I hope you've sent in this article to the DNC⁉️ This is a very good template for the 2026 election by far. Great Job here, Jack, Thank you. TGIF to you and your readers and will reStack ASAP 🙏
Thank you, Karen...I really appreciate that. The whole point of writing pieces like this...is to give people a clear framework they can use...share...and push upward...wherever it needs to go.
If it helps spark better planning...better conversations...or better awareness...then it’s doing its job. And thank you for the reStack...that’s how the message spreads. TGIF to you too!
-Jack
P.S. YES...I sent it directly to the DNC. I certainly did.
Thank you, Elizabeth...that means a lot. Reaching out to representatives with clear concerns and real-world context is exactly how pressure builds...and awareness spreads.
I appreciate you taking the extra step. That’s how these conversations move...from frustration...to impact.
Jack, I cannot count the times you have been spot on in retrospect. Number One, I have no confidence in the Democratic Party. If it has taken this long to wake up for most members, they will continue to sleepwalk through the next 362 daze. I have every confidence in the American people, Like you said in your article “Democracy doesn’t defend itself. People do.” So your blueprint is an excellent starting point. Number Two on my list is the fact that for Trum&Co.the midterms are an existential threat. The electorate has the capability to hold a gun to all their heads. ANd they know it. They will do whatever we can imagine - and shit we cannot foresee - to win regardless of the vote count. Until we all realize that and get into lockstep with the need to fight back on every level and at every point of GOP attack, we will lose our democracy forever. So thanks for the great ideas and the heads-up warning. This time I pray you’re right in time and not after the fact of the election.
You’re exactly right about the dynamic here...the Democratic Party may sleepwalk...but the American people don’t. It’s always been the public...the clear-eyed...the fed-up...the ones who feel the tremors before leadership does...who drag this country toward sanity when institutions wobble.
And you nailed the second point...for Trump & Co....these midterms are life-or-death.
They know the electorate can put a political gun to their heads...and that’s why they’ll use tactics we’ve seen...and tactics we haven’t even imagined yet. Count on it. That’s why preparation isn’t optional...it’s survival.
The difference this time...is that more people are awake...angry...and unwilling to be blindsided again. And if we can get enough folks aligned...on the same page...early...relentlessly...and with discipline...we can block the playbook...before it hits the field.
Your voice in this fight matters. Your clarity matters. And your willingness to name the stakes...without flinching...is exactly what’s going to carry a lot of people through the months ahead. I’m grateful you’re in this with me!
Voter ID is a disenfranchisement strategy. Requiring everyone to pull out extra paper to prove who they are and where they were born will cause voters to get lost.
I hear what you’re saying...and it’s important to get the mechanics right here.
Voter ID itself isn’t the issue...it’s how states implement it.
When the requirements become complicated...inconsistent...or difficult to obtain...it stops being about verifying identity...and starts being about attrition. People fall through the cracks...not because they’re ineligible...but because the process becomes confusing... time-consuming...or expensive.
That’s why election experts describe certain forms of Voter ID as a disenfranchisement strategy:
*extra documents
*limited office hours
*fees for underlying paperwork
*conflicting rules about what counts
All of that...adds friction. And friction...is how you lose voters who fully intend to participate.
Most democracies solve this by doing the opposite:
make the ID easy...automatic...free...and universal...and suddenly...it’s no longer a barrier.
So you’re right to flag the danger. It’s not the concept of identification itself... it’s when the rules are designed in ways...that guarantee people will get lost in the maze.
Appreciate you bringing it up. It’s a key piece of the puzzle that a lot of folks...overlook.
Yep. In OK were mailed a Voter Identification Card showing our name, address, ID #, precinct, political affiliation, and poling place location, and the date issued. Our voting system is one of the best in the US. I was a poll worker for several years and I absolutely loved it. I’d still be doing it were it not for my illness. Can’t be sure of how sharp I’d be on any given day. dammit
That’s why Jack wants us to help them get the ID now. It’s wrong, but if it helps more people vote, then we can get it done. Getting “Real ID” in PA was a pain in the butt for me. I can’t imagine how someone with fewer advantages would manage it. 👹
Exactly, Rachel. The point isn’t that the rule is fair...it’s not. It’s the people most likely to get tripped up by it...are the ones with the least margin for error.
