I like Seth Moulton and think he is one of the best we have in public service today. My only disagreement was with his statement that every American holds the Constitution sacred. I wish that was true.
Steve, you have written so much great historical analysis. I'm grateful. Can you speak to the duty of average citizen to resist tyranny? We average Joes are making concrete efforts to protest, such as the Feb 17 National Day of Protest. Few of the bigger platforms are talking about this. Why is that? Genuinely curious.
So how do we like a firecracker under the elected democrats to move faster? Analyze the Dems loss more quickly? Move forward more quickly? Elect new Democratic leadership in the Senate? Realixpze that we are angry, scared, frustrated, and want answers. Do something?
Elected Dems need to become fighters. Our democracy needs, I repeat NEEDS, them to move forward much more quickly!!!!!!!!!!
Whether one likes Moulton or not, what he is saying in terms of the election is accurate. Trump was the worst candidate in history and should have been defeated in a landslide. Yet he received 77 million votes. The Democratic Party needs to take a look at things and find some commonality with a portion of that 77 million.
I am still asking myself that same question, John. How the hell did Sherrod Brown lose? How did Tim Ryan lose to Vance? I have one word for you. Gerrymandering. We passed issue 1 & 2 in August on women’s healthcare rights and recreational weed, but couldn’t pass the issue 1 of Novembers ballot on the voting maps commission versus politicians drawing the maps and almost guaranteeing reelection. And that Portage county MAGA sheriff got reelected. Makes no fucking sense to me.
Down here in the South, we seem to have written off an entire part of the country. Setting aside for a moment poor education and other problems here, perhaps there needs to be more dialogue with voters and find a way to defeat Republicans down here. I don’t know the answers, nor pretend to know, but ceding an entire region of the country is not a good answer, either.
Yeah, we don't have the leadership. The 'namby pamby' and the 'tea and crumpets' approach is not going to work against this coup d'etat which is taking place at this very moment. We can not wait two years to take action.
Rep. Moulton has quite aptly articulated what I have believed for a very long time. That those who voted for Trump are saying: “He’s a liar, and I’m being fucked over, but it’s okay because he’s being honest about it.” The absurdity of this rational is mind boggling! This is the stupidity, lack of critical thinking I would add, that has put Trump and the rest of these fucking people into power, with Elon Musk’s fingers in our treasury. I’m reminded of your earlier essay admonishing The Warning community not to distain our fellow citizens, where I remarked that I did not distain them but was disappointed in them. Well, this explanation by Moulton is moving me to a place where I can’t help feeling my disappointment evolve into an anger at the sheer willful stupidity of my fellow citizens.
Watching his response to your three point demands for budget talks was also quite telling. Yes, he agreed that there must be a strategy, but he navigated his way around it in his “I do take your point. And it's an interesting way to think about it because you're right.” response. I am convinced that your three point strategy of “NO” is the best way to go. However, I am not convinced Congressman Moulton will push to see it deployed.
Fantastic interview! Thank you so much! Can’t tell you how profoundly grateful I am that you express my/our concerns and questions to key people like Moulton.
Watching his face, it seemed that your inviting him to consider the “No” idea, and the three conditions, made serious impact. Let’s hope so!
Do you know who says “no” to their children? Republicans. Do you know who thinks that “no” is some kind of dictatorial word that might hurt little Henry’s feelings? Right, Democrats.
This is a whopping over generalization but I sincerely believe that it’s esssnce is accurate. I was born a Republican, became a Democrat, (only because becoming an Independent tied my hands in NH primaries), and I probably spend more time than most people on this post with blue collar associates/neighbors.
Through this fight, we must maintain our values, including our decency, but to win, Dems have to get tougher, and learn to say No.
I hate to say it but look where your former Republican Party got us now.. As a life long democrat I have known a lot of democrats in my life I didn't know one that didn't say no to there child .. Yes WHOPPING over generalization is right... You are right your former party is no on everything that is for the people and no on anything that isn't for the wealthy. They always forget that we all pay taxes even migrants with social security cards so they can work.. We all pay in and it is the dems that got you social security ,medicare clean water etc...
