Greg, this essay today is clear and frightening. Thank you for always alerting us. If only more people would read your substacks, and the others that are warning us. We cannot “sleepwalk “ through this dangerous time.
Morning, Greg! I have yet to listen to the interview. My own conspiracy theory is that the media has been avoiding what's been happening so that they will ultimately survive the fascist takeover.
We talk about this a bit in the interview. I think the media, insofar as it can be seen as a monolith at all, is governed by inertia. It is slooooooowwwww to change. And we need it to change quickly.
Ouch! I hate the electoral college system. Because my vote for Biden will not be counted as I live in Florida. But, dear sir, I’ll still bet you they our next president will not be a king.
Whoever wins the bet -- let’s donate the money to the DNC.
These super rich people would rather donate to think tanks and advocacy groups and plot ways to avoid paying taxes instead of just, you know, paying taxes.
Glad I was raised poor and know that I can survive on my own if I have to (barring any of the unexpected events that can crater any of us). I don’t mind paying taxes to help our society help others, but I’m mightily pissed at paying for the rich to buy another yacht.
“At the end of the day polling is only a snapshot into a moment, and cannot predict anything. Things change all the time in politics — change is the constant.”
“It tells us nothing about what voters will do when presented with a choice between an 80-year-old, sane and accomplished incumbent running against an only slightly younger, unhinged, accused felon.” - Jennifer Rubin, WAPO
Is Liz Cheney crying in the wilderness? Are you? One hope some of us still have is that the things the GOP has done—like killing women’s reproductive rights—will bring out Blue voters in droves. Maybe it’s magical thinking. But it will keep me sane for another year.
But there are many more of us. At the end of the day, it's a math problem. That's why so much of their energy, in Texas especially, is devoted to voter suppression.
Hi Jeri, I am wondering what kind of information is being reported in Texas on the immigrants that Abbott has sent to Chicago. I cringe at the thought of him reveling in the chaos he has created. On the other hand, I am thankful that they are out of his grasp.
I don't think so. Trump has never won a popular vote, and is unlikely to start now. Dobbs, I think, is a more powerful incentive to vote than anything else that will happen, as you suggest.
Sadly, our flawed sytem with its electoral college and tolerance of gerrymandering means that our votes and donated money can't guarantee a good outcome no matter how many people make it to the polls. One would think that after the electoral college delivered us Bush 2 we would have gotten rid of that antiquated relic of slavery; but no, we still magically thought Hillary would win if enough of us got out and voted. Instead it delivered us the insane snd inept ketchup flinger. And now with still no fix--
We can't change the Electoral College without an amendment, which requires two thirds of the vote of the Senate, which will never happen because the Senate is also set up to favor the conservatives. But if enough people make it to the polls, this could still be a trouncing. Are people REALLY going to vote for a loser who is a convicted felon? Who took away abortion rights and wants to prevent all the Palestinians people are rallying behind from entering the US? I think not. But I've been known to give the people too much credit.
I agree with everything you said here but just remember the MAGA voters do not think the way we do. They are being told everything is a conspiracy and they LOVE conspiracies - as much as "reality" tv. It makes them feel like they know a secret that other people can't understand, which bonds them. That said, there are still more of us than them.
We face very, very scary times. If I am honest, until recently I was on the riverboat, perhaps better said having blind faith that enough of the American people care about Democracy and would vote accordingly. I could not fathom how anyone could want a Putin-like person in the Oval. I got to where the likes of Liz Cheney are after hearing enough of my fellow North Carolinians extol the virtues of 45 and his agenda. More scary is that I live in a very blue part of the State. Being a transplanted New Yorker I just assumed that a large majority of Americans valued Democracy. It is not that I didn't see the threat, rather could not believe it was real.
What I have come to believe is that the newest part of media, social media allow people to not only live in the bubble but that existence is reinforced daily. 45 is a madman and left to his own devices would destroy himself. This self destruction is kept at bay by the likes of Bannon and Miller. They use social media to keep believers in line, countering 45's self destruction instincts.
What awakened me to the reality of the threat was first a belief 45 would self destruct and second faith in the American people. I now believe my first thought is wishful thinking. This leaves faith as the only salvation and while I still hold out hope, I fear the impact of social media, Russian trolls plus Bannon and Miller types using it against us may just prevail.
