Can we reverse Citizens United and other decisions that have handed America over to our oligarchs? Will it start with a solid progressive Democratic majority in Congress?
Well, this is another fine mess we've got here. The Thomas's belong in prison. Or at least OFF the scotus (you gonna tel me ginni's not on the court, and I will answer, wanna bet?)
At the end of "I, Claudius", Claudius says (more or less) "Let all the poisons bubble to the surface". He was talking about the end of the Roman Empire... but really, it fits for the corruption of our higher institutions from the SCOTUS to the House.
If there was ever an example of racketeering in America, maybe the Leo-Thomas-Crow connection is it, and sponsored and abetted by the Republican-dominated Supreme Court. Of course, money was not the primary objective - power is - but both are the ultimate objectives.
There will never be in my lifetime, probably not in my adult children's and possibly not in my teenage grandkids' lives anything resembling "a solid progressive Democratic majority in Congress." Use whatever analogy you'd like - loaded dice, thumbs on the scale, whatever - we've gone too far down that road. Pessimist, moi?
The glimmer of hope is two generations of females who have grown up assuming we were fully human and citizens. Only since 1920, but females still count as voters. I am 70, and remember (and would tell my granddaughters, if I had any) that my Mom was outraged that she couldn't co-sign for my first electric bill: we had to go get Dad's signature. Mom, an early College career teacher, out-earned Dad, and complained all through my youth about the lazy male sports coaches making so much more money than the hard-working women's ed. staff. Fast-forward to today, and females still make less for more work. Keep those memories and statistics in their faces, and females may load the dice/weigh thumbs on the scale against your fears.
This is exactly what is happening in Ireland’s political arena north and south. Generations of women have had enough of social normalisation of sexualised violence and its attendant economic iniquity and ecocide and are fighting back. It is a two steps forward one step back bloody hard slog as the politically entitled and criminally privileged when confronted with a demand for equal justice will always double down and use every dirty trick to hold on to their positions of power. 🐈⬛
Had to add: today there's news (I just scroll Google News) with video of a random guy in Spain strolling up behind a female reporter in the middle of an on-the street broadcast and grabbing her butt. She was encouraged by male colleague in the studio to confirm and respond. Dude denies it, but returns later and ruffles her hair before casual, entitled exit. The male in-studio colleague wonderfully says: "That guy is crazy!" Like, not in touch with news in Spain, hello? What's sort of interesting, AlJazeera originally played the whole sequence, but when I went back after reading your comment, the "enter your birthdate" censor was on. The vid. ended with a close-up of Mr. Cool Dude's hand on her rear. So, you know: Old enough to vote? I submit this link but not sure about the video: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-14/spanish-man-arrested-after-on-air-grope-of-cuatro-journalist/102854634
I agree see my comment below about the dif between pessimists and defeatists.
I know that you are, like me, a pessimist. When pessimists are wrong, they are elated. When an optimist is wrong, they are depressed and some even commit suicide.
The right wingers, have stolen over a hundred trillion dollars in my humble opinion the last 60 years, with failed policies of capitalist healthcare, un funded wars, offshore banking, trickle down, free trade, interest on the national debt, bank bailouts, overpopulation, corporate welfare, bloated military budgets...
We should be living in a utopia, not a dystopia. The Reagan democrats even control the Democrat party.
Without Fox News, right-wing hate radio stations, Twitter and Facebook, it would be a lot harder for the robber barrons to steal everything from the people. Unless the GOP is labeled a terrorist organization and totally disbanded, I don't see any hope for the human race if it is not already too late because of global warming and toxic chemicals and plastic particles. Maybe 3% hope?
AND---we are not exactly killing it on the world stage.
Time to open some eyes and to work our butts off. Here's where we were last year according to this article in The Conversation:
US is becoming a 'developing country' on global rankings that measure democracy, inequality
Kathleen Frydl, Sachs Lecturer, Johns Hopkins University
September 15, 2022
"The United States may regard itself as a “leader of the free world,” but an index of development released in July 2022 places the country much farther down the list.
