Schmaltz. That, and generosity, and a dollop of out loud love for the good old U.S.A. That’s what the Democrats should use this year as we campaign for offices from the White House to the Senate and House to positions in state and local governments around the country.
Good evening Lucian, and all the kind people that comment so eloquently here.
Just want to say, that it actually WAS the rock & roll side of your writing that first hooked me as a faithful reader, & the cat stuff sure helped as well! And now Bob Dylan is back on the road at almost 83. I'll be seeing him here in Louisville on the 23rd & 24th. Just can't wait!
And this article today is JUST what I needed to see Lucian. Simply awesome stuff. Positive & uplifting. I'll be passing it along to family & friends here shortly. Corky in KC
FYI since you are a Dylan fan as is everyone I know, they are going to start shooting a film about him, I think it will begin this month maybe in NJ, that’s what I’ve been told anyhow, Bob is involved, it’s about him after all and he’s obviously no dummy. You may start to hear about it this summer, look for it as a holiday release next year.
Dick, have you seen Jakob Dylan’s documentary “Echo In The Canyon”? I know it’s Bob Dylan’s son but he has an amazing voice and the documentary is so cool.
For sure. Good common sense. I think feelings of insecurity drives the Republicans, they are afraid of immigrants, of progressive thinking, they want the perceived security of an imaginary past and feel they are losing control and even willing to bend the rules in order to retain control. They are suspicious of anyone who dares to agree with our side or just for being willing to work with Democrats on legislation. In other words they want to make all the rules without outside participation,
In a democratic system everyone is supposed to have an equal voice, but not under the current Republican party system. They have become the Authoritarian Party because of Trumps influence..
When Trump is defeated in November – and I think he will be – it will be a great turning point for our country because I really think he'll be out of the picture at that point at least as far as electoral politics goes. I think the chances of his running again on 2028 are extremely slim. What might instead happen is that he'll reinvent himself as a TV bloviator and remain a presence in politics in the Hannity-Limbaugh sense. Many Republicans might remain in thrall to him because of that. But I think we'll be largely rid of him. Someone light MTG or Stefanik or J.D. Vance might channel him but he would no longer be a regular topic of mass media reporting.
He is having a pretty hard time talking these days. Covfefe comes out of his mouth more frequently. (Yes, I know that was in a tweet.) I remember him saying oranges when he meant origins. Twice. It’s worse since that time.
Of course his fans may not care if he says recognizable words. It’s the tone, it seems.
Media point out that Biden mixed up Gaza and Ukraine twice. (Fair and balanced, both sides do it?) Horrors! President Biden has Gaza and Ukraine on his mind, both demanding his attention.
What Trump has on his mind is Obama. He may not remember leading the “birther” crusade against Obama. But he has not forgotten that Correspondents’ Dinner where President Obama got laughs at his expense.
It's way worse. Did you see him in North Carolina when he got confused and started making noises? It looks to me like fronto-temporal dementia or whatever it is.
I also believe that Trump will be defeated in November, and I agree this at least could be a great turning point for the country, but for a different reason. It will signify that a majority (and I hope an overwhelming majority) of U.S. voters believe that the survival of our democracy, flawed as it is, matters. No matter how jaded we were, until the Trump administration most of us didn't realize just how bad things could get -- even though they'd been getting worse for several decades. "Democracy," it turns out, isn't just an abstract ideal that people blather about on the 4th of July or when they want to start a war.
I agree although do you really think he'll live that long? His neural pathways are eroding in front of our eyes. He will be drooling in a month at this rate. He can't even read from a teleprompter without getting confused and making gurgling noises.
They're amateurs compared to the master and will never hold the audience. Trump's a one off that was groomed from birth. Just like it takes a long time to "train" a pitfall to fight, it takes time to ruin the human soul.
