Hope is a discipline, as is every act of self-care, mental and physical health maintenance, and making plans for the future. So those who want to dismiss, damage and even discard us want to smash hope into smithereens. Unite! Resist! Remember that we've been here before to face down the oligarchs, and pushed them back.
I thought this was beautifully written a year ago, and it still leaves that impression today. It was and is one of my favorites over the 9 years.
Excerpt.
“But I’m here to assert that we are living in a moment in time that we have the power to overcome—and indeed, we will. This is not just an idle hope, unrealistic and untethered.”
We will get past this criminal regime and rebuild democracy better than it has been before. Thank you Steven, for your words of hope and encouragement.
Hope is indeed a discipline, although we all have moments of feeling overwhelmed. For those feeling overwhelmed, I recommend Heather Cox Richardson's politics chat from August 6, 2026. As she says, this is a summer of chaos. Republicans (Trump could not do so much harm without their support) are getting desperate, as they see the writing on the wall. They have indeed been weighed in the balance and found wanting as more Americans wake up to the destruction they have caused in the past year and a half. I believe we will create a stronger, more equal democracy if we all work towards it even when it is dark. We will come into the light.
Thanks for the 'replay'! 'What Gives You Hope' made me stop and think but HOPE REDUX is what I/we needed Right Now. We must always remember that last sentence. And, as I seem to frequently throw in, WE MUST VOTE and in numbers way too large to deny outcome - our 'individual AND collective power'.
Hope is a necessary ingredient in the soup. The only way to finish the soup is the Vote! Massive turnout (as seen in Hungary) defeats voter suppression. The regime has neutered all other institutions, including the DOJ and the SCOTUS. Our only hope left is an overwhelming and unshakeable mass movement, beginning right Now, to turn out the largest majority in history right here in the USA. VOTE! That's the MESSAGE we need in the front of everybody's mind. 89 days left, to save our democracy.
Joe McCarthy died but McCarthyism never did, and it's back again -- notice how some mainstream Democrats (David Axelrod, Chuck Schumer, etc.) are freaking about "Democratic Socialists" and anyone they think is a democratic socialist (small "d", small "s")? There are several fronts in the ongoing battle for the heart, soul, and brain of the USA, and one of them is happening among Democrats.
I started to write ". . . in the Democratic Party," but that generally refers to the party apparatus, especially the national Dem organizations. And that's *not* what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the voters and grassroots campaign staffers and volunteers who are making it happen. More power to us!
Although not a past or present advisor or consultant to the DNC, I think of David Axelrod as representing the political consultant class. He had a consulting company which remains common among political consultants. Like them, his clients included corporations. For instance, AT&T, Comcast, Cablevision, ComEd, Citibank, Chicago Cubs, Bally, Total Fitness and some institutions that serve the public.
IMO, tension between pleasing & retaining corporate clients bleeds over into advice and strategy to political campaigns & as well as beliefs. I shed no tears over Ken Martin firing the ones at DNC. They are expensive and worked to keep the DNC from breaking out of its lethargy.
As for Schumer, the current bogeyman of the Dems, I’m sure he remembers the damage from McCarthyism show trials and wished to avoid paving the road to new ones. It would not surprise me if we do see them very soon. The playbook is being developed with “Antifa” trials - although the defendants deny being Antifa members. Dallas is the site of the GOP midterm convention which is going to showcase the GOP case against “commies” and “socialists” (Democrats). The big question is whether it will work with Drumpf in the WH instead of Eisenhower.
Thank you for this reminder in your past essay Steven. Looking back one year, things haven’t gotten better with this regime, but we have continued to fight.
Thanks, Steven, for this inspiring script. Just what the doctor ordered. Yes, We the People, black, brown, yellow, white and red must all stick together, join hands, and never say quit. We have a right every four years to correct the demons of the yesterdays. Don't just hope, vote, vote as if your life depends on it. Never sit the elections out, vote for the one that will serve you. Don't just buy into all the advertisements, get the hell out there and question those who are running. Don't just listen to the airwaves, getting inundated with false lies and promises. There are folks out there who don't deserve your vote. When someone comes along and insults you, calling you a loser, and they are winners, don't give them the time of day. If someone tells you things are broken and he and only he can fix it, get the hell away from him. Make sure you vote in these mid terms. My personal preference would be blue. Too many GOP members talk blue and vote red. Get rid of the double-minded representatives.
“They want us to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. They want us to be full of despair and doubt that there’s a way to overcome this hostile regime and its grim dedication to death and destruction. They want to terrorize communities and strike fear amongst their opponents. This is the playbook to hasten their takeover by silencing dissent and convincing us that their victory is inevitable.”
What we are seeing would not be happening if they felt their victory was inevitable.
Thanks. I needed this. Again. Still.
Hope is a discipline, as is every act of self-care, mental and physical health maintenance, and making plans for the future. So those who want to dismiss, damage and even discard us want to smash hope into smithereens. Unite! Resist! Remember that we've been here before to face down the oligarchs, and pushed them back.
