I'm all for a 2022 Democratic message that calls out the treasonist behavior of the GOP. But I'm not sure how much everyday voters care about it. Thoughts?
As a Californian, I recognize this "willingness to do harm" by our Democratic electeds and their willful disregard for the societal consequences of their ideology, from crime to homelessness. So how much worse is it that Gavin Newsom, for one, not only tolerates but advocates policies that are proven not to work and that even make the problems worse? How are these two things different?
So true, Matt. The Democrats have got to understand what is at stake in this election, and that their typical campaign strategies will not cut it. I think their only choice is to go negative and pound home to voters the awful, country destroying things the
current crop of Republicans are doing to us. As the saying goes, "these are not your Father's Republicans"! It's being delusional to think or do otherwise.
I am from Nebraska. Born and raised in the city. My family is all country. I have traveled the midwest extensively as a sales rep. I have rubbed elbows from the project housing in urban areas to the country bumplkin with a bed in the barn, and everywhere in between. In speaking of those that live in project housing and those that live in long time ago country housing. One's living situation is almost 3rd world, some are lazy others are depressed and a few are extremely ingenuitive, they smokes weed, drink Cognac, and eat greasy food. The other individual, lives in communities that look 3rd world, lucky if they have a septic tank, dip tobacco, drink Whiskey, pop pain pills, and eat greasy foods. There, I said all that without brining up color and race. Feel free to color outside the lines. Race and color aside, I just described 2 peoples that have more in common then any other groups on the planet. For the same reason they both bastardize the english language, it give then the sense of creativity and belonging, is the same reason they back completely different political figures? And it's not because they care or understand policy, or governamance, or anything that brings you as a reader to this site. It is for one reason. IDENTITIY. Period. Nothing else matters. The same reason why an urbanite bobs their head to a Jay-Z RAP song is the same reason why my country folk voted for Jeff Fortenberry (for those that don't follow Nebraska politics, he is the disgraced congressman recently indicted). Jeff swelled their ego and made them feel bigger and better about themselves in some fashion. They could care less about local bond issues. You will not fix this until the 2 groups agree that Coke is better then Pepsi.....because it is :)
While the Abbott and DeSantis recent actions seem fresh and stark the GOP willing to damage the economies affecting their own constituents for political reasons isn't really anything particularly new. I seem to recall Mitch "My Number One Goal is to Make Obama a One Term President" McConnell and the R's in Congress and in the states doing everything in their power to chill economic recovery thus denying Obama a positive economic record after inheriting a true mess. This hurt the whole country including scarlet red districts. McConnell actually had the gaul to bash Obama as presiding over the slowest recovery since the Great Depression during the 2012 election. Yeah, no thanks to you Mitch. Also recall then Gov. Scott Walker (pun only partially intended) killing the much anticipated Milwaukee-to-Madison passenger train project (one that was originally championed by none other than Tommy Thompson no less!) in order to prevent Obama from scoring a transportation victory for Southern Wisconsin which would have been a boon for the economies of Wisconsin's two largest cities.
While it's true that trying to forestall an economic recovery in order to damage a political opponent isn't exactly the same thing as taking a hatchet directly to business, isn't the end result the same? It costs real-world, everyday people money and adds economic hardship to their lives, unnecessarily.
Charlie, could you please invite Ben McAdams on your podcast to talk about the decision by the Utah Democrats and what other Dems should be doing to reach out to Reps who still believe in democracy?
"Even in an age of deplorable, toxic, and increasingly tribal politics, this seems to cross a line that most politicians used to recognize: attack your political opponents, but not your own economy. Wreak vengeance on your enemies, but don’t take it out on your own taxpayers, voters, employers, or workers."
What's changed is that they're getting away with it. I read DeSantis is getting praise, locally and from conservative media figures, for his actions. Does anyone think the fact that Abbott cost Texas (and beyond) businesses and consumers billions for his border stunt mean that he won't be re-elected as governor in 2022?
In Ohio, Republican members of the redistricting commission, with 4 maps deemed unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court, are running out the clock, waiting for May 28 when a 3-judge court will impose one of the unconstitutional maps on the Ohio electorate. Meanwhile, we're already headed for a second primary for state offices, probably in August, at a cost of $25 million or so.