In its global rankings, the United Nations Office of Sustainable Development dropped the U.S. to 41st worldwide, down from its previous ranking of 32nd. Under this methodology – an expansive model of 17 categories, or “goals,” many of them focused on the environment and equity – the U.S. ranks between Cuba and Bulgaria. Both are widely regarded as developing countries.
The U.S. is also now considered a “flawed democracy,” according to The Economist’s democracy index."
This year we came in at 39; we are indeed "it", because we have a long way to go in America.
These criteria are apparent to a majority of We Americans on the inside. The crisis is minority rule. I saw news earlier that gerrymandered Repub's. actually have 2/3 majority in both State houses in WI to impeach the newly-elected State Supreme Ct. Dem. This actually is not America.
Republicans did it all in secret. It's such a shame, because so many democratic ideas were born there. That impeachment if they do it, maybe Gov. Evers should create a new position or find one for her where she can still wield some power.
Wow William, ur a defeatist and pessimist. Maybe get involved locally, get ur kids and grandkids involved. We need support not naysayers. Lets be the change we want to see.
Are you referring to me Joy? You obviously don't know the difference between a defeatist and pessimist. A pessimist is a realist, not a defeatist. I am a warrior (it is in my DNA, the warrior gene), Not a defeatist.
Here are some defeatists. A man who cuts off Starlink for Ukrainian boat drones, because Putin waved his nuclear phallus. A man who refused giving long range missiles and F-16's to Ukraine because Putin waves his nuclear phallus.
Americans who duck, cover and shudder in fear because Putin waves his nuclear phallus.
I don't do that, I am a warrior (genetically and literally).
I am hyper critical of Biden and the Democratic party, because someone needs to build a fire under their compromised (by donor cash), fearful, timid public and political approach.
As said during the beginning of AIDS epidemic, "Silence is consent" and I want our Democratic party to grow a spine, and fight back, stand up, against the misogynistic, bigoted, white nationalist, religious right.
Yet here we are with Trump and Biden neck and neck, and still they won't fight, because in their mythical world, they are good guys, and go high when they go low, and that is how Trump became Dictator in chief, and the Republicans gained control of congress.
Politics is war, combat, and weak kneed leaders were fragged, and not followed.
Wars and bar fights are not won on the defense, they are won on the offense, and I haven't seen any real offense yet, on the part of the Democrats, hell they haven't even come out and make women's health care an issue, concentrating on the achievements of the Biden Administration, when simple common knowledge and recent history informs us that people take for granted and are not interest in GDP, and employment rates, or even an infrastructure bill, but the things that have wrapped themselves around the lizard brain.
If you have a car, a home, food, clothing, cell phone and cable or satellite, the economy is not a concern, because most folk are short sighted, live only in the present. (How many have wills, health care directives, powers of attorney drawn up?How many have Life Insurance for their spouses and children?).
It would be helpful if Democrats built a fire under the DNC and Biden, and not settle for apologia, lame excuses. We are in a fight for our literal lives, and you don't fight a well motivated antagonist by crippling yourself with niceties.
We had no business in Vietnam, but crippled ourselves with safe havens, like not taking the battle across the DMZ.(and I don't mean bombing of Hanoi), that did no good except to use unused ordinance dropped in the Bay of Tonkin as seismic detectors for oil deposits.
One other thought. The media as a propaganda outlet, has conflated populism with fascism.
There is right wing and left wing populism. Bernie Sanders epitomizes left wing populism.
It is not the same as right wing populism.
William Jennings Bryant was a progressive populist, with one exception, he was a racist, but that was the common man's Id, as it is now.
Still, I agree with your view of Democratic Party these days. Big money has filtered in & totally corrupted our politics. Democracy cannot work with private, dark money buying everyone off! It can't function as intended & proof is everywhere around us!
