I am so grateful for your optimism and your positive message. The key in my view is to mobilize the young who face a long and very uncertain future. These are the multi-millions of 18 to 29s who must be incentivized to register and to turn out to vote in historical proportions particularly in key battleground states and in 75 key competitive Congressional Districts which will decide our future Congress and the 13 competitive key states which will decide the future Senate! So please all of us go to www.TurnUp.US which is run by brilliant and effective Harvard students dedicated to register millions based on three personal issues: protecting abortion rights; enacting truly effective and enforceable gun safety legislation; and battle climate change now before it is too late! These are the issues which will motivate the young to vote and to save their futures! Please donate generously to save our Democracy and their future! And it’s tax deductible as well as nonpartisan!
Steven . . . as a transgender American I can tell you it is more than a fear. It is the horrifying realization that it is more than possible a man who panders to his worst instincts and engages in demagogery against those who are perceived as being "less than" be they non-white, or members of the LGBT community, or immigrants from, as he put it, "shit hole countries." His prejudices and ineptitude cost millions of Americans their lives in the pandemic. This is no garden variety fear, for more than a few of us, our very lives are in danger . . . real danger.
You are correct that pretty much everyone has experienced "A world where they feel excluded, unappreciated and powerless." But this doesn't dominate most people's lives--even those who have turned to MAGA--until they are told over and over that they ARE excluded, unappreciated and powerless against imaginary forces designed to MAKE them fear the future.
During the Cold War, this was pretty much the universal feeling. It was CLEAR to us grade schoolers that "duck and cover" wasn't going to solve a thing. And during this time, and the terrorist times preceding and following 9/11, we were whupped by folks determined to advance their own agenda and power. And we got Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq. Falling dominos, Islamophobia. Our friends and later children, DIED because someone manipulated fear to keep their jobs just a bit longer.
We are not just seeing a lack of imagination--we are seeing the power-hungry co-opt what we imagine.
Steven, you are on the same page with Joyce Vance. Great minds …
Joyce Vance wrote in her latest article: “We, as citizens, don’t control the outcome of court cases involving Trump. That’s up to the judges and justices. So watch the courts, but work on the vote. It’s time for us to turn our focus there. Whether Trump will be on the ballot or not, it’s time to register, prepare to vote, and make sure our votes are counted.”
Steven, what I find incredible is that you are talking about 30% of the population which is infected with fear to the point where they will support someone like Trump. And remember, people aren't born with this toxic fear it is acquired.
Thank you, Steven, for presenting such a clear explanation for the pessimism that people are feeling on both ends of the spectrum. It’s been hard for me to get my mind around the right wing’s thinking. Most of all, thanks for your optimism, which I share.
It irks me to see tfg think it was a good day for him yesterday with the Supreme Court. I listened to every word and did not hear it the same way his deranged mind did. Am I wrong?
Joe Biden is a great President, but more importantly an exceptional human being . We need to thank him for dedicating his life to his family and country. He is a man of integrity, kindness, and wisdom who will never give up on us. I don't care how old he is. Age doesn't define me or him...it's just a number and we all have one.
Imagination is crazy, Your whole perspective gets hazy, Starts you asking a daisy, What to do, What to do. America is more at risk now than it was in the 1940s. If the right thing occurs, we may well be Tom Brokaw's greatest generation. But how?What can we as individuals, do? We like to think we are a classless society, but we are not, and there is very little interaction between those classes. I am always advocating improvement of our public education, grades K-12. I am against paying off student debt, taking tax money paid by a plumber to fund a future engineer or lawyer who will then become upper class, at least monetarily and further the distance between the haves and the have nots, many of those exact people who will side with fascism. Right now, I am disgusted with the media. Look what all of them did with the "pulled a Comey" Hur info. Dwell on Biden not being guilty of anything, being cooperative, unlike his opponent? No. Age , memory, Mexico. On every TV news station. Mr. trying to make a comeback, Jeffry Toobin sat there on CNN and shouted MEXICO? MEXICO? MEXICO? all holier than thou without a thought of the President's involvement in so many problems, both here and abroad. He is concerned about the southern border which involves Mexico. He is concerned about the Gaza-Egypt border. Why is it so difficult to understand that with all on his mind, he would misstate the country unintentionally?
I kept switching between channels, to no avail. trump loves all this attention, and it is disgusting.
And now, Stefanik is calling the participants of the capital overthrow attempt, hostages !! And there is CNN having her on , interviewing her, letting her go on about the hostages. There's a picture of her on twitter holding up her middle finger. A Harvard graduate. So it is not just those cuckoos who are "on the street " interviews. What to do?
