On Monday, Popular Information reported that Scholastic is facilitating the exclusion of books that feature people of color or LGBTQ characters from its book fairs. The company, under pressure from right-wing ideologues, has created a collection of these titles and is offering school officials the ability to remove all of them. Our report broke the news on what books are being targeted, a list that includes biographies of civil rights icon John Lewis and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
2. Librarians across the country are protesting Scholastic's policy, with some deciding to cancel their Scholastic book fairs. Several of Scholastic's authors are also publicly criticizing the company.
3. PEN America, one of the nation's leading non-profits dedicated to free expression, has written an open letter to Scholastic calling on the company to end the policy.
We'll keep you updated as this story develops.
Today, however, I want to hear from you. What's on your mind? What topics should be on Popular Information's radar? You can leave your thoughts in the discussion thread linked below, starting now. I’ll be dropping by later today to answer any questions.
Popular Information is a 100% reader-supported publication. If you haven't done so already, please consider supporting this work by upgrading to a paid subscription.
One request for the team: I'd like to see you all eliminate the word "conservative" from your coverage. The extreme right-wing ideologies and chicanery you cover so well have nothing to do with "conservatism," and using the term provides an imprimatur of sanity to their dealings.
I'd prefer to see the villains you cover each week either branded as "Republicans," a party which has no competent ideas and stands for nothing, or "right-wing," "hard right," "extremist," "idealogues," etc., etc.
This might sound trivial or semantic, but I think it's really important. Taking away people's rights isn't "conservative." Running a kleptocracy isn't "conservative."
Exactly what is the difference? Name me one so called conservative that isn't on board with 90% of what the curent GOP stands for? Yes, some "conservatives" might be never Trumpers but I don't see them standing up for equality, against book bans or anything else this current GOP has repeatdly stood up for. Yes, words matter and in my dictionary conservative also stands up for bigotry hate and fascism. No different than neo-con, alt right or MAGA. I will change this viewpoint when and if I see some so called conservatives (more than 1 or 2) stand up for equality and against the bigotry and hate this current GOP led by Trump has become.
I used to think of myself as conservative. Donald Trump makes me ill. I am tired of Republicans paying cynical lip service to blue collar workers while cutting taxes for the rich and continuing to do their bidding. I find their not-so subtle racism appalling. I believe a smaller government is better, yet I want to take a fine-toothed comb to the defense budget and provide more training to workers whose lack of skills are keeping them from the jobs market. I believe climate change must be addressed, and NOW.
TODAY'S conservatives not only disagree with all that - they positively sneer at it.
I haven't changed much at all.
The Right of 2023 has moved, not further right, but to a new low of doing all it can to grab power, including subverting the Constitution. The Right of 2023 care for no one but themselves.
Exactly this. Advocating for smaller government isn't intrinsically bad. It's a different philosophy, which certainly has merits and in many cases is a superior approach.
Denying climate change, embracing racism, discriminating against the LGBT+ community -- these are not conservative ideals.
It’s HOW the $$ get distributed. I don’t want even $1 of MY taxes funding weapons. I say trickle UP. Keep routing dollars through areas to keep them vital. We now know what we should have learned from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (I cannot believe that was 40 years ago!!)
What long term impact did Walmarts have on the economy of our nation?!? It destroyed thousands upon thousands of small local businesses while enriching China and the Walton family. It created a lower than lower middle class with its unlivable wages. Walmart has 10,593 locations worldwide and 4,650 locations in the U.S. as of Nov 2022. Walmart’s annual revenue is currently $572.75 billion and has 1.6 million active employees in the U.S. alone. Walmart’s CEO, Doug McMillon, made $25.7 million in 2022. The average wage for a Walmart employee is $14.76/hr (FL has 386 stores with a starting rate of FL’s min wage $12/hr.)
There are around 14,500 U.S. Walmart employees who are currently on welfare programs like SNAP food stamps.
Education has been redefined by Republicans. Yet, great teachers who predated today’s book and other banning came up with a Vet Tech program completed in HS. We need more like that.
you are correct-----language does MATTER ----but changing what they are reffered to--- WILL NOT MATTER----they will not read this---they can't read or govern or elect a House Speacke;r there is no TAX BREAKS ATTACHED to this. so I think that is a waste of your time, it's O.K. to do this when your talking about them as everybody will know who your talking about AS LONG AS YOU TELL AT THE START WHO YOU MEAN.
Excellent point. I'd taken to using the word "conservative" in an ironic fashion but after seeing your comment, I think I shall excise the word from my political vocabulary. At least for the time being. Thank you for such an excellent suggestion.
As Carmen said "Language matters. Definitions matter!"
Amran, The republican party is practicing authoritarian Fascism. I prefer fitting language as well. The lack of truth in media is what brought us to this point. We should not call anyone a conservative when they don’t practice it.
No. It’s despotism. The corporate control on a departmental level of federal government is fascism by the Democratic Party. “Slightly better than” is a direct result of tribalism. Both the blue and the red tribe are completely guilty of ushering us to this Third World, shit hole destination.
B.S. Hudson. Do you know what Fascism is? Who is denying women’s rights? Banning books based on religious fantasy? Whipping up hatred between people of color & migrants? Who is a multi criminal & existential threat? The Republicans! Trump & his Fascist fan club. Don’t you EVER equate the two parties! The republicans have never helped the working person. That has been accomplished by Democrats. Take your BS elsewhere.
Your statement about the Republicans working people is also unknowing and screaming ignorance. I do believe they created the EPA and other “we the people” protections.
Eisenhower’s tax policy was unparalleled in its intended ability to level the economic playing field.
Until you have a policy goal of restoring the Republic and reversing the eminent climate disaster, all of those points you made are completely ancillary and political football.
I will expand on that.
Increasing the military budget annually.
They are the same.
Increasing the agriculture budget annually.
They are the same.
Increasing the healthcare budget annually.
They are the same.
Increasing the national debt annually.
They are the same.
Putting our sovereign safety at risk by outlying themselves with a terrorist state, Israel. They are the same.
Increasing the wealth gap annually.
They are the same.
Income growth of the donor class.
They are the same.
Your pseudo-intellectual gibberish is completely unamusing. Shut the fuck up.
Why would you make such an absurd assumption? Because I dare hold the Democratic party elected officials accountable? I know that’s completely off-limits.
I don't doubt you. I think it's reductive to say everyone who wants to identify as a "conservative" is a fascist, however. My point is: drawing the distinction might help reframe and alleviate political tribalism and polarization.
Couldn’t we revive the quite useful “moderate”? To be applied to any pol(s) as deserved? Moderate Republican(s) so-and-so, likewise Democrat(s), Independent(s), etc. And will we ever get back to the true meaning of “Liberal”?
As long as corporate oligarchy is the political stance of anyone using the term “moderate” it’s not a legitimate position. I’m curious, what is the true definition of “liberal” I think it is replaced the term moderate or centrist. The only thing I want liberal is ketchup on my fries and chicken chocolate chips in my ice cream.
Given how far away we are from the ideal it is, the United States of America, Progressive is the only logical ideology. If you think the corporate donor class recidivism of the Democratic Party leadership is going to save the planet, or restore the Republic, you are sadly mistaken.
For some reason, people tend to forget that before Trump. It wasn’t like we were a functioning representative democracy.
Liberal used to mean hands off banking and business: minimal watch-dogging, minimal (if any) taxes, etc. Totally unlike the way it’s used today to designate left/leftish/ progressive agendas. The pols trying to drain the swamp by undoing e.g. the EPA, Consumer Protection, other regulatory federal bodies would in the past have been dubbed “liberals.”
A Spanish king (one of the Alfonsos, sorry, can’t recall which or when) did away with taxes on banking, shipping, several other large and fundamental enterprises: he went in the books as the first liberal Spanish monarch. All the money needed to run the country (and of course all the perks for the royals and their toadies) was going to have to come from taxation on small business, farming, etc. Things did not, of course, go well.
De regulation was never considered a liberal policy. Consumer protections are a basic tenets of capitalism. That and a true free market. Now that’s quite progressive. Certainly not what fits the definition of the neo, conservative nut job “free market”.
100% agree. To the extent that there are "conservative" voters out there who feel compelled to stick with their "tribe," I think we can all do a better job of framing our actual values. The Republican Party is anti-freedom, and should be branded as such.
The term that Judd isn't using is FASCISM! We need to start using that term because that is what the RWNJs are doing, trying to install a fascist Rich White Male Dictatorship in this country.
Personally, I prefer "reactionary" and sometimes "fanatic" to either "conservative" or "Republican."
I like to tell people that in his syndicated column for January 2, 1995 (I still have the clipping) George Will, who once passed for an intellectual conservative, wrote "'Back to 1900' is a serviceable summation of the conservatives' goal." There is no reason to think that has changed.
Totally agree, so happy someone is bringing this up. Conservative isn't even close to the principles of today's Republican, that party is gone. Today they support extreme right ideology as demonstrated by refusing to denunciate white supremacy, supporting corrupt judges, expunging women's rights, dismantling voting rights, voting against certification of President Biden. Words matter, ideology matters, voting matters, they're not "conservative".
I think the same can be said for us liberals. Our language fails in providing words, and therefore an explanation for all that is going on, changes, ideas.
I agree! I'm a "liberal" and a "progressive" but I'm really for "freedom." If the culture tries to rebrand liberals as against "freedom," it's our responsibility to push back against that. The modern Republican party is anti-freedom, which is neither a conservative nor a liberal position.
Thank you for this. Perfect follow-up. I describe myself the same, yet grew up in a home where I would describe my parents as being 'conservative'. They are now partyless due to extremism, but still hold their traditional 'conservative' values. The differences are their values are worthy of debate, unlike the extremism of our current R party.
Exactly. Debating policy implementation, personal freedoms, and the size of government are all rational considerations. Embracing hateful and conspiratorial ideology has nothing to do with that.
Especially policy positions. The GOP has nothing to do with the democratic party platform planks, or the platform itself.
The constituents should be demanding a platform that actually represents them. Face it, the Democratic Party constituents, have the duty to basically save life on the planet not just re-institute a Representative Democracy based on a Constitutional Republic. Sadly, at this particular juncture, it’s obvious we’re not up to it .
Thank you for the concise summation of what I've been using way too many words to explain. What response do you use when the 2nd amendment is brought into discussion? This is where the now infrequent dialogue breaks down for me. Obviously I feel that the right of personal safety and the right to not live in fear of gun violence should be prioritized over someone else's right to horde military grade automatic weapons. The 2nd amendment is indeed the only freedom I'd willingly give up. I'd sacrifice a limb to not have that right. Yet this is the loggerheads these conversations always end in for me personally. It's the only freedom they're interested in but we can't get past it.
To be candid, I have no time for the Second Amendment and believe it should be repealed. I'm happy to tell any- and everyone as much as well, even if that shuts down "debate."
The Amendment is an anachronism, written 250 years ago by people with no conception of what future military technology might look like.
You know the stats: look at the deaths via suicide and homicide in the U.S. versus other peer nations. There's only one factor to explain the chasm, and it's access to firearms.
If you want to be even more combative, ask people how their "militia" would fare against the might and power of the U.S. military. At the time the Amendment was written, it might have been rational to assume a person could use a musket to defend themselves against government tyranny. Now, you can have as many AR-15s as you want, they're not going to defend you against a remote-controlled predator drone.
Me, too. You can try the collective freedom outweighs individual freedoms when it leads to a greater societal good argument (e.g., why we were supposed to wear masks and get vaccinated during the pandemic years), but when you're dealing with bad faith actors it'll fall on deaf ears.
But don't give up. Certain people may be unreachable, but arguing and debating in good faith is the only way forward.
The problem with "freedom" is that every right-winger, every libertarian, could say "Exactly! You're on our side!" I like contrasting "progressive" (going forward, improving) to "reactionary" (going backward,, destroying). I also like recalling the line I heard some years back that "The advantage conservatives have is that they are proposing ideas that failed so long ago that people have forgotten the failures."
That works, though I think reclaiming the word freedom on the left is a better approach. One of the reasons they do that is because the left doesn't emphasize freedom enough in its messaging. Thus, anything the progressive movement proposes is re-branded as a restriction of freedom. Why let the regressive (or reactionary) ghouls get away with that?
I was actually addressing the idea of a single-word self-description.
But to answer your question, we shouldn't.
"Oh, yeah, 'restricting freedom.' That's what we're about. We're restricting the 'freedom' to lack health care. Restricting the 'freedom' to be overworked and underpaid. Restricting the 'freedom' to be the victim of discrimination and violence. Restricting the 'freedom' to destroy the environmental future of our children. Put another way, restricting the 'freedom' to be a selfish, greedy, ignorant, bigot. Yup, that's us. You got a problem with that?"
The ultra right's use of the Conservative label, may as well be the sheepskin hiding the wolf. They do a lot with language to blur and distort the perceptions of others. It has kept my sh!t detector on high alert for my whole life.
I’m right there with you, Amran Gowani. I have often told people I am conservative, only what I strive to conserve is the ongoing effort to fulfill the promise of the Constitution and democracy. The extremism operating under the flag of the Republican Party today is driving the country over the brink into a new Dark Ages. Language is important.
The extremism and absolute despotism displayed by the GOP is no more responsible than the ridiculous insulting tokens offered by the Democratic Party. “slightly better than an ongoing criminal enterprise is not good government. In a codependent duopoly, neither party is going to ever completely remove the other party. What most don’t realize is they are partners in a worldwide crime syndicate.
This is all so weak, I can’t do it anymore. Call me elitist but, this shit is beneath me.
Thank you, Anna. I've always considered myself a liberal, but mostly I'm concerned with good ideas, and those come from all different parts of the political spectrum. This comment sparked a lot more discussion than I intended, and my hope was really just for Judd and team to avoid giving the bad faith extremists any cover as a rational actors.
Thank you for your reporting Judd, especially the broad-ranging stories with local impact like Scholastic. Further to that, would love to see continued follow up on turf groups with national reach and local impact (i.e. moms for liberty, Koch Foundation, etc).
WE could sure use a lot more of "TRUTH TELLING" because we don't get enough of that. it's very nice to have some more of this, please keep up the GOOD WORK----like that for sure !.
One subject that seems to be conveniently shelved continuously when brought up on the sidelines is that of political oath taking. In regards to support of our country's constitution it would seem quite factual that those congressional members who decided to commit to Trump, MAGA, and other right wing agenda supporters have ignored or snarked at their lawful duty to their office, country, rule of law and oaths of office. They have intentionally violated this sworn commitment, without penalty. It would seem this is obvious to even children who question their elders in regards to why does this happen. If a child can figure this stuff out...enough said?
It would seem enforcement of these obligations could clean house and restore truthfulness and integrity within our political system...so why is it not so? Should we just accept that corruption and skull dugery (sp) is the accepted norm, where quite literally we have to accept that there is no purpose to planning around anything because there are no more rules to the game of life in this country. We no longer accept the responsibility to set the baseline/example for the rest of the world?
So...what's wrong with enforcing the rules, oaths, and lessons that took centuries of human experience to develop anyway?
People are working on this, and there is a lawsuit in Colorado to keep Trump off the ballot based on the 14th Amendment, section 3. I am working with a Maryland senator and a delegate to consider whether we could enact legislation to make sure that everyone who appears on a ballot is eligible to serve, including meeting age and residency requirements. You should check out these organizations: Free Speech for People, CREW, Our Revolution.
