Note: This essay is going to be brutal and blunt because I believe with every passing day that the danger to the United States is growing, not easing from the extremist movement led by Donald Trump. This threat isn’t just dangerous. It is existential. It is also drawing closer.
I hate that you quoted Reagan in this important piece. He began this slide towards Authoritarianism. He was himself a very divisive man. A racist, a homophobe, a religious bigot. A man who read lines. A man out of Trump’s vaunted “Central Casting”. A man so confused about reality, he mistakenly told Elie Wiesel he was a Concentration Camp “liberator”.
GET OFF OF REAGAN. He destroys your argument by being our very first modern era Useful Idiot.
Steve is a conservative in the true sense of the word. I like and respect him. He is smart, knowledgeable, and an honorable man who loves this country as much as I do. Yet many of his ilk--former GOP and those still in the party who grieve for what it has become--hold Reagan as a model. There were no complaints s out RR’s she even though his closest people knew he had dementia in his second term. He was seen as the kindly, wise grandpa. The right (who hasn’t gone off a cliff) still admire him. The double standard with Biden is grating.
As for Steve’s points, agree about Feinstein, she needs to resign. Durbin, I’m mixed. But Steve doesn’t want Biden to run? Name someone who would be better as president and who would win. Go ahead, tell us who can and should. So tired of we need younger, we need new. Well, say who would do better.
I have the same thoughts. I can honestly see Biden handing over the reigns if he thinks he can’t handle it. Something tells me that he can.
The thing for me is VP Harris, should she take the reigns doesn’t seem prepared for this role.
I would prefer, Buttigieg, because of his intellect & integrity. He’s the Secretary of transportation!!! Can you imagine how brilliant this guy must be? And a Fast learner.
Senator Amy Klobacher is a yes, as are other outstanding Senators & Governors, however, we must not get ahead of ourselves while we all have the same kinds of thoughts as to whom we would like to see running, it’s going to be Joe.
We must concentrate on bringing Trump & the MAGA movement down. If we all voted we would win this damn thing.
I’d rethink Harris. The media has treated her even worse than Biden, either denigrating or ignoring her. She has great domestic experience and Biden has helped her beef up her foreign experience. If the worst were to happen—remember JFK was our youngest president—there is the whole admin as well as her team and Joe’s to ensure solid continuity. I don’t want anything to happen, but if it does we will be okay at least from the admin side.
Totally agree about Maga, but they will be around for a long time. This fight sadly isn’t one and done. I see it continuing for at least a decade if not a generation. You are absolutely right, if we all voted we will win. A thing to remember about polls. I was called a lot last year. I got the question: is the country going in the right or wrong direction. It had no nuance, no depth. I said with what the GOP has become, wrong direction. But my definitive answer to the pollster was in the right direction with the Dens and Biden in charge. Those questions are manipulated to get particular responses.
I’ve written Biden on Harris. Suggesting that she be seen in a more powerful light that would initially help his campaign. For now she is rarely seen doing much of anything. I do remember Joe was treated differently under Obama.
We did. It was called Air America. It’s where Rachel M got her start. Her show and Al Franken’s were must listening. But the left just didn’t care and didn’t bother so it closed down. They have more Billionaires who want to control our lives and keep their money to themselves. We have apathy. Remember HRC warned they would go after RvW? She was mocked and told it would never happen and that she was scaremongering. And look where we are at now.
I am old school. Many journalists have started blogs/newsletters but they are mostly opinion, with facts drawn in. They can have huge followings, but they do not have the same power as say ABC News or the NYTimes or Wapo. The NYT sets the tone for the rest of the field, for good or ill. There are new media outlets like Crooked, which have a large audience but still don’t have the same kind of influence. Think about But Her Emails. Or Whitewater. The NYT drove those stories and even if people don’t read that paper, its coverage colored the rest of the media’s. The message seeps through even if you are unconscious of it. If it didn’t do you really think HRC would have lost? Trump got millions in free coverage from the media. I didn’t watch any of it (besides things like the debates) and yet I knew what was happening because the rest of the media covered it. Look at the Biden coverage. There was so much talk in the MSM about recession that even though we have reach statistical full employment, people believed were were in a recession even as the economy continued to grow. And look at the debt ceiling coverage right now. The media refuses to cover it honestly, setting it as a showdown between two intransigent sides when it is a crisis deliberately created by Kevin and the bomb throwing GOP.
Reagan was the first President I remember who appointed Cabinet and department heads who were anathema to the agency's mission, e.g., James Watt and William Bradford Reynolds.
In his quest to wreck every Social Safety Net, ruin the environment, destroy public education, and any and all regulation.
He was a destroyer.
Please, Mr Schmidt - when you put your Democracy Plea in Reagan’s hands - you negate so much of your argument as to make everything you write after it - useless.
It’s like you said - I don’t really mind Authoritarianism; I just hate Trump. Think about it. Please.
Martha and Marsha, I think you are right about Ronald Reagan’s 8 years in power (or maybe Nancy’s in the last year or two). He worked to change the country to be endlessly obsessed with fat profits for the fat cats — scraps for the rest. He wasn’t all bad and that’s the best I can say.
Reagan ruined Many of California’s neighborhoods when as Governor he closed most of the mental hospitals & these people were out on the streets. Some stayed in half way homes but many needed more intensive care from hospitals. I thought of Reagan as a phony front man.
I’ll put it this way; the “lines” are powerful. Steve’s point is right on. The bottom line is still that the Democrats have fallen far short of calling out the deceitful R’s with clarity and courage. They want it both ways and stop short of “ fighting like hell” This is the message we Dems have got to send our Senators today! (Thanks to a comment in Joyce Vance’s Substack I got off my a— and e-mailed my Dem. Senator last week about Judicial appointments.)
The Dems call them out every day. Biden just called them out yesterday after the latest gun massacre. Chuck S, Raskin, Schiff, Warren, AOC, Swallwell, Goldman, etc, etc call them out all the time. The mm just isn’t interested in covering the Dems’ message. They are still entranced by the GOP like teenage girls who can’t resist the bad boys. What do you think “soul of the nation” is about? And the 1/6 hearings? The Justice Dept just successfully got guilty verdicts and pleas to the nearly “impossible” charge of seditious conspiracy with more to come. Just because the media doesn’t cover the tree falling in the woods doesn’t mean there is no sound when it falls.
Exactly right: "The mm just isn’t interested in covering the Dems’ message."
At this point in history, even the management of the MSM must realize that those who ride on the back of the smiling tiger end up inside the smile on the way back.
And cnn seems to trying to maneuver into a position closer to the teeth.
I agree Martha. Reagan's trickle down economics benefited the rich at the expense of everyone else. Though not particularly religious himself, he pandered to the religious right. Not sure he's the best guy to quote now, even though he was patriotic and a great communicator.
Yes it seemed like he was reading good lines, but as an actor, he was good at reading his lines. A second rate actor is still better than the average person at reading lines. But I agree with you about him. I remember my dad really disliking Nixon way before Watergate. Dad also disliked Reagan and thought he was an intellectual lightweight who was acting his script and posing as a frontman. Much better fellow than Trump by a long shot, though. Glad Dad went to greener pastures before Trump ran in 2016. He would be horrified.
People seem to forget what Reagan did to the support network of mental health facilities. My father was a clinical psychologist at a VA hospital, and I saw firsthand as a child how the homeless crisis began, thanks to Saint Ronnie. These people were my dad's patients. My dad gave his patients our home phone number, and they would sometimes call when in a crisis, and I spoke with many of them when I answered the phone. I will never forget that.
Yes. The facilities were closed while Reagan looked the other way in his pristine surroundings in California and the White House. Reagan shrugged and decided the “problems” with unhoused mentally should be managed by city government (no funding btw)
Omg, I forgot he was the one who bludgeoned the mental health apparatus and ultimately caused the homelessness we have had for years now. I’m constantly reminded of how bad he really was.
I get especially incensed when credit is given to Reagan for the end of the cold war. Gorbachev deserves the praise for recognizing reality. He didn't tear down that wall because Reagan told him to. But, Reagan's line gets repeated ad nauseum.
I agree. Reagan is all Republicans have got so they have to show reference to him. He sid so much damage. Yes, Steve please stop with the B actor fake cowboy.
Hi dear Marsha, I think many people were extremely put off by Steve's quoting Reagan (I was too...the quote ended with 'when men were free'. What about the women?!) Despite the Reagan part, Steve though is talking about the serious predicament we are in if DJT wins a second election. We'll lose our Democracy! Is The Warning today about that?! I think so! People, as you say, need to Wake Up to the reality we're in.
Let's hang in there with Steve. He hits a home run almost every single day. He deeply cares! He is fighting for Democracy and is making a difference -he has almost 65,000 followers on you-tube! I love you, this community, and Steve. You lift my heart and give me hope every day, Marsha. XO! Lisa
Context is everything. When I read the sentence that ended in "one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free," I had to wonder which meritorious liberal idea or admirable liberal figure Reagan was attacking then.
Had he been alive during the pandemic, Reagan would have spoken the same over-the-top way about vaccine mandates.
Reagan proved how he would handle a health crisis. Remember HIV? Reagan totally ignored and denigrated the disease and those who contracted it. How can anyone run for president of the US and call the government the problem??
The idiot tRump ignored the pandemic told people to use clorox don’t worry don’t mask
I personally know 132 first responders would died trying to save others lives .. I’ve been a Hospice counselor at a Hospice Hospital close to thirty years…
Reagan would have acted like tRump and DeSantis living in FL
Is dystopian lunacy.. no masks
Ignore Covid, burn books, have a Governor’s private militia AND
Girl, Thom Hartmann is a National Treasure. I listen to him every day, I’ve read his books, and become more aware as a result.
Steve’s message *is* correct! He has to let go of his False Idol. He’ll get there. He got there on McCain. I have a deep belief in the human capacity to grow.
It’s incredibly difficult to admit you believed a lie. That you were duped. Steve Schmidt has the ability to learn this; we have to welcome him into the light of Truth. 💙🇺🇸💙
"The voters are trying to say something." You're right. Know what it is? "We're idiots. We don't read the paper. We don't listen to the news. We think a President who's done a great job--not perfect, but really good--doesn't deserve to be reelected. We'd love a divisive primary, because of course we would. Why not!" I don't agree with you about Biden. Neither does Rick Wilson.
