support. But that won't mean anything unless we organize in our communities to bring about something to replace them with!
Right! We need to shine a light on the Republican's 'Destroy Democracy Game' as well as a spotlight on the Supreme Court's very chummy relationships with 'big money'. That has been going on for as long as Thomas, Roberts and Alito have been justices. As you say, we need to be working on our slate of demands within our communities and states to make re-establishing of Our Rights and Our Democracy the banner headline of the coming elections. Democrats better come up with a plan, pronto!
One powerful way to turn things around is to pressure state officials. States in this country have a lot of power & blue states need to use it to the fullest to prosecute any crimes committed by Trump lackeys, ICE goons, & anyone else violating state law for this shambolic “admin.”
Good to bring this up! And convictions under state law are pardon proof! This said, we have some small town sheriffs who love their Trump. They have been more than happy to look the other way when crimes happen to non-white citizens. Still, times are changing and maybe the citizens will vote them out of office!
"Big money" is the main reason we have put a fool into the White House. ANYONE putting ANYONE'S money into politics should be made illegal WITH STIFF PEANALTIES!
( 50 million U.S. dollars plus 10 years in prison with NO chance of parole.)
Getting corporate money and huge donations out of our elections needs to be on the slate of things to do NOW! Let's go back to limiting contributions with no 'side betting' through friends or relatives. If We the People demand this, it can be done.
Democrats need to jettison the "Reagan Democrats" from the party and return to their progressive roots -- and actually be an opposition party rather than a battered wife to the GOP abusers. Madami and AOC are perfect examples of this. They're honest, they're real, they're leading and they're changing the playing field that has been in place since the 80's.
As impatient as we are Agentic, to have the numbers we need to move the pendulum into the opposite direction, we might need a deep and short evolution and then a real revolution that guarantees that we would never again have to go through the nightmare we are enduring now. Scare even a small number of voters could be disastrous for democracy. In any case, I would vote for any, I mean any, democrat without considering how the candidate's position is regarding the "center" . We have only one chance of make this right.
I totally agree. My perspective is that community organizing is HOW we create the short and long term move towards evolution/revolution. As individuals, we have no power over our political environment. Collectively, we have ALL the power.
Agree 100%. I almost amused at the complaining about Platner in Maine. Most appears to come from Republicans, especially those who want to be considered "moderate." If from Democrats it is from those who are not that upset with status quo. No one knows how Platner would serve, but I doubt he could be worse than Collins. We need progressives and those who will resist Trump and his cowardly MAGAs at every turn.
There are no "Reagan Democrats" anymore. They've all become MAGA "Republicans". It happened as part of Nixon's "Southern Strategy". Reagan adopted and expanded it.
Don’t forget Southern states. We in Alabama elected Doug Jones to the Senate because of Roy Moore’s sexual improprieties with young teenage girls back in the 80’s. If there’s enough scandal with a GOP candidate they can be eliminated even in Alabama. We hope to put Doug Jones in the governor’s mansion.
Agree. Plus, if the DNC abandons southern states, as it has in Tennessee, spending nothing there, they are actively telling the 1/3 of the voters who are Democrats that they dont matter... which only reinforces Republican claims that Democrats are elites who only care about urban voters.
Yes! Same with Ky. A well known KY commentator said Ky is not so much a red state as a non-voting state. Lot of truth in that. Maybe if the D party leadership showed real interest again it would make a difference
Quoted in The Guardian: “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.” Trump said that. Democrats need to rent billboards everywhere and quote him.
North Korea has nuclear weapons. Russia has them. China has them, Israel has them. Other less bellicose nations have them. Who gives the US the right to dictate the entrance requirements to the club of nuclear weapons' holders? I think a huge shift in thinking is desperately needed. No one should have the right to develop and stockpile nuclear weapons, including the US.
This can happen if there is massive turnout. This is a midterm, MAGA is angry and feeling impoverished and betrayed, Democrats,Independents, and principled Republicans are fired up and ready to go….let’s do it.
