Jack…fingers crossed those divisions not only continue, but in the next 30+ days that they deepen and that more voters wakeup to the disaster that this regime has created! That said, the old saying repeated so often to me when I was a wee little girl is most appropriate for us all to remember now…”Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched!” Two years ago it looked like Kamala and the Democrats were going to be in the White House, and we all know how that turned out. We need to remain focused…keep talking to those who are still sitting on the fence, though I can’t imagine how anyone could be still be undecided, and we need to keep standing up and speaking out! My husband and I will be, rain or shine, out protesting on Saturday, October 17th, at the next NO KINGS protest…let’s make it even bigger than it was in May!! Thanks for the information, the hope it has provided, the wise words…and never, ever trust Tucker Carlson…he’s all about Tucker, not our democracy!
Amen! One GOOD piece of news for the regime, and it could be several pieces, could swing Independents back to the Rs pretty quickly.
As for Massie, I think at least he's pissed off on many levels: Iran, Epstein, and immigration. Marge knows the playbook as does Tucker. I think the question is, as you've pointed out, what's in it for them? Are they just rats deserting the sinking ship first, or are they truly repentant? Probably the latter. Then there is Fetterman who does seem to have no clue what's going on.
We need turnout like there's no tomorrow, and with this regime, that's pretty close to the truth. We can't just say "Vote for us, we're not them". #holdingfaststill
Roberta...you're right that NOTHING is locked in...and the next five weeks matter.
I especially agree with your last point: people need a reason to vote FOR something...not JUST against someone. That's a big part of what I'll keep writing about.
I read your piece twice. You say the Republican establishment calls Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie and Joel Webbon the "Horseshoe Right." You say the label comes from frightened Republicans, and you say the split underneath it is real.
Here is what I have seen myself. I watched Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky and Democratic pollster Ben Lazarus discuss outlets as different as The Majority Report, The Young Turks, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens. Those outlets were also talking about the horseshoe. Lazarus described a super America First populism that runs on anger and works to get Trump supporters off the couch. He said Trump supporters who are upset with Trump are hard to poll. He tied it to the war with Iran and to the 2028 election.
Note that both of them work for Democrats, and note which voters they say are hardest to count: the ones who still call themselves Trump supporters while they are angry at him.
Your 1912 reference deserves a few more details. When Theodore Roosevelt ran as a Progressive, he finished second, ahead of the sitting president. Taft carried two states, Utah and Vermont. Woodrow Wilson won the presidency with roughly 42 percent of the popular vote. Note what a divided side can hand the other: a victory without a majority. You were careful to say 2026 is not 1912, and I agree. There is no third ticket this November, so the parallel lies in the split energy and the turnout.
You already warn that the overlap on corporate power and foreign wars can fool people into thinking we are on the same team. I share that view, and what I watched adds one thing: outlets on the left were in the horseshoe conversation too. My own view is that the horseshoe endangers the left, because the left pays when Democrats mistake that overlap for agreement. No one wants Tucker Carlson running for president in the 2028 election.
Jack is correct that applause for Carlson hands Republicans a gift to scare their base back home. Jack is correct that our case has to rest on costs, health care and a war people did not ask for, because that holds whatever the other side does.
One question about the piece. The name appears as "Joel Webber" in the opening section and as "Joel Webbon" everywhere after. Did you mean otherwise?
I thought you would want to know what I saw beside your piece.
a) “Donald Trump’s approval rating averages around 36 percent.”
47 won in Nov 2024 with 49.8% of popular vote. On Nov 15, 2024, Alan Kronenberg wrote in US News & World Report, an article entitled “How Many People Didn’t Vote in the 2024 Election?” He wrote:
“…about 36% of the country’s voting-eligible population, did not vote in the 2024 general election.”
If, in Nov 2024, those eligible to vote voted for anyone other than 47 or Kamala Harris (such as writing in their own names), 47 would likely still have won but his percentage would be reduced, likely to the mid-thirties.
If my thoughts are correct here, I think we can conclude that if 47’s current approval is in the mid-thirties, that he has not lost any support. This stuns me, am I thinking this through correctly?
b) You also wrote, “If Democrats start treating Tucker Carlson as a validator…”
Tucker Carlson had a lot to say about the January 6 insurrection:
“These were not insurrectionists. They were sightseers,” Carlson said.
Man, this an interesting time to be alive….! (Ancient Chinese curse… may you live in interesting times)
When I read the ‘national socialism’, my involuntary comment was oh, jezus… sounds like a bait and switch to me… only about two steps away from consolidating power and a takeover.
