If you haven’t had a chance to read my recent essays on the events that transpired in the Tennessee House of Representatives, as well as the ban on the abortion pill mifepristone by Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, here’s my reaction to both overreaches by the MAGA movement, and what you can do to take action against this extremist agenda:
The anti-MAGA coalition has to include voters without a college degree to win, including low income African Americans who don't vote regularly. So the message should not need a college degree to understand it. It needs to be simple and relate to peoples' everyday lives. Gov. Witmer in MI won on "Fix the D*#n roads." I agree with Tim Ryan, the primary message should be a simple economic one, then followed by the freedom message. The GOP is better at politics and plays unscrupulously to win, so never underestimate them. According to David Pepper in Ohio, the DEMS need to run candidates in every race, including state house and senate races in red states. Otherwise, we're conceding the conversation and outcomes to the most radical GOP candidates who have to answer to no-one but their more radical primary opponent. Even if the DEM candidate won't win, someone would run to force the GOP candidate to address the middle. Rural red counties need to be adequately funded by the State and National DEM parties or other non-party sources. So should small and medium size cities in red and swing states. As far as I can tell, that is not happening in many or most areas.
MAGA followers think they're 'Cool'. I call this the 'Cool Factor'. These followers don't understand how a Democracy works, what Freedom really IS, or that they're being exploited by by their so-called leaders who don't care about them at all! Who has the 'Cool Factor' and understands History, Democracy, and "Freedom"? Steve Schmidt: Take it to the People!!
Frustration on my part is my lack of understanding the dialogues or articles looking to the right to turn down the temperature on rhetoric. Head scratching on how to win. The idea being if you find a candidate that is less scary everything will be ok without assessing the general thrust of the entire party. No outrage statements from the right on any of the hot issues. I see a need to cut out the gop from the election winning. Not an end to the party. We need the two parties but the Republican Party must be defeated into changing because of their new history. The drivers of their party line are leading but in the wrong direction for democracy.
Work to drive the votes to the side of democracy. Keep supporting the courts to overturn kangaroo nonsense as seen on Tennessee as well as the Texas incomprehensible ruling on FDA approved medication for reasons other than safety of the prescribed med.
FDA approved, in use for 23 years with a minimal percentage of danger, thus tested as secure over a very long period of time. Before being approved by the FDA, it was used by women in Europe. This is Mifepristone. It is used together with Misoprostol, which has led people to assume that the latter would still work. They are not the same. An extreme judge has just thrown one more stone against women. Abominable, dangerous and extremely cruel.
Women were the last to get to vote …N,Zampierollo WHY is it that Men, Sons, Fathers AND
Grandparents aren’t fighting for women’s rights to safe health. Care and Children protection from death at school DOES NOT make sense stand strong stand up
If you tune into Ukraine war you can witness it in real time the price of freedom if you let go. George Washington and his troops went through harrowing battles to secure what was written in the constitutions. We can’t be complacent, but we also have to fight smart in present time battlefields. It means learning to read the information war and not be subdued by emotional scars. Website like this poses great challenges to those trying to undermine democracy. Supporting it and other ones is a meaningful first step.
Hi Steve, thank you for your analysis. The abortion, gun, racial and religious bigotry of the R Party are clear targets for the Constitutional and democratic opposition. However, the Clarence and Ginni Thomas issue has been mischaracterized as an "ethics" problem, despite rising to a the level of egregious, criminal enterprise and anti-democratic conspiracy equal to Trump's assaults on our Constitution and democracy. The Court and the R Party have become radical and reactionary interdependent movements that disregard the will of the people as previously expressed through bi-partisan Congressional legislation.
The ProPublica investigation requires an intensive investigation of not only the parties involved, but the system that allows this type of behavior. Given that millions of dollars were spent to influence one or more SCOTUS judges but not reported over the last wo decades it is important to know how these bribes were covered up and if any tax laws were violated? The SCOTUS has been involved in every issue you've mentioned in your video. These Justices have been responsible for re-writing more significant legislation than our Congress, inviting and supporting cases that changed voting rights, gerrymandering, religious rights, and money in our political system.
We are not living during the time of Abe Fortas, when relatively tiny amounts of money, fragments of of shame, and the appearance of partiality were sufficient to eventually pressure a judge to retire. CU has removed that moral norm and political incentive:
Clarence and Ginni are running a criminal enterprise that began with lying under oath. They were married for four years prior to his confirmation hearing, where he claimed he had never thought much about the abortion issue:
It is my wish that millions upon millions of men would rise up to speak as you do, to confront that which so erodes the rights and liberties of Americans at large, Americans who bear the consequences of the decisions taken by mostly men when it comes to women, and racists all who shut the voices of Black Americans, Brown Americans, Yellow Americans, White Americans. How disgusting that we must revert to such descriptors of color to magnify differences of skin because lacking the knowledge, really, for describing a rapidly changing world where the color of the skin is no longer an accurate and defining attribute of race, forgetting that we are all the same, heads with skulls that protect our brains, eyes that see, ears that hear, noses that smell, mouths that love and hate, breasts and anuses, penises and vaginas, all alike, bodies all, in health and disease, complete or maimed, still human beings. Always human beings.