By imposing their disastrous policies, the regime is doing us a favor CE. We shouldn't miss a chance to point out every screwed "populist" law, decree and executive order.....we need all the votes we can possible harvest.
Democrats Must take their example from Ukraine! Simple, keep your head down and fight like everything depends on it. Our democracy and constitution is worth our fight and sacrifice.
Assuming Democrats take the Senate, I would like to see them rewrite the cloture (filibuster) rules so that they need votes that represent 60% of the population, using the last official census to apportion 1/2 of each state's population to each Senator. By changing voting weight in the Senate, they could re-democratize the Senate without dealing with an ammendment to the Constitution.
We need to insure that a convicted felon and documented pathological liar with dementia who rapes kids and literally thinks he's the second coming can no longer seize the reins of power. The Unitary Executive theory (what SCOTUS is using) is anathema to a constitutional republic under the rule of law. One man ought not be able to create such havoc.
No, but they can play around with voting. ICE agents at polls, creating obstacles to the physical voting process, messing with voting machines (?), all the sneaky things they're good at. It probably won't be enough, but still worrisome.
The part nobody's saying out loud: Democrats aren't winning these races because their message got better. They're winning because Republican governance produced visible, measurable harm to real people in red-leaning states. That's not a rebrand. That's a referendum. Big difference! That matters for what happens AFTER November.
Trump and the GOP have already signalled that they won't recognize any election results unless they win. THey are NOT going to allow Democrats to take their seats. Yes, we have to have the election, and we need to win. But that won't be end of it. Prepare for what happens when Trump declares the elections were "full of fraud" and "invalid" and either everything stays as it was or he has to dissolve Congress altogether and rule by decree. That's what dictators do, and we HAVE a dictator, whether you've noticed or not.
We should have had our guts full of Trump's incessant lies and whinges about fraud and invalidity. He is the boy who cried wolf. Some 60+ court cases put an end to these claims after the 2020 election. We'll do it again if we have to, and we might.
Thank our two-tiered justice system and a slow-to-act Merrick Garland. Yes, Trump should have been in prison. Thanks to Mitch McConnell and his lackeys, he should have been convicted and removed when the House first impeached him. They had two chances and failed miserably.
I assume that you mean 'difference'. Trump is not running this year, so any claims of "fraud and abuse" will only refer to the House and Senate candidates. If Democrats pull off a majority in either or both houses, Trump's influence could receive a well-deserved trimming.
Really? You think he doesn't care about the midterms? Why is he screaming that the GOP "has got to win" because otherwise "they'll impeach me." Why is he threatening to put ICE in the polling places? Why is he musing that "When you think about it, we shouldn't even have elections." Why has he demanded the Gerrymandering? Why has he tried to pass a "SAVE" act to disenfranchise millions? You seriously think he's going to stand aside and let the Democrats win so they CAN impeach -- and convict him? Are you insane or just blind?
I'm neither blind nor insane and I object to your character attack. I only stated an opinion, and didn't call for a rant. How much he can actually accomplish is up for conjecture and legal resistance. His own party is less unified and approaching disarray.
Republicans' turn away from democracy has already resulted in a collapse in their support. But that won't mean anything unless we organize in our communities to bring about something to replace them with!
Right! We need to shine a light on the Republican's 'Destroy Democracy Game' as well as a spotlight on the Supreme Court's very chummy relationships with 'big money'. That has been going on for as long as Thomas, Roberts and Alito have been justices. As you say, we need to be working on our slate of demands within our communities and states to make re-establishing of Our Rights and Our Democracy the banner headline of the coming elections. Democrats better come up with a plan, pronto!
One powerful way to turn things around is to pressure state officials. States in this country have a lot of power & blue states need to use it to the fullest to prosecute any crimes committed by Trump lackeys, ICE goons, & anyone else violating state law for this shambolic “admin.”
Good to bring this up! And convictions under state law are pardon proof! This said, we have some small town sheriffs who love their Trump. They have been more than happy to look the other way when crimes happen to non-white citizens. Still, times are changing and maybe the citizens will vote them out of office!
