I’m still basking in the glow of yesterday’s very successful No King’s Day. I still haven’t seen any news stories about violence, even minor, at any of the protests. I never would have believed that 7 million lefties would all follow directions at the same time.
I’ve seen lots of comments about the number of older people showing up for these events. Most of us are veterans of the Vietnam era antiwar movement, I suspect. We were much younger then, of course. But I believe the presence of so many grandparents is helping to keep things calm and generally wholesome.
There’s also a lot of anger at the New York Times today for giving No Kings less prominent coverage than they gave the Charlie Kirk memorial. Aggravating, but not surprising. This is a long-standing pattern.
Speaking of the New York Times — which at least hasn’t lost all its good writers like the Washington Post — Chris Hayes has an op ed in today’s edition that’s worth reading. In a nutshell, he’s saying the Democrats’ core problem — most of the time, anyway — isn’t their message. The problem is too many voters never hear their message. And this is something I’ve been saying since I started writing this blog back in 2002. But the nature of the problem has changed.
My original gripe: In the 1990s and 2000s the problem was that the Right had built a formidable mass media infrastructure. At the time it was mostly Fox News and right-wing talk radio. But they had a means to deliver right-wing propaganda — much of it generated by the Heritage Foundation and similar rightie think tanks — directly to vast audiences. And the “mainstream” media was cautiously full of both siderism, which tended to reinforce the propaganda even if it didn’t exactly repeat it. So especially in rural areas with fewer media choices there was no one explaining what the Democratic Party was doing. People literally only heard from the Right side of the political spectrum. Talk radio isn’t what it used to be, but today right-wing influencers have taken up the slack. And mainstream media is still too full of both siderism.
Chris Hayes doesn’t go back that far, but instead talks about the way television advertising is no longer THE way to get out a campaign message. “If you had enough money to buy ads, you could reach the voters you wanted to reach, and the problem was simply getting enough money,” Hayes writes. However, “That world no longer exists. TV viewership has declined, and audiences have fractured. Money cannot buy attention as reliably or directly as it once did.”
The Harris-Walz campaign was too cautious and relied too much on the old playbook. Inexplicably, they didn’t even make good use of Tim Walz. Walz has said the campaign was too risk-averse. Hayes says the Dems worry too much about negative attention. They’re afraid that one flubbed statement will bury their chances. So that limits who they are willing to talk to.
Democratic operatives and candidates need to stop being scared of their own shadows and internalize the notion that attention is good, that even negative attention might redound to their benefit and that the public is so easily distracted that no one is going to hold supposed gaffes against them the way people once might have.
Especially in the new media world, the Dems need candidates who know how to use media to talk directly to voters (like Zohran Mamdani). Instead of the “safe,” centrist, anodyne candidates Chuck Schumer likes to recruit (who tend to lose), the Dems need candidates who are naturally good at getting attention and talking to people. Charisma doesn’t hurt. Being able to raise money is still important, but it’s not the be-all and end-all of campaigns that it used to be. And that’s a good thing.
For another good read, see The Depth of MAGA’s Moral Collapse by George Packer at The Atlantic. Gift article. Just read it.
In other news — The Guardian reports that Gaza’s civil defense agency said a series of Israeli air strikes across the territory killed at least 33 people on Sunday, updating an earlier toll of 21. So much for Trump’s peace plan.
Update: Over the past several hours, three things happened. I’m not sure in what order. Trump/Hegseth had another random boat bombed, killing three men. This is the seventh known such boat. This was done on Friday but announced today. The boat is from The men killed were Colombians. Hegseth claimed they were part of a Colombian rebel group and smuggling drugs. Of course, the evidence went down with the ship.
I swear, I’d bet money they’re bombing the boats just because Trump or Hegseth or Miller or all of them get off on watching it on video.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro called Trump a murderer. I’d say that’s accurate. Then Trump threw one of his temper tantrums and called Petro an “illegal drug dealer” and says he will stop all aid and subsidies going into Colombia.
Aso, WaPo is reporting that in order to get Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to accept Trump deportees into his prison, Bukele wanted the return of nine MS-13 gang leaders in U.S. custody. But it turns out that some of those gang members had been informants under the protection of the U.S. government. Well, so much for protection. Read about it at Emptywheel.
I'm so frustrated by Cory Booker. I want to like him, he often says the right things.
Karen Hunter spent lots of time with him and she recently shared her thoughts. She sincerely wants him to do better.
Here's the link:
https://youtu.be/Cc2YpcCATVQ?t=84
I really hate sitting through videos more than 12 minutes long and podcasts of any length. (I only listen to podcasts to put me to sleep.) If someone wants to provide a synopsis of what is said I'd appreciate it.
Karen Hunter is a Black journalist who covered Booker's first campaign. She says he talked about "studying leadership" under Tony Robbins. She says he changed after he won his first election. He wasn't as accessible or transparent as he'd been before.
