Yep! When hubby and I moved to Escambia County, Florida, we had candidate sticker shock when we went to vote way back in 2014. There were only Republicans on the ballots for most offices.. I swear that I didn't even see a Democratic candidate for our congressional seat. I thought that I received a Republican ballot instead of a Democratic ballot too! I just wrote in Nixon's head instead of voting for a Repubican.
Ever since 2014, there have been Democratic candidates added to the voting ballots.
We, progressive Democrats, are not giving up here!
My frustration with the Dems is that they don’t now how to CONVINCE. That is, despite majorities of voters in favor of gun control, abortion, more universal healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration reform, DACA, etc., the Dems can’t convince voters to vote for candidates that represent these positions. GOP voters keep voting AGAINST their best interests. Some of us just say, “Well, they are idiots.” But that’s not a strategy or an explanation, it’s an excuse. Clearly the GOP finds the words to gain their votes and we don’t. But we sure get a lot of emails asking for money. What if Dems said, “Forget political party, just listen to my words: I’m going to raise taxes on people and corps who can afford it, not on you, and I’m going to spend it on you”? Because the fact is, if GOP pols said this, their voters would approve! They would believe it. Why don’t voters believe Dems? Why don’t they trust Dems? Dems need to quit preaching to the converted, quit dunning us for $ to achieve razor-thin majorities that a Manchin or a Sinema can scuttle, and start telling America exactly what they will do, how fast, how much it will cost, who will pay for it and how formerly GOP voters will benefit. Pound it into American heads that this isn’t football: you don’t have to stick with your team if they’re screwing you. Forget labels and vote YOUR BEST INTEREST. I know so many people who think more IRS agents will hurt them, when in fact the dearth of agents means we are the low-hanging fruit they have the means to target, not the Trumps who would gobble IRS resources. This is an example of how the GOP successfully plays on fear with a few words while the Dems waste thousands adducing our “better angels,” as if angels could vote. The Dem party is full of Ivy League smarties who couldn’t convince a GOP voter to put down the gun he’s holding to his head if the smarties had all day and another $100 of my money.
Great stuff. Here in Huntsville Alabama, I've also been disheartened by the lack of Dems on the ballots, discouraged by some of the rampant pro-GOP and pro-Trump behavior around me - and frankly, the disregard of local Dems when I've talked to them. There ARE people I know who should be encouraged to run - and your list is a fantastic start. Thank you so much.
As "turning the heavily-red Cherokee and Bartow counties more blue" has become my project here in Georgia's 11th congressional district, I'm starting to think about how to find local heroes and allies there.
I saw an article from Dec. 22 in Bartow county's newspaper -- about the mayor of Cartersville, Bartow's county seat and largest town, castigating local religious groups for helping the homeless. Seems like a good place to start. Here in this part Georgia, the churches form the most powerful set of networks. (I'll often refer to the largest ones as "Baptist factories.")
Since moving to Cobb County in the early 1980s, one of the biggest indicators of its change towards blueness -- IMHO -- was population diversity represented by ethnic restaurants. There was not a single Japanese restaurant when we moved here. There were a few Chinese restaurants, but that was it for Asian fare. Today there are many dozens if not hundreds of all types of Asian restaurants.
What got me thinking about that was seeing the headline of an article in the Cherokee county paper: "New Italian restaurant opens in Woodstock." And then the news that South Korea's Hyundai is building a huge battery plant up near Cartersville that will employ hundreds. Wait till those folks get a taste of some real Korean BBQ.
“ Not the same old well-meaning folks who always lose. New blood! Fresh faces! Women, young adults, beloved citizens of your town. Not politician types. Just good people who will listen to voters and work hard to win their votes. Community heroes, progressive preachers, Girl Scout leaders, everyone’s favorite English teacher. When they run as Democrats, especially in red areas, now they often win. ”
I supported Nikki Fried vs Charlie Crist for FL Governor, and knew he’d lose to DeSantis.
Michael, thank you again for your persistence in keeping us sane. I have so much respect for you. I think we may be in need of another emergency podcast. Just watching, or at least hearing about, what transpired in the wee hours of the morning, I think a number of us may be shaken up by what is happening to our democracy. It’s very frightening to watch a bunch of evil, insane clowns take over the show. The last shred of hope I have left was given to me by that speech that Hakeem Jeffries made yesterday or this morning. I feel after two years of this insanity, he will be the speaker, but I’m thinking of so much that could really bring us down in the next two years. 