I don't agree with Steve about Biden either. I truly believe he's been the right man in the right place at the right time these past 2 or 3 years. Thank God for that. We could do A LOT WORSE than having him reelected for another term. I'd at least be able to sleep better at night during that time! ;-)
And they are getting it! Hakeem Jeffries, AOC, Schiff, Swalwell, Pete, and a number of other dems are taking the spotlight. The Dems have an excellent backbench. The problem is the media allow the likes of Gaetz, Marge, Bobert, and the rest of the GOP suck up all the oxygen in the room because they are “fun” and “entertaining” to cover. There was just a piece in the Atlantic a few days ago about how “funny” Trump is. Yep, a laugh a minute.
Thanks, MAP: "Hakeem Jeffries, AOC, Schiff, Swalwell, Pete, and a number of other dems are taking the spotlight. The Dems have an excellent backbench."
Reporting this just isn't as 'entertaining' for most of the media. Thank you!
I completely agree with Steve about Biden. The establishment in the Democratic Party is enabling an increasing frail old man to move forward with his delusional belief that he alone can beat Trump.
What is your evidence for "increasingly frail"? My father played handball twice a week into his 80's. He had all his marbles and then some. Biden is the successful incumbent. He's our best bet. Not our only, just our best.
I feel that Biden (and Pelosi) SAVED our country, our Democracy! He sacrificed his well-deserved retirement to do that for all of us! Had DJT become #46, we'd be finished, a corrupt fascist country by now. Biden knew that, and knows that now. He has a great team around him, is a master of legislature, has created an infrastructure plan that many people of any political party will begin to appreciate more as they reap the benefits of his work, his vision, before the 2024 election. Biden has worked intensively with heads of other countries, as you know, to repair the damages that DJT created, and has gone further in that area than many of us could have expected. Biden knows that DJT MUST be defeated in 2024, or our Democracy is finished. Once that has been accomplished, Biden must surely have a plan to further empower his team to take the lead going forward, to delegate more power to his team. XO!
Marsha, Your kindness and Love brought healing tears to my eyes and to my heart. I didn't expect to find this in The Warning community. I'm so grateful! All my Love, Lisa
Stephanie Ruhls interview with Joe Biden was terrifying from the beginning to the end. That should have been evidence enough for everyone that Biden must be convinced to step aside for the greater good.
I didn’t call Biden a “doddering” old man. But I do want to see a youthful face of the Democratic Party with new visions for the future and a drive not to preserved the old rules of decorum and fraternity in American politics.
Name someone who can do what Joe/Kamala have already done. If you can’t - be prepared to vote for them. If you don’t - you are re-electing Trump. Stop the blue sky. Look at what IS.
Have to disagree with you about increasing frailty. My 102 YO mother has all her marbles, shes very sharp, swims, yoga, weights, loves people, drinks one beer or glass of wine every day, and is a bookworm.
I also know a 102 year old woman who’s 100% alert & oriented to everyone and everything that’s going on. Volunteers her services weekly entering data into a computer program she devised when in her late 90s. She lives alone with 1 day a week help from a daughter. She’d actually be a great president — IF she had Biden’s government & political experience!
Oh yeah! Also Willie Nelson and Carol Burnett just turned 90, recently. 90 is the new 70, for some folks. Maybe we need to get Willie and Carol involved Biden's promotional team -comedy and music could do so much! Your 101 yr old friend is an inspiration! Thanks.
And why would anyone think Trump would be cognitively superior to Biden??? How soon we forget Trump’s “interesting” vocabulary & syntactical prowess. It’s a great window into the inner workings of his mind. If a subject is not directly related to mob-boss issues, he seems unable to entertain a thought about it — let alone any facts or historical perspectives.
My husband will be 82 next month and work out on a versaclimber 4-5 days a week for 30 minutes. Never heard of it? Look it up. Most young people can’t do that. Also still has “all his marbles.”
That’s great and I know people of your husbands age that are still farming and ranching and are in good physical and mental health. This isn’t about that. Baby Boomers like me need to let this next generation of younger people and millennials take on more leadership roles in politics and government. My generation, taken as a whole, has made a mess out of things and our politics have devolved into a existential disaster for an egalitarian and progressive democracy. A way of life with a political aspiration of creating a level playing field where no one is left behind and money made by money is taxed at the same rate as money made by physical labor. My parents generation, the Greatest Generation, survived two world wars, an ecological nightmare called the Dust Bowl, a worldwide Great Depression, and also invested in technology and a good education for all so that we could build an interstate highway system from coast to coast and “land a man on the moon and bring him home safely.” For the most part they were an aspirational people who taxed inheritances at a rate where generational wealth would not create a privileged class of one percenters who would control 90 percent of the country’s wealth. And a society where guns were for hunting and the right to possess weapons of mass destruction was not tolerated by a perverse interpretation of the Second Amendment. It is time now for a new generation of Americans born in this century, to reestablish an American Dream we cal all be proud of again.
That ABC/Washington Post poll is utter bullshit. The media is predictable as the sunrise, phases of the moon & the rising tide. They put out an outlier poll of barely 1,000 and then it gives all the rest of pundit-world something to obsess & harp on... right up until the next one comes out. It's a neverending cycle and it gets on my last frayed nerve.
However, I do agree that Durbin is more times than not mired down in the Senate he wishes he was in rather than the one that he's actually a part of. Too many democratic senators fantasize about a collegial body that no longer exists. Speaking of people who "won't be brutally honest" with the President, where are the people in Senator Feinsteins orbit? More than likely, protecting their own jobs and paychecks.
One more thing, while I'm already irritated by this post... the very same people & pundits who OBSESS over Bidens age are the very same people who still breathlessly ask EIGHTY ONE YEAR OLD Bernie Sanders if he'll run again...that includes Ms Deutsche Bank herself. I'm not a fan of Stephanie Ruhle or her snarky interview style. Never have been. That's the main reason I don't watch much cable news. These hosts are like a Facebook comment section on live TV.
I do (mostly) like Rhule, but I agree about Bernie--and Trump. These people claim they want someone younger then can’t name anyone. People just love to complain and can’t be bothered paying attention. Most Americans know little about history or civics. It’s maddening.
Our society is far too reactionary than realistic. I was in school a long time ago (🫣) but I had a great public school education that included government & civics, American history, world history, geography...and even financial math!! It is shocking what has happened over the past few decades.
Apparently, you were not alone in your irritation. I’m so tired of the age-ism in this country, and quite frankly, Steve is wearing me out with it. One question: what exactly are you worried about? Tell me what you’re worried about. I’m tired of hearing he’s too old. Tell me why. Unless you can tell me why, please be quiet.
I am not concerned about Biden’s age. Currently he is doing a great job and as you pointed out not getting proper credit for it. If something happens to Biden and he is not capable of performing his duties, we have Kamala Harris who can step up and perform the job. She’s not getting credit for the great job she’s doing either and is being lambasted and denigrated as badly as Biden is. But I have no doubt she would perform the duties of president admirably should the situation require it.
I will also add, part of the current problem with the make up of the Supreme Court started with the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings that was chaired by Biden and essentially ignored the flagrant warnings of his character provided by Anita Hill. That one act alone made me very hesitant to vote for Biden for President. I didn’t vote for him in the primary. But I did vote for him in the general because of the horror of Trump. However I do think he’s done a good job and has worked to fight against the systemic misogyny displayed during Thomas’s confirmation so many years ago and continues to this day. Much of Kamala Harris’s current denigration come from the same patriarchal place that ignored Anita Hill. I’ll be damned if I’ll vote against Biden or not vote at all because he might be too old, when he has a perfectly capable woman that can backfill behind him and isn’t being given the credit she deserves.
President Biden, who I deeply admire, suffers from 2 enormous blind spots with respect to this moment in American democracy.
The first is obvious (I hope). Biden has been the subject of a non-stop smear campaign portraying him as a doddering dementia sufferer, someone who has to be led --- literally and figuratively --- everywhere he goes. Is it nonsense? Yes, to anyone who has actually seen the President discussing issues, delivering crisp, knowledgeable responses to questions, cracking jokes.
The problem is that the American people don't see him. Except for brief press crums and visits to union halls, he is tucked out of sight. He needs to get out there, now. Stop thinking a constantly repeated lie about him will disappear from voters' mental landscapes after a debate or two.
Second (and here I'm afraid age, or at least time in office, is a factor, Biden doesn't see the need to fundamentally reform and reshape his beloved DC institutions. Democrats could have been far ahead of the Supreme Court scandals had the Biden Administration settled on a package of reforms of this deepy corrupt court early in his term. Instead,he hastily shelved his own committee report. He dismissed the need for court reform. Only the justices need replacing, eventually.
Govermment-wide, where are the ethics reforms that will prevent Trump 2.0 from once again blowing through the same protections Trump 1 made a mockery of? Yes, we need to elect more Democrats. But our nation has to be Trump-proofed. Because, even if Trump finally collapses in his sea of corruption, someday another Orange Menace will come along. If the President continues to act as if only the people in the deck chairs need replacing, the next Titanic will sink, too.
I can't pretend I have thought all of it through. But I do know Democrats, top to bottom, must become relentless advocates of ethics in the federal government, including the President. I don't know if there has to be a constitutional amendment, but we need laws and law enforcement to make ethics the law, not a matter of custom that Trump proved it is.. We've got to be rid of the "nod, nod, wink, wink" that treats corruption an inevitable fact of life (see the portrayal of the Presidency and Congress in any number of TV shows and movies). Obviously, this work cannot be housed in the Justice Department. Should there be a federal department with enforcement powers? This is an area that would cry out for a dedicated attorney. An elected federal Inspector General? Could Kamala Harris take on the job of creating a new system? If not her, who? The Senate is far too tangled in its own swamp to take on reform.
I am hoping the current evil that is our Supreme Court will capture Biden's attention. If not, it's truly time for an intervention.
We the people need to save our own government if we want to continue our grand experiment. The folks who created Indivisible.gave us the blueprint for successful political action at the grassroots. Check them out. If you don't want to join the (often Democratic) Indivisible groups, start your own. Virtually any member of Congress gets pretty attentive at constituents who are appearing everywhere they turn.
Strictly a marketing opinion here. "Finish the job." is a really lousy campaign theme --- unless you mean dealing with the slaughter on our streets has somehow already started.
I am so tired of Democrat nice. I’m tired of the Dick Durbin’s of the party. I am also tired of the horrible communication and marketing plan, or lack there of by the Democrats. We don’t need to be gutter rats like MAGA, but we sure as hell need to be street fighters. I just do not get it.
