I absolutely agree. Planning for future democratic leaders and policies is a MUST DO!
Our Republican congressional lawmakers are the laziest bunch of who Ha’s I have ever seen. They were bred from their Conservative Think Tank Petrie Dishes. The Federalist Society and all the Fraternal ETAL’s.
Remember the Roosevelt series? It struck me how America invested in the education of their future generations with institutional curriculum of Democratic Principles and Public Service.
Hell I remember Civics class.
I personally believe Americans should be required for Civil Services of government between the ages of 18-20. United We Stand …. For a very long time.
Ruth you are a real treasure….thank you so much! But, in fact, the choice is not ‘ MAGA dictatorship or American democracy’. In reality it is ‘MAGA dictatorship or late-stage American capitalism’. But first things first!
Thinking about our relatively short history as a nation, one can easily focus on those transformative moments of great danger and division when it seemed that the one person (sometimes maybe the only one) who had the ability to bring us through was suddenly there on the stage.
The Virginia planter who’d dreamed of a martial sword, was turned down by the British Army he wished so much to be a part of, and then went on to face that army down with a courage and perseverance that made him a hero, gave us the chance to become a nation, then went on to further enhance that heroism when he returned that sword to Congress and still went on to bring us through our raucous and uncertain infancy with a steady hand and an example we still revere.
The backwoods lawyer and homespun president, at first disdained as a hick by members of his own cabinet whose courage, political expertise, and extraordinary understanding of who we were meant to be brought us as whole as he could through our terrible adolescence, and gave us, in just over two minutes as an afterthought speaker, a goal for the ages.
The aristocratic cripple who through imaginative and daring policies brought us out of the worst financial disaster in our history, and then led us through the worst catastrophe the world had ever known as the arsenal of the armies that beat that darkness back.
We now face another crisis, this one of our own making, and perhaps one inevitable in any democracy. One man has already taken that stage and begun to bring us out of it. Now, unable to continue, he has handed that responsibility off to another, and we come to the second part of that transformative moment. Facing a dark malevolence whose mastery of illusion has seduced half a nation, a woman has stepped onto the stage, accepting the awesome responsibility of being the second half of that transformation. We hold our breath and move to stand behind her, hoping that she can now take on that crucial role played by those other Americans who, when the moment came, met and won it. You will have to bear much, Ms Harris. The forces arrayed against us are dark, deep, and desperate. Our job as those who understand and love the country we were meant to be is to stand behind you. Game on!
I'm betting on her. She's a fighter and a go-getter, and is fully on board with what the current administration has been looking to accomplish. I have also just realized that she may have an easier time of figuring out how to re-vamp the supreme court, because she isn't steeped in so many decades of tradition (for want of a better word).
As annoying as it is to be politically correct, I nevertheless point out the word "cripple." That is a term that is both archaic and pejorative. I think you were referring to FDR, so "FDR, who struggled with the lingering and painful effects of polio,"...would say much more.
The NYU bi-partisan conference on the perils of Authoritarianism and equally, if not more important, strategies to defeat what could become one of the next dictatorship society in less than four months is terrific. Kudos for having both Dent and Wiley together cementing bi-partisanship.
As a paid subscriber, I would also like to see Professor Timothy Snyder collaborating with you in a Q & A. As I'm sure you know, he laid out several alternatives for President Biden to consider well before El caca hit the proverbial fan. Unlike Carville, Schmidt and others who seemed to jump on the let Joe go bandwagon perhaps in their own self interest to regain relevance, Professor Snyder had the scholarly grace and humility to unequivocally state it was the president's call.
I am grateful for Joe Biden. I am very glad that he has decided not to run for office. Had Biden continued his campaign and lost to Trump, his legacy would have been squashed. Not unlike Hillary, Biden could have potentially turned the country back over to Trump,- to autocracy. Now, Biden will enjoy what he so richly deserves: the legacy of a truly heroic and productive President,- one of our best. Go Kamala! With Biden’s endorsement and so many others behind her, we’ve got this!