Was getting a haircut the other day and heard a women blame Biden for everything Trump has done including assaulting women. Could not believe my ears. Cannot fathom what planet she lives on. She was raging about things even the likes of Fox and ONN would not say.
Like an old crone blathered to me about Joe Biden putting all these guns on the street. I was shocked, and said that’s the biggest lie I have heard lately, where did you hear that? There is an alternative universe out there, deliberately created by Rupert and others of his ilk. While Our MSM blathers bull Schitt.
Well said. And I'm with you. It's simply hard for me to imagine people voting for this awful human. But they don't see him as an awful human, or DeSantis or the rest of them. And a lot of them are kind, good people who, if they really knew, would be appalled. But there's where we are now.
We need North Carolina to go blue. That would be nice...
If you want the truth about the NC legislature, subscribe to Jeff Jackson's excellent newsletter. Right now he's in the US House of Reps but due to the (persistently) gerrymandered maps in our state, he says it's impossible for any Dem to be elected next time. So he's running for NC attorney general instead. Please support him if you're hoping to turn NC blue.
There are days when making a comment is almost beyond me. This is one of those days. The fight, however, does continue in every way we can. The game, if the media INSISTS on treating it that way, is not over. This is not a time for giving up when we're not even into 2024 yet. The time for giving up is when Trumptroopers come to your door and arrest you because you're a liberal, or said things against King Trump, or are gay, or are simply an "other." THAT is not now. Contrary to popular belief on the right, Joe Biden's government is not and will not do that, but Trump's will. Keep fighting. Keep talking. Keep helping people, wherever they are, to make sure they're registered to vote. It's not much to ask to keep our system of government intact.
Will Bunch is one of the few journalists who has been consistently calling out the shitty job that most of media is doing at informing the public of the peril that we are in. The problem is that willful ignorance may well kill democracy.
Short of physically slapping people, how do we wake people tf up?
All we can do is keep shouting, keep trying to break through to the non-zombies, and refuse to give one inch to the fascists. I have faith that the better angels will prevail.
Remember Chris Cuomo? He has a show on NewsNation. My husband and I used to laugh at the commercials for his show because he portrayed himself as a poor little victim (how attractive! - NOT!). Then he went on to interview all these right wing nuts as retribution to the “mainstream media”. Nobody’s telling him what to anymore! Sound familiar? That’s the gist of NewsNation. They hired several right wing/former Fox News people to run the company. Needless to say, I do not watch it. As for all the scary stuff, just stay alert and aware of what’s going on. And remember, there’s WAY more of us than there are of them - they just scream louder.
News Nation is like the news channel for unserious, bland TV news watchers. I THINK it's on my cable package, but I do know that it's on my free Samsung TV channels that come with the TV that I never watch. I was a little surprised to see Elizabeth Vargas leave ABC News to land at News Nation, though. She used to be a real reporter, but I guess everyone has to eat, i.e. Chris Cuomo. Ugh!
Yes, I saw a commercial on WGN the other day that showed Cuomo and Elizabeth Vargas. I was very disappointed to see her there. She's a very good journalist but who knows what they promised her? I don't know if you've seen the headlines about Andrew Cuomo replacing Eric Andrews as NYC mayor but it seems to be a desperate push to transform his very damaged image.
I saw that a few weeks ago, re Andrew running for mayor of NYC. It seems as ridiculous a quest as Anthony Weiner or Rudy Giuliani coming back and trying it again. You're canceled Andrew, STAY DOWN, damn it!!
The dramatic shift in the political power dynamic is already happening. He is manipulating our world from the outside already as well as he controlled it from the inside. The roadblocks need to be widespread and high. He is proving every day with his response to these court cases, what Ayn Rand was quoted as saying. “It’s not who will let me, it’s who will stop me.” So far not one damn soul.
I want that NYC judge to put him in jail for violating the gag order. I think it would pierce the idea of him as invincible. Also, it would be, big picture, ironic that it was a CIVIL case that landed him behind bars, rather than the four criminal ones.
