From Wiki: ”After the defeat of Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, Murphy urged a significant revamp of Democratic Party policy, stating that neoliberalism, a growing social and economic alienation of many Americans from the party, and a perception of elitism has contributed to the loss of working class voters. Murphy believes the Democratic Party should embrace left-wing populism as an antidote to right-wing populism, reiterating his belief that third way politics had eroded the traditionally broad appeal of the party.[79]”
New: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is circulating a polling memo arguing that Democrats need to embrace populism to win back working-class voters.
Murphy is trying to position himself as a leading Democratic voice as the party grapples with a brutal election cycle. Murphy argues that a “populist message of power deconcentration is a truly unifying message — across income brackets and political ideologies.”
“Democrats must reclaim our identity as the party of the working class,” Murphy wrote in the memo. His solution? Have Democrats talk about “why corporations and billionaires have too much” and why Democrats “are the only party that is serious about putting that power back in the hands of workers.”
Here’s one tidbit from the polling, conducted internally by the Murphy campaign in Connecticut:
Most of the respondents, 82%, “either strongly or somewhat agree that one of the biggest problems facing America today is that a handful of corporations and economic elites have too much power and the government is doing too little about it.”
Seven in 10 Republicans, 92% of Democrats and 81% of independents agreed with the statement.
— Max Cohen
My view is that Democrats lost the presidency and both house of Congress because they didn’t pay attention to the financial challenges faced by most Americans. Carville was right again. “It’s the economy, stupid!” But it is not the economy of statistics that moves voters to support candidates.
Want to see glazed over eyes? Babble on about how inflation has improved and unemployment is the lowest in decades and the chips factories we are building and blah, blah, blah. We have invested in infrastructure and green energy like no others before us…blah, blah. It IS truly good stuff. But it is irrelevant if you are living a nightmare of underpaid jobs and escalating costs for everything. And…you have NO HOPE that it will get better.
It is the economy of their checkbooks and credit card statements. And all too often, the latter is a lot bigger than the former.
Wages have inched up, yes. But the basic construct of American society when it comes to housing, health care, cost of life saving drugs, child care, elder care, cost of utilities, cost of food, cost of vehicles, cost of YOU NAME IT – that math just doesn’t work anymore.
And while I think Kamala Harris pulled off an excellent campaign, she was doomed by the facts just explained. Her party wasn’t listening. Joe Biden has been one of our finest presidents and he was moving us in the right direction. But the bureaucracy of our government and the silo thinking of Democrats sank our ship. American families need help. Now.
I think Senator Chris Murphy is on to something. What do you think?
My nephew (a very fine young man) just asked me “how was I handling the craziness going on right now?” My response is that I have moved from “pain and anger” to RESOLVE. And action. Two things to do. In my case, optimism needs to be carried out by some efforts – even if they are small.
Cornelius Cucurbit – Trump nominee for Secretary of Agriculture
In my case they are related. I am going to continue to write. The political posts, yes because I really believe that we are here because too many people haven’t been paying attention to the fact that their lives, their freedom and their money have been stolen. Much more on that soon.
But there must be a balance. The second thing for me is to volunteer to help in the community. I have applied to serve on the “Agricultural Commission” of our town. The mission is the protection of and the encouragement of town and private lands for the purposes of forestry, equestrian uses and… yes, growing food!
If I am accepted, I’ll work with some like minded souls. Maybe we will accomplish some modest goals – like more official protection of farmland. And a broader education for the community. We are a suburb, of course. But we also have a large percentage of the town under conservation or agricultural protection.
This might be healthy for all concerned – including my brain that can hardly believe what is happening at the Federal Level. It is staggering in it’s insanity. Literally insane.
Spring – the arbor was completely covered with pole beans by August
Yes, America is going nuts. But most of our lives are led in a town or city where we can perhaps make a difference. We’ll see. In the meantime, the end of the season has arrived. The garden has been cleared of debris and received a top coat of terrific compost from a local stable. (Thank you M&D). It’s like a blanket for the winter. There is still some kale to pick. But I just clipped the last of the fall lettuce. We are having 20 degree nights.
I get my seeds from Johnny’s Selected Seeds of Maine. All Star Mix of red and green leaf, mini romaine and mini butterhead. I love the company. Organic focus and employee owned. Imagine that. Employees in charge.
The garden and I will have a rest through the winter. But I’ll order seeds soon and remap the raised beds – rotating crops.
I am putting my pain and anger to sleep just like the garden. But we will be roaring back in 2025 – stronger and more focused. It’s time for a revolution. I am serious.
Apologies if this letter is a bit long. I DID cut out over half of it as I edited. But I will understand if you want to scroll down right away to a YouTube video at the end from a guy who said it better than I can.
I needed a week to digest, regurgitate, scream, and cry about last week’s election. I am shocked, ashamed, and embarrassed by my fellow Americans. The 70 plus million who could vote for something worse than pond scum. And the many millions who did not vote. Disgusted, appalled, repelled.
