Charlie, I just became a paid subscriber. I've figured out a way to cope with my despair. I was wasting time, posting rants on Washington Post articles. Now I'm focused on getting others involved in working to stop the far-right takeover of our government. Pls. look at https://www.focus4democracy.org/ - They identify organizations with proven plans to get more Democrats to actually vote - and they also educate undecided voters as to how they can help protect our democracy. I'm now supporting the organizations they recommend, rather than just flinging donations at various Democratic candidates. Even people who can't afford to donate much can forward the info to everyone they know. We all know folks who can afford to donate - reach out to them. Too many people feel helpless and hopeless and aren't doing anything. This is something we CAN do. Please take a look at focus4democracy. We're in an emergency.
Hey Charlie great to have you writing a newsletter again. I always looked forward to your Bulwark morning email. I’m curious as to why you started a whole new newsletter instead of at least continuing the Morning Shots?
As the Chair of the Democratic Party Of Ozaukee County, my response was published in the News Graphic today.
Last week the Chair of the Republican Party of Ozaukee County, Alex Leykin had published quite a dangerous rant equating the Democratic Party and the President of the United States with the totalitarian and anti-semetic regime of the Soviet Union. Now, I assume, Chair Leykin was elected by his County Party, just like I have been elected the Chair of the Democratic Party of Ozaukee County (twice) and the Chair of the 6th Congressional District Democrats (twice). Chair Leykin is the elected spokesperson for our County’s Republicans and I am hoping that the average Republican in this great county has more moral clarity than Chair Leykin.
I do not normally like to give this type of hate mongering more oxygen than it deserves, but the Democratic Party and my members need to know where I stand. Donald Trump had sex with a woman that was not his wife. He then paid her to keep the story quiet so he could deceive voters, and then falsified his business records in the state of New York. Remember why Donald Trump was so eager to cover up his affair? Just a few days earlier, the Access Hollywood tape was released where Trump bragged about being able to grab women in their private parts. Republicans asked him to step down. He did not, and he realized that if the Stormy Daniels affair came out on top of the tape, he would be in electoral trouble. He then fabricated business records to cover up the payment.
He was found guilty by a jury of his peers. That jury was selected by his lawyers and the prosecution’s lawyers. He was given a fair trial where both sides were allowed to present evidence and testimony. The people who helped Donald Trump said under oath that he told them to do it. He is on tape asking Michael Cohen to do it. It was reported in the news and is a matter of open record that anyone can review.
To equate our justice system with a Soviet gulag is morally bankrupt. To mortgage the suffering of millions of people who were victims of the Soviet regime to support Donald Trump is morally bankrupt.
If our justice system was the equivalent of Soviet Totalitarianism, Donald Trump would either be in a gulag, or he would be dead, as the example Chair Leykin gave of Alexei Navalny. He would not be allowed to run for President, he would not be golfing at Mar-A-Lago, and he would not be allowed to freely travel the country being protected by the Secret Service.
In his podcast with Historian Heather Cox Richardson, Republican Reed Galen, made the following statement, “I tell my Republican friends, you may not like Joe Biden, but if Trump is re-elected you will have to worry about things you never ever had to worry about before”.There are better Republicans out there, the GOP used to be the party of law and order. That Party would not be supporting a convicted felon, who tried to overthrow the government when he lost.
President Joe Biden was Vice President in 2016, when Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton. There was a peaceful transfer of power.
Donald Trump himself said he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose any supporters. I guess GOP Chair Leykin is one of them.
Yesterday I tried to think of this entire mess like interviewing candidates for a job. After looking at the “resumes” of DT and JB (RFK didn’t make first cut and I just threw the rest away), I became even more despondent/angry/frustrated/ sad that the good for nothing candidate even has a shot at the job. It’s like when you have to go through the motions of interviewing but you know that the CEO’s stupid nephew is likely going to get the job. Maybe it’s not that bad. But it sure feels like it!!
I kept considering writing a rebuttal to the good ole' Ozaukee News Graphic, but I'm afraid I'd be over my "every 30 days" as I feel OFTEN COMPELLED to rebut the motivated ignorance of some of the published letters...
We could put trump on a $3 bill. There’s no use for it, no place for it in a cash drawer, and it would be universally despised by anyone forced to come into contact with it.
