How can you talk about "free and fair elections" in the wake of Citizens United? It didn't start there either. Consider the media landscape since the end of the Fairness Doctrine and the rise of cable and the internet.
Every day my inbox is swamped with appeals from wonderful Democratic candidates up and down the ballot, all across the country. What they want is money money money. Have we lost touch with how terrible this is? How not-normal this is in a country that pretends to be democratic?
Elections cost money, that’s a fact of life. If you’d prefer your candidates solicit money from corporate overlords, by all means, ignore every last fundraising email
Elections cost money for sure, but how much they cost is not "a fact of life." Read up on the recent history I referred to in my OP, esp. Citizens United and the end of the Fairness Doctrine.
They need to include at least ONE paragraph on why them! When they do it’s that “they” are out to get them for vague reasons. I can’t support them all everywhere so tell me why you aren’t another Chuck Schumer living in the past!
Each candidate should creative a tax paid amount for vanishing it, and a a very short campaign period. And that’s just for starters on reform. Upper age restriction and the number of terms served in total should be restricted as well. In
Stay grounded in compassion, folks. It’s not that it just feels hopeful that tRump is hated. It’s that his hateful speech & obvious decay of body and spirit are at odds with what is right and what is good for the American people and for the globe. Thank you AG and SR!!!
Who understands why - if tRump is in significant physical & cognitive decline and is such a wrecking ball - what is getting in the way of Article 25 movement?
What do you think about the potential for tRump to want the government closure in order to be able to replace military leaders who refuse to take a loyalty oath this next Wednesday without requiring congressional approval since Congress and the government will be closed?
He has been numerous illegal and unconstitutional things going around Congress with no pushback from Congress or the Republican Congress. What makes anyone think that anything will change now? He wants to be King and the far right SC has been giving him their stamp of approval.
Trump may want to be king, but the essential point to keep in mind is that powerful economic and other interests (think billionaires and mega-multimillionaires, Federalist Society, ALEC, Heritage Foundation, etc.) are fine with him being king because it benefits them. I very much hope that they've overreached -- that they need "the people" or "the masses" more than they wanted to admit, and now, with Project 2025, they've made it clear what they're up to.
OTOH, plenty of white people are fine with curtailing democracy as long as mostly people of color and potential Democratic voters are affected.
Simon, you've been working in Democratic politics for thirty years. Aha, now I know whom to blame!
Just kidding. (I hate emojis, so if I'm kidding, I either have to say it directly or hope that readers can get that message through my "tone" or possibly extreme irony.
That said, if you want to cheer people up and give them more hope for the future figure out a way to get rid of Schumer and Jeffries. All the active Democrats I'm in contact with have despised Schumer for years and after some initial enthusiasm have lost confidence in Jeffries. Their mutual failure to endorse Mandami the day he won the primary is a sign that they really don't understand where New York City voters are and what the key issues are. Bill Clinton's endorsement of Cuomo is so appalling that I yearn for the day we never hear from him again. I'm not saying I want him to die; I just want him to STFU. Schumer and Jeffries are simply not people who strike me as what we need to effectively oppose and defeat Trump and Republicans. I hear Simon voicing a contrary opinion, but I don't agree and I'll have to see a lot more effective behavior and action from Jeffries before I'll change my mind about him. I doubt if there is anything Schumer is either willing or capable of doing that will change my opinion of him.* What we can't defeat in the short-term is the six radicals making up the SCOTUS majority. I have come to the conclusion that the greatest threat to democracy in this country is not Trump, who depends on my former choice for the greatest threat, the electorate. At this point, I feel strongly that the SCOTUS majority is the single greatest threat to free and fair elections and democracy.
The electorate is volatile and due to its ignorance and fickleness can change quickly, but not reliably. The SCOTUS Six, however, is not wavering. With Trump in the White House if there are any personnel changes on the SCOTUS the replacements are likely to be worse than the replaced. A key issue is that while many may feel that the Court has enabled Trump, I've come to believe that Trump is enabling the SCOTUS. Why do I say that? Because Trump is constantly delivering cases to the SCOTUS that allow the Court to extend its own clear agenda, which increasingly is one of creating an all-powerful dictator.