We know why Joe Biden s age became "A THING".. OligarchMassMedia started the meme..while never mentioning Trump's OBVIOUS mental decline.GOP Billionaire owned MassMedia SUPPORTS Tax Cutter Trump and will destroy Joe Biden like they did Hillary Clinton,if we don't push back HARD.👿Great Podcast Guys..Pseudo Intellectuals is right.Blow up the Cathedral with no plans to replace it,is SIMPLY a Naomi Klein "Shock Doctrine"opportunity..Loot Taxpayers Treasury 👿.wake up America.
Greg, I love your parodies. There's a song in the movie "White Christmas" called "Sisters Sisters." Would you be interested in creating lyrics for this song from the movie White Christmas?
I get the Dallas Morning News and I haven't seen anything. But, I miss two or three papers a week. Abbott's criminal enterprise is always newsworthy here
Greg, this essay today is clear and frightening. Thank you for always alerting us. If only more people would read your substacks, and the others that are warning us. We cannot “sleepwalk “ through this dangerous time.
Thanks, Helen. I remain optimistic, incidentally. I think Biden is going to win easily. But i've been wrong before.
I want to think so too Greg. Your comment gives me hope. Especially the “easy” part.
Morning, Greg! I have yet to listen to the interview. My own conspiracy theory is that the media has been avoiding what's been happening so that they will ultimately survive the fascist takeover.
We talk about this a bit in the interview. I think the media, insofar as it can be seen as a monolith at all, is governed by inertia. It is slooooooowwwww to change. And we need it to change quickly.
They won't survive the takeover, if there is one.
Ouch! I hate the electoral college system. Because my vote for Biden will not be counted as I live in Florida. But, dear sir, I’ll still bet you they our next president will not be a king.
Whoever wins the bet -- let’s donate the money to the DNC.
Wish I had enough to make up for the mega billions landing in chump’s pockets
These super rich people would rather donate to think tanks and advocacy groups and plot ways to avoid paying taxes instead of just, you know, paying taxes.
Glad I was raised poor and know that I can survive on my own if I have to (barring any of the unexpected events that can crater any of us). I don’t mind paying taxes to help our society help others, but I’m mightily pissed at paying for the rich to buy another yacht.
Oh, I agree it won't be a king. I think Biden wins easily.
Actually, your Florida vote is worth a lot more than my New York one in this idiotic system of ours...
“At the end of the day polling is only a snapshot into a moment, and cannot predict anything. Things change all the time in politics — change is the constant.”
“It tells us nothing about what voters will do when presented with a choice between an 80-year-old, sane and accomplished incumbent running against an only slightly younger, unhinged, accused felon.” - Jennifer Rubin, WAPO
She's right. Polls now are meaningless. I'm worried about Bibi, and Biden's association with him. If Biden loses, it will be Bibi's fault.
Bibi and #TrumpHeights have more in common. Biden realizes that Hamas has to go. ☮️
Bibi or the scare mongering about immigrants
Beyond sleepwalking.
ZOMBIEISM
[changes channel to watch reality TV show]
Is Liz Cheney crying in the wilderness? Are you? One hope some of us still have is that the things the GOP has done—like killing women’s reproductive rights—will bring out Blue voters in droves. Maybe it’s magical thinking. But it will keep me sane for another year.
Immigration is the same for repubs as abortion is for Dems. In Tx, chump is a shoo in.
But there are many more of us. At the end of the day, it's a math problem. That's why so much of their energy, in Texas especially, is devoted to voter suppression.
Exactly, they know that purple is on the rise. The desperation is palpable.
Hi Jeri, I am wondering what kind of information is being reported in Texas on the immigrants that Abbott has sent to Chicago. I cringe at the thought of him reveling in the chaos he has created. On the other hand, I am thankful that they are out of his grasp.
I have heard nothing, but it’s hard to watch the news here. Didn’t see a thing in Dallas Morning News
I don't think so. Trump has never won a popular vote, and is unlikely to start now. Dobbs, I think, is a more powerful incentive to vote than anything else that will happen, as you suggest.
Sadly, our flawed sytem with its electoral college and tolerance of gerrymandering means that our votes and donated money can't guarantee a good outcome no matter how many people make it to the polls. One would think that after the electoral college delivered us Bush 2 we would have gotten rid of that antiquated relic of slavery; but no, we still magically thought Hillary would win if enough of us got out and voted. Instead it delivered us the insane snd inept ketchup flinger. And now with still no fix--
We can't change the Electoral College without an amendment, which requires two thirds of the vote of the Senate, which will never happen because the Senate is also set up to favor the conservatives. But if enough people make it to the polls, this could still be a trouncing. Are people REALLY going to vote for a loser who is a convicted felon? Who took away abortion rights and wants to prevent all the Palestinians people are rallying behind from entering the US? I think not. But I've been known to give the people too much credit.
