Responding To Carl November 13, 2018November 12, 2018 But first: This is so cool. See what the partnership of the New York Times and Google Cloud can do to illuminate photos and history. Have fun. And second: see “The New One” on Broadway — as raved here (and in whose limited-run success I have a minuscule stake). Even more fun! Less fun: Carl writes me almost every day. No matter what I post, if it concerns politics, he sends something negative in return. It’s his gag reflex. For example, I wrote: Two years from now, once we register many of the million-plus Floridians whose voting rights Tuesday’s election restored, we will win Florida. Carl responded: Democrat felons … sounds right. I heard murderers make better voters. I stopped replying quite a while ago, once I found he was not interested in constructive dialog. Nothing I said ever changed his mind. But I figured it was time to break my silence, so I wrote back: Carl, virtually every one of your daily emails is hostile and ill-informed. You NEVER provide a thoughtful researched argument. It’s not impressive, it’s corrosive — and entirely Trumpian. In this particular example, you fail to know that the Amendment specifically excludes murderers (and sexual offenders). You’d have had to read the 50-word summary to see that. Your larger point may be that – disagreeing with the 65% majority by which it passed – ex-felons who have paid their debts to society and fulfilled all terms of probation and parole should STILL be excluded from full citizenship. Okay, good for you. But why? Forty-six states disagree with you, including some very red ones. North Dakota, Montana, Utah, and Indiana are among those that allow voting IMMEDIATELY upon release – even BEFORE completing parole, and with no exception for murderers. Do you think those states are under the thumb of Democrats? “[Your oratory] feeds self-vindication, and whether on paper it bears inspection for consistency, logic or soundness is immaterial.” Sound familiar? Look it up. I might have added, on the issue of “Democrat felons,” that the Obama Administration was squeaky clean. Trump, by contrast, has seen his campaign chairman convicted of multiple felonies; his national security adviser pleading guilty; his personal lawyer/fixer pleading guilty; his son fearing indictment; and his family and cabinet officers up to their necks in a list of corrupt activities so long it will take you a good chunk of your morning to read it all. All of this ignored by the Republican Congress, two members of which — the first two to endorse Trump, as it happens — were just reelected while under indictment. Carl! You’ve been had! We need energy and passion like yours. You are always welcome, if you ever come to see things differently! Obama really was born in America. Climate change really is an avertable catastrophic threat to mankind. Putin really did direct thousands of trained agents to misinform Americans and set us against one another. Republicans, starting with Reagan, really have shifted a trillion dollars to the top tenth of one-percent at the expense of the middle class and our crumbling infrastructure. So — thank you for your readership. Please allow for the possibility that Trump is not honest, competent, or fit (he is, in fact, a sociopath*); and that Republicans in Congress who enable him are putting personal advantage above the national interest. *One definition: “The lack of conscience and an inability to feel remorse are the underlying factors. They do not have the ability to make and keep friends. The sociopathic personality is initially viewed as charming until the casual deception shines through their skillful masterful manipulation. They have the skillful aptitude for lying and cheating. They have no capacity to feel guilt.”
