marylandblue
marylandblue's JournalThe illusion that one person is our problem.
The American system is broken. Many of us can see that. But the reason why is not obvious. We are focused on Trump as the one who broke it. It's easy to focus on him, because the problems became quite obvious once his candidacy gained traction and he got elected. So it's understandable why we focus on him. And understandable why many people think things will go back to "normal" once he is gone.
That's an illusion. The system was already broken before he started. It's the broken system that allowed him to win. And after he is gone, the system will still be broken. The racists will still be racists. The anti-democratic politicians in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia etc., will continue their work and teach others how to do it. Fox News and right wing radio will continue broadcasting. The 1% will still try to stack things in their favor. Russia will still fight it's propaganda war against Western democracies.
The only solution is to reform the entire system. Things will never go back the way they were. The world has changed too much. We are going to need a new set of norms to restore the rule of law and protect ourselves from Russia. We will need to address the gross inequality of wealth. We will need to reformat our economy to combat climate change. We will need to win the hearts and minds of our fellow Americans. That's all a long term project
Impeachment would be nice, but it can't be our focus. Our focus has to be on reforming the system. Many societies have survived bad rulers. But society that need reform and fail end up smashed on the reefs of history.
Last sentence of the Flynn Memo Addendum is interesting
It says that Flynn cooperating led to OTHER first hand witnesses cooperating.
Democrat pulls ahead by 438 in CA CD-21
This would be the 40th pickup.
:large
Sorry for multiple edits, got confused with a correct read but wrong graphic.
10 takeaways from exit polls
Some surprising answers. Voters agree with Democrats on a lot of issue. A majority even think immigrants help the country. But you can see the basis of Trumps strategy - He won voters who thought immigration is the top issue by over 50 points.
Take away immigration somehow, and Trump loses his biggest issue.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/11/trump-house-midterms-exit-poll-takeaways.html
Moveon has a plan for Session's firing, it's not break glass time yet.
They will demand the investigation be protected.
https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/survey/mueller-firing-rapid-response-plan/
The Upshot: Small changes from polls can make a big difference
Two takeaways. 1) Small sample size and few polls means House polls can be off by an average of 8 points either way. 2) Dems in early voting are overrepresented compared to polling models, which suggests a systematic polling error on our favor.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/05/upshot/two-vastly-different-election-outcomes-that-hinge-on-a-few-dozen-close-contests.html#click=https://t.co/2oWXClIij5
Swing Left needs people to call rainy swing districts for GOTV
Go here to start calling from home.
https://swingleft.org
Report on GOTV in VA-05 (Cockburn-D vs. Riggleman-R)
I was in a very red part of a red district. Every Democrat I spoke to was definitely voting, no convincing needed. I saw many Cockburn signs but only one for Riggleman. 538 rates it a tossup but if what I saw means anything, this is a Dem pickup. Charlottesville is in VA-05, so winning here would be very symbolic.
Nationalism Rising: When and Why Nationalism Beats Globalism, Jonathan Haidt
This article is two years old, but it might as well have been written today. It's a longish article, but well worth the read. I've hacked it down to it's essential prescription, which may be painful for liberals to hear. But I really think he makes a good argument for why immigration is SO important to the right. It isn't just racism (though there is some of that), but the view that the structures and values that bind our communities together are perceived to be under threat. If this is true, then the way to beat back the rising tide of intolerance is to emphasize our common bonds as Americans, and our shared cultures and values.
https://www.the-american-interest.com/v/jonathan-haidt/
NATIONALISM RISING
When and Why Nationalism Beats Globalism
JONATHAN HAIDT
And how moral psychology can help explain and reduce tensions between the two.
What on earth is going on in the Western democracies? From the rise of Donald Trump in the United States and an assortment of right-wing parties across Europe through the June 23 Brexit vote, many on the Left have the sense that something dangerous and ugly is spreading: right-wing populism, seen as the Zika virus of politics. Something has gotten into “those people” that makes them vote in ways that seem—to their critics—likely to harm their own material interests, at least if their leaders follow through in implementing isolationist policies that slow economic growth...
...[A]ll the available evidence indicates that exposure to difference, talking about difference, and applauding difference—the hallmarks of liberal democracy—are the surest ways to aggravate those who are innately intolerant, and to guarantee the increased expression of their predispositions in manifestly intolerant attitudes and behaviors. Paradoxically, then, it would seem that we can best limit intolerance of difference by parading, talking about, and applauding our sameness…. Ultimately, nothing inspires greater tolerance from the intolerant than an abundance of common and unifying beliefs, practices, rituals, institutions, and processes. And regrettably, nothing is more certain to provoke increased expression of their latent predispositions than the likes of “multicultural education,” bilingual policies, and nonassimilation.
If the story I have told here is correct, then the globalists could easily speak, act, and legislate in ways that drain passions and votes away from nationalist parties, but this would require some deep rethinking about the value of national identities and cohesive moral communities. It would require abandoning the multicultural approach to immigration and embracing assimilation.
At least 7 dead in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
Still ongoing. Suspect exchanged gunfire with police, 2 officers injured.
https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/10/27/heavy-police-presence-near-synagogue-in-squirrel-hill/