"Big money" is the main reason we have put a fool into the White House. ANYONE putting ANYONE'S money into politics should be made illegal WITH STIFF PEANALTIES!
( 50 million U.S. dollars plus 10 years in prison with NO chance of parole.)
Getting corporate money and huge donations out of our elections needs to be on the slate of things to do NOW! Let's go back to limiting contributions with no 'side betting' through friends or relatives. If We the People demand this, it can be done.
Democrats need to jettison the "Reagan Democrats" from the party and return to their progressive roots -- and actually be an opposition party rather than a battered wife to the GOP abusers. Madami and AOC are perfect examples of this. They're honest, they're real, they're leading and they're changing the playing field that has been in place since the 80's.
Exactly. If we elect a bunch of Fettermans, we’re no better off than we are now!
As impatient as we are Agentic, to have the numbers we need to move the pendulum into the opposite direction, we might need a deep and short evolution and then a real revolution that guarantees that we would never again have to go through the nightmare we are enduring now. Scare even a small number of voters could be disastrous for democracy. In any case, I would vote for any, I mean any, democrat without considering how the candidate's position is regarding the "center" . We have only one chance of make this right.
I totally agree. My perspective is that community organizing is HOW we create the short and long term move towards evolution/revolution. As individuals, we have no power over our political environment. Collectively, we have ALL the power.
Agree 100%. I almost amused at the complaining about Platner in Maine. Most appears to come from Republicans, especially those who want to be considered "moderate." If from Democrats it is from those who are not that upset with status quo. No one knows how Platner would serve, but I doubt he could be worse than Collins. We need progressives and those who will resist Trump and his cowardly MAGAs at every turn.
I will never forgive Collins for failing to impeach Trump, saying instead that she thought "he learned his lesson." She was so very wrong.
Agree! The neo-liberal insiders (you know who I mean) need to step aside
There are no "Reagan Democrats" anymore. They've all become MAGA "Republicans". It happened as part of Nixon's "Southern Strategy". Reagan adopted and expanded it.
Pelosi, Clinton are Reagan Democrats and that crowd remains around. So, no, they're not gone yet.
Don’t forget Southern states. We in Alabama elected Doug Jones to the Senate because of Roy Moore’s sexual improprieties with young teenage girls back in the 80’s. If there’s enough scandal with a GOP candidate they can be eliminated even in Alabama. We hope to put Doug Jones in the governor’s mansion.
Agree. Plus, if the DNC abandons southern states, as it has in Tennessee, spending nothing there, they are actively telling the 1/3 of the voters who are Democrats that they dont matter... which only reinforces Republican claims that Democrats are elites who only care about urban voters.
Yes! Same with Ky. A well known KY commentator said Ky is not so much a red state as a non-voting state. Lot of truth in that. Maybe if the D party leadership showed real interest again it would make a difference
Absolutely!
And Mississippi!!! This Senate race is one to watch and hardly anyone is talking about it. It's *much* closer than the races in Alabama or Florida. https://grassrootsconnector.substack.com/p/mississippi-turning
Quoted in The Guardian: “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.” Trump said that. Democrats need to rent billboards everywhere and quote him.
North Korea has nuclear weapons. Russia has them. China has them, Israel has them. Other less bellicose nations have them. Who gives the US the right to dictate the entrance requirements to the club of nuclear weapons' holders? I think a huge shift in thinking is desperately needed. No one should have the right to develop and stockpile nuclear weapons, including the US.
Ultimately, even that is a lie. What he cares about is TRUMP, how he can hold the headlines and enrich himself by turning the country into an ATM.
This can happen if there is massive turnout. This is a midterm, MAGA is angry and feeling impoverished and betrayed, Democrats,Independents, and principled Republicans are fired up and ready to go….let’s do it.
By imposing their disastrous policies, the regime is doing us a favor CE. We shouldn't miss a chance to point out every screwed "populist" law, decree and executive order.....we need all the votes we can possible harvest.
Democrats Must take their example from Ukraine! Simple, keep your head down and fight like everything depends on it. Our democracy and constitution is worth our fight and sacrifice.