The Conversation November 12, 2018November 10, 2018 A few days before the election, Dash Katz’s Catholic grandmother was — as you’ll see — willing to talk about anything but politics. Herewith a 4-minute abridgment of their exceptionally human 37-minute conversation: “What It Took To Flip My 90-Year-Old Grandma Blue.” Where did this young man find the patience? Hats off to him — and to her. It’s no magic template for converting Trumpers. Trumpers don’t all have tearful gay grandsons they adore. Many probably like that Trump threatens trans people (though 56 companies, like Coke and Apple, do not). Probably applaud his anti-LGBT achievements. But it’s yet another example that when the conversation can be made personal between people of opposing views, good things can happen. As Oprah demonstrated on a larger scale. Which is why I found Özlem Cekic’s TED talk so compelling, and offer it here: Why I have coffee with people who send me hate mail My inbox is full of hate mails and personal abuse and has been for years. In 2010, I started answering those mails and suggesting to the writer that we might meet for coffee and a chat. I have had hundreds of encounters. They have taught me something important that I want to share with you. I was born in Turkey from Kurdish parents and we moved to Denmark when I was a young child. In 2007, I ran for a seat in the Danish parliament as one of the first women with a minority background. I was elected, but I soon found out that not everyone was happy about it as I had to quickly get used to finding hate messages in my inbox. Those emails would begin with something like this: “What’s a raghead like you doing in our parliament?” I never answered. I’d just delete the emails. I just thought that the senders and I had nothing in common. They didn’t understand me, and I didn’t understand them. Then one day, one of my colleagues in the parliament said that I should save the hate mails. “When something happens to you, it will give the police a lead.” (Laughter) I noticed that she said, “When something happens” and not “if.” (Laughter) Sometimes hateful letters were also sent to my home address. The more I became involved in public debate, the more hate mail and threats I received. After a while, I got a secret address and I had to take extra precautions to protect my family. Then in 2010, a Nazi began to harass me. It was a man who had attacked Muslim women on the street. Over time, it became much worse. I was at the zoo with my children, and the phone was ringing constantly. It was the Nazi. I had the impression that he was close.We headed home. When we got back, my son asked, “Why does he hate you so much, Mom, when he doesn’t even know you?” “Some people are just stupid,” I said. And at the time, I actually thought that was a pretty clever answer. And I suspect that that is the answer most of us would give. The others — they are stupid, brainwashed, ignorant. We are the good guys and they are the bad guys, period. Several weeks later I was at a friend’s house, and I was very upset and angry about all the hate and racism I had met. It was he who suggested that I should call them up and visit them. “They will kill me,” I said. “They would never attack a member of the Danish Parliament,” he said. “And anyway, if they killed you, you would become a martyr.” (Laughter) “So it’s pure win-win situation for you.” (Laughter) His advice was so unexpected, when I got home, I turned on my computer and opened the folder where I had saved all the hate mail. There were literally hundreds of them. Emails that started with words like “terrorist,” “raghead,” “rat,” “whore.” I decided to contact the one who had sent me the most. His name was Ingolf. I decided to contact him just once so I could say at least I had tried. To my surprise and shock,he answered the phone. I blurted out, “Hello, my name is Özlem. You have sent me so many hate mails. You don’t know me, I don’t know you. I was wondering if I could come around and we can drink a coffee together and talk about it?” (Laughter) There was silence on the line. And then he said, “I have to ask my wife.” (Laughter) What? The racist has a wife? (Laughter) A couple of days later, we met at his house. I will never forget when he opened his front door and reached out to shake my hand. I felt so disappointed. (Laughter) Because he looked nothing like I’d imagined. I had expected a horrible person — dirty, messy house. It was not. His house smelled of coffee which was served from a coffee set identical to the one my parents used. I ended up staying for two and a half hours. And we had so many things in common. Even our prejudices were alike. (Laughter) Ingolf told me that when he waits for the bus and the bus stops 10 meters away from him, it was because the driver was a “raghead.” I recognized that feeling. When I was young and I waited for the bus and it stopped 10 meters away from me, I was sure that the driver was a racist. When I got home, I was very ambivalent about my experience. On the one hand, I really liked Ingolf. He was easy and pleasant to talk to, but on the other hand, I couldn’t stand the idea of having so much in common with someone who had such clearly racist views. Gradually, and painfully, I came to realize that I had been just as judgmental of those who had sent me hate mails as they had been of me. This was the beginning of what I call #dialoguecoffee. Basically, I sit down for coffee with people who have said the most terrible things to me to try to understand why they hate people like me when they don’t even know me. I have been doing this the last eight years. The vast majority of people I approach agree to meet me. Most of them are men, but I have also met women. I have made it a rule to always meet them in their house to convey from the outset that I trust them. I always bring food because when we