Is it fair? Is it right? It doesn't matter. There are no consequences. They'll get what they want. Or as David Niven, PolySci professor at the University of Cincinnati put it:
"Federal court tells Ohio Republicans if they refuse to draw a new map, Court will impose the old map Republicans already want to use. The Court should write a guide to parenting: 'Go clean up your room, and if it's not clean when I get up there I'm going to make you eat cookies.' "
Assuming that the Bloomberg piece on the contractual impossibility of doing what Rabid Ron says he wants to do is true, then the question becomes did he know about this limitation and plan on it saving him, or did he do it because he was he just ignorant and hell-bent on gaining national MAGA attention. Of course, if it is contractually impossible, it will take a court decision to say so and deny the State of Florida of its "law". That will take time, with the potential for appeals etc. By the time that is decided, RR may well be no longer in need of the decision; he will have moved on to bigger and better things, riding the wave of "conservative" adoration.
Regarding the Utah Senate race. As a Dem, not in Utah, I applaud their decision to form a coalition to get rid of the seditionist Mike Lee. But I am still concerned about the McMullin Senate race. Has he said who he will caucus with? If he votes for Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and committee chairs for the likes of Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Ron Johnson, how much better off will we be, really? Unless it's a 51/49 Senate and he can be the Joe Manchin to the GOP, I don't see it as much of a gain. He and Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski can't be chairs of all the committees.
Re: A.B.'s note today, the only ones who don't seem to have figured this out are legislative Democrats, the White House staff and the consultants who tell all of them how to think. Maybe their feeling is that, as long as they're getting their fees, they don't really care who wins because they've already won.
Decent leaders will say "here is a tradeoff - if we want lower taxes, we need to put up with more potholes." And those decisions can be debated by people of good will, on their practical and philosophical terms. And those are the kinds of decisions we need our government to make.
What Abbott did has nothing to do with that. It was pure political grandstanding on the backs of his own constituents. There's no tradeoff involved. For Abbott, it was tails I win, heads you lose.
The problem is that there are some people who want what Abbott did. They want a negative objective outcome for the sake of some emotional salve. This is self-destructive behavior, and any normal person who does this would be met by their friends and family in an intervention. How do you stage an intervention for a political party?
Important to note that Abbot and DeSantis aren't looking for "emotional salve", nor are they culture warriors. They are just warriors seeking to replace the state with themselves.
George Marshall was a warrior and a statesman. So was Ghengis Khan -- warrior and tyrant. Warriors are not necessarily inclined to be tyrants, and certainly not all tyrants are warriors. Is Eddie Gallagher, of Trump Pardon fame, or William Calley warriors?
"Warrior" is an troublesome concept, much muddled, the kind of word we use thoughtlessly as if it had a clear meaning. But when we take a closer look at the gamut of circumstances in in which we variously use it, "warrior" turns out to be anything but clear. Like "hero". Like "Justice". Like "Honor".
What probably we both want to mean by "warrior" would be
Concerning Kushner and his taking bribes, and his not being able to get security clearrence, but getting classified information anyway, (am I the only one getting a connection here); I would have assumed this would be a concern to Republicans with loyalty to our country and personal integrity. I see now that there are no honest and patriotic Republicans. I'm terrified as we sit back and watch them take over.
There can be no disloyalty to country when you have replaced country with self. When you have done that, loyalty to country becomes disloyalty to self -- which is then by definition treason. As for integrity -- by definition "the quality or state of being complete or undivided" -- you can't be more undivided than being all about your Self. So again loyalty to the nation if it is not your Self is the very act of dis-integration, and hence the opposite of integrity.
War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength, and Freedom is Slavery -- but even more, Slavery is Freedom.
I have never encountered the word solipsism so often, or ever, in my whole life until the last couple years in opinion columns. I had to look it up repeatedly until it finally stuck. “The self is the only existent thing” is one definition. Narcissism seems to be a defining American trait. That wasn’t always true.
I'm all for a 2022 Democratic message that calls out the treasonist behavior of the GOP. But I'm not sure how much everyday voters care about it. Thoughts?
As a Californian, I recognize this "willingness to do harm" by our Democratic electeds and their willful disregard for the societal consequences of their ideology, from crime to homelessness. So how much worse is it that Gavin Newsom, for one, not only tolerates but advocates policies that are proven not to work and that even make the problems worse? How are these two things different?
