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KC Larsen's avatar

Love this episode 2! Your enthusiasm is contagious. I live in a very red county of PA. We did elect Shapiro and Fetterman, so that’s good! I like your suggestion of being a light among the magas and modeling what we want for everyone. I shall do that! Thanks, Mike💙

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Dave S's avatar

Michael, you got my attention when you mentioned math since I’m a math guy. You are right that even a deep red state or district still has many blue voters just like us. But I want to also mention that D House candidates lost 31 seats by less than 10% of the vote. And in less than 2 years, the R incumbents will be up for re-election. I see these races as lower hanging fruit.

Take D candidate Adam Frisch who lost to bat-shit crazy R Lauren Boebert by only 550 votes out of 327k cast. I would like to see Adam and any other D candidates who ran close races to run again in 2024. Just keep engaged in their districts focusing on issues important to their constituents . Highlight differences they would have made against their opponent’s record during the next 2 yrs. This can make a big difference in the next election.

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Frances Pelzman's avatar

What a wonderful piece. It echos some of the motivating sentiments of the Red, Wine, and Blue movememnt as well:Just talk to people. Share what you have in common, and listen. I am blue, but many family members and neighbors are not, not at all. But I love them, and we sit and talk, and I listen. I just listen. Occasionally, I will voice my thoughts or experience on a subject. Mostly I just listen, relax, and look for what's in common. I love to garden--that's a great starting bridge builder. I love to cook--another wonderful bridge builder. I know many red folks who have done some wonderful things--I'm not going to lecture them. Interestingly, my mother--a brave, loving, smart, and talented woman approaching her 100th birthday--had become a staunch Fox watcher and right wing voter. After she watched what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, on the news all day long, she flipped. She told me that it was the worst disgrace she could imagine, she was horrified, and she now believes Trump is an evil criminal. This past election she voted for the Democrats.

For all the years she was voting Republican, I never ever thought to tell her what to do. What I said was "Mom, I think it is fantastic that you always vote. I wish more people voted. You set a good example for all of us." And she would reply with pride "I never missed an election in my life."

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Carol Starelli's avatar

Thank you, Michael...For reminding us “there are more of US than of them”...

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LaDonna Appelbaum's avatar

Thank you! Missouri flipped 3 House seats to blue in the midterms. It is possible even in Misery. I look forward to flipping more with MOORE in 2024!

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SL Adams's avatar

LOVE your podcasts. Happy to be a subscribing member. I wish MSNBC would invite you more often to their shows.

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Satish Chohan's avatar

Mike great intro. You have given us a lot to chew on. Looking forward to more tools and specifics.

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Thomas's avatar

I do not believe in "coincidence"-- forces beyond what our limited senses and minds can grasp are driving us.

The first thing I was driven to do after listening to this edition was to pull up the song "Don't Box Me In." -- which I had not listened to in years. YEARS. Why? WHY? I did not know before today that one of the percussionists on Red Rain was Stewart Copeland.

The song come from the film Rumble Fish.... Rumble.. Composed by Stewart Copeland. I saw it when we lived in Seattle, before moving to Georgia. "My eyes saw red when my life turned blue."

Dear Lord... it JUST struck me as I wrote the above that when we first moved here, there was a powerful local preacher whose last name was "Rumble." I had completely forgotten about him, as over 30 years have passed. I need some more time to process....

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Dec 28, 2022
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Thomas's avatar

Thank you, Janet.

I have to admit -- being a blue dot in a red place (Cobb County, GA) for nearly 30 years before it started turning purple then blue over the last decade -- that Mike's words set my imagination and memories on fire. Moving here from the Pacific Northwest, I remember getting in touch with some of the other blue dots.

What I wrote came as the Muse hit me and I was surfing a wave of inspiration, and not self-censoring. I realize now this can make me sound off-the-wall and self-absorbed, and I believed it is what inspired the response. It seems we both did some thinking, and that's a great thing. As a wise man once told me: "Even a pie in the face is useful data."

Just to the north of Cobb County, is Cherokee County -- the biggest and most reliable Republican vote-getting county in the nation -- so the political experts tell me. As Mike spoke, my mind was churning as to how to begin to make Cherokee more purple. I hope to post more on this as a game plan develops.

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Dec 27, 2022
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Thomas's avatar

Something in my post -- a stream of consciousness more than "experience" -- stimulated you (irritated you?) to put down some words -- a lot of words -- to express ....something. For you to take time and put down the array of word salad that you did, means something. (I hope you'll unravel it.)

We're having a good laugh here, especially at the image of your dad and doorbell and his observation that you were trespassing into other's lives.

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Dec 27, 2022
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Thomas's avatar

"He has no interest in speaking of his innermost thoughts or feelings..."

Perhaps this explains why you felt strongly enough to reply as you did.

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Jan poole's avatar

Thank you so much!

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Paula Miller's avatar

Love you and your enthusiasm dear Michael. I’m lucky to live in Manhattan so no need to be Mother Theresa here. Only comment is that just because people are Dems doesn’t mean they are automatically my friends. Lots of other beliefs conflict — religion, culture, etc. Also, I’ve lived in many countries and am not the America enthusiast you and most USA folks ( hate that word) seem to be. Don’t believe in patriotism, for example, or faith.

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Veronica's avatar

And I saw "Fahrenheit 9/11" at my local Cinemark (along with my aunt--RIP)!

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Lorna McAuley's avatar

Our minds over the matter! 👍

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Cory Alexander MD's avatar

Thanks so much signed Idaho

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Claudine Jones's avatar

Your message remains strong! (I prefer to choose my own saints, so I will defer on the mother T suggestion.)

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Donald McKenzie's avatar

Lost and Forgotten voter, like the penny stuck in the bottom of your cup holder. After Trump, we all suffered cup holder penny syndrome.

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LaDonna Appelbaum's avatar

Thank you! Missouri flipped 3 House seats to blue in the midterms. It is possible even in Misery. I look forward to flipping more with MOORE in 2024!

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