As always. Insightful -both biting and positive suggestions. We should do better. I think so many of us are just absolutely gob- smacked about how anyone can look at Donald Trump and think "oh yeah he'd be a great president of the United States!!"
I doubt many think that. The hard core MAGA because they moved into a fantasy world long ago. But even many of them, and *all* the non-MAGA Republicans, know Trump would not be a good president.
But that doesn’t matter to them because they believe his election means they can become consequence-free oppressors of everybody they don’t like.
The mainstream media did the “both sides”ism in the last two presidential elections, were heavily castigated, yet learned nothing. It is a fool’s errand to try to keep badgering them, because they obviously don’t listen or care. They have their own selfish motives. They have abdicated their sacred role as the fourth estate. Jefferson prized a free press over everything else. He would be crushed to see what has happened.
The most inept display of politics in recent memory was the House progressives’ botching of the Build Back Better legislation (with “help” from Bernie Sanders). They talked big and aimed high. I heard it over and over: “We’re not going to make the same mistake as Obama did with the ACA. We’re not going waste a summer in fruitless negotiations and settling for less.” They wound up with nothing because they couldn’t read the room; it took the quiet intervention of Chuck Schumer and Biden to work something out with Joe Manchin.* Money got left on table because the amateur hour politics of Pramilla Jayapal and her team.
Sound and fury signifying nothing is never a good thing. Donald Trump and the MAGAs are not a model for anything.
* It’s a myth that Obama spent a futile summer negotiating with Charles Grassley and Susan Collins. The problem all along came down to Ben Nelson and Holy Joe Liebermann in the Senate and Bart Stupak in the House—all Democrats.
Every time I say this, liberals give me back exactly what you stated: an assumption that I’m saying act like Trump with his lies and disgusting nasty mouth manner; that is never ever what I’m saying!
I’m saying take a queue from his loudmouth attention getting ways to get the media to look because they’re never going to do it on their own. Dems have to deliver the message in a way that our stupid mindless media will turn the camera their way, and that means the truth & message must be simple, repeatable, constant, and loud.
Like it or not that’s just where we are as a nation and that is the nature of our media. It is well past time for Democrats to understand this and get off their stupid high horse, whose belly is literally dragging on the ground at this point, weighed down with all of their moralities and so-called professionalism.
“Just because you steal what works for Trump doesn’t mean you have to lie or come across like a buffoon.”
I truly truly wish Obama had simply passed the ACA bill of democratic dreams, and not tried to do a Mitt Romney redux. I’ve never understood why he tried so hard to get Republicans to buy in. The ACA is groundbreaking, and is also far inadequate.
Should the Democrats retain the White House in November they will then, as Oliver convincingly lays out, take their foot off the gas pedal.
Meanwhile, the Republicans will continue full steam ahead between the election and the inauguration working to steal the election that the Democrats (suicidally) think has been settled.
Last time in that period it was 60+ lawsuits and an insurrection. That was just the Republicans rehearsing for this next time coming up.
Oliver, you’ve written this column so often that it’s become a template. The Dems are hopeless in hitting hard and often. If we win in November, it will be astonishing.
Winning in November won’t be so astonishing. Trump‘s campaign is in terrible shape.
What will be astonishing is if the Democrats don’t voluntarily give up their advantage. For example, the Republicans recognize they’re likely to lose and are already taking steps to adjust House and Senate rules ( example: blue slips) so they will have more power in the minority than they have allowed the Democrats to have. And the Dems are likely to go along with it out of some self-defeating sense of “decorum”.
As always. Insightful -both biting and positive suggestions. We should do better. I think so many of us are just absolutely gob- smacked about how anyone can look at Donald Trump and think "oh yeah he'd be a great president of the United States!!"
💙 SERIOUSLY????!!!!
I doubt many think that. The hard core MAGA because they moved into a fantasy world long ago. But even many of them, and *all* the non-MAGA Republicans, know Trump would not be a good president.