Thank you for getting back to me on this matter. I will check these organizations out, although I am concerned that there isn't an internal government related enforcement group that can deal with these obvious serious infractions expeditiously. I am aware of Colorado's actions and hope they can navigate a way to start the ball rolling, for if not, a precedent will be set and new norms of corruption and malfeasance may be set in place. It would seem like the number of persons struggling to save the concept of integrity in all things is a dwindling minority. The fact that you are able to work with a sitting Maryland Senator is a little encouraging although I fear the reality of success through the efforts of one person within Congress at this point in our history is not one I would bet on.
Money and organized control of funding for causes along with meaningful penalties seems to be the effective motivator for directional change. From experience I would advocate massive, focused, instantaneous, and deliberate activities. Best plan to date would be to work with like minded Democratic linked precincts within each state to effectively declare economic war on corporations that support the funding of politicians and organizations that support bad actors. Money is the root of all this evil nonsense and used properly as a motivator...it could also be the solution?
"If a state statute has not already authorized administrative officers to seek disqualification of presidential candidates, then — as the Supreme Court signaled this year — it might be a usurpation of the state legislature’s prerogative to determine the “manner” of conducting presidential elections for these officials to assert this power on their own.
"Consequently, the safest course is for a state legislature to clarify, by enacting a new statute as soon as possible, that its election officials have the power to remove insurrectionists from the presidential ballot. A new statute could create an expedited timetable to ensure that the case reaches the Supreme Court in time for a decision before the Republican convention in July."
But who truly trust the Supreme Court now to do the right thing? Roe v Wade was "settled law". They have been co-opted by the wealthy "conservatives". None of this is new and you don't have to go very far back to see that. Roger Stone for instance has been pulling his shenanigans since 1970 and the Koch Bros. also "conservatives" have spent millions of dollars behind the scenes directing traffic in the Republican Party. The only thing that can truly fix this mess is education and that IMO is why Scholastic has vehemently violated the public trust.
The question is whether we should let the current Leonard Leo Court composition frighten us away from applying the plain language of the Constitution. I think that would be surrendering. It's likely that if states bar Trump (or many others) from the ballot, it will go to SCOTUS, and I do not think we should shy away. Milligan didn't shy away, and he won a pretty big victory under the Voting Rights Act. (https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/merrill-v-milligan-2/)
I was supportive of efforts of the national organizations that were pursuing it. I called my State Board of Elections about a gubernatorial candidate that I thought might have engaged in providing aid and comfort, and I learned that Maryland has no mechanism to check any candidate's eligibility, including by age or residence. Now, I am working on a bill so that Maryland has a procedure to disqualify ineligible candidates.
I agree with Linda on this one. Historic actions guide my opinion of the future. The wealthy have demonstrated their control over all government and the courts with special attention to "the deciders" scotus. The reality is they, the wealthy, thrive on lawless confusion and deregulated institutions. Personally I don't think they have thought it through very well...sort of the dog who chases cars and then one day catches the tire.
Because we aren't wired the same way these deciders are doesn't allow us to compete effectively. We bring knives to gun fights...unfortunately. I and we care about the right things...they for the most part don't care about others...just themselves. They will do what ever it takes to stay out of jail.(Period)
This used to be the responsibility of party leadership. You raise a valid point. My question is now that the treachery is laid bare, what comes of the GOP? Should their party, writ large be DQ’d? I think so!
How do you plan to accomplish this DQ? My point in raising the issue of disqualification under the 14th amendment is that there must be clear procedures in each state to remove unqualified people from the ballot. It takes organization and planning to implement these kinds of ideas.
The constitution is nationwide obvious framework. The states have nothing to do with the attorney general and the DOJ should have handled it in 2021.
@Jodi Kosesrek neither major party is going to remove the other. They are a codependent duopoly in a trans global crime syndicate. They’re more often than not, completely bipartisan behind closed doors.
One of the English reasons why tribalism is so ridiculously defeating. Ralph Nader was correct.
The difference is stark in the way they conduct their elections. Democratic election workers aren’t the ones arrested for sabotaging elections, but Republicans are. Have a look at Mesa County, Colorado or Coffee County, Georgia!
If you take a moment to read my entire post above, you will understand in a more comprehensive way, why all your moaning and complaining is useless. The only USEFUL thing any of us can do is vote for Democrats whenever possible.
To make a change, some politicians are gonna have to get brave or get fired. These politicians are Republicans because they have sold out to the moneyed elite. They wish for authoritarian oligarchy.
Everybody’s an expert and I get it! Everybody loves money. Too bad conservatives worship it.
THE REALITY is, AG Garland did not indict the moment he was appointed and this is a good thing. Can you imagine how the republicans would have behaved had he done this? They’d have completely destroyed our Republic as quickly as possible.
As it is, their antics in The House are just that: AN ATTACK ON OUR REPUBLIC! Matt Gaetz is a traitor! He is nothing like a Democrat other than he uses Dems to destroy his own political party in an attempt to usurp the United States of America.
No Democrat would vote for McCarthy. This is as unreasonable to demand as Republicans voting for Pelosi.
Hudson, We, The People have always been the ultimate check on our government. It’s always been this way. Elections have consequences and right now we are seeing the consequences of REPUBLICAN Tea Party extremism. This, too shall pass because The Electorate won’t have it. If Republican politicians don’t grow a spine and be truthful to their constituents, they need to be fired.
Unless, of course they remain successful in confusing their constituents into thinking they’re just like Democrats; all the same.
You must see the fallacy in these lies. They are not logical. Your argument appears unhinged to me.
Allow me to reiterate. Until the democratic party platform offers a path to restore the Republic and a genuine climate crisis proposal, everything else is ancillary. Therefore, THEY ARE THE SAME.
You’re right to abortion, or not, is rather irrelevant during a food war ...........
I think this is what Griswold’s (Colorado Secretary of State) case is all about. We see the 14th and now after 230+ years, the time has come to put it in action.
The way it works now, state and local committees decide who shall appear on their ballots. It’s different in every state, which is why some states, like Mississippi had Kanye West on their presidential ballot in 2020 and others did not. This can even differ from county to county, precinct to precinct, depending on your state’s election laws. It is truly up to the rank and file state party members to decide who appears on their ballot. This is where the integrity of your Secretary of State comes in. If you have partisan hacks willing to throw out the duly elected electors as what happened in Georgia and if the Secretary of State at the time allowed for this to occur, the domino effect by which our democracy fails would have begun. Those election workers in Georgia and Arizona and all across our nation are the real American heroes. To this day, the average citizen has no idea the sacrifices they continue to make. They still receive death threats.
I caveat this with knowing that it is this very bifurcation, which allows for each state to run their own elections that keeps our elections secure from foreign meddling. State run elections are a brilliant defense to foreign and domestic entities who attack our democratic norms. Russia can’t “hack our elections” because of this. The best they can do is hack political party insiders and pundits in hopes they will be useful idiots. Not gonna lie! This almost worked in 2016 and 2020!
There just is no other way around it. Rank and file party members decide who appears on the ballot in their name. If folk don’t like what their party is doing, they must get involved at the local level to make real change. This is how a candidate is DQ’ed in this country. Their party must DQ them. My contention is if the GOP refuses to DQ this, why then, We The People, WRITE LARGE have a mandate. We must DQ this awfulness for them by not electing another Republican to any office for the foreseeable future.
Period.
It’s just the power of the people. If we get more than a 50% turn out Republicans will never win. Why do you think they sabotage the vote they way they do? This is why we need to promote the vote where ever we go!
No. First, the Attorney General should have indicted, arrested and prosecuted every member of Congress that signed the sedition papers. And none of them should be. I’ve been allowed to run for office ever again. Nominate an institutional status quo building corporate water carrier, and you end up with a corporate water carrier as allAG.
I agree with you. Every single one of those jokers is treacherous to the core! They should be in jail, but the REALITY of it is, they are not.
Instead they are being rewarded because We, The People have abdicated our responsibility. Over 40% of us don’t vote, so if WE don’t like what we see, it might be time to get off our butts.
Only then will we elect people who will appoint decent AG’s...and judges, for that matter.
I think that we must STOP all the GREEDY PEOPLE ETC from trying to bully the American people, to this end ANY ONE WHO HAS BEEN INDICTED CAN NOT RUN UNTIL THAT IS CLEARED UP! and then we can keep the MONEY OUT OF THEIR HANDS, that would be a very good start, and try To keep the CROOKS out of OFFICE no matter what Party they belong to. now that is what I call a GOOD START----what do you think ? at least it's a start O.K.
The violation of oath by officeholders is due to one simple factor, and one only. The dereliction of #Duty “”WeThePeople.”
Per the Declaration
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
sounds like this could work to,but it's only a begening, any one who breaks their OATH of OFFICE MUST WAIT IN JAIL until their case is heard in-- Court-----let them chew on that.- but- NO DELAYS like d. j. 'trump" the HUMP! has done-- repeat--- NO DELAYS--- beat them at their own game and watch d. j. "trump" the HUMP ! WHINE-- to bad (HA HA) he has earned that and now he will pay the price---about TIME---- if you ask me. and hold the Courts responseble for any delays and JAIL WILL FIT THEM TOO!.
All of that is already in place per the United States Constitution. The only thing that needs fixing in this country is the complete lack of an ‘educated and well informed electorate’. If you think more legislation is going to cure actions that are already implicitly directed in the United States Constitution, you really don’t get it. In truth,a general strike of the masses until all demands are met.
Peaceful revolution is the only correct option. Hells bells man they left us instruction But since we are not the well-informed, educated electorate, I would put my money on a giant asteroid first......
Both parties have fallen under the control of billionaire/corporate funders for 40 years now. The working class has been put under severe economic pressure as successive Congresses/Administrations (D and R) imposed austerity. Yes, the belief in Trump may be ignorant, but it does have some basis in material reality because Trump is willing to break away from the accepted corporate blather that both parties accepted. Millions feel that he is on their side.
I say all this to say that "education" is only the answer if you mean bottom up organizing like is going on in the union movement at this very moment.
But in the meanwhile, it does not hurt for Maryland, say, to clarify which officials can decide how to apply the 14th Amendment. I do think Trump represents the threat of fascism, but the Dems represent the threat imperialist calamity and possibly nuclear war.
as We The People have a Police Dep-t arrest the ones that break the LAW----NO DELAYS----3 days tops, that must be plenty to the job---and if the Police don't do their job that they get paid to do----well they will fit in there ALSO---get the message ???
Absolutely! Violation of oath; violation of duties using obstruction and political subversion of the process, negligence, abuse of the power of office (in my world, aka malpractice)--an utter lack of accountability, not to mention advocacy for fascism when elected to AND SWORN to a system of democracy. . . And why the reluctance to use the term TREASON? Why haven’t Ginni Thomas and Gym Jordan been charged for their parts in the Jan 6 coup?
And then, there us the matter of allowing CERTAIN people to meddle in foreign affairs--like Elon Musk. There are laws against civilians doing this.
Not to mention 2/3rds of the SCOTUS and with their ultimate authority to decide matters DQing Trump from any ballot is, after it makes it's way up through the court system, going to be a non-starter. You mention Ginny and Jordan, how about nary a word of impeachment of a certain Justice for his complete corruption on the court. We are stuck in a very large pothole with no way out, just like MAGA wants it. I have given up on any realistic solution being possible.
Same solution there as everywhere else in federal government
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security”
Perform our #Duty as a citizen. Per the Declaration.
I agree wholeheartedly. Perhaps there are not enough gov't lawyers to go around? Or not enough funding for enough lawyers to go around or not enough appropriately paid/salaried positions for enough qualified constitutional attorneys? Although I would think it a, slam dunk court win, given the reality of the actions of these offenders. Why isn't there a monetary penalty that can be leveraged to pay for their crimes such that a case could afford to be brought against them? I think there is if appropriate accountants were brought in to assess the dollar cost to society and the government in the past, present and future?
As a person having worked under that oath for 41 years, I can say this
1. In the Navy I served, enforcement of that oath is embedded in the application of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
2. On the civil side of things, the oath is administered and no regular or routine mention of it follows. In my time, a little piece of paper was entered in the personnel file noting such.
Roger that. Moreover when I left active duty there was no rescission of that oath, so I feel obligated to uphold it to this day.
On the other hand TFG never served, and has claimed to never have read a book. Could it be that he doesn't even know what the Constitution says? Certainly that is true for many ordinary Americans.
I completely agree with you but with 1 party so thoroughly corrupted exactly how would we begin to enforce and change that dynamic of corruption by that one party? The only way I see it becoming possible is for the electorate to rise up and vote that 1 corrupt party out of each and every office, local on up to President. Sadly, especially in the South, the MAGA has taken such a hold that I can't see this as being possible anytime in even the far off future. We are dealing with a terminal cancer that is destined to change our country for the worse and I personally see no way out from this reality. I truly hope that I am wrong.
As if the Democratic Party offers good government and quality policy? I think not. Slightly better than an ongoing criminal. Enterprise is not good enough. The blind allegiant tribalism you display is exactly what brought us here. Do better.
The Democratic Party offers a far better alternative to the Republicans! While they must always strive to do better, I'll take the Democratic Party any day and any time over anything the GOP can offer!
That’s not relevant to my point whatsoever. I too am a current necessary Democrat. In the big big picture, there is no statistically significant difference. Neither party offered the opportunity to restore the Republic or save complex life forms on earth. That being the case, no other policy matters. We won’t be here to enjoy the fruits of it.
NOTHING AT ALL, but first we get rid of the greedy people and this is very hard to do as most of them are RICH and like d.j. "trump" the HUMP! they have learned to play the DELAY GAME using the Courts. and we must play the game to----but we must be better at it, and MOST are "Rapethepublicans Greedy OLD Pricks, so we must change the Court system to there detriment make them come to Court SOONER RATHER THAN LATER---NO DELAYS ! beat them at there own game, we can't let them be like d. j. "trump" the HUMP! and all it will take is a lot of very hard work BUT OUR COUNTRY IS WORTH IT!.
The reality, I believe that brought us here is the same thing that wars are fought over, causes of partisan extremism, inequality among the peoples of the world, Rudy Giuliani, Donald J, Putin and his invasions, etc.
I am and always have been a designated independent. I most often have had to vote for the least offensive candidate as a matter of practicality. We have a 2 party system in reality...to waste a vote on an outside party that doesn't have a chance in HE.. to win is a wasted vote. The democrats have the least offensive stance by far in today's world. Just a fact unless you want an instantaneous fascist regime to take over... which I doubt you do.
We have the resources to do great things if we want...but we can't...ever think about why?
It's not like we, you, and others haven't tried. Humans aren't wired the same. We have different goals and some are a bit skewed. Until a majority of persons can see the benefit of doing the right thing...we are doomed to repeat our historic failures. Accept the reality and work by example to try to modify others behavior. Evolve for your sake and try to drag others along...even kicking and screaming if you want.
Being independent means absolutely nothing. The only reason I’m a registered Democrat as occasionally they have a candidate who should be the nominee that I hopefully get a vote for.
As far as is the lack of an informed and educated electorate. If a third-party candidate came along with a great platform, and an honest brokerage approach to implementing it, we still wouldn’t be smart enough to vote them into office.
Such as a Bernie Sanders? Most everything anyone wanted to include some behind the scenes insider guard rails to keep him on track...but he winked out at the last minute when he could have pushed the limit....When required to fight the battle and accept that Hillary was a lost cause he caved? Attempting to get great people to run and be recognized by an uninformed, misinformed, sometimes less than educated voting public is damn difficult. Those that are great people are very few. Of those, few would take on the fight. The remaining few have effective leadership skills...and lastly the required finesse, instinct, character broadness to fight appropriately...without getting sucked into the swamp. There in lines the problem.