Michael, when you said Dems aren’t running candidates in many races it reminded me of a survey I received from the DNC about 5 yrs ago. They asked if they should concentrate on federal, state, or local races. I looked for the All of the Above choice, but there wasn’t one. There SHOULD be a Dem running in ALL races. That’s what a National Party does.
So I looked at the results of the 2022 House races. If Dems had won 5 more races out of 435, Jeffries would be Speaker today. And there were 23 races in deep red Districts where Dems didn’t run a candidate. It proves your point, Michael. There’s no reason not to fully compete. Look at deep red Alaska. A Dem won the only House seat there for the 1st time in ages. True losers aren’t the ones that try & fail, their the ones that don’t try at all.
That is amazing. Your county was 4 times the population as Minnesota and Nevada when they were offered statehood.
Meatheads. We are all now meatheads. Can we get hats made?
Chicken lady at Dollywood. I don’t know if she is a democrat but she is an actress and she will get support from someone big. Dolly runs a lot of charities and great pool of great people! Dolly finds the best people. Charity people have networks. Other charities have networks. There maybe a large pool of forgotten voters in these red areas.
All these show people need to unite in pigeon forge. All the wait staff and cooks need to unite. Pigeon Forge is you blue vote sink, if we get it organized. Our Blue Engine for Sevier County
I ran for a county supervisor seat thinking that I wasn't going to win, but needed to be part of the debate about the challenges our communities were facing. Surprisingly I made it into a top 2 run off by only 22 votes...I raised about $20,000 from family and friends and knocked on a lot of doors and talked to people. It was fun! Then I WON the seat with a 4% margin. The other guy raised and spend about $300,000. I was able to do a lot in my 12 years as a county supervisor. All of our kids had access to high quality healthcare, a clean energy initiative was launched, a toxic quarry was brought under control, bike and pedestrian pathways were built, public transit was initiated, and we were even able to beat the gun lobby with our initiative to ban gun shows in our county. I am just a regular person, but I have pretty good people skills and listening skills. If I can do it, and Michael could do it, then there are a lot more of us out there who can do it.
Hi Mike: Thanks for all your efforts to support Democrats, including the above podcasts. One of the things that you advocate is to ensure that Democrats have good candidates running for office and we support them. Well, Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan just announced that she will not run for re-election in 2024.
Will you please run for that seat? It will provide you a bigger megaphone to bring the changes needed that you advocate as a liberal. You have the name recognition, have the right values and great communication skills. You care for those in need, and can make a huge difference for the better as a Senator. Thoughts?
Here's an example from Petaluma, California of a candidate right out of Michael's playbook, who won a City Council seat in this last election. Our friend, John, is a retired high school biology teacher, very popular with his students and colleagues. He has been active in local conservation efforts for years and is currently the president of an environmental education nonprofit. John never ran for office before but felt the need to do more for his community. He ran a green, progressive campaign on a shoestring budget-- he and his team put up lawn signs all over town, and they walked every inch of his district more than once, knocking on doors and talking to voters. John is not a dynamic guy, but he is enthusiastic about the issues that matter to him and, being a teacher, he loves to explain those issues as long as someone will listen :) He is smart, honest, hardworking, and dedicated to public service. When you meet him, that's all obvious. Well, he won, beating 2 business-oriented candidates with much larger war chests. I am so proud of our friend and I look forward to seeing what he can achieve in this first term. Yay!
PS: Petaluma is fairly progressive, but there are plenty of trumpers lurking in the weeds here.
YES! This is exactly why I volunteer with ContestEveryRace.com. And FYI people don't have to wait until next year - local races are on the ballot this year and filing deadlines are coming up in lots of states this spring.
In SoFlo we have 1.5M Cuban immigrants who vote ultra conservative, and some join the not so Proud Boys. We need to end the Cold War blockade and move on so they stay in Cuba. Biden is on it. 😎 Nikki, however #Won’tBackDown …
“Whether you’re one of the over four million Floridians who voted me into the Florida Cabinet, the more than 25,000 people who’ve contributed, or one of our followers on social…I need you.
The women of Florida need you. Make a stand with us.
Yep! When hubby and I moved to Escambia County, Florida, we had candidate sticker shock when we went to vote way back in 2014. There were only Republicans on the ballots for most offices.. I swear that I didn't even see a Democratic candidate for our congressional seat. I thought that I received a Republican ballot instead of a Democratic ballot too! I just wrote in Nixon's head instead of voting for a Repubican.
