I got an email from Forward Blue today asking me to respond to a survey that aims to help the Democratic Party. Here's my response:
Sorry, Forward Blue
These issues can no longer be entrusted to today's political parties. We have to find a way of addressing the serious issues that is above the political parties. (BTW, I don’t believe that anyone will read what I just wrote here. Prove me wrong!)
Wasn’t VJ the one who proclaimed, all those years ago, “Tonight he became POTUS” when Trump managed to give his first SOTU speech without sh*tting himself in public? 🤦♀️
Van and Steve. Isn’t now the time to select a leader, begin to imitate our counter, and begin to embarrass Trump and his knowledge-challenged appointee:
Continuing…James Carville, strategist, recently published an op-ed the NYTimes, with some modest ideas of rebounding from an embarrassing loss to MAGA Cultists and resident trump, or present elect trump. I should pause here and place some of blame for why we lost. Biden, and those advising Biden, should have stepped down in year 2, which would have given Harris a longer “onramp,” and we would then have time to have an open primary, to select a candidate with guts and experience and leadership. Trump did not win: Democrats lost.
We had four years to pound away at this virus; we had an inept Democratic Party Chairman in Jamie Harrison, who got the job because he lost his senate race and someone decided to throw him a bone. I noticed that he was promoting Biden, even after a miserable debate performance. Not good.
V.P Harris” When we fight, we win.” No. When we bury them, we win. While there were a few credible wins in the “down ticket,” that effort was so lacking. Pete Buttigieg should have been on the news every night with congressmen and women, in their respective home state, with a speech and video of shovel ready projects that were in the working/building stage or showing almost finished projects. Every state could have been a Democratic Party showcase, and at the same time, providing embarrassment of the Trumplican MAGA representative or senator, who did not vote for these projects. Bang! Look, this success platform should be well known throughout the country to show America what we can do and remind America of the chaos that just took office in 2025. Forget working across the aisle.
We need some new leadership who can pound the table, tell America every time we hear or see a trump lie or a fox news lie, we must call them out! There will be so much chaos, and laws broken by the trump cult that it will be difficult to keep up with the pace of infractions and illegal activity. The courts will be busy.
I religiously follow Steve Schmidt on this platform. Steve is very articulate, and he has the respect of many followers. He recently reminded us that Rahm Emanuel would be returning from Japan soon; would he be a leader that could help restore our party? I admire Paul Rieckhoff and what he is doing to get the down tickets of our party filled with qualified experienced veterans. And those down tickets go all the way to state assemblies, mayors, town councils, county board members, and back up to governors, senators and house reps. If you do not know who these two Americans are, please get to know them. I deem them valuable leaders.
As the trumplican cult has been bought by billionaires, we need to finance a PAC to get us on the right track. Plus, we need to quit being the party that only takes individual political contributions. We have our own billionaires and millionaires that believe in our principles, (that would be our new winning platform principles). Besides, I received so many letters from the party, begging for money, that it was embarrassing.
Democratic Party. What the hell have you been doing? Sorry, I digress. BTW. Congratulations to Liz Cheney, who will be receiving a medal from Biden at the Whitehouse this afternoon. I wish she was a Democrat.
If we do not start now, the two parties running candidates next cycle, will be the trump cult and Independent Party. Happy New Year, maybe!
Brilliant comment. Know what they say about opinions? Just like assholes, everyone has one, but not everyone benefits hearing yours, even though you apparently think so.
I'll take it this means one fewer person attending this discussion. Good grief.
Also have no respect for VJ. But tons of respect for Steve. Hmmmm. Will Steve be his honest and brutal self with Van?!?! Van, and all of CNN, have capitulated (even before the election), which Steve frequently and rightly derides. Will Van bring his Trump admiring to the Warning? Uh, a little confused here.
In an effort to counter MAGA I would suggest that the discussions not be limited to registered Democratic voters. We need participation by non-voters, Independents, and disappointed Republicans. Looking at the two-party system dynamics has increasingly become like watching sports teams compete. When it comes to discussing serious issues (like vaccines) we don't expect medical researchers to act like sports teams.
I got an email from Forward Blue today asking me to respond to a survey that aims to help the Democratic Party. Here's my response:
Sorry, Forward Blue
These issues can no longer be entrusted to today's political parties. We have to find a way of addressing the serious issues that is above the political parties. (BTW, I don’t believe that anyone will read what I just wrote here. Prove me wrong!)
-Gary Epstein
You oughta know by now that they shred the "survey" but cash your check.
