Thank you for another instructive piece. It is very hard to talk about what democrats can do better when we are faced with an opposing party overtly hostile to American democracy. It’s tempting to believe republicans are so wrong, and will continue to commit such outrageous blunders like the Signal affair, that the nation’s ship will rig…
Thank you for another instructive piece. It is very hard to talk about what democrats can do better when we are faced with an opposing party overtly hostile to American democracy. It’s tempting to believe republicans are so wrong, and will continue to commit such outrageous blunders like the Signal affair, that the nation’s ship will right itself. It won’t. Voters will likely shift back to democrats in the midterms (if trump allows midterms, which is a huge IF), but if we don’t address the most fundamental problems in America, and admit our own mistakes that helped create those problems, the future will remain vulnerable to charlatans who talk a good game. Admitting PR and DC won't happen under this regime, nor will fixing SCOTUS, but it's good to understand and keep our eyes on the prize so we're ready to pounce as soon as the pendulum swings back.
The next Dem President. Do you think that there will be any real elections in the future? I don't. sham elections like in Turkey or Hungary or Russia, but real elections?
I agree that no more real elections is possible or even probable. However, assuming that at this point is counterproductive. Assuming that there will no longer be elections disarms the resistance.
Point made and valid. I've often thought that my analysis of the reality in which we live, can be demotivating, that is not my desire though.
My attitude is "no matter how bleak the situation looks, no matter the obstacle, press on" Press on has been my personal motto.Never give up, never surrender, press on, but never expect that things will work out to your chosing or liking
I've watched the demoralization of the left, libs, democrats, progressives whatever label, since Nov 6th, 2024, and before that the Mueller Report, Impeachment, Jack Smith, each time there was euphoria, and then their hopes and expectations dashed, and now there is lethargy..
I am not falling into that trap.
Press on rise up, fight, fight, fight, never surrender.
"IF" has been on my mind ever since Trump said that if he were elected, no one would ever have to vote again. I marvel at pundits who speak of the midterm elections as if they'd be normal. The Musk phenomenon, with one multi-billionaire MAGAT buying elections, pushes the "IF" further toward certainty. May we both be wrong.
2. More Puerto Ricans live in the states than on the island. In large part, this is because PR is not a state and SSI, Supplemental Security Income, does not extend to the island. Eligible PRs have to leave to obtain benefits. There's some question whether the residents on the island want to be a state, because a lot of them want "independence." However, within the states, SSI is portable.
The voting populaltions of some red states is less than the numbers of PRs on SSI. I've been arguing that they should relocate, vote, and overwhem Republicans. As soon as they are a senate majoity, DC and PR can be added.
Meanwhile, job prospects are better, housing and other costs aee less, so low income (or no income) residents in blue states would benefit by relocation.
DC has about 700,000 residents, more than the others.
Puerto Rico's population of roughly 3.2 million is larger than the populations of 20 U.S. states, including Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Your right about Alabama, my bad. Yeh I know about Puerto Rico and DC
Its membership is based on the population of each individual state. By law, its current membership is set at 435 Representatives, plus nonvoting delegates from the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.
If DC and Puerto Rico became states or enfranchised the law as to number of seats would have to be changed.
Something else to consider, Puerto Ricans are by and large Catholic or Conservative Christians (Evangelicals and Pentecostals), and vote Republican when it comes to the Culture wars (gay, trans, abortion, just like Hispanics and even blacks)
So we aren't diluting the power of the Republicans we are adding to it.
Generations X through Z, don't care about civil rights, voting rights, that is ancient history to them, they care about the here and now, and frankly voted that way in 2024.
Nah. A lot of the national heroes were nationalists and their leader, Pedro Albizu Campos, a Harvard graduate, spent most of his life in jail. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Albizu_Campos. Albizu Campos was jailed after the October 30, 1950, Nationalist revolts, known as the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s, in various Puerto Rican cities and towns against United States rule.
There are schools and monuments named for him. There is an Albizu University in San Juan and a Miami campus. There is a Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos, Puerto Rican High School in Chicago.
On Nov. 1, 1950, while Truman was residing at the Blair House because the White House was being renovated, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola attempted to kill him. While a guard was murdered, the attempt failed, leaving Torresola dead and Collazo imprisoned for 29 years.
Ike offered independence to PR, but they didn't accept it.
Nationalist Party members Lolita Lebrón, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Andres Figueroa Cordero and Irvin Flores staged an armed attack on the U.S. Capitol building on March 1, 1954. They unfurled a Puerto Rican flag, fired shots on the floor of the House of Representatives, and Lebrón cried out, “¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!” The four were immediately arrested.
