51 Comments

1. Get a majority vote in the Senate.

2.Then ad 6 new Democrats in the Senate from 3 new states: DC, Puerto Rico,Virgin Islands

BYE BYE Filibuster.

Hello Democracy.

Of this "I Approve."

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with all respects.....you know very little of PR and USVI if you think this.

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Oh! Magic Mike! You are so wonderful!

We are so lucky you are here!

Thank you for your enduring brilliance and generosity, You are invaluable-ly precious to all of us here and to me personally over all the years you have inspired us and me with the truth to keep on truckin’!

Thank you, Mike!

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I always wonder why Poll takers never ask me or my buddies 🤷‍♀️ #Fakes

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Do you understand how they are done? They don't survey a million people. It's statistics..

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I studied stats in med school but appreciate your concern. 😉

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I mean, really! We could bomb Russia back to the Stone Age over night!

I know this as an avowed pacifist who survived the London Nazi Blitkrieg!

Look at Ukraine!!!!!

The world allows this!!?? Can’t do anything to stop it? Let the Ukrainians die so we don’t have to?! Where are the Heroes of America who saved us from the Nazi terror now!??

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Well. Nukes and Putin's psyche make such action not advisable. imho. Something has to happen from within Russia. Putin is clearly a war criminal who needs to be stopped.

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So we should keep letting Ukrainians die while we wait for the Russians chained minds to change? Look at Ukraine!!!!!!

You’re telling us that there is not a single human effort on the planet that can stop this slaughter and annihilation of a Sovereign Country??? Short of Nukes???

They have deterred what????

And they call this “civilization”?

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Economic incentive favors production and sales of weapons at the expense of Ukranian lives. Blood on the hands of many now.....but they don't care as long as economy gets better producing and selling weapons.

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I lived in DC for 15 months not with the Federal Government, with the DC Government. Unlike the Feds, especially the politicians, most of the DC employees live in DC. I understand their dilemma, As you pointed out the population is greater than that of Vermont and Wyoming.They're pretty sure they know why petition after petition is defeated. 1. more than 70% of the residents are registered Democrat 2. Around 70% of them are black. 3. They have a large, stable and active group of gay men, a substantial population of LGBTQ+. Have you ever heard the DC Gay Men's Chorus, they are fantastic. You'd think this would make them a shoo in when Democrats have control of the Executive and Legislative Branches, but in recent years a rarity. But more than anything (personal opinion) bigotry is alive and well in the USA, and, of course, the Republicans, even the few decent ones will fight tooth and nail against it. (BTW I am a 90 year old, educated, heterosexual, Caucasian, woman)

As to, opinion polls on any subject, I pay no attention. In a Country of 330 or so million people, even polling 5000 people cannot be mathematically justifiable and most polls are around 1500. I'd as soon ask a chicken or a Ouijia board.

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founding

I think the idea is to hook up the chicken to the numeric part of the Ouija board.

Sorry - the Chief Executive "Chicken".

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Thanks for the good laugh!

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Michael your relativism is enabling and a blithe acceptance of the devastating militarism and ubiquitous political expediency and poor judgment of the Biden administration. Just because Trunp is about as awful a presidential candidate as one could conceive of does not mean that Biden is good. His treatment of refugees and immigrants is just as dehumanizing as Trump's as is his unfettered militarism and support of a brutal and unaccountable police force. His highly touted yet comparatively paltry and corporate-based climate initiatives are all but offset by his zeal to greenlight new pipeline and drilling projects. He has sold more weapons of war to authoritarian nations than any other president in history. He is escalating tensions with the three top nuclear superpowers on the planet. I could do on for pages. So while he is better than Trump one can also say a heart attack is better than pancreatic cancer yet most of us would prefer to suffer neither. A choice between Trump and Biden confirms that the US is an imperialist oligarchy at best, not a democracy.

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100%! I think we have to look bigger picture - and it will take extraordinary voting turn out and that will be challenging given people's cynicism. If dems every gain control of Ex, Senate and House they should move radical campaign finance reform measures and implement rank choice voting. If rank choice voting could only be moved for primaries it would make a huge difference.

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Thank you for stating my feelings - I tried but mine sounds mean. Thanks for truth. His policies are unconscionable and he caves every time to GOP. No spine at all - corporate controlled

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And can't do it this time. Not dump either either is voting against myself. 3rd party people must have a voice - every time its "too dangerous" fear politics not this time

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To Barry & Charlotte: I understand where you’re coming from, however I think what Pres. Biden is doing is positioning himself for the 2024 election.

Yes, I’m disappointed to some extent, but the single most important thing right now is to make sure he’s re-elected, because if he isn’t re-elected, (pardon me for using a technical term) we’ll be in deep doodoo.

