"The United States of America will never be threatened by a far-left political movement or radical cause that will ever have a prayer of taking political power."
Yet, extremist voices are the loudest ones in the room. Right wing propagandists are much better at amplifying and elevating the strident college-campus faction of the Democratic party than we are at defining the modern Republican party as the real threat.
I am a Vermont Democrat. I have news for ordinary, not particularly political Republicans... For the most part, we Democrats are not the quiche-eating, latte loving, crunchy granola, cross-dressing, trans-gender obsessed people that right-wingers studiously magnify as culture combatants on the warpath to upend societal norms. (Sean Hannity built a personal empire playing this theme). Most of us are simply pragmatic people that believe in democracy and freedom. Real freedom. For one and all.
The excerpt from Ron Klain is notable. The real threat to our country is coming from hard-charging right wing Fascists. They have the money from billionaire sociopaths and their lackeys in Congress to convince enough of our fellow citizens that Nancy Pelosi is the enemy, not Donald Trump. People need to understand what Fascism means in the starkest possible terms. Democrats need to focus and fight harder to clarify the real menace. We have reality on our side.
“The angry left in America has plagued the Democratic Party mostly with stupid slogans and an insistence that they be repeated or else. Case in point: defund the police!”
Excellent analysis Steve, and an even better quote by Sinclair Lewis. Agreed, spot on! I’ve always known the religious fanatics were the greatest threat to this republic since I was a teenager, and I’m 58 now.
That said, I take issue with you suggesting that defund the police was a democratic slogan. It was a BLM slogan that only a few members of Congress agreed with. It was never part of the Democratic Party agenda or platform.
For many democrats, it meant using more dollars for social programs to help with education and after school programs for at risk youth, not actually defunding the police.
The real issue was how easily the right-wing media ecosystem could hijack the narrative and lay blame on the entire party. It’s no different than the adage, “a lie travels around the globe faster than the speed of light, while the truth is stuck at the starting gate.”
We see that MAGA is excellent at projection; whether it’s creating a narrative that Biden is more corrupt and incompetent than Trump, or republicans have been better for the economy than democrats in the last two decades. Neither is true, yet too many Americans believe it…:)
Thanks, Ron. Chiding Biden for (figuratively) spending his time cutting ribbons isn’t constructive. And, Ron Klain is perfectly capable of criticism that isn’t snarky. Anyhow, I’ll take a ribbon cutter over his opponent, who is, in five days, heading for weeks in court on several felony charges. And then some.
I disagree in part especially about the bridges. If you live in Maryland or its neighbors, the destruction of the Key Bridge is a major issue as was the fall of the I35 bridge in Minneapolis killing about 17 people and the falling of the I95 bridge in Connecticut that killed people. The problem for Biden is that it is hard to control or even reduce grocery prices. The President does not have any magic levers to push that would cause prices to go down. When confronted by high inflation, Richard Nixon imposed wage and price controls in 1972 but had to abandon them as ineffective. Retail groceries get price increases from their suppliers, and they either pass them along to consumers (the usual case) or they take the loss and keep grocery prices constant: something you seldom see. And what did Ron Klain do about rising prices when he was Chief of Staff; I cannot think of anything. Commerce and Agriculture Departments could do a study of what companies pass along or increase the increased supplier prices and then publicize any companies absorbing higher supplier prices as good citizens. Any other ideas, Steve Schmidt?
I agree with Klain. Biden and team seem lost right now with what to do. Yesterday I read they plan to do more social media and small events. Maybe. Not sure how that will come across, especially with Trump and MAGA controlling the media output.
It is frightening right now. I watched a video yesterday of a state rep speaking against birth control. Because, you know, birth control makes women sluts. My hope is women across the country will put a stop to this nightmare by voting to secure their lives.
Republicans, especially MAGA, are much better than Democrats at using imagery. From people streaming across the border, to homeless encampments in cities like SF, to students protesting wrapped in Hamas flags, the RWM uses images to enflame their followers. Those pictures are a LOT more effective than Biden standing next to a bridge.
I see the point about the extreme left having a negative impact on how Democrats are viewed by some Americans, but as a left-leaning moderate (which I believe most Democrats are), I just don't see the extreme leftist agenda being that significant for most Americans. The extreme right seems to have much more influence on the electorate, especially when it comes to imposing their will on basic rights.
I think Steve has an excellent point in the posted interview: do we want someone like Lindsey Graham joining us in our doctor/lawyer appointments!? Every Democratic candidate should be asking their constituents that question. I also agree with his assessment about what Ron Klain said. Right now it seems to be coming down to three key campaign issues: immigration, abortion and consumer prices (not necessarily the overall "economy"). How both sides deal with those issues may decide the national election. My own opinion is that abortion trumps immigration because the abortion issue affects the day-to-day reality of more Americans than immigration (which is over-hyped and the GOP is complicit too since they refuse to fund solutions). Consumer prices affects everyone across the board. So, it may be the key issue and it needs to be directly addressed by Democrats if they want victory in November.
