In the last 24 hours, we have Lance Armstrong lecturing people about sports fairness, Meghan McCain lecturing people about nepotism, GOP lecturing people about law and order, white evangelical leaders praising/worshiping Trump…we live in a world where many lack mirrors.
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Matthew Dowd
@matthewjdowd
Proud Pop; human being with many thoughts, writer, analyst.
Wimberley, TexasJoined April 2011
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So everyone is cognizant: now that Haley has had a CNN town hall with little to no push back with all her lies, it is clear that the Trump CNN town hall was a symptom of an underlying deep problem at CNN where defense of truth and democracy is no longer their goal.
If you get chance watch Tom Hanks keynote address to Harvard grads. “Telling the truth is no longer the benchmark for public service. It’s no longer the salve to our fears, or the guide to our actions. Truth is now considered malleable, by opinion and by zero sum endgames.”
When a party has no economic plan, you launch culture war. When a party has no healthcare plan, you launch culture war. When your party can’t win in a multicultural democracy, you attack voting rights/democracy. When your party has no moral compass, you elevate corrupt people.
I grew up in Michigan a big fan of golf. I caddied as a youngster at Bloomfield Hills Country club for rich folks who would talk on the golf course about “welfare cheats” and then I’d watch them cheat on the golf course. I always believed in the integrity of the game. 1/
2/. I watched golf every week for fifty years. I played golf regularly w/ friends and my brothers. I was proud of the PGA taking a principled stand against the Saudis. Yesterday’s announcement has changed all that. The PGA does not stand for integrity. I won’t watch again.
…mostly full of good people, and we must find a way to embrace each other and not allow ourselves to become isolated.
Trump voters by margin of 70 to 18 picked A. Biden voters by margin of 76 to 11 picked B.
Trump voters live in fear; Biden voters live in hope.
On this day in 1921, white citizens in Tulsa, OK “descended on the city’s predominantly Black Greenwood District, burning homes and businesses to the ground and killing hundreds of people. Long mischaracterized as a race riot, rather than mass murder, the Tulsa Race Massacre…
How does any golf announcer or analyst ever again talk about “integrity of golf”, “golf morality”, and how it teaches people honesty, values, and accountability? This is laughable now that PGA has sold out to the Saudis.
Here is some data to keep in mind from last 25 years:
1. Trump’s average approval never once got above 50%.
2. W. Bush’s, after 1st six months, never got above avg. 52% (absent huge 9/11 bounce).
3. Obama, after 1st six months, never got above avg. 52%.
Due to division and…
If the Pride flag offends you more than the Confederate flag, you may want to reexamine your life and your version of “christianity”.
Fact: America under President Biden has better employment numbers and lower inflation than the America of 1984 when President Reagan ran morning in America ads touting the economy. The difference: how the news media reports on things today.
This question and result by YouGov poll is so very telling.
Respondents were ask to pick one that they agreed with:
A. Our lives are threatened by terrorists, criminals, and illegal immigrants and our priority should be to protect ourselves.
B. It’s a big, beautiful world,…
Ron DeSantis is now attacking elites and this from a guy who went to Yale and then Harvard Law School, and this is a picture of his “non-elite” family:
Some advise this election year: ignore any Harris Poll, under whatever brand it is. This polling is facilitated by Mark Penn, who is married to CEO of NoLabels. They constantly underestimate Biden support.
Democrats & the news media must finally realize the vast majority of the folks voting GOP today are not interested in economic policy, good governance, equal rights, or law and order. These voters are exclusively driven by culture and their desire to rollback to an earlier time.
…polarization, President’s job approval today seems to have a high cap of around 52%. That is frame of reference news media should use when reporting on Biden job approval. If Biden hits the high forties before Election Day, gop will have very difficult winning.
A myth has developed there is some statistically significant number of GOP voters who will vote for Biden over Trump. No data shows this. Biden gets today same % of GOP as he did in 2020, as Hillary got in 2016, as Obama got in 2012/2008, and as Mondale got in 1984. Also…1/2
Today in 1830, Pres. Andrew Jackson signs Indian Removal Act. 60,000 Native Americans forced westward into “Indian Territory” This mass removal caused 4,000 deaths and was known as the Trail of Tears. This atrocity was spurred by the feeling of superiority of white christians.
2/2…the number of voters who identify as GOP remains roughly the same as it has for the last 25 years. There has not been a drop of GOP partisans in America in Trump era. The way for Dems to win elections today is appealing to independents and motivating their base.
Yes they do. Because you, Fox News and others have lied to gop voters over and over again about this. Same thing of why gop voters believed election was stolen. You can’t lie to a group of people, and then use the lie gop voters believe as a justification.
Lord have mercy. India and China have some of the highest rates of lung disease in the world. What is wrong with these folks on Fox News?