Mike Rogers IS unqualified to serve… if I remember correctly, he is an election denier… and he lives in FL. He is imbedded in t’s backside and has suddenly pivoted to anti-Iran war rhetoric After. The. Mofo. Endorsed. It. because his b.s. Isn’t. Flying .with. The. Voters….. In my book, he’s right up there with Pete Hoekstra… send ‘em all somewhere they have no phone or internet (with their buddies), lots of beer, playing cards and guns then watch the fun unfold… (and yeahhhh, I’m in MI)
I did hear ppl float the idea that many R’s crossed over and voted for Abdul El-Sayed in the primary figuring he’d be easier to best than Haley Stevens (MI has open primaries - you can vote either one but only one ballot)…. Abdul is the real deal and will be an awesome Senator.
I guess all of this is to say….. what a circus! Like you Jack, I take some pleasure with the infighting. Do I trust any one of them…? Oh hellz to the no!! It’s still full steam ahead, do not rest five minutes before the miracle and REFUSE being lulled into a false sense of security. These mofo’s will play every dirty trick in the book then invent a few…. def not time to let up on the effort!
Good article Jack. I listened to the Tucker Carlson NPR interview. Yes he condemns Trump on Iran and yet still applauds him other things. So it was interesting but definitely not a trophy piece. Carlson seems to down play his ambitions but it all feels very disingenuous. The best advice is to get out the vote and bring 5 with you. Driving home from Chicago today I heard that Trump was sending out $500 ACA refunds with a letter naturally blaming Biden. I have serious doubts that a $500 check moves the needle much on the health care issue given the steep increase in premiums with cuts in subsidies added in the mix. It reeks of vote buying from Trump.
I remain cautiously optimistic given the general mood of the country. Until the midterms are over I will continue to write my Congress members, work on voting outreach and #HOLDFAST
I am reluctant to suggest this because MAGA really got played by the Trump promises. Making this country what it once seemed to be was a thought, but Trump and his gang had no intention of doing that. My suggestion I will form as a question. What happened to having a realistic platform instead of just telling people to vote democrat because we aren’t that? Are we just going to coast on being pleased to get the “not that” vote?
Jack…fingers crossed those divisions not only continue, but in the next 30+ days that they deepen and that more voters wakeup to the disaster that this regime has created! That said, the old saying repeated so often to me when I was a wee little girl is most appropriate for us all to remember now…”Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched!” Two years ago it looked like Kamala and the Democrats were going to be in the White House, and we all know how that turned out. We need to remain focused…keep talking to those who are still sitting on the fence, though I can’t imagine how anyone could be still be undecided, and we need to keep standing up and speaking out! My husband and I will be, rain or shine, out protesting on Saturday, October 17th, at the next NO KINGS protest…let’s make it even bigger than it was in May!! Thanks for the information, the hope it has provided, the wise words…and never, ever trust Tucker Carlson…he’s all about Tucker, not our democracy!
Hanging in there and still #HoldingFast
Christie
Christie... your mom was right...and that hammers home the point of the piece.
NO counting chickens. 2024 taught all of us that lesson...the HARD way.
Thank you for STAYING in the fight...and...for TALKING to the folks on the fence. Those conversations matter more than ANY poll.
Be safe out there on October 17th...and give your husband my thanks too!
And...you're right about Tucker. He's always been about...Tucker.
#StillHoldingFast
-Jack
The only thing that will save us if we all VOTE, VOTE, VOTE. Their stupidity is on them. Victory is on us.
Bren M…YES!
We MUST. We WILL.
-Jack
#StillHoldingFast ..
Amen! One GOOD piece of news for the regime, and it could be several pieces, could swing Independents back to the Rs pretty quickly.
As for Massie, I think at least he's pissed off on many levels: Iran, Epstein, and immigration. Marge knows the playbook as does Tucker. I think the question is, as you've pointed out, what's in it for them? Are they just rats deserting the sinking ship first, or are they truly repentant? Probably the latter. Then there is Fetterman who does seem to have no clue what's going on.
We need turnout like there's no tomorrow, and with this regime, that's pretty close to the truth. We can't just say "Vote for us, we're not them". #holdingfaststill
Roberta...you're right that NOTHING is locked in...and the next five weeks matter.
I especially agree with your last point: people need a reason to vote FOR something...not JUST against someone. That's a big part of what I'll keep writing about.
Thanks for sticking with me, Roberta!
#KeepHoldingFastStill
-Jack
You keep writing, I'll keep reading!
DEAL!
Jack,
File the date: September 30.
I read your piece twice. You say the Republican establishment calls Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie and Joel Webbon the "Horseshoe Right." You say the label comes from frightened Republicans, and you say the split underneath it is real.
Here is what I have seen myself. I watched Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky and Democratic pollster Ben Lazarus discuss outlets as different as The Majority Report, The Young Turks, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens. Those outlets were also talking about the horseshoe. Lazarus described a super America First populism that runs on anger and works to get Trump supporters off the couch. He said Trump supporters who are upset with Trump are hard to poll. He tied it to the war with Iran and to the 2028 election.
Note that both of them work for Democrats, and note which voters they say are hardest to count: the ones who still call themselves Trump supporters while they are angry at him.