As a Democratic Socialist, I’m inclined to agree that radicalism on the far left is no help. Neither is the use of the expression “radical left” to describe anyone to the left of Joe Manchin. “Radical” is a pejorative popularly reserved for leftists; I’m inclined to think it might more accurately apply to radical MAGA fascists. I’ll acknowledge that the idea that representative government should serve the general population at least as well as it serves Wall Street is currently “radical”.
This is for the perusal of the Steve Schmidt readers and fans:
"The men that American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest the most violently are those who try to tell them the truth."--- H. L. Mencken
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." — H. L. Mencken
There is nothing the matter with being left-wing as long as left-wingers don’t take it to extremes.
In fact according to a survey done by “The Economist “ , about 47% of young women consider themselves to be left-wing progressives whereas only 28% of young men do. “The Economist” speculates that this divergence is because young women are much better educated than are young men, with most of them attaining college degrees. And accordingly, it is young women who are most likely to be Democrats.
Therefore in my opinion, Joe Biden and his team should focus a lot of their campaign advertising on young women, who might not be overly interested in bridges. (Although I don’t want to stereotype anyone.) However progressive young women are certainly interested in the abortion issue. So , again in my opinion, the Biden team should especially broadcast that the backwards Republicans are setting back women’s rights to abortion by over half a century.
Although at this point Trump won’t say how he feels about the abortion issue, most young women are smart enough to know where he stands, because whatever he wants or doesn’t want is always reflected by his Republican sycophants.
So perhaps the best way to stop the sleazy and dangerous Trump from being re-elected as POTUS is for the Biden team to speak forthrightly and vigorously to progressive young women —- and to American women of all ages, because no one is too old to know that Trump is a menacing scum-bag.
"The United States of America will never be threatened by a far-left political movement or radical cause that will ever have a prayer of taking political power."
Yet, extremist voices are the loudest ones in the room. Right wing propagandists are much better at amplifying and elevating the strident college-campus faction of the Democratic party than we are at defining the modern Republican party as the real threat.
I am a Vermont Democrat. I have news for ordinary, not particularly political Republicans... For the most part, we Democrats are not the quiche-eating, latte loving, crunchy granola, cross-dressing, trans-gender obsessed people that right-wingers studiously magnify as culture combatants on the warpath to upend societal norms. (Sean Hannity built a personal empire playing this theme). Most of us are simply pragmatic people that believe in democracy and freedom. Real freedom. For one and all.
The excerpt from Ron Klain is notable. The real threat to our country is coming from hard-charging right wing Fascists. They have the money from billionaire sociopaths and their lackeys in Congress to convince enough of our fellow citizens that Nancy Pelosi is the enemy, not Donald Trump. People need to understand what Fascism means in the starkest possible terms. Democrats need to focus and fight harder to clarify the real menace. We have reality on our side.
My analysis is : Putin in Russia - through Ukraine, through Trump and the subservient GOP. Is taking over the United States - without one shot fired !
Putin laughs - who knew it would be this easy ?
“The angry left in America has plagued the Democratic Party mostly with stupid slogans and an insistence that they be repeated or else. Case in point: defund the police!”
Excellent analysis Steve, and an even better quote by Sinclair Lewis. Agreed, spot on! I’ve always known the religious fanatics were the greatest threat to this republic since I was a teenager, and I’m 58 now.
That said, I take issue with you suggesting that defund the police was a democratic slogan. It was a BLM slogan that only a few members of Congress agreed with. It was never part of the Democratic Party agenda or platform.
For many democrats, it meant using more dollars for social programs to help with education and after school programs for at risk youth, not actually defunding the police.
The real issue was how easily the right-wing media ecosystem could hijack the narrative and lay blame on the entire party. It’s no different than the adage, “a lie travels around the globe faster than the speed of light, while the truth is stuck at the starting gate.”
We see that MAGA is excellent at projection; whether it’s creating a narrative that Biden is more corrupt and incompetent than Trump, or republicans have been better for the economy than democrats in the last two decades. Neither is true, yet too many Americans believe it…:)
Thanks, Ron. Chiding Biden for (figuratively) spending his time cutting ribbons isn’t constructive. And, Ron Klain is perfectly capable of criticism that isn’t snarky. Anyhow, I’ll take a ribbon cutter over his opponent, who is, in five days, heading for weeks in court on several felony charges. And then some.