If Real ID was a hassle for you...imagine someone juggling jobs...childcare...or missing documents. Getting ahead of it now isn’t endorsing the system...it’s making sure people don’t get blindsided by it later.
Lots of folks will be left behind. Old people who were born at home or in a hospital that burned down with all the paper records. Getting paper for everyone would take a moonshot effort.
You’re right...there will be people with gaps in their records...and those are the folks most likely to fall through the cracks. Home births...lost documents...closed hospitals…that’s real.
That’s why awareness and early help matter. It won’t solve everything...but it can keep a lot of people from getting shut out simply because the system wasn’t built with their lives in mind.
Often, I think Democrats win despite themselves. Lowest approval ratings because it's obvious they don't have their act together. They won Tuesday because some voters didn't know where else to go. Anything looked better than the Republicans. And yet the DNC begs for money. I never give them a dime because they don't have a clue what to do with it!
I hear you. A lot of people feel exactly this way, Karen...not because they’re switching sides...but because they’re frustrated with how disorganized...and reactive Democratic leadership can look from the outside.
When approval drops that low...it’s usually a sign that voters aren’t responding to polished messaging...or fundraising asks… they’re responding to the sense that the party machinery...isn’t matching the urgency of the moment.
And you’re right about the other dynamic too...sometimes voters choose the option that feels less chaotic...not necessarily the one that feels fully prepared.
That happens across political cycles. But the frustration you’re describing...the feeling of “get it together already” ...is something a lot of people are expressing...especially when they’re being hit with fundraising messages...that don’t align with what they’re seeing on the ground.
I appreciate you saying this out loud. These are the kinds of conversations people usually have...in private...and bringing them into the open...is how pressure builds...and expectations change.
“Sleepwalking for five hundred, Jack.” Now if we could only get those that desperately need to see this on board. You lay it out, all the answers in one place, and they keep asking the wrong questions.
I hope you've sent in this article to the DNC⁉️ This is a very good template for the 2026 election by far. Great Job here, Jack, Thank you. TGIF to you and your readers and will reStack ASAP 🙏
Thank you, Karen...I really appreciate that. The whole point of writing pieces like this...is to give people a clear framework they can use...share...and push upward...wherever it needs to go.
If it helps spark better planning...better conversations...or better awareness...then it’s doing its job. And thank you for the reStack...that’s how the message spreads. TGIF to you too!
-Jack
P.S. YES...I sent it directly to the DNC. I certainly did.
😉👈‼️
Jack, I've forwarded your column to my representative: Pramila Jayapal. I hope everyone who read this column does the same. It's excellent.
Thank you, Elizabeth...that means a lot. Reaching out to representatives with clear concerns and real-world context is exactly how pressure builds...and awareness spreads.
I appreciate you taking the extra step. That’s how these conversations move...from frustration...to impact.
-Jack
Brilliant stuff. Being 'nice' and 'sporting'. is not enough to avoid being trampled upon
Thanks, Candy. No...it's/they're not.
-Jack
Jack, I cannot count the times you have been spot on in retrospect. Number One, I have no confidence in the Democratic Party. If it has taken this long to wake up for most members, they will continue to sleepwalk through the next 362 daze. I have every confidence in the American people, Like you said in your article “Democracy doesn’t defend itself. People do.” So your blueprint is an excellent starting point. Number Two on my list is the fact that for Trum&Co.the midterms are an existential threat. The electorate has the capability to hold a gun to all their heads. ANd they know it. They will do whatever we can imagine - and shit we cannot foresee - to win regardless of the vote count. Until we all realize that and get into lockstep with the need to fight back on every level and at every point of GOP attack, we will lose our democracy forever. So thanks for the great ideas and the heads-up warning. This time I pray you’re right in time and not after the fact of the election.
Thank you, David...truly.
You’re exactly right about the dynamic here...the Democratic Party may sleepwalk...but the American people don’t. It’s always been the public...the clear-eyed...the fed-up...the ones who feel the tremors before leadership does...who drag this country toward sanity when institutions wobble.
And you nailed the second point...for Trump & Co....these midterms are life-or-death.
They know the electorate can put a political gun to their heads...and that’s why they’ll use tactics we’ve seen...and tactics we haven’t even imagined yet. Count on it. That’s why preparation isn’t optional...it’s survival.