Private money has no place in a democracy! It corrupts. Period. Let those with so much to buy politicians with, instead pay their fair amount of taxes, for a change! They can obviously well afford it!
If you are addressing me and not the other William, rest assured I'm not a defeatist. That's why in my mid70s I ran for school board (and won) and why the following year for state rep (and went down in flames). I create the change I want to see through my school board activities... and through my students.
Be warned. Mealy mouthed trigger accusations like - you are a defeatist/apologist- have become commonplace recently on the UK Guardian’s politics live comments page. Very noticeably rising in frequency in the past few weeks. It is a way of throwing dust in your eyes and initiating a political fight.
This simply must be shared far & wide! We have no time to waste & the other side has a huge head start! Only if we all stand up as 1 -- united -- can we STOP the END of our freedom & democracy as we've known it.
Many a nation has been complacent when should've been fighting back against the wealthiest few who'd take over their Country & make it function only for them. Do we want to become another "used to have a good life here" nation? Like Putin's Russia & Viktor Orbak's Hungary... that is what the Billionaires & friends have in store for America.
And they've already begun; this is the final stretch!
"Upset with abolition rhetoric in the North and convinced that they were rich because their god wanted them to rule, these southern oligarchs then declared war on the United States itself."
If I may, although the southern oligarchs were fearful of northern abolitionist, what actually motivated South Carolina to secede was the failure of legislation that would make slavery the law of the land through all states. S.C. seceded first, then other slave states followed suit.
Although abolitionist sentiment was behind the failure of that legislation to pass.
If the State legislators and officers count our votes, or don't take us off the rolls with no notice, or disqualify anybody named "Wilson" who registered in another state, or lock the drop box up inside some building, etc. etc.
This is a collection , in words, of the ways these far right entities have ruined our democracy.
These Oligarchs are miserably greedy , corrupt and dishonest.
Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginny have been a part of that mess for a long time.
When we talk about a corrupt government, who who is supported by a corrupt oligarchy. Including the thoroughly rotten right wing of the Supreme Court (justices??). Those that think they alone can decide if their corrupt
behaviors are indeed corrupt.
What?
And we should believe them.
Too late.
They have already arranged, by their rulings , to dictate life in this country.
They are clearly finding
Their place in this oligarchy by supporting corruption which has no basis in lawful government.
Of course, lawful doesn’t really interest these people.
Why should it?
They have benefitted hugely from money and gifts from the sordid characters with the nicest ever names to cover up their carnage.
The Heritage Foundation sounds really special.
So far there have been only detriment from their efforts .
An increasing homeless population. More racism. Putting working people down . No protections allowed.
Everything they do is to profit from the people , and then they discard the people.
We need to get very serious about boycotts and methods to increase the number of voters. Of course these vultures have done everything they can to depress the vote for likely Democrats. We need to get the vote back.
And we must send the message clearly that things must change.
However it needs to be done.
Im not advocating use of lethal weapons.
Thats their game.
Why do you think they’ve
Insisted without reason on allowing ‘open carry’‘ regardless of the killings on a daily basis.?
People in this country are reluctant to interfere with their
We don't really have much time. The gop/repubs/fascists evil destroyers aren't planning on a REAL election. They have already screwed up and flat dismissed too much. Democrats need to become much more assertive (even aggressive, but not like vulgar repubs/fascists) when telling people what IS reality. Too many Americans are in denial or are yet ignorant of what danger we are in as a country and as individuals. If an insane psychopath becomes dictator things will get ugly fast. I appreciate all you do. We need good people to speak out against this rot and horror. The rich think they'll be safe.