I agree with everything you said here but just remember the MAGA voters do not think the way we do. They are being told everything is a conspiracy and they LOVE conspiracies - as much as "reality" tv. It makes them feel like they know a secret that other people can't understand, which bonds them. That said, there are still more of us than them.
True in Texas
We face very, very scary times. If I am honest, until recently I was on the riverboat, perhaps better said having blind faith that enough of the American people care about Democracy and would vote accordingly. I could not fathom how anyone could want a Putin-like person in the Oval. I got to where the likes of Liz Cheney are after hearing enough of my fellow North Carolinians extol the virtues of 45 and his agenda. More scary is that I live in a very blue part of the State. Being a transplanted New Yorker I just assumed that a large majority of Americans valued Democracy. It is not that I didn't see the threat, rather could not believe it was real.
What I have come to believe is that the newest part of media, social media allow people to not only live in the bubble but that existence is reinforced daily. 45 is a madman and left to his own devices would destroy himself. This self destruction is kept at bay by the likes of Bannon and Miller. They use social media to keep believers in line, countering 45's self destruction instincts.
What awakened me to the reality of the threat was first a belief 45 would self destruct and second faith in the American people. I now believe my first thought is wishful thinking. This leaves faith as the only salvation and while I still hold out hope, I fear the impact of social media, Russian trolls plus Bannon and Miller types using it against us may just prevail.
As I said very, very scary times.
NC has changed, my NC family is bonkers. The Madness of Millions
Was getting a haircut the other day and heard a women blame Biden for everything Trump has done including assaulting women. Could not believe my ears. Cannot fathom what planet she lives on. She was raging about things even the likes of Fox and ONN would not say.
Old Man, give yourself an opportunity to politely tell this deranged woman that she is incorrect and the reasons why, if this scenario happens again.
It's always a question, to engage with lunacy or not. Better to talk to the stylist than try to convert the inconvertible.
Like an old crone blathered to me about Joe Biden putting all these guns on the street. I was shocked, and said that’s the biggest lie I have heard lately, where did you hear that? There is an alternative universe out there, deliberately created by Rupert and others of his ilk. While Our MSM blathers bull Schitt.
I thought they WANTED guns...?
It was just after the Allen, Tx shooting. Close to home. I’ve given up on looking for logic, but blaming Joe was a bridge too far.
There are a lot like her. Their brains are gone. They are lost.
Ugh.
Well said. And I'm with you. It's simply hard for me to imagine people voting for this awful human. But they don't see him as an awful human, or DeSantis or the rest of them. And a lot of them are kind, good people who, if they really knew, would be appalled. But there's where we are now.
We need North Carolina to go blue. That would be nice...
They are trying, but the cheating is as bad as in Texas
If you want the truth about the NC legislature, subscribe to Jeff Jackson's excellent newsletter. Right now he's in the US House of Reps but due to the (persistently) gerrymandered maps in our state, he says it's impossible for any Dem to be elected next time. So he's running for NC attorney general instead. Please support him if you're hoping to turn NC blue.
There are days when making a comment is almost beyond me. This is one of those days. The fight, however, does continue in every way we can. The game, if the media INSISTS on treating it that way, is not over. This is not a time for giving up when we're not even into 2024 yet. The time for giving up is when Trumptroopers come to your door and arrest you because you're a liberal, or said things against King Trump, or are gay, or are simply an "other." THAT is not now. Contrary to popular belief on the right, Joe Biden's government is not and will not do that, but Trump's will. Keep fighting. Keep talking. Keep helping people, wherever they are, to make sure they're registered to vote. It's not much to ask to keep our system of government intact.
Oh, we're never giving up, not in this space. My Substack is not called MEEKLY SURRENDER. ; )
And I wonder if there are enough Nazis in this country to staff the police armies they'd require to go door to door. I like to think there are not.