Between 1968 and 1972, Armed Liberation Commandos (CAL) attacked several public corporate and military targets.
On Oct. 26, 1974, the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) launched an armed struggle. Reportedly, this was undertaken to commemorate the 1950 uprising in Puerto Rico and to demand the freedom of Collazo, Lebrón, Miranda, Cordero and Flores, still imprisoned in the U.S.
In 1979, Collazo, Lebrón, Cancel Miranda and Flores were pardoned by President Jimmy Carter after pressure from international and Puerto Rican forces. Unfortunately, Cordero, released in 1977 for health reasons, died of cancer in 1979 before his comrades were released.
Soft socialism, let private parties own companies and produce things for a profit, but the government rides herd on their asses to prevent exploitation..
That is the way it was almost, and probably works best.
As regards Nationalist Hero's, I'm old enough and been around long enough to know that they all turned out bad, that is to be dictatorships.
There is something about power, once you grab it, it grabs you, and you don't want to let go. Biden said he would be one term president, but no he had to fuck up and make Trump president (for that I blame his wife Jillm
cherche la femm that may sound sexist, but it is true never the less, Jill got a taste of power and the good life and didn't want to let go, and dragged down America. I don't think that Kamala really wanted the job either, too much pressure and expectations on her.
As regards National hero's will there is Daniel Ortega, the great freedom fight to get out from under the thumb of Somoza, and he was a bastard, his people were illiterate, Managua didn't have street signs cause no one could read them, and gas station owners and attendants couldn't even read a map. Two classes of people impoverished peon's and well to do elite who drove expensive cars. And Ortega turned out to be as harsh a dictator as Somoza, same with Castro, Chavez, Across the pond in Africa, every nation is an example of a National Hero turned Dictator. Patrice Lamumba if he had not been assassinated would have definitely joined the list.
The French Revolution devoured it's own, and would have continued had not the allied powers of Europe had not stepped in to squelch revolutionary fever and that brought Nappie to power, and eventually Emperor.
Bolsheviks are a prime example, peasants, sailors, soldiers rising up to throw off the chains of the royalty, the elite, only to find themselves enslaved by people of their own class, worse than the Tzars ever thought, and more murderous too.
Milovan Djilas former Deputy PM of Yugoslavia wrote a book everyone should read about the ruling class of communism The New Class
The only example of National Hero's I can think of that were not scoundrels and dictators were the founders, and even then it was the idea of the Federalists to become such
Which nationalist? Which country? That they were honest folk fighting for labor, doesn't change the equation, that once you have power, it changes you.
I was the last gringo to drive the Panamerican Hywy all the way to Panama in 1975, after that the border was sealed off because of the Sandinistas'. I was rooting for the Sandinista's because I knew what a tyrant Somoza was, and here we are 50 years later and Daniel Ortega is every bit the tyrant Somoza was.
It all starts out good at first but quickly turns bad. The nature of the human beast. Probably ever civilization every culture from ancient times to present, Rome has plenty of examples, so does Greece.
Socrates was forced to drink hemlock by the Athenian authorities after being convicted of impiety (disrespect towards the gods) and corrupting the youth, the standard punishment for these crimes being death by poison.
I agree, I know so, I have said so many times. From the Banana wars to Venezuela and Chile.
But that is aside the fact, that they do become authoritarian.
Chile managed to extricate itself from Pinochet, Brazil maybe the same, but there are signs that Lula de Silva is headed that direction, without interference from the USA.
From the frying pan to the fire, and the people are served how.?
I think that everyone that thinks of themselves as an expert on elections should watch Greg Palast’s Vigilante Inc. and his interviews with Thom Hartman and Kyle Kalinsky. If we don’t deal with voter suppression we don’t have a democracy. Additionally, voter ID , given the disingenuous Republican Party, has been used as a tool to suppress democratic leaning voters.
Thank you for another instructive piece. It is very hard to talk about what democrats can do better when we are faced with an opposing party overtly hostile to American democracy. It’s tempting to believe republicans are so wrong, and will continue to commit such outrageous blunders like the Signal affair, that the nation’s ship will right itself. It won’t. Voters will likely shift back to democrats in the midterms (if trump allows midterms, which is a huge IF), but if we don’t address the most fundamental problems in America, and admit our own mistakes that helped create those problems, the future will remain vulnerable to charlatans who talk a good game. Admitting PR and DC won't happen under this regime, nor will fixing SCOTUS, but it's good to understand and keep our eyes on the prize so we're ready to pounce as soon as the pendulum swings back.
The next Dem president must add 4 justices to SCOTUS to counter its outright theft by Moscow Mitch!
