Encouraging words, and I think you’re right, as far as anyone can tell this far out. I was on a federal grand jury in DC a couple of years ago and yeah--those people don’t bother unless they have the goods.
What I cannot understand is the enduring notion that Republicans are better stewards of the economy. That was proven false in 1982. But every election is going to be close until more people understand what a complete disaster conservatism is on that level as well as all the others.
The GOP is skilled at throwing the base a bone with their left hand while they're in power, while simultaneously robbing them and rewarding the wealthy with their right hand. Research the Two Santas theory to see this in action.
Thank you for this. One of my main problems is the media. They failed to hold trump's feet to the fire in 2016 while roasting Hillary on a spit over her emails. During his presidency, they did the same. They let an awful lot of stuff slide. They're not affording President Biden the same treatment. This has been going on for some time now, and I'm sick to death of it. I doubt the media will change its way of doing things in 2024. Biden will be criticized for every single fumble or misstep and trump will be allowed to spew bullshit unchallenged.
Most of the media companies are owned by very wealthy people who are always looking for more tax cuts, an ineffective IRS, and less government control. Their coverage of "news" reflects primarily those interests.
Especially they don’t want to give up those tax cuts. The rest is just gravy, but yeah, check out oil company profits during the pandemic years when no one needed to buy gas because we were all stuck at home. It’s not rocket science, though the genius Einstein had it figured out in 1949, there is an argument to be made, that the capitalists have always controlled public school curriculum and culture.
“Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population. Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.“
I cannot fathom why the media does not understand that telephone polls are bound to be off. Who answers numbers deemed a "spam risk" by their blocking software these days? The only people I know with a land line are in their 80s and are afraid to answer it until after a message is started and they know the caller. GenZ uses texts almost exclusively, as do a whole bunch of other busy people. Even vaunted Debretts has updated their phone etiquette to say you should always text first to see if a phone call is convenient, never leave a voice message but send a text instead . . . To me it is no surprise that the folks answering these polls are precisely 45's base: old, white, and scared.
I no longer view news reporting organizations as facilitators of responsible civic engagement, rather as obstacles. It's an error to rely, in any way, on news reporting organizations help in the fight against rising USA fascism.
Agreed. They are beholden to the dollar and click throughs.
The only thing to do is engage on a local level; I'm attending a training on Monday for canvassing against gerrymandering in Ohio. I can't tell you how many phone calls and post cards I wrote for Issue 1 (abortion) here. Pounding the pavement is the only way.
I would say to you what I say to those on the Right that talk generically about “the MSM” and calling everything “fake news”: in this day and age, you need to be VERY selective about your news resources. I stick with the oldest and most reliable (and least biased) of “legacy media” companies, like Associated Press (1846), Reuters (1851), BBC (1922), etc., as they have PROVEN themselves to be less motivated by the political “horse race” aspects of US politics, given their international orientations.
And I read others, acknowledging their inherent bias but interested in their “perspective”. We have to be MUCH more savvy consumers of news than ever!
I really appreciate your thoughtful analysis of the road ahead of us. It has been very difficult to not be full of gloom and doom. Your words give me hope and I am very appreciative. I am very much looking forward to reading your book! Happy Holidays!
I agree with you. What I have done for my own fears is not watching all the news and when I do I remember that they need the ratings. It’s all about the ratings.
I remain hopeful, even encouraged, but want your readers to remember that it means nothing unless we get out the vote...every single blue vote that is available!
FROM YOUR MOUTH TO THE GOD OF POLITIC’S EARS!!!!! A very clear analysis of why we Democrats just have to keep pushing forward with our messages and policies....there just might be a pot of gold at that Democracy rainbow!!!!!
This is helpful. All my fingers are crossed, thinking it is true. And truly—I simply can’t imagine Trump re-elected. On the other hand—my biggest worry right now is that they already know he can’t win and are planning some malicious manner of take over. What are we not seeing BEYOND a fair election?