You know what I am tired of? People whining about the Dems and their messaging. There are many factors at play, including our shoddy political media who have their own bias against Biden and the Dems. Instead of “waiting to be led” get out there and say what YOU think should be said. Use your social media platforms. Or are you above that? Amplify the messages you like--they ARE out there just because you may not see/hear it. Follow members of the admin, senators, reps, etc, especially those you like. Volunteer with your state party or a local activist group. Don’t say you don’t have time--if saving democracy is so important than make the time. Talk to friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family. You have agency, use it. Stop complaining it’s up to them--it’s up to you and all of us.
Thank you. This is my stance as well. I talk to reasonable people about our primary system that gets us the most extreme versions of candidates right from the start. This needs to be reformed so we can get reasonable candidates for general elections. The number of voters might remain the same, but we could have options other than tribal voting or which candidate we hate the least. Throwing up our hands while exclaiming "whatcha gonna do" gets us nothing different. I will continue to do my part in rippling the water.
This morning, on my way to Morning Joe, I inadvertently got Fox News. I occasionally look at Fox to see how they are spinning reality but not this morning. This time they were questioning young people about how Biden was unacceptable and the young woman identified the cost of groceries.
Therein lies your problem. With the Tsunami of issues, guns, greed, grifters, the hard core Trump base, world disorder and threat, the people who have the votes see right passed all these dangers, to the price of gas.
As great as America has been, it is not a sophisticated society because it is too absorbed with self. When the only thing that matters is me and mine, it is hard to see society as a whole and your part in it and thus easy to ignore. Fox bending news for viewership, heating up hatred for ratings while disguised as a news organization is a metaphor for what is wrong today with America and an extraordinarily divisive force in the bargain.
So the country is a mess, cut in two. At this point, on the left, the Angel’s side, you have Biden, who just can’t seem to get the respect he deserves. And on the other side, the devil’s side, Trump who can’t seem to get into jail where he belongs. Biden is possibly the most effective president in Four Score years.
The answer is put Trump in prison and do a better job selling Biden. It is too late, this cycle, to offer anyone else. Give the Dems the power they need to fix some of the problems that are eating you alive, thanks to your beloved constitution, like guns, a permanent corrupt Supreme Court, a baked-in advantage for the Right Wing in the Senate and the crippling disease of Gerrymandering.
Your process for picking presidents is frightful, with primaries built for extremists and general elections built for moderates and a non-existent apprentice, (pardon the expression), system to generate the best-choice leader of the Free World. Save your country, re-elect Biden. then start fixing things. I’m 87, working full-time, doing just fine, thanks for asking. Joe is your best chance.
These are my thoughts as well, and you articulated them so well. Thank you. We live in a world of narcissists. It's no wonder they have chosen the biggest narcissist as their messiah. I will continue to live my life as part of a whole with my eyes toward that responsibility.
Incredibly well said, Bob! We need to clone you! Now, how to get what you've written here to more readers...can some of us here figure this out? I don't have any social media accounts. More to add to the concerns you've expressed: The social media algorithms that MAGA donors put millions (billions) of $ into, as you know is, is all designed to create fear, anger, and 'othering' in their followers (as Tim Ryan explained in his zoom interview w Steve.) Also, FaceBook sold 'data points' that they had gathered about millions of Americans to a company in the U.K (working w Maga leaders), which played a huge part in Brexit and Throwing the election to DJT in 2016 (There is a documentary about this on Netflix called "The Great Hack" and another documentary about social media algorithms called 'The Social Dilemma' -these helped me to understand how deep the waters really are). Throw in Russian cyber warfare and this gets very scary. MAGA/Gop knows how to harness these tactics, and the Dems are being 'nice'...? Education about social media algorithms and the use of our private data points on our devices, cyber ware fare, etc. seem, to me, to be important, for millions of people to understand how their attention, their beliefs, parts of their brains, are being manipulated and exploited....entirely against their own best interests. Thanks.
Hi Lisa. I replied to your kind note but I don’t see my reply. I am pleased that so many find some value in my remarks which are heartfelt. I wish America was in better shape, the shape it was in, despite certain racial injustices, when JFK was president. It was essentially a time of hope and optimism notwithstanding dangers in the world. I think his death started the downward spiral that continues to this day, where politicians are sent back to office time after time, evil, disgusting people like Greg Abbott who is no better than what you would scrape off your shoe if you put your foot down in the wrong place. A man who cares nothing for shooting victims, in fact insults them while pushing more guns into the hands of less educated people. I cannot fathom how this evil is rewarded over and over again. Democrats need to develop a killer instinct to remove America’s enemies from America.
Hi Bob, I could not agree more with what you're saying here. When school children are being massacred by radicalized individuals with military weapons, and the Greg Abbott's fail to do anything about it, rather they loosen gun laws. Do we fight to protect Our Children? Yes, we must, no matter what it takes. Keep writing and sharing! Thanks, Lisa
I once asked a like minded friend if he voted for his personal interests or what's best for the country overall. He said "I vote for what's best for the world".
It would be good to hear of some proposed solutions rather than just laying the urgency. I think you’re recommending without saying bluntly:
1) Senator Durbin should remove Senator Feinstein from the Judiciary Committee.
2) Democrats should run agains President Biden in a primary and prevent him from winning or President Biden just drop out.
I’d like to hear your analysis of the side effects of these events and the effect they would have on the Democratic Party’s ability overall regarding unity and the ability to defeat Mr Trump. Maybe you’ve thought through this, but I’d like to hear what you think.
BTW, I presume you find the WP ABC poll frightening as it certainly is to me. But let me ask: Should we really trust and react this way towards poll numbers more than a year before the elections?
"Truthiness" in media is a huge problem too. Every time one of these poll driven pieces come out, I immediately think about how many times I heard "red wave" "red tsunami" during the midterms. The media is obsessed with polling because it gives their lazy asses at least a week of copy & tv segments. It's sickening.
I was going to write this same comment. You said it well. I agree with Steve’s urgent outcry. But I would like to hear what he proposes as a solution. And, since he has a voice that most of us don’t, how he plans to aggressively advocate for that solution. What say you, Steve?
I have supported the President for every second of his period in office and truly believe that he alone could have beaten that Orange asshole but now I want Joe to step aside for the good of the entire country. We do not even want to imagine yet another term for the Orange one!
There are plenty of good strong Democrats that could beat Trump or any other politician that may run as the GOP nominee.
If Ginsburg would have stepped aside and if Biden will step aside then the treacherous GOP will not win in 2024 and that is essential.
And if Ginsburg stepped aside you truly think Obama would have gotten a SC nominee through? If she’d done it in his first two years Dems would have screamed bloody murder because she was so popular, especially if word got out he was pressuring her to do it. After that, McConnell would have used his power just as he did to block Garland.
Did you vote in 2010 or were you one of the Dems who stayed home “to teach Obama and the party” a lesson because of the ACA? Because if Dems and the left bothered to vote in Census year elections--and voted the whole ticket--we wouldn’t be in this mess. We have the numbers to win. We don’t because people stay home while GOP voters don’t.
So much woulda, coulda, shoulda without remembering the reality of the times.
Well I hear your frustration and the issue is not about leftist people not voting. We did vote and I have voted Dem since 1970 and yet I still see Dems as wimps and scared of their own shadow.
Dick Durbin has the authority right now and he wont even try to use it. I suppose because he feels that he will be in Feinsteins position some day! Nullshit!
I have supported the President for every second of his period in office and truly believe that he alone could have beaten that Orange asshole but now I want Joe to step aside for the good of the entire country. We do not even want to imagine yet another term for the Orange one!
There are plenty of good strong Democrats that could beat Trump or any other politician that may run as the GOP nominee.
If Ginsburg would have stepped aside and if Biden will step aside then the treacherous GOP will not win in 2024 and that is essential.
Both Reagan and Biden were the oldest Presidents ever elected in their day. No one batted an eye about Reagan’s age in 1984 and he was showing signs of dementia within the first 2 years of his 2nd term. What we now know about dementia is that after age 85, the odds of getting it greatly increase. I am not concerned about Biden’s age because I know that Kamala Harris is well-equipped to finish out his 2nd term should Biden die or become unable to discharge the duties of the office. The difference between Reagan and Biden is that Biden would step down instead of hiding his infirmity from the American People as Reagan did.
The biggest problem is messaging - as it always has been with the Democratic party. Between Trump & Biden, Trump shows more definitive signs of dementia: his muscle tics, slurring of words, word salad and impoverished vocabulary (to name a few) are signs and symptoms consistent with frontotemporal dementia. It is one of my differential diagnoses of Trump, along with ADD, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder & delusional disorder as well as other axis 1 & axis 2 disorders. As Biden says, “don’t compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative.” If the playing field is going to be defined by the infirmities of old men, there is a good case to be made that Biden can run circles around Trump. In the end, it comes down to messaging.
Agree. Trumps ability to “act” like he knows what he’s doing and saying fools the MAGA world and some of the media, but those who really listen to his rambling diatribes know he’s crazy as s**t. Stop giving him air time!!
"Between Trump & Biden, Trump shows more definitive signs of dementia: his muscle tics, slurring of words, word salad and impoverished vocabulary (to name a few) are signs and symptoms consistent with frontotemporal dementia. It is one of my differential diagnoses of Trump, along with ADD, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder & delusional disorder as well as other axis 1 & axis 2 disorders." Thank you for saying this, Marlene! I have had the same thought for years now, that Trump is suffering from dementia. Frontal Temporal Lobe dementia, possibly (I am not in any way a professional, just going from personal experience with someone in my family who had this). Just watch his deposition in the Carroll case to see how compromised he is.
I learned from personal experience, too, about a dementia behavior called 'confabulating'.
The dementia person makes up (sometimes very convincing) stories about all kind of things that just simply are not at all true -and the dementia person doesn't know it. I'm not an expert on dementia, but it seems that DJT is a Liar, con-man-grifter, disordered sociopath (his niece, Mary Trump, has been explaining/warning about this for years) -AND he also is suffering from dementia. He is a demented, dangerous threat to the USA.
I am sorry to hear that these issues have dogged your family. In the case of Trump, when you build a 250 pound human out of Cheeseburgers washed down with Diet Coke, you cannot expect much in the way of quality. And Cheeseburgers left alone will eventually rot.
The only thing I agree with Steve in this essay is “American democracy will crumble to dust if Trump returns to the presidency”. Biden states he has “acquired wisdom, more experience, and proven himself to be an honorable man as well as an effective president” but Steve thinks that is not enough because “it doesn’t matter to the people”. My question is if not those attributes what else do you want Steve? YOUTH??? That seems to be your only requirement.