Did you ever notice that when you smile at someone, they generally smile back? Say hello even if they are holding a can for a little donation and not a Hermes pocketbook. If you see a poor begging woman smoking a cigarette and think, ha, she has money to buy them ! Well, go get her a Wendy's chili and a pack of Marlboros, it's probably the only thing that gives her some relief which she needs. Be kind, be helpful, try to find something about everyone to compliment-a hair cut, a pretty scarf, even a tattoo if you can bring yourself to do it. We must work on changing the outlooks of people, make them feel worthy.. When I taught highschool, I enjoyed the "bad" kids the most. They had personality. They acted up, But what they though was funny, I did, too. I knew their names, their nicknames, ask about their mothers, what movie they liked; in other words, I showed them that someone cared, was interested in them, liked them, and they responded and gave me much joy.The only way we can bring back a civilized populace that will once again, desire democracy and not dictator, is to be civil-to all.
So dream when the day is through, Dream, and they may come true. Things never are as bad as they seem so dream, dream, dream.
P.S.As I have said, I have a part time job in a grocery store as I am not ready for knitting needles and a rocking chair. Every few days, an elderly couple comes in. The man is very frail but pushes the cart.
The wife likes to converse. Closed eyes would never envision that they are 100 and 98 years old, driving a car, mentally fit as anyone. So much for age !!
Absolutely, totally. We write positive letters, we register new voters, but really I have a feeling the majority of the people see what we see, find where reality and truth is, and not on the side of Mr. Trump and his pitiful Republican allies.
We work at it and empower ourselves, it works, it totally works.
It is our duty as Americans to educate ourselves on issues, candidates and the voting process in our state. That includes knowing where to get legitimate voting information. We can also help our neighbors and friends. Now in the “great” age of AI we need to connect people to reliable sources for information where they can check out warnings, advice or instructions from strangers.
(25,000+ phone calls faking Joe Biden’s voice advised voters to “save” their vote; skip the NH primary and use their vote in the general election. The calls were traced to a source in Texas.)
Agree wholeheartedly!
It is up to the voters in November!
WE must not fail.
Exactly! We must vote the Rs out in record numbers. Make it clear we will not standby and watch them destroy our democracy!
I am so grateful for your optimism and your positive message. The key in my view is to mobilize the young who face a long and very uncertain future. These are the multi-millions of 18 to 29s who must be incentivized to register and to turn out to vote in historical proportions particularly in key battleground states and in 75 key competitive Congressional Districts which will decide our future Congress and the 13 competitive key states which will decide the future Senate! So please all of us go to www.TurnUp.US which is run by brilliant and effective Harvard students dedicated to register millions based on three personal issues: protecting abortion rights; enacting truly effective and enforceable gun safety legislation; and battle climate change now before it is too late! These are the issues which will motivate the young to vote and to save their futures! Please donate generously to save our Democracy and their future! And it’s tax deductible as well as nonpartisan!
Steven . . . as a transgender American I can tell you it is more than a fear. It is the horrifying realization that it is more than possible a man who panders to his worst instincts and engages in demagogery against those who are perceived as being "less than" be they non-white, or members of the LGBT community, or immigrants from, as he put it, "shit hole countries." His prejudices and ineptitude cost millions of Americans their lives in the pandemic. This is no garden variety fear, for more than a few of us, our very lives are in danger . . . real danger.
Biden had no fear last night...he came out punching and didn't skip a beat...That's what a leader is and he is mine...
You are correct that pretty much everyone has experienced "A world where they feel excluded, unappreciated and powerless." But this doesn't dominate most people's lives--even those who have turned to MAGA--until they are told over and over that they ARE excluded, unappreciated and powerless against imaginary forces designed to MAKE them fear the future.
During the Cold War, this was pretty much the universal feeling. It was CLEAR to us grade schoolers that "duck and cover" wasn't going to solve a thing. And during this time, and the terrorist times preceding and following 9/11, we were whupped by folks determined to advance their own agenda and power. And we got Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq. Falling dominos, Islamophobia. Our friends and later children, DIED because someone manipulated fear to keep their jobs just a bit longer.
We are not just seeing a lack of imagination--we are seeing the power-hungry co-opt what we imagine.
I am a “duck and cover” child as well. Your post resonates with me.
Steven, you are on the same page with Joyce Vance. Great minds …
Joyce Vance wrote in her latest article: “We, as citizens, don’t control the outcome of court cases involving Trump. That’s up to the judges and justices. So watch the courts, but work on the vote. It’s time for us to turn our focus there. Whether Trump will be on the ballot or not, it’s time to register, prepare to vote, and make sure our votes are counted.”
