Michael Steele: (paraphrase) don't feel good that Motherfucker's rallies are more lightly attended.

[Stinky The Clown]

That, in his opinion, is no comfort. He said there are MAGAts deeply embedded in local election apparatus in those states where it would matter. Many/most are flying under the radar.

When he said this, it sounded to me at first to be almost tinfoil-ey. On the flip side, I trust him and am assuming he still has lots of right wing contacts.

[Ocelot II]

1. Yes, I'm afraid Trumpism is bigger than TFG.

I'm reading Miles Taylor's new book, Blowback, and it's pretty scary. It discusses the ways MAGAts intend to insert themselves into all branches of government if TFG is re-elected (God help us), or even if it's another GOPer like DeSatan. Fortunately DeSatan is fading but there are plenty of others, and plenty of enablers at both the federal and the local level. TFG needs to be stopped, obviously, but even if he is, there are plenty of others out there.

[Elessar Zappa]

4. We just gotta keep winning until

the Republican Party realizes that they’ll never win another election again unless they dial back the extremism. And Democrats need to start competing better for small offices like school board, city councils, dog catchers, etc.

[Whiskeytide]

7. Faced with dialing back their extremism to compete in ...

… fair elections as opposed to keeping their extremism and doing everything they can to make elections unfair … we’ll, I think I know where they’ll land.

[Aristus]

9. I just filled out my ballot for a local primary election.

City and county. One partisan office, one non-partisan. I voted for the Democratic candidate in the partisan office, and for the non-partisan race, I voted for a very liberal and progressive candidate who will do great things if he is elected.

We're an entirely liberal Democratic household. Mrs. Aristus and our grandson tell me to fill out their ballots for them because they trust me to pick the right candidates. Then they sign them, and I drop the ballots off at our local county drop-box.

Vote in every election, no matter how small.

[Elessar Zappa]

13. Great!

We need good Democrats at all levels.

[spike jones]

25. The only way to win is to continue to fight.

No matter what the gains regarding social justice, and environmental issues, there will always come along people to reverse them.

[louslobbs]

12. My concern has always been the Magots who are

already embedded not only in our government, but in our military, police departments and court systems. They don’t intend to try and win, they plan to try and steal more power and continue to incite the cult. The only hope this democracy has certainly involves getting out the vote, but it also involves, somehow, removing the trump fascists from power. The reason they have embedded so many of these fascists into power is, they know they can’t win free and fair elections, so their objective is to steal more power. They don’t even pretend they want to govern, but rather, every move they make shows their intent to rule the country with force where necessary. If you can adequately rig the courts, governing bodies, local police departments, school boards, and heaven forbid, parts of the military, then governance by the people faces a real test. I hope the majority can come together and pass this test.

[housecat]

19. When he is permanently stopped, as in dead, it may be like a bee hive without a queen.

[Ocelot II]

27. "Permanently stopped" is OK with me. But maybe a new queen will move in,

which the GOP would be fine with so long as it's not a drag queen.

[housecat]

28. DeStupid thought he would waltz right in and take over tfg's hive. He failed, because tfg has a

hold on brainless population that worships him. When he goes, nobody will or can take his place. It will be a different game, which is what we need.

[dembotoz]

2. trump openly gave the gop permission to be assholes

and they like it and are not going back

[housecat]

29. Not going back where? The magats have been assholes even before they were magats.

They'll continue to tbe hateful losers with or without putin and tfg. But IMO if they don't have their leader to worship, the chaos they depend on will create factions.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. He's right. MAGA very well embedded locally here. But Dems are working to defeat them.

But we are late defining the issue to the public, which does not focus on local politics. It's not on the news, it's not visible to them.

We need grass roots.

If we could just get some convictions of '45, the public would peel off a convicted felon. 4-7% each time.

[mopinko]

5. didnt bannon have a plan to get volunteer election judges?

wonder how that worked out.

[Blue Owl]

6. Let's hope FF45's filmy, slimy luster is wearing off

[Chainfire]

11. He is about to achieve MAGA martyr status on Friday or Saturday.

[elleng]

8. Steele knows. (imo)

[Stinky The Clown]

10. I totally agree. He knows.

And its scary.

[yonder]

17. Yes he does. I'd value his opinion on that subject.

He knows how the plates are stacked and which cupboards they're in.

[CrispyQ]

14. I totally agree with him.

It may take a bit of time, & IMO the person who takes Trump's place as leader of the deplorables is likely not even a face on the national stage yet, but MAGA will eventually coalesce around someone cuz their hate is on fire & they lust for revenge.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

15. I am worried about the 2024 election

TFG is better organized and we cannot assume that this will be another electoral blowout

[Stinky The Clown]

16. And you should be worried.

I know I am.

[Artcatt]

18. Good point. Orange boy has already won their "minds,"

which are really now HIS minds, which is really what this is all about.

..paraphrasing Agent Smith

[KPN]

20. Trump is their Messiah. They are pulling out all the stops

and doing everything conceivable to ensure they take this election and save the Christian, white, one-for one and none-for-all America they know and love.

[Butterflylady]

21. Where's that trash button again?

[Initech]

22. I[m seriously worried about local elections.

We have to stop groups like Moms For Liberty at every possible opportunity. They can go get royally fucked.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

23. The radicalized Republican party has long been a conspiracy to seize power.

I think the women, therefore, must be concerned with these values, and I return to my statement that if a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956-03-06

As a challenge, name "a cause that is right and that is moral" that the modern GOP is attempting to advance.

[Lonestarblue]

24. My fear for 2024 is that enough MAGATs are embedded in local

election positions to cheat and throw county elections to Trump. How do we fight that? For example, a MAGAT in Coffey County Georgia allowed for Dominion software to be copied. Though they were caught, how many clerks in small counties now have the idea of secretly allowing software to be copied to manipulate vote tallies? Democrats can serve as elections observers, but they won’t be there in the dead of night.

[Artcatt]

26. Exactly. Democracy is not a spectator sport as Thom Hartmann

so correctly says, but regarding magat infestation of election boards, what is our participation such that remedies that problem?

For magats it’s simple: stand down and stand by.

What do we have, besides the blogosphere?

[Irish_Dem]

30. Yes why manipulate voters when the GOP can manipulate the voting system.

Much easier.

Trump's rallies are just fund raisers for him.