Unfortunately, Trump has only been indicted, and not convicted (yet), as you stated, only because the wheels of justice have ground so slowly regarding this totally reprehensible individual.
I have been dealing with conservative Republicans for years now. Many older ones listen to Fox but the younger ones don’t. The MAGA movement can be fought first through its hardline stance on women’s reproductive rights. For women it’s obvious - someone has to pay for these babies too. How many men want to pay for 18 years of child support after a one night stand?
Also - basic economics - Are your gas prices going down? The Republicans said they would help but they have done nothing while the oil companies make money hand over fist. Governor Newsom (Democrat) enacted price gouging legislation. What about the Republicans?
National security - who leaked our classified documents on the web. Tommy Tubberville is holding up military promotions for his religious beliefs - life of the mother or sexual assault are the only circumstances in which the military pays the bill for the abortion treatment. So Tubberville is violating his oath to protect and defend the constitution.
The Republicans in the House are spending money but how much of it is to help those who put them in office?
My heart goes out to the women of this country. I hope they know they are not alone, that there are so many more of us who care and that we will all do whatever is necessary to ensure all of our rights are protected, no matter what state any of us live in. I just heard about Idaho’s “abortion trafficking” law. Sickening dictatorial power extremism.
The anti-MAGA coalition has to include voters without a college degree to win, including low income African Americans who don't vote regularly. So the message should not need a college degree to understand it. It needs to be simple and relate to peoples' everyday lives. Gov. Witmer in MI won on "Fix the D*#n roads." I agree with Tim Ryan, the primary message should be a simple economic one, then followed by the freedom message. The GOP is better at politics and plays unscrupulously to win, so never underestimate them. According to David Pepper in Ohio, the DEMS need to run candidates in every race, including state house and senate races in red states. Otherwise, we're conceding the conversation and outcomes to the most radical GOP candidates who have to answer to no-one but their more radical primary opponent. Even if the DEM candidate won't win, someone would run to force the GOP candidate to address the middle. Rural red counties need to be adequately funded by the State and National DEM parties or other non-party sources. So should small and medium size cities in red and swing states. As far as I can tell, that is not happening in many or most areas.
MAGA followers think they're 'Cool'. I call this the 'Cool Factor'. These followers don't understand how a Democracy works, what Freedom really IS, or that they're being exploited by by their so-called leaders who don't care about them at all! Who has the 'Cool Factor' and understands History, Democracy, and "Freedom"? Steve Schmidt: Take it to the People!!
Thank you Steve Schmidt: War on Freedom: We must Rise Up, Get Involved, Resist, and Fight Back.
Dee Snider song lyrics:
We're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
We're not gonna take it anymore
Thank you, Mia, for your efforts to organize a huge music event. All hands on Deck! We can do this.
Lisa, Not only is the song stuck in my head but I had a horrific 1984 mtv flashback 😳
Hi Jen, I've had this song going as a sound-track ALL day! Highly Energizing!
Frustration on my part is my lack of understanding the dialogues or articles looking to the right to turn down the temperature on rhetoric. Head scratching on how to win. The idea being if you find a candidate that is less scary everything will be ok without assessing the general thrust of the entire party. No outrage statements from the right on any of the hot issues. I see a need to cut out the gop from the election winning. Not an end to the party. We need the two parties but the Republican Party must be defeated into changing because of their new history. The drivers of their party line are leading but in the wrong direction for democracy.
Work to drive the votes to the side of democracy. Keep supporting the courts to overturn kangaroo nonsense as seen on Tennessee as well as the Texas incomprehensible ruling on FDA approved medication for reasons other than safety of the prescribed med.
FDA approved, in use for 23 years with a minimal percentage of danger, thus tested as secure over a very long period of time. Before being approved by the FDA, it was used by women in Europe. This is Mifepristone. It is used together with Misoprostol, which has led people to assume that the latter would still work. They are not the same. An extreme judge has just thrown one more stone against women. Abominable, dangerous and extremely cruel.
[Thanks, L.O. The drug was approved in 2000.]
I’m sure the judge knew about both drugs. Thanks for clarifying for the readers here.
Women were the last to get to vote …N,Zampierollo WHY is it that Men, Sons, Fathers AND
Grandparents aren’t fighting for women’s rights to safe health. Care and Children protection from death at school DOES NOT make sense stand strong stand up
Stand together NOW! Marsha🌹
If you tune into Ukraine war you can witness it in real time the price of freedom if you let go. George Washington and his troops went through harrowing battles to secure what was written in the constitutions. We can’t be complacent, but we also have to fight smart in present time battlefields. It means learning to read the information war and not be subdued by emotional scars. Website like this poses great challenges to those trying to undermine democracy. Supporting it and other ones is a meaningful first step.