Ruth, I've always been impressed by the excellent work you do and how you use your expertise to teach the rest of us. I too have been appalled at how Biden has been treated; they even turned on Dr. Jill Biden and the rest of the family. I do want to add, though, that the amazing results we've witnessed in the last day and a half were not luck. Biden pulled off a master class on political strategy and planning. I'm a political nobody but it's obvious that Biden made his decision a few days ago, or even a week ago. He then kept Trump, the Republicans, the media and the pundits focussed on the shiny object - senile old man won't step aside - while he put the plan together. Biden knew that making his announcement early on a Sunday gave Democrats an advantage. Biden knew that once he made the announcement he would step aside and leave the spotlight to Harris. Biden knew we could not have an open convention and he knew why some people wanted one. The chaos would've been divisive and ugly. I did enjoy seeing the sleazy opportunistic Manchin get caught in the whiplash. Even I know that the logistics that had to be in place to pull off what happened had to have been in place and ready to go. Harris was able to get more than enough delegates in record time and, no doubt, had help on the phones. Harris also got all of her potential Democratic rivals to support her as the candidate and got the majority of Congressional Democrats to support her. Who is the most talented at whipping Democrats and who knows how they think and act? I suspect Nancy Pelosi also spent a lot of time on the phone this past day and a half. The record fundraising was due to Harris and probably represents stored up demand (people who wanted to donate but maybe not to Biden). And, as is typical Biden, he isn't looking for praise for a major job well done. He's content letting everyone praise him for stepping aside and ignoring how he orchestrated everything. Bravo!!
President Biden is such a class act. He deserves much better treatment than he has received these last 3+ years. Instead the media paid attention to the loud obnoxious bully, but did not hold him accountable. Biden has not been given full credit for saving the nation from Covid and Trump. I hope Trump will finally be held fully responsible for ALL his many crimes.
I'm curious as to why we allow people who are openly hostile to our form of government to run for positions where they would be in charge of parts of the that government. When I was a kid my understanding of the electoral college included the idea that they could throw out the nominations of someone like Trump.
The Electoral College has the ability to go against the electorate if they feel the electorate is wrong in their choice. Unfortunately this has not been done, and so we ended up with a fascist leaning sociopath in tRump. The Electoral College needs to be eliminated.
Agree. The electoral College is a remnant of the slave era. It was presented as a safeguard to slave states remaining slave states and labeled as "preventing the tyranny of the majority". We should have thrown it out after the Civil War.
To Authoritarian regimes, our electoral college is used as one example of how we really have is a "managed democracy". What we claim as democracy is really not. The evidence authoritarians use when explaining to their people is, "look at at America, where the winner of an election can be the loser of the popular vote" and asking their people if they really want something as foolish as that! ..Donald Trump 2016 and George Bush 2000.
I think between an oligarchy and authoritarianism.
Biden dropping out had a lot to do with money. It’s been reported and proven that 98% of elections since 1980 are won by who spends more. Who was withholding promised campaign funding? A 2nd term President has nothing to lose once elected. No ne owns him in that 2nd term. He can/could be very bold when tgry have both houses. Thats the 2nd contributing factor to Biden dropping out. His platform can’t keep going without the Democrat senators also winning in the swing states. While we all know who those senators are, none of us know where the big money was coming from. It’s moot now, Kamala has both the endorsements from Senators but not whose big money came forward. Once we know that, we know who will/can assert leverage over her while she is in office.
I think that’s what bothers me the most. We don’t know whose big money came in once Biden dropped out.
The other thing that really bothers me and this is the both sides thing. The total amount of hundreds of millions of dollars 1 billion maybe or is it more 1 billion is what it cost to do a study to bring a vaccine to market how many bridges how many schools, how many hospitals, Social Security veterans services, school, counseling services, teacher, salaries, upgrading fire and police stations and equipment. I thought a capitalist society is supposed to allocate capital where demand is, but this theory breaks when it comes to unlimited spending on campaigns. The money spent it just seems so wasteful to me. I hope that’s something Kamala and the Democrats can fix this first term. Limit the amount of money clouding our politics.