And then you add “being affronted over questions of age isn’t virtuous, but arrogance and denial… and delusion”
Seriously? Joe is arrogant?
You continue to play into the Republican talking points. Stop!
Some cultures honor and respect their elders, including the indigenous native Americans. We could learn so much from native ancestral wisdom. You are a guiding light, Marsha. Many of us learn from loss and years of experience. Wisdom and experience can be invaluable, as it has been with Biden, and will continue to be as long as he lives. Some people wise and are all-giving. Bless them, eternally! XO
Thank you, Marsha! Truly, I have a ways to go on the path of gaining wisdom and even living from a place of open generosity, the way some do. Some of us are in a process of deep healing and building trust (again). We need others to hold a candle to light the way. You, Marsha, hold all of us, everyone, in the highest light one can, and so many people can rise up, heal, and blossom in the presence of love and gratitude. Your love in this community, and the example you show us about what it means to be human (what is possible!) has traveled far and wide and into many of our hearts and souls. I'm eternally grateful! XO Lisa
Thanks to Steve and to all of you who responded. I think it was Will Rogers who said: “I belong to no organized political party. I am a Democrat”. Many of us still feel that way, and we are angry. Mitch McConnell would never tolerate a Diane Feinstein type situation. She needs to go. The Senate Judiciary Committee needs to get more aggressive about the Supreme Court. Several members lied during their confirmation hearings. What additional corruption really needs to be revealed? Where were the Democrats when the Federalist Society and Leonard Leo were planning their judicial takeovers? MIA. Hillary Clinton told us about a right wing conspiracy. Where was Democratic leadership? Joe Biden has done a good job in difficult circumstances. I believe that he will go down in history as an under-appreciated President. One way or another, the Democratic Party needs to get its act together. They are all we have.
Speaking of reality, accept it- Biden is running. You have spent countless words criticizing Republicans, an easy thing to do. I’m not sure you e spent even one column highlighting the countless things Biden and the Democrats have done right, things they have done to save the economy and foreign relationships that Trump and the republicans wrecked.
I met Ronald Reagan in his second term. Talk about arrogance- he was totally vacant, and everyone around him simply enabled him to continue so they could keep power. Disgusting.
And please, Steve- learn the difference between “infer” and “imply.” You’ve misused infer twice in the last week.
Hi Rosie, I agree with your first two paragraphs very much.
Please note, though: in your comment here you meant to say 'even' but you lost three of the letters. You are also missing a semi-colon where you used a hyphen/dash. And your hyphen/dash in your last sentence is entirely mis-used. I'd only point this out because you are being critical of a word use that Steve previously corrected. Keep in mind, please, that Steve is 24/7 reading, writing, researching while consistently sending out a newsletter almost every single day (Warnings!), including from places such as Japan and Vietnam. He also has a monthly zoom session, a weekly podcast, and reads all of our comments. These proliferate newsletters, given the urgent topic of saving our Democracy, and this type of platform, a limited time-line, cannot be perfect and they are very close. Grammar is NOT a priority over saving Democracy. When Steve's newsletters are complied into a book, then perfect grammar and syntax is relevant -once Democracy is preserved. Thanks, Lisa
Ok very good and you are right Biden has done a lot with very little but really if he had had a super majority what could he have accomplished?? He is now stymied due to missing members of the Senate ( one has returned, John Fetterman ) that will help but what to do about Diane?
I agree that some very small changes could be made if Biden just barely gets along in 24 but adding 4 new Judges to the Supreme Court will not happen. No voting rights codified, no campaign reform, no gun control legislation and on and on and on.
Look what happened with a small majority in the Presidents first two years. Yes he got a lot done but a lot was left unaccomplished. Without a super majority it will take 24 years to get the right things done a little at a time and the would fighting tooth and nail every step forward.
The key as MAP has said, we must all work to register voters and then carry them to the polls to insure voting.
Martha, a couple of months ago you insensitively corrected a community member's word use (that particular word CAN be used informally, as this member used it.) The word you corrected had been used by this member in a personal line about his 'late parents'. It took vulnerability for him to share what he shared. He was a new member. He had many 'likes' that day, for the first time. He was have a wonderful experience with 'The Warning' community for a few weeks, previous to your criticism about his word use. You did this without so much as saying ANYTHING positive, or anything at all about what he'd actually shared that day. I knew this would be the last time he would likely ever feel 'safe' enough to share a comment in this community, which is exactly what happened. I very much miss this person and feel bad about what I know happened that day. Correcting Steve's grammar is different from this instance today; grammar, though, is not a priority given the urgency of these times and issues. By the way, you do make numerous grammatical errors in your posts. I'll not be rude enough to correct you on those unless we lose another member to the level of insensitively I've described above. If I get kicked of of this community for calling this out, that is just fine. I hope you can understand what I'm sharing here. Take care and thanks for listening, Lisa
Ma’am, I don’t know you. I don’t need to prove myself to you. If you actually read the imply/infer comment, it was made by someone else. Although I did agree. Imply and Infer are very different meanings, like less/fewer.
If you are a professional writer, as Steve Schmidt is, the use of proper grammer is a requirement for credibility.
I explained to you, that someone in this community corrected the use of a word in a comment by another community member. That person never commented on this forum again. Some people in these communities are highly sensitive and it takes vulnerability on their part to share a comment. Criticism by another member could result in that member never writing another comment, which happened here in this community a couple of months ago. We need not further engage on this topic any more. This conversation is over for me.
I agree! This is not a grammar class. It's a vital, supportive community. We're here to try and find ways save our democracy, not to be sticklers with grammar. .
I not only think that Trump CAN beat Biden in a rematch, I think (horrifyingly) that he WILL. That makes it even more important that Senator Feinstein, whose contributions to this country are legion, step aside so that the Democrats can regain their control over the Senate Judiciary Committee. And then, judge after judge after judge must be confirmed. Non-stop. Extra sessions in the Senate, if necessary, should be called to get this done. There are about 18 months before the next election. That's how much time our democracy may have left.
An existential emergency? Yes. But campaign-level delusion or Biden's self-assessment of "invincibility"? Disagree. The Feinstein/RGB matters are serious but shouldn't be conflated with popularity contest issues (aka polling numbers).
Concerns about age are fair, but age gets far more traction while Trump's manifest impairments at every level of cognition (including near-illiteracy) are largely unexamined, almost taboo. Biden's low numbers say something legit about his comms department, and in a counterfactual world I'd vote for Tim Ryan in a heartbeat, too. But please consider the combined effects of 1) baseline tendencies in the electorate to ignore governance nuances, media-magnified by turning politics into reality-show-level entertainment, and 2) the mass alteration of attention and perception, literally, by the click-bait goldmine of the Trump era: four solid years+ of dopamine hits for the right from Fox's toxicity and malignancies, and from doom-scrolling by the left. Meantime, we have had a broad and consistent bias in Biden's administration toward the restoration of competence. Not newsy.
Whether frightening or sad, the polling numbers seem to say, "Biden bores me."
Yes that will certainly help Martha! That is how the GOP in many States now own and use a "Super Majority". Copy them. We did it in 2022 here in Michigan!
I hate that you quoted Reagan in this important piece. He began this slide towards Authoritarianism. He was himself a very divisive man. A racist, a homophobe, a religious bigot. A man who read lines. A man out of Trump’s vaunted “Central Casting”. A man so confused about reality, he mistakenly told Elie Wiesel he was a Concentration Camp “liberator”.
GET OFF OF REAGAN. He destroys your argument by being our very first modern era Useful Idiot.
Whenever you quote him, I stop reading.
Your words are important. Your vessel is cracked.
Steve is a conservative in the true sense of the word. I like and respect him. He is smart, knowledgeable, and an honorable man who loves this country as much as I do. Yet many of his ilk--former GOP and those still in the party who grieve for what it has become--hold Reagan as a model. There were no complaints s out RR’s she even though his closest people knew he had dementia in his second term. He was seen as the kindly, wise grandpa. The right (who hasn’t gone off a cliff) still admire him. The double standard with Biden is grating.
As for Steve’s points, agree about Feinstein, she needs to resign. Durbin, I’m mixed. But Steve doesn’t want Biden to run? Name someone who would be better as president and who would win. Go ahead, tell us who can and should. So tired of we need younger, we need new. Well, say who would do better.
I have the same thoughts. I can honestly see Biden handing over the reigns if he thinks he can’t handle it. Something tells me that he can.
The thing for me is VP Harris, should she take the reigns doesn’t seem prepared for this role.
I would prefer, Buttigieg, because of his intellect & integrity. He’s the Secretary of transportation!!! Can you imagine how brilliant this guy must be? And a Fast learner.
Senator Amy Klobacher is a yes, as are other outstanding Senators & Governors, however, we must not get ahead of ourselves while we all have the same kinds of thoughts as to whom we would like to see running, it’s going to be Joe.
We must concentrate on bringing Trump & the MAGA movement down. If we all voted we would win this damn thing.
I’d rethink Harris. The media has treated her even worse than Biden, either denigrating or ignoring her. She has great domestic experience and Biden has helped her beef up her foreign experience. If the worst were to happen—remember JFK was our youngest president—there is the whole admin as well as her team and Joe’s to ensure solid continuity. I don’t want anything to happen, but if it does we will be okay at least from the admin side.
Totally agree about Maga, but they will be around for a long time. This fight sadly isn’t one and done. I see it continuing for at least a decade if not a generation. You are absolutely right, if we all voted we will win. A thing to remember about polls. I was called a lot last year. I got the question: is the country going in the right or wrong direction. It had no nuance, no depth. I said with what the GOP has become, wrong direction. But my definitive answer to the pollster was in the right direction with the Dens and Biden in charge. Those questions are manipulated to get particular responses.
Right On - VP Harris and Team! And yes, the polls can be manipulated and off.
I’ve written Biden on Harris. Suggesting that she be seen in a more powerful light that would initially help his campaign. For now she is rarely seen doing much of anything. I do remember Joe was treated differently under Obama.
“Amy Klobachet is a yes” YES absolutely.
You’ve got a point. Who can save us from Donald if not Joe? Apparently, we Dems need a media darling of our own! What a disappointing dilemma...
We did. It was called Air America. It’s where Rachel M got her start. Her show and Al Franken’s were must listening. But the left just didn’t care and didn’t bother so it closed down. They have more Billionaires who want to control our lives and keep their money to themselves. We have apathy. Remember HRC warned they would go after RvW? She was mocked and told it would never happen and that she was scaremongering. And look where we are at now.