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I approve this message.

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Half the country has been mislead through Far Right trickle down media, of course ratings are low. Go to the south, go to Wisconsin. Interview people and where they get their media. Ask them who is at fault for the current economy. I saw it coming in 2015, friends on both sides of aisle, being fed misinformation. Repeat lies long enough and they become truth—who said that??? It seems to be working.

Break down everything that has happened and ask why it happened and who benefitted.

If you can SHOW core MAGA that 45 is a liar, the wall of lies may crumble before 2024. MAGA is stuck with 45 now, they created a bubble of misinformation about him, so strong, that they have to keep him for now. He is a puppet.

Watch for the transfer of wealth. Lawsuit against HRC by 45 was A) to keep up the narrative fed to the MAGA base (they have to keep showing in headlines that she is corrupt). They are trying to destroy FBI to fit the narrative. 45 stacked lower courts during his presidency so that B) if the republicans take charge, they can sue for damages, and they will win in stacked courts. THEY, THE FAR RIGHT, ARE TWO STEPS AHEAD OF US!!!

Abortion is being used to up the white population before 2045 when Hispanics will rule. If half the country is not receiving all real news now, and Fox and far right take over the airwaves we are in real danger.

History can repeat. What will happen to all the minority children: cut Medicare, welfare, etc., young women will be forced to put their babies up for adoption. Who will take them? Catholic Church? How’d that work out for the Native American children? History can repeat. Watch the white population numbers.

Find the Far Right families funding the fake information.

Derrick Van Orrden (Trump jr) was elected in Wisconsin because half the population did not know:

He was “standing by and standing ready” on Jan. 6, in a mask.

He attacked verbally a young women in a gay book store.

Far Right used FAKE cops in ads, claiming to support him (no names or badges, or cities on cars).

Liberal ads were cut off seconds into airing.

If 45 is guilty of Jan. 6, ALL HIS APPOINTMENTS SHOULD BE NULL! A traitor hires traitors.

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Thanks Mike for your always insightful and positive messages. You ALWAYS give us hope in this country!

As a former activist and protester for peace & women’s rights, and now no longer in DC area but in red south Jersey, your words mean even more to me! Yes, I do what I can here to fight the good fight!

But I can’t believe I’m still fighting for those core American values and now once again fighting for the return of the core rights of my female gender!

I have passed your substack onto my grand daughter in Fla (Oy!) and she is now an activist herself in that state.

Thanks for all you do!

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Mike: You always give me hope. Thank you.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Now, as for the debt ceiling . . . which IMO Biden has taken a giant misstep.

The history of the 14th amendment suggests that "not be questioned" equates to "shall be inviolate." Inviolate means "never to be broken, infringed, or dishonored."

Here is a link to 2013 Duke Law Journal 40 page discussion by attorney Jacob D. Charles:

THE DEBT LIMIT AND THE CONSTITUTION: HOW THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT FORBIDS FISCAL OBSTRUCTIONISM

--- https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3381&context=dlj

It is time to end this repeated fiasco and waste of Congressional time.

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Everyone keeps underestimating Joe Biden . I dont pay attention to polls and approval ratings. Approval compared to who.

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Exactly! As a volunteer for Beto O'Rourke's senatorial campaign told me once, "Polls don't vote." That's right. Polls don't vote--only PEOPLE do.

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We share a common past-I was voted "Class Wit"--and I really thought I was quiet growing up! Thank you for tirelessly working for a better country. The craziness is out of control.

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Hey Mike. Suggestion coming from a woman at the "grandmother" age, grandma and grandpa who are LISTENING to your podcast should pass it on to the children, grandchildren, nieces and nephew, cousins, friends, neighbors, etc. I'm pretty sure a whole lot of your fans/audience are "seniors". Hey, we got time to listen, read, think. And this is an interesting podcast to pass on, as are all of your podcasts, films, books, etc. Thanks for adding a bit of sanity to my day. (Still ticked off at the Fox News "satire" (smiling) From France.

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In Durham NC we have started a Leaflet Every Doorstep campaign, which has three important goals:

1. Build strong precinct organizations of numerous engaged Democrats. There are 176,000 precincts in America! A strong precinct will inspire people to get involved on a regular basis, create a feeling of community, and be an agile organization that accomplishes a variety of important outreach tasks. Such an organization will give people hope for change and will celebrate achievements. The leafletting will be the first level of involvement for many people, leading to further engagement and growth as a committed Democrat. Leafletting merely involves walking down the street and placing a leaflet on every doorstep. (Most people hate canvassing and phoning, but a lot of these folks are willing to leaflet!) It would be ideal if a precinct could leaflet every doorstep with a new message every month, but that is probably more than most could achieve. (Although you never know until you try!) Even quarterly would be an improvement over where we are today. In a world where most people live large parts of their lives online, this also forms real, geographical based connections between neighbors.