She plays clips from his recent appearance on the "I've Had It" podcast. She says his behavior with those ladies was more respectful than his appearances on her show. "He sat there and took it while they cussed him out" she says.
She plays brief clips from the "I've Had It" podcast and she comments in real time while he answers questions from the white woman. She contradicts some claims he makes, specifically about campaign donations.
At one point, he deflects from a question about Bibi Netanyahu's bombings by complaining that "no one criticized Obama" for the bombings under his administration.
She ends by playing a clip of a recent appearance of Gavin Newsom on another podcast, being cagey and indirect about campaign donations.
"The Harris-Walz campaign was too cautious and relied too much on the old playbook"
No doubt they ran a substandard campaign; they also never responded effectively to the nonsense that diaper don was spewing about them. But in the end, I think they lost because they were both lousy candidates. I voted for them but certainly not with much enthusiasm. I really hope neither one of them is on the ticket in 2028. The democrats could certainly learn something from Mamdani as far as campaigning goes. Though Mamdani really has no choice but to run his own campaign, the democratic party is way to aligned with AIPAC, I don't see them getting fully behind Mamdani anytime soon.
Israel started bombing Gaza again today, who saw that coming?
I disagree Harris and Walz were lousy candidates. The campaign was hampered by a late start and made mistakes, but the candidates themselves were fine, IMO.
"Lousy Candidates" is of course my opinion as well. I suppose it's arguable, they certainly would have been 1000% better than what we have now. But you can't argue with the results they were beaten badly, lost all the battle ground states to the most flawed candidate in the history of politics. I'm not sure what direction the party needs to go but it sure seems those two are not the answer, again just my opinion.
By the numbers, the election was a squeaker. IMO Harris's (unfair, in my opinion) association with Biden's policies regarding Israel and Gaza, plus misogyny, probably handed the election to Trump. That doesn't make Harris a "lousy candidate" IMO.
Harris did remarkably well given the hand she was dealt, and given the fact she was foisted upon us at the last minute.
Biden should've stepped aside much earlier, for the traditional competitive primary. He might've been a (relatively) high functioning octogenerian, but he is nonetheless ancient, and was way past his sell-date in the eyes of many voters.
It's tragic because there were other younger Democrats who could've campaigned as vigorously as Kamala Harris. A broad field of choices. Shoulda-Coulda-Woulda.
"…the Democrats’ core problem — most of the time, anyway — isn’t their message. The problem is too many voters never hear their message."
Bingo. Correct diagnosis.
Harris **won** just like awful candidate Clinton **won**. The electiins were **stolen** and Democrats do not have the courage to protect us, just like when **bush** stole Florida (and others). The rest of the world knows this — we are not a democracy and have not been at that level for decades.
Palast has the score and does this w/BBC.
https://www.gregpalast.com/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won/
There's a movie scene from "Ford vs Ferrari" that encapsulates the moment. Like Henry Ford the Whatever, as of now, we may not yet grasp the meaning. Trump is scared today, and we have him where we want him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss1eQRROw4o&t=3s
I read a post on FB by an activist who, like Ford's stable of experts, missed the threat within Trump's short-term defeat. The activist observed, there was no list of grievances – no list of demands – no threat of further action unless Trump meets us for negotiation. The Democratic expert failed to observe – there's no compromise acceptable to either side.
Saul Alynsky defined a method (that works) to use mobilization with creative stunts to pressure power to concede, at least partially, to the popular will. We're not looking at preventing the development of Lighthouse Field into apartments. There's no gray area, like developing just the far end and preserving the area closest to the historic and scenic site, that would satisfy the citizens. Trump and his minions are violating the laws daily, federal AND state laws, I suspect. We can't begin to investigate the scope of the crimes or the extent of the damage yet. They know they must win totally.They want ALL power with no threat of future justice.
Ponder this – is a condition of unconstitutional power acceptable if they only keep SOME of the illegal executive authority, and SOME latitude in violating civil rights of citizens? If it's not OK in ANY degree, this is a cage fight to the elimination of the dictatorship, or the elimination of resistance – us.
What Trump saw yesterday is that the resistance is far larger than the high-end estimates of Project 2025, and they displayed far more discipline (no riots, no violence) than our most optimistic organizers hoped for. There is no excuse for calling out the military to quell dissent that is only an electoral threat to Trump personally and the GOP as a party.
The fact that there is no excuse will not deter Trump, but I have doubts that the USSC will support Trump invoking the Insurrection Act, absent any shred of evidence that there is an insurrection. Ah, but Trump can easily issue orders without asking the USSC for permission, and he might ignore the USSC if they rule against him. So we are screwed, no matter what.
Not quite. Ten thousand ICE thugs are not a large enough force to overthrow state law enforcement nationwide. The military is required not to follow an illegal order – and orders to deplay troops within the US are illegal, without a doubt, if the USSC has told Trump he cannot use the military to obstruct a free and fair election.
I hope you saw the movie or the link above for this line… Then substitute, "Old Man Trump."
