Let the Republicans fail. And when they fail, use any available media, large and small, including mainstream (for whatever it’s worth) to shout out the failure, extremely loudly and incessantly. And it’s not just Trump‘s failure. It’s the GOP‘s failure. Call out the party. It’s the party’s failure. The message to Republicans on the street should not be, “this is what you voted for.” When you tell people that they are wrong, they most often get extremely defensive and double down on their position. The message for them is that the GOP did this. The GOP used to be a reliable conservative party. But they've changed. This is not your father's GOP. If they are belligerent, ignore them. If they are truly sincerely innocent, “I didn’t know“, talk to them gently and get them to understand. (There really are people like this. Probably a lot of them.) Don’t alienate them. If you have any chance of converting them, they have to have a friendly place to go. One more thought: the thing that Trump et al really won’t be able to deal with is being laughed at. The best humorous approach of all would be something that is not mean spirited and that, ideally, both sides could laugh at.
I'd stopped sending money to Dem candidates outside of my TINY county, because they support Dems who don't support abortion or the social safety net. Fuck 'em. I phone banked for the Dems but STOP SUPPORTING PEOPLE WHO DON'T SUPPORT DEM VALUES. The party has lurched so far right, and we have people screaming Harris wasn't centrist enough. Fuck all that noise. I'm progressive and so are my monies.
Bipartisanship for it's own sake is stupid, especially when only one side needs to reach out to the other side. I am sick of Dems wanting bipartisan solutions, when repubs don't give a damn about that - repubs, when in power, do whatever they want. Dems should do the same, especially when their policies are popular. And Dems should brag about what they have done. Oh, and when repubs take the credit for what Dems have done, Dems should point out quickly, and often, that said repub voted against the project.
Dems don't have to send a mob to storm the Capitol, nor should they do so. But they don't have to be nice to the fascists, or roll over for them. They need to stiffen their spines, take their message to the people, and forget about appeasing both the repubs and the MSM. Sure, the repubs and MSM will whine about "civility" and "bipartisanship," and Dems should point out that they are tired of being the only ones expected to be civil and to practice the repub brand of bipartisanship, which is - the repubs get whatever they want, and Dems get nothing.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin comes out in support of Donald Trump wiping his ass with the constitution, saying Trump's "asswipe paper of choice may have been unconventional, but we hired an unconventional president." "The American people wanted that."
I can’t decide who disgusts me more, Fetterman for Stefanik or Polis for RFK Jr. Is there some method to that madness that I’m not considering? I can’t see anything positive, except getting Stefanik out of the House and onto a global stage where she’ll be mocked. RFK is just a step away from being a pandemic all by himself. I hope the Trump votes will enjoy all the illnesses that will making a comeback. I still have a nice stock of N95’s.
They think some magical fairy is handing out "credibility points", as if saying nice things about their political opponents will make "serious people" pay more attention when they have to level criticism at them. "See, sometimes I can say nice things about them" is what they're thinking.
They don't realize how it makes them look like insincere chumps.
I just stumbled across this guy on Bluesky. This Substack post, about how Dems are showing dangerous cowardice regarding the current unpleasantness, is spot-on.
Right, Stephen, repubs only care about power. As for Dems, all they care about is sending me texts and emails, begging for money. I've unsubscribed from them for my peace of mind.
I wonder if they have any idea what a turnoff it is to be hit with incessant pleas for money, especially after they raised over a billion and managed to still lose.
Kamala’s money begs are now for a “Fight Back” fund. First of all, I’ve depleted my political contributions budget for the year. Second, I need to see something more concrete than vague “Fight Back” messaging before I throw more good money after bad.
And between Biden posing with Trump and Schumer decided doing "nothing" is the best strategy for dealing with these Cabinet picks, I'm curious what they would use the money for. Standing around? They can do that for free.
So, if Matt Gaetz’s confirmation as AG fails, does he just go back and un-resign from his House seat and continue doing damage to the country as a FL rep again?
Republicans understand the most important thing is power. And it definitely helps, for keeping power, to manufacture consent by owning a massive rightwing media human centipede. And this centipede has full power and is, as we speak, manufacturing consent.