eat together, it is easier to find what we have in common and make peace together. Along the way, I have learned some valuable lessons. The people who sent hate mails are workers, husbands, wives, parents like you and me. I’m not saying that their behavior is acceptable, but I have learned to distance myself from the hateful views without distancing myself from the person who’s expressing those views. And I have discovered that the people I visit are just as afraid of people they don’t know as I was afraid of them before I started inviting myself for coffee. During these meetings, a specific theme keeps coming up. It shows up regardless whether I’m talking to a humanist or a racist, a man, a woman, a Muslim or an atheist. They all seem to think that other people are to blame for the hate and for the generalization of groups. They all believe that other people have to stop demonizing. They point at politicians, the media, their neighbor or the bus driver who stops 10 meters away. But when I asked, “What about you? What can you do?”, the reply is usually, “What can I do? I have no influence. I have no power.” I know that feeling. For a large part of my life, I also thought that I didn’t have any power or influence — even when I was a member of the Danish parliament. But today I know the reality is different. We all have power and influence where we are, so we must never, never underestimate our own potential. The #dialoguecoffee meetings have taught me that people of all political convictions can be caught demonizing the others with different views. I know what I’m talking about. As a young child, I hated different population groups. And at the time, my religious views were very extreme. But my friendship with Turks, with Danes, with Jews and with racists has vaccinated me against my own prejudices. I grew up in a working-class family, and on my journey I have met many people who have insisted on speaking to me. They have changed my views. They have formed me as a democratic citizen and a bridge builder. If you want to prevent hate and violence, we have to talk to as many people as possible for as long as possible while being as open as possible. That can only be achieved through debate, critical conversation and insisting on dialogue that doesn’t demonize people. I’m going to ask you a question. I invite you to think about it when you get home and in the coming days, but you have to be honest with yourself. It should be easy, no one else will know it. The question is this … whom do you demonize? Do you think supporters of American President Trump are deplorables? Or that those who voted for Turkish President Erdoğan are crazy Islamists? Or that those who voted for Le Pen in France are stupid fascists? Or perhaps you think that Americans who voted for Bernie Sanders are immature hippies. (Laughter) All those words have been used to vilify those groups. Maybe at this point, do you think I am an idealist? I want to give you a challenge. Before the end of this year, I challenge you to invite someone you demonize — someone you disagree with politically and/or culturally and don’t think you have anything in common with. I challenge you to invite someone like this to #dialoguecoffee. Remember Ingolf? Basically, I’m asking you to find an Ingolf in your life, contact him or her and suggest that you can meet for #dialoguecofee. When you start at #dialoguecoffee, you have to remember this: First, don’t give up if the person refuses at first. Sometimes it’s taken me nearly one year to arrange a #dialoguecoffee meeting. Two: acknowledge the other person’s courage. It isn’t just you who’s brave. The one who’s inviting you into their home is just as brave. Three: don’t judge during the conversation. Make sure that most of the conversation focuses on what you have in common. As I said, bring food. And finally, remember to finish the conversation in a positive way because you are going to meet again. A bridge can’t be built in one day. We are living in a world where many people hold definitive and often extreme opinions about the others without knowing much about them. We notice of course the prejudices on the other side more than in our own biases. And we ban them from our lives. We delete the hate mails. We hang out only with people who think like us and talk about the others in a category of disdain. We unfriend people on Facebook, and when we meet people who are discriminating or dehumanizing people or groups, we don’t insist on speaking with them to challenge their opinions. That’s how healthy democratic societies break down –when we don’t check the personal responsibility for the democracy. We take the democracy for granted. It is not. Conversation is the most difficult thing in a democracy and also the most important. So here’s my challenge. Find your Ingolf. (Laughter) Start a conversation. Trenches have been dug between people, yes, but we all have the ability to build the bridges that cross the trenches. And let me end by quoting my friend, Sergio Uzan, who lost his son, Dan Uzan, in a terror attack on a Jewish synagogue in Copenhagen, 2015. Sergio rejected any suggestion of revenge and instead said this … “Evil can only be defeated by kindness between people. Kindness demands courage.” Dear friends, let’s be courageous. Thank you. As my mother used to say: “Let it be a lesson to us all.” And could we please count all the legal votes? Not a single one more but — because we’re Americans — not a single one less? And then — there being no Electoral College in Florida — simply agree that whoever got the most votes won? That’s not called cheating or stealing or fraud; it’s called an honest election. And there’s no rush. It’s not Bush v. Gore 2000; it’s one Senate seat and one governorship. The nation can survive for a few weeks without knowing who won. Calm down. Take your time. Count the votes.