MAP …KUDOS tell us who can and should run ..say who would do better. The Warning has power doesn’t it !!! This is
Written words doesn’t this count as media??? Newspapers
Are media or us only TV media?
Guess I thought if everyone
Printing articles is media maybe
I’m wrong… ty Marsha
I am old school. Many journalists have started blogs/newsletters but they are mostly opinion, with facts drawn in. They can have huge followings, but they do not have the same power as say ABC News or the NYTimes or Wapo. The NYT sets the tone for the rest of the field, for good or ill. There are new media outlets like Crooked, which have a large audience but still don’t have the same kind of influence. Think about But Her Emails. Or Whitewater. The NYT drove those stories and even if people don’t read that paper, its coverage colored the rest of the media’s. The message seeps through even if you are unconscious of it. If it didn’t do you really think HRC would have lost? Trump got millions in free coverage from the media. I didn’t watch any of it (besides things like the debates) and yet I knew what was happening because the rest of the media covered it. Look at the Biden coverage. There was so much talk in the MSM about recession that even though we have reach statistical full employment, people believed were were in a recession even as the economy continued to grow. And look at the debt ceiling coverage right now. The media refuses to cover it honestly, setting it as a showdown between two intransigent sides when it is a crisis deliberately created by Kevin and the bomb throwing GOP.
Reagan was the first President I remember who appointed Cabinet and department heads who were anathema to the agency's mission, e.g., James Watt and William Bradford Reynolds.
In his quest to wreck every Social Safety Net, ruin the environment, destroy public education, and any and all regulation.
He was a destroyer.
Please, Mr Schmidt - when you put your Democracy Plea in Reagan’s hands - you negate so much of your argument as to make everything you write after it - useless.
It’s like you said - I don’t really mind Authoritarianism; I just hate Trump. Think about it. Please.
Martha I’m with you and so
Truly upset bless you for you response you are quite
A woman! Love, Marsha 🌹
Martha and Marsha, I think you are right about Ronald Reagan’s 8 years in power (or maybe Nancy’s in the last year or two). He worked to change the country to be endlessly obsessed with fat profits for the fat cats — scraps for the rest. He wasn’t all bad and that’s the best I can say.
The fact that Ronald Reagan made the statement matters not. If the statement was anonymous, you would likely resoundingly agree with it.
Reagan ruined Many of California’s neighborhoods when as Governor he closed most of the mental hospitals & these people were out on the streets. Some stayed in half way homes but many needed more intensive care from hospitals. I thought of Reagan as a phony front man.
I’ll put it this way; the “lines” are powerful. Steve’s point is right on. The bottom line is still that the Democrats have fallen far short of calling out the deceitful R’s with clarity and courage. They want it both ways and stop short of “ fighting like hell” This is the message we Dems have got to send our Senators today! (Thanks to a comment in Joyce Vance’s Substack I got off my a— and e-mailed my Dem. Senator last week about Judicial appointments.)
The Dems call them out every day. Biden just called them out yesterday after the latest gun massacre. Chuck S, Raskin, Schiff, Warren, AOC, Swallwell, Goldman, etc, etc call them out all the time. The mm just isn’t interested in covering the Dems’ message. They are still entranced by the GOP like teenage girls who can’t resist the bad boys. What do you think “soul of the nation” is about? And the 1/6 hearings? The Justice Dept just successfully got guilty verdicts and pleas to the nearly “impossible” charge of seditious conspiracy with more to come. Just because the media doesn’t cover the tree falling in the woods doesn’t mean there is no sound when it falls.
Exactly right: "The mm just isn’t interested in covering the Dems’ message."
At this point in history, even the management of the MSM must realize that those who ride on the back of the smiling tiger end up inside the smile on the way back.
And cnn seems to trying to maneuver into a position closer to the teeth.
Unbelievable.
I agree Martha. Reagan's trickle down economics benefited the rich at the expense of everyone else. Though not particularly religious himself, he pandered to the religious right. Not sure he's the best guy to quote now, even though he was patriotic and a great communicator.
The great communicator is a b.s. lie. He read his lines. He was intellectually compromised during his first term.
Yes it seemed like he was reading good lines, but as an actor, he was good at reading his lines. A second rate actor is still better than the average person at reading lines. But I agree with you about him. I remember my dad really disliking Nixon way before Watergate. Dad also disliked Reagan and thought he was an intellectual lightweight who was acting his script and posing as a frontman. Much better fellow than Trump by a long shot, though. Glad Dad went to greener pastures before Trump ran in 2016. He would be horrified.
Interesting how R's will create a problem, homelessness, gun violence, then scream that Dem's aren't fixing it. Seems to be a winning formula.
Reason declared war on community and government supported mental health facilities and look where we are today.
People seem to forget what Reagan did to the support network of mental health facilities. My father was a clinical psychologist at a VA hospital, and I saw firsthand as a child how the homeless crisis began, thanks to Saint Ronnie. These people were my dad's patients. My dad gave his patients our home phone number, and they would sometimes call when in a crisis, and I spoke with many of them when I answered the phone. I will never forget that.
Jenn, thank you for sharing your touching experience:)
Yes. The facilities were closed while Reagan looked the other way in his pristine surroundings in California and the White House. Reagan shrugged and decided the “problems” with unhoused mentally should be managed by city government (no funding btw)
Omg, I forgot he was the one who bludgeoned the mental health apparatus and ultimately caused the homelessness we have had for years now. I’m constantly reminded of how bad he really was.
I lived in the heart of downtown Chicago. It appeared to us the former patients were bussed to busy street corners and left there
Thanks Jenn. We also loved thru the shuttering of state mental health facilities under Reagan’s smooth talking cruelty
Unfortunately that is true and that is still happening.
I get especially incensed when credit is given to Reagan for the end of the cold war. Gorbachev deserves the praise for recognizing reality. He didn't tear down that wall because Reagan told him to. But, Reagan's line gets repeated ad nauseum.
I agree. Reagan is all Republicans have got so they have to show reference to him. He sid so much damage. Yes, Steve please stop with the B actor fake cowboy.
💙🇺🇸💙
MARTHA HOAG I agree totally
Almodt stopped reading Steve’s comments I’m disappointed..WHY
STEVE Now are you vehemently
Telling us this why so late you are so wise you must have believed
All of this for quite awhile… Trust
You Steve I Now Feel Very Adrift
Who or What are You Supposed to
Be Guiding Us to Do?please HELP
This is so very scary you have the ability to just leave and live in Canada or anywhere we don’t!
Really truly SADDENED, Marsha
Hi dear Marsha, I think many people were extremely put off by Steve's quoting Reagan (I was too...the quote ended with 'when men were free'. What about the women?!) Despite the Reagan part, Steve though is talking about the serious predicament we are in if DJT wins a second election. We'll lose our Democracy! Is The Warning today about that?! I think so! People, as you say, need to Wake Up to the reality we're in.
Let's hang in there with Steve. He hits a home run almost every single day. He deeply cares! He is fighting for Democracy and is making a difference -he has almost 65,000 followers on you-tube! I love you, this community, and Steve. You lift my heart and give me hope every day, Marsha. XO! Lisa
Than you! I had a similar reaction.
Context is everything. When I read the sentence that ended in "one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free," I had to wonder which meritorious liberal idea or admirable liberal figure Reagan was attacking then.
Had he been alive during the pandemic, Reagan would have spoken the same over-the-top way about vaccine mandates.
Reagan proved how he would handle a health crisis. Remember HIV? Reagan totally ignored and denigrated the disease and those who contracted it. How can anyone run for president of the US and call the government the problem??
Ollie you are so right Reagan
Would have behaved just like
The idiot tRump ignored the pandemic told people to use clorox don’t worry don’t mask
I personally know 132 first responders would died trying to save others lives .. I’ve been a Hospice counselor at a Hospice Hospital close to thirty years…
Reagan would have acted like tRump and DeSantis living in FL
Is dystopian lunacy.. no masks
Ignore Covid, burn books, have a Governor’s private militia AND
He wants to BE President! Nuts
People we are so close to how
Germany’s people fell to Nazi’s
Authoritarian’s are Nazi beliefs
And we better wake up! Marsha
Girl, Thom Hartmann is a National Treasure. I listen to him every day, I’ve read his books, and become more aware as a result.
Steve’s message *is* correct! He has to let go of his False Idol. He’ll get there. He got there on McCain. I have a deep belief in the human capacity to grow.
It’s incredibly difficult to admit you believed a lie. That you were duped. Steve Schmidt has the ability to learn this; we have to welcome him into the light of Truth. 💙🇺🇸💙
"The voters are trying to say something." You're right. Know what it is? "We're idiots. We don't read the paper. We don't listen to the news. We think a President who's done a great job--not perfect, but really good--doesn't deserve to be reelected. We'd love a divisive primary, because of course we would. Why not!" I don't agree with you about Biden. Neither does Rick Wilson.
I don't agree with Steve about Biden either. I truly believe he's been the right man in the right place at the right time these past 2 or 3 years. Thank God for that. We could do A LOT WORSE than having him reelected for another term. I'd at least be able to sleep better at night during that time! ;-)
Absolutely agree: "We could do A LOT WORSE than having him reelected for another term."
However, MAYBE we could better our chances of sleeping better?
Some of the other Dems need some oxygen and visibility on the national stage.
And they are getting it! Hakeem Jeffries, AOC, Schiff, Swalwell, Pete, and a number of other dems are taking the spotlight. The Dems have an excellent backbench. The problem is the media allow the likes of Gaetz, Marge, Bobert, and the rest of the GOP suck up all the oxygen in the room because they are “fun” and “entertaining” to cover. There was just a piece in the Atlantic a few days ago about how “funny” Trump is. Yep, a laugh a minute.
Thanks, MAP: "Hakeem Jeffries, AOC, Schiff, Swalwell, Pete, and a number of other dems are taking the spotlight. The Dems have an excellent backbench."
Reporting this just isn't as 'entertaining' for most of the media. Thank you!
Agree!
I completely agree with Steve about Biden. The establishment in the Democratic Party is enabling an increasing frail old man to move forward with his delusional belief that he alone can beat Trump.
What is your evidence for "increasingly frail"? My father played handball twice a week into his 80's. He had all his marbles and then some. Biden is the successful incumbent. He's our best bet. Not our only, just our best.