For the sake of trying to write about very broad issues, like why the democrats lost, I will continue with over generalizations in an effort to make a broad point.
In 1996, (updated in 2001), George Lakoff wrote Moral Politics, followed by other brilliant books on why people act the way they do. In Moral Politics, Lakoff described conservative voters as being influenced by the “strict father model” and progressives by the “nuturant parent model”.
These are wild over generalizations as well but they nevertheless point us toward what I experience as core truths.
Throughout our history, both parties have been guilty of racism, mysogeny and what you and I would call unconstitutional threats to our democracy. My family helped establish the Republican Party in direct response to the racist political philosophy that defined the Andrew Jackson Democratic Party at the time,
Both parties have lived in the gutter, and I’m the first to acknowledge that that’s where a once great party, the Party of Lincoln, lives now. Actually, I think it is dead.
Back to overgenerizations making a broad point.
I thought Lakoff was right in 1996 and I still think he’s right. One generation after his observations were first put down, I see in my everyday life a preponderance of conservative parents boxing their children into strict, old school parenting structures, and a preponderance of progressive parents coddling and even failing to disciple with a “sush”, no less an unequivocal “no”.
Thirty years ago, I was furious when my father accused me and my progressive husband of coddling our son. I wanted to tell him that I’d rather coddle than be a dictator like him.. but I was too well trained to “talk back”.
The point is that we must find a middle ground moving forward, both in our politics and our families. Some structure is critical, too much is crushing. Some openness is critical, too much neutralizes.
The R’s are focused, lawless traitors who are ripping start our country, and to stop them, the Dems must take a page out the R’s book and fight back like even better fathers, fathers who can be both nurturing and strick when needed.
Steve is exactly right, the Dems need to say No in order to save our country.
It’s the one item that the GO-MAGA-P party does. And, doesn’t care about.
That is we just don’t care. We do what we want and what we say.
The Dems need to imbibe some of this.
Raise taxes? Yeah, we’re gonna do that. We’re going to increase taxes on the Muskrats of the world. They can afford it. You like safe bridges, safe neighborhoods, new schools, well paid teachers, properly trained and outfitted police / fire / FEMA, etc? This is how we do that.
Every American citizen is covered by a healthcare plan. Yeah, we’re gonna do this. We are going to finally join every other nation in the world that does this. Govt controlled healthcare? No. Govt funded healthcare. Physicians and Nurses aren’t Representives or Senators. Big difference. We’re doing this. The current system sucks balls.
Immigration? Yeah, it’s busted big time. The previous ( at least ) six administrations have kicked the can down the road on this. It’s one of the reasons we have a dumpster fire burning now. We need a trade bloc like the EU’s Schengen zone. That way if Panamanians, et al want to pick strawberries in Florida ( or elsewhere ) they can. And we know who they are. No hiding in the shadows. If they act in a criminal manner they get tossed outta here.
Citizens United v. FEC? Yeah, we’re gonna get that canned. Corporations are NOT people. Even a five year old knows this.
Glass - Steagall? We need to put back some of those restrictions. Casino capitalism have
caused the greatest income inequality in the USA. Trickle up economics is madness.
Oh, and BTW Canada? The next few rounds of drinks are on us. You're our friend, ally, and family not our 51st state. You do you. We love that about you.
A very good conversation with a good guy. His comments about a lack of leadership were telling, as were his comments about integrity. If he is at all representative of the Dems in Congress, the power of ‘no’ is lost on them. Which is mind boggling and incredibly disappointing. They’ve learned nothing over the last 10 years.
Every time he issues a statement he says something I don’t like. But l’m no longer a fan of Pelosi since she ganged up on President Biden along with others.
Steve, I absolutely love that you can just tell these guys where you’re coming from. I think your voice, reason, passion, and fire had an impact on that conversation. I must say, however, that I didn’t get a real warm and fuzzy from the Congressman when he said the democrats are rudderless and without strong leadership. That strong leadership is the one single thing they need to establish yesterday, not after weeks of meetings. This is a house on fire for the democrats and they don’t seem to see it that way. But thank you for putting the pressure on the congressman.