To run this country properly requires more than the 1 or 2 people we have in power. More than the present 3 branches of government. It requires a cooperative, solutions oriented, non combative collection of independent individuals that have an experienced understanding of what needs to be done for a long term successful outcome that can be properly mapped out and adjusted regularly in order to stay on track to meet the day to day goals. A similar strategy as utilized in business without the monetary profit factor forever intruding and corrupting the process. A cap on monetary compensation for all. To believe that there is something socially equitable about Musk being worth 259 billion as a corporate magnet and Biden as President being in control of the most powerful country in the world worth a measly 10 million with a taxed salary of 400k/year...speaks volumes about our overall system, values and ideals. There needs to be a major adjustment in our priorities as a nation and a people.
Extensive and ongoing Education is one solution except that it takes 60+ years of education and experience to gain the data necessary to understand best how to recognize and solve the problem(s). Along the way few have the resources to take the time to do so. We don't live long enough to get out of this trap.
That last part is true, but I don’t understand where you’re coming from with the burning statement. We had a chance to nominate and elect great people. Elizabeth Warren, Governor Inslee, from Washington, Marianne Williamson is amazing but I’m sure the DNC would not work with her because she’s not having the corporate donor reciprocation bullshit.
The Democratic constituents should have never let Bernie run in 2020. His only purpose was to split the progressive vote with Elizabeth. It took Bernie, Bloomberg and Biden to keep Elizabeth Warren out of the White House and that was the DNC’s only mission in 2020.
James Clyburn should be vilified for the remainder of days. There’s something extra vile about the woman or minority acting like an old white guy.
Maybe someone has done this, but a comprehensive review of stock holdings by members of Congress, leading executive branch members, and Supreme Court "justices" might be revealing. Here is one example that has been unearthed by David Sirota.
"Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito together own shares in 19 companies that could see combined tax relief of more than $30 billion if the court issues a broad ruling in the Moore v. United States tax case and strikes down a one-time corporate tax imposed in 2017." (https://www.levernews.com/justices-have-financial-interest-in-major-tax-case/)
A further drill down on this topic but specific to weapons and machines of war in their portfolios. who are those in Congress that take money from the war machine.
This. This is what I want to know. The only bipartisan item in Washington appears to be that both sides love funding defense contracts. Show us how much of that money ends up back in their own pockets.
I was going to ask if this is the case that could overrule Chevron vs NRDC but I see that's ANOTHER potentially horrible and entirely separate case. Dreadful.
I saw an interesting article in stat this morning that noted in 1970 the food and drug administration restricted the use of brominated vegetable oil as a food additive. It is still used to this day in things like diet soda to keep the foam from rising to the top too quickly. On the CDC website it is mentioned that they are considering a rule to ban the stuff. So that's a concern raised in 1970, the UK turned around and banned the stuff at that time but we somehow can't seem to manage to get off the dime. It makes me wonder about the larger picture of our ability as a country to regulate our food supply and safety when we have such a cozy relationship between entities like the US department of agriculture and the food suppliers. Taking a step back one has to wonder why the USDA is even involved with the business of recommending what foods school children and adults put in their mouth when we have a perfectly good FDA and CDC that has actual expertise in this kind of stuff
Indeed. The larger issue to me is that with the revolving door between government agencies and the very industries they are charged with overseeing, together with the continuing dimunition of both capability and authority in the government agencies, their ability to act in the
interest of the people has been and is being dangerously eroded. I have personally witnessed this happening in government labs; an example that everyone can understand is the IRS. And then there's the Post Office, FDA, EPA, . . .
Brought to you by Reagan and Clintons, fascist corporate control of federal government on a departmental level. The departments that are supposedly regulating and providing consumer protection against the market. Niche participants are actually a rubberstamp for their planet killing procedures.
I know the story and sadly, it’s the same and most other governmental department functions. Monsanto did the same thing with GMO technology and it’s required accoutrements. The oil and chemistry advocates being the plastic council and petroleum producers dictate are environmental policy and on and on. None of these entities have the best interest of “we the people” in mind. We are just labor capital and consumers to them.
Faced with that well grounded argument I suppose I have no choice but to change my perspective. You really know how to influence people's opinions. Thank you so much.
I am pretense free. Promoting Mr. Kennedy is the same as promoting the GOP. I’m not a President Biden fan shameful that the Democratic Party will not allow primary. Or one of the few in the Democratic Party will not run as a write candidate.
If you insist on voting for anyone, but the nominated candidates, at least make it a legitimate one. Marianne Williamson is the only one.
Aside from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and a few other local news sources in Florida, the infiltration of Christian Nationalists within our public school system appears to be under-reported. From a school board member with her “good book “ in front of her on a School Board dais (which appears to be her Bible), to a Florida Department of Education (FDOE) Christian Nationalist contractor who seems to be connecting school board members in Florida to a far-right school board training/recruitment organization in TN. Christian Nationalist extremists are dangerous, ref: 01-06-2021. They should not be operating within our publicly funded school system.
Why is Popular Information, a three person team, in the forefront of exposing the hypocrisy and corruption of so many organizations when the mainstream media seems to be left to pick up upon what Popular Information has already reported. Popular Information is doing an excellent job. Why is there not more of this kind of reporting and follow-up?
Someone needs to investigate the genesis and promotion of Medicare Advantage, being touted as the new face of Medicare. Even AARP is heralding it as the next great thing; however, it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing I fear. My parents and others complain that savings are obtained by services denied, physicians readily leave the networks they choose, and the yearly guessing game of which plan to enroll in is terribly stressful. Medicare Advantage appears to be a hybrid between Medicare and corporate insurance carriers (read: profit-based health care), the latter being something Republicans dream about. The Physicians for a National Health Plan notes many reasons as to why Medicare Advantage spells disadvantage if not danger for older Americans.
You have given me a great article. A big question in my mind, still, is how this is being allowed, promoted, excused, ignored, right before our eyes. Big money often smells like corruption, and insurance companies have been working this game for decades. Who else is playing?
Medicare Advantage is not a "hybrid" of Medicare and corporate insurance, it is publicly-subsidized, publicly-funded private insurance which is called part of Medicare to disguise it's form and structure. Corporate insurance companies get a lump sum each year based on their estimate of need - which not only gives them incentive to deny care and inflate the supposed need, it raises the direct question of if Medicare can afford to pay for private corporations for this coverage, why can't Medicare do it itself?
You have the goods on this, and the formula is much worse than I imagined. Your question suggests many things but a “reason” given that I have heard is that privatization is always more efficient than the wasteful government; however, corporate administrative costs for insurance are much higher in the private sector. Everyone wins when free market capitalism takes over, don’t you know? In other words, I think this is conservative subterfuge that no one is paying attention to because it is not an outright cancellation of an entitlement. I am not very well-informed, however.
Please see my reply to the same person. Medicare isn’t always. It has been nothing but a corporate subsidy. #UniversalHealthcare #QuitCallingItMedicareForAll.
Agree. I've been hearing from friends that say whatever you do, don't sign up for Medicare Advantage, because of all of the services that are denied, etc
Take it up with the democratic party. Their constituents believe that corporate subsidy and being disingenuous with “we the people” is far far better than no policy at all. That is a mistake. They both suck.
Journalism has definitely been gutted over the decades and the corporate giants keep consolidating power. Our local media outlets have been purchased by Sinclair media with a slant towards cultural issues and not reporting real news, giving us a false narrative. I live in a small town that used to have a weekly newspaper, before becoming defunct, became a sounding board for conspiracy theories mixed with religion. The media has helped create a divisive atmosphere and the media helps maintain this divisiveness.
Of course they do. Six entities only over 80% of the media in the entire country don’t participate in it. Find real investigative journalism is out there.... probably more than ever before it’s just harder to find.
Judd it’s a perfect example. Sarah Kenzdior, Jennifer Cohn , Eric Garland, Amy Goodman are a great start.
I am concerned about "No Labels," the faux third party that claims to represent the center. The party, if it receives enough votes, will make sure neither candidate gets 270 Electoral College votes.
Here is what will happen, according to "270 to Win": “If neither candidate gets a majority of the 538 electoral votes, the election for President is decided in the House of Representatives, with each state delegation having one vote. A majority of states (26) is needed to win. Senators would elect the Vice-President, with each Senator having a vote. A majority of Senators (51) is needed to win,” the website states.
What can the three of you write that will focus on this and help avert this tragedy?
The members of our local political group (tiny but mighty)--Citizens for Democracy--which works with larger organizations such as The League of Women Voters, Moms Demand Action, Gays Against Guns, and Food and Water Watch on a range of issues to strengthen our democracy and improve our country--will do all we can to prevent this.
Thank you all for your stellar work on book banning.
Rewrite the platform and all future legislative propositions to really represent whether people as opposed to the donor class. I don’t think would you win the election, but never lose any in the future. Unbelievable that the Democratic Party has never had that epiphany.
You know that would’ve never happened is the Democratic Party would have offered and instituted when possible quality policy. There’s a reason 40 to 80,000,000 registered non-voters don’t bother. Because Pete Townsend was correct. “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss“ the Democratic Party would never lose a vast majority of elections if they simply brought good government to “we the people” as their oath demands.
In other words, if you cannot separate yourself from an ongoing criminal enterprise, that is the opposition, in the eyes of the electorate, you’re not fucking doing it right ..........
I'm scratching my head about some of these polls released the last couple of weeks. Last week CNN showed a poll that said 54% of Americans thought the GOP was more capable of "governing" than Democrats!!! Then today another pole released by Bloomberg showed Trump ahead of Biden in almost all of the "swing" states and more negative than positive views on Biden and his legislation. Although most poll responders were in favor of all the positive changes that this legislation and policy decisions had caused. Maybe it's just bad messaging from the Dems but I can't help worrying if it's not something more sinister. Love your tram to look into the whole idea of these polls. Keep up the good work!
Have you heard these "group of voters" discussions (on unbiased channel presentations, eg, PBS), and learned what they actually believe? (It's stomach turning after awhile, but I'm brave...) When asked where they learn about the news, it's usually Foxx or that ilk, or Salem broadcasting. So, through what vehicle will they ever learn truth over disinformation?
No difference in the average Democrat constituent. MSNBC, the occasional CNN, Washington Post, NYT.
The majority of time they don’t lie like your examples, but they are every bit as guilty of being an echo chamber. Bashing on the opposition is never going to hold anyone accountable for a good policy and a quality government. That’s one of the ways both tribes are being manipulated. The constituencies should be demanding change in the party platforms, and completely ignoring what the opposition says, and does. Completely irrelevant. there’s a reason 40 to 80,000,000 registered voters don’t bother.
It’s as simple as this: the Trump, GOP, MAGA, Musk messaging and lies are working. Magnified by AI, social media, and even the mainstream media. I meet more and more people who were once solid Democratic voters echoing it, sometimes hesitantly but mostly not.
Having written the above, I moved on to Robert Hubbell’s post today. Here’s the point of it—to undermine and exhaust us…Read Robert’s pep talk to his own family and to all of us!
“We are living through an extraordinary time. The world is being rocked by multiple overlapping crises: The terrorist attack on Israel on October 7; Israel’s subsequent declaration of war on Hamas; protests throughout the Middle East sparked by a Hamas missile strike on a hospital in Gaza; the ongoing war against the Ukrainian people by Vladimir Putin; the inability of the majority party in the House to elect a Speaker; the possibility of a government shutdown before Thanksgiving; upcoming elections in Virginia and Ohio that will serve as bellwethers for 2024; the hottest year (2023) and hottest month (July) since scientists began keeping climate records; and a new term of the US Supreme Court that could fundamentally reshape American society and personal liberties (or not).
That’s a lot.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed, to withdraw, to look away.
Don’t.
Emotional exhaustion and intentional disengagement are the goals of bad-faith tactics used by Republicans to undermine democracy. During a time when Republicans should be joining Democrats in a national unity government, they continue to push an extremist agenda. When Rep. Tom Cole nominated Jim Jordan for Speaker of the House on Wednesday morning, Cole said that one of Jordan’s leading qualifications is that he is committed to cutting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. The media yawned.
Our generation has one job: To endure, to abide, to keep the faith until this moment of reactionary extremism subsides. If we can do that, we will leave our heirs a healthier, stronger democracy.
This pep talk is prompted by a recent Pew Research poll and a personal anecdote. Let’s start with the anecdote and expand from there.
My wife and I saw an acquaintance for the first time in four years. We have never discussed politics with this acquaintance—because it was clear that she was a Trump supporter (before the COVID shutdown). At some point in our conversation today, the acquaintance said, “I have given up on politics. I won’t talk about it. I am done with it.”
A survey by Pew Research (“Americans’ Dismal Views of the Nation’s Politics”) confirms that millions of Americans are feeling the same way as our acquaintance. Dan Pfeiffer discussed the Pew survey in his Substack newsletter, The Message Box, The Poll that May Explain our Insane Politics.
As explained by Pfeiffer, the Pew survey shows the following:
65% of respondents describe themselves as “exhausted” when thinking about politics.
55% say they are “angry” about American politics.
Only 4% say politics makes them feel hopeful.
Pew also asked people to describe American politics in one word. The second most common description was “corrupt”—behind the first-place finisher, “divisive.”
It is no wonder that people want to disengage and look away. The events in the Middle East, Ukraine, and the US Congress are exacerbating pre-existing feelings of exhaustion, anger, and divisiveness.
Exhaustion is the point of MAGA extremism. Republicans say:
Impeach Trump? We’ll impeach Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, Jack Smith, Alejandro Mayorkas, and Christopher Wray.
Indict Trump? We’ll indict Hunter Biden, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Joe Biden.
Recognize the equality of LGBTQ people? We’ll legalize discrimination against them.
Protect Americans from a deadly virus? We’ll undermine trust in science.
Fight human-caused climate change? We will make it illegal to discuss climate change in the classroom.
We must recognize those responses as a mind game designed to make us give up and go away.
We have one job: To endure, to abide, to keep the faith until this moment of reactionary extremism subsides. If we can do that, we will leave to our heirs a healthier, stronger democracy.
We can do that. We must do so. We have no other choice.
No matter how much you want to give up and look away, don’t.
Thank you. Sitting here writing post cards to VA voters as we speak. We must stay focused and strong. Plse do not look away, our county is worth defending as so many have done before now.
And the majority of Democrats think that the party is offering good government. Just as big a fallacy. Tribalism is our downfall. Well, the root cause of everything is the lack of an informed, and well educated electorate, but yeah.
As almost every American and as a Jew, I was horrified at the October 7th massacre in Israel. That said, the coverage has for the most part ignored the plight of the Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank. There has been little talk of the apartheid-like behavior of the Israeli governments for the last 20 years and the increasingly radical rightwing settlement-driven politics there. While there should be no doubt about Israel's right to survive, there should also be no doubt about the tragic abuse they have wrought upon a largely innocent civilian population in Gaza and the West Bank. Since 1967 no progress has been made to the logical endpoint, a two-state managed solution and the American leadership in that time and in this regard has been wanting.
Thank you, Judd et al, for the important work you are doing. The hard right has been working for years and through intimidation to change America into their comfort zone of gun-loving, ultra-religious, anti-gay, oppression of women, non-white demonization and they have done a super job because they don't play by the rules, the laws or even the commandments. Too often, the mainstream media, which does play by the rules, cannot chase these foxes into their holes and lets them get away.