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Replying to @MattGertz
Fox guest: There's just no health risk...We have this kind of air in India and China all the time, no public health emergency... this doesn't kill anybody, this doesn't make anybody cough, this is not a health event... particulate matter is just very fine soot, they're innocuous.
2:19
Democrats: “ignore all the spin, just read the indictment”
GOP: “ignore the indictment, just listen to our spin”
How is it still a reality in America that a citizen, based on their race, sex, or sexuality, can have less rights, freedoms, and access to democracy/voting rights when they merely cross a state line?
One sure fire way to clean up your twitter feed is to post facts about Trump or Biden and watch the MAGA cult come out of the woodwork, and then you just block them one by one. Easy peasy.
So all that “sports washing” and “blood money” critique aimed at LIV by PGA folks, turns out that accepting that money yourselves makes it ok. It is only bad if someone else gets that money. Integrity????
Every day that goes by where CNN anchors, analysts, and paid commentators don’t stand with Oliver Darcy shows that they are part of the corrupt organization that isn’t interested in truth and democracy as primary imperative of a news organization.
In latest YouGov poll, Biden has 85%/12% fav/unfav among Democrats. So tell me again how RFK, Jr. or Williamson have any path to victory. They must know this and are running for some other reason, or because someone put them up to this.
We can build a country diverse in faith, race, sexuality, sex, culture, age, geography that is united in respect and dignity for all, compassion, service, equality, justice, freedom, and democracy. We can do this one neighborhood, one community, one state at a time. Let’s go.
Why do you mislead people so consistently? What party did the racist/segregationist Dems like Strom Thurmond switch to after the civil rights bill passed? I will give you a hint: it is the party you now represent.
I would add that it is the benchmark for some select servant leaders especially those at the frontline defending our democracy and fighting for voting rights.
The culture war in America & the War in Ukraine have much in common. Christian nationalists and Russia pine for the days when they held sway over a land. They each launched a war against citizens trying to freely live their lives. They each believe the ends justify the means.
Republicans meeting to write new party platform:
“Ok, we can eliminate supporting the rule of law.”
“Yes, but we can also delete being fiscally responsible.”
“Right, and don’t forget we can get rid of local control, voting rights, and freedoms… except for guns of course.”…
There is a broad consensus in America on a number of key cultural issues: Roe v. Wade should be law of land, gay marriage should be legal, common sense gun reform, and no book bans. More than two-thirds of America agrees with this. Any person who says otherwise is lying.
…stands as one of the worst incidents of racial violence in the nation’s history.”
As I said recently on new podcast, in many ways one could argue that CNN is worse than Fox News. CNN creates myth they are neutral and allows two sides to be presented as equally true or pro-democratic. And that does a disservice to viewers.
The most dangerous threat to our democracy is not the few who seek to push hate and seek to destroy it, but the many who are apathetic and shrug their shoulders. Let us each ask ourselves every day what we can do to ensure our children have a healthy representative democracy.
How does it work now for the PGA to disqualify a player for signing a wrong scorecard? Won’t the player just say “I wanted the money, so I lied, just like you did for the Saudi money.”
What christian nationalists don’t seem to understand is there is an inverse relationship between how secure one is in their faith, values, and sexuality and the desire to ban shirts, books, words, and the dehumanization of others. The weaker your faith, the more you want bans.
Lordy Moses. How is posting facts like this stoking division? And a quick perusal of your twitter posts shows you really aren’t that interested in facts or learning from history.
Today is Loving Day!. On this day 1967, in Loving v. Virginia the Supreme Court struck down state law that banned interracial marriage. Let us honor their legacy by welcoming diversity with open arms today, and pushing for justice and equality in this moment.
As I have said before, in the 2000 Bush campaign where I worked with Cruz, people would ask “why do people take such an instant dislike of Cruz?”. I would say, “Because it saves time”.
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A new PAC has come forward to take out Cruz. I know all the folks involved and they are very savvy and smart. twitter.com/LoseCruzPAC/st…
As I just said on GOP primary voters are not interested in competence of government they want capability to exact retribution through fear and grievance. They don’t want a candidate who runs on hope and unity, they want one who preys on fear and division.
On this Sunday during Pride Month, let us remember from Genesis in the Bible: “I have set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Let us push for equality and justice for all.
A new PAC has come forward to take out Cruz. I know all the folks involved and they are very savvy and smart.
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NEWS: a group of top Texas strategists are joining together to launch @LoseCruzPAC to defeat America’s most-disliked, self-serving, treasonous senator.
Join us: click the link in our bio to learn more and join the effort to defeat Ted Cruz.
nbcnews.com/politics/2024-
Fact: Disney World of Florida had more visitors to their park last week than the number of people who logged into DeSantis presidential announcement.