The next Dem President. Do you think that there will be any real elections in the future? I don't. sham elections like in Turkey or Hungary or Russia, but real elections?
That is the biggest concern. I believe Musk will engineer a “Reichstag Fire” event, declare martial law, and suspend elections.
Supposedly on April 20, Trump will declare martial law, unitary executive and usurp Congress and the courts.
I agree that no more real elections is possible or even probable. However, assuming that at this point is counterproductive. Assuming that there will no longer be elections disarms the resistance.
Point made and valid. I've often thought that my analysis of the reality in which we live, can be demotivating, that is not my desire though.
My attitude is "no matter how bleak the situation looks, no matter the obstacle, press on" Press on has been my personal motto.Never give up, never surrender, press on, but never expect that things will work out to your chosing or liking
I've watched the demoralization of the left, libs, democrats, progressives whatever label, since Nov 6th, 2024, and before that the Mueller Report, Impeachment, Jack Smith, each time there was euphoria, and then their hopes and expectations dashed, and now there is lethargy..
I am not falling into that trap.
Press on rise up, fight, fight, fight, never surrender.
"IF" has been on my mind ever since Trump said that if he were elected, no one would ever have to vote again. I marvel at pundits who speak of the midterm elections as if they'd be normal. The Musk phenomenon, with one multi-billionaire MAGAT buying elections, pushes the "IF" further toward certainty. May we both be wrong.
Statehood will never happen in puerto rico. And it makes me smile as a puerto rican. The independence party is set to win in 2028
They want independence rather than statehood?
People under 50 do. Mostly they are tired of the corrupt statehood party.
1. Read Feathers of Hope. Shared government.
2. More Puerto Ricans live in the states than on the island. In large part, this is because PR is not a state and SSI, Supplemental Security Income, does not extend to the island. Eligible PRs have to leave to obtain benefits. There's some question whether the residents on the island want to be a state, because a lot of them want "independence." However, within the states, SSI is portable.
The voting populaltions of some red states is less than the numbers of PRs on SSI. I've been arguing that they should relocate, vote, and overwhem Republicans. As soon as they are a senate majoity, DC and PR can be added.
E.G. Wyoming has less than 3000,000 voters. https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/registered-voters-by-state. Each of the Dakotas have less than 600,000.
Meanwhile, job prospects are better, housing and other costs aee less, so low income (or no income) residents in blue states would benefit by relocation.
General info....
https://lulac.org/news/pr/Supreme_Court_Ruling_On_SSI_For_Puerto_Ricans_Is_Colonialism_By_Another_Name/
In January 2025, just under 7.4 million people received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
There are 7 states with only one US House of Representative seat: Alaska, Alabama, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.
Of those Five are red, two are blue.
Not Alabama.
DC has about 700,000 residents, more than the others.
Puerto Rico's population of roughly 3.2 million is larger than the populations of 20 U.S. states, including Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Your right about Alabama, my bad. Yeh I know about Puerto Rico and DC
Its membership is based on the population of each individual state. By law, its current membership is set at 435 Representatives, plus nonvoting delegates from the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.
If DC and Puerto Rico became states or enfranchised the law as to number of seats would have to be changed.
Something else to consider, Puerto Ricans are by and large Catholic or Conservative Christians (Evangelicals and Pentecostals), and vote Republican when it comes to the Culture wars (gay, trans, abortion, just like Hispanics and even blacks)
So we aren't diluting the power of the Republicans we are adding to it.
Generations X through Z, don't care about civil rights, voting rights, that is ancient history to them, they care about the here and now, and frankly voted that way in 2024.
Nah. A lot of the national heroes were nationalists and their leader, Pedro Albizu Campos, a Harvard graduate, spent most of his life in jail. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Albizu_Campos. Albizu Campos was jailed after the October 30, 1950, Nationalist revolts, known as the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s, in various Puerto Rican cities and towns against United States rule.
There are schools and monuments named for him. There is an Albizu University in San Juan and a Miami campus. There is a Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos, Puerto Rican High School in Chicago.
On Nov. 1, 1950, while Truman was residing at the Blair House because the White House was being renovated, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola attempted to kill him. While a guard was murdered, the attempt failed, leaving Torresola dead and Collazo imprisoned for 29 years.
Ike offered independence to PR, but they didn't accept it.
Nationalist Party members Lolita Lebrón, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Andres Figueroa Cordero and Irvin Flores staged an armed attack on the U.S. Capitol building on March 1, 1954. They unfurled a Puerto Rican flag, fired shots on the floor of the House of Representatives, and Lebrón cried out, “¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!” The four were immediately arrested.