“Done With Politics” November 9, 2018November 9, 2018 But before I get to that, a few other things . . . First (in case you own it): GLDD: Momentum Builds. Well — finally. I’ve written about this every so often for ever. Like here in 2006, when GLDD was ALBA warrants with a different symbol. (We actually made good money on those warrants.) And here, last month, when it finally seemed to be stirring. I don’t know where it’s headed, obviously — click that link to read one hopeful analysis — but sold a little at $7.20 yesterday on the theory that cash could be a good thing to have as we go forward and even better opportunities present themselves. Second (Sunday is Veterans Day): Thanks to our veterans. Before the election, I sent 25 hand-addressed letters (I hate addressing letters) to folks I don’t know in places like Surprise, Arizona. They were semi-form letters, but in the space left for me to hand-write why I vote in every election, I wrote: “Well, for the kids, of course — their whole world is at stake. But also because I never had to serve in Vietnam or Iraq — it seems to me voting is the least I can do for my country.” Hats off to the veterans who have done so much more. Third (talk about your fresh faces): Andrew Yang is running for President. You met him here last month when I plugged his book. Spend nine minutes watching Wednesday’s interview and I think you’ll be intrigued. His actually becoming president may be even less likely than some black dude middle-named Hussein. But I think — and hope — the chances of his being on the debate stage along with other fine Democrats are good. His ideas cry out for a national conversation. Fourth (oh, not this again!): Bush v. Gore may have been stolen even worse than I thought. The 2018 Broward ballot design seems to have been just stupid. But STOLEN FUTURE, more of a pamphlet than a book, suggests an ingenious plot in 2000 to produce ballots that required more force to punch through for Gore than for Bush. (And you’ll never guess who owned the company that supplied the ballots.) It sounds fantastical at first. But a quick reading of all the legwork Stephen Singular did suggests otherwise – that it should be taken seriously and looked into. And finally (from reader John E.): “What the hell is wrong with the Democratic party? If we can’t pull off a bigger victory with the biggest a–hole in American history at the helm and all the positive things the Democrats stand for, something is definitely wrong. The system is broken. I am done with politics. Over and out.” To which I responded: John — You are playing right into Trump’s hands. I trust you will reconsider. We won by a wide margin in the popular vote, flipped the House, flipped at least 7 governorships, flipped 7 state legislative chambers, 4 state attorneys general, and more — but yes, largely because of gerrymandering (but also because Trump has betrayed the country and his obligation to tell the truth), we didn’t do even better. The solution – as I know you know – is not to give UP, but rather to give MORE, whether in time and effort or (for those who can) resources. So, as they say, “I don’t accept your resignation.” Rather, I am buying you a good bottle of something (at least metaphorically), sharing your frustration, thanking you for your passion . . . and urging you to redouble your efforts so we can take another big step 24 months from now. (I’d say “so we can finish the job,” but of course the job is never finished.) Don’t hate me for taking your email so seriously. Andy Have a great weekend. We live in interesting times. Putin is winning — but on Tuesday, we regained some ground.
Halfway There! November 7, 2018November 7, 2018 Okay, so we won the House, which was the main thing. Like a pass/fail course (or the bar exam, for you elitist snobs) — we passed. There were bonuses, too. We flipped 7 governorships! We flipped 6 state legislative chambers! We broke 4 Republican supermajorities! We flipped 4 attorneys general! I don’t want to talk about the heartbreaks because, even with the happy gene, I have to say they make me really, really sad. What I do want to say is: we got the job done and are now halfway there. Two years from now, once we register many of the million-plus Floridians whose voting rights Tuesday’s election restored, we will win Florida. Two years from now, with a “map” as grossly unfavorable to their side as it was this time to ours, we will win the Senate. Two years from now, with an electorate that already favored the Democratic nominee by millions of votes even with Putin’s thumb on the scale — and that favored Democrats by an even wider margin Tuesday — we will win the White House. At which point, despite lots of opposition we can expect from our friends in the other party (perhaps even principled this time), we will be able to restore civility and steer our wonderful country back onto the highway of progress. If you think it would be nuts to lay off our hundreds of field organizers this week — if you’d rather see them keep building straight through to November of 2020 — click here.
Gwen Voted! November 7, 2018November 6, 2018 My Mail Chimp postman comes just once a day, a little after midnight, so I’m having to post this with lots of results yet to come in. But Gwen — the nonvoting mom you met last week — voted! Straight Democrat! When I heard that, I had a feeling it could be a good night . . . as so far, despite some real heartbreaks, it’s shaping up to be. Thank you for voting. Thank you for volunteering. Thank you for giving. And thank you for running, if you were among many wonderful new candidates did. In case you missed it, here was Captain Sully Sullenberger urging folks to step up. If we did do well yesterday, it was clear-headed, heartfelt letters like his that doubtless helped push a bunch of traditional Republicans to make an exception this year.