So, today I dub Public Information a fox chaser - an intrepid news gathering organization that plays by the rules, especially the strictures of journalism, and still gets to the bottom of the story even if it means wrestling in the mud and getting stuck in some nasty places.
Thank you thank you thank you.
(With apologies to the real foxes of the world, especially the urban foxes of London.)
This might be an odd topic, but no one seems to know the answer. When I checkout from the grocery store, Target etc a lot of times they have questions like if I’ll round-up my purchase or make a donation to charities like No Kid Hungry or Heart disease research. Does 100% of that money go to charity? Also, is that retail store able to write off my donation on their taxes? Inquiring minds want to know.
What's on my mind? Tommy Tuberville and all the motivations behind his blocking of military placements. I'm from Alabama and he is a major embarrassment to the state....can't wait to be able to vote him out of office....if we can.
“Moms for liberty” and their continued tyranny that’s framed as normal in the media. They are the reason that Scholastic even entertained this, and these bans and other limits to access all need to be connected back to them for everyone to easily see and take action. Also Richard Corcoran’s new proposed compensation at new college…
I would very much like to see an investigation into the links between Russian disinformation and the Republican Party. It is hard to track memes, but I have a feeling that many of the incendiary memes that circulate on social media are created and boosted by Russian and Russian-supported trolls and bot networks. I also think that the meme factories are also producing some of the more divisive and incendiary memes that appear on left-leaning social media pages and accounts. The Russian and the oligarchic goal is to divide and inflame--I think they work both sides.
The other thing I'd like to see is a Putin's Pals in Congress and the Media index, that tracks and foregrounds politicians, pundits and media figures in terms of how closely they support Putin's policies and goals. It is an open secret, but I don't think many U.S. citizens are really aware of how closely fascist minority politicians and media are aligned with Putin.
Recently discussed (w/my 501c4 co-founder) these links. Found they are coordinated by the Heritage Foundation. Apparently the plan is to implement it immediately if a Republican is elected president. Very concerning.
No doubt if we've found this, so have you. But how to make more people aware of it, and at the appropriate time when it matters. Sharing it too soon before the election, when folks are likely to forget it (so much going on in the world). But the fact that there's an actual Playbook is scary beyond words.
I have written some articles that focus on these things. And like you I recognize the need for the larger public to be made aware of the dangers posed by Project 2025.
Thanks for all you do. I foresee Repubs eventually nominating Gov Youngkin (VA) for Prez, vs the other guy who by summer ‘24 will be a many times convicted felon, (a bit hard to imagine their being so astute, but I will go with it).
A deep dive into all things Youngkin would be instructive, and timely.
I would like to hear more about the despicable things Robin Vos is doing in the Wisconsin legislature, both around Janet Protasiewicz (who you covered in September) and about blocking raises for University of Wisconsin employees (but not other state employees) because of DEI funding.
The Ezra Klein podcast featured an episode with David French discussing radical social media influencers that are dabble in hate speech and then respond like it was just a joke. Unfortunately a methodology which appears to be gaining traction. Nick Fuentes was the prime example. Not sure what can be done but have serious concerns.
I wish more media could adopt the "truth sandwich" approach - say the thing that's true, then the falsehood or story that isn't true (for reporting its sake), then repeat the truth. Laffer? Can't recall whose method it is.
Celebrating Judd, Tesnim, and Rebecca, and whatever makes Popular Information work! I've been enjoying following the links to all of the sources mentioned in #1. In the follow up NY Times article about correcting the original attempt to appease Ron DeSantisAdvanced Black Studies curriculum, I began reading the readers' shares (this was back in April 26th). Here's one that everyone here would appreciate:
"Rosemary Galette
Atlanta, GA
April 26
A few commentators here have read the course in question but most, myself included, have not. Thus, I cannot comment on the course content.
However, my doctoral dissertation included critical theory as a part of the analytical framework. Very briefly, this theory was developed by early 20th century scholars as a tool for critiquing fascism. The theory held that political and economic powers immersed themselves in the social sphere in a way that kept people from participation in democracy. Critical feminist and critical race theories emerged from that perspective to describe how race and gender are implicated in this kind of unethical use of power.
One could look at the deSantis versus College Board dilemma as an instance of critical (race) theory writ large: a state entity uses its power to shape educational content. Its goal is to limit knowledge about race studies that that the state actors perceive as a threat to their political interests.
A corporate producer of curricula negotiates course content to appease powerful institutions and then charges schools to replicate the limited vision. The resulting product, however it is watered down, becomes a means of oppression by limiting how the students (and the rest of us) understand our world. Thus education is used as a means of replicating state-directed oppression. And the state actor frames that oppressive act as an election benefit when he energizes his constituency with a strong man story.
79 Recommended Share"
[I'd have added my two cents but it's too late--that was 6 months ago]
Like the Democratic Party is offering freedom? They were completely bipartisan in the patriot act, do not include #BanAllProhibition as a plank on the party platform, are not serious about legitimizing the Supreme Court, on and on and on come on man, partisanship and tribal allegiance, brought us here. Time to change.
Can Popular Information attempt to draw a line from Big Pharma's explosion of television advertising to the explosion of the prices it charges for the medications it offers?
I shared this story with a group of retired public elementary school teachers on Tuesday. Even the most politically apathetic and conservative teachers were appalled. Scholastic Book Fairs used to be a win/win. Parents built their children's libraries inexpensively and it was a fundraising event for the school. In the Dixon, Illinois area, the most vocal advocates for public library book restrictions are the members of the Young America's Foundation, owners of the Reagan Boyhood Home. The actions of the Young America's Foundation need to be outed. They are actively training young people to hate the LGBTQIA+ community, favor book banning, and favor public money for private schools. Someone needs to go to one of their weekend workshops for middle school or high school students and find out what they are really saying behind closed doors.
Would love to read your investigation of the continued use of laboratory animals vis-a-vis new methods of testing drugs (such as organoids, organ-on-a-chip, phase 0 clinical trials and others) post passage of the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 (co-sponsored by Cory Booker and Rand Paul). I've read that 90% of drugs that are "effective" on test animals are ineffective on humans yet animal testing persists. Any light you can shed on the drivers of this outmoded practice would be appreciated. We need a modern-day Sinclair Lewis.
We need a “health and wellness” healthcare model. And goal for such policy. Right now “sickness and death” is the current institution because of its revenue creating possibilities. We could easily change that.
The comments veer off into what name to use: conservatives or Republicans etc. The issue here is that a national company that brings books to schools and is meant to enhance their appreciation of written thoughts, stir creativity, educate about culture and the wider world, is being shut down by small-minded people. When I was in school and then when my daughter was young, we spent a lot of money at Scholastic Book Fairs. I am furious that children are being deprived of buying a wide range of stories. Don't like the books for your children? Don't buy them. Leave other parents to decide what is best.
Judd, Thank you for this update. It’s what needs to happen. Cancel the book fairs! They need pressure from the public too!
For additional discussion, why are hard criminal & seditionist supporters, election deniers getting their names placed on political candidacies? We have a constitutional law that blocks seditionist supporters from being on the ballot. Why don’t we apply our laws to the R cult?
Let’s discuss the fact that being a Sanctuary state does NOT mean that other states ship busloads of people to the state. We need federal action against Texas. They should lose federal dollars and those funds should go to states where TX sent migrants to CA & Chicago & other blue states with promises of jobs. I just heard this morning there is an investigation started but money is needed in these states immediately. The migrants were initially sent unannounced to the receiving state. They were therefore very unprepared with sufficient housing.
Much coverage about Republican political actors (more accurate than politicians) , but much of their performances are driven by fear of MAGA voters. They also control far right disinformation outlets (Hannity's "don't disrespect the audience" plea). I would like to see more encouragements to out-vote them, dispite all the obstacles they throw up.
Thanks so much for all that you do. It is so informative and thorough. I lost the thread of someone asking about stocks, owned by Supreme Court justices. Either you or the New York Times or someone in the last year I believe listed senators and their stockholdings, I don’t remember where I saw it. But a reference to that would be great.
Along with your wonderful work on exposing book bans, how about a more in-depth piece on the alt right infiltration of local school boards across the country, in general? So much dark money is being funneled into local races. We are even seeing it in blue states where some candidates mysteriously have more campaign resources than others. They started with mask mandate opposition and now they are working to eliminate policies that support trans and LGTBTQ kids. In NJ, we had a newly elected school board member come out and say that the rainbow as a flag represents a “nefarious group” as if the Pride flag is symbolic of criminality. The member was slapped for the comment, but not removed from the board. The only reason she was elected to the board is because she pulled the first position on the ballot in a race where most of the public didn’t realize was being funded by groups that are harmful to communities. Where are these candidates getting their support to push a radical far right agenda onto local schools? Follow the money.
Question for anyone: (Please don't assume you know my views and no death threats): How is Biden accepting whatever Netanyahu says - especially about the bombed hospital - any different from Trump taking Putin's words during that famous visit?
I would love to hear more about poverty. Just read "Poverty, by America" by Matt Desmond and want to know more about how to work for equity in housing, banking, algorithms, hiring, taxation, medical care education and work conditions.
Thank you Judd for your hard work in researching these critical issues that mainstream media won't touch with a 10 foot pole - until you do it first and then they pile on. And, for your courage in taking on the "powers that be" which I suspect is the reason major media prefers to ignore these things. Or else you are just a much better journalist! Or, all of the above!
Judd, has there been any research or even reporting about the people who are threatening members of congress to support Rep. Jordan? I would be most interested to know if any of them actually know what a speaker of the house actually does. My thinking is that all they know is that the speaker is important and that's why they all hated Pelosi (along with the fact that she was the leader of the democrats, which of course made her evil). But does anyone actually understand the speaker's job in setting the house's agenda? And yes, I understand these are people who are watching and listening to right-wing media but I can't imagine they know the why, beyond that the voices they are hearing and reading are calling on them to take these steps (which in itself is so very scary).
Someone quoted Hubble, using the phrase, “undermine and exhaust us.” That says a lot--THAT is the agenda of KKKoch’s Fascist Gang of Billionaires. Why hasn’t anyone questioned the BILLIONS of dollars these fascists apply to undermining the political process when there’s dire need of dollars that could go toward environmental solutions, climate-change refugee situations, and any number of constructive solutions. It’s a rhetorical question, but it highlights the core evil of the fascists behind “Citizens United” . . . AND their Puppets of the Organized Crime Syndicate aka the RNC.
The RNC should be investigated for organized crime--and the NRA needs to be investigated for its money-laundering activities for political donations from foreign countries (esp. Russian and Saudi Arabia). It would be a start toward revoking “Citizens United.”
There is a battle in IA, SD, ND, IL where private industry wants to use eminent domain for profit. Jess Vilsack, son of the former Gov, now secretary of agriculture, Tom Vilsack, is the general counsel for Summit Carbon Solutions. Terry Branstad, former Gov and ambassador to China, is the Sr Policy Advisor at Summit Carbon Solutions. Bruce Rastetter, owner of Summit Carbon Solutions, was the biggest donor to both Branstad and Reynold campaigns for Governor. Farmer's and the majority of the public are opposed to the pipeline but, industry officials have the ear of the Gov who has stacked the Iowa Utilities Board. The Iowa Utilities board is hearing the case. It is an environmental nightmare. Among other things the pipeline threatens ground water supplies wasting/using 500 Million gallons of water a year on a get rich plan that has no environmental benefits. It is a David and Goliath battle. The negative impact on the environment is heart breaking. Here is a link https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2022/08/16the-outrageous-conflicts-of-interest-surrounding-iowa-carbon-piplines/
Further division, but why? If it were my school I would boycott Scholastic for this move, so it isn't about $$. If it were about making further division, we know that weakens democracy and increases autocracy which history tells us eventually weakens a country and dumbs down the citizens, so can't be about that.
One request for the team: I'd like to see you all eliminate the word "conservative" from your coverage. The extreme right-wing ideologies and chicanery you cover so well have nothing to do with "conservatism," and using the term provides an imprimatur of sanity to their dealings.
I'd prefer to see the villains you cover each week either branded as "Republicans," a party which has no competent ideas and stands for nothing, or "right-wing," "hard right," "extremist," "idealogues," etc., etc.
This might sound trivial or semantic, but I think it's really important. Taking away people's rights isn't "conservative." Running a kleptocracy isn't "conservative."
Otherwise, keep up the amazing work!
Great suggestion! Language matters. Definitions matter. Thanks for this.
Thank you! This has been a concern of mine since the 2016 inflection, and in my IRL political discussions I work hard to emphasize the difference.
Exactly what is the difference? Name me one so called conservative that isn't on board with 90% of what the curent GOP stands for? Yes, some "conservatives" might be never Trumpers but I don't see them standing up for equality, against book bans or anything else this current GOP has repeatdly stood up for. Yes, words matter and in my dictionary conservative also stands up for bigotry hate and fascism. No different than neo-con, alt right or MAGA. I will change this viewpoint when and if I see some so called conservatives (more than 1 or 2) stand up for equality and against the bigotry and hate this current GOP led by Trump has become.
I used to think of myself as conservative. Donald Trump makes me ill. I am tired of Republicans paying cynical lip service to blue collar workers while cutting taxes for the rich and continuing to do their bidding. I find their not-so subtle racism appalling. I believe a smaller government is better, yet I want to take a fine-toothed comb to the defense budget and provide more training to workers whose lack of skills are keeping them from the jobs market. I believe climate change must be addressed, and NOW.
TODAY'S conservatives not only disagree with all that - they positively sneer at it.
I haven't changed much at all.
The Right of 2023 has moved, not further right, but to a new low of doing all it can to grab power, including subverting the Constitution. The Right of 2023 care for no one but themselves.
Exactly this. Advocating for smaller government isn't intrinsically bad. It's a different philosophy, which certainly has merits and in many cases is a superior approach.
Denying climate change, embracing racism, discriminating against the LGBT+ community -- these are not conservative ideals.
It’s HOW the $$ get distributed. I don’t want even $1 of MY taxes funding weapons. I say trickle UP. Keep routing dollars through areas to keep them vital. We now know what we should have learned from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (I cannot believe that was 40 years ago!!)
What long term impact did Walmarts have on the economy of our nation?!? It destroyed thousands upon thousands of small local businesses while enriching China and the Walton family. It created a lower than lower middle class with its unlivable wages. Walmart has 10,593 locations worldwide and 4,650 locations in the U.S. as of Nov 2022. Walmart’s annual revenue is currently $572.75 billion and has 1.6 million active employees in the U.S. alone. Walmart’s CEO, Doug McMillon, made $25.7 million in 2022. The average wage for a Walmart employee is $14.76/hr (FL has 386 stores with a starting rate of FL’s min wage $12/hr.)
There are around 14,500 U.S. Walmart employees who are currently on welfare programs like SNAP food stamps.
Also, Walmart just announced LOWER WAGES:
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/compensation/pages/walmart-lowers-starting-pay-for-some-new-hires-will-other-employers-follow.aspx
.
Education has been redefined by Republicans. Yet, great teachers who predated today’s book and other banning came up with a Vet Tech program completed in HS. We need more like that.
Offering insulting, tokens by corrup party leaders has consequences.
Especially since republicans are such REVISIONISTS. History, policy, rules, protocol, humanities.... don’t get me started
you are correct-----language does MATTER ----but changing what they are reffered to--- WILL NOT MATTER----they will not read this---they can't read or govern or elect a House Speacke;r there is no TAX BREAKS ATTACHED to this. so I think that is a waste of your time, it's O.K. to do this when your talking about them as everybody will know who your talking about AS LONG AS YOU TELL AT THE START WHO YOU MEAN.
