MuchMore2Learn

I voted "yes" on the jungle primary ballot question here in MA. It's not perfect, but IMO it tries to give voters on election day a meaningful choice - useful when one major party has lost the plot completely.

Our best path back to a functioning democracy might be an evolution of our system that facilitates more than two parties. What are the key reforms needed to accomplish this?

Up to Nov-3 we'll see escalating attacks on MAGA "enemies” - the press, immigrants, Muslims, transgender Americans, Hollywood, the deep state & more. This is their midterm strategy: fire up their base not just to vote but to intimidate & threaten, and stoke a violent reaction to election outcomes.

Tech oligarchs may genuinely believe that they’re on the threshold of achieving immortality; they foresee the disruption coming from climate change and want to establish white nationalist autocracies in the habitable zones where they can rule.

Very impressed with Mayor Mamdani’s handling of the 9/11 anniversary - this is a masterclass in how to behave like a true leader.

Observation: the audience for non-MAGA mass media (NYT, CNN, ABC etc.) is mostly Dem-leaning. These media pursue clicks & virality even as they try to maintain journalistic standards, and that often means flogging the “Dems in Disarray” narrative. Not a conspiracy, but a perverse incentive.

What can Americans do to support the Canadian economy through the trade war?

MAGA media exists to reinforce MAGA identity, promote MAGA talking points, sell ads that grift off the MAGA audience and please the Mad King. It feels like the emphasis on the last point is ramping up.

Unlimited campaign cash flowing into MAGA probably can't sway voters via TV ads, but we should be worried about "dirty tricks". Money (and complicit social media algorithms) can amplify fringe ideas and feed the MAGA narrative that Dems are out of touch with "real Americans". Be wary.

Disappointed to see Mamdani spending energy on "arrest Netanyahu" - maybe this is what elements of his base want, but I'd think most NYC voters care more about other things.

The presumption is that Cornyn, Cassidy etc. "play ball" with MAGA to preserve their future as GOP lobbyists. But in an autocracy, why does anyone need to lobby Congress at all? If the only power resides in the WH, then only having the Mad King's ear matters.

MAGA is a movement with strong beliefs, purity tests and an identity. Dems are a broad & fractious coalition, even if some of our factions want us to be a movement. We should not try to win intra-Dem debates with bullying or shaming, nor should we expect everyone to fall in line on every topic.

IMO it is obvious that Ken Martin should lose his job. Why hasn’t this happened yet? We Dems want to be seen as serious, decisive people who deserve voters’ trust to run things; let’s show that we are by dealing with this situation ASAP vs dithering over it.

We’ve all heard that it’s better to be lucky than smart. IMO, in Iran, Trump is just betting on being lucky - he hopes that regime collapse or some other unlikely-but-possible event will save him.

We Dems need to remember that we're a coalition, not a movement. And state parties should measure themselves on how many offices at every level are held by Dems in their states.

Maybe just wishful thinking but it feels like Trump has lost control of the narrative. He hasn't said much since the "end" of the war - just whining about NATO, the NY Times and CNN.

When back in power in Congress, could Democrats create some forum encouraging cities, states, universities, banks, law firms and other institutions to unite in solidarity against MAGA threats?

No Kings Boston Common!

Voters used to worry about deficits and accept that higher taxes are needed to support higher spending. Are we now conditioned to ignore links between spending, deficits and taxation? When Dems call for higher taxes, will this be seen as responsible or simply as a populist attack on the wealthy?

Workshopping three Dem priorities: Restore the American Dream; Fix What's Broken; Stop the Chaos, Corruption & Cruelty. IMO if we can stay out of the weeds and avoid culture war head-to-head battles, we should win all over.

The MAGA regime has demonstrated again & again that it is constrained by neither justice nor truth. Can we truly believe that any election result or judicial decision will cause them to surrender power?

Our battle with MAGA is very different from anything in our recent past, which is why many (especially political media) struggle to frame it properly. This is not about our policies over their policies - it is a fight to protect pluralism, pragmatism, rationality and rule of law from extremists.

Thinking today that the time & energy invested in political bickering between highly engaged & online center-left and progressive folks would be better spent listening to the concerns that drove Biden (20)-Trump (24) voters in purple states.

Dem campaigns need to proclaim loudly and convincingly that we are ready to take on the powerful to make people’s lives better. This is what we’re about - not a promise of returning to pre-Trump politics or vague pledges to bring about social & racial justice.