Wasn’t VJ the one who proclaimed, all those years ago, “Tonight he became POTUS” when Trump managed to give his first SOTU speech without sh*tting himself in public? 🤦♀️
Van and Steve. Isn’t now the time to select a leader, begin to imitate our counter, and begin to embarrass Trump and his knowledge-challenged appointee:
Continuing…James Carville, strategist, recently published an op-ed the NYTimes, with some modest ideas of rebounding from an embarrassing loss to MAGA Cultists and resident trump, or present elect trump. I should pause here and place some of blame for why we lost. Biden, and those advising Biden, should have stepped down in year 2, which would have given Harris a longer “onramp,” and we would then have time to have an open primary, to select a candidate with guts and experience and leadership. Trump did not win: Democrats lost.
We had four years to pound away at this virus; we had an inept Democratic Party Chairman in Jamie Harrison, who got the job because he lost his senate race and someone decided to throw him a bone. I noticed that he was promoting Biden, even after a miserable debate performance. Not good.
V.P Harris” When we fight, we win.” No. When we bury them, we win. While there were a few credible wins in the “down ticket,” that effort was so lacking. Pete Buttigieg should have been on the news every night with congressmen and women, in their respective home state, with a speech and video of shovel ready projects that were in the working/building stage or showing almost finished projects. Every state could have been a Democratic Party showcase, and at the same time, providing embarrassment of the Trumplican MAGA representative or senator, who did not vote for these projects. Bang! Look, this success platform should be well known throughout the country to show America what we can do and remind America of the chaos that just took office in 2025. Forget working across the aisle.
We need some new leadership who can pound the table, tell America every time we hear or see a trump lie or a fox news lie, we must call them out! There will be so much chaos, and laws broken by the trump cult that it will be difficult to keep up with the pace of infractions and illegal activity. The courts will be busy.
I religiously follow Steve Schmidt on this platform. Steve is very articulate, and he has the respect of many followers. He recently reminded us that Rahm Emanuel would be returning from Japan soon; would he be a leader that could help restore our party? I admire Paul Rieckhoff and what he is doing to get the down tickets of our party filled with qualified experienced veterans. And those down tickets go all the way to state assemblies, mayors, town councils, county board members, and back up to governors, senators and house reps. If you do not know who these two Americans are, please get to know them. I deem them valuable leaders.
As the trumplican cult has been bought by billionaires, we need to finance a PAC to get us on the right track. Plus, we need to quit being the party that only takes individual political contributions. We have our own billionaires and millionaires that believe in our principles, (that would be our new winning platform principles). Besides, I received so many letters from the party, begging for money, that it was embarrassing.
Democratic Party. What the hell have you been doing? Sorry, I digress. BTW. Congratulations to Liz Cheney, who will be receiving a medal from Biden at the Whitehouse this afternoon. I wish she was a Democrat.
If we do not start now, the two parties running candidates next cycle, will be the trump cult and Independent Party. Happy New Year, maybe!
Van has a mediocre intellect: but of course he is nice and believes, as we all do, in democracy and
all the rest we thought was a permanent growth in the human spirit. We mistakenly believed in. a dream.
All is lost. The Allies lost WWII because the embers of fascism will never be extinguished.
Joe McCarthy Lives and breathes and was never really dead..
McCarthyism and Fascism, as it was destined, have won.
As individuals, we the educated will carry on and love life, and love art and philosophy and economic theories of Marx and Keynes and all the others,
not a Van fan....sorry :(
Van Jones is a slimy POS.
Did your Mother not teach you that if you didn't have anything nice to say, say nothing at all? Mine did.
Brilliant comment. Know what they say about opinions? Just like assholes, everyone has one, but not everyone benefits hearing yours, even though you apparently think so.
I'll take it this means one fewer person attending this discussion. Good grief.
Also have no respect for VJ. But tons of respect for Steve. Hmmmm. Will Steve be his honest and brutal self with Van?!?! Van, and all of CNN, have capitulated (even before the election), which Steve frequently and rightly derides. Will Van bring his Trump admiring to the Warning? Uh, a little confused here.
Van Jones is a bedwetting Trumpsucker with zero moral compass. Period & full stop. But you NPR simps have a super day.
In an effort to counter MAGA I would suggest that the discussions not be limited to registered Democratic voters. We need participation by non-voters, Independents, and disappointed Republicans. Looking at the two-party system dynamics has increasingly become like watching sports teams compete. When it comes to discussing serious issues (like vaccines) we don't expect medical researchers to act like sports teams.
Gary,
Please share the invite — it is definitely not limited to Democrats!
Steve