I Am A Praytheist November 6, 2018November 5, 2018 A praytheist is an atheist who prays anyway. I am one. And I love Jesus. I’m quite sure he never walked on water; but equally sure he preached love, justice, and compassion, which may be even more terrific. So I’m praytheing that everyone who cares about love, justice, and compassion will vote today* . . . . . . and for the party that is — generally speaking — for the needy, not the greedy . . . the struggling middle class, not the idle rich (not that I have anything against the idle rich, for one of whom I could reasonably be mistaken) . . . the gentle, not the violent . . . the embracing, not the intolerant. For hope, not fear. For “the people,” not the powerful. For tikkun olam. (Jesus was, after all, Jewish.) Whichever party you think that is. Scroll down. Scroll down. Scroll down. Anyone? Bueller? Okay, okay. I’ll give you a hint. It’s not the Republicans. There are loads of wonderful, compassionate Republicans — I know a ton of them. But even many of them are voting Democrat today. *Roger Angell — at 98! — makes a compelling case for that.
What You Get If You Vote November 5, 2018November 4, 2018 I’m not sure it’s technically legal for me to bribe you this way, but if you vote Democrat tomorrow, I will add a free year’s free delivery to your subscription. ‘Nuff said? Who can turn down a deal like that? How else would you have known about stocks like FANH or that dryer lint is compostable? (It is! Now you know!) On the other hand, if you vote Republican, Trump has told us over and over you’ll be voting for him. And, as I’ve said over and over, he’s right. So this is what you’ll get: Vulgarity. Misogyny. Dishonesty. Bigotry. Ignorance. Corruption. Division. Climate Denial. Tax Fraud. Fascism. A pathological liar (says Ted Cruz). A dangerous con man (says Marco Rubio). A national disgrace (says Colin Powell). The world’s number one bully (says Republican ex-governor Christine Todd Whitman). A Putin admirer. A sociopath who kept a book of Hitler’s speeches by his bedside. Our very own Mussolini. (Who, as it turns out, did not make the trains run on time.) That’s what you’re voting for if you vote Republican this year. If you encounter problems voting tomorrow, call 866-OUR-VOTE or text “our vote” to 97779. To find your polling place, click here.
“Vote Blue, No Matter Who” November 3, 2018 Sorry about yesterday’s typos, corrected below. Plus this just in from Ed Costello: “Great idea on texting. I’ve been using WhenWeAllVote.org for a week and the response % is really good. Please give them a boost, if you can. Vote Blue, No Matter Who (this time only). And help others vote, too.” Indeed. And now, without the typos this time: Action and Reactions: Will Gwen vote? By A.T. On November 2, 2018 First, some actions you can still take: Text encouragement to voters you don’t know with NextGen’s Blue Wave, Resistance Labs, MoveOn.org, or Build the Wave. Text encouragement to voters you don’t know with VoteWithMe. “If you give the app permission to access your phone contacts,” writes Brian Gatens, who tried it, “it will sync them to public voting rolls and suggest some you should reach out to — for example, voters registered in a swing district — and draft a suggested text. You can even sort your contacts by party registration or see if they voted in 2014 and 2016.” OutVote is a similar app. That’s the main thing. If each of us, who will vote ourselves, can inspire one other person to vote, the whole world changes. So I picked Gwen (not her real name), mom to Tim (not his real name), the young partner of my great friend Brad (not his real name). Because here’s the thing: Tim (a student) and Brad (a lawyer) are both totally voting — if only all millennials were, we’d win by a mile — but Tim’s mother Gwen has sworn off politics. “Whaaaaaaaat?” I asked Tim and Brad. “You have to fix this.” “She’s very stubborn.” “You have you have to get her to vote! She’s even in a swing district!” “We know. We’ve tried.” “Should I call her?” Their eyes widened a bit at this, but within hours they had gotten Gwen’s skeptical permission, and I think Gwen and I were both relieved that I got her voice mail. So I left a gentle, heartfelt message, beginning of course — with the added benefit of its being true — with my telling her what a great guy her son is and what a terrific job she had apparently done raising him. She texted back: “Thank you so much for calling me and the nice words you had for my son. He speaks very very highly of you also. I will consider your words but I hate politics. I think they’re all liars. What these politicians do at this time of year is speak bad of each other. Another reason I cannot stand politics is because I believe that there should not be two sides and that both parties should be ONE. I know that’s not how it works. And I know [Tim] is very passionate about politics. And I respect him for that. I just personally do not believe/trust what ANY candidate says. But I will keep in mind what you said. I personally cannot wait to meet you.” I replied: “Hey, thanks, [Gwen]! You and I are not liars and I know