So true, Matt. The Democrats have got to understand what is at stake in this election, and that their typical campaign strategies will not cut it. I think their only choice is to go negative and pound home to voters the awful, country destroying things the
current crop of Republicans are doing to us. As the saying goes, "these are not your Father's Republicans"! It's being delusional to think or do otherwise.
I am from Nebraska. Born and raised in the city. My family is all country. I have traveled the midwest extensively as a sales rep. I have rubbed elbows from the project housing in urban areas to the country bumplkin with a bed in the barn, and everywhere in between. In speaking of those that live in project housing and those that live in long time ago country housing. One's living situation is almost 3rd world, some are lazy others are depressed and a few are extremely ingenuitive, they smokes weed, drink Cognac, and eat greasy food. The other individual, lives in communities that look 3rd world, lucky if they have a septic tank, dip tobacco, drink Whiskey, pop pain pills, and eat greasy foods. There, I said all that without brining up color and race. Feel free to color outside the lines. Race and color aside, I just described 2 peoples that have more in common then any other groups on the planet. For the same reason they both bastardize the english language, it give then the sense of creativity and belonging, is the same reason they back completely different political figures? And it's not because they care or understand policy, or governamance, or anything that brings you as a reader to this site. It is for one reason. IDENTITIY. Period. Nothing else matters. The same reason why an urbanite bobs their head to a Jay-Z RAP song is the same reason why my country folk voted for Jeff Fortenberry (for those that don't follow Nebraska politics, he is the disgraced congressman recently indicted). Jeff swelled their ego and made them feel bigger and better about themselves in some fashion. They could care less about local bond issues. You will not fix this until the 2 groups agree that Coke is better then Pepsi.....because it is :)
While the Abbott and DeSantis recent actions seem fresh and stark the GOP willing to damage the economies affecting their own constituents for political reasons isn't really anything particularly new. I seem to recall Mitch "My Number One Goal is to Make Obama a One Term President" McConnell and the R's in Congress and in the states doing everything in their power to chill economic recovery thus denying Obama a positive economic record after inheriting a true mess. This hurt the whole country including scarlet red districts. McConnell actually had the gaul to bash Obama as presiding over the slowest recovery since the Great Depression during the 2012 election. Yeah, no thanks to you Mitch. Also recall then Gov. Scott Walker (pun only partially intended) killing the much anticipated Milwaukee-to-Madison passenger train project (one that was originally championed by none other than Tommy Thompson no less!) in order to prevent Obama from scoring a transportation victory for Southern Wisconsin which would have been a boon for the economies of Wisconsin's two largest cities.
While it's true that trying to forestall an economic recovery in order to damage a political opponent isn't exactly the same thing as taking a hatchet directly to business, isn't the end result the same? It costs real-world, everyday people money and adds economic hardship to their lives, unnecessarily.
The reserve army of the unemployed --> the reserve army of the illegally employed.
Hi Charlie, Thought you’d enjoy this story:
https://www.npr.org/2022/04/26/1094740651/florida-man-asks-schools-to-ban-the-bible-following-the-states-efforts-to-remove
Charlie, could you please invite Ben McAdams on your podcast to talk about the decision by the Utah Democrats and what other Dems should be doing to reach out to Reps who still believe in democracy?
"Even in an age of deplorable, toxic, and increasingly tribal politics, this seems to cross a line that most politicians used to recognize: attack your political opponents, but not your own economy. Wreak vengeance on your enemies, but don’t take it out on your own taxpayers, voters, employers, or workers."
What's changed is that they're getting away with it. I read DeSantis is getting praise, locally and from conservative media figures, for his actions. Does anyone think the fact that Abbott cost Texas (and beyond) businesses and consumers billions for his border stunt mean that he won't be re-elected as governor in 2022?
In Ohio, Republican members of the redistricting commission, with 4 maps deemed unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court, are running out the clock, waiting for May 28 when a 3-judge court will impose one of the unconstitutional maps on the Ohio electorate. Meanwhile, we're already headed for a second primary for state offices, probably in August, at a cost of $25 million or so.