I have been furious about it too, because the democratic presidents up until Biden have been part of the problem for the most part. Biden is the only one to take on Reaganomics, and most of the people who have money buy into that false narrative about how economies work.
Corporate donors, PACS, Billionaires. Citizens United. All dark money. Gives an appearance of choice but in reality it’s the money, and with it, strings attached. A hostile NY Times. Bezos/WA POST wants to become Murdoch, a kingmaker.
It’s crazy when the majority of Economists prove trickle down is BS, but folks would rather believe their cable entertainment talking heads. Social identity and belonging to one’s group takes precedent. Crazy. Stupid. Frustrating.
Yes. But we were raised to be good losers. Trump breaks that idea. Gore did not lose, but he accepted a loss, instead of not. Sandra Day O'Connor did not want him in so she stopped the recount.
Joe Biden is a brilliant political tactician. This transition was a master stroke. I too am still incensed at the MSM and the backstabbers in the Democratic Party. The intraparty issues, although needing to be dealt with, can be set aside for now. VP Harris has hit the ground running. Joe Biden has everything to do with this.
Exactly. I can see in my mind that clip of that sumbitch Reagan saying "Government is not the solution, government is the problem," presaging his assault on the middle and lower classes by slashing social spending while pouring money down the throats of defense contractors. Mr. Fiscal Conservative tripled the national debt.
The neocons loved an economic plan that favored the wealth class and stifled everyone else. This has been called "trickle down" but is also known as neoliberalism because it gives the capitalist class freedom to exploit.
Thanks for the explanation. Whatever the nomenclature is, I still think Reagan was a colossal douchebag for what he did to screw everybody below the top 1-2%.
I, too, was very upset about the way President Biden was treated by the media. I still feel that he remains very competent, and am thoroughly disgusted by the way the media mostly ignore trump's glaring flaws. I am happy to see the infusion of energy into the democratic party, with Kamala Harris receiving the baton. I'm still concerned about bigotry and misogyny being used successfully against her, but I also have confidence in her ability to fight those things, and her ability to put trump in his place. I saw Charlie Dent on MSNBC yesterday, and did not like what he was saying at all. I hope he was better at your conference.
He was the most gifted politician I have ever seen. He got things done in ways that people did not realize how close to the brink things were with a do nothing House of Republicans. It is amazing. Prof. Timothy Snyder says he is the most natural negotiator. I did not want to give that up, but have accepted that the people in the country that count, back someone else, and they let the Oligarch at the NYT tell them what was what. Sulzberger's name is dirt in my home. I am waiting for my friends who claim the NYT is not biased to figure it out.
I agree With you, Linda. I also didn't want to see Biden go, but I do like Kamala Harris and the energy she brings to the country. We should see continuity, which is good. And I believe she has a lot of good people skills. Harris is very different from Biden, but I believe she has the ability to accomplish a lot of good things, to continue the work the current administration has started. I had been hearing that there was a lot of apathy toward Biden, which is really sad. I do not understand the need to be excited, when you have someone in the job who is doing a lot for you, as an ordinary person. I have been pleased to see that everyone is giving Biden credit for everything he has done for the country.
Agh, I know there will be various black swan events between now and November but reading how there were multiple assassination attempts on Mussolini, in your opening statement, it made me realize there will be more of those too. Sorry to be a bummer but the thought struck me dumb =/
=/ I think the trump one happened because he doesn't cooperate with people trying to protect him he is incapable of taking advise or orders. Biden and Harris are obviously much smarter and reasonable, in every possible way =] 🩵💙🌊🌊🏄♂️🏄♂️🌅
Project 2025 seems to be an organizing document for a fascist government. It's a fascist manifesto, a declaration of intent. Our neoliberal order can't wait to see their dream come true, to finally have what they have long been striving for; fascism with its cartel economics.