Ever since 2014, there have been Democratic candidates added to the voting ballots.
We, progressive Democrats, are not giving up here!
My frustration with the Dems is that they don’t now how to CONVINCE. That is, despite majorities of voters in favor of gun control, abortion, more universal healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration reform, DACA, etc., the Dems can’t convince voters to vote for candidates that represent these positions. GOP voters keep voting AGAINST their best interests. Some of us just say, “Well, they are idiots.” But that’s not a strategy or an explanation, it’s an excuse. Clearly the GOP finds the words to gain their votes and we don’t. But we sure get a lot of emails asking for money. What if Dems said, “Forget political party, just listen to my words: I’m going to raise taxes on people and corps who can afford it, not on you, and I’m going to spend it on you”? Because the fact is, if GOP pols said this, their voters would approve! They would believe it. Why don’t voters believe Dems? Why don’t they trust Dems? Dems need to quit preaching to the converted, quit dunning us for $ to achieve razor-thin majorities that a Manchin or a Sinema can scuttle, and start telling America exactly what they will do, how fast, how much it will cost, who will pay for it and how formerly GOP voters will benefit. Pound it into American heads that this isn’t football: you don’t have to stick with your team if they’re screwing you. Forget labels and vote YOUR BEST INTEREST. I know so many people who think more IRS agents will hurt them, when in fact the dearth of agents means we are the low-hanging fruit they have the means to target, not the Trumps who would gobble IRS resources. This is an example of how the GOP successfully plays on fear with a few words while the Dems waste thousands adducing our “better angels,” as if angels could vote. The Dem party is full of Ivy League smarties who couldn’t convince a GOP voter to put down the gun he’s holding to his head if the smarties had all day and another $100 of my money.
Great stuff. Here in Huntsville Alabama, I've also been disheartened by the lack of Dems on the ballots, discouraged by some of the rampant pro-GOP and pro-Trump behavior around me - and frankly, the disregard of local Dems when I've talked to them. There ARE people I know who should be encouraged to run - and your list is a fantastic start. Thank you so much.
As "turning the heavily-red Cherokee and Bartow counties more blue" has become my project here in Georgia's 11th congressional district, I'm starting to think about how to find local heroes and allies there.
I saw an article from Dec. 22 in Bartow county's newspaper -- about the mayor of Cartersville, Bartow's county seat and largest town, castigating local religious groups for helping the homeless. Seems like a good place to start. Here in this part Georgia, the churches form the most powerful set of networks. (I'll often refer to the largest ones as "Baptist factories.")
Since moving to Cobb County in the early 1980s, one of the biggest indicators of its change towards blueness -- IMHO -- was population diversity represented by ethnic restaurants. There was not a single Japanese restaurant when we moved here. There were a few Chinese restaurants, but that was it for Asian fare. Today there are many dozens if not hundreds of all types of Asian restaurants.
What got me thinking about that was seeing the headline of an article in the Cherokee county paper: "New Italian restaurant opens in Woodstock." And then the news that South Korea's Hyundai is building a huge battery plant up near Cartersville that will employ hundreds. Wait till those folks get a taste of some real Korean BBQ.
“ Not the same old well-meaning folks who always lose. New blood! Fresh faces! Women, young adults, beloved citizens of your town. Not politician types. Just good people who will listen to voters and work hard to win their votes. Community heroes, progressive preachers, Girl Scout leaders, everyone’s favorite English teacher. When they run as Democrats, especially in red areas, now they often win. ”
I supported Nikki Fried vs Charlie Crist for FL Governor, and knew he’d lose to DeSantis.
Case in point #SomethingNew 🤷♀️
Michael, thank you again for your persistence in keeping us sane. I have so much respect for you. I think we may be in need of another emergency podcast. Just watching, or at least hearing about, what transpired in the wee hours of the morning, I think a number of us may be shaken up by what is happening to our democracy. It’s very frightening to watch a bunch of evil, insane clowns take over the show. The last shred of hope I have left was given to me by that speech that Hakeem Jeffries made yesterday or this morning. I feel after two years of this insanity, he will be the speaker, but I’m thinking of so much that could really bring us down in the next two years. 
Michael, when you said Dems aren’t running candidates in many races it reminded me of a survey I received from the DNC about 5 yrs ago. They asked if they should concentrate on federal, state, or local races. I looked for the All of the Above choice, but there wasn’t one. There SHOULD be a Dem running in ALL races. That’s what a National Party does.