Pulling off public self humiliation for profit is a talent and a skill Trump honed through decades of Doonesbury strips and National Enquirer headlines. Two bit sycophants like Vance and MTG and Jordan and Gaetz and Bobo Boebert and all the rest are late comers to learning the trade and it shows.
My guess is that the Repubs will assassinate him with a heart attack and run Haley on the feel sorry for the Repubs ticket, but gee, I could be wrong. Still, a younger woman with gov't credentials could probably win. It's a perfect set up. Trump could drop dead tomorrow on his own accord and they already have the backup ready and campaigning. We don't.
She's insurance. It's why they kept her around. Someone probably saw a real medical report for the fat clown. WTF? How is this guy even standing? He's a testament to Adderall.
She's been attacking Trump, which will placate the fair weather middle. And she'll get all the Republican votes including those who like the Schaderfreud of sticking it to Hillary once again.
Suddenly I'm now starting to pull for Trump staying alive long enough to lose in total disgrace.
I applaud the strategy and hope it will be successful. But at the same time, I think there does need to be a parallel campaign to truly portray the demons on the other side. Nice guys have lost more recent elections than I can count, and it's a time to take off the gloves. Negativity has been shown to sway voters. Democrats need BOTH approaches this year. Send in the knife-fighters like James Carville and rest who know how to win!
Thanks. You are right. Time to be positive. I've been pretty down and negative. You have the better way. We need to start removing Trump as the big daily presence in the "furniture" inhabiting our minds and enjoying thoughts about the positive things about this country. We just finished Ken Burns The Nation Parks, America's Best Idea (we are a little late to the party)---what a beautiful and inspiring series.....and a look at what some public spirited "oligarchs" of their day did for everyone. That is a better focus for good than letting evil (you know who) move into our minds..... But not forgetting that we are still in a war for the soul of this country.
Everything Ken Burns has made to date is worth watching, I always learn when I watch his films, sometimes it’s painful but I come away enriched by the experience.
The Buffalo was an eyeopener---completely transformed my limited understanding of the truth of Indian life and the American west---and the tragedy of it all. Knowledge can be painful but it ultimately frees.
It was an eyeopener for me as well. Our government had a policy to eradicate the food, clothing, and housing source of the American Indians to force them to live on reservations like farmers. The buffalo had ranged from Florida to southern Alaska, their almost complete eradication was one of the stupidest things our government has ever done, and there have been a lot. Ken's Holocaust series was as eyeopening as the one about the Buffalo.
I, too, agree with the spirit and wisdom of your piece, Lucian. I believe that the good guys will win when it's crunch time.
Can you imagine the depth of the madness--yay, the profound sickness of Trump's soul--when he says Blacks should identify with his Kampf. This depraved racist, son of white privilege, deeply deranged and having never done an honest thing in his life.
And, all the time, media acting like basketball officials intent on calling fouls against the better team in order to keep nervous fans watching.
My own cynical view is that the sure way to go broke is to bet on justice. (And I predict that SCOTUS will find a tortured argument to rule that Trump has immunity.) But, good Lucian, it won't stop Biden from winning--because few people like cheaters.
That reminds me, I read an item online earlier today by Joshua Zeitz in Politico Magazine that I found very intriguing, recommending that Biden take the center by attacking both the far right and far left as Truman did in 1948.
I read this piece, thanks, and think it's a great analogy.
What worries me is that this approach will demand a lot of energy. I feel like Biden's team overprotects him; people don't care about his gaffes as much as pundits do and he comes across as a decent, practical, common sense, straight-talking guy, much in the Truman mold. I feel that the more people see him they more they will remember how much they like him and feel comfortable with him. I want him to get out there! I just hope his team is not protecting him because he's not physically up to this type of campaigning. Keeping my fingers double-crossed. Our future depends so much on one old man's strength and energy.