Will Bunch is one of the few journalists who has been consistently calling out the shitty job that most of media is doing at informing the public of the peril that we are in. The problem is that willful ignorance may well kill democracy.
Short of physically slapping people, how do we wake people tf up?
All we can do is keep shouting, keep trying to break through to the non-zombies, and refuse to give one inch to the fascists. I have faith that the better angels will prevail.
Remember Chris Cuomo? He has a show on NewsNation. My husband and I used to laugh at the commercials for his show because he portrayed himself as a poor little victim (how attractive! - NOT!). Then he went on to interview all these right wing nuts as retribution to the “mainstream media”. Nobody’s telling him what to anymore! Sound familiar? That’s the gist of NewsNation. They hired several right wing/former Fox News people to run the company. Needless to say, I do not watch it. As for all the scary stuff, just stay alert and aware of what’s going on. And remember, there’s WAY more of us than there are of them - they just scream louder.
Oh right! I knew I heard the name before, and that's why. How the mighty have fallen.
And yes: we vastly outnumber them. Just like in the Civil War.
News Nation is like the news channel for unserious, bland TV news watchers. I THINK it's on my cable package, but I do know that it's on my free Samsung TV channels that come with the TV that I never watch. I was a little surprised to see Elizabeth Vargas leave ABC News to land at News Nation, though. She used to be a real reporter, but I guess everyone has to eat, i.e. Chris Cuomo. Ugh!
Yes, I saw a commercial on WGN the other day that showed Cuomo and Elizabeth Vargas. I was very disappointed to see her there. She's a very good journalist but who knows what they promised her? I don't know if you've seen the headlines about Andrew Cuomo replacing Eric Andrews as NYC mayor but it seems to be a desperate push to transform his very damaged image.
I saw that a few weeks ago, re Andrew running for mayor of NYC. It seems as ridiculous a quest as Anthony Weiner or Rudy Giuliani coming back and trying it again. You're canceled Andrew, STAY DOWN, damn it!!
"Out damn spot!"
Why are Republicans like Liz Cheney, Michael Steele, etc, just waking up to this? Why?
They have been under siege for a while, by their own party. It’s been no secret
I'd argue they've been on the right side of things for some time. I welcome all GOP apostates. The more the better!
Me too!
The dramatic shift in the political power dynamic is already happening. He is manipulating our world from the outside already as well as he controlled it from the inside. The roadblocks need to be widespread and high. He is proving every day with his response to these court cases, what Ayn Rand was quoted as saying. “It’s not who will let me, it’s who will stop me.” So far not one damn soul.
I want that NYC judge to put him in jail for violating the gag order. I think it would pierce the idea of him as invincible. Also, it would be, big picture, ironic that it was a CIVIL case that landed him behind bars, rather than the four criminal ones.
I agree 100%. The powers that be say that he’s not above the law, yet he’s is getting away with the most egregious conduct.
"I think it would pierce the idea of him as invincible." This is the best argument I've heard for putting him in jail.
We know why Joe Biden s age became "A THING".. OligarchMassMedia started the meme..while never mentioning Trump's OBVIOUS mental decline.GOP Billionaire owned MassMedia SUPPORTS Tax Cutter Trump and will destroy Joe Biden like they did Hillary Clinton,if we don't push back HARD.👿Great Podcast Guys..Pseudo Intellectuals is right.Blow up the Cathedral with no plans to replace it,is SIMPLY a Naomi Klein "Shock Doctrine"opportunity..Loot Taxpayers Treasury 👿.wake up America.
Yes, Klein wrote about this very well. Everyone should read that book.
His age being a thing is low-key racist and misogynist, because it's really an attack on Kamala, IMO.
Greg, I love your parodies. There's a song in the movie "White Christmas" called "Sisters Sisters." Would you be interested in creating lyrics for this song from the movie White Christmas?
This is the "girls" singing it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zplgmh8ga78&t=3s
This is the "boys" singing it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDyybi7t634
With the idea that 45 is the main grifter, my stab at a parody starts out,
Grifters, Grifters...There were never such devoted grifters.
Never had to have a chaperon, no ma'am.
We're here to keep our eye on them.
It'd be great if you could come up with something.
Thanks!
I get the Dallas Morning News and I haven't seen anything. But, I miss two or three papers a week. Abbott's criminal enterprise is always newsworthy here