BRAVO BIDEN He is our Best bet thanks enoonmai…
Biden is the successful
Incumbent! Hugs, Marsha
I feel that Biden (and Pelosi) SAVED our country, our Democracy! He sacrificed his well-deserved retirement to do that for all of us! Had DJT become #46, we'd be finished, a corrupt fascist country by now. Biden knew that, and knows that now. He has a great team around him, is a master of legislature, has created an infrastructure plan that many people of any political party will begin to appreciate more as they reap the benefits of his work, his vision, before the 2024 election. Biden has worked intensively with heads of other countries, as you know, to repair the damages that DJT created, and has gone further in that area than many of us could have expected. Biden knows that DJT MUST be defeated in 2024, or our Democracy is finished. Once that has been accomplished, Biden must surely have a plan to further empower his team to take the lead going forward, to delegate more power to his team. XO!
God Bless Your Sweet Soul Lisa..
Your writings honored Biden and Pelosi and you made my soul feel
Hugged just when I needed it :)
You Stated everything that needs to
Be stated and reported and shared
Every day.. I’ll save what you wrote
Forever …you gave me blessings 🌹🌹🌹pray others read what
You wrote ..wish you health …
Wish you wealth … in every way..
Wish you prosperity ….🌹🌹🌹
For the Rest of Your Entire Life..
With All my Love … Marsha ✅
Marsha, Your kindness and Love brought healing tears to my eyes and to my heart. I didn't expect to find this in The Warning community. I'm so grateful! All my Love, Lisa
Stephanie Ruhls interview with Joe Biden was terrifying from the beginning to the end. That should have been evidence enough for everyone that Biden must be convinced to step aside for the greater good.
I have not watched the interview, but none of the coverage portrays Biden as a doddering old man. That includes Fox and the New York Post.
I didn’t call Biden a “doddering” old man. But I do want to see a youthful face of the Democratic Party with new visions for the future and a drive not to preserved the old rules of decorum and fraternity in American politics.
Name someone who can do what Joe/Kamala have already done. If you can’t - be prepared to vote for them. If you don’t - you are re-electing Trump. Stop the blue sky. Look at what IS.
Have to disagree with you about increasing frailty. My 102 YO mother has all her marbles, shes very sharp, swims, yoga, weights, loves people, drinks one beer or glass of wine every day, and is a bookworm.
I also know a 102 year old woman who’s 100% alert & oriented to everyone and everything that’s going on. Volunteers her services weekly entering data into a computer program she devised when in her late 90s. She lives alone with 1 day a week help from a daughter. She’d actually be a great president — IF she had Biden’s government & political experience!
Oh yeah! Also Willie Nelson and Carol Burnett just turned 90, recently. 90 is the new 70, for some folks. Maybe we need to get Willie and Carol involved Biden's promotional team -comedy and music could do so much! Your 101 yr old friend is an inspiration! Thanks.
And why would anyone think Trump would be cognitively superior to Biden??? How soon we forget Trump’s “interesting” vocabulary & syntactical prowess. It’s a great window into the inner workings of his mind. If a subject is not directly related to mob-boss issues, he seems unable to entertain a thought about it — let alone any facts or historical perspectives.
My husband will be 82 next month and work out on a versaclimber 4-5 days a week for 30 minutes. Never heard of it? Look it up. Most young people can’t do that. Also still has “all his marbles.”
That’s great and I know people of your husbands age that are still farming and ranching and are in good physical and mental health. This isn’t about that. Baby Boomers like me need to let this next generation of younger people and millennials take on more leadership roles in politics and government. My generation, taken as a whole, has made a mess out of things and our politics have devolved into a existential disaster for an egalitarian and progressive democracy. A way of life with a political aspiration of creating a level playing field where no one is left behind and money made by money is taxed at the same rate as money made by physical labor. My parents generation, the Greatest Generation, survived two world wars, an ecological nightmare called the Dust Bowl, a worldwide Great Depression, and also invested in technology and a good education for all so that we could build an interstate highway system from coast to coast and “land a man on the moon and bring him home safely.” For the most part they were an aspirational people who taxed inheritances at a rate where generational wealth would not create a privileged class of one percenters who would control 90 percent of the country’s wealth. And a society where guns were for hunting and the right to possess weapons of mass destruction was not tolerated by a perverse interpretation of the Second Amendment. It is time now for a new generation of Americans born in this century, to reestablish an American Dream we cal all be proud of again.
Why? If he’s doing a good job; why?
That ABC/Washington Post poll is utter bullshit. The media is predictable as the sunrise, phases of the moon & the rising tide. They put out an outlier poll of barely 1,000 and then it gives all the rest of pundit-world something to obsess & harp on... right up until the next one comes out. It's a neverending cycle and it gets on my last frayed nerve.
However, I do agree that Durbin is more times than not mired down in the Senate he wishes he was in rather than the one that he's actually a part of. Too many democratic senators fantasize about a collegial body that no longer exists. Speaking of people who "won't be brutally honest" with the President, where are the people in Senator Feinsteins orbit? More than likely, protecting their own jobs and paychecks.
One more thing, while I'm already irritated by this post... the very same people & pundits who OBSESS over Bidens age are the very same people who still breathlessly ask EIGHTY ONE YEAR OLD Bernie Sanders if he'll run again...that includes Ms Deutsche Bank herself. I'm not a fan of Stephanie Ruhle or her snarky interview style. Never have been. That's the main reason I don't watch much cable news. These hosts are like a Facebook comment section on live TV.
I do (mostly) like Rhule, but I agree about Bernie--and Trump. These people claim they want someone younger then can’t name anyone. People just love to complain and can’t be bothered paying attention. Most Americans know little about history or civics. It’s maddening.
Our society is far too reactionary than realistic. I was in school a long time ago (🫣) but I had a great public school education that included government & civics, American history, world history, geography...and even financial math!! It is shocking what has happened over the past few decades.
Apparently, you were not alone in your irritation. I’m so tired of the age-ism in this country, and quite frankly, Steve is wearing me out with it. One question: what exactly are you worried about? Tell me what you’re worried about. I’m tired of hearing he’s too old. Tell me why. Unless you can tell me why, please be quiet.
I am not concerned about Biden’s age. Currently he is doing a great job and as you pointed out not getting proper credit for it. If something happens to Biden and he is not capable of performing his duties, we have Kamala Harris who can step up and perform the job. She’s not getting credit for the great job she’s doing either and is being lambasted and denigrated as badly as Biden is. But I have no doubt she would perform the duties of president admirably should the situation require it.
I will also add, part of the current problem with the make up of the Supreme Court started with the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings that was chaired by Biden and essentially ignored the flagrant warnings of his character provided by Anita Hill. That one act alone made me very hesitant to vote for Biden for President. I didn’t vote for him in the primary. But I did vote for him in the general because of the horror of Trump. However I do think he’s done a good job and has worked to fight against the systemic misogyny displayed during Thomas’s confirmation so many years ago and continues to this day. Much of Kamala Harris’s current denigration come from the same patriarchal place that ignored Anita Hill. I’ll be damned if I’ll vote against Biden or not vote at all because he might be too old, when he has a perfectly capable woman that can backfill behind him and isn’t being given the credit she deserves.
♥️
President Biden, who I deeply admire, suffers from 2 enormous blind spots with respect to this moment in American democracy.
The first is obvious (I hope). Biden has been the subject of a non-stop smear campaign portraying him as a doddering dementia sufferer, someone who has to be led --- literally and figuratively --- everywhere he goes. Is it nonsense? Yes, to anyone who has actually seen the President discussing issues, delivering crisp, knowledgeable responses to questions, cracking jokes.
The problem is that the American people don't see him. Except for brief press crums and visits to union halls, he is tucked out of sight. He needs to get out there, now. Stop thinking a constantly repeated lie about him will disappear from voters' mental landscapes after a debate or two.
Second (and here I'm afraid age, or at least time in office, is a factor, Biden doesn't see the need to fundamentally reform and reshape his beloved DC institutions. Democrats could have been far ahead of the Supreme Court scandals had the Biden Administration settled on a package of reforms of this deepy corrupt court early in his term. Instead,he hastily shelved his own committee report. He dismissed the need for court reform. Only the justices need replacing, eventually.
Govermment-wide, where are the ethics reforms that will prevent Trump 2.0 from once again blowing through the same protections Trump 1 made a mockery of? Yes, we need to elect more Democrats. But our nation has to be Trump-proofed. Because, even if Trump finally collapses in his sea of corruption, someday another Orange Menace will come along. If the President continues to act as if only the people in the deck chairs need replacing, the next Titanic will sink, too.
Well said, Rebecca
I agree. What is the practical fix right now?
For the second blind spot, that is?
I can't pretend I have thought all of it through. But I do know Democrats, top to bottom, must become relentless advocates of ethics in the federal government, including the President. I don't know if there has to be a constitutional amendment, but we need laws and law enforcement to make ethics the law, not a matter of custom that Trump proved it is.. We've got to be rid of the "nod, nod, wink, wink" that treats corruption an inevitable fact of life (see the portrayal of the Presidency and Congress in any number of TV shows and movies). Obviously, this work cannot be housed in the Justice Department. Should there be a federal department with enforcement powers? This is an area that would cry out for a dedicated attorney. An elected federal Inspector General? Could Kamala Harris take on the job of creating a new system? If not her, who? The Senate is far too tangled in its own swamp to take on reform.
I am hoping the current evil that is our Supreme Court will capture Biden's attention. If not, it's truly time for an intervention.
We the people need to save our own government if we want to continue our grand experiment. The folks who created Indivisible.gave us the blueprint for successful political action at the grassroots. Check them out. If you don't want to join the (often Democratic) Indivisible groups, start your own. Virtually any member of Congress gets pretty attentive at constituents who are appearing everywhere they turn.
Strictly a marketing opinion here. "Finish the job." is a really lousy campaign theme --- unless you mean dealing with the slaughter on our streets has somehow already started.
I seem to have deleted my comment, here. I'll be back tomorrow.
I am so tired of Democrat nice. I’m tired of the Dick Durbin’s of the party. I am also tired of the horrible communication and marketing plan, or lack there of by the Democrats. We don’t need to be gutter rats like MAGA, but we sure as hell need to be street fighters. I just do not get it.
You know what I am tired of? People whining about the Dems and their messaging. There are many factors at play, including our shoddy political media who have their own bias against Biden and the Dems. Instead of “waiting to be led” get out there and say what YOU think should be said. Use your social media platforms. Or are you above that? Amplify the messages you like--they ARE out there just because you may not see/hear it. Follow members of the admin, senators, reps, etc, especially those you like. Volunteer with your state party or a local activist group. Don’t say you don’t have time--if saving democracy is so important than make the time. Talk to friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family. You have agency, use it. Stop complaining it’s up to them--it’s up to you and all of us.