Well said - I am really moved by what you said about the president and how he was treated. It was shameful and disrespectful even if the ultimate result was positive. He did not deserve that and yet he did not complain. And highly recommend Anne Applebaum's latest book. I have known Ms. Applebaum since grade school and have immense respect for her work.
What an outstanding panel you’ve put together! Hopefully, Americans will watch, read about or listen to it! Can’t help but note that Trump has already begun to use racial propaganda against VP Harris! He’s the lowest form of humanity I’ve ever seen! I bet the coward will try to dodge the debate! In any case, your expertise and experience is significantly superior to anyone else I know! Thanks!
I absolutely agree. Planning for future democratic leaders and policies is a MUST DO!
Our Republican congressional lawmakers are the laziest bunch of who Ha’s I have ever seen. They were bred from their Conservative Think Tank Petrie Dishes. The Federalist Society and all the Fraternal ETAL’s.
Remember the Roosevelt series? It struck me how America invested in the education of their future generations with institutional curriculum of Democratic Principles and Public Service.
Hell I remember Civics class.
I personally believe Americans should be required for Civil Services of government between the ages of 18-20. United We Stand …. For a very long time.
Ruth you are a real treasure….thank you so much! But, in fact, the choice is not ‘ MAGA dictatorship or American democracy’. In reality it is ‘MAGA dictatorship or late-stage American capitalism’. But first things first!
Thanks for getting the word out. Also, thanks for the link to the conference. It is fascinating.
Thinking about our relatively short history as a nation, one can easily focus on those transformative moments of great danger and division when it seemed that the one person (sometimes maybe the only one) who had the ability to bring us through was suddenly there on the stage.
The Virginia planter who’d dreamed of a martial sword, was turned down by the British Army he wished so much to be a part of, and then went on to face that army down with a courage and perseverance that made him a hero, gave us the chance to become a nation, then went on to further enhance that heroism when he returned that sword to Congress and still went on to bring us through our raucous and uncertain infancy with a steady hand and an example we still revere.
The backwoods lawyer and homespun president, at first disdained as a hick by members of his own cabinet whose courage, political expertise, and extraordinary understanding of who we were meant to be brought us as whole as he could through our terrible adolescence, and gave us, in just over two minutes as an afterthought speaker, a goal for the ages.
The aristocratic cripple who through imaginative and daring policies brought us out of the worst financial disaster in our history, and then led us through the worst catastrophe the world had ever known as the arsenal of the armies that beat that darkness back.
We now face another crisis, this one of our own making, and perhaps one inevitable in any democracy. One man has already taken that stage and begun to bring us out of it. Now, unable to continue, he has handed that responsibility off to another, and we come to the second part of that transformative moment. Facing a dark malevolence whose mastery of illusion has seduced half a nation, a woman has stepped onto the stage, accepting the awesome responsibility of being the second half of that transformation. We hold our breath and move to stand behind her, hoping that she can now take on that crucial role played by those other Americans who, when the moment came, met and won it. You will have to bear much, Ms Harris. The forces arrayed against us are dark, deep, and desperate. Our job as those who understand and love the country we were meant to be is to stand behind you. Game on!
I'm betting on her. She's a fighter and a go-getter, and is fully on board with what the current administration has been looking to accomplish. I have also just realized that she may have an easier time of figuring out how to re-vamp the supreme court, because she isn't steeped in so many decades of tradition (for want of a better word).
As annoying as it is to be politically correct, I nevertheless point out the word "cripple." That is a term that is both archaic and pejorative. I think you were referring to FDR, so "FDR, who struggled with the lingering and painful effects of polio,"...would say much more.
You expressed this beautifully, I also feel deeply that Kamala is here for this time, for a time such as this.
This is reminding me of “When the student is ready, the master will appear”
Excellent! Thank you.