"… we still managed to put Old Man Ferarri exactly where we want him"
Today, Trump knows, without polls, we will beat him in a fair election in 2028. The harder Trump squeezes in the next three years, the larger the resistance will become. Trump always doubles down on a bad bet – there will be no moderation in Trump's policies. Without the fig leaf of insurrection to cover a blatant coup, the USSC might refuse Trump authority, but without an insurrection, I think the military will refuse to move against US citizens on Trump's orders.
You people did that Saturday.
Hello again from rural red state hell. Perhaps a good part of the Democrats message is not getting out, but um, the signal to noise ratio is way too great in order to get what the message is and if there is one. When I talk to the folks out here, they associate the Dems with identity issues alone, or if there is a healthcare policy or jobs policy, it is to benefit lazy drug addict homeless, brown folks, or illegals only. Sure it is racist as all hell, but FDR was only able to get much of the New Deal online by ensuring the Old South that the programs were for whites only.
The US media trains the masses to be crabs in a bucket. I hear every day the hard right, right wing propaganda spewed through the media infrastructure into my head and it is only worse with the current regime blackmailing the media corporations to comply or die.
Besides AM radio, this is the signal to noise ratio I refer to…
https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/10/elons-takeover-of-twitter-was-a-huge-success
I spent enough time in rural Missouri to know exactly what you're saying. One comment I've heard several times is that Harris ran on trans rights and not on the economy. Of course, she may have mentioned trans rights now and then, but she gave entire speeches about her economic plans. Which would have left us in a far better place than we're in now. People just don't hear what the Dems are saying. They're hearing what Fox News and OAN tells them the Dems are saying.
Yep, the only way that I can not go insane out here is to stick to my principles and find some kind of solace in the hope that my measured and seemingly apolitical responses nudge folks to understand that we can live in a better (less mean-spirited) country.
YES. The GOP is /much/ better at delivering its messages/propaganda to target populations, but FOX and Hate Radio are just the tip of the spear.
The real core of the GOP Infrastructure is the network of Think Tanks that they started building in the 1960's (Heritage, AEI, etc). That's where strategies and tactics are set: which voters to target, and what messages will work on each group. They understand micro-marketing much better than Democrats do (Dems target 'Hispanics'; GOP breaks it down by country of origin, age, time in country, etc).
Even worse, the GOP functions like a Corporation, while the Dems are a Committee. The real power behind the GOP is the Investors who fund the Think Tanks – and set their priorities. GOP politicians – since Nixon, until Trump – have all just been Employees; they can focus on Looking Good and leave the thinking to others.
The Dem Party is currently dominated by a few large State Parties – CA, NY, IL – which bring in most of the Party's money. The highest priority for each of those State Parties is to maintain their fiefdom – their power within their State. Sadly, those State Parties have become rather corrupt (see: Cuomo Dynasty).
Yes, Democrats [almost] always have better policy prescriptions than Republicans, but the Democratic Party is in no shape to compete nationally. They need to (1) clean up State Parties, and (2) build national infrastructure before they will be able to really challenge the GOP.
OTOH, the GOP is organizationally solid, but their policies have pretty much wrecked the USA. I expect a 1929-level Crash very soon; maybe some new FDR will manage to unify Democrats.
Watching the ALCS game seven tonight and saw this ad. Why can't the democrats do this. There is so much audio, video of the GOP accusing the liberals of doing exactly what diaper Don is doing right now, but our side sits on its hands. They have no effective messaging.
https://youtu.be/hN_CVvzExpM?si=RtQghj-Ha3cVwVru
I had to go downstream from my house a bit for No Kings Day, but not far. I took the road because the creek has running water in it but is not that navigable anymore. My father claimed he could ice skate it in his youth using that route but that was a different time and a colder climate. It is almost Halloween, and we have no frost yet. Last year there was no ice thick enough to venture upon all winter.
The downstream neighbor hosted a gaggle of Democrats, the first time in years they were seen this far west. All were running or near filing for state or national level seats next year. Some will even be in a contested primary. The two running for Marshall's seat both show levels of sanity at levels Senator Marshall has not shown in six years embarrassing the state on national television. Both candidates also showed civility, a quality never displayed by Senator Marshall. Both were quick to say they liked their primary opponent and would support them if they prevailed. Now that is civil.
Most of the crowd went to a local sign waving after, but I deferred. The wind had come up and shifted from the north. I would have had to change to warmer gear and reinforce my sign to withstand the wind. After three hours on a metal folding chair, I had had enough politics for one day. My friend had made a couple of great signs I got to see and represented us well.
It's a good thing some Democrats showed up. Lately the other party's members have not gotten a very friendly reception from the natives. They probably won't be back too soon. We are used to being ignored, but we do not approve of being misrepresented. This was refreshing.
Your theory about Hegseth et al getting off on video of boats being bombed sounds about right. Mussolini's brother was famous for his remarks about the beauty of bombing Ethiopian horsemen.
When you worship death, death is beautiful, especially if it happens to other people.