Thank you. This is my stance as well. I talk to reasonable people about our primary system that gets us the most extreme versions of candidates right from the start. This needs to be reformed so we can get reasonable candidates for general elections. The number of voters might remain the same, but we could have options other than tribal voting or which candidate we hate the least. Throwing up our hands while exclaiming "whatcha gonna do" gets us nothing different. I will continue to do my part in rippling the water.
I do
Agreed Susan. Better a street fighter than a loving loser!
Oh my, you are so right!
This morning, on my way to Morning Joe, I inadvertently got Fox News. I occasionally look at Fox to see how they are spinning reality but not this morning. This time they were questioning young people about how Biden was unacceptable and the young woman identified the cost of groceries.
Therein lies your problem. With the Tsunami of issues, guns, greed, grifters, the hard core Trump base, world disorder and threat, the people who have the votes see right passed all these dangers, to the price of gas.
As great as America has been, it is not a sophisticated society because it is too absorbed with self. When the only thing that matters is me and mine, it is hard to see society as a whole and your part in it and thus easy to ignore. Fox bending news for viewership, heating up hatred for ratings while disguised as a news organization is a metaphor for what is wrong today with America and an extraordinarily divisive force in the bargain.
So the country is a mess, cut in two. At this point, on the left, the Angel’s side, you have Biden, who just can’t seem to get the respect he deserves. And on the other side, the devil’s side, Trump who can’t seem to get into jail where he belongs. Biden is possibly the most effective president in Four Score years.
The answer is put Trump in prison and do a better job selling Biden. It is too late, this cycle, to offer anyone else. Give the Dems the power they need to fix some of the problems that are eating you alive, thanks to your beloved constitution, like guns, a permanent corrupt Supreme Court, a baked-in advantage for the Right Wing in the Senate and the crippling disease of Gerrymandering.
Your process for picking presidents is frightful, with primaries built for extremists and general elections built for moderates and a non-existent apprentice, (pardon the expression), system to generate the best-choice leader of the Free World. Save your country, re-elect Biden. then start fixing things. I’m 87, working full-time, doing just fine, thanks for asking. Joe is your best chance.
These are my thoughts as well, and you articulated them so well. Thank you. We live in a world of narcissists. It's no wonder they have chosen the biggest narcissist as their messiah. I will continue to live my life as part of a whole with my eyes toward that responsibility.
Incredibly well said, Bob! We need to clone you! Now, how to get what you've written here to more readers...can some of us here figure this out? I don't have any social media accounts. More to add to the concerns you've expressed: The social media algorithms that MAGA donors put millions (billions) of $ into, as you know is, is all designed to create fear, anger, and 'othering' in their followers (as Tim Ryan explained in his zoom interview w Steve.) Also, FaceBook sold 'data points' that they had gathered about millions of Americans to a company in the U.K (working w Maga leaders), which played a huge part in Brexit and Throwing the election to DJT in 2016 (There is a documentary about this on Netflix called "The Great Hack" and another documentary about social media algorithms called 'The Social Dilemma' -these helped me to understand how deep the waters really are). Throw in Russian cyber warfare and this gets very scary. MAGA/Gop knows how to harness these tactics, and the Dems are being 'nice'...? Education about social media algorithms and the use of our private data points on our devices, cyber ware fare, etc. seem, to me, to be important, for millions of people to understand how their attention, their beliefs, parts of their brains, are being manipulated and exploited....entirely against their own best interests. Thanks.
Hi Lisa. I replied to your kind note but I don’t see my reply. I am pleased that so many find some value in my remarks which are heartfelt. I wish America was in better shape, the shape it was in, despite certain racial injustices, when JFK was president. It was essentially a time of hope and optimism notwithstanding dangers in the world. I think his death started the downward spiral that continues to this day, where politicians are sent back to office time after time, evil, disgusting people like Greg Abbott who is no better than what you would scrape off your shoe if you put your foot down in the wrong place. A man who cares nothing for shooting victims, in fact insults them while pushing more guns into the hands of less educated people. I cannot fathom how this evil is rewarded over and over again. Democrats need to develop a killer instinct to remove America’s enemies from America.
Hi Bob, I could not agree more with what you're saying here. When school children are being massacred by radicalized individuals with military weapons, and the Greg Abbott's fail to do anything about it, rather they loosen gun laws. Do we fight to protect Our Children? Yes, we must, no matter what it takes. Keep writing and sharing! Thanks, Lisa
I once asked a like minded friend if he voted for his personal interests or what's best for the country overall. He said "I vote for what's best for the world".
Clone him!
Bob Fleck thanks your response gave me a heartfelt soulful genuine
Hug and today’s article gave me
Such a sick abandonment… you
Gave me pride in humanity and
I give you respect 🌹Marsha ❤️
It would be good to hear of some proposed solutions rather than just laying the urgency. I think you’re recommending without saying bluntly:
1) Senator Durbin should remove Senator Feinstein from the Judiciary Committee.
2) Democrats should run agains President Biden in a primary and prevent him from winning or President Biden just drop out.
I’d like to hear your analysis of the side effects of these events and the effect they would have on the Democratic Party’s ability overall regarding unity and the ability to defeat Mr Trump. Maybe you’ve thought through this, but I’d like to hear what you think.
BTW, I presume you find the WP ABC poll frightening as it certainly is to me. But let me ask: Should we really trust and react this way towards poll numbers more than a year before the elections?
Polling no longer works, as Americans are no longer truthful.
"Truthiness" in media is a huge problem too. Every time one of these poll driven pieces come out, I immediately think about how many times I heard "red wave" "red tsunami" during the midterms. The media is obsessed with polling because it gives their lazy asses at least a week of copy & tv segments. It's sickening.
I was going to write this same comment. You said it well. I agree with Steve’s urgent outcry. But I would like to hear what he proposes as a solution. And, since he has a voice that most of us don’t, how he plans to aggressively advocate for that solution. What say you, Steve?
Yes Steve. You can see a bunch of people here respect you enough to disagree with you — do you have a few practical ideas to share?
I have supported the President for every second of his period in office and truly believe that he alone could have beaten that Orange asshole but now I want Joe to step aside for the good of the entire country. We do not even want to imagine yet another term for the Orange one!
There are plenty of good strong Democrats that could beat Trump or any other politician that may run as the GOP nominee.
If Ginsburg would have stepped aside and if Biden will step aside then the treacherous GOP will not win in 2024 and that is essential.
And if Ginsburg stepped aside you truly think Obama would have gotten a SC nominee through? If she’d done it in his first two years Dems would have screamed bloody murder because she was so popular, especially if word got out he was pressuring her to do it. After that, McConnell would have used his power just as he did to block Garland.
Did you vote in 2010 or were you one of the Dems who stayed home “to teach Obama and the party” a lesson because of the ACA? Because if Dems and the left bothered to vote in Census year elections--and voted the whole ticket--we wouldn’t be in this mess. We have the numbers to win. We don’t because people stay home while GOP voters don’t.
So much woulda, coulda, shoulda without remembering the reality of the times.
Watching the Merrick Garland debacle is THE REASON she didn’t step down. RBG was smarter than all of us combined.
Damn. Never thought of that...
Well I hear your frustration and the issue is not about leftist people not voting. We did vote and I have voted Dem since 1970 and yet I still see Dems as wimps and scared of their own shadow.
Dick Durbin has the authority right now and he wont even try to use it. I suppose because he feels that he will be in Feinsteins position some day! Nullshit!
I have supported the President for every second of his period in office and truly believe that he alone could have beaten that Orange asshole but now I want Joe to step aside for the good of the entire country. We do not even want to imagine yet another term for the Orange one!
There are plenty of good strong Democrats that could beat Trump or any other politician that may run as the GOP nominee.
If Ginsburg would have stepped aside and if Biden will step aside then the treacherous GOP will not win in 2024 and that is essential.
Both Reagan and Biden were the oldest Presidents ever elected in their day. No one batted an eye about Reagan’s age in 1984 and he was showing signs of dementia within the first 2 years of his 2nd term. What we now know about dementia is that after age 85, the odds of getting it greatly increase. I am not concerned about Biden’s age because I know that Kamala Harris is well-equipped to finish out his 2nd term should Biden die or become unable to discharge the duties of the office. The difference between Reagan and Biden is that Biden would step down instead of hiding his infirmity from the American People as Reagan did.
The biggest problem is messaging - as it always has been with the Democratic party. Between Trump & Biden, Trump shows more definitive signs of dementia: his muscle tics, slurring of words, word salad and impoverished vocabulary (to name a few) are signs and symptoms consistent with frontotemporal dementia. It is one of my differential diagnoses of Trump, along with ADD, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder & delusional disorder as well as other axis 1 & axis 2 disorders. As Biden says, “don’t compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative.” If the playing field is going to be defined by the infirmities of old men, there is a good case to be made that Biden can run circles around Trump. In the end, it comes down to messaging.
Agree. Trumps ability to “act” like he knows what he’s doing and saying fools the MAGA world and some of the media, but those who really listen to his rambling diatribes know he’s crazy as s**t. Stop giving him air time!!
"Between Trump & Biden, Trump shows more definitive signs of dementia: his muscle tics, slurring of words, word salad and impoverished vocabulary (to name a few) are signs and symptoms consistent with frontotemporal dementia. It is one of my differential diagnoses of Trump, along with ADD, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder & delusional disorder as well as other axis 1 & axis 2 disorders." Thank you for saying this, Marlene! I have had the same thought for years now, that Trump is suffering from dementia. Frontal Temporal Lobe dementia, possibly (I am not in any way a professional, just going from personal experience with someone in my family who had this). Just watch his deposition in the Carroll case to see how compromised he is.
I learned from personal experience, too, about a dementia behavior called 'confabulating'.
The dementia person makes up (sometimes very convincing) stories about all kind of things that just simply are not at all true -and the dementia person doesn't know it. I'm not an expert on dementia, but it seems that DJT is a Liar, con-man-grifter, disordered sociopath (his niece, Mary Trump, has been explaining/warning about this for years) -AND he also is suffering from dementia. He is a demented, dangerous threat to the USA.
I am sorry to hear that these issues have dogged your family. In the case of Trump, when you build a 250 pound human out of Cheeseburgers washed down with Diet Coke, you cannot expect much in the way of quality. And Cheeseburgers left alone will eventually rot.