Thom - Sounds like, as of today, there is a job-opening for a good progressive candidate to run for a U.S. Senate seat from the State of Utah... Which good progressive Utah candidate should we support? In what other states are there openings for seats in the U.S. House or U.S. Senate in 2024? We can't "play tag" until we know who is playing and who is available to play. Looks like there may be a good opportunity for a progressive seeking to take a U.S. Senate seat away from Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona in 2024. Should we be putting our support behind U.S. Congressman Ruben Gallego, who already has a robust campaign launched to send Sinema into retirement? There are already three great progressives running for what is likely to be an empty U.S. Senate seat from California. We have to coalesce around the strongest of the three. In order to pull off what you are suggesting, Thom, we progressive grassroots organizers are going to have to be very disciplined and collaborative about identifying key U.S. House and U.S. Senate soon-to-be-open seats around the country upon which we can focus our efforts. Following that, we need to identify key progressive potential qualified candidates upon whom we can focus our progressive energies. In order to launch this huge effort, we are, just for starters, going to need some savvy progressive suggestions for possible open seats, and then for progressive candidates who are well positioned to win s U.S. House or U.S. Senate seat if given the proper support. There have been national progressive campaigns to win key U.S. House and U.S. Senate seats in recent years that have been very positively impacted by letter-writing campaigns supporting progressive candidates. Remember, for example, the very powerful letter-writing campaigns between 2019 and 2021 that successfully convinced potentially progressive Georgia voters to cast their votes for John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock for Georgia's two seats in the U.S. Senate! Both were successful! I am confident that those national letter-writing campaigns supporting Ossoff and Warnock were critical to those victories. Let's see whether we can, in a very focused way, stir up "some more good trouble" in other states that are "ripe for progressive picking."
Well, this is another fine mess we've got here. The Thomas's belong in prison. Or at least OFF the scotus (you gonna tel me ginni's not on the court, and I will answer, wanna bet?)
At the end of "I, Claudius", Claudius says (more or less) "Let all the poisons bubble to the surface". He was talking about the end of the Roman Empire... but really, it fits for the corruption of our higher institutions from the SCOTUS to the House.
Poor America. Poor Planet Earth.
Excellent brief. Your work should be required study in curriculums!
Love it. We need to see and know the truth and you’re one of the best at connecting the dots.
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Agree! My Dad (a very smart man) knew and respected Thom and referred to him as “one of the smartest men in America”.
If there was ever an example of racketeering in America, maybe the Leo-Thomas-Crow connection is it, and sponsored and abetted by the Republican-dominated Supreme Court. Of course, money was not the primary objective - power is - but both are the ultimate objectives.
Money IS power. Hence effing Elon.
There will never be in my lifetime, probably not in my adult children's and possibly not in my teenage grandkids' lives anything resembling "a solid progressive Democratic majority in Congress." Use whatever analogy you'd like - loaded dice, thumbs on the scale, whatever - we've gone too far down that road. Pessimist, moi?
The glimmer of hope is two generations of females who have grown up assuming we were fully human and citizens. Only since 1920, but females still count as voters. I am 70, and remember (and would tell my granddaughters, if I had any) that my Mom was outraged that she couldn't co-sign for my first electric bill: we had to go get Dad's signature. Mom, an early College career teacher, out-earned Dad, and complained all through my youth about the lazy male sports coaches making so much more money than the hard-working women's ed. staff. Fast-forward to today, and females still make less for more work. Keep those memories and statistics in their faces, and females may load the dice/weigh thumbs on the scale against your fears.
Your mom is an everyday heroine.
This is exactly what is happening in Ireland’s political arena north and south. Generations of women have had enough of social normalisation of sexualised violence and its attendant economic iniquity and ecocide and are fighting back. It is a two steps forward one step back bloody hard slog as the politically entitled and criminally privileged when confronted with a demand for equal justice will always double down and use every dirty trick to hold on to their positions of power. 🐈⬛
Had to add: today there's news (I just scroll Google News) with video of a random guy in Spain strolling up behind a female reporter in the middle of an on-the street broadcast and grabbing her butt. She was encouraged by male colleague in the studio to confirm and respond. Dude denies it, but returns later and ruffles her hair before casual, entitled exit. The male in-studio colleague wonderfully says: "That guy is crazy!" Like, not in touch with news in Spain, hello? What's sort of interesting, AlJazeera originally played the whole sequence, but when I went back after reading your comment, the "enter your birthdate" censor was on. The vid. ended with a close-up of Mr. Cool Dude's hand on her rear. So, you know: Old enough to vote? I submit this link but not sure about the video: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-14/spanish-man-arrested-after-on-air-grope-of-cuatro-journalist/102854634
Your countervailing thumbs are more than welcome.
