ANOTHER DEMOCRATIC WISHLIST, while understandable, should at this point be the cart and not the horse.
Most Americans are not policy junkies -- the majority pay scant attention to issues, legislation and detailed priorities, esp. swing voters. Many vote on one or two issues and no more (pro-life or a woman's right to choose, gun rights or eliminating gun violence, etc.).
We will win in 2026 and 2028 if we have a smart, sympathetic messenger with broad appeal (like Obama or Buttigieg); someone who can speak credibly to women and men, all races (even white people!), and knows how to talk about kitchen table issues and present commonsense solutions.
THEN we work on our wishlist, or have this person focus on 3-5 of them and not a dozen.
Being hopeful is associated with a wide range of health and life benefits. Research suggests that people with more hope throughout their lives tend to have fewer chronic health problems, are less likely to experience depression or anxiety, have more substantial social support, and live longer.
Clifford Adams recently wrote about Dr. Edith Eger's book The Choice.
It seems unlikely to me that anything like a Project 2029 would be possible. The authors of the Project 2025 manifesto were all in agreement about their end game; their vision is single-minded and clear, so it’s easier to drive change in the direction they want. Trump himself is not in charge. It’s the Rasputins behind him pulling his strings, and those puppeteers are working in concert.
On the other hand, we others have become so indecisive as a whole that we can’t, as David Brooks put it recently, take our own side in a fight.
I hadn’t heard the David Brooks line … too true. We’re so inclusive we have trouble finding focus. Maybe that’s the good news about these times … they are reminding us of things that absolutely unacceptable. Thanks.
Perhaps it isn't that you don't have right answers but you're asking the wrong question. It's not changing how we do things to be asking about, but it's who are to be dealing with. We are angry gadflies, but we need to be united activists. My post today is about that:
I disagree...Project 2025 is about removing rights from "woke" people. We should be allowing people that are able to come to the realization on their own that they made a mistake. We need to be careful not to become the thing that we hate...
No, I appreciate you bringing this up for discussion, but it's Project 2029 that I have problems with. I just saw a clip of Pete Buttigeg on Jen Psaki's new show on MSNBC last night. Please check it out, it is on BlueSky...
I would love to hear more about why. I’ve seen a couple of the Pete clips (love both Pete and Jen) but am not clear about the connection to Project 2029. I had a really hard time writing this post about it so maybe your reservations would help me clarify my thinking.
Like I said, Project 2025 is about taking rights away from people. Making it harder for people who don't see things the way they do to vote...trying to make their voices the only ones that can be heard. Democracy is messy. Authoritarianism is much simpler, because only one voice can be heard. The beauty AND messiness of Democracy is that EVERY side CAN be heard. I believe our only hope is to convince more people that our way is better. Pete said we need to admit that something is broken (that an authoritarian could be elected), and try to offer a better vision.
ANOTHER DEMOCRATIC WISHLIST, while understandable, should at this point be the cart and not the horse.
Most Americans are not policy junkies -- the majority pay scant attention to issues, legislation and detailed priorities, esp. swing voters. Many vote on one or two issues and no more (pro-life or a woman's right to choose, gun rights or eliminating gun violence, etc.).
We will win in 2026 and 2028 if we have a smart, sympathetic messenger with broad appeal (like Obama or Buttigieg); someone who can speak credibly to women and men, all races (even white people!), and knows how to talk about kitchen table issues and present commonsense solutions.
THEN we work on our wishlist, or have this person focus on 3-5 of them and not a dozen.
Thanks, Ken … this is such a learning curve … I hope we get smart enough soon enough.
Being hopeful is associated with a wide range of health and life benefits. Research suggests that people with more hope throughout their lives tend to have fewer chronic health problems, are less likely to experience depression or anxiety, have more substantial social support, and live longer.
Clifford Adams recently wrote about Dr. Edith Eger's book The Choice.
It seems unlikely to me that anything like a Project 2029 would be possible. The authors of the Project 2025 manifesto were all in agreement about their end game; their vision is single-minded and clear, so it’s easier to drive change in the direction they want. Trump himself is not in charge. It’s the Rasputins behind him pulling his strings, and those puppeteers are working in concert.
On the other hand, we others have become so indecisive as a whole that we can’t, as David Brooks put it recently, take our own side in a fight.
I hadn’t heard the David Brooks line … too true. We’re so inclusive we have trouble finding focus. Maybe that’s the good news about these times … they are reminding us of things that absolutely unacceptable. Thanks.
Some of this makes sense to me some I am not sure about because I know nothin about such things
Perhaps it isn't that you don't have right answers but you're asking the wrong question. It's not changing how we do things to be asking about, but it's who are to be dealing with. We are angry gadflies, but we need to be united activists. My post today is about that:
An epidemic of courage
For doing what saves humanity
https://suzannetaylor.substack.com/p/an-epidemic-of-courage
I disagree...Project 2025 is about removing rights from "woke" people. We should be allowing people that are able to come to the realization on their own that they made a mistake. We need to be careful not to become the thing that we hate...
Thanks, Roger. I agree with your statement but am confused about what you’re disagreeing about … the idea of doing a Project 2029? or ???
No, I appreciate you bringing this up for discussion, but it's Project 2029 that I have problems with. I just saw a clip of Pete Buttigeg on Jen Psaki's new show on MSNBC last night. Please check it out, it is on BlueSky...
I would love to hear more about why. I’ve seen a couple of the Pete clips (love both Pete and Jen) but am not clear about the connection to Project 2029. I had a really hard time writing this post about it so maybe your reservations would help me clarify my thinking.
Like I said, Project 2025 is about taking rights away from people. Making it harder for people who don't see things the way they do to vote...trying to make their voices the only ones that can be heard. Democracy is messy. Authoritarianism is much simpler, because only one voice can be heard. The beauty AND messiness of Democracy is that EVERY side CAN be heard. I believe our only hope is to convince more people that our way is better. Pete said we need to admit that something is broken (that an authoritarian could be elected), and try to offer a better vision.
I feel like the meme is inflammatory, written by a Magatron to further the hatred of liberals.