“People answering polls somehow still trust Republicans more than Democrats on the economy,”
This really annoys the piss out of me. The Republicans absolutely suck at “economy”! They crash it on the regular, threaten it with their idiotic performative bullshit, and make life harder for anyone that isn’t one of their rich supporters. The Democrats come back, once again, fix everything they can, and then lose the next election because “...people trust Republicans more than Democrats on the economy”.
I know this is over-simplification, but it is closer to the truth than “Rethuglifascists are good for the economy”.
I've always been a glass half full type of individual. As I slog through my sixth decade, Trump's election and now these recent polls are putting a crack in that foundation. One reason I read Status Kuo is to help refill the glass. Thanks for that.
That’s what I mean. Netanyahu is his brother from another mother. Biden has also offered to support more aid for Israel in return for aid to the Ukraine. Hasn’t gone well. Do we really want the moron who moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem back in power? That would not bode well for any Palestinian. I’m a Jewish-American-Swede and I am horrified by what is happening in the US and disgusted with Netanyahu and his hard right government. He is knowingly and willfully ordering the deaths of innocent civilians in Gaza and has not much more regard for any Israeli that doesn’t support him. Sounds an awful lot like the orange one.
Trump would be holding hands with Netanyahu as they do photo ops napalming Palestinian refugee camps together. I used to consider myself left of Bernie, but the behavior of the far left has been appalling. To be quite frank, it's trendy to be all in against Israel in this fight, instead of speaking to the obvious truth that both sides have been led by malevolent, horrible people. Both statements can be true: Israel under Netanyahu has ratcheted up its horrific occupation policies, and Hamas is led by sadistic killers.
All of what you have written here continues to give me hope.
What I am seeing on some of the pages I follow on Instagram causes me concern. The attack from bots, Russia or young voters re Israel/Palestine has taken over. Blaming even non political people for it. Worrying.
Jay-I have been reading for a few weeks before deciding to subscribe. Today’s piece prompted a question and I decided that asking without subscribing was a step beyond your generosity, so I have joined the club. 😉
My question is this. Your thoughts today do a fine job as a call to action in support of the current slate of candidates/Biden. It is tactically strong. What is your strategic view of the Democratic Party? More specifically, how should we address elderly office holders who arrogantly hold on to their seats, making policy decisions that they won’t live long enough to be experience their results? These folks are now blockading the opportunities of young, bright leaders who need opportunities to continue to advance their political careers. Their energy and ideas are relevant to their age cohorts and need to be heard.
Great question. There is progress in this front! The changing of the guard in the leadership of the Democratic Party—from Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburne to Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar in the House, e.g.—was a huge step toward a new era of younger Dem leadership. I’m hopeful that Gen Z leaders like Maxwell Frost will be making their mark even wider in coming years.
Biden ran because he felt he had no choice - and really - was he wrong? And even now, given that you're right - who ya got? Who else is teed up to beat the Orange Goblin? Personally, I think he's the best available, and it isn't close. We need to get him re-elected, and spend the next four preparing for who's got next.
Man, I needed to read this today. Thank you for clear perspective, it gives us all hope. I hope the Democrats have a plan to be more direct in their messaging. I feel they dance around when they should be on the "attack". Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and dont let the left over pie go to waste! 😂
I'd urge caution in hoping the criminal justice system will dispose of tRump before the voters have their say. He's playing the courts like a well-tuned Guarneri, and in the matter of the MAL docs trial, tRump has *Judge* Cannon in the bag, as law analyst Andrew Weissman has termed it. And it's a mug's game to make predictions about the effect of ANY criminal conviction or being civilly held liable on tRump's overall support v. Biden in 2024.
No, despite the horror show that next year's election is likely to turn into, it's the only hope we have of dismissing tRump and MAGAism while there are still (relatively) free elections available.