I agree see my comment below about the dif between pessimists and defeatists.
I know that you are, like me, a pessimist. When pessimists are wrong, they are elated. When an optimist is wrong, they are depressed and some even commit suicide.
Subtle but true difference
The right wingers, have stolen over a hundred trillion dollars in my humble opinion the last 60 years, with failed policies of capitalist healthcare, un funded wars, offshore banking, trickle down, free trade, interest on the national debt, bank bailouts, overpopulation, corporate welfare, bloated military budgets...
We should be living in a utopia, not a dystopia. The Reagan democrats even control the Democrat party.
Without Fox News, right-wing hate radio stations, Twitter and Facebook, it would be a lot harder for the robber barrons to steal everything from the people. Unless the GOP is labeled a terrorist organization and totally disbanded, I don't see any hope for the human race if it is not already too late because of global warming and toxic chemicals and plastic particles. Maybe 3% hope?
AND---we are not exactly killing it on the world stage.
Time to open some eyes and to work our butts off. Here's where we were last year according to this article in The Conversation:
US is becoming a 'developing country' on global rankings that measure democracy, inequality
Kathleen Frydl, Sachs Lecturer, Johns Hopkins University
September 15, 2022
"The United States may regard itself as a “leader of the free world,” but an index of development released in July 2022 places the country much farther down the list.
In its global rankings, the United Nations Office of Sustainable Development dropped the U.S. to 41st worldwide, down from its previous ranking of 32nd. Under this methodology – an expansive model of 17 categories, or “goals,” many of them focused on the environment and equity – the U.S. ranks between Cuba and Bulgaria. Both are widely regarded as developing countries.
The U.S. is also now considered a “flawed democracy,” according to The Economist’s democracy index."
This year we came in at 39; we are indeed "it", because we have a long way to go in America.
These criteria are apparent to a majority of We Americans on the inside. The crisis is minority rule. I saw news earlier that gerrymandered Repub's. actually have 2/3 majority in both State houses in WI to impeach the newly-elected State Supreme Ct. Dem. This actually is not America.
Republicans did it all in secret. It's such a shame, because so many democratic ideas were born there. That impeachment if they do it, maybe Gov. Evers should create a new position or find one for her where she can still wield some power.
Our hope? Politicians who cannot be bought, but sometimes I think hope is wearing a threadbare suit.
Wow William, ur a defeatist and pessimist. Maybe get involved locally, get ur kids and grandkids involved. We need support not naysayers. Lets be the change we want to see.
Are you referring to me Joy? You obviously don't know the difference between a defeatist and pessimist. A pessimist is a realist, not a defeatist. I am a warrior (it is in my DNA, the warrior gene), Not a defeatist.
Here are some defeatists. A man who cuts off Starlink for Ukrainian boat drones, because Putin waved his nuclear phallus. A man who refused giving long range missiles and F-16's to Ukraine because Putin waves his nuclear phallus.
Americans who duck, cover and shudder in fear because Putin waves his nuclear phallus.
I don't do that, I am a warrior (genetically and literally).
I am hyper critical of Biden and the Democratic party, because someone needs to build a fire under their compromised (by donor cash), fearful, timid public and political approach.
As said during the beginning of AIDS epidemic, "Silence is consent" and I want our Democratic party to grow a spine, and fight back, stand up, against the misogynistic, bigoted, white nationalist, religious right.