So very well said. Thank you for your truth and eloquence. Betty Fielder
The NYU bi-partisan conference on the perils of Authoritarianism and equally, if not more important, strategies to defeat what could become one of the next dictatorship society in less than four months is terrific. Kudos for having both Dent and Wiley together cementing bi-partisanship.
As a paid subscriber, I would also like to see Professor Timothy Snyder collaborating with you in a Q & A. As I'm sure you know, he laid out several alternatives for President Biden to consider well before El caca hit the proverbial fan. Unlike Carville, Schmidt and others who seemed to jump on the let Joe go bandwagon perhaps in their own self interest to regain relevance, Professor Snyder had the scholarly grace and humility to unequivocally state it was the president's call.
Tim Snyder, like Ruth, is very classy to say the least.
It's a great idea but he doesn't really do Q&As and things like that, I find.
I am grateful for Joe Biden. I am very glad that he has decided not to run for office. Had Biden continued his campaign and lost to Trump, his legacy would have been squashed. Not unlike Hillary, Biden could have potentially turned the country back over to Trump,- to autocracy. Now, Biden will enjoy what he so richly deserves: the legacy of a truly heroic and productive President,- one of our best. Go Kamala! With Biden’s endorsement and so many others behind her, we’ve got this!
Ruth, I've always been impressed by the excellent work you do and how you use your expertise to teach the rest of us. I too have been appalled at how Biden has been treated; they even turned on Dr. Jill Biden and the rest of the family. I do want to add, though, that the amazing results we've witnessed in the last day and a half were not luck. Biden pulled off a master class on political strategy and planning. I'm a political nobody but it's obvious that Biden made his decision a few days ago, or even a week ago. He then kept Trump, the Republicans, the media and the pundits focussed on the shiny object - senile old man won't step aside - while he put the plan together. Biden knew that making his announcement early on a Sunday gave Democrats an advantage. Biden knew that once he made the announcement he would step aside and leave the spotlight to Harris. Biden knew we could not have an open convention and he knew why some people wanted one. The chaos would've been divisive and ugly. I did enjoy seeing the sleazy opportunistic Manchin get caught in the whiplash. Even I know that the logistics that had to be in place to pull off what happened had to have been in place and ready to go. Harris was able to get more than enough delegates in record time and, no doubt, had help on the phones. Harris also got all of her potential Democratic rivals to support her as the candidate and got the majority of Congressional Democrats to support her. Who is the most talented at whipping Democrats and who knows how they think and act? I suspect Nancy Pelosi also spent a lot of time on the phone this past day and a half. The record fundraising was due to Harris and probably represents stored up demand (people who wanted to donate but maybe not to Biden). And, as is typical Biden, he isn't looking for praise for a major job well done. He's content letting everyone praise him for stepping aside and ignoring how he orchestrated everything. Bravo!!
He already has the Medal of Freedom from Obama, he should be given another one.
Agreed.
I completely agree! This went too quickly and smoothly to have been a two day decision. Biden is a master politician!
President Biden is such a class act. He deserves much better treatment than he has received these last 3+ years. Instead the media paid attention to the loud obnoxious bully, but did not hold him accountable. Biden has not been given full credit for saving the nation from Covid and Trump. I hope Trump will finally be held fully responsible for ALL his many crimes.
I think you're right. Our friend Joe Biden didn't just fall off the turnip truck ♥️😎
I'm curious as to why we allow people who are openly hostile to our form of government to run for positions where they would be in charge of parts of the that government. When I was a kid my understanding of the electoral college included the idea that they could throw out the nominations of someone like Trump.
The Electoral College has the ability to go against the electorate if they feel the electorate is wrong in their choice. Unfortunately this has not been done, and so we ended up with a fascist leaning sociopath in tRump. The Electoral College needs to be eliminated.
Agree. The electoral College is a remnant of the slave era. It was presented as a safeguard to slave states remaining slave states and labeled as "preventing the tyranny of the majority". We should have thrown it out after the Civil War.