Thank you for such important conversations where you constantly nurture the small hope that someone like Zelenskyy will eventually will find his way to American leadership, when we all are ready to recognize it when we see the one.
Yes, I did. And I trashed the email, like I am going to trash every email requesting money to "fight back." That is not a plan; that is more of the same. No plan, no money. Give me a good plan and I will give my lunch money to you.
This was a remarkable coaching session with Seth Moulton although he may not have realized it. You sadly hear pushback from D's when you introduce the "NO" strategy and what the party and country want in return. It's unfamiliar to them -- the fight gene, that is. Steve, they need to hire you to train them up on how to reform the party in order to survive this new paradigm.
Superb interview with and outstanding member of the House. The Democratic Party has lost its way and needs new leadership - Moulton, Shapiro, Whitmer, Basheer, and the like - driven by both common sense and integrity. And this needs to happen without further delay.
After mulling over this interview all day on and off, I found myself returning again and again to Steve's basic position: Congressional Dems have to be willing to say "NO" to Republicans, even if it means shutting down the government, and to demand Congressional Republicans' action on the most ruinous aspects of the Musk/Trump rampage through the federal government. Jeffries can't see what is staring at him from across the table (at which he thinks some kind of traditional budgetary negotiation may occur). I would add that while Dems are busy wringing their hands about how soon the new DNC chair may get up to speed with a winning plan for 2026 midterms or, as Rep. Moulton put it, crafting a platform that will draw in disenchanted MAGA voters, Trump and his destructive band may well be taking deliberate steps that will empower him to negate the 2016 midterms entirely. Recall that in his rallies late in the campaign, Trump started saying to his followers, "Just vote for me this time and I promise you won't have to be bothered with voting ever again." Dems are at grave risk of playing the game that's familiar to them until it's too late, missing every opportunity to meet the moment that actually is upon us, while Trump has people gutting the federal government and flouting the constitution so he can claim personal power indefinitely.
I like Seth Moulton and think he is one of the best we have in public service today. My only disagreement was with his statement that every American holds the Constitution sacred. I wish that was true.
Steve, you have written so much great historical analysis. I'm grateful. Can you speak to the duty of average citizen to resist tyranny? We average Joes are making concrete efforts to protest, such as the Feb 17 National Day of Protest. Few of the bigger platforms are talking about this. Why is that? Genuinely curious.
So how do we like a firecracker under the elected democrats to move faster? Analyze the Dems loss more quickly? Move forward more quickly? Elect new Democratic leadership in the Senate? Realixpze that we are angry, scared, frustrated, and want answers. Do something?
Elected Dems need to become fighters. Our democracy needs, I repeat NEEDS, them to move forward much more quickly!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, Diversity is our strength!
Whether one likes Moulton or not, what he is saying in terms of the election is accurate. Trump was the worst candidate in history and should have been defeated in a landslide. Yet he received 77 million votes. The Democratic Party needs to take a look at things and find some commonality with a portion of that 77 million.
Take Ohio, for example. We had Sherrod Brown, a good man, defeated by a male version of Kari Lake. How did that happen and why did it happen?
I am still asking myself that same question, John. How the hell did Sherrod Brown lose? How did Tim Ryan lose to Vance? I have one word for you. Gerrymandering. We passed issue 1 & 2 in August on women’s healthcare rights and recreational weed, but couldn’t pass the issue 1 of Novembers ballot on the voting maps commission versus politicians drawing the maps and almost guaranteeing reelection. And that Portage county MAGA sheriff got reelected. Makes no fucking sense to me.
Down here in the South, we seem to have written off an entire part of the country. Setting aside for a moment poor education and other problems here, perhaps there needs to be more dialogue with voters and find a way to defeat Republicans down here. I don’t know the answers, nor pretend to know, but ceding an entire region of the country is not a good answer, either.
Yeah, we don't have the leadership. The 'namby pamby' and the 'tea and crumpets' approach is not going to work against this coup d'etat which is taking place at this very moment. We can not wait two years to take action.