I assume Polis and others are kissing ass because it is known that President Klan Robe is vindictive towards 'blue states,' and we all know what happens when disaster strikes us and Republicans are in power. He has no trouble threatening his own voters in California (again, imagine the hew and cry if a Democratic President threatened to withhold drought or farm aid to an unreconstructed Great Plains state).
Indeed, a lot of voters know this, and whether or not it's 2% margin or 20%, voters like giving Republicans total power. Murc's Law will always be in command too, so whatever bad things happen can be blamed on Democrats, and then once voters get tired of Republicans wilding out and making life more difficult, they'll give Democrats two years to fix things till a midterm defeat then repeat the cycle.
Blue states generally send more money to the feds than they receive. They are NOT without power themselves, so instead of kissiing trump's ass, they can withhold their money.
Polis is a damn fool. RFK should be the sort of nominee that divides Republicans (particularly those from farm states who give a crap what Big Agra or Big Pharma want, not to mention anti-abortion Republicans), instead this idiot praises him in thinking he'll win back Kennedy-curious hippies. Go home, Jared, you're drunk!
I think so too. Well I have no idea otherwise. I thought he even ran comfortably.
All this said, I doubt this'll be an issue anymore once the next fatal pandemic hits and we're defenseless from the mass death. They fought the forward march of science and they won!
The Katie Hill story pisses me off. The correct response needed to be "fuck this ethics shit" and let the story die when the next shiny object comes along. Especially during the Trump era, this proved to be the best way through any scandal, especially one the voters don't give a crap about (name me one Katie Hill voter in her district who would have said "oh, wait she was unethical, eek, I won't vote for her now" and I'll sell you the extended warranty and undercoating). Instead, she resigned, losing that seat for good (it is still in GOP hands!).
Democrats have to learn to stop playing by chump rules.
Well there were plenty of Democrats to crap on her for not being perfect (and that's included in the rank-and-file), so...yeah. I guess I can see why Democrats act like this. They're always the first to leave you twisting in the wind.
That's one of Democrats' many Achilles heels--when one of your own is under attack, you either band together to defeat the narrative and create your own (e.g., "this was a witch hunt over a technicality, total bullshit, and hey look at Matt Gaetz who has raped multiple women, maybe we should talk about THAT") or you turn on your own, figuring you'll earn some credibility points from some nameless referee.
In general I do think banding together to defeat the narrative is good, except that voters may decide otherwise. Hence the messaging on the economy, which on paper is just fine but because some specific items, unconnected to administration policy or effect, cost more? That's the ballgame. So in that case sometimes it just doesn't matter.
People who don't even do the wrongdoing get to pay for Democratic scandals. It's quite a remarkable system we have here.
Democrats need a new communications strategy. Republicans learned long ago that what they were selling wasn't popular, and when given the choice of selling a different product (i.e., take different policy positions) or learn how to sell their policies better, they went with the latter, and batted above their weight for decades now. (Think about what they stand for, and how even THAT can win them elections)
Democrats face the same choice now. If their policies are worth fighting for, then they're worth figuring out how to sell. Step one is to understand their target market, step two is figuring out how to reach them.
Let the Republicans fail. And when they fail, use any available media, large and small, including mainstream (for whatever it’s worth) to shout out the failure, extremely loudly and incessantly. And it’s not just Trump‘s failure. It’s the GOP‘s failure. Call out the party. It’s the party’s failure. The message to Republicans on the street should not be, “this is what you voted for.” When you tell people that they are wrong, they most often get extremely defensive and double down on their position. The message for them is that the GOP did this. The GOP used to be a reliable conservative party. But they've changed. This is not your father's GOP. If they are belligerent, ignore them. If they are truly sincerely innocent, “I didn’t know“, talk to them gently and get them to understand. (There really are people like this. Probably a lot of them.) Don’t alienate them. If you have any chance of converting them, they have to have a friendly place to go. One more thought: the thing that Trump et al really won’t be able to deal with is being laughed at. The best humorous approach of all would be something that is not mean spirited and that, ideally, both sides could laugh at.