I like to view situations by standing back and evaluating how others might see things. I am thinking about Ukraine and Europe. I see the glee in Putin’s eyes. He now has an asset in the White House. Again.
I am thinking about the millions of women who are losing their bodily autonomy and their healthcare – a human right in the richest country that has ever existed.
How could it be that a majority of Americans were able – willingly – to look past the multiple flaws of Donald Trump? Misogynist, Racist, convicted Felon, Sexual abuser, tax Cheat, non-profit Cheat, 6 times Bankrupt Casino Operator, leader of a Violent attempted Coup, Thief of Top Secret Documents….friend of Vicious Dictators.
How did VP Kamala Harris receive less votes than President Biden did four years ago? Harris is one of the most qualified candidates to have run for the office – behind perhaps, only Biden himself.
And now. We prepare for autocracy. For mass deportations. For the gutting of the government and the regulations that protect us all. For more tax breaks for the rich and threatened social safety nets like Social Security, Medicare and food for poor people and…kids.
Anarchy and cruelty. Millions of rich and/or stupid people will applaud – at first.
If enough farm workers and food processing employees are in fact deported, food prices will escalate. Unlike President Biden who helped us as inflation DECREASED, Trump will reverse that progress and be infamous for creating a self-inflicted wound – inflation invited.
And those tariffs on foreign goods? Even his most fervent advisors know that the American people will pay for them. Bingo. More inflation. The irony would be hilarious if it wasn’t so cruel to those who are already struggling. The last time Trump pulled this stunt, China stopped buying our soybeans – farmers suffered until they were given compensation from the taxpayers. None of this makes any sense!
Speaking of struggling, there is some consensus that VP Harris lost this race because she didn’t recognize, identify and call out the financial dire straits so many working Americans face. Instead of crowing about how much better off we all are (we are) the Democratic platform should have emphasized change! Too many people are struggling to afford housing, health care and child care. And where would the best ideas come from to help the “average American”?
Ask Bernie Sanders. The original “populist” of our generation. The man who has long been calling for a better shake for young people, the working poor, the elderly – everyone except the oligarchs! The Democrats need to launch a financial revolt. It was not enough to say “things are better and we will make them even better…”
Democrats and fair minded Independents need to shake the money tree and propose some serious redistributions of wealth. The Maga gang demonized the “others”. That’s pretty extreme and cruel. The Maga maniacs are not afraid to propose all manner of crazy ass ideas – crazy – but THEY WON.
Dems like to be “nice” and try not to offend this group or that group. We present pretty stats and talk about unity and blah, blah, blah. And WE LOST.
Perhaps it’s time for us to get extremely angry – at the fact that Elon Musk and crew just bought an election with a boatload of money and lies. We need some Norma Rae style rebellion. We need to launch a movement. A movement of money. Not “trickle down” style. A flood. A torrent of money harvested from the ultra rich.
NOBODY needs billions of dollars to lead a very happy and very comfortable life. You pick a number. Or I’ll take a stab at it. Place a 90% tax on all income and ASSETS above ONE $Billion. OK, two billion…we can be flexible. And maybe a real tax (without deductions) on mega millionaires.
When the kings and nobles of old, rode through the villages and shires, they would toss a few coins to the ground for the desperate peasants to fight over. As they left, their soldiers grabbed some livestock and grain and a couple of the prettiest young things for the pleasure of their lieges. And yet, the peasants didn’t rebel. Until, until, they had had enough.
So to all of you who voted for the new “King” and his Uber rich buddies – &#$%*&^! Don’t come running to us with your problems when the eggs and potatoes are too expensive and there is no one to care for your old mom in a nursing home. No one to clean your hotel room, serve your food, fix your roof or…even build your new house.
To all of you who didn’t vote for Kamala Harris because she is a Bi-Racial Woman – *@#$%^&*! You belong in a time machine bringing you back to a random age and time where you belong. Go there. Stay there.
But the pendulum does swing both ways. For now, it apparently needs to swing further to insanity and depravity (talking to you, fake Jesus freaks). But it will swing back to fairness, democracy and compassion. Some day. I believe that.
Richard (“I am not a crook”) Nixon was overwhelmingly re-elected in 1972 with over 60% of the vote. He carried 49 states. On August 9, 1974 Nixon resigned before he could be impeached and convicted. There is a surprise around every corner. Let’s be ready to embrace it. Let’s be ready for the Revolution.
For now, sorry to say: “Welcome to Gilead”.
A friend just sent me this YouTube reaction to the election. This man expresses our outrage with down to earth eloquence. Please share it.
Women’s right to vote – 19th Amendment – ratified August 18, 1920
I haven’t written anything since October 23, when I shouted out that I thought the Polls are Bullshit. I still believe that. But since then, my brain has frozen with astonishment. And high anxiety.
The media is continuously flooding us with the latest horse race surveys – all of them footnoting that the poll is within the margin of error! Doesn’t that make them entirely worthless? Why not just say that the race for president is close? And THEN clarify who the GQP has chosen as their figurehead.