So I looked at the results of the 2022 House races. If Dems had won 5 more races out of 435, Jeffries would be Speaker today. And there were 23 races in deep red Districts where Dems didn’t run a candidate. It proves your point, Michael. There’s no reason not to fully compete. Look at deep red Alaska. A Dem won the only House seat there for the 1st time in ages. True losers aren’t the ones that try & fail, their the ones that don’t try at all.
That is amazing. Your county was 4 times the population as Minnesota and Nevada when they were offered statehood.
Meatheads. We are all now meatheads. Can we get hats made?
Chicken lady at Dollywood. I don’t know if she is a democrat but she is an actress and she will get support from someone big. Dolly runs a lot of charities and great pool of great people! Dolly finds the best people. Charity people have networks. Other charities have networks. There maybe a large pool of forgotten voters in these red areas.
All these show people need to unite in pigeon forge. All the wait staff and cooks need to unite. Pigeon Forge is you blue vote sink, if we get it organized. Our Blue Engine for Sevier County
Anyone up for a round of putt putt?
A song for consideration: "Blue Highways" by Graham Parker (from "The Mona Lisa's Sister.")
"Get on the blue highways...follow the blue highways..
You know that they're there....you know that they're there..
Where the real America lies..."
Thanks to this series, that song has become part of my daily inspiration.
Thank you
I ran for a county supervisor seat thinking that I wasn't going to win, but needed to be part of the debate about the challenges our communities were facing. Surprisingly I made it into a top 2 run off by only 22 votes...I raised about $20,000 from family and friends and knocked on a lot of doors and talked to people. It was fun! Then I WON the seat with a 4% margin. The other guy raised and spend about $300,000. I was able to do a lot in my 12 years as a county supervisor. All of our kids had access to high quality healthcare, a clean energy initiative was launched, a toxic quarry was brought under control, bike and pedestrian pathways were built, public transit was initiated, and we were even able to beat the gun lobby with our initiative to ban gun shows in our county. I am just a regular person, but I have pretty good people skills and listening skills. If I can do it, and Michael could do it, then there are a lot more of us out there who can do it.
Hi Mike: Thanks for all your efforts to support Democrats, including the above podcasts. One of the things that you advocate is to ensure that Democrats have good candidates running for office and we support them. Well, Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan just announced that she will not run for re-election in 2024.
Will you please run for that seat? It will provide you a bigger megaphone to bring the changes needed that you advocate as a liberal. You have the name recognition, have the right values and great communication skills. You care for those in need, and can make a huge difference for the better as a Senator. Thoughts?
Sand Lot the movie and a Trumpian hooker have what in common?
Sick Balls!
Here's an example from Petaluma, California of a candidate right out of Michael's playbook, who won a City Council seat in this last election. Our friend, John, is a retired high school biology teacher, very popular with his students and colleagues. He has been active in local conservation efforts for years and is currently the president of an environmental education nonprofit. John never ran for office before but felt the need to do more for his community. He ran a green, progressive campaign on a shoestring budget-- he and his team put up lawn signs all over town, and they walked every inch of his district more than once, knocking on doors and talking to voters. John is not a dynamic guy, but he is enthusiastic about the issues that matter to him and, being a teacher, he loves to explain those issues as long as someone will listen :) He is smart, honest, hardworking, and dedicated to public service. When you meet him, that's all obvious. Well, he won, beating 2 business-oriented candidates with much larger war chests. I am so proud of our friend and I look forward to seeing what he can achieve in this first term. Yay!
PS: Petaluma is fairly progressive, but there are plenty of trumpers lurking in the weeds here.
YES! This is exactly why I volunteer with ContestEveryRace.com. And FYI people don't have to wait until next year - local races are on the ballot this year and filing deadlines are coming up in lots of states this spring.
In SoFlo we have 1.5M Cuban immigrants who vote ultra conservative, and some join the not so Proud Boys. We need to end the Cold War blockade and move on so they stay in Cuba. Biden is on it. 😎 Nikki, however #Won’tBackDown …
“Whether you’re one of the over four million Floridians who voted me into the Florida Cabinet, the more than 25,000 people who’ve contributed, or one of our followers on social…I need you.
The women of Florida need you. Make a stand with us.
We won’t back down from this fight!”
— Nikki