Between 1968 and 1972, Armed Liberation Commandos (CAL) attacked several public corporate and military targets.
On Oct. 26, 1974, the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) launched an armed struggle. Reportedly, this was undertaken to commemorate the 1950 uprising in Puerto Rico and to demand the freedom of Collazo, Lebrón, Miranda, Cordero and Flores, still imprisoned in the U.S.
In 1979, Collazo, Lebrón, Cancel Miranda and Flores were pardoned by President Jimmy Carter after pressure from international and Puerto Rican forces. Unfortunately, Cordero, released in 1977 for health reasons, died of cancer in 1979 before his comrades were released.
There were attacks in the 1980's.https://againstthecurrent.org/atc021/the-politics-of-neo-colonialism-the-case-of-the-puerto-rican-15/
Here's an article aboiut the guy I identified. A Harvard graduate, with a 55 year prison sentence... Clinton offered clemency. https://puertorico-herald.net/issues/2004/vol8n33/ViolentPRTalksPeace.html.
Many Puerto Ricans espouse "soft socialism" regardless of party.
I wrote about the 1990 Miami riot. It started when PR was murdered by Miami police.... There used to be open warfare.
Soft socialism, let private parties own companies and produce things for a profit, but the government rides herd on their asses to prevent exploitation..
That is the way it was almost, and probably works best.
As regards Nationalist Hero's, I'm old enough and been around long enough to know that they all turned out bad, that is to be dictatorships.
There is something about power, once you grab it, it grabs you, and you don't want to let go. Biden said he would be one term president, but no he had to fuck up and make Trump president (for that I blame his wife Jillm
cherche la femm that may sound sexist, but it is true never the less, Jill got a taste of power and the good life and didn't want to let go, and dragged down America. I don't think that Kamala really wanted the job either, too much pressure and expectations on her.
As regards National hero's will there is Daniel Ortega, the great freedom fight to get out from under the thumb of Somoza, and he was a bastard, his people were illiterate, Managua didn't have street signs cause no one could read them, and gas station owners and attendants couldn't even read a map. Two classes of people impoverished peon's and well to do elite who drove expensive cars. And Ortega turned out to be as harsh a dictator as Somoza, same with Castro, Chavez, Across the pond in Africa, every nation is an example of a National Hero turned Dictator. Patrice Lamumba if he had not been assassinated would have definitely joined the list.
The French Revolution devoured it's own, and would have continued had not the allied powers of Europe had not stepped in to squelch revolutionary fever and that brought Nappie to power, and eventually Emperor.
Bolsheviks are a prime example, peasants, sailors, soldiers rising up to throw off the chains of the royalty, the elite, only to find themselves enslaved by people of their own class, worse than the Tzars ever thought, and more murderous too.
Milovan Djilas former Deputy PM of Yugoslavia wrote a book everyone should read about the ruling class of communism The New Class
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milovan_Djilas
The only example of National Hero's I can think of that were not scoundrels and dictators were the founders, and even then it was the idea of the Federalists to become such
Dude the nationalist were honest folk..they fought 4 labor
Which nationalist? Which country? That they were honest folk fighting for labor, doesn't change the equation, that once you have power, it changes you.
I was the last gringo to drive the Panamerican Hywy all the way to Panama in 1975, after that the border was sealed off because of the Sandinistas'. I was rooting for the Sandinista's because I knew what a tyrant Somoza was, and here we are 50 years later and Daniel Ortega is every bit the tyrant Somoza was.
It all starts out good at first but quickly turns bad. The nature of the human beast. Probably ever civilization every culture from ancient times to present, Rome has plenty of examples, so does Greece.
Socrates was forced to drink hemlock by the Athenian authorities after being convicted of impiety (disrespect towards the gods) and corrupting the youth, the standard punishment for these crimes being death by poison.
You know why those other in latin america turned authoritarian outside meddling by the us.
I agree, I know so, I have said so many times. From the Banana wars to Venezuela and Chile.
But that is aside the fact, that they do become authoritarian.
Chile managed to extricate itself from Pinochet, Brazil maybe the same, but there are signs that Lula de Silva is headed that direction, without interference from the USA.
From the frying pan to the fire, and the people are served how.?
Right. The R’s will fight like crazy to maintain the status quo.
I think that everyone that thinks of themselves as an expert on elections should watch Greg Palast’s Vigilante Inc. and his interviews with Thom Hartman and Kyle Kalinsky. If we don’t deal with voter suppression we don’t have a democracy. Additionally, voter ID , given the disingenuous Republican Party, has been used as a tool to suppress democratic leaning voters.