The lack of challenges from all manner of media is astounding.
Today there is a NY Times piece trying to analyze the voting impact of white women. Seriously. How can anyone legitimately predict how such a huge demographic will vote? While the article holds some interesting history, it does create more anxiety.
Very High Anxiety.
Don’t you wake up every day and continue to be perplexed, puzzled and totally pissed off that the best presidential candidate the Republican Party can come up with is a guy with badly applied bronzer and the worst haircut of any known public figure? Is this real?
The Republican candidate is a real estate CON MAN who inherited about $400 million from his racist dad, parlaying that money into 6 bankruptcies. How does somebody lose money owning a casino – when we all know that the “house always wins”?
And millions of people are voting for this bullshitter because they think he is a good businessman? His record says otherwise. From an article written in September 2016:
Trump’s failed businesses:
1. Trump Steaks
2. GoTrump
3. Trump Airlines
4. Trump Vodka
5. Trump Mortgage
6. Trump: The Game
7. Trump Magazine
8. Trump University
9. Trump Ice
10. The New Jersey Generals
11. Tour de Trump
12. Trump Network
13. Trumped!
Trump companies that sought bankruptcy protection:
1. Trump Taj Mahal
2. Trump’s Castle
3. Trump Plaza Casinos
4. Trump Plaza Hotel
5. Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts
6. Trump Entertainment Resorts
Since then he has been hawking playing cards, sneakers, crypto currency and BIBLES!
This is the guy Republicans want leading America’s economy? The party of business wants a failure…a shyster… to guide the nation?
But it is true that it will be women who determine if democracy survives. I MUST BELIEVE that most women will reject a sex offender who has been instrumental in removing their rights to reproductive choice and freedom. I believe that most women believe in their right to have reproductive health care.
Spain – one years rain in a few hours
Maybe…just maybe, in 2025 we can return to thinking about and acting on issues of the planet, social justice and financial equity. Many Trump voters are justified in feeling disenfranchised. Democrats have some solutions.
It involves new American industries. It involves rewriting the tax code to reward hard work vs inheritance. It involves removing the influence of big money in politics. It must mean real voting rights reform – that automatically registers every eligible resident and makes voting easier.
I leave you with one of the best political ads of late.
See you on the other side. I am not a praying kind of guy. But I am going to give it try. Can’t hurt, right?
Just vote. And encourage anyone you speak with to vote for the only choice we have to maintain our democracy. Talk them out of their one issue concern about Harris. The only issues are reproductive freedom and adherence to the Constitution and the Rule of Law.
One of the most respected pollsters and interpreters of voter sentiment is Nate Silver. He established his creds at “538”. And now he is involved with “predictive models”. Basically measuring how people are betting on the election. He is saying Trump will win.
Nate is smart – but completely fallible. If track records are a measure of success, Nate is a flop of epic proportions. He’s good at explaining and rationalizing. But he is just a guy who puts his pants on every day like everyone else. And he can’t read the minds of millions of Americans. Millions who are outraged about the issues of reproductive freedom (and health!) …. and the threats to democracy itself.
On October 27th Donald J. Trump will hold a rally at the “Garden” in New York City. Why? He won’t win this election in New York. He will lose NY by millions. If he really thought he had a chance to win the presidency why wouldn’t he be spending every waking hour in swing states where the election is really decided?
Madison Square Garden leapt into my consciousness twice before. Both were terrifying. MSG is a national stage. Whatever happens there is considered “big”. The first time I heard of the place was as a high school teenager.
Our English teacher was more than an instructor of language. He asked us to really think about life. He had a keen sense of history. But he also had a political streak that represented what I would later recognize as almost pure “libertarianism”. My young self found it inspiring. All anyone had to do was work hard to be successful. Government “handouts” were counterproductive. In fact, the less government, the better. Made sense to my naive, inexperienced, uneducated teen aged self.
So off we go to Madison Square Garden. My teacher had selected me and my best friend to travel to NYC to watch a Barry Goldwater rally. Barry didn’t have much of a chance to win over NYC Democrats. But he knew how to draw attention to his cause.
That was obviously a long time ago. But I remember two things. The energy at the Garden that night was overwhelming. I was inspired by it. And I was terrified by it. All those people screaming for Barry. “AUH2O – ‘64” was emblazoned on the hat I wore. My fearful self asked what this mob would do as they left the venue. Nothing major happened. But I imagined them running down the streets of the city looking for “lazy others”.
The other big rally at Madison Square Garden that terrifies me happened in 1939. Here is an NPR article that describes how 20,000 American Nazis raised their arms in support of a White Christian America – a land of freedom…from Jews. PLEASE watch a seven minute Oscar nominated film called “A Night at the Garden” directed by Marshall Curry.
Again, I ask: why is Donald J. Trump holding a rally in a state where he has no chance of winning? Listen to what he says that night. The election will occur nine days later. Anyone who has a sense of history might ask: why hold an event at a venue that had hosted a Nazi rally? The symbolism seems starkly obvious. Is it code?