Great point, we need to be more positive, yet at the same time hammering MAGA for what it is, un-American, fear-mongering, and fascist. People do respond to fear, unfortunately, and we need to keep emphasizing their extreme positions on abortion, women, and sacrificing a border solution just to create a campaign issue. It would help if WaPo and the Times would stop their daily headlines about bad polls. Attack the Orange fraud where it hurts though, with all his bragging he can't even afford the bond for another series of useless appeals. Keep showing the miserable fraud behind the curtain.
This is a more positive outlook on the future than we have seen recently, but a welcome change for that reason. That’s not to say we can all become Pollyannas about this election - we still need to get out the vote like never before, at all levels of government, national, state and local. Leave no stone - or vote - unturned, to ensure that positive result.
Your column has the clear, melodious ping of a fingernail flicked on the rim of a Baccarat crystal glass. At a time when Thug Junior is proclaiming that it (the GOP) is not "their party" (Lincoln, TR, Eisenhower, Reagan) but Thug Senior's, the notion of using the over-arcing idea from Sunny Ronnie's playbook is just too delicious.
Has someone already arranged for the social media, TV and print media ad with the headline, REAGANS FOR BIDEN, under it photos of Ron and Patti?
As for the other element of a successful campaign, "nice" and "asshole" are fine words, but why not be more specific? VOTE FOR THE GOOD GEEZER/NOT THE CONVICTED SEX PREDATOR.
It’s a psychological study and process for treating PTSD; written by Drs. Richard and Rosemary Sword as well as Dr. Philip Zimbardo (former president of the American Psychological Association)
They worked on me before the book…
Anyhow…
What they’ve come up with in treatment, is no longer past tripping into yesterday’s shit; rolling around in it ‘til you get used to the smell; rather work on making the present enjoyable and envisioning the future.
Every time the Gobbly Wobblies creep up from behind and start tearing up your heart; you take immediate assessment of the present moment and re-envision Your Chosen Evolution of Your Future.
Quite a hedonistic approach I’ll admit, however… in taking your mind back tends to restore and confirm your authority over yourself.
As a species we are pretty much Monkey see, Monkey do. So Vision plays a critical role on how we proceed in life.
What I do and invite others to do for themselves; when we get caught up in the “he said she said”; is to en-vision
A Forested Planet.
Just get the Picture in your head. Don’t try to fix any problems or arguments of what won’t work. Just see, smell, hear,sense and feel it all working.
You don’t need to exclude anyone (it’s way better if you don’t); it’s simply your experience that you hold in your Heart.
And there’s enough for everyone.
Now… as you get into this; keep your awareness open and notice all the tiny little, or significant changes that start moving stuff into that direction.
Thank you so much for this uplifting post! I have never responded before because the comments reflect everything Mark and I think and feel (say something once, why say it again). We are sorta neighbors (Emmaus, PA). The positivity is infectious, and I so appreciate it. I definitely need it now. Inspires me to do more. Mahalo from The Garden Isle, Kaua’i, (visiting our daughter and family).
I don't know, a little well-aimed witty negativity seems to work well in advertising, can make ads memorable and talked about around the workplace.
"Meet Richard, his many friends call him Dick. He's a good guy, helps his neighbors and fellow workers. Dick's a swing voter. He voted for McCain in 2008, Romney in 2012, and Clinton in 2016. Hey, nobody's perfect right?
This is his wife, Claire. She doesn't always agree with her husband, and can make up her own mind. Come this November 5th, she will be voting for the party that is not removing her freedoms to make choices.
Good evening Lucian, and all the kind people that comment so eloquently here.
Just want to say, that it actually WAS the rock & roll side of your writing that first hooked me as a faithful reader, & the cat stuff sure helped as well! And now Bob Dylan is back on the road at almost 83. I'll be seeing him here in Louisville on the 23rd & 24th. Just can't wait!
And this article today is JUST what I needed to see Lucian. Simply awesome stuff. Positive & uplifting. I'll be passing it along to family & friends here shortly. Corky in KC
Thanks.