a lot of these people personally — most of them are not liars either. (Trump is a pathological liar, but Obama and your governor — and so many other Democrats — are not liars!) Democrats mean it when they they say they want to expand health care — and they have. They gave us Medicare and Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. They mean it when they say they want to fight to give your son and [Brad] equal rights — and they’ve made tremendous progress on that despite strong Republican opposition. If good people like you don’t vote — or trust people like me and [Tim] when we tell you how important it is — what are we left with? Don’t give up on our great country or its future. WE NEED YOUR HELP. Thanks again for listening. I’m eager to meet you, too.” What will Gwen do? Tim and Brad and I are still conspiring. There are thoughts of threatening to withhold holiday visits (if you don’t love me enough to detour half an hour on your way to work to do this for me, why should I . . .) but that seems harsh, and Gwen not being Jewish, she might not react properly. (Does the code of Jewish guilt translate across all upbringings?) We think a gentle, loving call from Tim Monday night — and perhaps another from his sister early Tuesday morning, on her way to vote — could help. But could it backfire? Can they all find the humor and the familial love in this situation? Would it help to note that she’d likely be canceling out the vote of her ex-husband? Is that the hook? I don’t know. I just know it shouldn’t be this hard. And it will come down to whether the Gwens of this world — mostly wonderful people — think logically and do something to impose “checks and balances” on the sociopath whom thousands of Russian agents helped install as our leader. Finally, a couple of your reactions this past week: Joel Margolis: “OK, 7,200 is an acceptable number; is 72,000 also an acceptable number? what about 720,0000? or 7,200,000 or 72,000,000 or 720,000,000? There are probably a billion people who would like to move to the US. Would you admit all of them? If not, at what number would you say: too many?” ☞ This is a fair question that gets to the crux of things. As I’ve repeatedly acknowledged, reasonable people can disagree — and compromise — when it comes to immigration . . . as the Senate did when Republicans and Democrats joined to pass by a margin of 68-32 comprehensive immigration reform that would have passed the House as well and been signed into law had the House Republican leadership allowed it to come to the floor for a vote. Or (to take a recent example) when Trump said he’d sign any compromise Congress brought him — but then reneged when they did. So that’s part one. Part two is simply: be realistic. We’ve had what Trump calls horrible laws with open borders and no enforcement etc., etc. long before he arrived and somehow the nation survived. Last year’s caravan dwindled down to just a couple dozen people; this one has already dwindled to 3,200 with a long way to go — facing 20,000 border agents and 2,000 National Guardsmen, and now 5,000 or 10,000 or 15,000 troops . . . and not even seeking to enter the country illegally, seeking asylum. Throwing themselves on our mercy. If people seek asylum for legitimate reasons, we might indeed want to grant them entry. When those reasons are deemed illegitimate, we already turn them away. The chances that millions will arrive on our doorstep, as you fear, seem remote. It’s hard walking thousands of miles to seek asylum. It’s impossible to swim here. And those who can afford airfare from Yemen or Sudan or Nigeria — well, they can’t. But we have mechanisms in place to review their applications if they do. But right now, there simply is no crisis. Let’s elect thoughtful people and resurrect the reasonable compromise reached in 2013 or craft a new one. In the meantime, to those genuinely worried about thousands of leprous Honduran rapists and murders invading Kentucky and Montana: rest easy. It’s totally not happening. Kaye Sandeman: “I love your line about knowing what team you’re on. Media does its best to make it about the personality of the candidates because everything else about politics can be boring to a large part of the population. You don’t see a daily story about the party platform, yet we ALL know Mitt Romney once put his dog in a cage on top of his car. We live in a county run by guns and religion and it’s not working.” Dennis: “Usually I lean somewhat Republican, but the craziness of this nearly-two-insane-years of everything being topsy-turvy will have me voting straight Democrat Tuesday. The first time ever. Keep making those logical straightforward points, and hopefully the truth on the issues can drown out the scare tactics and lies. P.S. Feel free to use my email if you’d like, but only with my first name please — Dennis (yes, a white, Protestant, married, business owner male…not that this should even need to be said, but I figured I’d mention it given the amazing amount of discounting of folks’ arguments out there because they’re…well, something that’s not white and male).” Now get out there and text!
