You wise, wise man, Rick! This is the best advice, political and personal.
I was a little surprised that you didn't mention the over the top thuggery of ICE and the clearly useless deployment of US troops in American cities. I mean, if people don't like foreign wars, how much more unpopular is it to bring all that home?
Also, although Trump support trends rural, there are a lot of fairly well off people who support Trump because they hate taxes, their jobs and bosses, etc. -- more the original Tea Party people, boat owners for Trump, and a lot of the J6ers, actually. Those people have cleaning ladies, day care, lawn crews, guys replacing their roofs, and even employees whom ICE is kidnapping. A lot of veterans who support Trump have foreign-born wives for whom ICE is a danger. Perhaps this is not something that needs to be part of an ad campaign. I guess people need to experience it firsthand in order for it to change their views. I do feel it's a significant factor in Trump's declining popularity, though.
Yeah, poor President Obama! Passed a healthcare package that would help citizens afford healthcare & the idiot voters gave him a shellacking the next midterm. Funny how 15 years later, Republicans still haven’t come up with a better plan
I often think about how brilliant and ballsy it was that the Obama administration just drove full-speed ahead with the implementation, just kept going even when the website was crashing, etc. (which Andy Slavitt fixed), even though it was going to hurt them in the short-term. They knew there would never be another opening for a couple of generations. And now, Republicans are going to be destroyed in part because they can't keep trying to cut it.
By the way, Josh Barro has a brilliant piece entitled something like "the Republican Health Care Trilemma" on his substack that explains why the GOP cannot come up with its own plan. Basically, they have three absolute requirements for what a plan cannot do, and these are internally contradictory, ergo they can never agree on a plan, not even now, when they control everything.
BTW it is possible to edit posts after they are published. Find the three dots off to the right, on the same line as one's username. (they are in the same place as the "Share" links)
Click the three dots and you'll get a drop-down menu which includes "edit."
I use that in responding to other types of posts. ... but on these types I don't get an edit option...I get a " share link to comment", hide comment or delete...I am guilty of not wanting to delete and retype the entire thing.. my bad.
Excellent piece, Rick! I LOVE the meteor image, extinction level event for Republicans, well deserved. I've listened to this twice today, and I'm moved to tears each time you talk about undoing the harms he had done to our country. He and his sycophants make me absolutely ill. I tell my grandsons, 7 and 10, that he is no example to follow. Democrats must learn the lessons taught by Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill and Eileen Higgins. They have laid out the blueprint.
Behind the Montana "maga" Curtain: My husband and I just completed our 30th week of calling the local offices of our MAGA 2 senators, MAGA 2 representatives, and MAGA governor. We are active members of Bozeman's Indivisible--local calls/emails to Republican senators like Cassidy and his support of JFK's death knell for American health care, protests, post cards, Letters to the Editor, donations for pro-democracy programs, etc., etc. We know that it will be a long fight to repair Trump's destruction of America, and we are in this fight for the sake of our children, grandchildren, and all children. We will never stop fighting Trump's fascism.
Thank you for all that you do, and you do so much as an American leader and hero. (As an aside, I'm an old high school English teacher, and you dazzle all of us with not only the depths of your political knowledge but also with your amazing command of the English language.)
On another topic, I’d love the chat page to quash the contributors who are asking everyone to subscribe and become paid members to THEIR substacks. It feels like nonstop grifting, as these folks post several times a day.
If I paid them all, I'd never make my rent and car payments!!! I'm serious. I have about 3 old stand byes that I have followed for YEARS on a different platform. This is one of them....but I agree...quite a few out there are just flat out hustling and in effect making money off our misery...same was true of Twitter, remains so with X , I strongly suspect.
Hey Rick, voters are going to love hearing from him about the rigged 2020 election and how everything is Joe Biden’s fault, and how he deserves a Nobel prize, and the immigrants are eating their pets! That’s exactly what they’ll want after they see their new health insurance premiums and visit the grocery store. It’s always the economy, stupid, isn’t it? Except when the Dems give you a recovered economy and the dumbass electorate wants to rage about their petty shit, like racism, nativism, homophobia, and controlling women.
Thanks Rick: Yes democrats get out there , hit the pavement meet the folks. Don't let up. Keep engaged. Listen to the folks. Talk with them not at them.
No rest until the Blue winners are actually sworn in, make sure they focus on addressing the pain of voters who brought them in, and no hubris or overestimating the "mandate."
Nobody can know the future. We can either doom about the bad signs or feel hope at the good signs. Right now, the key is keeping the ol' YES WE CAN energy up.
Great insights!
You wise, wise man, Rick! This is the best advice, political and personal.
I was a little surprised that you didn't mention the over the top thuggery of ICE and the clearly useless deployment of US troops in American cities. I mean, if people don't like foreign wars, how much more unpopular is it to bring all that home?