2. Distribute constant, clear messaging about Democratic values and achievements throughout each precinct. This means reaching as many people as possible, regardless of political affiliation, with information they are not getting elsewhere or they are getting elsewhere but in an overwhelming deluge. This information will help them clearly understand important issues and be able to talk about them with others. The leaflet messages can be transformed into social media posts, and the leaflets can be shared with others. This is a system that cheaply and effectively bypasses and contradicts the powerful Republican noise machine. It is particularly important to educate everyone about the difference between the Republicans and Democrats in a country where more and more young people are registering as Unaffiliated and a new third party is organizing on the national stage.

3. Add to our voter information database. As volunteers get more and more familiar with their leafletting territories, recruit more volunteers, and see their territories shrink as a result, we hope to get to the point where each block has one volunteer doing leafletting for that block. That volunteer will know every house and occupant on their block, gather contact information, and be in a terrific position to make sure people are registered and voting.

In late April we launched pilot programs in four Durham precincts. We each designed walk routes for volunteers and recruited volunteers. Together we designed a leaflet for April, attached a QR code, and built a website to give folks more information. We also designed before and after leafletting surveys for the volunteers. Our next leaflet is scheduled for late June.

We are using a layer cake theme, because we are the Democratic PARTY! Think of a layer cake representing a precinct. The first layer is volunteers leafletting every doorstep regularly. The second layer is targeting teams doing canvassing, phoning, and social media outreach. The icing on the cake is state and national media advertising closer to an election. We are celebrating our work and recruiting more volunteers by once a month setting up a tent in a park in our neighborhood, with balloons, flags, banners, and a layer cake. (And the cake attracts kids, followed by their parents. It takes a minute to cut a crumbly slice, allowing time for sharing our message and our mission with the parents.)

Writing crisp, convincing messaging is a skill our four pilot precincts have been studying and practicing. We are improving on our first leaflet by more consciously adopting the approaches taught by messaging guru Anat Shenker-Osario (see https://www.asocommunications.com/presentations), and we expect to coordinate messaging with state and national messaging campaigns as these develop.

This Leaflet Every Doorstep campaign may not work in every precinct, but it can certainly work in many of them. Maybe half of those 176,000?

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Since 2006 I've callsed around four thousand people in order to recruit them into knocking on doors in their precinct. I eventually got 61 people to canvass. We had "calling camp" at my home where I would provide breakfast and lunch to people who would make phone calls, one per room and several in the backyard. But I can no longer work for the county democratic party after canvassing for Bernie in 2020. We were down in Barrio Logan, and we knocked on hundreds of doors over six months belonging to people from other countries, poor, many people of color, and middle class people. So many registered dems were not interested in voting. I couldn't understand it until someone told me, "I had hope for change. I didn't get change and I lost hope." It's true. These people live in the most polluited part of town. They are scraping by with their jobs and come home from work exhausted, only to go back to a meaningless job and start all over again. Who is helping them? Who is making a difference in their lives?

I feel so fortunate to know people on both ends of the wealth spectrum and everything in between. You know what the difference is? Luck. No, not hard work (although, all other factors being equal, that will make a difference). A good idea, maybe. I know Michael Moore understands this. Thank goodness for people who see through the madness and can acknowledge that, yes, it's a crazy world. Now, what to do?

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Approval rating is not the main issue. Republicans are using the debt ceiling crisis as a weapon. Reps believe that the Covid-19 crisis is what kept Trump from being reelected. (Actually it was his mishandling of the crisis that did him in. A president who handed it better would have been reelected.) Nevertheless, this belief is driving the debt crisis. Bernie Sanders is right: the debt crisis has been created by Republicans to bring Biden down--100%. Has nothing to do with spending or taxes--NOTHING! They figure if they create a crisis as big as Covid, it will bring Biden down. This is sabotage at the expense of the American People, big time. Michael, before the last election you got on TV and were one of the few who predicted that dems would do well even though history says otherwise. Can you get on TV and let the American public know how they are being used. I don't think the message is out there. Media commentary is all about the nuts and bolts of who said what and not about what is really going on. HELP!!! Get out the message: Republicans are trying to create a crisis as big as covid in order to get back into power. It's a stupid, dangerous rationale, but it's what is driving their actions. Also remind rich folks that if their stocks go down 45% because of default. (as is predicted by some), they won't be happy. The real issue hasn't been exposed. Please help!

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