Action and Reactions: Will Gwen vote? November 2, 2018November 3, 2018 First, some actions you can still take: Text encouragement to voters you don’t know with NextGen’s Blue Wave, Resistance Labs, MoveOn.org, or Build the Wave. Text encouragement to voters you don’t know with VoteWithMe. “If you give the app permission to access your phone contacts,” writes Brian Gatens, who tried it, “it will sync them to public voting rolls and suggest some you should reach out to — for example, voters registered in a swing district — and draft a suggested text. You can even sort your contacts by party registration or see if they voted in 2014 and 2016.” OutVote is a similar app. That’s the main thing. If each of us, who will vote ourselves, can inspire one other person to vote, the whole world changes. So I picked Gwen (not her real name), mom to Tim (not his real name), the young partner of my great friend Brad (not his real name). Because here’s the thing: Tim (a student) and Brad (a lawyer) are both totally voting — if only all millennials were, we’d win by a mile — but Tim’s mother Gwen has sworn off politics. “Whaaaaaaaat?” I asked Tim and Brad. “You have to fix this.” “She’s very stubborn.” “You have you have to get her to vote! She’s even in a swing district!” “We know. We’ve tried.” “Should I call her?” Their eyes widened a bit at this, but within hours they had gotten Gwen’s skeptical permission, and I think Gwen and I were both relieved that I got her voice mail. So I left a gentle, heartfelt message, beginning of course — with the added benefit of its being true — with my telling her what a great guy her son is and what a terrific job she had apparently done raising him. She texted back: “Thank you so much for calling me and the nice words you had for my son. He speaks very very highly of you also. I will consider your words but I hate politics. I think they’re all liars. What these politicians do at this time of year is speak bad of each other. Another reason I cannot stand politics is because I believe that there should not be two sides and that both parties should be ONE. I know that’s not how it works. And I know [Tim] is very passionate about politics. And I respect him for that. I just personally do not believe/trust what ANY candidate says. But I will keep in mind what you said. I personally cannot wait to meet you.” I replied: “Hey, thanks, [Gwen]! You and I are not liars and I know a lot of these people personally — most of them are not liars either. (Trump is a pathological liar, but Obama and your governor — and so many other Democrats — are not liars!) Democrats mean it when they they say they want to expand health care — and they have. They gave us Medicare and Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. They mean it when they say they want to fight to give your son and [Brad] equal rights — and they’ve made tremendous progress on that despite strong Republican opposition. If good people like you don’t vote — or trust people like me and [Tim] when we tell you how important it is — what are we left with? Don’t give up on our great country or its future. WE NEED YOUR HELP. Thanks again for listening. I’m eager to meet you, too.” What will Gwen do? Tim and Brad and I are still conspiring. There are thoughts of threatening to withhold holiday visits (if you don’t love me enough to detour half an hour on your way to work to do this for me, why should I . . .) but that seems harsh, and Gwen not being Jewish, she might not react properly. (Does the code of Jewish guilt translate across all upbringings?) We think a gentle, loving call from Tim Monday night — and perhaps another from his sister early Tuesday morning, on her way to vote — could help. But could it backfire? Can they all find the humor and the familial love in this situation? Would it help to note that she’d likely be canceling out the vote of her ex-husband? Is that the hook? I don’t know. I just know it shouldn’t be this hard. And it will come down to whether the Gwens of this world — mostly wonderful people — think logically and do something to impose “checks and balances” on the sociopath whom thousands of Russian agents helped install as our leader. Finally, a couple of your reactions this past week: Joel Margolis: “OK, 7,200 is an acceptable number; is 72,000 also an acceptable number? what about 720,0000? or 7,200,000 or 72,000,000 or 720,000,000? There are probably a billion people who would like to move to the US. Would you admit all of them? If not, at what number would you say: too many?” ☞ This is a fair question that gets to the crux of things. As I’ve repeatedly acknowledged, reasonable people can disagree — and compromise — when it comes to immigration . . . as the Senate did when Republicans and Democrats joined to pass by a margin of 68-32 comprehensive immigration reform that would have passed the House as well and been signed into law had the House Republican leadership allowed it to come to the floor for a vote. Or (to take a recent example) when Trump said he’d sign any compromise Congress brought him — but then