I disagree in part especially about the bridges. If you live in Maryland or its neighbors, the destruction of the Key Bridge is a major issue as was the fall of the I35 bridge in Minneapolis killing about 17 people and the falling of the I95 bridge in Connecticut that killed people. The problem for Biden is that it is hard to control or even reduce grocery prices. The President does not have any magic levers to push that would cause prices to go down. When confronted by high inflation, Richard Nixon imposed wage and price controls in 1972 but had to abandon them as ineffective. Retail groceries get price increases from their suppliers, and they either pass them along to consumers (the usual case) or they take the loss and keep grocery prices constant: something you seldom see. And what did Ron Klain do about rising prices when he was Chief of Staff; I cannot think of anything. Commerce and Agriculture Departments could do a study of what companies pass along or increase the increased supplier prices and then publicize any companies absorbing higher supplier prices as good citizens. Any other ideas, Steve Schmidt?
Barry Goldwater said the religious fanatics want to take over the Republican Party. He was right. They have.
A deranged fanatic in North Carolina is very close to being elected to run the entire public school system for a state of 12 million people.
We are at the edge of the precipice.
I agree with Klain. Biden and team seem lost right now with what to do. Yesterday I read they plan to do more social media and small events. Maybe. Not sure how that will come across, especially with Trump and MAGA controlling the media output.
It is frightening right now. I watched a video yesterday of a state rep speaking against birth control. Because, you know, birth control makes women sluts. My hope is women across the country will put a stop to this nightmare by voting to secure their lives.
Republicans, especially MAGA, are much better than Democrats at using imagery. From people streaming across the border, to homeless encampments in cities like SF, to students protesting wrapped in Hamas flags, the RWM uses images to enflame their followers. Those pictures are a LOT more effective than Biden standing next to a bridge.
Wow! Ron Klain on a rampage! Why doesn’t Biden fire his communications
director? When the bridge is over troubled water, then it’s the water that needs attention!
I see the point about the extreme left having a negative impact on how Democrats are viewed by some Americans, but as a left-leaning moderate (which I believe most Democrats are), I just don't see the extreme leftist agenda being that significant for most Americans. The extreme right seems to have much more influence on the electorate, especially when it comes to imposing their will on basic rights.
I think Steve has an excellent point in the posted interview: do we want someone like Lindsey Graham joining us in our doctor/lawyer appointments!? Every Democratic candidate should be asking their constituents that question. I also agree with his assessment about what Ron Klain said. Right now it seems to be coming down to three key campaign issues: immigration, abortion and consumer prices (not necessarily the overall "economy"). How both sides deal with those issues may decide the national election. My own opinion is that abortion trumps immigration because the abortion issue affects the day-to-day reality of more Americans than immigration (which is over-hyped and the GOP is complicit too since they refuse to fund solutions). Consumer prices affects everyone across the board. So, it may be the key issue and it needs to be directly addressed by Democrats if they want victory in November.
I don’t get it. Are they afraid? I even see it here in Indiana from the state Dems. Passive messaging that will not move anyone.
As a Democratic Socialist, I’m inclined to agree that radicalism on the far left is no help. Neither is the use of the expression “radical left” to describe anyone to the left of Joe Manchin. “Radical” is a pejorative popularly reserved for leftists; I’m inclined to think it might more accurately apply to radical MAGA fascists. I’ll acknowledge that the idea that representative government should serve the general population at least as well as it serves Wall Street is currently “radical”.
This is for the perusal of the Steve Schmidt readers and fans:
"The men that American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest the most violently are those who try to tell them the truth."--- H. L. Mencken
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." — H. L. Mencken
How did Arizona become home to crackpots?
Believe in free speech? I do.
There is nothing the matter with being left-wing as long as left-wingers don’t take it to extremes.
In fact according to a survey done by “The Economist “ , about 47% of young women consider themselves to be left-wing progressives whereas only 28% of young men do. “The Economist” speculates that this divergence is because young women are much better educated than are young men, with most of them attaining college degrees. And accordingly, it is young women who are most likely to be Democrats.
Therefore in my opinion, Joe Biden and his team should focus a lot of their campaign advertising on young women, who might not be overly interested in bridges. (Although I don’t want to stereotype anyone.) However progressive young women are certainly interested in the abortion issue. So , again in my opinion, the Biden team should especially broadcast that the backwards Republicans are setting back women’s rights to abortion by over half a century.
Although at this point Trump won’t say how he feels about the abortion issue, most young women are smart enough to know where he stands, because whatever he wants or doesn’t want is always reflected by his Republican sycophants.
So perhaps the best way to stop the sleazy and dangerous Trump from being re-elected as POTUS is for the Biden team to speak forthrightly and vigorously to progressive young women —- and to American women of all ages, because no one is too old to know that Trump is a menacing scum-bag.