Excellent point. I'd taken to using the word "conservative" in an ironic fashion but after seeing your comment, I think I shall excise the word from my political vocabulary. At least for the time being. Thank you for such an excellent suggestion.
As Carmen said "Language matters. Definitions matter!"
Thanks, Adam! Indeed, the way we frame today's political issues has major consequences for the future. Really glad to hear this comment proved useful.
Amran, you are most welcome!
Amran, The republican party is practicing authoritarian Fascism. I prefer fitting language as well. The lack of truth in media is what brought us to this point. We should not call anyone a conservative when they don’t practice it.
No. It’s despotism. The corporate control on a departmental level of federal government is fascism by the Democratic Party. “Slightly better than” is a direct result of tribalism. Both the blue and the red tribe are completely guilty of ushering us to this Third World, shit hole destination.
Hint: one cannot be a socialist and a fascist at the same time.
Understand how that comment is relevant. Did I propose or insinuate such?
B.S. Hudson. Do you know what Fascism is? Who is denying women’s rights? Banning books based on religious fantasy? Whipping up hatred between people of color & migrants? Who is a multi criminal & existential threat? The Republicans! Trump & his Fascist fan club. Don’t you EVER equate the two parties! The republicans have never helped the working person. That has been accomplished by Democrats. Take your BS elsewhere.
Your statement about the Republicans working people is also unknowing and screaming ignorance. I do believe they created the EPA and other “we the people” protections.
Eisenhower’s tax policy was unparalleled in its intended ability to level the economic playing field.
You obviously think insulting tokens are good government. That’s pathetic.
You are the one who is pathetic. Sounds like you’re a Fascist supporter.
Holding the party that I necessarily had to vote for accountable is now Fascism?
No wonder we are a Third World shit hole
Ad hominem bullshit is all you’ve got? Figures
There is no statistically significant difference.
Until you have a policy goal of restoring the Republic and reversing the eminent climate disaster, all of those points you made are completely ancillary and political football.
I will expand on that.
Increasing the military budget annually.
They are the same.
Increasing the agriculture budget annually.
They are the same.
Increasing the healthcare budget annually.
They are the same.
Increasing the national debt annually.
They are the same.
Putting our sovereign safety at risk by outlying themselves with a terrorist state, Israel. They are the same.
Increasing the wealth gap annually.
They are the same.
Income growth of the donor class.
They are the same.
Your pseudo-intellectual gibberish is completely unamusing. Shut the fuck up.
Actually I find this particular post interesting. And a republican that believes in climate change! (Ummm. You ARE a Republican, right, Hudson?
I’m still very curious as to why you would deduce that high appear as a Republican. Not since Eisenhower......
Why would you make such an absurd assumption? Because I dare hold the Democratic party elected officials accountable? I know that’s completely off-limits.
Good Lord! Your political acumen wouldn’t fill a thimble. I am an obvious blatant Progressive.
A man without a party. 11 party members in congress plus deadweight Bernie.
Sidenote, science doesn’t give a shit what you believe. It just is.
Bravo. Remember when "Alt Right" so conveniently invented to described White Supremacy?
“Fascist” is the term you’re looking for. Doubt me? Check out the Refuse Fascism podcast. It’s spot on.
I don't doubt you. I think it's reductive to say everyone who wants to identify as a "conservative" is a fascist, however. My point is: drawing the distinction might help reframe and alleviate political tribalism and polarization.
Couldn’t we revive the quite useful “moderate”? To be applied to any pol(s) as deserved? Moderate Republican(s) so-and-so, likewise Democrat(s), Independent(s), etc. And will we ever get back to the true meaning of “Liberal”?
As long as corporate oligarchy is the political stance of anyone using the term “moderate” it’s not a legitimate position. I’m curious, what is the true definition of “liberal” I think it is replaced the term moderate or centrist. The only thing I want liberal is ketchup on my fries and chicken chocolate chips in my ice cream.
Given how far away we are from the ideal it is, the United States of America, Progressive is the only logical ideology. If you think the corporate donor class recidivism of the Democratic Party leadership is going to save the planet, or restore the Republic, you are sadly mistaken.
For some reason, people tend to forget that before Trump. It wasn’t like we were a functioning representative democracy.
Liberal used to mean hands off banking and business: minimal watch-dogging, minimal (if any) taxes, etc. Totally unlike the way it’s used today to designate left/leftish/ progressive agendas. The pols trying to drain the swamp by undoing e.g. the EPA, Consumer Protection, other regulatory federal bodies would in the past have been dubbed “liberals.”
A Spanish king (one of the Alfonsos, sorry, can’t recall which or when) did away with taxes on banking, shipping, several other large and fundamental enterprises: he went in the books as the first liberal Spanish monarch. All the money needed to run the country (and of course all the perks for the royals and their toadies) was going to have to come from taxation on small business, farming, etc. Things did not, of course, go well.
De regulation was never considered a liberal policy. Consumer protections are a basic tenets of capitalism. That and a true free market. Now that’s quite progressive. Certainly not what fits the definition of the neo, conservative nut job “free market”.
Um....no. None of the policies you are referring to would’ve ever been termed “liberal”.
Furthermore, your deflection from the topic at hand is not appreciated. Do better.
I agree and yet they are ALL Republicans for which the party, writ large is completely responsible for.
I vacillate on this because language does matter! Ultimately, this is a Republican problem that is continually perpetuated by the GOP!
The entire lot need to be tossed out. Every one of them!
100% agree. To the extent that there are "conservative" voters out there who feel compelled to stick with their "tribe," I think we can all do a better job of framing our actual values. The Republican Party is anti-freedom, and should be branded as such.
The term that Judd isn't using is FASCISM! We need to start using that term because that is what the RWNJs are doing, trying to install a fascist Rich White Male Dictatorship in this country.
Personally, I prefer "reactionary" and sometimes "fanatic" to either "conservative" or "Republican."
I like to tell people that in his syndicated column for January 2, 1995 (I still have the clipping) George Will, who once passed for an intellectual conservative, wrote "'Back to 1900' is a serviceable summation of the conservatives' goal." There is no reason to think that has changed.
https://whoviating.substack.com/p/we-know-the-fanatics-goal-they-told
Totally agree, so happy someone is bringing this up. Conservative isn't even close to the principles of today's Republican, that party is gone. Today they support extreme right ideology as demonstrated by refusing to denunciate white supremacy, supporting corrupt judges, expunging women's rights, dismantling voting rights, voting against certification of President Biden. Words matter, ideology matters, voting matters, they're not "conservative".
All of this! Glad the comment resonated.
I think the same can be said for us liberals. Our language fails in providing words, and therefore an explanation for all that is going on, changes, ideas.
I agree! I'm a "liberal" and a "progressive" but I'm really for "freedom." If the culture tries to rebrand liberals as against "freedom," it's our responsibility to push back against that. The modern Republican party is anti-freedom, which is neither a conservative nor a liberal position.
Thank you for this. Perfect follow-up. I describe myself the same, yet grew up in a home where I would describe my parents as being 'conservative'. They are now partyless due to extremism, but still hold their traditional 'conservative' values. The differences are their values are worthy of debate, unlike the extremism of our current R party.
Exactly. Debating policy implementation, personal freedoms, and the size of government are all rational considerations. Embracing hateful and conspiratorial ideology has nothing to do with that.
Especially policy positions. The GOP has nothing to do with the democratic party platform planks, or the platform itself.
The constituents should be demanding a platform that actually represents them. Face it, the Democratic Party constituents, have the duty to basically save life on the planet not just re-institute a Representative Democracy based on a Constitutional Republic. Sadly, at this particular juncture, it’s obvious we’re not up to it .
Thank you for the concise summation of what I've been using way too many words to explain. What response do you use when the 2nd amendment is brought into discussion? This is where the now infrequent dialogue breaks down for me. Obviously I feel that the right of personal safety and the right to not live in fear of gun violence should be prioritized over someone else's right to horde military grade automatic weapons. The 2nd amendment is indeed the only freedom I'd willingly give up. I'd sacrifice a limb to not have that right. Yet this is the loggerheads these conversations always end in for me personally. It's the only freedom they're interested in but we can't get past it.
To be candid, I have no time for the Second Amendment and believe it should be repealed. I'm happy to tell any- and everyone as much as well, even if that shuts down "debate."
The Amendment is an anachronism, written 250 years ago by people with no conception of what future military technology might look like.
You know the stats: look at the deaths via suicide and homicide in the U.S. versus other peer nations. There's only one factor to explain the chasm, and it's access to firearms.
If you want to be even more combative, ask people how their "militia" would fare against the might and power of the U.S. military. At the time the Amendment was written, it might have been rational to assume a person could use a musket to defend themselves against government tyranny. Now, you can have as many AR-15s as you want, they're not going to defend you against a remote-controlled predator drone.
I agree, I just wish I had a better response. I know they're not arguing in good faith, and logic and cleverness don't work.
Me, too. You can try the collective freedom outweighs individual freedoms when it leads to a greater societal good argument (e.g., why we were supposed to wear masks and get vaccinated during the pandemic years), but when you're dealing with bad faith actors it'll fall on deaf ears.
But don't give up. Certain people may be unreachable, but arguing and debating in good faith is the only way forward.
The problem with "freedom" is that every right-winger, every libertarian, could say "Exactly! You're on our side!" I like contrasting "progressive" (going forward, improving) to "reactionary" (going backward,, destroying). I also like recalling the line I heard some years back that "The advantage conservatives have is that they are proposing ideas that failed so long ago that people have forgotten the failures."
That works, though I think reclaiming the word freedom on the left is a better approach. One of the reasons they do that is because the left doesn't emphasize freedom enough in its messaging. Thus, anything the progressive movement proposes is re-branded as a restriction of freedom. Why let the regressive (or reactionary) ghouls get away with that?
I was actually addressing the idea of a single-word self-description.
But to answer your question, we shouldn't.
"Oh, yeah, 'restricting freedom.' That's what we're about. We're restricting the 'freedom' to lack health care. Restricting the 'freedom' to be overworked and underpaid. Restricting the 'freedom' to be the victim of discrimination and violence. Restricting the 'freedom' to destroy the environmental future of our children. Put another way, restricting the 'freedom' to be a selfish, greedy, ignorant, bigot. Yup, that's us. You got a problem with that?"
Yes! I have had the same instinctive mind puzzlement when hearing the R crazies labeled "conservative."
Reactionary would be a good descriptor as well.
The ultra right's use of the Conservative label, may as well be the sheepskin hiding the wolf. They do a lot with language to blur and distort the perceptions of others. It has kept my sh!t detector on high alert for my whole life.
How about reactionary scum bags? They want to revert to the past and only have published their propaganda!
I dig it.
Well said. Right wing extremism is not conservatism. They are not conservative, nor pro-life, nor pro-parents rights.
I’m right there with you, Amran Gowani. I have often told people I am conservative, only what I strive to conserve is the ongoing effort to fulfill the promise of the Constitution and democracy. The extremism operating under the flag of the Republican Party today is driving the country over the brink into a new Dark Ages. Language is important.
The extremism and absolute despotism displayed by the GOP is no more responsible than the ridiculous insulting tokens offered by the Democratic Party. “slightly better than an ongoing criminal enterprise is not good government. In a codependent duopoly, neither party is going to ever completely remove the other party. What most don’t realize is they are partners in a worldwide crime syndicate.
This is all so weak, I can’t do it anymore. Call me elitist but, this shit is beneath me.
Thank you, Anna. I've always considered myself a liberal, but mostly I'm concerned with good ideas, and those come from all different parts of the political spectrum. This comment sparked a lot more discussion than I intended, and my hope was really just for Judd and team to avoid giving the bad faith extremists any cover as a rational actors.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
Thank you for your reporting Judd, especially the broad-ranging stories with local impact like Scholastic. Further to that, would love to see continued follow up on turf groups with national reach and local impact (i.e. moms for liberty, Koch Foundation, etc).
WE could sure use a lot more of "TRUTH TELLING" because we don't get enough of that. it's very nice to have some more of this, please keep up the GOOD WORK----like that for sure !.
we could use a lot more of this.
One subject that seems to be conveniently shelved continuously when brought up on the sidelines is that of political oath taking. In regards to support of our country's constitution it would seem quite factual that those congressional members who decided to commit to Trump, MAGA, and other right wing agenda supporters have ignored or snarked at their lawful duty to their office, country, rule of law and oaths of office. They have intentionally violated this sworn commitment, without penalty. It would seem this is obvious to even children who question their elders in regards to why does this happen. If a child can figure this stuff out...enough said?
It would seem enforcement of these obligations could clean house and restore truthfulness and integrity within our political system...so why is it not so? Should we just accept that corruption and skull dugery (sp) is the accepted norm, where quite literally we have to accept that there is no purpose to planning around anything because there are no more rules to the game of life in this country. We no longer accept the responsibility to set the baseline/example for the rest of the world?
So...what's wrong with enforcing the rules, oaths, and lessons that took centuries of human experience to develop anyway?
People are working on this, and there is a lawsuit in Colorado to keep Trump off the ballot based on the 14th Amendment, section 3. I am working with a Maryland senator and a delegate to consider whether we could enact legislation to make sure that everyone who appears on a ballot is eligible to serve, including meeting age and residency requirements. You should check out these organizations: Free Speech for People, CREW, Our Revolution.
Thank you for getting back to me on this matter. I will check these organizations out, although I am concerned that there isn't an internal government related enforcement group that can deal with these obvious serious infractions expeditiously. I am aware of Colorado's actions and hope they can navigate a way to start the ball rolling, for if not, a precedent will be set and new norms of corruption and malfeasance may be set in place. It would seem like the number of persons struggling to save the concept of integrity in all things is a dwindling minority. The fact that you are able to work with a sitting Maryland Senator is a little encouraging although I fear the reality of success through the efforts of one person within Congress at this point in our history is not one I would bet on.
Money and organized control of funding for causes along with meaningful penalties seems to be the effective motivator for directional change. From experience I would advocate massive, focused, instantaneous, and deliberate activities. Best plan to date would be to work with like minded Democratic linked precincts within each state to effectively declare economic war on corporations that support the funding of politicians and organizations that support bad actors. Money is the root of all this evil nonsense and used properly as a motivator...it could also be the solution?
To be clear, I am working with State legislators to clarify State law.
Here is a 100-page law article by Federalist Society authors arguing that Trump is banned from holding office by section 3 of Amendment XIV: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/08/25/14th-amendment-insurrection-00112777
An election law professor at OSU argues in this op-ed (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/08/15/trump-ineligible-14th-amendment-unconstitutional-presidency/) that Trump is ineligible to be President under section 3 of the 14th Amendment and that state election officials should not place his name on their respective ballots. He goes on to describe how to execute this idea:
"If a state statute has not already authorized administrative officers to seek disqualification of presidential candidates, then — as the Supreme Court signaled this year — it might be a usurpation of the state legislature’s prerogative to determine the “manner” of conducting presidential elections for these officials to assert this power on their own.
"Consequently, the safest course is for a state legislature to clarify, by enacting a new statute as soon as possible, that its election officials have the power to remove insurrectionists from the presidential ballot. A new statute could create an expedited timetable to ensure that the case reaches the Supreme Court in time for a decision before the Republican convention in July."