Your 1912 reference deserves a few more details. When Theodore Roosevelt ran as a Progressive, he finished second, ahead of the sitting president. Taft carried two states, Utah and Vermont. Woodrow Wilson won the presidency with roughly 42 percent of the popular vote. Note what a divided side can hand the other: a victory without a majority. You were careful to say 2026 is not 1912, and I agree. There is no third ticket this November, so the parallel lies in the split energy and the turnout.
You already warn that the overlap on corporate power and foreign wars can fool people into thinking we are on the same team. I share that view, and what I watched adds one thing: outlets on the left were in the horseshoe conversation too. My own view is that the horseshoe endangers the left, because the left pays when Democrats mistake that overlap for agreement. No one wants Tucker Carlson running for president in the 2028 election.
Jack is correct that applause for Carlson hands Republicans a gift to scare their base back home. Jack is correct that our case has to rest on costs, health care and a war people did not ask for, because that holds whatever the other side does.
One question about the piece. The name appears as "Joel Webber" in the opening section and as "Joel Webbon" everywhere after. Did you mean otherwise?
I thought you would want to know what I saw beside your piece.
#HOLDFAST
Jack, really good article…two things…you wrote:
a) “Donald Trump’s approval rating averages around 36 percent.”
47 won in Nov 2024 with 49.8% of popular vote. On Nov 15, 2024, Alan Kronenberg wrote in US News & World Report, an article entitled “How Many People Didn’t Vote in the 2024 Election?” He wrote:
“…about 36% of the country’s voting-eligible population, did not vote in the 2024 general election.”
If, in Nov 2024, those eligible to vote voted for anyone other than 47 or Kamala Harris (such as writing in their own names), 47 would likely still have won but his percentage would be reduced, likely to the mid-thirties.
If my thoughts are correct here, I think we can conclude that if 47’s current approval is in the mid-thirties, that he has not lost any support. This stuns me, am I thinking this through correctly?
b) You also wrote, “If Democrats start treating Tucker Carlson as a validator…”
Tucker Carlson had a lot to say about the January 6 insurrection:
“These were not insurrectionists. They were sightseers,” Carlson said.
https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-tucker-carlson-capitol-riot-mccarthy-adc245e22f50b076925eb72948062808
Has Tucker Carlson recently revisited the films of January 6 and if so, has he issued recent comments?
Thank you.
Man, this an interesting time to be alive….! (Ancient Chinese curse… may you live in interesting times)
When I read the ‘national socialism’, my involuntary comment was oh, jezus… sounds like a bait and switch to me… only about two steps away from consolidating power and a takeover.
Mike Rogers IS unqualified to serve… if I remember correctly, he is an election denier… and he lives in FL. He is imbedded in t’s backside and has suddenly pivoted to anti-Iran war rhetoric After. The. Mofo. Endorsed. It. because his b.s. Isn’t. Flying .with. The. Voters….. In my book, he’s right up there with Pete Hoekstra… send ‘em all somewhere they have no phone or internet (with their buddies), lots of beer, playing cards and guns then watch the fun unfold… (and yeahhhh, I’m in MI)
I did hear ppl float the idea that many R’s crossed over and voted for Abdul El-Sayed in the primary figuring he’d be easier to best than Haley Stevens (MI has open primaries - you can vote either one but only one ballot)…. Abdul is the real deal and will be an awesome Senator.
I guess all of this is to say….. what a circus! Like you Jack, I take some pleasure with the infighting. Do I trust any one of them…? Oh hellz to the no!! It’s still full steam ahead, do not rest five minutes before the miracle and REFUSE being lulled into a false sense of security. These mofo’s will play every dirty trick in the book then invent a few…. def not time to let up on the effort!
Thanks, Jack!
#HoldingFast with plans to kick some ass…
Good article Jack. I listened to the Tucker Carlson NPR interview. Yes he condemns Trump on Iran and yet still applauds him other things. So it was interesting but definitely not a trophy piece. Carlson seems to down play his ambitions but it all feels very disingenuous. The best advice is to get out the vote and bring 5 with you. Driving home from Chicago today I heard that Trump was sending out $500 ACA refunds with a letter naturally blaming Biden. I have serious doubts that a $500 check moves the needle much on the health care issue given the steep increase in premiums with cuts in subsidies added in the mix. It reeks of vote buying from Trump.
I remain cautiously optimistic given the general mood of the country. Until the midterms are over I will continue to write my Congress members, work on voting outreach and #HOLDFAST
Tucker is gearing up to run for President.
I am reluctant to suggest this because MAGA really got played by the Trump promises. Making this country what it once seemed to be was a thought, but Trump and his gang had no intention of doing that. My suggestion I will form as a question. What happened to having a realistic platform instead of just telling people to vote democrat because we aren’t that? Are we just going to coast on being pleased to get the “not that” vote?