Neither Trump or his twat of a running mate will admit that he had lost the election four years ago. Call me crazy, but I think he will set the stage for another effort to undermine our election process and call his loss “a steal”. And worse. Is another coup being planned?
Or, let us be optimistic. Perhaps the Orange Menace will disassemble on stage again. Maybe he will babble his gibberish until he is tired. Then maybe he will silently bop and “weave” to the music of his “play list” again. Maybe the crowd will begin to thin due to boredom – again. Maybe his madness and dementia on full display will turn off a few – just enough – voters is those swing states to make this nightmare end. Maybe.
There is a lot more to worry about than the race for president. Democrats retaking the House of Representatives is a strong possibility. But the Senate is worrisome. More Democrats are up for re-election than Republicans. More targets for the MAGAs.
If (when) Harris and Walz are victorious, they will need a Congress to help them implement common sense policies.
Policies to affect our energy, climate, and planetary fragility issues. To fix the tax system rigged for the ultra rich. To be sure that no more fascist Federalist Society flunkies are nominated (like the loose Cannon) to our courts. To provide funding and revised legislation to better handle the challenges at our borders. To provide and enlist further support in defense of democracies around the world.
The Senate races are both scary and filled with hope. It is possible that Harris and the outrage of Project 2025 and…especially, reproductive rights…will carry the day. But she will need the Senate to be an effective president. Despite popular opinion to the contrary, there is a limit to what a president can do without funding and authorization from Congress. That is the structure of our government.
Len Lubinsky has written a terrific recap of where the Senate races stand now. He explains recent polls and funding levels. I have pasted the letter below. It is a masterpiece of analysis and an excellent snapshot of where we are today in the race to retain a Blue Senate.
Look at the recent Political Notes and Len’s Letters on the website:
October 13th, 2024 Len’s Political Note #677
US Senate races in order 2024 General Election
Are you thinking about donating to Senate candidates? Good. They need the help. I have put them in order. This is the order in which I believe donations help us.
Remember the context. In the current Senate, Democrats, including independents who organized with them, have a 51-49 majority. With Joe Manchin retiring, no one expect that he will be replaced by another Democrat. Before we even begin, the Senate becomes 50-50. If all things remain the same and Kamala Harris is elected President, 50-50 is still a Democratic majority. But the political world rarely remains the same from year to year.
Montana Jon Tester Donations to Jon Tester may be the second most important donations you can make after donating to the Harris-Walz ticket. Jon Tester is the Democratic Senator most likely to lose his seat. This is a close race, but don’t believe the polls which suggest Jon Tester dropped 12 points in a month. All but one of these polls have been funded by Republicans or are polls that consistently lean Republican. Jon Tester is still a trusted Senator while Tim Sheehy is a candidate caught lying at the beginning of his campaign about being shot in combat and recently by manipulating images in an advertisement. This is, nevertheless, a close race if, for no other reason, Montana votes consistently, but not always, Republican. Jon Tester has outraised Tim Sheehy $44 million to $14 million. On June 30 (We are waiting for the September 30 reports), Jon Tester had $11 million to Sheehy’s $3 million. Outside spenders are different. They spent $13 million on behalf of Tim Sheehy and $31 million to oppose Jon Tester. Outsiders spent $3.5 million in support of Jon Tester and $31 million opposing Tim Sheehy. Help Jon Tester. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #550
Ohio Sherrod Brown Nikki Haley wrote to Sherrod Brown’s opponent Bernie Moreno asking him if he was trying to lose the election. Moreno had minimized abortion as an issue and seemed to think the issue was relevant only for women of child bearing age. Sherrod Brown is still a favorite of Ohio workers. The polls before Moreno mis-spoke about abortion showed a virtual tie. While Sherrod Brown had raised, as of June 30, $53 million to Moreno’s $16 million and had available for spending on June 30 $11 million to Moreno’s $4.5 million, outside money is different. Outside spenders have spent $3.5 million supporting Sherrod Brown and $29 million opposing Bernie Moreno. And there is one more bit of news. We do not yet have FEC spending reports from September. However, the Sherrod Brown campaign has announced his 3rdquarter donations (July – September) early. He raised $30.6 million.
Help Sherrod Brown win this election. Add to the big 3rd quarter haul. DONATE. If he and Jon Tester both win, Democrats can be confident of a Senate majority in combination with a win by Harris-Walz. See Len’s Political Note #556
Flip a Republican seat – If we can’t count on Montana and Ohio, we need a win or two elsewhere. The elsewhere are below.