Actually it isn’t. Has meghan acknowledged her nepotism? Has GOP acknowledged their undermining law and order? Has evangelicals stopped being addicted to Trump?
Shouldn’t at least the same standards of the NBA also apply to members of Congress? If you get suspended for flashing around a pistol in the NBA, then shouldn’t we suspend members of Congress for doing the same thing with assault rifles?
Coverage of faked moon landing: 0 minutes
Coverage of flat earth theories: 0 minutes
Coverage of Loch Ness monster: 0 minutes.
I wonder why.
When announced her campaign for GOP nomination in mid-February she was at 3% in the polls. Today, four months later, Haley is at 3% in the polls. Quite the rocket launch.
On this day in 1961 27 Freedom Riders were arrested as soon as they arrived in the bus station in Jackson, MS. “Many of the riders were sentenced to two months inside Mississippi’s worst prison, Parchman.”
Let us honor them today by fighting for voting rights/access now.
Musk assists in another memorable launch: this time DeSantis SpaceX.
“The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.” Dr. Paul Farmer
RIP poet Maya Angelou, who passed today 2014.
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
Happy bday SC Justice Thurgood Marshall, b1908, Baltimore
"We cannot play ostrich. Democracy just cannot flourish amid fear. Liberty cannot bloom amid hate. Justice cannot take root amid rage. America must get to work. In the chill climate in which we live, we must go against…
On this day in 1963 President John F. Kennedy “addressed the nation on the most pressing domestic issue of the day: the struggle to affirm civil rights for all Americans.”
“Every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated,…
On this day 1964 “Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney are killed by a Ku Klux Klan mob near Meridian, Mississippi. The three young civil rights workers were working to register Black voters in Mississippi, thus inspiring the ire of the local Klan.” Let us honor…
On this day in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs into law the historic Civil Rights Act which attempted to outlaw discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. We still have so much more to do to assure this is a reality in America today.
The GOP today celebrates ignorance, cruelty, hate, and vengeance as virtues and values. Thus when nominating a candidate for President, they will choose whomever represents those values most, that is why they chose Trump in 2016, and why they will pick similarly in 2024.
There are many former Trump supporters & Republicans who are standing up to Trump& speaking out, & are now an important part of #TeamDemocracy. We don’t need to make people walk on coals, wear hair shirts and flagellate themselves in order to be on the Team. Let’s welcome all.
DeSantis argument that he should be elected President instead of Trump because GOP keeps losing with Trump was a bit undercut yesterday: DeSantis endorsed candidate in KY finished third; his endorsed candidate for mayor of Jacksonville lost.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Happy Fourth sisters/brothers. Lets make this statement a reality.
As I said on this evening. Trump and the GOP is like the Wizard of OZ in an alternative universe where instead of giving, Trump takes peoples brains, hearts, and courage.
Today in 1851 at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention the formerly enslaved Sojourner Truth “rises to speak and assert her right to equality as a woman, as well as a Black American.”
"If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone,…
I know researching things before you spout off is not your thing, but you might try it in this case. And compare the two situations. Dramatically different.
A bit of Reinhold Niebuhr this Friday am:
“Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.”
On this day in 1919 the “U.S. Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification.”
Let us continue the fight for voting rights, freedoms, and democracy today.
On this day in 1978, “activists hoist a vibrant rainbow flag in the midst of the festivities for San Francisco’s Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day parade. According to its creator, Gilbert Baker, the crowd immediately recognized the flag’s significance: “It completely astounded me…
Democracy gets in the way of their objective, so their goal is a form of autocracy which empowers their particular vision of the country. They use disinformation to accomplish their objective. They each act like they are the aggrieved party, when in fact they started the war.
If a “senile” President outsmarts you, then what does that make you? GOP constantly scores own goals.
Last week DeSantis presidential message was “elect me because I have governed well”. This week his message is “I hate diversity and libs” more than Trump, and if you thought Trump was an autocrat, I will be an even bigger one.
Fox News continues to air things that will contribute to sickness and death in America as they did during Covid, and as they contributed to the sickness of our democracy. Deplorable.
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Lord have mercy. India and China have some of the highest rates of lung disease in the world. What is wrong with these folks on Fox News? twitter.com/MattGertz/stat…
And for all of my fellow Dad’s who have lost a child far too young, please know we share that wound, and I know that my daughter Nicole is embraced with love wherever she is, and she knows she is missed deeply. Hope you feel same with yours.
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Happy Fathers Day! For many of us, father has had a complicated dynamic, and it wasn’t often the experience that gave us unconditional love, and we also were at times flawed in our own fathering. Let us strive each day to father with courage and share love with abundance.
In April 2019, the Supreme Ct. had a +24 net confidence rating. Four years later in April 2023, the Supreme Ct. has a -25 net confidence rating. An unprecedented net 49 point drop in confidence by Americans in the U.S. Supreme Court. And they only have themselves to blame.