“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” - George Orwell
How far we have come, Steven. The end goal is in sight! Thank you for giving us the moxie to continue on!
I thought this was beautifully written a year ago, and it still leaves that impression today. It was and is one of my favorites over the 9 years.
Excerpt.
“But I’m here to assert that we are living in a moment in time that we have the power to overcome—and indeed, we will. This is not just an idle hope, unrealistic and untethered.”
Thank you
We will get past this criminal regime and rebuild democracy better than it has been before. Thank you Steven, for your words of hope and encouragement.
Hope is indeed a discipline, although we all have moments of feeling overwhelmed. For those feeling overwhelmed, I recommend Heather Cox Richardson's politics chat from August 6, 2026. As she says, this is a summer of chaos. Republicans (Trump could not do so much harm without their support) are getting desperate, as they see the writing on the wall. They have indeed been weighed in the balance and found wanting as more Americans wake up to the destruction they have caused in the past year and a half. I believe we will create a stronger, more equal democracy if we all work towards it even when it is dark. We will come into the light.
Thanks for the redux. We all need a quiet reminder of direction.
Thanks for the 'replay'! 'What Gives You Hope' made me stop and think but HOPE REDUX is what I/we needed Right Now. We must always remember that last sentence. And, as I seem to frequently throw in, WE MUST VOTE and in numbers way too large to deny outcome - our 'individual AND collective power'.
Hope is a necessary ingredient in the soup. The only way to finish the soup is the Vote! Massive turnout (as seen in Hungary) defeats voter suppression. The regime has neutered all other institutions, including the DOJ and the SCOTUS. Our only hope left is an overwhelming and unshakeable mass movement, beginning right Now, to turn out the largest majority in history right here in the USA. VOTE! That's the MESSAGE we need in the front of everybody's mind. 89 days left, to save our democracy.
Joe McCarthy died but McCarthyism never did, and it's back again -- notice how some mainstream Democrats (David Axelrod, Chuck Schumer, etc.) are freaking about "Democratic Socialists" and anyone they think is a democratic socialist (small "d", small "s")? There are several fronts in the ongoing battle for the heart, soul, and brain of the USA, and one of them is happening among Democrats.
I started to write ". . . in the Democratic Party," but that generally refers to the party apparatus, especially the national Dem organizations. And that's *not* what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the voters and grassroots campaign staffers and volunteers who are making it happen. More power to us!
Although not a past or present advisor or consultant to the DNC, I think of David Axelrod as representing the political consultant class. He had a consulting company which remains common among political consultants. Like them, his clients included corporations. For instance, AT&T, Comcast, Cablevision, ComEd, Citibank, Chicago Cubs, Bally, Total Fitness and some institutions that serve the public.
IMO, tension between pleasing & retaining corporate clients bleeds over into advice and strategy to political campaigns & as well as beliefs. I shed no tears over Ken Martin firing the ones at DNC. They are expensive and worked to keep the DNC from breaking out of its lethargy.
As for Schumer, the current bogeyman of the Dems, I’m sure he remembers the damage from McCarthyism show trials and wished to avoid paving the road to new ones. It would not surprise me if we do see them very soon. The playbook is being developed with “Antifa” trials - although the defendants deny being Antifa members. Dallas is the site of the GOP midterm convention which is going to showcase the GOP case against “commies” and “socialists” (Democrats). The big question is whether it will work with Drumpf in the WH instead of Eisenhower.
Thank you for this reminder in your past essay Steven. Looking back one year, things haven’t gotten better with this regime, but we have continued to fight.
Thanks, Steven, for this inspiring script. Just what the doctor ordered. Yes, We the People, black, brown, yellow, white and red must all stick together, join hands, and never say quit. We have a right every four years to correct the demons of the yesterdays. Don't just hope, vote, vote as if your life depends on it. Never sit the elections out, vote for the one that will serve you. Don't just buy into all the advertisements, get the hell out there and question those who are running. Don't just listen to the airwaves, getting inundated with false lies and promises. There are folks out there who don't deserve your vote. When someone comes along and insults you, calling you a loser, and they are winners, don't give them the time of day. If someone tells you things are broken and he and only he can fix it, get the hell away from him. Make sure you vote in these mid terms. My personal preference would be blue. Too many GOP members talk blue and vote red. Get rid of the double-minded representatives.
Thank you for your wise and hopeful words today. I appreciate you.
Hope also "is the thing with feathers - / That perches in the soul - / And sings the tune without the words - / And never stops - at all -"
Thank you, Emily Dickinson. You can find the rest of the poem at https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42889/hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers-314.
Lovely! I used that verse on our Wedding invitation! 🦋
A great reminder, particularly:
“They want us to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. They want us to be full of despair and doubt that there’s a way to overcome this hostile regime and its grim dedication to death and destruction. They want to terrorize communities and strike fear amongst their opponents. This is the playbook to hasten their takeover by silencing dissent and convincing us that their victory is inevitable.”
What we are seeing would not be happening if they felt their victory was inevitable.