FYI since you are a Dylan fan as is everyone I know, they are going to start shooting a film about him, I think it will begin this month maybe in NJ, that’s what I’ve been told anyhow, Bob is involved, it’s about him after all and he’s obviously no dummy. You may start to hear about it this summer, look for it as a holiday release next year.
Dick, have you seen Jakob Dylan’s documentary “Echo In The Canyon”? I know it’s Bob Dylan’s son but he has an amazing voice and the documentary is so cool.
For sure. Good common sense. I think feelings of insecurity drives the Republicans, they are afraid of immigrants, of progressive thinking, they want the perceived security of an imaginary past and feel they are losing control and even willing to bend the rules in order to retain control. They are suspicious of anyone who dares to agree with our side or just for being willing to work with Democrats on legislation. In other words they want to make all the rules without outside participation,
In a democratic system everyone is supposed to have an equal voice, but not under the current Republican party system. They have become the Authoritarian Party because of Trumps influence..
When Trump is defeated in November – and I think he will be – it will be a great turning point for our country because I really think he'll be out of the picture at that point at least as far as electoral politics goes. I think the chances of his running again on 2028 are extremely slim. What might instead happen is that he'll reinvent himself as a TV bloviator and remain a presence in politics in the Hannity-Limbaugh sense. Many Republicans might remain in thrall to him because of that. But I think we'll be largely rid of him. Someone light MTG or Stefanik or J.D. Vance might channel him but he would no longer be a regular topic of mass media reporting.
Do they allow people to bloviate on TV from prison?
He is having a pretty hard time talking these days. Covfefe comes out of his mouth more frequently. (Yes, I know that was in a tweet.) I remember him saying oranges when he meant origins. Twice. It’s worse since that time.
Of course his fans may not care if he says recognizable words. It’s the tone, it seems.
And twice he's mixed up Biden with Obama.
He thinks everyone is Obama, not just Biden but Hillary, also he confused Obama with himself yesterday.
He needs another test for dementia but a more comprehensive test than his “man, woman…” test that he brags he passed.
Media point out that Biden mixed up Gaza and Ukraine twice. (Fair and balanced, both sides do it?) Horrors! President Biden has Gaza and Ukraine on his mind, both demanding his attention.
What Trump has on his mind is Obama. He may not remember leading the “birther” crusade against Obama. But he has not forgotten that Correspondents’ Dinner where President Obama got laughs at his expense.
Today the Mango Mamzer apparently called Argentina “a great guy.”
It's way worse. Did you see him in North Carolina when he got confused and started making noises? It looks to me like fronto-temporal dementia or whatever it is.
I also believe that Trump will be defeated in November, and I agree this at least could be a great turning point for the country, but for a different reason. It will signify that a majority (and I hope an overwhelming majority) of U.S. voters believe that the survival of our democracy, flawed as it is, matters. No matter how jaded we were, until the Trump administration most of us didn't realize just how bad things could get -- even though they'd been getting worse for several decades. "Democracy," it turns out, isn't just an abstract ideal that people blather about on the 4th of July or when they want to start a war.
MTG? Stefanik? Vance? God forbid!!
i can only hope that you're right.....
Imagine an unscripted Trump doing commentary...a pay per view bonanza!
I agree although do you really think he'll live that long? His neural pathways are eroding in front of our eyes. He will be drooling in a month at this rate. He can't even read from a teleprompter without getting confused and making gurgling noises.
They're amateurs compared to the master and will never hold the audience. Trump's a one off that was groomed from birth. Just like it takes a long time to "train" a pitfall to fight, it takes time to ruin the human soul.
Pulling off public self humiliation for profit is a talent and a skill Trump honed through decades of Doonesbury strips and National Enquirer headlines. Two bit sycophants like Vance and MTG and Jordan and Gaetz and Bobo Boebert and all the rest are late comers to learning the trade and it shows.