But that doesn’t matter to them because they believe his election means they can become consequence-free oppressors of everybody they don’t like.
The mainstream media did the “both sides”ism in the last two presidential elections, were heavily castigated, yet learned nothing. It is a fool’s errand to try to keep badgering them, because they obviously don’t listen or care. They have their own selfish motives. They have abdicated their sacred role as the fourth estate. Jefferson prized a free press over everything else. He would be crushed to see what has happened.
Be careful with Jefferson.
There are not many different words for having children by one of your 600 slaves.
But we can articulate the thought, without naming a slaveholder.
Forward.
The most inept display of politics in recent memory was the House progressives’ botching of the Build Back Better legislation (with “help” from Bernie Sanders). They talked big and aimed high. I heard it over and over: “We’re not going to make the same mistake as Obama did with the ACA. We’re not going waste a summer in fruitless negotiations and settling for less.” They wound up with nothing because they couldn’t read the room; it took the quiet intervention of Chuck Schumer and Biden to work something out with Joe Manchin.* Money got left on table because the amateur hour politics of Pramilla Jayapal and her team.
Sound and fury signifying nothing is never a good thing. Donald Trump and the MAGAs are not a model for anything.
* It’s a myth that Obama spent a futile summer negotiating with Charles Grassley and Susan Collins. The problem all along came down to Ben Nelson and Holy Joe Liebermann in the Senate and Bart Stupak in the House—all Democrats.
I’ve heard this argument before and besides overstating the reality, my answer would be that Republicans have the advantage being unrepentant liars.
Thank you Oliver!
D’s always have poor at messaging.
Take lessons from The Lincoln Project.
Every time I say this, liberals give me back exactly what you stated: an assumption that I’m saying act like Trump with his lies and disgusting nasty mouth manner; that is never ever what I’m saying!
I’m saying take a queue from his loudmouth attention getting ways to get the media to look because they’re never going to do it on their own. Dems have to deliver the message in a way that our stupid mindless media will turn the camera their way, and that means the truth & message must be simple, repeatable, constant, and loud.
Like it or not that’s just where we are as a nation and that is the nature of our media. It is well past time for Democrats to understand this and get off their stupid high horse, whose belly is literally dragging on the ground at this point, weighed down with all of their moralities and so-called professionalism.
“Just because you steal what works for Trump doesn’t mean you have to lie or come across like a buffoon.”
Amen
Amen! Talk loud, talk often, it’s not hard to prove your point when it’s the truth.
I truly truly wish Obama had simply passed the ACA bill of democratic dreams, and not tried to do a Mitt Romney redux. I’ve never understood why he tried so hard to get Republicans to buy in. The ACA is groundbreaking, and is also far inadequate.
Should the Democrats retain the White House in November they will then, as Oliver convincingly lays out, take their foot off the gas pedal.
Meanwhile, the Republicans will continue full steam ahead between the election and the inauguration working to steal the election that the Democrats (suicidally) think has been settled.
Last time in that period it was 60+ lawsuits and an insurrection. That was just the Republicans rehearsing for this next time coming up.
Oliver, you’ve written this column so often that it’s become a template. The Dems are hopeless in hitting hard and often. If we win in November, it will be astonishing.
Winning in November won’t be so astonishing. Trump‘s campaign is in terrible shape.
What will be astonishing is if the Democrats don’t voluntarily give up their advantage. For example, the Republicans recognize they’re likely to lose and are already taking steps to adjust House and Senate rules ( example: blue slips) so they will have more power in the minority than they have allowed the Democrats to have. And the Dems are likely to go along with it out of some self-defeating sense of “decorum”.
Very similar views to what Matt Stoller wrote today, although he focuses on anti-trust.
https://open.substack.com/pub/mattstoller/p/why-does-the-biden-white-house-hate
Oliver. Never shut up TO WHOM? What about people who read your column who aren’t online pundits, don’t have a blog?
Imagine "only dog" x6, and that's what it's like having six degus trying to vie for your attention.