We need to think seriously about post-MAGA policies: comprehensive reforms to protect our democracy and a major rebuild of the social compact. This can’t be done either with nostalgia for the Obama years or populist slogans; we need a thoughtful policy plan and a campaign built around it.

After MAGA, we must massively reform our government as well as build a new social compact for the modern era. This is not a job for gerontocrats, and it won't be accomplished if we are still refighting the 2016/2020 primaries.

Mixed feelings on "The Cave". But we face a MAGAfied GOP that does not care how much pain they inflict on the American people, and that intends to hold onto power via gerrymandering and voter suppression rather than winning free & fair elections. We are playing a long game here.

The essence IMO of the political “double standard” is that if you are dumb & destructive, you can still succeed, but if your agenda is constructive, you need to be competent & smart to pull it off.

Too many political figures seem trapped in pre-2024 ideas, attitudes and battles, even as MAGA authoritarianism becomes entrenched. All of us, and leaders especially, need to put old grievances aside and focus on saving our democracy.

Ugh. The Schumer wing recruits a septuagenarian whose priority is to preserve the filibuster. The Sanders wing recruits a wholly unvetted populist who apparently didn't realize that he has a Nazi tattoo. Given the two, I pick Mills, but in such a critical time why can't we do better?

No Kings Boston!

Post No Kings, we must IMO move towards a soft economic boycott, especially of the tech giants. Buy less from Amazon, keep your phone longer, shop local as much as possible. CEOs need to see that their cowardice is bad for business.

IMO, political power can’t make people think or believe different things. Our campaigns need to focus on better jobs, lower costs and safer streets for all Americans, and when we win, we need to deliver. Most voters are exhausted by culture wars, class wars and grievance.

If we all cut spending by just 10%, it would send a message to business and political leaders. This Christmas, why not give the gift of resistance?

A best-case scenario, perhaps, is that the oligarch takeover of legacy media will drive Democratic campaigns to finally embrace new outlets and approaches.

In the past 6 days I’ve listened to interviews with Ben Shapiro, Joe Manchin and Spencer Cox; it truly makes me wonder how we can ever feel like one nation again, when our worldviews are so far apart (and these three are all more reasonable than anyone fully of the MAGA right).

The best response to Kirk’s assassination is to work harder at building a world where such events happen less often.

IMO, every Dem response to MAGA provocation must presume that MAGA intends an authoritarian takeover. No more presumptions of good faith or conciliatory language. We should dismiss culture war clickbait for what it is but take every serious action as a step towards autocracy.

Left-populism is not, IMO, the best way to fight far-right populism. For too many, it has been a pipeline to MAGA. I think we need to build a different political consciousness for the left - perhaps our next leader will figure out how to do this.

Dems need to dismiss silliness like the Sydney Sweeney ad kerfluffle for what it is - culture war clickbait. Tell people the truth: no amount of culture war clickbait is going to make your groceries cheaper or help you find a better job.

Could Senate Dems demand (in exchange for votes on a bipartisan budget) changes to Senate rules that require 60 votes to modify the rules, and that block future rescission votes? Or would Thune simply renege on any deal?

No Kings in Coolidge Corner, Brookline MA

IMO we should avoid calling Trump’s outrages “distractions”. We can’t dictate what people find interesting, and it likely comes across as dismissive when we try. Our challenge is to turn the attention he’s stealing against him instead.

My prediction for the feud's endgame

If the two biggest attention trolls in the world are determined to destroy each other, I can only wish them both success

When the agenda is stuck, the economy is sputtering and global politics is ugly, attacking immigrants and wokeness will remind the adoring mob why they love you.

One path forward on cultural issues is to put more power in the hands of states (vs. the Federal government), but we’d somehow need to also ensure that state governments grant similar cultural autonomy to their cities and counties.

Democrats in 2026/28 represent the most ideologically diverse coalition that our republic has ever seen. Surely there is some branding potential here?

The foundation of our economy is trust - trust of rational policymaking, honoring of agreements and fair dealings. Our financial systems have a lot of built-in inertia, but when they collectively cease to trust, things will go very bad very quickly.

Feels like SCOTUS wants to avoid rulings that might provoke the regime into defying the courts - further trashing their legitimacy in order to preserve the appearance of their power.