Rep. Moulton has quite aptly articulated what I have believed for a very long time. That those who voted for Trump are saying: “He’s a liar, and I’m being fucked over, but it’s okay because he’s being honest about it.” The absurdity of this rational is mind boggling! This is the stupidity, lack of critical thinking I would add, that has put Trump and the rest of these fucking people into power, with Elon Musk’s fingers in our treasury. I’m reminded of your earlier essay admonishing The Warning community not to distain our fellow citizens, where I remarked that I did not distain them but was disappointed in them. Well, this explanation by Moulton is moving me to a place where I can’t help feeling my disappointment evolve into an anger at the sheer willful stupidity of my fellow citizens.
Watching his response to your three point demands for budget talks was also quite telling. Yes, he agreed that there must be a strategy, but he navigated his way around it in his “I do take your point. And it's an interesting way to think about it because you're right.” response. I am convinced that your three point strategy of “NO” is the best way to go. However, I am not convinced Congressman Moulton will push to see it deployed.
Fantastic interview! Thank you so much! Can’t tell you how profoundly grateful I am that you express my/our concerns and questions to key people like Moulton.
Watching his face, it seemed that your inviting him to consider the “No” idea, and the three conditions, made serious impact. Let’s hope so!
Do you know who says “no” to their children? Republicans. Do you know who thinks that “no” is some kind of dictatorial word that might hurt little Henry’s feelings? Right, Democrats.
This is a whopping over generalization but I sincerely believe that it’s esssnce is accurate. I was born a Republican, became a Democrat, (only because becoming an Independent tied my hands in NH primaries), and I probably spend more time than most people on this post with blue collar associates/neighbors.
Through this fight, we must maintain our values, including our decency, but to win, Dems have to get tougher, and learn to say No.
Thank you again Steve. Really critical work.
I hate to say it but look where your former Republican Party got us now.. As a life long democrat I have known a lot of democrats in my life I didn't know one that didn't say no to there child .. Yes WHOPPING over generalization is right... You are right your former party is no on everything that is for the people and no on anything that isn't for the wealthy. They always forget that we all pay taxes even migrants with social security cards so they can work.. We all pay in and it is the dems that got you social security ,medicare clean water etc...
For the sake of trying to write about very broad issues, like why the democrats lost, I will continue with over generalizations in an effort to make a broad point.
In 1996, (updated in 2001), George Lakoff wrote Moral Politics, followed by other brilliant books on why people act the way they do. In Moral Politics, Lakoff described conservative voters as being influenced by the “strict father model” and progressives by the “nuturant parent model”.
These are wild over generalizations as well but they nevertheless point us toward what I experience as core truths.
Throughout our history, both parties have been guilty of racism, mysogeny and what you and I would call unconstitutional threats to our democracy. My family helped establish the Republican Party in direct response to the racist political philosophy that defined the Andrew Jackson Democratic Party at the time,
Both parties have lived in the gutter, and I’m the first to acknowledge that that’s where a once great party, the Party of Lincoln, lives now. Actually, I think it is dead.
Back to overgenerizations making a broad point.
I thought Lakoff was right in 1996 and I still think he’s right. One generation after his observations were first put down, I see in my everyday life a preponderance of conservative parents boxing their children into strict, old school parenting structures, and a preponderance of progressive parents coddling and even failing to disciple with a “sush”, no less an unequivocal “no”.
Thirty years ago, I was furious when my father accused me and my progressive husband of coddling our son. I wanted to tell him that I’d rather coddle than be a dictator like him.. but I was too well trained to “talk back”.
The point is that we must find a middle ground moving forward, both in our politics and our families. Some structure is critical, too much is crushing. Some openness is critical, too much neutralizes.
The R’s are focused, lawless traitors who are ripping start our country, and to stop them, the Dems must take a page out the R’s book and fight back like even better fathers, fathers who can be both nurturing and strick when needed.
Steve is exactly right, the Dems need to say No in order to save our country.
It’s the one item that the GO-MAGA-P party does. And, doesn’t care about.
That is we just don’t care. We do what we want and what we say.
The Dems need to imbibe some of this.
Raise taxes? Yeah, we’re gonna do that. We’re going to increase taxes on the Muskrats of the world. They can afford it. You like safe bridges, safe neighborhoods, new schools, well paid teachers, properly trained and outfitted police / fire / FEMA, etc? This is how we do that.