To Authoritarian regimes, our electoral college is used as one example of how we really have is a "managed democracy". What we claim as democracy is really not. The evidence authoritarians use when explaining to their people is, "look at at America, where the winner of an election can be the loser of the popular vote" and asking their people if they really want something as foolish as that! ..Donald Trump 2016 and George Bush 2000.
Yes, we are between a democracy and an autocracy, an anocracy. We are probably a kakistocracy as well.
Oligarchy. 15 million bought an Ohio Senate seat, and now a Vice President.
https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/2017/12/05/bezos-among-investors-in-fund/16881872007/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2024/07/16/jd-vance-and-peter-thiel-what-to-know-about-the-relationship-between-trumps-vp-pick-and-the-billionaire/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leokamin/2024/07/19/here-are-jd-vances-biggest-billionaire-donors/
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/how-a-network-of-tech-billionaires-helped-jd-vance-leap-into-power/
Also, Peter Thiel had backed the cold blooded fascist, Blake Masters in AZ but that run failed. I suspect that Thiel has some serious mental issues.
yeah, he is a Libertarian.
A stain on my state.🤮🤮😡😡
I think between an oligarchy and authoritarianism.
Biden dropping out had a lot to do with money. It’s been reported and proven that 98% of elections since 1980 are won by who spends more. Who was withholding promised campaign funding? A 2nd term President has nothing to lose once elected. No ne owns him in that 2nd term. He can/could be very bold when tgry have both houses. Thats the 2nd contributing factor to Biden dropping out. His platform can’t keep going without the Democrat senators also winning in the swing states. While we all know who those senators are, none of us know where the big money was coming from. It’s moot now, Kamala has both the endorsements from Senators but not whose big money came forward. Once we know that, we know who will/can assert leverage over her while she is in office.
I think that’s what bothers me the most. We don’t know whose big money came in once Biden dropped out.
The other thing that really bothers me and this is the both sides thing. The total amount of hundreds of millions of dollars 1 billion maybe or is it more 1 billion is what it cost to do a study to bring a vaccine to market how many bridges how many schools, how many hospitals, Social Security veterans services, school, counseling services, teacher, salaries, upgrading fire and police stations and equipment. I thought a capitalist society is supposed to allocate capital where demand is, but this theory breaks when it comes to unlimited spending on campaigns. The money spent it just seems so wasteful to me. I hope that’s something Kamala and the Democrats can fix this first term. Limit the amount of money clouding our politics.
I have been furious about it too, because the democratic presidents up until Biden have been part of the problem for the most part. Biden is the only one to take on Reaganomics, and most of the people who have money buy into that false narrative about how economies work.
Corporate donors, PACS, Billionaires. Citizens United. All dark money. Gives an appearance of choice but in reality it’s the money, and with it, strings attached. A hostile NY Times. Bezos/WA POST wants to become Murdoch, a kingmaker.
It’s crazy when the majority of Economists prove trickle down is BS, but folks would rather believe their cable entertainment talking heads. Social identity and belonging to one’s group takes precedent. Crazy. Stupid. Frustrating.
That, my friend, is crucial.
Still having flashbacks about 2000. UGH.
Dang it Al Gore! You should have fought it! Dang it fascist Flordia with your gerrymandering and voter suppression, book bans, etc.
“Do not obey in advance” for it teaches power how much u don’t care and how much they can get away with.
Yes. But we were raised to be good losers. Trump breaks that idea. Gore did not lose, but he accepted a loss, instead of not. Sandra Day O'Connor did not want him in so she stopped the recount.
I believe that the appeals court for that was Amy Barret and Bret Kavanaugh. So Al caved seeing he couldn’t win any appeal.
Joe Biden is a brilliant political tactician. This transition was a master stroke. I too am still incensed at the MSM and the backstabbers in the Democratic Party. The intraparty issues, although needing to be dealt with, can be set aside for now. VP Harris has hit the ground running. Joe Biden has everything to do with this.
I agree , that was the sole reason the electoral college still had to exist in this day and age, but it wasn't never used when we needed it.
We need to get rid of the EC now.