Yet here we are with Trump and Biden neck and neck, and still they won't fight, because in their mythical world, they are good guys, and go high when they go low, and that is how Trump became Dictator in chief, and the Republicans gained control of congress.
Politics is war, combat, and weak kneed leaders were fragged, and not followed.
Wars and bar fights are not won on the defense, they are won on the offense, and I haven't seen any real offense yet, on the part of the Democrats, hell they haven't even come out and make women's health care an issue, concentrating on the achievements of the Biden Administration, when simple common knowledge and recent history informs us that people take for granted and are not interest in GDP, and employment rates, or even an infrastructure bill, but the things that have wrapped themselves around the lizard brain.
If you have a car, a home, food, clothing, cell phone and cable or satellite, the economy is not a concern, because most folk are short sighted, live only in the present. (How many have wills, health care directives, powers of attorney drawn up?How many have Life Insurance for their spouses and children?).
It would be helpful if Democrats built a fire under the DNC and Biden, and not settle for apologia, lame excuses. We are in a fight for our literal lives, and you don't fight a well motivated antagonist by crippling yourself with niceties.
We had no business in Vietnam, but crippled ourselves with safe havens, like not taking the battle across the DMZ.(and I don't mean bombing of Hanoi), that did no good except to use unused ordinance dropped in the Bay of Tonkin as seismic detectors for oil deposits.
One other thought. The media as a propaganda outlet, has conflated populism with fascism.
There is right wing and left wing populism. Bernie Sanders epitomizes left wing populism.
It is not the same as right wing populism.
William Jennings Bryant was a progressive populist, with one exception, he was a racist, but that was the common man's Id, as it is now.
William Farrar-she was speaking to William Pollitt, who posted directly above Joy.
Thanks, somehow William Pollitt's comment did not show up on my computer He does now, but he didn't then.
Sounds like something I would do.
Still, I agree with your view of Democratic Party these days. Big money has filtered in & totally corrupted our politics. Democracy cannot work with private, dark money buying everyone off! It can't function as intended & proof is everywhere around us!
Private money has no place in a democracy! It corrupts. Period. Let those with so much to buy politicians with, instead pay their fair amount of taxes, for a change! They can obviously well afford it!
If you are addressing me and not the other William, rest assured I'm not a defeatist. That's why in my mid70s I ran for school board (and won) and why the following year for state rep (and went down in flames). I create the change I want to see through my school board activities... and through my students.
Be warned. Mealy mouthed trigger accusations like - you are a defeatist/apologist- have become commonplace recently on the UK Guardian’s politics live comments page. Very noticeably rising in frequency in the past few weeks. It is a way of throwing dust in your eyes and initiating a political fight.
Cui bono ? 🐈⬛
This simply must be shared far & wide! We have no time to waste & the other side has a huge head start! Only if we all stand up as 1 -- united -- can we STOP the END of our freedom & democracy as we've known it.
Many a nation has been complacent when should've been fighting back against the wealthiest few who'd take over their Country & make it function only for them. Do we want to become another "used to have a good life here" nation? Like Putin's Russia & Viktor Orbak's Hungary... that is what the Billionaires & friends have in store for America.
And they've already begun; this is the final stretch!
"Upset with abolition rhetoric in the North and convinced that they were rich because their god wanted them to rule, these southern oligarchs then declared war on the United States itself."
If I may, although the southern oligarchs were fearful of northern abolitionist, what actually motivated South Carolina to secede was the failure of legislation that would make slavery the law of the land through all states. S.C. seceded first, then other slave states followed suit.
Although abolitionist sentiment was behind the failure of that legislation to pass.
These truths really hurt so we must do exactly what Tom says and return a Democratic congress to the people.
If the State legislators and officers count our votes, or don't take us off the rolls with no notice, or disqualify anybody named "Wilson" who registered in another state, or lock the drop box up inside some building, etc. etc.
