Your "Hidden History" book series is one of your Greatest achievements,Thom. You do a deep dive into your subject and explain it so clearly, with passion. I still say your series should be in every classroom in America ! Thank You, for your post this morning ☕ and will reStack ASAP 💯👍🇺🇲💙🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊
To quote Stalin. It is not the vote that counts, but who counts the votes. and I am repetitious because we know who is counting the votes, this time. In so many jurisdictions honest people have been driven out of office to be replaced by MAGAts. I still hold out hope. I hope that so many Harris voters turn out that they swamp the MAGAtsm to such an extent that they can't jimmy the vote.
One case I am familiar with is Hollister, CA the county seat of San Bernardino County.
The election officials of that county were the recipients of unrelenting death threats, photo's of her house and children and quit, no one would take the job, except MAGAts, repeat that story throughout the nation, especially Georgia.
PLEASE. I know this ios off-topic, but it is my first comment and I feel it is urgently needed. For some reason in the last week or so Republican candidates and Elon Musk have found it necessary to admit that they are going to deliberately make the economy worse "so it will be better in the future". I think Elon said everyone would have to get a "haircut"! This is a version of: You won millions in the lottery but first you must send me $500 to help with the taxes!! PLEASE give this some news time!
The corruption due to re-districting is a function of our sacred two-party system. Like a growing majority of Americans, I am registered to vote, not as a member of the GOP or DEM party, but as an NPA - no party affiliation. We NPAs normally must choose the lesser of two evils when voting for president, because our options are always binary. Likely the main reason people elect not to vote is that choice dilemma puts us in a “damned if you do and damned if you don't situation.” When both candidates seem equally horrible - we stay home or just vote for mayor, school board, city council, etc.
Third-party candidates cannot gain a foothold in our political system today because it costs too much to run against the two-party structure. Our winner-take-all electoral college (a college full of wealthy minions) relegates alternative candidates to powerless raised middle-fingers. "Citizens United” has institutionalized the race for political power to an economic battle between oligarchic billionaires. Now it costs a billion dollars to run for POTUS, and policy in both parties really boils down to greed; not the best policies for the good of all citizens.
The GOP loves the Citizens-United election handicap their SCOTUS stooges have enabled. Finally, they can just BUY power that they could not earn by governing for the people. A billion dollars is pocket change to people like Elon Musk and RFK jr. Now in 2024, the GOP is striving to institutionalize their power, end democracy, and seize power permanently. They are promoting fascism, promising to replace liberal governing for all the people, with RULING for the good of the super-wealthy. “Not to worry Middle Class America, our wealth will finally trickle down like Reagan promised.”
A, very good insight to the way things really happen, I guess Captain my Captain, thanks for the lesson. There really are so many things to know about how we got here in the first place.
"At the state level, such maps would also strip from these groups a principle as old as the Constitution: that even someone who cannot vote still deserves representation.64"
The only way to get that is to end the two-party cartel system and first-past-the-post winner-take-all horse race model with a real governance system that supports proportional representation (which is NOT "ranked choice voting") and at least a couple more parties.
We need to make sure West Coast voters don't decide to not go vote Tuesday evening because they hear Trump claiming he won.
Trump will claim he won early Tuesday night, likely before West Coast polls close.
How can we get out the word to not repeat 1980?
Trump will claim he won early Tuesday night, likely before West Coast polls close.
1980: Jimmy Carter conceded at about 5 pm PST.
Too many Democrats who had planned to vote after 5 PM decided to not bother and stayed home.
Republicans did go to the polls excited to vote for the winner.
Democratic House members lost tight races because of knowing Carter had lost: including Al Ullman Ways & Means Chair from Oregon.
We need to protect West Coast races in congress and the Senate by making sure that voters ignore Trumps claims of winning and go vote. And not lose winning the House.
There is a cautionary tale in the fact that so many children of heinous Republicans are not convinced of their parents twisted ideas and plans. They stand firm and out them. The children shall lead us!
Your "Hidden History" book series is one of your Greatest achievements,Thom. You do a deep dive into your subject and explain it so clearly, with passion. I still say your series should be in every classroom in America ! Thank You, for your post this morning ☕ and will reStack ASAP 💯👍🇺🇲💙🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊
To quote Stalin. It is not the vote that counts, but who counts the votes. and I am repetitious because we know who is counting the votes, this time. In so many jurisdictions honest people have been driven out of office to be replaced by MAGAts. I still hold out hope. I hope that so many Harris voters turn out that they swamp the MAGAtsm to such an extent that they can't jimmy the vote.