Amen to all that. I am not even sure I would use the New York Times to pack my glassware.
I'd stopped sending money to Dem candidates outside of my TINY county, because they support Dems who don't support abortion or the social safety net. Fuck 'em. I phone banked for the Dems but STOP SUPPORTING PEOPLE WHO DON'T SUPPORT DEM VALUES. The party has lurched so far right, and we have people screaming Harris wasn't centrist enough. Fuck all that noise. I'm progressive and so are my monies.
Bipartisanship for it's own sake is stupid, especially when only one side needs to reach out to the other side. I am sick of Dems wanting bipartisan solutions, when repubs don't give a damn about that - repubs, when in power, do whatever they want. Dems should do the same, especially when their policies are popular. And Dems should brag about what they have done. Oh, and when repubs take the credit for what Dems have done, Dems should point out quickly, and often, that said repub voted against the project.
Agreed. Dems have to be an obstacle at every turn like the GQP did to Obama. Make their lives a living hell like they did.
Dems don't have to send a mob to storm the Capitol, nor should they do so. But they don't have to be nice to the fascists, or roll over for them. They need to stiffen their spines, take their message to the people, and forget about appeasing both the repubs and the MSM. Sure, the repubs and MSM will whine about "civility" and "bipartisanship," and Dems should point out that they are tired of being the only ones expected to be civil and to practice the repub brand of bipartisanship, which is - the repubs get whatever they want, and Dems get nothing.
Touché!
Sen. Markwayne Mullin comes out in support of Donald Trump wiping his ass with the constitution, saying Trump's "asswipe paper of choice may have been unconventional, but we hired an unconventional president." "The American people wanted that."
I can’t decide who disgusts me more, Fetterman for Stefanik or Polis for RFK Jr. Is there some method to that madness that I’m not considering? I can’t see anything positive, except getting Stefanik out of the House and onto a global stage where she’ll be mocked. RFK is just a step away from being a pandemic all by himself. I hope the Trump votes will enjoy all the illnesses that will making a comeback. I still have a nice stock of N95’s.
They think some magical fairy is handing out "credibility points", as if saying nice things about their political opponents will make "serious people" pay more attention when they have to level criticism at them. "See, sometimes I can say nice things about them" is what they're thinking.
They don't realize how it makes them look like insincere chumps.
Exactly. Being a boot licking brown noser is not a good look.
Thanks for invoking Diane and Phoebe.
"The fact I even have to say this means it’s gonna be a long-ass four years."
I guess 4 years is a bit too long to spend sockless drunk the whole time. Shit.
I just stumbled across this guy on Bluesky. This Substack post, about how Dems are showing dangerous cowardice regarding the current unpleasantness, is spot-on.
https://bsky.app/profile/keithedwards.bsky.social/post/3lb6kjcxao22g
Right, Stephen, repubs only care about power. As for Dems, all they care about is sending me texts and emails, begging for money. I've unsubscribed from them for my peace of mind.
I wonder if they have any idea what a turnoff it is to be hit with incessant pleas for money, especially after they raised over a billion and managed to still lose.
Kamala’s money begs are now for a “Fight Back” fund. First of all, I’ve depleted my political contributions budget for the year. Second, I need to see something more concrete than vague “Fight Back” messaging before I throw more good money after bad.
And between Biden posing with Trump and Schumer decided doing "nothing" is the best strategy for dealing with these Cabinet picks, I'm curious what they would use the money for. Standing around? They can do that for free.
So, if Matt Gaetz’s confirmation as AG fails, does he just go back and un-resign from his House seat and continue doing damage to the country as a FL rep again?
I’m betting that he will push for the appointment for Marco Rubio’s senate seat if Rubio wins approval.
Gack! I don't know if that's worse than the Rs who are pushing for Lara Trump to be appointed to Rubio's seat.
I love that clip of John McCain’s thumbs-down. Very maverick-y of him. If he were still alive, he’d have been kicked out of the party by now.