My guess is that the Repubs will assassinate him with a heart attack and run Haley on the feel sorry for the Repubs ticket, but gee, I could be wrong. Still, a younger woman with gov't credentials could probably win. It's a perfect set up. Trump could drop dead tomorrow on his own accord and they already have the backup ready and campaigning. We don't.
She's insurance. It's why they kept her around. Someone probably saw a real medical report for the fat clown. WTF? How is this guy even standing? He's a testament to Adderall.
She's been attacking Trump, which will placate the fair weather middle. And she'll get all the Republican votes including those who like the Schaderfreud of sticking it to Hillary once again.
Suddenly I'm now starting to pull for Trump staying alive long enough to lose in total disgrace.
Confusing times.
As long as she keeps the real brains of that outfit...Miller, Bannon, et al out of the West Wing...could be much worse.
I stopped listening to my favorite news channel, and read AP and Reuters which report facts. Thanks for this essay Lucian. I completely agree.
I applaud the strategy and hope it will be successful. But at the same time, I think there does need to be a parallel campaign to truly portray the demons on the other side. Nice guys have lost more recent elections than I can count, and it's a time to take off the gloves. Negativity has been shown to sway voters. Democrats need BOTH approaches this year. Send in the knife-fighters like James Carville and rest who know how to win!
Thanks. You are right. Time to be positive. I've been pretty down and negative. You have the better way. We need to start removing Trump as the big daily presence in the "furniture" inhabiting our minds and enjoying thoughts about the positive things about this country. We just finished Ken Burns The Nation Parks, America's Best Idea (we are a little late to the party)---what a beautiful and inspiring series.....and a look at what some public spirited "oligarchs" of their day did for everyone. That is a better focus for good than letting evil (you know who) move into our minds..... But not forgetting that we are still in a war for the soul of this country.
Everything Ken Burns has made to date is worth watching, I always learn when I watch his films, sometimes it’s painful but I come away enriched by the experience.
The Buffalo was an eyeopener---completely transformed my limited understanding of the truth of Indian life and the American west---and the tragedy of it all. Knowledge can be painful but it ultimately frees.
It was an eyeopener for me as well. Our government had a policy to eradicate the food, clothing, and housing source of the American Indians to force them to live on reservations like farmers. The buffalo had ranged from Florida to southern Alaska, their almost complete eradication was one of the stupidest things our government has ever done, and there have been a lot. Ken's Holocaust series was as eyeopening as the one about the Buffalo.
I, too, agree with the spirit and wisdom of your piece, Lucian. I believe that the good guys will win when it's crunch time.
Can you imagine the depth of the madness--yay, the profound sickness of Trump's soul--when he says Blacks should identify with his Kampf. This depraved racist, son of white privilege, deeply deranged and having never done an honest thing in his life.
And, all the time, media acting like basketball officials intent on calling fouls against the better team in order to keep nervous fans watching.
My own cynical view is that the sure way to go broke is to bet on justice. (And I predict that SCOTUS will find a tortured argument to rule that Trump has immunity.) But, good Lucian, it won't stop Biden from winning--because few people like cheaters.
Yes. Channel Harry Truman.
That reminds me, I read an item online earlier today by Joshua Zeitz in Politico Magazine that I found very intriguing, recommending that Biden take the center by attacking both the far right and far left as Truman did in 1948.
Here it is ... https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/03/03/biden-can-still-win-if-he-runs-like-harry-truman-00144499
I read this piece, thanks, and think it's a great analogy.
What worries me is that this approach will demand a lot of energy. I feel like Biden's team overprotects him; people don't care about his gaffes as much as pundits do and he comes across as a decent, practical, common sense, straight-talking guy, much in the Truman mold. I feel that the more people see him they more they will remember how much they like him and feel comfortable with him. I want him to get out there! I just hope his team is not protecting him because he's not physically up to this type of campaigning. Keeping my fingers double-crossed. Our future depends so much on one old man's strength and energy.