Nebraska Dan Osborn I feel like this labor leader is my own personal discovery. The pundits have caught up and the Democratic organizations have finally seen the light and are providing resources. Dan Osborn has consistently scored 2 points behind or 2 points ahead in polls against the nondescript Republican incumbent Deb Fischer. October has been different. A Democratic funded poll again showed him with a 2 point lead, but an independent poll have him up 5 points. She had outraised him on June 30 $6 million to $2 million; had available on June 30 $3 million to his $600,000. Outside spenders have supported Dan Osborn to the tune of $1.6 million. Others have spent $500,000 opposing him. Send some money yourself to help Dan Osborn. He may have the best chance to flip a Republican seat. Nebraska is small enough so that it does not take a lot of money to make a difference. DONATE to Dan. See Len’s Political Note #614
Texas Colin Allred Shockingly, Congressman Colin Allred has recorded one poll in which he is leading. Still, it is a tough climb, even against incumbent Ted Cruz, famously the most disliked member of the Senate. Most late September and early October polls find Cruz leading by low single digits. And don’t be fooled by Ted Cruz’s narrow $12 million to $10 million lead in funds available after June 30. On June 30, Cruz had raised a total of $59 million to Allred’s $38 million. Outsiders have added to the financial imbalance spending $4 million on Cruz’s behalf and $4 million more attacking Colin Allred. Outsiders have spent virtually nothing for Colin Allred or against Ted Cruz. You can help Colin Allred. He has a shot to win. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #560
Florida Debbie Mucarsel-Powell She keeps getting closer. In late September polls, the more neutral the pollster, the closer Mucarsel-Powell is to Even with the incumbent Rick Scott. The more Republican the pollster is, the more likely Scott will be leading by 3 to 5 points. In October, most polls have Scott ahead by 2 or 3 points. Scott cannot get Floridians to forget that he wanted to give Congress the chance to abolish social security and Medicare every five years. On July 31, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell had a slight lead $4.4 million to $3.9 million available after Scott had raised a total of $30 million and she had raised $14 million. But don’t see the money race as being close at all. Outsiders spent nearly a million to support Rick Scott and more than $4 million to tear down Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Furthermore, Scott has a personal net worth of more than $250 million. He can spend whatever he pleases on this race whenever he needs to or wants to. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell needs your help to have some resources to counter Scott. She does not have enough to offset Scott’s huge advantage. You can help her compete. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #598
Protect other vulnerable Senators. One of them may prove to be genuinely vulnerable. The problem is we don’t know which one. Here they are in order of what I see to be the most problematic to the least.
Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin Most September polls find Tammy Baldwin leading by 7 or 8 points. Neutral October polls show her lead in the low single digits. Her opponent, Eric Hovde is a California banker with a net worth of almost $200 million and Wisconsin roots which allow him to justify running for the Senate. So far, he hasn’t used his own money. On July 24, she had $6 million to his three after having raised a total of $36 million to his $17 million. She has seen a substantial $24 million from outsiders opposing Hovde and $2 million supporting her. Hovde supporters are trying. Fifteen million has been spent by outsiders against Tammy Baldwin and $5 million has been spent supporting Hovde. Remember, if Hovde wants to be Senator enough, he can spend as much as we wants to. Help Tammy Baldwin turn her lead in the polls into an election win in November. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #570
Pennsylvania Bob Casey Bob Casey is another Democrat running against an out of towner rich guy. David McCormick is trying for the Senate a second time based on his Pennsylvania roots and the money he made running a hedge fund in Connecticut. It would be a guess to say his net worth is in the range of $250 million. In September, Bob Casey ran 7 to 9 points ahead in a majority of the polls. In October his lead is in the low single digits. On June 30, both candidates had $8 million in their campaign coffers after Casey had raised a total of $32 million to McCormick’s $18 million. Outsiders have spent $46 million criticizing Bob Casey and $18 million supporting McCormick. Outsiders with a different point of view have spent $34 million opposing McCormick and $2 million supporting Casey. Help Bob Casey sustain his lead. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #581
Michigan Elissa Slotkin Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA operative, is running for an open Democratic seat. Polls in the last half of September, excluding one funded by her opponent, give her an average of a 7.5 point lead, but October polls give her leads in the low single digits. On July 17, she had raised a total of $24 million to her opponents $5 million and had a $8.7 to a $2.5 million dollar lead in funds available over former Congressman and lobbyist Mike Rogers who returned to Michigan from Florida to run. Outside spending has been roughly similar — $8 million in support of Elissa Slotkin, $16 million attacking Mike Rogers. For the Republican, $12.5 million supported Mike Rogers, $11 million attacked Elissa Slotkin. We do not have 3rd quarter information from the FEC yet, but the Elissa Slotkin campaign has announced July to September donations of $18 million. Help Elissa Slotkin turn her lead in the polls and substantial donations into a November victory. DONATE See Len’s Political Note #589
Arizona Ruben Gallego Congressman Ruben Gallego, a former Marine, is running for the seat to which retiring one term Senator Kyrsten Sinema was elected as a Democrat. Polls in the last half of September, excluding one funded by the Republicans, give him an average 8.5 points lead. Polls in October have Gallego leading by 10 points. On July 10, Ruben Gallego had $8 million in his coffers to former Fox TV Anchor Kari Lake’s $2 million after having raised $32 million to her $17. Outside spending makes it worse for Lake with a half million having been spent to support her and $10 million opposed. In contrast, $16 million has been spent to support Ruben Gallego and $7 million has been spent to oppose him. DONATE to Ruben Gallego to keep him in the lead. See Len’s Political Note #544
Nevada Jacky Rosen Jacky Rosen is running for her second term in the Senate. From the middle of September to the end of the month, polls find her leading by an average of 9 points. October polls are a smidge lower. On June 30, Jacky Rosen had raised a total of $32 million to her opponents $10 million and had remaining $9 million to $3 million for former Army Captain Sam Brown, who was severely burned serving in Afghanistan. Outside spending has been even, in a way. Less than $2 million has been spent on Jacky Rosen’s behalf, but nearly $20 million has been spent opposing Sam Brown. More than $7 million has been spent supporting Sam Brown while more than $13 million has been spent opposing Jacky Rosen. DONATE to Jacky Rosen to keep her in the lead and win in November. See Len’s Political Note #564
One more Republican seat that could be flipped.