Yes!
Exactly. I can see in my mind that clip of that sumbitch Reagan saying "Government is not the solution, government is the problem," presaging his assault on the middle and lower classes by slashing social spending while pouring money down the throats of defense contractors. Mr. Fiscal Conservative tripled the national debt.
Reagan was laying the foundation for far right authoritarianism with his austerity for the middle class and his promotion of neolliberal economics.
Do you mean neoconservative? He started the whole bullshit "trickle down economics is a valid philosophy" mantra
The neocons loved an economic plan that favored the wealth class and stifled everyone else. This has been called "trickle down" but is also known as neoliberalism because it gives the capitalist class freedom to exploit.
Thanks for the explanation. Whatever the nomenclature is, I still think Reagan was a colossal douchebag for what he did to screw everybody below the top 1-2%.
I, too, was very upset about the way President Biden was treated by the media. I still feel that he remains very competent, and am thoroughly disgusted by the way the media mostly ignore trump's glaring flaws. I am happy to see the infusion of energy into the democratic party, with Kamala Harris receiving the baton. I'm still concerned about bigotry and misogyny being used successfully against her, but I also have confidence in her ability to fight those things, and her ability to put trump in his place. I saw Charlie Dent on MSNBC yesterday, and did not like what he was saying at all. I hope he was better at your conference.
He was the most gifted politician I have ever seen. He got things done in ways that people did not realize how close to the brink things were with a do nothing House of Republicans. It is amazing. Prof. Timothy Snyder says he is the most natural negotiator. I did not want to give that up, but have accepted that the people in the country that count, back someone else, and they let the Oligarch at the NYT tell them what was what. Sulzberger's name is dirt in my home. I am waiting for my friends who claim the NYT is not biased to figure it out.
I agree With you, Linda. I also didn't want to see Biden go, but I do like Kamala Harris and the energy she brings to the country. We should see continuity, which is good. And I believe she has a lot of good people skills. Harris is very different from Biden, but I believe she has the ability to accomplish a lot of good things, to continue the work the current administration has started. I had been hearing that there was a lot of apathy toward Biden, which is really sad. I do not understand the need to be excited, when you have someone in the job who is doing a lot for you, as an ordinary person. I have been pleased to see that everyone is giving Biden credit for everything he has done for the country.
Susan, I agree with you.
Agh, I know there will be various black swan events between now and November but reading how there were multiple assassination attempts on Mussolini, in your opening statement, it made me realize there will be more of those too. Sorry to be a bummer but the thought struck me dumb =/
I have been so worried about that for Biden and Harris, and Trump being shot made me just more worried.
=/ I think the trump one happened because he doesn't cooperate with people trying to protect him he is incapable of taking advise or orders. Biden and Harris are obviously much smarter and reasonable, in every possible way =] 🩵💙🌊🌊🏄♂️🏄♂️🌅
Thank you! It means everything when experts on authoritarianism speak out. I'm hoping more people will listen. Please, keep up your important work.
Project 2025 seems to be an organizing document for a fascist government. It's a fascist manifesto, a declaration of intent. Our neoliberal order can't wait to see their dream come true, to finally have what they have long been striving for; fascism with its cartel economics.
Well said - I am really moved by what you said about the president and how he was treated. It was shameful and disrespectful even if the ultimate result was positive. He did not deserve that and yet he did not complain. And highly recommend Anne Applebaum's latest book. I have known Ms. Applebaum since grade school and have immense respect for her work.
I'm such a fan of Anne Applebaum's. Your photo together gave me a big smile. Thanks for everything you do for democracy.
What an outstanding panel you’ve put together! Hopefully, Americans will watch, read about or listen to it! Can’t help but note that Trump has already begun to use racial propaganda against VP Harris! He’s the lowest form of humanity I’ve ever seen! I bet the coward will try to dodge the debate! In any case, your expertise and experience is significantly superior to anyone else I know! Thanks!
Sounds exciting; thanks Ruth!