* My "best friend" is not Jewish, I married a Jewish woman. My attitude toward Israel today is not only at an all time low, but I don't know that it could be any lower. That is a country guilty of war crimes and genocide and the objective horror of what Hamas did on October 7, 2023 does not and could not justify Israel's response. I am equally negative about Joe Biden for guaranteeing Netanyahu "unconditional support" in Israel's response to the barbaric attacks. I don't believe that Israel is a force for peace in any way. The Israeli's need to change their leadership and never elect anyone remotely like Netanyahu again.
Simon, I disagree somewhat with you on the prospect of free and fair elections in 2026 and 2028. I think that for adults who don't and won't succumb to hopelessness the threat of the possibility of not having free and fair elections is or certainly should be more energizing than a simple assumption that the elections will happen without any disruption or foul play.
I live in Washington State, a very early adopter of mail-in voting. At first, I missed physically going to the polls, but over time the advantages far outweigh anything I miss. I don't have this problem, but a lot of voters, including many Democrats, are disengaged. In Washington State we get our ballots 18 days before the election. That gives people the ability to peruse the ballots and do research about any candidates and issues that they are weak on.
He may be, but that does not somehow magically translate into him being right about everything. I heard him tonight (Nov. 6) in a wrap-up of the Nov. 4 elections and I think he has significantly over-reacted to what this means for the future. While Simon may be "awesome," the American electorate definitely is not. It was just one year ago that they re-elected the worst president in US history, who has now gone on to make his first term look like a picnic. Too many American voters are poorly informed, ignorant, disengaged, spoiled and selfish, and fickle. They can believe things that are ridiculous and vote as though they just heard the undeniable truth. There is a lot of time between now and the 2028 elections and given the history of the Democratic Party and its often pathetic leadership it would not be unheard of for them (and us) to royally screw things up between now and then. Trump will not be on the ballot in 2028, If he somehow gets permission from the SCOTUS (or simply takes dictatorial control of the country), the outcome would depend on how free and fair the elections are. If he's seized power, the elections will be rigged and it won't matter what people think of Trump. If on the other hand he continues his reign of error and violence and cruelty, and we have free and fair elections, it may not matter how popular and unpopular Democrats are. Trump will lose.
Simon was arguing that the results on Nov. 4 were an indication of how popular Democrats are now. Maybe. Or maybe, and not implausibly, it is just an indication of how unpopular Trump is. In 2028, if Trump is not on the ballot and the Democrats nominate a poor candidate and the GOP nominates a non-extreme MAGAt, I could see the people voting for the Republican. It makes me sick to think that, but we have seen that kind of voter stupidity before.
I'm just much more cautious about the future than Simon is in the immediate aftermath of the blowout on Tuesday. He and I are equally happy about the outcome, we just differ about what that means in terms of Democratic popularity and future elections.
Right now, the Democrats are hindered by Schumer and Jeffries. Leaders who treated Mamdani like he was at threat to the American way. Jeffries eventually endorsed Mamdani, but not until the last minute -- a stupid and irresponsible move on his part. Schumer never endorsed the Democratic candidate for mayor of NYC, which is not leadership at all. Democrats are often our own worst enemies.
Really? I don't think you're paying attention. They're not going to be any more free and fair elections. And the court system has turned against us. The Supreme Court has literally made Trump supreme ruler.
I am paying attention. There are many battles going on now to protect elections and we have to join those fights, not accept defeat in advance and do nothing. Hope is crucial. If we give up now, they certainly win.
Thank you but I've been doing nothing but begging our Reagan Democrat leadership to fight back for almost five decades. It's the majority of the base that is not doing that.
The Schumer/Jeffries segment was part of Simon's lesson to make your approval known when an elected person does the right thing: call their office, communicate with their office that you appreciated/approved their vote/communication/stance on an issue important to you
All that may be true but she needs to come hard at her opponent on his recent ads which make her appear like she hasn’t a clue! The one where she is interviewed by Marcia Kramer.
So what people need to do is to work on the assumption that the elections will happen, but also have contingency plans in case they do not. Clearly define red lines and the actions that should be triggered if they are crossed - that way, bad news doesn't lead to paralysis, it leads to action. Game on.
How can you talk about "free and fair elections" in the wake of Citizens United? It didn't start there either. Consider the media landscape since the end of the Fairness Doctrine and the rise of cable and the internet.
Every day my inbox is swamped with appeals from wonderful Democratic candidates up and down the ballot, all across the country. What they want is money money money. Have we lost touch with how terrible this is? How not-normal this is in a country that pretends to be democratic?