.....continued...plan for their future.
We need to plan for ours
We need real opposition to this lifestyle they’ve
decided for themselves and the role they’ve assigned to the majority they are the minority.
This is a collection , in words, of the ways these far right entities have ruined our democracy.
These Oligarchs are miserably greedy , corrupt and dishonest.
Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginny have been a part of that mess for a long time.
When we talk about a corrupt government, who who is supported by a corrupt oligarchy. Including the thoroughly rotten right wing of the Supreme Court (justices??). Those that think they alone can decide if their corrupt
behaviors are indeed corrupt.
What?
And we should believe them.
Too late.
They have already arranged, by their rulings , to dictate life in this country.
They are clearly finding
Their place in this oligarchy by supporting corruption which has no basis in lawful government.
Of course, lawful doesn’t really interest these people.
Why should it?
They have benefitted hugely from money and gifts from the sordid characters with the nicest ever names to cover up their carnage.
The Heritage Foundation sounds really special.
So far there have been only detriment from their efforts .
An increasing homeless population. More racism. Putting working people down . No protections allowed.
Everything they do is to profit from the people , and then they discard the people.
We need to get very serious about boycotts and methods to increase the number of voters. Of course these vultures have done everything they can to depress the vote for likely Democrats. We need to get the vote back.
And we must send the message clearly that things must change.
However it needs to be done.
Im not advocating use of lethal weapons.
Thats their game.
Why do you think they’ve
Insisted without reason on allowing ‘open carry’‘ regardless of the killings on a daily basis.?
People in this country are reluctant to interfere with their
Billionaires for jingoism and citizens united. Billionaires love SCOTUS.
We don't really have much time. The gop/repubs/fascists evil destroyers aren't planning on a REAL election. They have already screwed up and flat dismissed too much. Democrats need to become much more assertive (even aggressive, but not like vulgar repubs/fascists) when telling people what IS reality. Too many Americans are in denial or are yet ignorant of what danger we are in as a country and as individuals. If an insane psychopath becomes dictator things will get ugly fast. I appreciate all you do. We need good people to speak out against this rot and horror. The rich think they'll be safe.
They won't be for long. Ruthie B
Thom - Sounds like, as of today, there is a job-opening for a good progressive candidate to run for a U.S. Senate seat from the State of Utah... Which good progressive Utah candidate should we support? In what other states are there openings for seats in the U.S. House or U.S. Senate in 2024? We can't "play tag" until we know who is playing and who is available to play. Looks like there may be a good opportunity for a progressive seeking to take a U.S. Senate seat away from Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona in 2024. Should we be putting our support behind U.S. Congressman Ruben Gallego, who already has a robust campaign launched to send Sinema into retirement? There are already three great progressives running for what is likely to be an empty U.S. Senate seat from California. We have to coalesce around the strongest of the three. In order to pull off what you are suggesting, Thom, we progressive grassroots organizers are going to have to be very disciplined and collaborative about identifying key U.S. House and U.S. Senate soon-to-be-open seats around the country upon which we can focus our efforts. Following that, we need to identify key progressive potential qualified candidates upon whom we can focus our progressive energies. In order to launch this huge effort, we are, just for starters, going to need some savvy progressive suggestions for possible open seats, and then for progressive candidates who are well positioned to win s U.S. House or U.S. Senate seat if given the proper support. There have been national progressive campaigns to win key U.S. House and U.S. Senate seats in recent years that have been very positively impacted by letter-writing campaigns supporting progressive candidates. Remember, for example, the very powerful letter-writing campaigns between 2019 and 2021 that successfully convinced potentially progressive Georgia voters to cast their votes for John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock for Georgia's two seats in the U.S. Senate! Both were successful! I am confident that those national letter-writing campaigns supporting Ossoff and Warnock were critical to those victories. Let's see whether we can, in a very focused way, stir up "some more good trouble" in other states that are "ripe for progressive picking."