Republicans understand the most important thing is power. And it definitely helps, for keeping power, to manufacture consent by owning a massive rightwing media human centipede. And this centipede has full power and is, as we speak, manufacturing consent.
I assume Polis and others are kissing ass because it is known that President Klan Robe is vindictive towards 'blue states,' and we all know what happens when disaster strikes us and Republicans are in power. He has no trouble threatening his own voters in California (again, imagine the hew and cry if a Democratic President threatened to withhold drought or farm aid to an unreconstructed Great Plains state).
Indeed, a lot of voters know this, and whether or not it's 2% margin or 20%, voters like giving Republicans total power. Murc's Law will always be in command too, so whatever bad things happen can be blamed on Democrats, and then once voters get tired of Republicans wilding out and making life more difficult, they'll give Democrats two years to fix things till a midterm defeat then repeat the cycle.
Blue states generally send more money to the feds than they receive. They are NOT without power themselves, so instead of kissiing trump's ass, they can withhold their money.
Polis is a damn fool. RFK should be the sort of nominee that divides Republicans (particularly those from farm states who give a crap what Big Agra or Big Pharma want, not to mention anti-abortion Republicans), instead this idiot praises him in thinking he'll win back Kennedy-curious hippies. Go home, Jared, you're drunk!
I think so too. Well I have no idea otherwise. I thought he even ran comfortably.
All this said, I doubt this'll be an issue anymore once the next fatal pandemic hits and we're defenseless from the mass death. They fought the forward march of science and they won!
Our only hope is if this administration lucks out and is never "tested" by events. I'm not counting on that, though.
The Katie Hill story pisses me off. The correct response needed to be "fuck this ethics shit" and let the story die when the next shiny object comes along. Especially during the Trump era, this proved to be the best way through any scandal, especially one the voters don't give a crap about (name me one Katie Hill voter in her district who would have said "oh, wait she was unethical, eek, I won't vote for her now" and I'll sell you the extended warranty and undercoating). Instead, she resigned, losing that seat for good (it is still in GOP hands!).
Democrats have to learn to stop playing by chump rules.
Yeah that sucked so much.
Well there were plenty of Democrats to crap on her for not being perfect (and that's included in the rank-and-file), so...yeah. I guess I can see why Democrats act like this. They're always the first to leave you twisting in the wind.
Two words:
Al Franken
That's one of Democrats' many Achilles heels--when one of your own is under attack, you either band together to defeat the narrative and create your own (e.g., "this was a witch hunt over a technicality, total bullshit, and hey look at Matt Gaetz who has raped multiple women, maybe we should talk about THAT") or you turn on your own, figuring you'll earn some credibility points from some nameless referee.
In general I do think banding together to defeat the narrative is good, except that voters may decide otherwise. Hence the messaging on the economy, which on paper is just fine but because some specific items, unconnected to administration policy or effect, cost more? That's the ballgame. So in that case sometimes it just doesn't matter.
People who don't even do the wrongdoing get to pay for Democratic scandals. It's quite a remarkable system we have here.
Democrats need a new communications strategy. Republicans learned long ago that what they were selling wasn't popular, and when given the choice of selling a different product (i.e., take different policy positions) or learn how to sell their policies better, they went with the latter, and batted above their weight for decades now. (Think about what they stand for, and how even THAT can win them elections)
Democrats face the same choice now. If their policies are worth fighting for, then they're worth figuring out how to sell. Step one is to understand their target market, step two is figuring out how to reach them.
Step three - never accept right wing framing on anything, and push back when the media uses it.
YEP! Reframe the debate. Example:
GOP: Democrats want to give trans people access to your bathroom!
Dems: GOP wants to search everyone using bathrooms to make sure they have the right genitals.
100%!
I think Mike Garcia was finally defeated this year! Some good news.
He was. My sister lives in that district, so I paid close attention. George Whitesides is the new rep
Oh really? FINALLY!
Your last four sentences should be taped on everyone’s bathroom mirror that follows principles of decency.
Also, I appreciate you bringing Katie Hill’s name back as a solid reminder of life’s inequities.