But who truly trust the Supreme Court now to do the right thing? Roe v Wade was "settled law". They have been co-opted by the wealthy "conservatives". None of this is new and you don't have to go very far back to see that. Roger Stone for instance has been pulling his shenanigans since 1970 and the Koch Bros. also "conservatives" have spent millions of dollars behind the scenes directing traffic in the Republican Party. The only thing that can truly fix this mess is education and that IMO is why Scholastic has vehemently violated the public trust.
The question is whether we should let the current Leonard Leo Court composition frighten us away from applying the plain language of the Constitution. I think that would be surrendering. It's likely that if states bar Trump (or many others) from the ballot, it will go to SCOTUS, and I do not think we should shy away. Milligan didn't shy away, and he won a pretty big victory under the Voting Rights Act. (https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/merrill-v-milligan-2/)
Were you advocating that in 22 for all of the members of Congress, who signed the sedition caucus?
I was supportive of efforts of the national organizations that were pursuing it. I called my State Board of Elections about a gubernatorial candidate that I thought might have engaged in providing aid and comfort, and I learned that Maryland has no mechanism to check any candidate's eligibility, including by age or residence. Now, I am working on a bill so that Maryland has a procedure to disqualify ineligible candidates.
What are you talking about? The constitution of the United States specifically for bids anyone who has participated in an insurrection is ineligible.
That usurps any state, mandate, regulation, or legislative action .......
I agree with Linda on this one. Historic actions guide my opinion of the future. The wealthy have demonstrated their control over all government and the courts with special attention to "the deciders" scotus. The reality is they, the wealthy, thrive on lawless confusion and deregulated institutions. Personally I don't think they have thought it through very well...sort of the dog who chases cars and then one day catches the tire.
Because we aren't wired the same way these deciders are doesn't allow us to compete effectively. We bring knives to gun fights...unfortunately. I and we care about the right things...they for the most part don't care about others...just themselves. They will do what ever it takes to stay out of jail.(Period)
Wow! That is most excellent Charlie. Thank you for caring, putting in the work and sharing.
This used to be the responsibility of party leadership. You raise a valid point. My question is now that the treachery is laid bare, what comes of the GOP? Should their party, writ large be DQ’d? I think so!
How do you plan to accomplish this DQ? My point in raising the issue of disqualification under the 14th amendment is that there must be clear procedures in each state to remove unqualified people from the ballot. It takes organization and planning to implement these kinds of ideas.
The constitution is nationwide obvious framework. The states have nothing to do with the attorney general and the DOJ should have handled it in 2021.
@Jodi Kosesrek neither major party is going to remove the other. They are a codependent duopoly in a trans global crime syndicate. They’re more often than not, completely bipartisan behind closed doors.
One of the English reasons why tribalism is so ridiculously defeating. Ralph Nader was correct.
THEY. ARE. THE. SAME!
No. They. Are. Not.
The difference is stark in the way they conduct their elections. Democratic election workers aren’t the ones arrested for sabotaging elections, but Republicans are. Have a look at Mesa County, Colorado or Coffee County, Georgia!
If you take a moment to read my entire post above, you will understand in a more comprehensive way, why all your moaning and complaining is useless. The only USEFUL thing any of us can do is vote for Democrats whenever possible.
To make a change, some politicians are gonna have to get brave or get fired. These politicians are Republicans because they have sold out to the moneyed elite. They wish for authoritarian oligarchy.
Everybody’s an expert and I get it! Everybody loves money. Too bad conservatives worship it.
THE REALITY is, AG Garland did not indict the moment he was appointed and this is a good thing. Can you imagine how the republicans would have behaved had he done this? They’d have completely destroyed our Republic as quickly as possible.
As it is, their antics in The House are just that: AN ATTACK ON OUR REPUBLIC! Matt Gaetz is a traitor! He is nothing like a Democrat other than he uses Dems to destroy his own political party in an attempt to usurp the United States of America.
No Democrat would vote for McCarthy. This is as unreasonable to demand as Republicans voting for Pelosi.
Hudson, We, The People have always been the ultimate check on our government. It’s always been this way. Elections have consequences and right now we are seeing the consequences of REPUBLICAN Tea Party extremism. This, too shall pass because The Electorate won’t have it. If Republican politicians don’t grow a spine and be truthful to their constituents, they need to be fired.
Unless, of course they remain successful in confusing their constituents into thinking they’re just like Democrats; all the same.
You must see the fallacy in these lies. They are not logical. Your argument appears unhinged to me.
Allow me to reiterate. Until the democratic party platform offers a path to restore the Republic and a genuine climate crisis proposal, everything else is ancillary. Therefore, THEY ARE THE SAME.
You’re right to abortion, or not, is rather irrelevant during a food war ...........
Yep and no one person can do it alone.
I think this is what Griswold’s (Colorado Secretary of State) case is all about. We see the 14th and now after 230+ years, the time has come to put it in action.
The way it works now, state and local committees decide who shall appear on their ballots. It’s different in every state, which is why some states, like Mississippi had Kanye West on their presidential ballot in 2020 and others did not. This can even differ from county to county, precinct to precinct, depending on your state’s election laws. It is truly up to the rank and file state party members to decide who appears on their ballot. This is where the integrity of your Secretary of State comes in. If you have partisan hacks willing to throw out the duly elected electors as what happened in Georgia and if the Secretary of State at the time allowed for this to occur, the domino effect by which our democracy fails would have begun. Those election workers in Georgia and Arizona and all across our nation are the real American heroes. To this day, the average citizen has no idea the sacrifices they continue to make. They still receive death threats.
I caveat this with knowing that it is this very bifurcation, which allows for each state to run their own elections that keeps our elections secure from foreign meddling. State run elections are a brilliant defense to foreign and domestic entities who attack our democratic norms. Russia can’t “hack our elections” because of this. The best they can do is hack political party insiders and pundits in hopes they will be useful idiots. Not gonna lie! This almost worked in 2016 and 2020!
There just is no other way around it. Rank and file party members decide who appears on the ballot in their name. If folk don’t like what their party is doing, they must get involved at the local level to make real change. This is how a candidate is DQ’ed in this country. Their party must DQ them. My contention is if the GOP refuses to DQ this, why then, We The People, WRITE LARGE have a mandate. We must DQ this awfulness for them by not electing another Republican to any office for the foreseeable future.
Period.
It’s just the power of the people. If we get more than a 50% turn out Republicans will never win. Why do you think they sabotage the vote they way they do? This is why we need to promote the vote where ever we go!
No. First, the Attorney General should have indicted, arrested and prosecuted every member of Congress that signed the sedition papers. And none of them should be. I’ve been allowed to run for office ever again. Nominate an institutional status quo building corporate water carrier, and you end up with a corporate water carrier as allAG.
Candidates matter.
I agree with you. Every single one of those jokers is treacherous to the core! They should be in jail, but the REALITY of it is, they are not.
Instead they are being rewarded because We, The People have abdicated our responsibility. Over 40% of us don’t vote, so if WE don’t like what we see, it might be time to get off our butts.
Only then will we elect people who will appoint decent AG’s...and judges, for that matter.
They shouldn’t have to. The AG should have been all over it. Christ what more evidence do you need any signed sedition papers
I think that we must STOP all the GREEDY PEOPLE ETC from trying to bully the American people, to this end ANY ONE WHO HAS BEEN INDICTED CAN NOT RUN UNTIL THAT IS CLEARED UP! and then we can keep the MONEY OUT OF THEIR HANDS, that would be a very good start, and try To keep the CROOKS out of OFFICE no matter what Party they belong to. now that is what I call a GOOD START----what do you think ? at least it's a start O.K.
THE ONLY NONVIOLENT SOLUTION 👇👇👇
The violation of oath by officeholders is due to one simple factor, and one only. The dereliction of #Duty “”WeThePeople.”
Per the Declaration
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
#GeneralStrike #OccupyEverything #PeacefulCivilDisobedience
sounds like this could work to,but it's only a begening, any one who breaks their OATH of OFFICE MUST WAIT IN JAIL until their case is heard in-- Court-----let them chew on that.- but- NO DELAYS like d. j. 'trump" the HUMP! has done-- repeat--- NO DELAYS--- beat them at their own game and watch d. j. "trump" the HUMP ! WHINE-- to bad (HA HA) he has earned that and now he will pay the price---about TIME---- if you ask me. and hold the Courts responseble for any delays and JAIL WILL FIT THEM TOO!.
All of that is already in place per the United States Constitution. The only thing that needs fixing in this country is the complete lack of an ‘educated and well informed electorate’. If you think more legislation is going to cure actions that are already implicitly directed in the United States Constitution, you really don’t get it. In truth,a general strike of the masses until all demands are met.
Peaceful revolution is the only correct option. Hells bells man they left us instruction But since we are not the well-informed, educated electorate, I would put my money on a giant asteroid first......
Both parties have fallen under the control of billionaire/corporate funders for 40 years now. The working class has been put under severe economic pressure as successive Congresses/Administrations (D and R) imposed austerity. Yes, the belief in Trump may be ignorant, but it does have some basis in material reality because Trump is willing to break away from the accepted corporate blather that both parties accepted. Millions feel that he is on their side.
I say all this to say that "education" is only the answer if you mean bottom up organizing like is going on in the union movement at this very moment.
But in the meanwhile, it does not hurt for Maryland, say, to clarify which officials can decide how to apply the 14th Amendment. I do think Trump represents the threat of fascism, but the Dems represent the threat imperialist calamity and possibly nuclear war.
as We The People have a Police Dep-t arrest the ones that break the LAW----NO DELAYS----3 days tops, that must be plenty to the job---and if the Police don't do their job that they get paid to do----well they will fit in there ALSO---get the message ???
No. I don’t do nebulous gibberish. My phone doesn’t have that translation app.
Absolutely! Violation of oath; violation of duties using obstruction and political subversion of the process, negligence, abuse of the power of office (in my world, aka malpractice)--an utter lack of accountability, not to mention advocacy for fascism when elected to AND SWORN to a system of democracy. . . And why the reluctance to use the term TREASON? Why haven’t Ginni Thomas and Gym Jordan been charged for their parts in the Jan 6 coup?
And then, there us the matter of allowing CERTAIN people to meddle in foreign affairs--like Elon Musk. There are laws against civilians doing this.
Not to mention 2/3rds of the SCOTUS and with their ultimate authority to decide matters DQing Trump from any ballot is, after it makes it's way up through the court system, going to be a non-starter. You mention Ginny and Jordan, how about nary a word of impeachment of a certain Justice for his complete corruption on the court. We are stuck in a very large pothole with no way out, just like MAGA wants it. I have given up on any realistic solution being possible.
Take that up with the base of the democratic party. They started this Biden ball rolling. Therefore, you get a institutionalist as Attorney General.
Same solution there as everywhere else in federal government
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security”
Perform our #Duty as a citizen. Per the Declaration.
I agree wholeheartedly. Perhaps there are not enough gov't lawyers to go around? Or not enough funding for enough lawyers to go around or not enough appropriately paid/salaried positions for enough qualified constitutional attorneys? Although I would think it a, slam dunk court win, given the reality of the actions of these offenders. Why isn't there a monetary penalty that can be leveraged to pay for their crimes such that a case could afford to be brought against them? I think there is if appropriate accountants were brought in to assess the dollar cost to society and the government in the past, present and future?
As a person having worked under that oath for 41 years, I can say this
1. In the Navy I served, enforcement of that oath is embedded in the application of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
2. On the civil side of things, the oath is administered and no regular or routine mention of it follows. In my time, a little piece of paper was entered in the personnel file noting such.
Roger that. Moreover when I left active duty there was no rescission of that oath, so I feel obligated to uphold it to this day.
On the other hand TFG never served, and has claimed to never have read a book. Could it be that he doesn't even know what the Constitution says? Certainly that is true for many ordinary Americans.
I’m sure he’s versed on the Constitution of the United States at least as well as he is on the Bible....😉🙈
Right there with you on both points.
I completely agree with you but with 1 party so thoroughly corrupted exactly how would we begin to enforce and change that dynamic of corruption by that one party? The only way I see it becoming possible is for the electorate to rise up and vote that 1 corrupt party out of each and every office, local on up to President. Sadly, especially in the South, the MAGA has taken such a hold that I can't see this as being possible anytime in even the far off future. We are dealing with a terminal cancer that is destined to change our country for the worse and I personally see no way out from this reality. I truly hope that I am wrong.
As if the Democratic Party offers good government and quality policy? I think not. Slightly better than an ongoing criminal. Enterprise is not good enough. The blind allegiant tribalism you display is exactly what brought us here. Do better.
The Democratic Party offers a far better alternative to the Republicans! While they must always strive to do better, I'll take the Democratic Party any day and any time over anything the GOP can offer!
That’s not relevant to my point whatsoever. I too am a current necessary Democrat. In the big big picture, there is no statistically significant difference. Neither party offered the opportunity to restore the Republic or save complex life forms on earth. That being the case, no other policy matters. We won’t be here to enjoy the fruits of it.
I applaud your high expectations. I completely agree that we have been suffering the victimhood of low expectation for way too long. Herein we agree!
NOTHING AT ALL, but first we get rid of the greedy people and this is very hard to do as most of them are RICH and like d.j. "trump" the HUMP! they have learned to play the DELAY GAME using the Courts. and we must play the game to----but we must be better at it, and MOST are "Rapethepublicans Greedy OLD Pricks, so we must change the Court system to there detriment make them come to Court SOONER RATHER THAN LATER---NO DELAYS ! beat them at there own game, we can't let them be like d. j. "trump" the HUMP! and all it will take is a lot of very hard work BUT OUR COUNTRY IS WORTH IT!.
As have had the majority of Democratic Party elected officials. Subsidizing the donor class is certainly not representing “We the People”
Your tribal, blind allegiant loyalty is pathetic. That’s what brought us here.
The reality, I believe that brought us here is the same thing that wars are fought over, causes of partisan extremism, inequality among the peoples of the world, Rudy Giuliani, Donald J, Putin and his invasions, etc.
I am and always have been a designated independent. I most often have had to vote for the least offensive candidate as a matter of practicality. We have a 2 party system in reality...to waste a vote on an outside party that doesn't have a chance in HE.. to win is a wasted vote. The democrats have the least offensive stance by far in today's world. Just a fact unless you want an instantaneous fascist regime to take over... which I doubt you do.
We have the resources to do great things if we want...but we can't...ever think about why?
It's not like we, you, and others haven't tried. Humans aren't wired the same. We have different goals and some are a bit skewed. Until a majority of persons can see the benefit of doing the right thing...we are doomed to repeat our historic failures. Accept the reality and work by example to try to modify others behavior. Evolve for your sake and try to drag others along...even kicking and screaming if you want.
Being independent means absolutely nothing. The only reason I’m a registered Democrat as occasionally they have a candidate who should be the nominee that I hopefully get a vote for.
As far as is the lack of an informed and educated electorate. If a third-party candidate came along with a great platform, and an honest brokerage approach to implementing it, we still wouldn’t be smart enough to vote them into office.
Such as a Bernie Sanders? Most everything anyone wanted to include some behind the scenes insider guard rails to keep him on track...but he winked out at the last minute when he could have pushed the limit....When required to fight the battle and accept that Hillary was a lost cause he caved? Attempting to get great people to run and be recognized by an uninformed, misinformed, sometimes less than educated voting public is damn difficult. Those that are great people are very few. Of those, few would take on the fight. The remaining few have effective leadership skills...and lastly the required finesse, instinct, character broadness to fight appropriately...without getting sucked into the swamp. There in lines the problem.