My husband is a PsyD - he concurs.
Thank you Goldwater Rule, right?
The only thing I agree with Steve in this essay is “American democracy will crumble to dust if Trump returns to the presidency”. Biden states he has “acquired wisdom, more experience, and proven himself to be an honorable man as well as an effective president” but Steve thinks that is not enough because “it doesn’t matter to the people”. My question is if not those attributes what else do you want Steve? YOUTH??? That seems to be your only requirement.
And then you add “being affronted over questions of age isn’t virtuous, but arrogance and denial… and delusion”
Seriously? Joe is arrogant?
You continue to play into the Republican talking points. Stop!
Totally agree Digges and never thought I’d feel Steve would be so
Against Biden’s age with all the he
Has Done in 2 years… Steve Joe
Biden deserves Better! Marsha
Steve may be playing devils advocate here by being so negative? It has gotten us all to think more carefully perhaps?
Al Ross …thinking carefully is all I’ve done …but this feels like I could have been told every word before the 2020 election then it felt like
Hope And Possibly Democracy
freedom’s still alive…maybe it’s just
Tough day my son who died thirty years ago was born on May 14th
And that year it was Mother’s Day
I’m turning 80 an May 26th and
I’m not even sure our Country will
Exist for my son or grandchildren
It’s not for me …. it’s for them…Don’t Need Anyone Being
Or Playing a Devil’s Advocate Ever!
Least of all a man I trust, admire
And love with heartfelt soul filled
Respect that’s who Steve is to me!
Just feel disappointed I guess…
But I’ll keep positively reading and
Working and caring The Warning is
Important and Needed 🌹Marsha
Some cultures honor and respect their elders, including the indigenous native Americans. We could learn so much from native ancestral wisdom. You are a guiding light, Marsha. Many of us learn from loss and years of experience. Wisdom and experience can be invaluable, as it has been with Biden, and will continue to be as long as he lives. Some people wise and are all-giving. Bless them, eternally! XO
Lisa you are already so very wise…
Your empathy is so heartfelt…
I’m blessed…I’ve been a Hospice
Pastoral care counselor and done grant writing for two charities to
Operate on children Saving four lives per day since my sons death
The way to live a fulfilled life is to give.. God Has Blessed me And
Then unexpectedly thru the experience of The Warning there
Are some Anam Cara new soul
Friends who have come into my life
You and N.Zampierollo have been extraordinarily generous 🌹🌹🌹
Hold both of you close to my heart
Thank You Hugs, Marsha ✅
Thank you, Marsha! Truly, I have a ways to go on the path of gaining wisdom and even living from a place of open generosity, the way some do. Some of us are in a process of deep healing and building trust (again). We need others to hold a candle to light the way. You, Marsha, hold all of us, everyone, in the highest light one can, and so many people can rise up, heal, and blossom in the presence of love and gratitude. Your love in this community, and the example you show us about what it means to be human (what is possible!) has traveled far and wide and into many of our hearts and souls. I'm eternally grateful! XO Lisa
I don’t think it’s devil’s advocate. It’s been his position with every post and mention of Biden. I simply don’t think it’s helpful!
Thanks to Steve and to all of you who responded. I think it was Will Rogers who said: “I belong to no organized political party. I am a Democrat”. Many of us still feel that way, and we are angry. Mitch McConnell would never tolerate a Diane Feinstein type situation. She needs to go. The Senate Judiciary Committee needs to get more aggressive about the Supreme Court. Several members lied during their confirmation hearings. What additional corruption really needs to be revealed? Where were the Democrats when the Federalist Society and Leonard Leo were planning their judicial takeovers? MIA. Hillary Clinton told us about a right wing conspiracy. Where was Democratic leadership? Joe Biden has done a good job in difficult circumstances. I believe that he will go down in history as an under-appreciated President. One way or another, the Democratic Party needs to get its act together. They are all we have.
Great words!!! Carol
Speaking of reality, accept it- Biden is running. You have spent countless words criticizing Republicans, an easy thing to do. I’m not sure you e spent even one column highlighting the countless things Biden and the Democrats have done right, things they have done to save the economy and foreign relationships that Trump and the republicans wrecked.
I met Ronald Reagan in his second term. Talk about arrogance- he was totally vacant, and everyone around him simply enabled him to continue so they could keep power. Disgusting.
And please, Steve- learn the difference between “infer” and “imply.” You’ve misused infer twice in the last week.
Hi Rosie, I agree with your first two paragraphs very much.
Please note, though: in your comment here you meant to say 'even' but you lost three of the letters. You are also missing a semi-colon where you used a hyphen/dash. And your hyphen/dash in your last sentence is entirely mis-used. I'd only point this out because you are being critical of a word use that Steve previously corrected. Keep in mind, please, that Steve is 24/7 reading, writing, researching while consistently sending out a newsletter almost every single day (Warnings!), including from places such as Japan and Vietnam. He also has a monthly zoom session, a weekly podcast, and reads all of our comments. These proliferate newsletters, given the urgent topic of saving our Democracy, and this type of platform, a limited time-line, cannot be perfect and they are very close. Grammar is NOT a priority over saving Democracy. When Steve's newsletters are complied into a book, then perfect grammar and syntax is relevant -once Democracy is preserved. Thanks, Lisa
compiled
Rosie, please accept my heartfelt apology for the first four or five lines of my reply to you. It was inappropriate. Thanks, Lisa
Ok very good and you are right Biden has done a lot with very little but really if he had had a super majority what could he have accomplished?? He is now stymied due to missing members of the Senate ( one has returned, John Fetterman ) that will help but what to do about Diane?
I agree that some very small changes could be made if Biden just barely gets along in 24 but adding 4 new Judges to the Supreme Court will not happen. No voting rights codified, no campaign reform, no gun control legislation and on and on and on.
Look what happened with a small majority in the Presidents first two years. Yes he got a lot done but a lot was left unaccomplished. Without a super majority it will take 24 years to get the right things done a little at a time and the would fighting tooth and nail every step forward.
The key as MAP has said, we must all work to register voters and then carry them to the polls to insure voting.
Grammar counts. You are correct.
Martha, a couple of months ago you insensitively corrected a community member's word use (that particular word CAN be used informally, as this member used it.) The word you corrected had been used by this member in a personal line about his 'late parents'. It took vulnerability for him to share what he shared. He was a new member. He had many 'likes' that day, for the first time. He was have a wonderful experience with 'The Warning' community for a few weeks, previous to your criticism about his word use. You did this without so much as saying ANYTHING positive, or anything at all about what he'd actually shared that day. I knew this would be the last time he would likely ever feel 'safe' enough to share a comment in this community, which is exactly what happened. I very much miss this person and feel bad about what I know happened that day. Correcting Steve's grammar is different from this instance today; grammar, though, is not a priority given the urgency of these times and issues. By the way, you do make numerous grammatical errors in your posts. I'll not be rude enough to correct you on those unless we lose another member to the level of insensitively I've described above. If I get kicked of of this community for calling this out, that is just fine. I hope you can understand what I'm sharing here. Take care and thanks for listening, Lisa
Ma’am, I don’t know you. I don’t need to prove myself to you. If you actually read the imply/infer comment, it was made by someone else. Although I did agree. Imply and Infer are very different meanings, like less/fewer.
If you are a professional writer, as Steve Schmidt is, the use of proper grammer is a requirement for credibility.
Please, scold someone else. I am not interested.
Thanks
I explained to you, that someone in this community corrected the use of a word in a comment by another community member. That person never commented on this forum again. Some people in these communities are highly sensitive and it takes vulnerability on their part to share a comment. Criticism by another member could result in that member never writing another comment, which happened here in this community a couple of months ago. We need not further engage on this topic any more. This conversation is over for me.
I agree! This is not a grammar class. It's a vital, supportive community. We're here to try and find ways save our democracy, not to be sticklers with grammar. .
Don’t be the thread police. It’s not your job.
Preciously my point.
I not only think that Trump CAN beat Biden in a rematch, I think (horrifyingly) that he WILL. That makes it even more important that Senator Feinstein, whose contributions to this country are legion, step aside so that the Democrats can regain their control over the Senate Judiciary Committee. And then, judge after judge after judge must be confirmed. Non-stop. Extra sessions in the Senate, if necessary, should be called to get this done. There are about 18 months before the next election. That's how much time our democracy may have left.
STEVE YOU ARE WRONG!!!!!!!
BIDEN HAS BEEN ASTOUNDINGLY GREAT
and he Will Be and Accomplish even more if we elect all the Democrats Possible into
Every office and position possible…
If I never hear how great you believed
Reagan to be again it would be a gift…
Trouble is Biden isn’t being appreciated by
Independents, former Republicans or even
Shouted from rooftops by Democrats he
Has saved our democracy so far….Don’t
Care about his age BiDEN has my Vote✅
Truly I’ll continue to support him and do
Everything for Democrats to take the senate and house and get Justice….
autocracy is not ok with me nor is anything
But Democracy in the USA✅ Marsha
An existential emergency? Yes. But campaign-level delusion or Biden's self-assessment of "invincibility"? Disagree. The Feinstein/RGB matters are serious but shouldn't be conflated with popularity contest issues (aka polling numbers).
Concerns about age are fair, but age gets far more traction while Trump's manifest impairments at every level of cognition (including near-illiteracy) are largely unexamined, almost taboo. Biden's low numbers say something legit about his comms department, and in a counterfactual world I'd vote for Tim Ryan in a heartbeat, too. But please consider the combined effects of 1) baseline tendencies in the electorate to ignore governance nuances, media-magnified by turning politics into reality-show-level entertainment, and 2) the mass alteration of attention and perception, literally, by the click-bait goldmine of the Trump era: four solid years+ of dopamine hits for the right from Fox's toxicity and malignancies, and from doom-scrolling by the left. Meantime, we have had a broad and consistent bias in Biden's administration toward the restoration of competence. Not newsy.
Whether frightening or sad, the polling numbers seem to say, "Biden bores me."
Yes I tend to agree and the trap that the media puts us all in for the sake of argument.
I do not believe polls hardly at all. They change rapidly and people jump on the age bandwagon much too easily.
My wife strongly believes that people lie to pollsters routinely.
Democracy is a contact sport. We must engage fully, prepared to be injured, and be ready to play hurt.
Run for something on the Local Level. That is how we stop this.
Yes that will certainly help Martha! That is how the GOP in many States now own and use a "Super Majority". Copy them. We did it in 2022 here in Michigan!