Hey, don’t fall for the distraction, it’s not the felonies and it’s not the paying off the porn star that matter. The Genius does know that his people don’t care about felonies, that he’s a rapist, traitor, calls for violence, is a fraud, tax cheat, liar, has dementia, wears a diaper, is bald under the comb over, wears makeup, is a loser, has flatulence problems, cheats in golf, hates dogs, . … but he does know that they care that WHEN MELANIA HAD A BABY DONALD HAD SEX WITH STORMY D.
he paid $135,000 and committed 34 felonies to keep it a secret. That’s why we need to not get distracted and keep making sure everyone knows it and smells the stench from it.
Follow-up to my opinion piece: After a couple weeks, with no reply, I called and was able to speak with staff for Hawley, Schmitt and Wagner. They were all hesitant to answer my question...put me on hold and in the case of Schmitt and Wagner, transferred me to a "senior staffer". Their responses were very unsatisfactory: "we can't advise you on this matter" or mendacious: "we are not attacking the entire system..."
It's depressing that millions of people support Trump, but what actually worries me more is that so many good people are paralyzed with despair about our country. We should focus on getting Democrats and moderates to vote for Biden in swing states. It's not about a candidate being perfect. We need to support the least bad candidate. Please look at Oath - https://app.oath.vote/ - where you can choose the presidency, Congress, or reproductive rights (or all 3). Oath analyzes thousands of races and tells you where to most effectively donate. If you can't afford to donate money, pls forward to everyone you know. Do something! I've stopped rage-posting on Washington Post comment sections, and I'm now spending that time sharing this info on Substacks' comments, and by emailing my friends and acquaintances. The stakes are too high for us to give up.
I don't know how my brain hasn't yet exploded (like in "Scanners") from all this high-frequency, high-amplitude madness and idiocy. Did we slip into an alternate Bizarro universe at some point? I struggle to find any sensible explanation.
Charlie, I just became a paid subscriber. I've figured out a way to cope with my despair. I was wasting time, posting rants on Washington Post articles. Now I'm focused on getting others involved in working to stop the far-right takeover of our government. Pls. look at https://www.focus4democracy.org/ - They identify organizations with proven plans to get more Democrats to actually vote - and they also educate undecided voters as to how they can help protect our democracy. I'm now supporting the organizations they recommend, rather than just flinging donations at various Democratic candidates. Even people who can't afford to donate much can forward the info to everyone they know. We all know folks who can afford to donate - reach out to them. Too many people feel helpless and hopeless and aren't doing anything. This is something we CAN do. Please take a look at focus4democracy. We're in an emergency.
Thank you!!!!!
Outstanding analysis/retort of Leykin absurd position (!!!)
Hey Charlie great to have you writing a newsletter again. I always looked forward to your Bulwark morning email. I’m curious as to why you started a whole new newsletter instead of at least continuing the Morning Shots?
As the Chair of the Democratic Party Of Ozaukee County, my response was published in the News Graphic today.
Last week the Chair of the Republican Party of Ozaukee County, Alex Leykin had published quite a dangerous rant equating the Democratic Party and the President of the United States with the totalitarian and anti-semetic regime of the Soviet Union. Now, I assume, Chair Leykin was elected by his County Party, just like I have been elected the Chair of the Democratic Party of Ozaukee County (twice) and the Chair of the 6th Congressional District Democrats (twice). Chair Leykin is the elected spokesperson for our County’s Republicans and I am hoping that the average Republican in this great county has more moral clarity than Chair Leykin.
I do not normally like to give this type of hate mongering more oxygen than it deserves, but the Democratic Party and my members need to know where I stand. Donald Trump had sex with a woman that was not his wife. He then paid her to keep the story quiet so he could deceive voters, and then falsified his business records in the state of New York. Remember why Donald Trump was so eager to cover up his affair? Just a few days earlier, the Access Hollywood tape was released where Trump bragged about being able to grab women in their private parts. Republicans asked him to step down. He did not, and he realized that if the Stormy Daniels affair came out on top of the tape, he would be in electoral trouble. He then fabricated business records to cover up the payment.
He was found guilty by a jury of his peers. That jury was selected by his lawyers and the prosecution’s lawyers. He was given a fair trial where both sides were allowed to present evidence and testimony. The people who helped Donald Trump said under oath that he told them to do it. He is on tape asking Michael Cohen to do it. It was reported in the news and is a matter of open record that anyone can review.