Is it fair? Is it right? It doesn't matter. There are no consequences. They'll get what they want. Or as David Niven, PolySci professor at the University of Cincinnati put it:
"Federal court tells Ohio Republicans if they refuse to draw a new map, Court will impose the old map Republicans already want to use. The Court should write a guide to parenting: 'Go clean up your room, and if it's not clean when I get up there I'm going to make you eat cookies.' "
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/04/aclu-voting-rights-groups-ask-ohio-supreme-court-to-force-redistricting-commission-to-meet-amid-gop-stalling.html
Assuming that the Bloomberg piece on the contractual impossibility of doing what Rabid Ron says he wants to do is true, then the question becomes did he know about this limitation and plan on it saving him, or did he do it because he was he just ignorant and hell-bent on gaining national MAGA attention. Of course, if it is contractually impossible, it will take a court decision to say so and deny the State of Florida of its "law". That will take time, with the potential for appeals etc. By the time that is decided, RR may well be no longer in need of the decision; he will have moved on to bigger and better things, riding the wave of "conservative" adoration.
Elon Musk gets "a mild affirmative grunt" from me, but 3 cheers for Tim because he reminded me that the glass is half full!
Regarding the Utah Senate race. As a Dem, not in Utah, I applaud their decision to form a coalition to get rid of the seditionist Mike Lee. But I am still concerned about the McMullin Senate race. Has he said who he will caucus with? If he votes for Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and committee chairs for the likes of Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Ron Johnson, how much better off will we be, really? Unless it's a 51/49 Senate and he can be the Joe Manchin to the GOP, I don't see it as much of a gain. He and Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski can't be chairs of all the committees.
Re: A.B.'s note today, the only ones who don't seem to have figured this out are legislative Democrats, the White House staff and the consultants who tell all of them how to think. Maybe their feeling is that, as long as they're getting their fees, they don't really care who wins because they've already won.
Re: the willingness to do harm.
Decent leaders will say "here is a tradeoff - if we want lower taxes, we need to put up with more potholes." And those decisions can be debated by people of good will, on their practical and philosophical terms. And those are the kinds of decisions we need our government to make.
What Abbott did has nothing to do with that. It was pure political grandstanding on the backs of his own constituents. There's no tradeoff involved. For Abbott, it was tails I win, heads you lose.
The problem is that there are some people who want what Abbott did. They want a negative objective outcome for the sake of some emotional salve. This is self-destructive behavior, and any normal person who does this would be met by their friends and family in an intervention. How do you stage an intervention for a political party?
Important to note that Abbot and DeSantis aren't looking for "emotional salve", nor are they culture warriors. They are just warriors seeking to replace the state with themselves.
George Marshall was a warrior and a statesman. So was Ghengis Khan -- warrior and tyrant. Warriors are not necessarily inclined to be tyrants, and certainly not all tyrants are warriors. Is Eddie Gallagher, of Trump Pardon fame, or William Calley warriors?
"Warrior" is an troublesome concept, much muddled, the kind of word we use thoughtlessly as if it had a clear meaning. But when we take a closer look at the gamut of circumstances in in which we variously use it, "warrior" turns out to be anything but clear. Like "hero". Like "Justice". Like "Honor".
What probably we both want to mean by "warrior" would be
A KNYGHT ... and that a worthy man,
That fro the tyme that he first bigan
To riden out, he loved chivalrie,
Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisie.
Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,
And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,
As wel in cristendom as in hethenesse,
And evere honoured for his worthynesse.
There has always been a shortage of these.
Concerning Kushner and his taking bribes, and his not being able to get security clearrence, but getting classified information anyway, (am I the only one getting a connection here); I would have assumed this would be a concern to Republicans with loyalty to our country and personal integrity. I see now that there are no honest and patriotic Republicans. I'm terrified as we sit back and watch them take over.
There can be no disloyalty to country when you have replaced country with self. When you have done that, loyalty to country becomes disloyalty to self -- which is then by definition treason. As for integrity -- by definition "the quality or state of being complete or undivided" -- you can't be more undivided than being all about your Self. So again loyalty to the nation if it is not your Self is the very act of dis-integration, and hence the opposite of integrity.
War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength, and Freedom is Slavery -- but even more, Slavery is Freedom.
“replaced country with self”
I have never encountered the word solipsism so often, or ever, in my whole life until the last couple years in opinion columns. I had to look it up repeatedly until it finally stuck. “The self is the only existent thing” is one definition. Narcissism seems to be a defining American trait. That wasn’t always true.
Sad but true.
Sadly, you are right.
Orwell left off the worst of all... Falsehood is Truth.
"Willingness To Do Harm" is an excellent theme. Needs a follow-up, "Willingness to Ignore Harm", about the GOP voters.