William, I share your concert about the MAGA groupies and allies screwing with the vote count
One case I am familiar with is Hollister, CA the county seat of San Bernardino County.
The election officials of that county were the recipients of unrelenting death threats, photo's of her house and children and quit, no one would take the job, except MAGAts, repeat that story throughout the nation, especially Georgia.
Like I said yesterday...mostly disinformation brought to us by Russia, to the detriment of the rest of us. One swallow doth not a summer make.
Perps caught...no deaths.
DOJ is on the job. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-monitor-polls-27-states-compliance-federal-voting-rights-laws
https://www.justice.gov/voting/election-threats
PLEASE. I know this ios off-topic, but it is my first comment and I feel it is urgently needed. For some reason in the last week or so Republican candidates and Elon Musk have found it necessary to admit that they are going to deliberately make the economy worse "so it will be better in the future". I think Elon said everyone would have to get a "haircut"! This is a version of: You won millions in the lottery but first you must send me $500 to help with the taxes!! PLEASE give this some news time!
Mike Raines
The corruption due to re-districting is a function of our sacred two-party system. Like a growing majority of Americans, I am registered to vote, not as a member of the GOP or DEM party, but as an NPA - no party affiliation. We NPAs normally must choose the lesser of two evils when voting for president, because our options are always binary. Likely the main reason people elect not to vote is that choice dilemma puts us in a “damned if you do and damned if you don't situation.” When both candidates seem equally horrible - we stay home or just vote for mayor, school board, city council, etc.
Third-party candidates cannot gain a foothold in our political system today because it costs too much to run against the two-party structure. Our winner-take-all electoral college (a college full of wealthy minions) relegates alternative candidates to powerless raised middle-fingers. "Citizens United” has institutionalized the race for political power to an economic battle between oligarchic billionaires. Now it costs a billion dollars to run for POTUS, and policy in both parties really boils down to greed; not the best policies for the good of all citizens.
The GOP loves the Citizens-United election handicap their SCOTUS stooges have enabled. Finally, they can just BUY power that they could not earn by governing for the people. A billion dollars is pocket change to people like Elon Musk and RFK jr. Now in 2024, the GOP is striving to institutionalize their power, end democracy, and seize power permanently. They are promoting fascism, promising to replace liberal governing for all the people, with RULING for the good of the super-wealthy. “Not to worry Middle Class America, our wealth will finally trickle down like Reagan promised.”
To paraphrase my 'ol pappy, to SCOTUS trees and cows count more than mere humans....
A, very good insight to the way things really happen, I guess Captain my Captain, thanks for the lesson. There really are so many things to know about how we got here in the first place.
"At the state level, such maps would also strip from these groups a principle as old as the Constitution: that even someone who cannot vote still deserves representation.64"
The only way to get that is to end the two-party cartel system and first-past-the-post winner-take-all horse race model with a real governance system that supports proportional representation (which is NOT "ranked choice voting") and at least a couple more parties.
Thanks for this chapter
Thanks for again exposing yet another manipulation of these guys. I'm looking forward to the day when one person - one vote is truly a reality.
Don't Repeat 1980 Election on Tuesday
Hi Thom,
We need to make sure West Coast voters don't decide to not go vote Tuesday evening because they hear Trump claiming he won.
Trump will claim he won early Tuesday night, likely before West Coast polls close.
How can we get out the word to not repeat 1980?
Trump will claim he won early Tuesday night, likely before West Coast polls close.
1980: Jimmy Carter conceded at about 5 pm PST.
Too many Democrats who had planned to vote after 5 PM decided to not bother and stayed home.
Republicans did go to the polls excited to vote for the winner.
Democratic House members lost tight races because of knowing Carter had lost: including Al Ullman Ways & Means Chair from Oregon.
We need to protect West Coast races in congress and the Senate by making sure that voters ignore Trumps claims of winning and go vote. And not lose winning the House.
Thanks for all you do.
There is a cautionary tale in the fact that so many children of heinous Republicans are not convinced of their parents twisted ideas and plans. They stand firm and out them. The children shall lead us!