As a side note, Biden is getting beaten up badly over the horrific civilian death toll in and reduction to rubble of Gaza with his tight support of Israeli revenge against the Oct 7 Hamas attacks, and this bad press mirrors the fallout from the shambolic Afghanistan exit - ironically enough sent in motion by tRump policy decisions. The latter action had a lengthly hangover on Biden's polling, as does the Gaza disaster currently amongst key voting demographics. Unfortunately for Biden, the Israeli invasion of Gaza and ITS aftermath - including events in the Occupied Territories - are likely to persist well into 2024, further complicating the domestic political environment.
Not to be a pessimist, but there's some very nasty realities out there, and voters can't help but be affected, especially given the constant flow of disinformation flowing out of SM and the right-wing megaphone.
Perfectly said. This election season is nothing short of a national emergency. Biden is more centrist than I'd like in foreign policy, but so is the rest of the country. He's done as good a job as could be expected, really, navigating the Middle East gauntlet, short of instigating a coup in Israel to overthrow Netanyahu.
Encouraging words, and I think you’re right, as far as anyone can tell this far out. I was on a federal grand jury in DC a couple of years ago and yeah--those people don’t bother unless they have the goods.
What I cannot understand is the enduring notion that Republicans are better stewards of the economy. That was proven false in 1982. But every election is going to be close until more people understand what a complete disaster conservatism is on that level as well as all the others.
Their plan seems to be to keep us living paycheck to paycheck and run on improving the economy.
Paycheck to paycheck (or no paycheck at all) is how the Defense Dept. keeps recruitment going. And even then, it can be a slog.
I never thought of that.
The GOP is skilled at throwing the base a bone with their left hand while they're in power, while simultaneously robbing them and rewarding the wealthy with their right hand. Research the Two Santas theory to see this in action.
Yes that was very enlightening!
Thank you for this. One of my main problems is the media. They failed to hold trump's feet to the fire in 2016 while roasting Hillary on a spit over her emails. During his presidency, they did the same. They let an awful lot of stuff slide. They're not affording President Biden the same treatment. This has been going on for some time now, and I'm sick to death of it. I doubt the media will change its way of doing things in 2024. Biden will be criticized for every single fumble or misstep and trump will be allowed to spew bullshit unchallenged.
Most of the media companies are owned by very wealthy people who are always looking for more tax cuts, an ineffective IRS, and less government control. Their coverage of "news" reflects primarily those interests.
Bingo!!!
Especially they don’t want to give up those tax cuts. The rest is just gravy, but yeah, check out oil company profits during the pandemic years when no one needed to buy gas because we were all stuck at home. It’s not rocket science, though the genius Einstein had it figured out in 1949, there is an argument to be made, that the capitalists have always controlled public school curriculum and culture.
“Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population. Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.“
https://monthlyreview.org/2009/05/01/why-socialism/
agreed - with that and their various methods of voter suppression it is hard to be fully positive.
I agree. I hold the media responsible for DTs election in. 2016 & they have pandered to him ever since. Anything for sound bite!
I cannot fathom why the media does not understand that telephone polls are bound to be off. Who answers numbers deemed a "spam risk" by their blocking software these days? The only people I know with a land line are in their 80s and are afraid to answer it until after a message is started and they know the caller. GenZ uses texts almost exclusively, as do a whole bunch of other busy people. Even vaunted Debretts has updated their phone etiquette to say you should always text first to see if a phone call is convenient, never leave a voice message but send a text instead . . . To me it is no surprise that the folks answering these polls are precisely 45's base: old, white, and scared.
Another thing:
I no longer view news reporting organizations as facilitators of responsible civic engagement, rather as obstacles. It's an error to rely, in any way, on news reporting organizations help in the fight against rising USA fascism.
Agreed. They are beholden to the dollar and click throughs.
The only thing to do is engage on a local level; I'm attending a training on Monday for canvassing against gerrymandering in Ohio. I can't tell you how many phone calls and post cards I wrote for Issue 1 (abortion) here. Pounding the pavement is the only way.