Hi Steve, thank you for your analysis. The abortion, gun, racial and religious bigotry of the R Party are clear targets for the Constitutional and democratic opposition. However, the Clarence and Ginni Thomas issue has been mischaracterized as an "ethics" problem, despite rising to a the level of egregious, criminal enterprise and anti-democratic conspiracy equal to Trump's assaults on our Constitution and democracy. The Court and the R Party have become radical and reactionary interdependent movements that disregard the will of the people as previously expressed through bi-partisan Congressional legislation.
The ProPublica investigation requires an intensive investigation of not only the parties involved, but the system that allows this type of behavior. Given that millions of dollars were spent to influence one or more SCOTUS judges but not reported over the last wo decades it is important to know how these bribes were covered up and if any tax laws were violated? The SCOTUS has been involved in every issue you've mentioned in your video. These Justices have been responsible for re-writing more significant legislation than our Congress, inviting and supporting cases that changed voting rights, gerrymandering, religious rights, and money in our political system.
We are not living during the time of Abe Fortas, when relatively tiny amounts of money, fragments of of shame, and the appearance of partiality were sufficient to eventually pressure a judge to retire. CU has removed that moral norm and political incentive:
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/cautionary-tale-abe-fortas#:~:text=He%20was%20appointed%20to%20be,Fortas%20which%20required%20Senate%20approval.
Clarence and Ginni are running a criminal enterprise that began with lying under oath. They were married for four years prior to his confirmation hearing, where he claimed he had never thought much about the abortion issue:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/clarence-thomas-abortion/2021/11/27/31f3c960-4c76-11ec-b0b0-766bbbe79347_story.html
Ginni Thomas has always been a rabid, anti-abortionist and more recently she was involved in supporting the 1/6/21 Insurrection.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/09/ginni-thomas-abortion-roe-v-wade-supreme-court
Our Justice department needs to get involved in this matter along with Congress.
It is my wish that millions upon millions of men would rise up to speak as you do, to confront that which so erodes the rights and liberties of Americans at large, Americans who bear the consequences of the decisions taken by mostly men when it comes to women, and racists all who shut the voices of Black Americans, Brown Americans, Yellow Americans, White Americans. How disgusting that we must revert to such descriptors of color to magnify differences of skin because lacking the knowledge, really, for describing a rapidly changing world where the color of the skin is no longer an accurate and defining attribute of race, forgetting that we are all the same, heads with skulls that protect our brains, eyes that see, ears that hear, noses that smell, mouths that love and hate, breasts and anuses, penises and vaginas, all alike, bodies all, in health and disease, complete or maimed, still human beings. Always human beings.
God Bless your writing…. After ten hours at Hospice you bring feelings of caring, compassion and kindness and you make my soul feel 🌹🌹🌹
Heartfelt wishes for USA, Marsha
Breaking News, good news from Nashville, TN.
Steve,
Unfortunately, Trump has only been indicted, and not convicted (yet), as you stated, only because the wheels of justice have ground so slowly regarding this totally reprehensible individual.
Robert Lehrer
Albemarle, NC
I have been dealing with conservative Republicans for years now. Many older ones listen to Fox but the younger ones don’t. The MAGA movement can be fought first through its hardline stance on women’s reproductive rights. For women it’s obvious - someone has to pay for these babies too. How many men want to pay for 18 years of child support after a one night stand?
Also - basic economics - Are your gas prices going down? The Republicans said they would help but they have done nothing while the oil companies make money hand over fist. Governor Newsom (Democrat) enacted price gouging legislation. What about the Republicans?
National security - who leaked our classified documents on the web. Tommy Tubberville is holding up military promotions for his religious beliefs - life of the mother or sexual assault are the only circumstances in which the military pays the bill for the abortion treatment. So Tubberville is violating his oath to protect and defend the constitution.
The Republicans in the House are spending money but how much of it is to help those who put them in office?
Has anything gotten better for the 98%
You are brilliant; your message is again, spot on.
My heart goes out to the women of this country. I hope they know they are not alone, that there are so many more of us who care and that we will all do whatever is necessary to ensure all of our rights are protected, no matter what state any of us live in. I just heard about Idaho’s “abortion trafficking” law. Sickening dictatorial power extremism.
I 100% Agree! I'm sickened by this and very angry. I live in Montana. I'm ready to FIGHT this!
Thank you for framing these appropriately.
Steve Schmidt thank you,✅Marsha
Superb writing ….. we are so lucky to have
The Warning…we must work together!
Janet,
I saw this. Wow!
Steve
WOW! It is high time to play hard ball with these corrupt hypocrites! Thanks.