Missouri Lucas Kunce I had hopes that former Marine and foreign policy expert Lucas Kunce could close on the execrable Republican Senator Josh Hawley who, oddly, writes books about masculinity. While one September poll shows Lucas Kunce behind by 5 points, another finds him behind by 12. October polls are similar. Nor is there as much money in the race as we might expect. On July 17, Lucas Kunce had raised a total of $11 million to Hawley’s $22 million and had remaining $4.3 million to Hawley’s $5.7 million. There has not been much outside spending – just under one million in support of Hawley and about the same in opposition to Lucas Kunce. That’s it. With just a few weeks left, if this becomes a truly Democratic year, you could picture a surge for Lucas Kunce. You might want to DONATE to Kunce in hopes that your money could make a difference for such a surge. See Len’s Political Note #538
Two more Democratic seats to watch
Maryland Angela Alsobrooks Although initial polls gave former popular Republican governor Larry Hogan a chance to make this a close race, polls in late September give County Executive Angela Alsobrooks high single digit ordouble digit leads. What is more a surprisingly modest amount of money is being spent on the race. On June 30, Angela Alsobrooks had raised $12 million to Hogan’s $7 million and had available for spending $4 million to Hogan’s $3 million. No money has been spent by outsiders to oppose Angela Alsobrooks, while only $1.5 million has been spent to support Larry Hogan. Five million has been spent to oppose Larry Hogan and $350,000 has been spent to support Angela Alsobrooks. If you want to join in, you can DONATE to Angela Alsobrooks. See Len’s Political Note #643
New Mexico Martin Heinrich Briefly, it appeared that Republican Nella Domenici, daughter of a former New Mexico Senator and a wealthy hedge fund person from Connecticut could give incumbent Democratic Senator and conservationist Martin Heinrich a contest. September polls give Martin Heinrich double digit leads. Nor has this become a big spending race. As of June 30, Martin Heinrich had almost $5 million to Dominici’s $2 million. The only outside spending has been a half million dollars in opposition to Martin Heinrich. While it is true that Dominici could spend huge amounts if she desired; she and her husband may have almost $100 million in net worth. There is no indication so far she will spend big on the race. If you want, you can DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #654.
Long shots to flip Republican seats
Tennessee Gloria Johnson Wouldn’t it be nice if State Rep Gloria Johnson, who sided with the two Black men expelled from the Tennessee House, could give Senator Marsha Blackburn a run. Among offensive Republicans, Blackburn is in a league with Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, and Josh Hawley, but represents a state that is more heavily Republican. The only September poll shows Gloria Johnson behind by 20 points. On July 12, Gloria Johnson was behind Blackburn in funds available $9 million to $2 million. The race has attracted virtually no outside funding. You could DONATE to Gloria Johnson. See Len’s Note #622
North Dakota Katrina Christiansen The same up north. It would be terrific if biological engineer professor Katrina Christiansen could give incumbent Kevin Cramer a race. She has tried for the Senate once before without success. September polls, at best, put her behind by high single digits. At worst she is behind by 20 points or more. On June 30, Cramer had $3.2 million to Katrina Christiansen’s $200,000. There is no outside funding. You could DONATE and let Katrina Chrisiansen know there are people who are with her. See Len’s Note #666.
Democrats in Safe Seats Three of them might not have been so safe if Republicans has spent money on them.