Great point, we need to be more positive, yet at the same time hammering MAGA for what it is, un-American, fear-mongering, and fascist. People do respond to fear, unfortunately, and we need to keep emphasizing their extreme positions on abortion, women, and sacrificing a border solution just to create a campaign issue. It would help if WaPo and the Times would stop their daily headlines about bad polls. Attack the Orange fraud where it hurts though, with all his bragging he can't even afford the bond for another series of useless appeals. Keep showing the miserable fraud behind the curtain.
This is a more positive outlook on the future than we have seen recently, but a welcome change for that reason. That’s not to say we can all become Pollyannas about this election - we still need to get out the vote like never before, at all levels of government, national, state and local. Leave no stone - or vote - unturned, to ensure that positive result.
Your column has the clear, melodious ping of a fingernail flicked on the rim of a Baccarat crystal glass. At a time when Thug Junior is proclaiming that it (the GOP) is not "their party" (Lincoln, TR, Eisenhower, Reagan) but Thug Senior's, the notion of using the over-arcing idea from Sunny Ronnie's playbook is just too delicious.
Has someone already arranged for the social media, TV and print media ad with the headline, REAGANS FOR BIDEN, under it photos of Ron and Patti?
As for the other element of a successful campaign, "nice" and "asshole" are fine words, but why not be more specific? VOTE FOR THE GOOD GEEZER/NOT THE CONVICTED SEX PREDATOR.
🤣🤣🤣
There is a text; “The Time Cure”.
It’s a psychological study and process for treating PTSD; written by Drs. Richard and Rosemary Sword as well as Dr. Philip Zimbardo (former president of the American Psychological Association)
They worked on me before the book…
Anyhow…
What they’ve come up with in treatment, is no longer past tripping into yesterday’s shit; rolling around in it ‘til you get used to the smell; rather work on making the present enjoyable and envisioning the future.
Every time the Gobbly Wobblies creep up from behind and start tearing up your heart; you take immediate assessment of the present moment and re-envision Your Chosen Evolution of Your Future.
Quite a hedonistic approach I’ll admit, however… in taking your mind back tends to restore and confirm your authority over yourself.
As a species we are pretty much Monkey see, Monkey do. So Vision plays a critical role on how we proceed in life.
What I do and invite others to do for themselves; when we get caught up in the “he said she said”; is to en-vision
A Forested Planet.
Just get the Picture in your head. Don’t try to fix any problems or arguments of what won’t work. Just see, smell, hear,sense and feel it all working.
You don’t need to exclude anyone (it’s way better if you don’t); it’s simply your experience that you hold in your Heart.
And there’s enough for everyone.
Now… as you get into this; keep your awareness open and notice all the tiny little, or significant changes that start moving stuff into that direction.
‘See ya there! Share the wealth 🎈
Thank you so much for this uplifting post! I have never responded before because the comments reflect everything Mark and I think and feel (say something once, why say it again). We are sorta neighbors (Emmaus, PA). The positivity is infectious, and I so appreciate it. I definitely need it now. Inspires me to do more. Mahalo from The Garden Isle, Kaua’i, (visiting our daughter and family).
Good stuff! Thank you. And fingers crossed, because good god, the republicans are depressing.
And this is another good article,thank you for reminding us what is good in America and quite alot including Biden and Harris.
I don't know, a little well-aimed witty negativity seems to work well in advertising, can make ads memorable and talked about around the workplace.
"Meet Richard, his many friends call him Dick. He's a good guy, helps his neighbors and fellow workers. Dick's a swing voter. He voted for McCain in 2008, Romney in 2012, and Clinton in 2016. Hey, nobody's perfect right?
This is his wife, Claire. She doesn't always agree with her husband, and can make up her own mind. Come this November 5th, she will be voting for the party that is not removing her freedoms to make choices.
Be Claire, don't be a Dick."
Kittens!!!???