Down here in Florida we're champing at the bit.
Assuming Democrats take the Senate, I would like to see them rewrite the cloture (filibuster) rules so that they need votes that represent 60% of the population, using the last official census to apportion 1/2 of each state's population to each Senator. By changing voting weight in the Senate, they could re-democratize the Senate without dealing with an ammendment to the Constitution.
We need to insure that a convicted felon and documented pathological liar with dementia who rapes kids and literally thinks he's the second coming can no longer seize the reins of power. The Unitary Executive theory (what SCOTUS is using) is anathema to a constitutional republic under the rule of law. One man ought not be able to create such havoc.
Trump's string is running out fast. We need to jump on the opportunity and hit back hard. Minnesota showed the way.
Thank you for this, Jen. What we can't do is allow MAGA nonsense to discourage democratic voters. It must ENERGIZE them.
Really don't understand why the democratic governors aren't doing more about the house gerrymandering. The Pillow Fight Dems strike again.
Which Democratic governors and what do you expect them to do? Gov. Newsom was instrumental in responding to the Texas gerrymandering, I believe.
Which other states have a Dem gov where the Republicans are gerrymandering? Not Missouri. Not Tennessee. Not Alabama. Not Louisiana.
I can't think of anybody, but you must have someone in mind.
Are they shooting themselves in the foot? Wish they'd aim higher.
No, but they can play around with voting. ICE agents at polls, creating obstacles to the physical voting process, messing with voting machines (?), all the sneaky things they're good at. It probably won't be enough, but still worrisome.
The part nobody's saying out loud: Democrats aren't winning these races because their message got better. They're winning because Republican governance produced visible, measurable harm to real people in red-leaning states. That's not a rebrand. That's a referendum. Big difference! That matters for what happens AFTER November.
IF November happens. Look at how they screwed up Tennessee (and other states).
Having an election that they don't screw up is NOT a foregone conclusion.
Trump and the GOP have already signalled that they won't recognize any election results unless they win. THey are NOT going to allow Democrats to take their seats. Yes, we have to have the election, and we need to win. But that won't be end of it. Prepare for what happens when Trump declares the elections were "full of fraud" and "invalid" and either everything stays as it was or he has to dissolve Congress altogether and rule by decree. That's what dictators do, and we HAVE a dictator, whether you've noticed or not.
We should have had our guts full of Trump's incessant lies and whinges about fraud and invalidity. He is the boy who cried wolf. Some 60+ court cases put an end to these claims after the 2020 election. We'll do it again if we have to, and we might.
He should have been in the slammer a very long time ago.
He isn't. And so, our trashed democracy.
Thank our two-tiered justice system and a slow-to-act Merrick Garland. Yes, Trump should have been in prison. Thanks to Mitch McConnell and his lackeys, he should have been convicted and removed when the House first impeached him. They had two chances and failed miserably.
Assigning blame changes nothing. So he failed, what do WE do now?
How about get a majority and impeach him again? As in baseball, three strikes and you're out.
But what difference do 'court cases' make when Trump is in power and won't let go?
As long as he remains in the oval office we have bad news to impart to our children.
I assume that you mean 'difference'. Trump is not running this year, so any claims of "fraud and abuse" will only refer to the House and Senate candidates. If Democrats pull off a majority in either or both houses, Trump's influence could receive a well-deserved trimming.
Really? You think he doesn't care about the midterms? Why is he screaming that the GOP "has got to win" because otherwise "they'll impeach me." Why is he threatening to put ICE in the polling places? Why is he musing that "When you think about it, we shouldn't even have elections." Why has he demanded the Gerrymandering? Why has he tried to pass a "SAVE" act to disenfranchise millions? You seriously think he's going to stand aside and let the Democrats win so they CAN impeach -- and convict him? Are you insane or just blind?
I'm neither blind nor insane and I object to your character attack. I only stated an opinion, and didn't call for a rant. How much he can actually accomplish is up for conjecture and legal resistance. His own party is less unified and approaching disarray.
Thanks Jen.