Elections cost money, that’s a fact of life. If you’d prefer your candidates solicit money from corporate overlords, by all means, ignore every last fundraising email
Elections cost money for sure, but how much they cost is not "a fact of life." Read up on the recent history I referred to in my OP, esp. Citizens United and the end of the Fairness Doctrine.
They need to include at least ONE paragraph on why them! When they do it’s that “they” are out to get them for vague reasons. I can’t support them all everywhere so tell me why you aren’t another Chuck Schumer living in the past!
Each candidate should creative a tax paid amount for vanishing it, and a a very short campaign period. And that’s just for starters on reform. Upper age restriction and the number of terms served in total should be restricted as well. In
Wow! Thanks to Allison & Simon for a great, informative discussion.
Allison thank you. Just thank you. I do hope that you and Simon Rosenberg (@simonwdc) will have more of these judicious conversations together. 🫶🏻
Stay grounded in compassion, folks. It’s not that it just feels hopeful that tRump is hated. It’s that his hateful speech & obvious decay of body and spirit are at odds with what is right and what is good for the American people and for the globe. Thank you AG and SR!!!
Leguminati and Hopium forever!!!! 🫘 ☮️💞
Who understands why - if tRump is in significant physical & cognitive decline and is such a wrecking ball - what is getting in the way of Article 25 movement?
This is the most hopeful I've felt in weeks! Really glad I listened.
I’m a Hopium Plucky Patriot & happy now to link up w Allison. Great discussion you guys!!
What do you think about the potential for tRump to want the government closure in order to be able to replace military leaders who refuse to take a loyalty oath this next Wednesday without requiring congressional approval since Congress and the government will be closed?
He has been numerous illegal and unconstitutional things going around Congress with no pushback from Congress or the Republican Congress. What makes anyone think that anything will change now? He wants to be King and the far right SC has been giving him their stamp of approval.
Trump may want to be king, but the essential point to keep in mind is that powerful economic and other interests (think billionaires and mega-multimillionaires, Federalist Society, ALEC, Heritage Foundation, etc.) are fine with him being king because it benefits them. I very much hope that they've overreached -- that they need "the people" or "the masses" more than they wanted to admit, and now, with Project 2025, they've made it clear what they're up to.
OTOH, plenty of white people are fine with curtailing democracy as long as mostly people of color and potential Democratic voters are affected.
You are two of my faves, thanks to both of you!
Simon, you've been working in Democratic politics for thirty years. Aha, now I know whom to blame!
Just kidding. (I hate emojis, so if I'm kidding, I either have to say it directly or hope that readers can get that message through my "tone" or possibly extreme irony.
That said, if you want to cheer people up and give them more hope for the future figure out a way to get rid of Schumer and Jeffries. All the active Democrats I'm in contact with have despised Schumer for years and after some initial enthusiasm have lost confidence in Jeffries. Their mutual failure to endorse Mandami the day he won the primary is a sign that they really don't understand where New York City voters are and what the key issues are. Bill Clinton's endorsement of Cuomo is so appalling that I yearn for the day we never hear from him again. I'm not saying I want him to die; I just want him to STFU. Schumer and Jeffries are simply not people who strike me as what we need to effectively oppose and defeat Trump and Republicans. I hear Simon voicing a contrary opinion, but I don't agree and I'll have to see a lot more effective behavior and action from Jeffries before I'll change my mind about him. I doubt if there is anything Schumer is either willing or capable of doing that will change my opinion of him.* What we can't defeat in the short-term is the six radicals making up the SCOTUS majority. I have come to the conclusion that the greatest threat to democracy in this country is not Trump, who depends on my former choice for the greatest threat, the electorate. At this point, I feel strongly that the SCOTUS majority is the single greatest threat to free and fair elections and democracy.
The electorate is volatile and due to its ignorance and fickleness can change quickly, but not reliably. The SCOTUS Six, however, is not wavering. With Trump in the White House if there are any personnel changes on the SCOTUS the replacements are likely to be worse than the replaced. A key issue is that while many may feel that the Court has enabled Trump, I've come to believe that Trump is enabling the SCOTUS. Why do I say that? Because Trump is constantly delivering cases to the SCOTUS that allow the Court to extend its own clear agenda, which increasingly is one of creating an all-powerful dictator.
