all the terrible things Republicans do that we discuss here. Likewise we only hear a few outlines of what they are talking about. Both sides are acting according to their media input. Consider that if you heard about someone who was really eating babies, of course you'd want to stop them. They just lack the skills to differentiate true and false, but otherwise they act according to their beliefs as we do ours. They are your countrymen and women. They are political rivals but not enemies. Just some perspective.

We tend to rattle off specific policy proposals as answers. That interests our base, but the Right hears that and thinks, more government is not the solution, so they harden against us.

But if you use any question as a chance to say WHAT YOU BELIEVE, independents and RW voters will a) see you as fearless, bold unafraid—a leader; and b) see you as likable and one of them, because we all want the same things—a fair shot to earn a living, good schools, good opportunities, good healthcare. Articulating these has the added benefit of making your opponent appear to be against those things.

Fetterman excels at this. That and his image are why he is catching on, IMO.

Righteous anger is contagious, and winning.

We tend to come off as wonkish or robotic if we just rattle off policies, even if we're listing benefits. But if you show genuine emotion in in plain language, everyone will be influenced and tend to agree.

Talk radio and right wingers do this all the time. Tim Ryan can do it. Even Sen. Bennett can do it. More on our side should, and more often.

Identity politics divides, splinters, and ultimately shrinks your base.

I hope Democrats will get more comfortable speaking in moral terms. If you think something is wrong, say so. You'll be surprised at how many will agree.

to disrupt international communications in advance of the Ukraine invasion. Putin can just move the exercises farther out in the Atlantic and do the same thing.

When Putin invaded Georgia, it was on the day of the opening ceremony of the Olympics. A dick move, to be so flagrant before the international community. I guess he thinks it gives people a couple of weeks to get used to the idea that they aren't leaving. This opening ceremony is Friday, so…

in a moral sense. They still do it with their view on abortion, even if half-informed or ill-considered.

(I wonder whether they have tuned out the word “wrong” in a factual sense, now that they have accepted so many false beliefs about elections, Covid, Russia, you name it.)

Still, if they have any conscience left, stating your view that something is morally wrong will linger in the backs of their minds and nag at them for consideration.

I think the effect on them is stronger if we allow ourselves to be genuinely outraged and show it. They understand raw emotion and it seems to speak to them better than simple facts stated rationally.

RWers use the bonding power of contrived anger and fear to their advantage. Politically, it can be powerful. But it's toxic to society and individuals.

Don’t just say the other side did something wrong. Get mad.

People who don’t follow politics much will take notice. Even if they don’t have context to follow the substance, they will hear the emotion in your voice and your words.

They’re destroying democracy. They’re rigging elections so our votes don’t count. If we say it calmly, people think we must be lying, because a normal person would have their hair on fire.

Talk to your fellow citizens in person more than you do online. Oppose the other side without hating them. Counter BS with facts rather than more vitriol. Don’t take the bait. Don’t respond in kind.

This may seem pointless at first. The temptation is to justify your own bad behavior by citing theirs. But that just perpetuates the vicious cycle.

Responding calmly will seem insignificant in the onslaught of lies. Individually, it is. Collectively, it can lift the country. Whether it will be enough to stop a fascist takeover remains to be seen.

We can bemoan the fact that we have to be the reasonable ones. That’s understandable. But the other side is a brainwashed cult. We have no choice.

@robreiner: It has been 17 days since Steve Bannon openly broke the law when he was held in Contempt of Congress for defying a duly authorized subpoena. And Merrick Garland has done nothing. No Rule of Law. No Democracy.

https://twitter.com/joycewhitevance/status/1457702408419778561
@JoyceWhiteVance: I don’t have any knowledge about what’s going on inside of DOJ, but it does take some time to issue & return grand jury subpoenas to get all the evidence you need in admissible form. Discovery needs to be prepared for turnover to the defendant. These aren’t insignificant tasks.

https://twitter.com/barbmcquade/status/1457706535652663300
@BarbMcQuade: The longer DOJ spends reviewing Bannon subpoena matter, the more likely it is they will charge. As @JoyceWhiteVance points out, it takes time to get your ducks in a row to file an indictment, which means producing discovery, anticipating motions, and preparing for a speedy trial.

https://twitter.com/joycewhitevance/status/1457731913142112259
@k9luna: It just looks like NOTHING is being done inside DOJ.

@JoyceWhiteVance: This is how it looks when prosecutors are working according to the rules. It might be that we should update how the process works but that would likely require action from Congress & I’d argue change should be based on typical cases, not exceptional ones FWIW.

https://twitter.com/joycewhitevance/status/1457704917133668364
@KAFearless: Joyce, what exactly is the process? Can't DOJ simply state that a GJ has been convened to address the criminal referral? Isn't that something the American people should be made of aware of?

@JoyceWhiteVance: Actually no. You can be prosecuted for disclosing federal grand jury proceedings.