Every American citizen is covered by a healthcare plan. Yeah, we’re gonna do this. We are going to finally join every other nation in the world that does this. Govt controlled healthcare? No. Govt funded healthcare. Physicians and Nurses aren’t Representives or Senators. Big difference. We’re doing this. The current system sucks balls.
Immigration? Yeah, it’s busted big time. The previous ( at least ) six administrations have kicked the can down the road on this. It’s one of the reasons we have a dumpster fire burning now. We need a trade bloc like the EU’s Schengen zone. That way if Panamanians, et al want to pick strawberries in Florida ( or elsewhere ) they can. And we know who they are. No hiding in the shadows. If they act in a criminal manner they get tossed outta here.
Citizens United v. FEC? Yeah, we’re gonna get that canned. Corporations are NOT people. Even a five year old knows this.
Glass - Steagall? We need to put back some of those restrictions. Casino capitalism have
caused the greatest income inequality in the USA. Trickle up economics is madness.
Oh, and BTW Canada? The next few rounds of drinks are on us. You're our friend, ally, and family not our 51st state. You do you. We love that about you.
A very good conversation with a good guy. His comments about a lack of leadership were telling, as were his comments about integrity. If he is at all representative of the Dems in Congress, the power of ‘no’ is lost on them. Which is mind boggling and incredibly disappointing. They’ve learned nothing over the last 10 years.
Not a fan of Seth Mouton.
Why not?
Have to go back and look at all his announcements and actions.
Every time he issues a statement he says something I don’t like. But l’m no longer a fan of Pelosi since she ganged up on President Biden along with others.
That should be “ganged up” on President Biden.
Steve, I absolutely love that you can just tell these guys where you’re coming from. I think your voice, reason, passion, and fire had an impact on that conversation. I must say, however, that I didn’t get a real warm and fuzzy from the Congressman when he said the democrats are rudderless and without strong leadership. That strong leadership is the one single thing they need to establish yesterday, not after weeks of meetings. This is a house on fire for the democrats and they don’t seem to see it that way. But thank you for putting the pressure on the congressman.
Thank you for such important conversations where you constantly nurture the small hope that someone like Zelenskyy will eventually will find his way to American leadership, when we all are ready to recognize it when we see the one.
Did anyone else receive a mailer like I did recently from the Harris Victory Fund, asking for donations?
WTF😳!
Yes, I did. And I trashed the email, like I am going to trash every email requesting money to "fight back." That is not a plan; that is more of the same. No plan, no money. Give me a good plan and I will give my lunch money to you.
This was a remarkable coaching session with Seth Moulton although he may not have realized it. You sadly hear pushback from D's when you introduce the "NO" strategy and what the party and country want in return. It's unfamiliar to them -- the fight gene, that is. Steve, they need to hire you to train them up on how to reform the party in order to survive this new paradigm.
Superb interview with and outstanding member of the House. The Democratic Party has lost its way and needs new leadership - Moulton, Shapiro, Whitmer, Basheer, and the like - driven by both common sense and integrity. And this needs to happen without further delay.
After mulling over this interview all day on and off, I found myself returning again and again to Steve's basic position: Congressional Dems have to be willing to say "NO" to Republicans, even if it means shutting down the government, and to demand Congressional Republicans' action on the most ruinous aspects of the Musk/Trump rampage through the federal government. Jeffries can't see what is staring at him from across the table (at which he thinks some kind of traditional budgetary negotiation may occur). I would add that while Dems are busy wringing their hands about how soon the new DNC chair may get up to speed with a winning plan for 2026 midterms or, as Rep. Moulton put it, crafting a platform that will draw in disenchanted MAGA voters, Trump and his destructive band may well be taking deliberate steps that will empower him to negate the 2016 midterms entirely. Recall that in his rallies late in the campaign, Trump started saying to his followers, "Just vote for me this time and I promise you won't have to be bothered with voting ever again." Dems are at grave risk of playing the game that's familiar to them until it's too late, missing every opportunity to meet the moment that actually is upon us, while Trump has people gutting the federal government and flouting the constitution so he can claim personal power indefinitely.