reneged when they did. So that’s part one. Part two is simply: be realistic. We’ve had what Trump calls horrible laws with open borders and no enforcement etc., etc. long before he arrived and somehow the nation survived. Last year’s caravan dwindled down to just a couple dozen people; this one has already dwindled to 3,200 with a long way to go — facing 20,000 border agents and 2,000 National Guardsmen, and now 5,000 or 10,000 or 15,000 troops . . . and not even seeking to enter the country illegally, seeking asylum. Throwing themselves on our mercy. If people seek asylum for legitimate reasons, we might indeed want to grant them entry. When those reasons are deemed illegitimate, we already turn them away. The chances that millions will arrive on our doorstep, as you fear, seem remote. It’s hard walking thousands of miles to seek asylum. It’s impossible to swim here. And those who can afford airfare from Yemen or Sudan or Nigeria — well, they can’t. But we have mechanisms in place to review their applications if they do. But right now, there simply is no crisis. Let’s elect thoughtful people and resurrect the reasonable compromise reached in 2013 or craft a new one. In the meantime, to those genuinely worried about thousands of leprous Honduran rapists and murders invading Kentucky and Montana: rest easy. It’s totally not happening. Kaye Sandeman: “I love your line about knowing what team you’re on. Media does its best to make it about the personality of the candidates because everything else about politics can be boring to a large part of the population. You don’t see a daily story about the party platform, yet we ALL know Mitt Romney once put his dog in a cage on top of his car. We live in a county run by guns and religion and it’s not working.” Dennis: “Usually I lean somewhat Republican, but the craziness of this nearly-two-insane-years of everything being topsy-turvy will have me voting straight Democrat Tuesday. The first time ever. Keep making those logical straightforward points, and hopefully the truth on the issues can drown out the scare tactics and lies. P.S. Feel free to use my email if you’d like, but only with my first name please — Dennis (yes, a white, Protestant, married, business owner male…not that this should even need to be said, but I figured I’d mention it given the amazing amount of discounting of folks’ arguments out there because they’re…well, something that’s not white and male).” Now get out there and text!
“I’m Not Anti-Trump, I’m Just Pro-Jesus” November 1, 2018October 31, 2018 Meet the Evangelicals stumping for Democrats. Specifically, the Vote Common Good tour, a “rolling revival-cum-hootenanny performed in churches, city parks, pubs and parking lots, replete with klieg lights, backdrop banners and a portable stage pulled from a pickup truck.” . . . For two weeks this group of musicians, poets and pastors from both sides of the political divide has been driving across the country proclaiming the good news – or, to most Americans these days, what is simply news: that to be Christian, you don’t have to vote Republican. That you can love gay people and the flag at the same time, support Black Lives Matter along with the troops, and that God is perfectly fine with that. Most of all, the group wants liberal and conservative Christians to join forces and reclaim the gospel from the likes of Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell Jr, who told Fox News that evangelicals had found their “dream president” in Donald Trump. Come 6 November, they’re asking people of faith to set aside cultural differences and vote for the common good, and, by doing so, flip Congress. . . . Amen, brothers and sisters. Spread the word, lest we reap the whirlwind. Speaking of which: > Stephen Colbert on the whirlwind, a clip I couldn’t find at the time of the Kavanaugh hearings but worth your minute even now. I mean, really. > Yesterday’s report of “startling new research.” The oceans are heating up much faster than we thought. If you feel threatened by an invasion of Hondurans — and comforted that the Republicans have sent 5,200 soldiers to supplement the 2,000 National Guardsmen they called up to supplement the 20,000 border patrol agents already employed to confront however many of the remaining 3,500 actually make it to our border seeking asylum to pick our tomatoes and clean our toilets — then you should feel even more threatened by climate change. It could force billions to relocate . . . cause famine, epidemics, and wars . . . flood millions more homes in Houston and North Carolina and everywhere else. To fight that crisis, the Republicans propose we close our eyes and pretend it’s a hoax. That’s their plan. Vote early, if you can. Vote even in deep-blue places where “it doesn’t matter” because actually it does: As much as Republicans should keep in mind that Hillary won by a nearly 3 million votes — despite Putin’s thumb on our scale — what I hope we might show the world this time is an even wider rejection of Trump’s “vision.” Vote, as those Evangelicals urge, for the common good.