Thank you for your work!
good for you!
I would say to you what I say to those on the Right that talk generically about “the MSM” and calling everything “fake news”: in this day and age, you need to be VERY selective about your news resources. I stick with the oldest and most reliable (and least biased) of “legacy media” companies, like Associated Press (1846), Reuters (1851), BBC (1922), etc., as they have PROVEN themselves to be less motivated by the political “horse race” aspects of US politics, given their international orientations.
And I read others, acknowledging their inherent bias but interested in their “perspective”. We have to be MUCH more savvy consumers of news than ever!
Yes.
The key is to maintain skepticism. Always.
And absolutely a good idea to keep one's finger on the pulse of what others consume, holding onto that skepticism.
(The Guardian's good too, though, btw.)
A little to the left, so it’s one of those that I read for “perspective”, especially since they’re a Brit publication....
But opening up spam texts can be dangerous as well.
I really appreciate your thoughtful analysis of the road ahead of us. It has been very difficult to not be full of gloom and doom. Your words give me hope and I am very appreciative. I am very much looking forward to reading your book! Happy Holidays!
I agree with you. What I have done for my own fears is not watching all the news and when I do I remember that they need the ratings. It’s all about the ratings.
As they used to say “If it bleeds, it leads”!
Thank you for your analysis.
I remain hopeful, even encouraged, but want your readers to remember that it means nothing unless we get out the vote...every single blue vote that is available!
FROM YOUR MOUTH TO THE GOD OF POLITIC’S EARS!!!!! A very clear analysis of why we Democrats just have to keep pushing forward with our messages and policies....there just might be a pot of gold at that Democracy rainbow!!!!!
This is helpful. All my fingers are crossed, thinking it is true. And truly—I simply can’t imagine Trump re-elected. On the other hand—my biggest worry right now is that they already know he can’t win and are planning some malicious manner of take over. What are we not seeing BEYOND a fair election?
“People answering polls somehow still trust Republicans more than Democrats on the economy,”
This really annoys the piss out of me. The Republicans absolutely suck at “economy”! They crash it on the regular, threaten it with their idiotic performative bullshit, and make life harder for anyone that isn’t one of their rich supporters. The Democrats come back, once again, fix everything they can, and then lose the next election because “...people trust Republicans more than Democrats on the economy”.
I know this is over-simplification, but it is closer to the truth than “Rethuglifascists are good for the economy”.
I've always been a glass half full type of individual. As I slog through my sixth decade, Trump's election and now these recent polls are putting a crack in that foundation. One reason I read Status Kuo is to help refill the glass. Thanks for that.
That’s what I mean. Netanyahu is his brother from another mother. Biden has also offered to support more aid for Israel in return for aid to the Ukraine. Hasn’t gone well. Do we really want the moron who moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem back in power? That would not bode well for any Palestinian. I’m a Jewish-American-Swede and I am horrified by what is happening in the US and disgusted with Netanyahu and his hard right government. He is knowingly and willfully ordering the deaths of innocent civilians in Gaza and has not much more regard for any Israeli that doesn’t support him. Sounds an awful lot like the orange one.
Trump would be holding hands with Netanyahu as they do photo ops napalming Palestinian refugee camps together. I used to consider myself left of Bernie, but the behavior of the far left has been appalling. To be quite frank, it's trendy to be all in against Israel in this fight, instead of speaking to the obvious truth that both sides have been led by malevolent, horrible people. Both statements can be true: Israel under Netanyahu has ratcheted up its horrific occupation policies, and Hamas is led by sadistic killers.
All of what you have written here continues to give me hope.
What I am seeing on some of the pages I follow on Instagram causes me concern. The attack from bots, Russia or young voters re Israel/Palestine has taken over. Blaming even non political people for it. Worrying.