The difference this time...is that more people are awake...angry...and unwilling to be blindsided again. And if we can get enough folks aligned...on the same page...early...relentlessly...and with discipline...we can block the playbook...before it hits the field.
Your voice in this fight matters. Your clarity matters. And your willingness to name the stakes...without flinching...is exactly what’s going to carry a lot of people through the months ahead. I’m grateful you’re in this with me!
-Jack
Liked and restacked! Ready for the deep dive!
Thank you, CLF!
-Jack
Voter ID is a disenfranchisement strategy. Requiring everyone to pull out extra paper to prove who they are and where they were born will cause voters to get lost.
I hear what you’re saying...and it’s important to get the mechanics right here.
Voter ID itself isn’t the issue...it’s how states implement it.
When the requirements become complicated...inconsistent...or difficult to obtain...it stops being about verifying identity...and starts being about attrition. People fall through the cracks...not because they’re ineligible...but because the process becomes confusing... time-consuming...or expensive.
That’s why election experts describe certain forms of Voter ID as a disenfranchisement strategy:
*extra documents
*limited office hours
*fees for underlying paperwork
*conflicting rules about what counts
All of that...adds friction. And friction...is how you lose voters who fully intend to participate.
Most democracies solve this by doing the opposite:
make the ID easy...automatic...free...and universal...and suddenly...it’s no longer a barrier.
So you’re right to flag the danger. It’s not the concept of identification itself... it’s when the rules are designed in ways...that guarantee people will get lost in the maze.
Appreciate you bringing it up. It’s a key piece of the puzzle that a lot of folks...overlook.
-Jack
Yep. In OK were mailed a Voter Identification Card showing our name, address, ID #, precinct, political affiliation, and poling place location, and the date issued. Our voting system is one of the best in the US. I was a poll worker for several years and I absolutely loved it. I’d still be doing it were it not for my illness. Can’t be sure of how sharp I’d be on any given day. dammit
This is, of course, following approval of application available at county election boards statewide.
That’s why Jack wants us to help them get the ID now. It’s wrong, but if it helps more people vote, then we can get it done. Getting “Real ID” in PA was a pain in the butt for me. I can’t imagine how someone with fewer advantages would manage it. 👹
Exactly, Rachel. The point isn’t that the rule is fair...it’s not. It’s the people most likely to get tripped up by it...are the ones with the least margin for error.
If Real ID was a hassle for you...imagine someone juggling jobs...childcare...or missing documents. Getting ahead of it now isn’t endorsing the system...it’s making sure people don’t get blindsided by it later.
-Jack
Lots of folks will be left behind. Old people who were born at home or in a hospital that burned down with all the paper records. Getting paper for everyone would take a moonshot effort.
You’re right...there will be people with gaps in their records...and those are the folks most likely to fall through the cracks. Home births...lost documents...closed hospitals…that’s real.
That’s why awareness and early help matter. It won’t solve everything...but it can keep a lot of people from getting shut out simply because the system wasn’t built with their lives in mind.
-Jack
Often, I think Democrats win despite themselves. Lowest approval ratings because it's obvious they don't have their act together. They won Tuesday because some voters didn't know where else to go. Anything looked better than the Republicans. And yet the DNC begs for money. I never give them a dime because they don't have a clue what to do with it!
I hear you. A lot of people feel exactly this way, Karen...not because they’re switching sides...but because they’re frustrated with how disorganized...and reactive Democratic leadership can look from the outside.
When approval drops that low...it’s usually a sign that voters aren’t responding to polished messaging...or fundraising asks… they’re responding to the sense that the party machinery...isn’t matching the urgency of the moment.
And you’re right about the other dynamic too...sometimes voters choose the option that feels less chaotic...not necessarily the one that feels fully prepared.
That happens across political cycles. But the frustration you’re describing...the feeling of “get it together already” ...is something a lot of people are expressing...especially when they’re being hit with fundraising messages...that don’t align with what they’re seeing on the ground.
I appreciate you saying this out loud. These are the kinds of conversations people usually have...in private...and bringing them into the open...is how pressure builds...and expectations change.
-Jack
“Sleepwalking for five hundred, Jack.” Now if we could only get those that desperately need to see this on board. You lay it out, all the answers in one place, and they keep asking the wrong questions.