To run this country properly requires more than the 1 or 2 people we have in power. More than the present 3 branches of government. It requires a cooperative, solutions oriented, non combative collection of independent individuals that have an experienced understanding of what needs to be done for a long term successful outcome that can be properly mapped out and adjusted regularly in order to stay on track to meet the day to day goals. A similar strategy as utilized in business without the monetary profit factor forever intruding and corrupting the process. A cap on monetary compensation for all. To believe that there is something socially equitable about Musk being worth 259 billion as a corporate magnet and Biden as President being in control of the most powerful country in the world worth a measly 10 million with a taxed salary of 400k/year...speaks volumes about our overall system, values and ideals. There needs to be a major adjustment in our priorities as a nation and a people.
Extensive and ongoing Education is one solution except that it takes 60+ years of education and experience to gain the data necessary to understand best how to recognize and solve the problem(s). Along the way few have the resources to take the time to do so. We don't live long enough to get out of this trap.
That last part is true, but I don’t understand where you’re coming from with the burning statement. We had a chance to nominate and elect great people. Elizabeth Warren, Governor Inslee, from Washington, Marianne Williamson is amazing but I’m sure the DNC would not work with her because she’s not having the corporate donor reciprocation bullshit.
The Democratic constituents should have never let Bernie run in 2020. His only purpose was to split the progressive vote with Elizabeth. It took Bernie, Bloomberg and Biden to keep Elizabeth Warren out of the White House and that was the DNC’s only mission in 2020.
James Clyburn should be vilified for the remainder of days. There’s something extra vile about the woman or minority acting like an old white guy.
Maybe someone has done this, but a comprehensive review of stock holdings by members of Congress, leading executive branch members, and Supreme Court "justices" might be revealing. Here is one example that has been unearthed by David Sirota.
"Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito together own shares in 19 companies that could see combined tax relief of more than $30 billion if the court issues a broad ruling in the Moore v. United States tax case and strikes down a one-time corporate tax imposed in 2017." (https://www.levernews.com/justices-have-financial-interest-in-major-tax-case/)
A further drill down on this topic but specific to weapons and machines of war in their portfolios. who are those in Congress that take money from the war machine.
This. This is what I want to know. The only bipartisan item in Washington appears to be that both sides love funding defense contracts. Show us how much of that money ends up back in their own pockets.
You likely already know this, but Open Secrets does good work congresspeople’s finances: https://www.opensecrets.org/personal-finances
I was going to ask if this is the case that could overrule Chevron vs NRDC but I see that's ANOTHER potentially horrible and entirely separate case. Dreadful.
I saw an interesting article in stat this morning that noted in 1970 the food and drug administration restricted the use of brominated vegetable oil as a food additive. It is still used to this day in things like diet soda to keep the foam from rising to the top too quickly. On the CDC website it is mentioned that they are considering a rule to ban the stuff. So that's a concern raised in 1970, the UK turned around and banned the stuff at that time but we somehow can't seem to manage to get off the dime. It makes me wonder about the larger picture of our ability as a country to regulate our food supply and safety when we have such a cozy relationship between entities like the US department of agriculture and the food suppliers. Taking a step back one has to wonder why the USDA is even involved with the business of recommending what foods school children and adults put in their mouth when we have a perfectly good FDA and CDC that has actual expertise in this kind of stuff
Indeed. The larger issue to me is that with the revolving door between government agencies and the very industries they are charged with overseeing, together with the continuing dimunition of both capability and authority in the government agencies, their ability to act in the
interest of the people has been and is being dangerously eroded. I have personally witnessed this happening in government labs; an example that everyone can understand is the IRS. And then there's the Post Office, FDA, EPA, . . .
The EPA have declined only two concoctions of fossil fuel plastic. Out of over 1500.
Brought to you by Reagan and Clintons, fascist corporate control of federal government on a departmental level. The departments that are supposedly regulating and providing consumer protection against the market. Niche participants are actually a rubberstamp for their planet killing procedures.
The Netflix show on the sacklers called Painkiller was a depressing look at the FDA.
There’s a better one called “hooked” I’m not sure where I saw it but it’s outrageously infuriating
I know the story and sadly, it’s the same and most other governmental department functions. Monsanto did the same thing with GMO technology and it’s required accoutrements. The oil and chemistry advocates being the plastic council and petroleum producers dictate are environmental policy and on and on. None of these entities have the best interest of “we the people” in mind. We are just labor capital and consumers to them.
RFK has made that a clear priority.
Fuck all the way off as far as I’m concerned, when you get there, you can fuck off some more
Faced with that well grounded argument I suppose I have no choice but to change my perspective. You really know how to influence people's opinions. Thank you so much.
I am pretense free. Promoting Mr. Kennedy is the same as promoting the GOP. I’m not a President Biden fan shameful that the Democratic Party will not allow primary. Or one of the few in the Democratic Party will not run as a write candidate.
If you insist on voting for anyone, but the nominated candidates, at least make it a legitimate one. Marianne Williamson is the only one.
Aside from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and a few other local news sources in Florida, the infiltration of Christian Nationalists within our public school system appears to be under-reported. From a school board member with her “good book “ in front of her on a School Board dais (which appears to be her Bible), to a Florida Department of Education (FDOE) Christian Nationalist contractor who seems to be connecting school board members in Florida to a far-right school board training/recruitment organization in TN. Christian Nationalist extremists are dangerous, ref: 01-06-2021. They should not be operating within our publicly funded school system.
Why is Popular Information, a three person team, in the forefront of exposing the hypocrisy and corruption of so many organizations when the mainstream media seems to be left to pick up upon what Popular Information has already reported. Popular Information is doing an excellent job. Why is there not more of this kind of reporting and follow-up?
One word: $$$
Someone needs to investigate the genesis and promotion of Medicare Advantage, being touted as the new face of Medicare. Even AARP is heralding it as the next great thing; however, it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing I fear. My parents and others complain that savings are obtained by services denied, physicians readily leave the networks they choose, and the yearly guessing game of which plan to enroll in is terribly stressful. Medicare Advantage appears to be a hybrid between Medicare and corporate insurance carriers (read: profit-based health care), the latter being something Republicans dream about. The Physicians for a National Health Plan notes many reasons as to why Medicare Advantage spells disadvantage if not danger for older Americans.
Lever News has some great reporting about this - https://www.levernews.com/insurers-are-gaming-medicare-to-the-tune-of-140_billion/
You have given me a great article. A big question in my mind, still, is how this is being allowed, promoted, excused, ignored, right before our eyes. Big money often smells like corruption, and insurance companies have been working this game for decades. Who else is playing?
Anybody's guess.
Medicare Advantage is not a "hybrid" of Medicare and corporate insurance, it is publicly-subsidized, publicly-funded private insurance which is called part of Medicare to disguise it's form and structure. Corporate insurance companies get a lump sum each year based on their estimate of need - which not only gives them incentive to deny care and inflate the supposed need, it raises the direct question of if Medicare can afford to pay for private corporations for this coverage, why can't Medicare do it itself?
https://whoviating.blogspot.com/2023/02/069-erickson-report-for-january-26-to_21.html
I read your post and consider myself better informed. Thanks!
Thank you. It is very much appreciated.
You have the goods on this, and the formula is much worse than I imagined. Your question suggests many things but a “reason” given that I have heard is that privatization is always more efficient than the wasteful government; however, corporate administrative costs for insurance are much higher in the private sector. Everyone wins when free market capitalism takes over, don’t you know? In other words, I think this is conservative subterfuge that no one is paying attention to because it is not an outright cancellation of an entitlement. I am not very well-informed, however.
Thank you! 🙏💪
Back atcha, my friend.
Please see my reply to the same person. Medicare isn’t always. It has been nothing but a corporate subsidy. #UniversalHealthcare #QuitCallingItMedicareForAll.
Agree. I've been hearing from friends that say whatever you do, don't sign up for Medicare Advantage, because of all of the services that are denied, etc
Exactly.
Take it up with the democratic party. Their constituents believe that corporate subsidy and being disingenuous with “we the people” is far far better than no policy at all. That is a mistake. They both suck.
All of Medicare is nothing but a corporate subsidy. Demand #ByDefinition #UniversalHealthcare #UniversalHealthcareNow.
I am concerned that many midsized cities newspapers are now owned by the same company. I think it
is the same company that owns USA Today. In our city, Eugene, OR.,
the Letters to the Editor and editorials have been deleted.
I fear that is the case with the many other papers these folks own. I miss reading different points of view.
Journalism has definitely been gutted over the decades and the corporate giants keep consolidating power. Our local media outlets have been purchased by Sinclair media with a slant towards cultural issues and not reporting real news, giving us a false narrative. I live in a small town that used to have a weekly newspaper, before becoming defunct, became a sounding board for conspiracy theories mixed with religion. The media has helped create a divisive atmosphere and the media helps maintain this divisiveness.
Of course they do. Six entities only over 80% of the media in the entire country don’t participate in it. Find real investigative journalism is out there.... probably more than ever before it’s just harder to find.
Judd it’s a perfect example. Sarah Kenzdior, Jennifer Cohn , Eric Garland, Amy Goodman are a great start.
I am concerned about "No Labels," the faux third party that claims to represent the center. The party, if it receives enough votes, will make sure neither candidate gets 270 Electoral College votes.
Here is what will happen, according to "270 to Win": “If neither candidate gets a majority of the 538 electoral votes, the election for President is decided in the House of Representatives, with each state delegation having one vote. A majority of states (26) is needed to win. Senators would elect the Vice-President, with each Senator having a vote. A majority of Senators (51) is needed to win,” the website states.
What can the three of you write that will focus on this and help avert this tragedy?
The members of our local political group (tiny but mighty)--Citizens for Democracy--which works with larger organizations such as The League of Women Voters, Moms Demand Action, Gays Against Guns, and Food and Water Watch on a range of issues to strengthen our democracy and improve our country--will do all we can to prevent this.
Thank you all for your stellar work on book banning.
Yes, and the relationship with the "Problem Solvers" who are Republicans.
Scary thought
Rewrite the platform and all future legislative propositions to really represent whether people as opposed to the donor class. I don’t think would you win the election, but never lose any in the future. Unbelievable that the Democratic Party has never had that epiphany.
I am interested in workers rights and unions, which seem to be increasing again after years of being out of favor.
Consider that the House of Representatives is not in disarray. The Republican Party is doing exactly what they were sent to do.
Since Grover Norquest and Steve Bannon the ultimate goal is to destroy government from the inside.
January 6 was a distraction . This is the real insurrection.
You know that would’ve never happened is the Democratic Party would have offered and instituted when possible quality policy. There’s a reason 40 to 80,000,000 registered non-voters don’t bother. Because Pete Townsend was correct. “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss“ the Democratic Party would never lose a vast majority of elections if they simply brought good government to “we the people” as their oath demands.
In other words, if you cannot separate yourself from an ongoing criminal enterprise, that is the opposition, in the eyes of the electorate, you’re not fucking doing it right ..........
I'm scratching my head about some of these polls released the last couple of weeks. Last week CNN showed a poll that said 54% of Americans thought the GOP was more capable of "governing" than Democrats!!! Then today another pole released by Bloomberg showed Trump ahead of Biden in almost all of the "swing" states and more negative than positive views on Biden and his legislation. Although most poll responders were in favor of all the positive changes that this legislation and policy decisions had caused. Maybe it's just bad messaging from the Dems but I can't help worrying if it's not something more sinister. Love your tram to look into the whole idea of these polls. Keep up the good work!
Have you heard these "group of voters" discussions (on unbiased channel presentations, eg, PBS), and learned what they actually believe? (It's stomach turning after awhile, but I'm brave...) When asked where they learn about the news, it's usually Foxx or that ilk, or Salem broadcasting. So, through what vehicle will they ever learn truth over disinformation?
Probably not Sinclair. Ugh what a mess.
No difference in the average Democrat constituent. MSNBC, the occasional CNN, Washington Post, NYT.
The majority of time they don’t lie like your examples, but they are every bit as guilty of being an echo chamber. Bashing on the opposition is never going to hold anyone accountable for a good policy and a quality government. That’s one of the ways both tribes are being manipulated. The constituencies should be demanding change in the party platforms, and completely ignoring what the opposition says, and does. Completely irrelevant. there’s a reason 40 to 80,000,000 registered voters don’t bother.
Pete Townshend nailed it.
“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”
It’s as simple as this: the Trump, GOP, MAGA, Musk messaging and lies are working. Magnified by AI, social media, and even the mainstream media. I meet more and more people who were once solid Democratic voters echoing it, sometimes hesitantly but mostly not.
Having written the above, I moved on to Robert Hubbell’s post today. Here’s the point of it—to undermine and exhaust us…Read Robert’s pep talk to his own family and to all of us!
“We are living through an extraordinary time. The world is being rocked by multiple overlapping crises: The terrorist attack on Israel on October 7; Israel’s subsequent declaration of war on Hamas; protests throughout the Middle East sparked by a Hamas missile strike on a hospital in Gaza; the ongoing war against the Ukrainian people by Vladimir Putin; the inability of the majority party in the House to elect a Speaker; the possibility of a government shutdown before Thanksgiving; upcoming elections in Virginia and Ohio that will serve as bellwethers for 2024; the hottest year (2023) and hottest month (July) since scientists began keeping climate records; and a new term of the US Supreme Court that could fundamentally reshape American society and personal liberties (or not).
That’s a lot.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed, to withdraw, to look away.
Don’t.
Emotional exhaustion and intentional disengagement are the goals of bad-faith tactics used by Republicans to undermine democracy. During a time when Republicans should be joining Democrats in a national unity government, they continue to push an extremist agenda. When Rep. Tom Cole nominated Jim Jordan for Speaker of the House on Wednesday morning, Cole said that one of Jordan’s leading qualifications is that he is committed to cutting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. The media yawned.
Our generation has one job: To endure, to abide, to keep the faith until this moment of reactionary extremism subsides. If we can do that, we will leave our heirs a healthier, stronger democracy.
This pep talk is prompted by a recent Pew Research poll and a personal anecdote. Let’s start with the anecdote and expand from there.
My wife and I saw an acquaintance for the first time in four years. We have never discussed politics with this acquaintance—because it was clear that she was a Trump supporter (before the COVID shutdown). At some point in our conversation today, the acquaintance said, “I have given up on politics. I won’t talk about it. I am done with it.”
A survey by Pew Research (“Americans’ Dismal Views of the Nation’s Politics”) confirms that millions of Americans are feeling the same way as our acquaintance. Dan Pfeiffer discussed the Pew survey in his Substack newsletter, The Message Box, The Poll that May Explain our Insane Politics.
As explained by Pfeiffer, the Pew survey shows the following:
65% of respondents describe themselves as “exhausted” when thinking about politics.
55% say they are “angry” about American politics.
Only 4% say politics makes them feel hopeful.
Pew also asked people to describe American politics in one word. The second most common description was “corrupt”—behind the first-place finisher, “divisive.”
It is no wonder that people want to disengage and look away. The events in the Middle East, Ukraine, and the US Congress are exacerbating pre-existing feelings of exhaustion, anger, and divisiveness.
Exhaustion is the point of MAGA extremism. Republicans say:
Impeach Trump? We’ll impeach Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, Jack Smith, Alejandro Mayorkas, and Christopher Wray.
Indict Trump? We’ll indict Hunter Biden, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Joe Biden.
Recognize the equality of LGBTQ people? We’ll legalize discrimination against them.