Thank you, Jay Kuo, for your level-headed, intelligent, logical writing. Whenever I get panicky, you can talk me down off the cliff.
Put yourself in the place of the Fascists for a while. Think about what your strategy would be to beat the Democrats.
Number 1 Strategy:
Keep them believing the lies:
1) Biden is failing/old etc.
2) The DOJ activity re Trump is a witch hunt.
3) The economy is failing.
4) Because of Biden.
5) Joe Biden is wrecking the
Middle East situation
6) Joe Biden is bad for business
Interests.
7) Democrats are evil.
8) Democrats are immoral.
You get the picture. To make voters believe these things and more is life or death for them. They can’t win on truth.
Who is paying the msm to support these lies? The readers who click on the outrageous lies?
Someone else?
The main strategy is to make everyone believe that the right is surging ahead over the liberals by a huge margin
Jay-I have been reading for a few weeks before deciding to subscribe. Today’s piece prompted a question and I decided that asking without subscribing was a step beyond your generosity, so I have joined the club. 😉
My question is this. Your thoughts today do a fine job as a call to action in support of the current slate of candidates/Biden. It is tactically strong. What is your strategic view of the Democratic Party? More specifically, how should we address elderly office holders who arrogantly hold on to their seats, making policy decisions that they won’t live long enough to be experience their results? These folks are now blockading the opportunities of young, bright leaders who need opportunities to continue to advance their political careers. Their energy and ideas are relevant to their age cohorts and need to be heard.
Great question. There is progress in this front! The changing of the guard in the leadership of the Democratic Party—from Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburne to Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar in the House, e.g.—was a huge step toward a new era of younger Dem leadership. I’m hopeful that Gen Z leaders like Maxwell Frost will be making their mark even wider in coming years.
Biden ran because he felt he had no choice - and really - was he wrong? And even now, given that you're right - who ya got? Who else is teed up to beat the Orange Goblin? Personally, I think he's the best available, and it isn't close. We need to get him re-elected, and spend the next four preparing for who's got next.
And more on the bench. Jasmine Crockett was on fire during the ridiculous Biden impeachment stuff.
Man, I needed to read this today. Thank you for clear perspective, it gives us all hope. I hope the Democrats have a plan to be more direct in their messaging. I feel they dance around when they should be on the "attack". Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and dont let the left over pie go to waste! 😂
I'd urge caution in hoping the criminal justice system will dispose of tRump before the voters have their say. He's playing the courts like a well-tuned Guarneri, and in the matter of the MAL docs trial, tRump has *Judge* Cannon in the bag, as law analyst Andrew Weissman has termed it. And it's a mug's game to make predictions about the effect of ANY criminal conviction or being civilly held liable on tRump's overall support v. Biden in 2024.
No, despite the horror show that next year's election is likely to turn into, it's the only hope we have of dismissing tRump and MAGAism while there are still (relatively) free elections available.
As a side note, Biden is getting beaten up badly over the horrific civilian death toll in and reduction to rubble of Gaza with his tight support of Israeli revenge against the Oct 7 Hamas attacks, and this bad press mirrors the fallout from the shambolic Afghanistan exit - ironically enough sent in motion by tRump policy decisions. The latter action had a lengthly hangover on Biden's polling, as does the Gaza disaster currently amongst key voting demographics. Unfortunately for Biden, the Israeli invasion of Gaza and ITS aftermath - including events in the Occupied Territories - are likely to persist well into 2024, further complicating the domestic political environment.
Not to be a pessimist, but there's some very nasty realities out there, and voters can't help but be affected, especially given the constant flow of disinformation flowing out of SM and the right-wing megaphone.
Perfectly said. This election season is nothing short of a national emergency. Biden is more centrist than I'd like in foreign policy, but so is the rest of the country. He's done as good a job as could be expected, really, navigating the Middle East gauntlet, short of instigating a coup in Israel to overthrow Netanyahu.