Also, although Trump support trends rural, there are a lot of fairly well off people who support Trump because they hate taxes, their jobs and bosses, etc. -- more the original Tea Party people, boat owners for Trump, and a lot of the J6ers, actually. Those people have cleaning ladies, day care, lawn crews, guys replacing their roofs, and even employees whom ICE is kidnapping. A lot of veterans who support Trump have foreign-born wives for whom ICE is a danger. Perhaps this is not something that needs to be part of an ad campaign. I guess people need to experience it firsthand in order for it to change their views. I do feel it's a significant factor in Trump's declining popularity, though.
Yeah, poor President Obama! Passed a healthcare package that would help citizens afford healthcare & the idiot voters gave him a shellacking the next midterm. Funny how 15 years later, Republicans still haven’t come up with a better plan
I often think about how brilliant and ballsy it was that the Obama administration just drove full-speed ahead with the implementation, just kept going even when the website was crashing, etc. (which Andy Slavitt fixed), even though it was going to hurt them in the short-term. They knew there would never be another opening for a couple of generations. And now, Republicans are going to be destroyed in part because they can't keep trying to cut it.
By the way, Josh Barro has a brilliant piece entitled something like "the Republican Health Care Trilemma" on his substack that explains why the GOP cannot come up with its own plan. Basically, they have three absolute requirements for what a plan cannot do, and these are internally contradictory, ergo they can never agree on a plan, not even now, when they control everything.
These repub prices have wanted to destroy ACA since its inception...and for Trump it's ca vengeance mission.
Shucks.. auto c...' prices' is supposed to be ' pricks'..
BTW it is possible to edit posts after they are published. Find the three dots off to the right, on the same line as one's username. (they are in the same place as the "Share" links)
Click the three dots and you'll get a drop-down menu which includes "edit."
I use that in responding to other types of posts. ... but on these types I don't get an edit option...I get a " share link to comment", hide comment or delete...I am guilty of not wanting to delete and retype the entire thing.. my bad.
Excellent piece, Rick! I LOVE the meteor image, extinction level event for Republicans, well deserved. I've listened to this twice today, and I'm moved to tears each time you talk about undoing the harms he had done to our country. He and his sycophants make me absolutely ill. I tell my grandsons, 7 and 10, that he is no example to follow. Democrats must learn the lessons taught by Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill and Eileen Higgins. They have laid out the blueprint.
Dear Rick,
Behind the Montana "maga" Curtain: My husband and I just completed our 30th week of calling the local offices of our MAGA 2 senators, MAGA 2 representatives, and MAGA governor. We are active members of Bozeman's Indivisible--local calls/emails to Republican senators like Cassidy and his support of JFK's death knell for American health care, protests, post cards, Letters to the Editor, donations for pro-democracy programs, etc., etc. We know that it will be a long fight to repair Trump's destruction of America, and we are in this fight for the sake of our children, grandchildren, and all children. We will never stop fighting Trump's fascism.
Thank you for all that you do, and you do so much as an American leader and hero. (As an aside, I'm an old high school English teacher, and you dazzle all of us with not only the depths of your political knowledge but also with your amazing command of the English language.)
Wow, that is dedication, and for a cause I wish more people would recognize-- the future our loved ones will have to contend with once we are gone.
Hats off to you and your husband!
Ditto! Good work!
OT but Kristy Noem and Tom Homan are fighting. They appear to hate each other. They are already turning on each other, less than one year in.
On another topic, I’d love the chat page to quash the contributors who are asking everyone to subscribe and become paid members to THEIR substacks. It feels like nonstop grifting, as these folks post several times a day.
If I paid them all, I'd never make my rent and car payments!!! I'm serious. I have about 3 old stand byes that I have followed for YEARS on a different platform. This is one of them....but I agree...quite a few out there are just flat out hustling and in effect making money off our misery...same was true of Twitter, remains so with X , I strongly suspect.
Make it so.
Hey Rick, voters are going to love hearing from him about the rigged 2020 election and how everything is Joe Biden’s fault, and how he deserves a Nobel prize, and the immigrants are eating their pets! That’s exactly what they’ll want after they see their new health insurance premiums and visit the grocery store. It’s always the economy, stupid, isn’t it? Except when the Dems give you a recovered economy and the dumbass electorate wants to rage about their petty shit, like racism, nativism, homophobia, and controlling women.
Thanks Rick: Yes democrats get out there , hit the pavement meet the folks. Don't let up. Keep engaged. Listen to the folks. Talk with them not at them.
Bravo Rick💙🗽🗽
I was hoping for an extinction level event after Trump won his second term but this is much better. The end of the Magasorous.
Let’s not get out over our skis here……
No rest until the Blue winners are actually sworn in, make sure they focus on addressing the pain of voters who brought them in, and no hubris or overestimating the "mandate."
Nobody can know the future. We can either doom about the bad signs or feel hope at the good signs. Right now, the key is keeping the ol' YES WE CAN energy up.
Amen to that!