Protect Americans from a deadly virus? We’ll undermine trust in science.
Fight human-caused climate change? We will make it illegal to discuss climate change in the classroom.
We must recognize those responses as a mind game designed to make us give up and go away.
We have one job: To endure, to abide, to keep the faith until this moment of reactionary extremism subsides. If we can do that, we will leave to our heirs a healthier, stronger democracy.
We can do that. We must do so. We have no other choice.
No matter how much you want to give up and look away, don’t.
Don’t.
Thank you. Sitting here writing post cards to VA voters as we speak. We must stay focused and strong. Plse do not look away, our county is worth defending as so many have done before now.
Why are they working? Soli due to lack of any quality government by the Democratic Party. Always propose quality policy. Implement when you can.
If you can’t differentiate yourself in the eyes of the constituency from an ongoing criminal enterprise, you’re not fucking doing it .......right
And the majority of Democrats think that the party is offering good government. Just as big a fallacy. Tribalism is our downfall. Well, the root cause of everything is the lack of an informed, and well educated electorate, but yeah.
I’m not referring to polls.
As almost every American and as a Jew, I was horrified at the October 7th massacre in Israel. That said, the coverage has for the most part ignored the plight of the Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank. There has been little talk of the apartheid-like behavior of the Israeli governments for the last 20 years and the increasingly radical rightwing settlement-driven politics there. While there should be no doubt about Israel's right to survive, there should also be no doubt about the tragic abuse they have wrought upon a largely innocent civilian population in Gaza and the West Bank. Since 1967 no progress has been made to the logical endpoint, a two-state managed solution and the American leadership in that time and in this regard has been wanting.
Thank you, Judd et al, for the important work you are doing. The hard right has been working for years and through intimidation to change America into their comfort zone of gun-loving, ultra-religious, anti-gay, oppression of women, non-white demonization and they have done a super job because they don't play by the rules, the laws or even the commandments. Too often, the mainstream media, which does play by the rules, cannot chase these foxes into their holes and lets them get away.
So, today I dub Public Information a fox chaser - an intrepid news gathering organization that plays by the rules, especially the strictures of journalism, and still gets to the bottom of the story even if it means wrestling in the mud and getting stuck in some nasty places.
Thank you thank you thank you.
(With apologies to the real foxes of the world, especially the urban foxes of London.)
Who placed the pipe bombs on Jan. 6. The other anomalies: key card not working, etc. Why do we hear nothing more about this?
This! It blows my mind that motherfucker got away scot free! Also that terrorist who shot up the substation in NC and put the lights out.
This might be an odd topic, but no one seems to know the answer. When I checkout from the grocery store, Target etc a lot of times they have questions like if I’ll round-up my purchase or make a donation to charities like No Kid Hungry or Heart disease research. Does 100% of that money go to charity? Also, is that retail store able to write off my donation on their taxes? Inquiring minds want to know.
What's on my mind? Tommy Tuberville and all the motivations behind his blocking of military placements. I'm from Alabama and he is a major embarrassment to the state....can't wait to be able to vote him out of office....if we can.
I’m afraid you’re home state like mine, is full of constituents who are not informed nor educated. Two prerequisites for this experiment to work.
THANKS PLEASE KEEP KEEPING ON TO EXPOSE ALL THIS
“Moms for liberty” and their continued tyranny that’s framed as normal in the media. They are the reason that Scholastic even entertained this, and these bans and other limits to access all need to be connected back to them for everyone to easily see and take action. Also Richard Corcoran’s new proposed compensation at new college…
I would very much like to see an investigation into the links between Russian disinformation and the Republican Party. It is hard to track memes, but I have a feeling that many of the incendiary memes that circulate on social media are created and boosted by Russian and Russian-supported trolls and bot networks. I also think that the meme factories are also producing some of the more divisive and incendiary memes that appear on left-leaning social media pages and accounts. The Russian and the oligarchic goal is to divide and inflame--I think they work both sides.
The other thing I'd like to see is a Putin's Pals in Congress and the Media index, that tracks and foregrounds politicians, pundits and media figures in terms of how closely they support Putin's policies and goals. It is an open secret, but I don't think many U.S. citizens are really aware of how closely fascist minority politicians and media are aligned with Putin.
The Democrats were hip dip in Oleg Deripaska rubles also. At least the leader ship. Look it up for yourself.
Recently discussed (w/my 501c4 co-founder) these links. Found they are coordinated by the Heritage Foundation. Apparently the plan is to implement it immediately if a Republican is elected president. Very concerning.
https://www.project2025.org/playbook/
https://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf
No doubt if we've found this, so have you. But how to make more people aware of it, and at the appropriate time when it matters. Sharing it too soon before the election, when folks are likely to forget it (so much going on in the world). But the fact that there's an actual Playbook is scary beyond words.
I have written some articles that focus on these things. And like you I recognize the need for the larger public to be made aware of the dangers posed by Project 2025.
Why isn’t Gaetz in jail yet? Didn’t his partner in sex crimes cooperate?
Thanks for all you do. I foresee Repubs eventually nominating Gov Youngkin (VA) for Prez, vs the other guy who by summer ‘24 will be a many times convicted felon, (a bit hard to imagine their being so astute, but I will go with it).
A deep dive into all things Youngkin would be instructive, and timely.
I would like to hear more about the despicable things Robin Vos is doing in the Wisconsin legislature, both around Janet Protasiewicz (who you covered in September) and about blocking raises for University of Wisconsin employees (but not other state employees) because of DEI funding.
The Ezra Klein podcast featured an episode with David French discussing radical social media influencers that are dabble in hate speech and then respond like it was just a joke. Unfortunately a methodology which appears to be gaining traction. Nick Fuentes was the prime example. Not sure what can be done but have serious concerns.
I wish more media could adopt the "truth sandwich" approach - say the thing that's true, then the falsehood or story that isn't true (for reporting its sake), then repeat the truth. Laffer? Can't recall whose method it is.
I think that approach came from Indivisible.
Celebrating Judd, Tesnim, and Rebecca, and whatever makes Popular Information work! I've been enjoying following the links to all of the sources mentioned in #1. In the follow up NY Times article about correcting the original attempt to appease Ron DeSantisAdvanced Black Studies curriculum, I began reading the readers' shares (this was back in April 26th). Here's one that everyone here would appreciate:
"Rosemary Galette
Atlanta, GA
April 26
A few commentators here have read the course in question but most, myself included, have not. Thus, I cannot comment on the course content.
However, my doctoral dissertation included critical theory as a part of the analytical framework. Very briefly, this theory was developed by early 20th century scholars as a tool for critiquing fascism. The theory held that political and economic powers immersed themselves in the social sphere in a way that kept people from participation in democracy. Critical feminist and critical race theories emerged from that perspective to describe how race and gender are implicated in this kind of unethical use of power.
One could look at the deSantis versus College Board dilemma as an instance of critical (race) theory writ large: a state entity uses its power to shape educational content. Its goal is to limit knowledge about race studies that that the state actors perceive as a threat to their political interests.
A corporate producer of curricula negotiates course content to appease powerful institutions and then charges schools to replicate the limited vision. The resulting product, however it is watered down, becomes a means of oppression by limiting how the students (and the rest of us) understand our world. Thus education is used as a means of replicating state-directed oppression. And the state actor frames that oppressive act as an election benefit when he energizes his constituency with a strong man story.
79 Recommended Share"
[I'd have added my two cents but it's too late--that was 6 months ago]
Good job Valerie
Well, said!!! I am super appreciative that you shared that. Thank you so much.
You and your merry band keep the fire turned up on those who would restrict our freedom for their insane ideology. Thank you.
Like the Democratic Party is offering freedom? They were completely bipartisan in the patriot act, do not include #BanAllProhibition as a plank on the party platform, are not serious about legitimizing the Supreme Court, on and on and on come on man, partisanship and tribal allegiance, brought us here. Time to change.
Can Popular Information attempt to draw a line from Big Pharma's explosion of television advertising to the explosion of the prices it charges for the medications it offers?
I shared this story with a group of retired public elementary school teachers on Tuesday. Even the most politically apathetic and conservative teachers were appalled. Scholastic Book Fairs used to be a win/win. Parents built their children's libraries inexpensively and it was a fundraising event for the school. In the Dixon, Illinois area, the most vocal advocates for public library book restrictions are the members of the Young America's Foundation, owners of the Reagan Boyhood Home. The actions of the Young America's Foundation need to be outed. They are actively training young people to hate the LGBTQIA+ community, favor book banning, and favor public money for private schools. Someone needs to go to one of their weekend workshops for middle school or high school students and find out what they are really saying behind closed doors.
Would love to read your investigation of the continued use of laboratory animals vis-a-vis new methods of testing drugs (such as organoids, organ-on-a-chip, phase 0 clinical trials and others) post passage of the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 (co-sponsored by Cory Booker and Rand Paul). I've read that 90% of drugs that are "effective" on test animals are ineffective on humans yet animal testing persists. Any light you can shed on the drivers of this outmoded practice would be appreciated. We need a modern-day Sinclair Lewis.
We need a “health and wellness” healthcare model. And goal for such policy. Right now “sickness and death” is the current institution because of its revenue creating possibilities. We could easily change that.
The comments veer off into what name to use: conservatives or Republicans etc. The issue here is that a national company that brings books to schools and is meant to enhance their appreciation of written thoughts, stir creativity, educate about culture and the wider world, is being shut down by small-minded people. When I was in school and then when my daughter was young, we spent a lot of money at Scholastic Book Fairs. I am furious that children are being deprived of buying a wide range of stories. Don't like the books for your children? Don't buy them. Leave other parents to decide what is best.
Judd, Thank you for this update. It’s what needs to happen. Cancel the book fairs! They need pressure from the public too!
For additional discussion, why are hard criminal & seditionist supporters, election deniers getting their names placed on political candidacies? We have a constitutional law that blocks seditionist supporters from being on the ballot. Why don’t we apply our laws to the R cult?
Let’s discuss the fact that being a Sanctuary state does NOT mean that other states ship busloads of people to the state. We need federal action against Texas. They should lose federal dollars and those funds should go to states where TX sent migrants to CA & Chicago & other blue states with promises of jobs. I just heard this morning there is an investigation started but money is needed in these states immediately. The migrants were initially sent unannounced to the receiving state. They were therefore very unprepared with sufficient housing.
How about child labor laws...kids working overnight in unsafe conditions? Did you write about this before? Love all your hard work, keep it up!
The Scholastic story is some of the most important reporting you have done. It shows how insidious the bullying of political extremists can be.
Much coverage about Republican political actors (more accurate than politicians) , but much of their performances are driven by fear of MAGA voters. They also control far right disinformation outlets (Hannity's "don't disrespect the audience" plea). I would like to see more encouragements to out-vote them, dispite all the obstacles they throw up.
Thanks so much for all that you do. It is so informative and thorough. I lost the thread of someone asking about stocks, owned by Supreme Court justices. Either you or the New York Times or someone in the last year I believe listed senators and their stockholdings, I don’t remember where I saw it. But a reference to that would be great.
how about exposing shaun king's bullshit and grifting?
Along with your wonderful work on exposing book bans, how about a more in-depth piece on the alt right infiltration of local school boards across the country, in general? So much dark money is being funneled into local races. We are even seeing it in blue states where some candidates mysteriously have more campaign resources than others. They started with mask mandate opposition and now they are working to eliminate policies that support trans and LGTBTQ kids. In NJ, we had a newly elected school board member come out and say that the rainbow as a flag represents a “nefarious group” as if the Pride flag is symbolic of criminality. The member was slapped for the comment, but not removed from the board. The only reason she was elected to the board is because she pulled the first position on the ballot in a race where most of the public didn’t realize was being funded by groups that are harmful to communities. Where are these candidates getting their support to push a radical far right agenda onto local schools? Follow the money.
Question for anyone: (Please don't assume you know my views and no death threats): How is Biden accepting whatever Netanyahu says - especially about the bombed hospital - any different from Trump taking Putin's words during that famous visit?
I would love to hear more about poverty. Just read "Poverty, by America" by Matt Desmond and want to know more about how to work for equity in housing, banking, algorithms, hiring, taxation, medical care education and work conditions.
Thank you Judd for your hard work in researching these critical issues that mainstream media won't touch with a 10 foot pole - until you do it first and then they pile on. And, for your courage in taking on the "powers that be" which I suspect is the reason major media prefers to ignore these things. Or else you are just a much better journalist! Or, all of the above!
Very sad development for Book Publishing.
This just popped into my inbox; PA Senate passed a "Parental Rights" bill out of committee. It's likely DOA in the Dem controlled House, but the majority is just 1 seat. https://www.mychesco.com/a/news/government/controversial-bill-sparks-concern-pennsylvania-senate-votes-on-parental-control-of-school-materials/
We need some helpful stories on climate change. It’s overwhelming, with good reason, we’re messing up. Is there anything we’re we are turning the boat
Judd, has there been any research or even reporting about the people who are threatening members of congress to support Rep. Jordan? I would be most interested to know if any of them actually know what a speaker of the house actually does. My thinking is that all they know is that the speaker is important and that's why they all hated Pelosi (along with the fact that she was the leader of the democrats, which of course made her evil). But does anyone actually understand the speaker's job in setting the house's agenda? And yes, I understand these are people who are watching and listening to right-wing media but I can't imagine they know the why, beyond that the voices they are hearing and reading are calling on them to take these steps (which in itself is so very scary).
Someone quoted Hubble, using the phrase, “undermine and exhaust us.” That says a lot--THAT is the agenda of KKKoch’s Fascist Gang of Billionaires. Why hasn’t anyone questioned the BILLIONS of dollars these fascists apply to undermining the political process when there’s dire need of dollars that could go toward environmental solutions, climate-change refugee situations, and any number of constructive solutions. It’s a rhetorical question, but it highlights the core evil of the fascists behind “Citizens United” . . . AND their Puppets of the Organized Crime Syndicate aka the RNC.
The RNC should be investigated for organized crime--and the NRA needs to be investigated for its money-laundering activities for political donations from foreign countries (esp. Russian and Saudi Arabia). It would be a start toward revoking “Citizens United.”
All of that only happens if “the people” consent
I’m thinking we should stop ......prolly
There is a battle in IA, SD, ND, IL where private industry wants to use eminent domain for profit. Jess Vilsack, son of the former Gov, now secretary of agriculture, Tom Vilsack, is the general counsel for Summit Carbon Solutions. Terry Branstad, former Gov and ambassador to China, is the Sr Policy Advisor at Summit Carbon Solutions. Bruce Rastetter, owner of Summit Carbon Solutions, was the biggest donor to both Branstad and Reynold campaigns for Governor. Farmer's and the majority of the public are opposed to the pipeline but, industry officials have the ear of the Gov who has stacked the Iowa Utilities Board. The Iowa Utilities board is hearing the case. It is an environmental nightmare. Among other things the pipeline threatens ground water supplies wasting/using 500 Million gallons of water a year on a get rich plan that has no environmental benefits. It is a David and Goliath battle. The negative impact on the environment is heart breaking. Here is a link https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2022/08/16the-outrageous-conflicts-of-interest-surrounding-iowa-carbon-piplines/
Serious dirty pool with these two involved. Much like the Ashcroft family of Missouri.
Further division, but why? If it were my school I would boycott Scholastic for this move, so it isn't about $$. If it were about making further division, we know that weakens democracy and increases autocracy which history tells us eventually weakens a country and dumbs down the citizens, so can't be about that.