To equate our justice system with a Soviet gulag is morally bankrupt. To mortgage the suffering of millions of people who were victims of the Soviet regime to support Donald Trump is morally bankrupt.
If our justice system was the equivalent of Soviet Totalitarianism, Donald Trump would either be in a gulag, or he would be dead, as the example Chair Leykin gave of Alexei Navalny. He would not be allowed to run for President, he would not be golfing at Mar-A-Lago, and he would not be allowed to freely travel the country being protected by the Secret Service.
In his podcast with Historian Heather Cox Richardson, Republican Reed Galen, made the following statement, “I tell my Republican friends, you may not like Joe Biden, but if Trump is re-elected you will have to worry about things you never ever had to worry about before”.There are better Republicans out there, the GOP used to be the party of law and order. That Party would not be supporting a convicted felon, who tried to overthrow the government when he lost.
President Joe Biden was Vice President in 2016, when Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton. There was a peaceful transfer of power.
Donald Trump himself said he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not lose any supporters. I guess GOP Chair Leykin is one of them.
Thank you !
Yesterday I tried to think of this entire mess like interviewing candidates for a job. After looking at the “resumes” of DT and JB (RFK didn’t make first cut and I just threw the rest away), I became even more despondent/angry/frustrated/ sad that the good for nothing candidate even has a shot at the job. It’s like when you have to go through the motions of interviewing but you know that the CEO’s stupid nephew is likely going to get the job. Maybe it’s not that bad. But it sure feels like it!!
After President Biden is re-elected, round-up all the MAGA Trump CEOs and deport them to Russia.
I kept considering writing a rebuttal to the good ole' Ozaukee News Graphic, but I'm afraid I'd be over my "every 30 days" as I feel OFTEN COMPELLED to rebut the motivated ignorance of some of the published letters...
We could put trump on a $3 bill. There’s no use for it, no place for it in a cash drawer, and it would be universally despised by anyone forced to come into contact with it.
Oooomph -- to all of the Republicans voting for the same guy as David Duke.
A new term I learned from a recent article in The Atlantic, Motivated Ignorance used to explain MAGA members. NAILED IT!!!
Nobody writes it better! Thank you, Charlie!
Hey, don’t fall for the distraction, it’s not the felonies and it’s not the paying off the porn star that matter. The Genius does know that his people don’t care about felonies, that he’s a rapist, traitor, calls for violence, is a fraud, tax cheat, liar, has dementia, wears a diaper, is bald under the comb over, wears makeup, is a loser, has flatulence problems, cheats in golf, hates dogs, . … but he does know that they care that WHEN MELANIA HAD A BABY DONALD HAD SEX WITH STORMY D.
he paid $135,000 and committed 34 felonies to keep it a secret. That’s why we need to not get distracted and keep making sure everyone knows it and smells the stench from it.
The only highlight in this nightmare is Auggie back in the lake.
Also: I can never marvel enough at the enormous size of Eli’s head!
https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/letters/letter-republicans-fail-in-their-duty-by-attacking-justice-system/article_b377bda6-2cf8-11ef-bbf5-73526d02d6bb.html
Follow-up to my opinion piece: After a couple weeks, with no reply, I called and was able to speak with staff for Hawley, Schmitt and Wagner. They were all hesitant to answer my question...put me on hold and in the case of Schmitt and Wagner, transferred me to a "senior staffer". Their responses were very unsatisfactory: "we can't advise you on this matter" or mendacious: "we are not attacking the entire system..."
Unfortunately your piece is behind the paywall
It's depressing that millions of people support Trump, but what actually worries me more is that so many good people are paralyzed with despair about our country. We should focus on getting Democrats and moderates to vote for Biden in swing states. It's not about a candidate being perfect. We need to support the least bad candidate. Please look at Oath - https://app.oath.vote/ - where you can choose the presidency, Congress, or reproductive rights (or all 3). Oath analyzes thousands of races and tells you where to most effectively donate. If you can't afford to donate money, pls forward to everyone you know. Do something! I've stopped rage-posting on Washington Post comment sections, and I'm now spending that time sharing this info on Substacks' comments, and by emailing my friends and acquaintances. The stakes are too high for us to give up.
I don't know how my brain hasn't yet exploded (like in "Scanners") from all this high-frequency, high-amplitude madness and idiocy. Did we slip into an alternate Bizarro universe at some point? I struggle to find any sensible explanation.