Steven, what I find incredible is that you are talking about 30% of the population which is infected with fear to the point where they will support someone like Trump. And remember, people aren't born with this toxic fear it is acquired.
Thank you, Steven, for presenting such a clear explanation for the pessimism that people are feeling on both ends of the spectrum. It’s been hard for me to get my mind around the right wing’s thinking. Most of all, thanks for your optimism, which I share.
It irks me to see tfg think it was a good day for him yesterday with the Supreme Court. I listened to every word and did not hear it the same way his deranged mind did. Am I wrong?
Joe Biden is a great President, but more importantly an exceptional human being . We need to thank him for dedicating his life to his family and country. He is a man of integrity, kindness, and wisdom who will never give up on us. I don't care how old he is. Age doesn't define me or him...it's just a number and we all have one.
Imagination is crazy, Your whole perspective gets hazy, Starts you asking a daisy, What to do, What to do. America is more at risk now than it was in the 1940s. If the right thing occurs, we may well be Tom Brokaw's greatest generation. But how?What can we as individuals, do? We like to think we are a classless society, but we are not, and there is very little interaction between those classes. I am always advocating improvement of our public education, grades K-12. I am against paying off student debt, taking tax money paid by a plumber to fund a future engineer or lawyer who will then become upper class, at least monetarily and further the distance between the haves and the have nots, many of those exact people who will side with fascism. Right now, I am disgusted with the media. Look what all of them did with the "pulled a Comey" Hur info. Dwell on Biden not being guilty of anything, being cooperative, unlike his opponent? No. Age , memory, Mexico. On every TV news station. Mr. trying to make a comeback, Jeffry Toobin sat there on CNN and shouted MEXICO? MEXICO? MEXICO? all holier than thou without a thought of the President's involvement in so many problems, both here and abroad. He is concerned about the southern border which involves Mexico. He is concerned about the Gaza-Egypt border. Why is it so difficult to understand that with all on his mind, he would misstate the country unintentionally?
I kept switching between channels, to no avail. trump loves all this attention, and it is disgusting.
And now, Stefanik is calling the participants of the capital overthrow attempt, hostages !! And there is CNN having her on , interviewing her, letting her go on about the hostages. There's a picture of her on twitter holding up her middle finger. A Harvard graduate. So it is not just those cuckoos who are "on the street " interviews. What to do?
Did you ever notice that when you smile at someone, they generally smile back? Say hello even if they are holding a can for a little donation and not a Hermes pocketbook. If you see a poor begging woman smoking a cigarette and think, ha, she has money to buy them ! Well, go get her a Wendy's chili and a pack of Marlboros, it's probably the only thing that gives her some relief which she needs. Be kind, be helpful, try to find something about everyone to compliment-a hair cut, a pretty scarf, even a tattoo if you can bring yourself to do it. We must work on changing the outlooks of people, make them feel worthy.. When I taught highschool, I enjoyed the "bad" kids the most. They had personality. They acted up, But what they though was funny, I did, too. I knew their names, their nicknames, ask about their mothers, what movie they liked; in other words, I showed them that someone cared, was interested in them, liked them, and they responded and gave me much joy.The only way we can bring back a civilized populace that will once again, desire democracy and not dictator, is to be civil-to all.
So dream when the day is through, Dream, and they may come true. Things never are as bad as they seem so dream, dream, dream.
P.S.As I have said, I have a part time job in a grocery store as I am not ready for knitting needles and a rocking chair. Every few days, an elderly couple comes in. The man is very frail but pushes the cart.
The wife likes to converse. Closed eyes would never envision that they are 100 and 98 years old, driving a car, mentally fit as anyone. So much for age !!
Absolutely, totally. We write positive letters, we register new voters, but really I have a feeling the majority of the people see what we see, find where reality and truth is, and not on the side of Mr. Trump and his pitiful Republican allies.
We work at it and empower ourselves, it works, it totally works.
It is our duty as Americans to educate ourselves on issues, candidates and the voting process in our state. That includes knowing where to get legitimate voting information. We can also help our neighbors and friends. Now in the “great” age of AI we need to connect people to reliable sources for information where they can check out warnings, advice or instructions from strangers.
(25,000+ phone calls faking Joe Biden’s voice advised voters to “save” their vote; skip the NH primary and use their vote in the general election. The calls were traced to a source in Texas.)
https://www.vote411.org/