New Jersey: Congressman Andy Kim v Ex Authority Director Curtis Bashaw: The most recent poll was in August. Andy Kim was ahead by five points. On June 30 Andy Kim had $4 million to Bashaw’s $1 million. Minnesota: Incumbent Amy Klobuchar v former NBA Player Royce White is closer than you would expect: Four September polls have AmyKlobuchar ahead by an average of 9.5 points even though she had at $6.5 million dollar lead verses $50,000 in available funds on July 24. Virginia: Incumbent Tim Kaine v Navy Veteran Hung Cao is closer than you would expect: Three September polls have TimKaine ahead by an average of 10 points. In the money race, Kaine had a $7.8 million dollar lead in available funds versus $400,000 on June 30
Incumbents: Connecticut: Incumbent Chris Murphy v former candidate Matthew Corey Hawaii: Incumbent Mazie Hirono v Ex State Rep Bob McDermott Massachusetts: Incumbent Elizabeth Warren v Attorney John Deaton New York: Incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand v Businessman Mike Sapraicone Rhode Island: Incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse v State Rep Patricia Morgan Vermont: Incumbent Bernie Sanders v Army Veteran Gerald Malloy Washington: Incumbent Maria Cantwell v Physician Raul Garcia
Independent incumbent who votes with Democrats Maine: Incumbent Angus King v Democrat former Maryland State official David Costello and Republican former Maine state party official Demi Kouzounas
Open Democratic Seats California; Congressman Adam Schiff v former MLB player Steve Garvey Delaware: Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester v Corporate Executive Eric Hansen
Open Democratic Seat, but Safe Republican West Virginia: Mayor Glenn Elliott v Governor Jim Justice
And the other Safe Republican Seats Indiana: Psychologist Valerie McCray v Republican Congressman Jim Banks Mississippi: Attorney Ty Pinkins v Republican Incumbent Roger Wicker Nebraska B: Professor Preston Love Jr v Republican Incumbent Pete Ricketts Utah: Professional Skier Caroline Gleich v Republican Congressman John Curtis Wyoming: Union Leader Scott Morrow v Republican Incumbent John Barasso
WE HAVE A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO WIN
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz As we look toward November, we see the odds of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz winning the election became better, then leveled off. You can improve those odds. Help with a donation. Every donation, large or small, makes a difference. Larger donations mean more money for the campaign. But many in the media count the number of small donations as a measure of enthusiasm for the candidate. Make a small donation if you cannot afford a large one. DONATE TO KAMALA HARRIS AND TIM WALZ.
This morning I Googled “List of reasons to not vote for Trump”. I am still digging through the results. I wanted something that we could all share with that one last “undecided” voter we might run across. The Kool Aid drinkers are too braindead to change their thinking. I wouldn’t waste my time on them. But somewhere out there is somebody who is on the fence or just hasn’t paid attention until now. Hard to imagine…but it is a strange new world.
What follows is from Dennis Wright, a Republican writing as a contributor for the Beaumont Enterprise – a newspaper in Texas. I don’t know anything else about him. But I tip my hat to his clear thinking and values on this issue. Hope does spring eternal.
August 14, 2024
When Republicans talk about what a great president Donald Trump was, they tend to speak in vague generalities. However, all but the blindest Ever Trumpers concede he is not a likeable person. What an understatement! Trump is without a doubt the most flawed individual to ever hold office — a racist, homophobe, Islamaphobe, misogynist, serial liar, sexual offender and sociopathic narcissist. That’s not the kind of person you would want your daughter to marry.
Those are my generalities. Now let me list some specific reasons I could never consider voting for this vile person.
1. Unilaterally surrendered Afghanistan to the Taliban and deserted our allies in the region. He stupidly announced the date we would withdraw.
2. Unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear ban, throwing the Mideast into chaos.
3. Cozied up to the leaders of our three top enemies — China, Russia and North Korea — while alienating our European allies.
4. Took $3.8 billion from the Department of Defense to spend on his ineffective border wall. Trump only built about 50 miles of new border wall, the other 450 miles were replacing existing walls. This cost about $15 billion of which Mexico paid nothing. Trump had promised 1,000 miles of wall.
5. Promised to wipe out the trade deficit with China. The trade deficit was $481 billion when he took office and $679 billion when he left.
6. Promised to wipe out the federal debt by the end of his second term. He had the largest deficit in history $7.8 trillion.
7. Paid a $25 million fine for defrauding students at his sketchy Trump University
8. Was fined $355 million for defrauding New York banks.
9. Was ordered to pay $83.3 million in a sexual defamation lawsuit.
10. Conviction in the Stormy Daniel’s hush money trial.
11. Failure in the Charlotte racial protests to condemn the deadly criminal actions of the Neo Nazis and wanted to use American Army troops against Black protesters, which is of course prohibited by the US Constitution.
12. First impeachment for trying to solicit foreign help in his reelection bid.
13. Second impeachment for his attempt to prevent the peaceful transition of power and inciting the Capitol insurrection.
14. Finally at number one, his greatest failure was the disgraceful mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to his failure to encourage mask wearing, social distancing, expediting development and distribution of test kits and taking the vaccine when it became available, the U.S. had one of the highest deaths per 100,000 people in the world.
The percentage of deaths in red states was markedly higher than blue states. Over 1 million Americans died of COVID. How many Americans needlessly died because of Trump’s leadership failure? At least tens of thousands if not more than a hundred thousand Americans would still be alive today if Trump had done his job.
For that failure alone, he should never be allowed to hold any office, much less president.