Today is Juneteenth. “With the arrival of Union soldiers in Galveston, Texas, the state's residents finally learned about the Emancipation Proclamation (1863); the day became the annual holiday known as Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.”
keeping and losing is like a music promoter keeping Weird Al Yankovic but getting rid of Lady Gaga and James Brown.
Watching the town halls and interviews of the GOP candidates for President over the last ten days is like reviewing the audition tapes for an adult version of Lord of the Flies meets Survivor. And the producer’s goal is for you to dislike and not trust every character.
“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
Stephen Chbosky
It took me many many years to understand this and internalize it. I am so grateful the last few years I have discovered this to be so profoundly true. I wish the same for each of you.
While Dems are celebrating the progressive policy Michigan leaders have accomplished, the greatest thing MI leaders have done is restore faith and trust that government can work and can make it more efficient, effective, and responsive. That effort is key in building democracy.
Every time someone brings up Hillary or Biden when conversation is about Trump’s indictment, I think it is like Al Capone saying “wait you didn’t throw those jaywalkers in jail, so how can you prosecute me”.
Chris Licht is the Matt Patricia of the news. Licht like Patricia had limited success in a prior career as not the person in charge, but then was hired to run a franchise. And in a short amount of time ruined the franchise. Licht is doing to CNN what Patricia did to Lions.
On this Friday and at beginning of Pride Month, a bit of Gandhi: “Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.”
Let us all commit to build a diverse, inclusive and open democracy, and once again be a light to the world.
Huh??? I am a human being first. Not a “white person”. I don’t have self-hate. Maybe you are projecting a bit? might be something to talk over with your therapist.
Today is Memorial Day. Let us honor the legacy of those who fought/died for our democracy & against tyranny by fighting for our democracy today. In 2017, America was labeled a flawed democracy & does not rank in top 25 of democracies In fact, Germany & Japan rank ahead of us.
Today is the 79th anniversary of D-Day where brave American citizens sacrificed for democracy and the freedoms of other humans. Let us honor them today by fighting for democracy and equality and freedom for all.
On this day in 1935 sports icon Jesse Owens “set three world records and equaled one other at a meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan.” He did all of this in less than an hour’s time and has been called the “greatest 45 minutes in sports history”.
Happy bday writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, b.1804 Salem, MA.
“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
“Love, whether newly born or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create…
Also, every elected official, analyst, or operative who is asked to appear on CNN should refuse unless they are allowed to criticize CNN for their handling of Trump town hall.
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Every day that goes by where CNN anchors, analysts, and paid commentators don’t stand with Oliver Darcy shows that they are part of the corrupt organization that isn’t interested in truth and democracy as primary imperative of a news organization.
One clarification: if any golf event doesn’t affiliate with PGA, and keeps an arms distance from the Saudi money, I will watch. I am hoping the LPGA isn’t folded into this.
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Replying to @matthewjdowd
2/. I watched golf every week for fifty years. I played golf regularly w/ friends and my brothers. I was proud of the PGA taking a principled stand against the Saudis. Yesterday’s announcement has changed all that. The PGA does not stand for integrity. I won’t watch again.
Stephen A Smith’s accuracy on sports analysis can’t even pass the Mendoza line so why would anyone listen to him about politics???
RIP Romanian born Jewish writer Elie Wiesel, passed 2016
"I swore never to be silent whenever & wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides.
“Someone who hates one group will end up hating everyone—and, ultimately, hating himself or herself.”
Sisters/brothers, today is the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and winter solstice in the southern hemisphere. As the world turns, and the seasons of the natural world come inevitably, may you be filled with wonder and hope for the days and years ahead.
MAGA folks deny the real history of America for the same reason they deny the existence of climate change, if they admit to these things, then maybe they might have to actually do something about their effects.
On this day in 1962 Bob Dylan first records “Blowin’ In The Wind.” youtube.com/watch?v=YlJeNT
"And how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?”
“Great, so why are we still for a constitutional democracy?”
All: “Get rid of that too.”
On this day in 1963 “In the driveway outside his home in Jackson, MS civil rights leader Medgar Evers is shot to death by white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith.” RIP Medgar Evers. Let us honor him and others by pushing today for justice and equality.
Happy bday Native American Jim Thorpe, b.1888 in Indian territory now Oklahoma, one of the greatest athletes of all time.
"I am no more proud of my career as an athlete than I am of the fact that I am a direct descendant of that noble warrior [Chief Black Hawk].”
If you ever board a Ted “Cruise” in Texas just know that it won’t go to a destination you like, the captain talks and is angry all the time, you can’t believe a word he says, if you are a female passenger you have no rights, and if there is bad weather it only docks in Cancun