* My "best friend" is not Jewish, I married a Jewish woman. My attitude toward Israel today is not only at an all time low, but I don't know that it could be any lower. That is a country guilty of war crimes and genocide and the objective horror of what Hamas did on October 7, 2023 does not and could not justify Israel's response. I am equally negative about Joe Biden for guaranteeing Netanyahu "unconditional support" in Israel's response to the barbaric attacks. I don't believe that Israel is a force for peace in any way. The Israeli's need to change their leadership and never elect anyone remotely like Netanyahu again.
Simon, I disagree somewhat with you on the prospect of free and fair elections in 2026 and 2028. I think that for adults who don't and won't succumb to hopelessness the threat of the possibility of not having free and fair elections is or certainly should be more energizing than a simple assumption that the elections will happen without any disruption or foul play.
I live in Washington State, a very early adopter of mail-in voting. At first, I missed physically going to the polls, but over time the advantages far outweigh anything I miss. I don't have this problem, but a lot of voters, including many Democrats, are disengaged. In Washington State we get our ballots 18 days before the election. That gives people the ability to peruse the ballots and do research about any candidates and issues that they are weak on.
Simon is awesome!
He may be, but that does not somehow magically translate into him being right about everything. I heard him tonight (Nov. 6) in a wrap-up of the Nov. 4 elections and I think he has significantly over-reacted to what this means for the future. While Simon may be "awesome," the American electorate definitely is not. It was just one year ago that they re-elected the worst president in US history, who has now gone on to make his first term look like a picnic. Too many American voters are poorly informed, ignorant, disengaged, spoiled and selfish, and fickle. They can believe things that are ridiculous and vote as though they just heard the undeniable truth. There is a lot of time between now and the 2028 elections and given the history of the Democratic Party and its often pathetic leadership it would not be unheard of for them (and us) to royally screw things up between now and then. Trump will not be on the ballot in 2028, If he somehow gets permission from the SCOTUS (or simply takes dictatorial control of the country), the outcome would depend on how free and fair the elections are. If he's seized power, the elections will be rigged and it won't matter what people think of Trump. If on the other hand he continues his reign of error and violence and cruelty, and we have free and fair elections, it may not matter how popular and unpopular Democrats are. Trump will lose.
Simon was arguing that the results on Nov. 4 were an indication of how popular Democrats are now. Maybe. Or maybe, and not implausibly, it is just an indication of how unpopular Trump is. In 2028, if Trump is not on the ballot and the Democrats nominate a poor candidate and the GOP nominates a non-extreme MAGAt, I could see the people voting for the Republican. It makes me sick to think that, but we have seen that kind of voter stupidity before.
I'm just much more cautious about the future than Simon is in the immediate aftermath of the blowout on Tuesday. He and I are equally happy about the outcome, we just differ about what that means in terms of Democratic popularity and future elections.
Right now, the Democrats are hindered by Schumer and Jeffries. Leaders who treated Mamdani like he was at threat to the American way. Jeffries eventually endorsed Mamdani, but not until the last minute -- a stupid and irresponsible move on his part. Schumer never endorsed the Democratic candidate for mayor of NYC, which is not leadership at all. Democrats are often our own worst enemies.
Project 2029
Kamala was on the right track. Think Joy!!!!
Joy doesn't defeat fascists and Nazis
But creating a vision of hope gets the vote out. We have to get the vote out and protect elections while we fight back in court and on the airways.
Really? I don't think you're paying attention. They're not going to be any more free and fair elections. And the court system has turned against us. The Supreme Court has literally made Trump supreme ruler.
I am paying attention. There are many battles going on now to protect elections and we have to join those fights, not accept defeat in advance and do nothing. Hope is crucial. If we give up now, they certainly win.
Thank you but I've been doing nothing but begging our Reagan Democrat leadership to fight back for almost five decades. It's the majority of the base that is not doing that.
Great conversations
Not all there on Jeffries and Schumer!
The Schumer/Jeffries segment was part of Simon's lesson to make your approval known when an elected person does the right thing: call their office, communicate with their office that you appreciated/approved their vote/communication/stance on an issue important to you
Yeah. I felt that, too!
All that may be true but she needs to come hard at her opponent on his recent ads which make her appear like she hasn’t a clue! The one where she is interviewed by Marcia Kramer.
So what people need to do is to work on the assumption that the elections will happen, but also have contingency plans in case they do not. Clearly define red lines and the actions that should be triggered if they are crossed - that way, bad news doesn't lead to paralysis, it leads to action. Game on.
I'm not that optimistic or admiring of Jeffries and Schumer. But I will give them a little credit for now.