Am I excited about Kamala Harris being elected president? Not at all. Will I vote for her? Absolutely! I wish the Democrats would have selected a different candidate at their convention, but she could not possibly do as much damage as a Trump reelection. Had the spineless Republican Senate convicted Trump in either of his impeachments and prohibited him from ever again running for president, I would be voting for the Republican candidate. If Harris wins, the Republican Party only has itself to blame supporting their deeply-flawed loser.
I am sure Dennis won’t mind if we copy and paste his list. I am still reading through others, but this one really works for me. Number 14 itself is enough if you are still angry about the unnecessary deaths of your fellow Americans. Isn’t Trump actually guilty of murder – at least manslaughter?
Of course, this was written before Bob Woodward’s revelation that Trump sent Covid Testing equipment to Putin while his constituents were starting to die by the thousands…
Recently we received in the mail a booklet called “Massachusetts Information for Voters”. It is very wordy. But fascinating. Of course, there are the usual categories to choose from like President, Senator, House Rep and some State Officials. AND there are five “Ballot Questions”.
1. Should the independent State Auditor have the authority to audit the Legislature? 2. Should the MCAS test that is required for high school graduation be eliminated? 3. Should “Network Drivers” (Uber) be allowed to unionize? 4. Should certain “natural psychedelic drugs” (magic mushrooms) be legalized? 5. Should the minimum wage for tipped workers be increased to the full state minimum wage gradually over a period of five years?
My first reaction to all of these questions was a resounding “Yes, of course!” And if I had encountered them for the first time in the voting booth, that is how I might have voted. But…I read the accompanying arguments in the booklet. I took my time. I am still evaluating them. I have not decided yet! Except #2 which is a no. I’ll spend some time discussing this with my very wise wife and some friends who know things 🙂
We will talk about the questions again as we complete our mail in ballot that is automatically sent to us by our request.
Only 26 states and DC allow for citizens initiatives or referendums. And each of them allow different things – amend a state constitution or create a statute or both. 24 states do not. Why is that? Isn’t the voice of the people – the majority of people – the very essence of democracy?
If you haven’t received your voter information booklet or you just have an interest in what states allow what, Ballotpedia offers a wealth of information. It has a search tool to find your state’s election ballot. You can take some time to really think about your choices. You can also see how your state stacks up against others. You might ask your legislators why you don’t have a direct input into the laws of your state.
November 5th is more than a chance to save democracy by rejecting an incoherent obviously declining real estate con man, bankrupt casino operator, convicted felon, wife cheating tax cheat, self declared pussy grabber, convicted rapist, climate change denying fascist fraudster, thief of women’s freedom, US Top Secrets thief, Insurrectionist wannabe dictator for life, who if returned to the White House could cause hundreds of thousands to needlessly die in the next pandemic – again.
It could be a chance to apply the principles of democracy directly. Nine states are asking voters how they feel about women’s reproductive freedom. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and New York. Some states like ours enshrined that right some time ago. Every citizens initiative on this subject since the infamous Dobbs decision has passed – even in red states.
Even Melania Trump said “My body, my choice!” I am hopeful that the “red state” of Florida will lead the way in surprising the MAGAS – rejecting the subjugation of women by misogynistic bigots. And marijuana is also on the ballot in Florida… It’s all about turnout. Could these two issues bring out the voters?
I believe there are more of “us” than “them”. It will all come down to turnout. Who shows up to vote.
Will ballot questions be the secret sauce that turns out the thoughtful and reasonable people? Will women (and supportive men) demand the return of their personal rights – will they provide the momentum to defeat fascism?
Melania Trump passionately defends abortion rights in upcoming memoir
”Melania Trump made an extraordinary declaration in an eagerly awaited memoir to be published a month from election day: she is a passionate supporter of a woman’s right to control her own body – including the right to abortion.
“It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government,” the Republican nominee’s wife writes, amid a campaign in which Donald Trump’s threats to women’s reproductive rights have played a central role.
“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body? A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.
“Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.”
and more:
“I have always believed it is critical for people to take care of themselves first,” Melania Trump writes of her support for abortion rights. “It’s a very straightforward concept; in fact, we are all born with a set of fundamental rights, including the right to enjoy our lives. We are all entitled to maintain a gratifying and dignified existence.
“This common-sense approach applies to a woman’s natural right to make decisions about her own body and health.”
Melania Trump says her beliefs about abortion rights spring from “a core set of principles”, at the heart of which sits “individual liberty” and “personal freedom”, on which there is “no room for negotiation”. and it gets even better:
Finally, Melania Trump offers an expression of solidarity with protesters for reproductive rights.
“The slogan ‘My Body, My Choice’ is typically associated with women activists and those who align with the pro-choice side of the debate,” she writes. “But if you really think about it, ‘My Body, My Choice’ applies to both sides – a woman’s right to make an independent decision involving her own body, including the right to choose life. Personal freedom.”
I wonder if Melania and the Donald are having dinner tonight. Pro tip to Mrs. Trump: have someone taste the food first.
Bill's Focus 