My rep IS Dave Joyce, and I just sent him a lengthy email asking for his bravery, followed with a phone call. This is probably the 10th time I've brought up this subject with Mr. Joyce, but I think I added a bit more urgency this time! Hopefully, my fellow Northeast Ohioans will follow suit!
Thank you, Daniel. Your determination is inspiring. It takes a lot of chipping away to break through. But we have the advantage of being right.
There simply is no better way to remedy a failure of leadership than to replace the failed leader. I'm confident that eventually, having tried everything else, Mr. Joyce and his colleagues will recognize that no other practical alternative exists.
Thanks, Jerry. I'm "cautiously optimistic" that Joyce will heed the call, but I won't stop. I'll be sending another nudge his way tomorrow, and again Thursday, and who knows, maybe we'll see some Headline News come Friday.
Sure. Raise your voice. If you have little in the way of campaign contributions, you might get a form letter in response. If you have actually given campaign contributions, you might get a phone call. If you control millions in campaign contributions, you get exactly what you pay for. They don't campaign on stumps anymore. Under our system of mass communications today, they absolutely HAVE to have campaign contributions to buy the mass advertising or else they lose their jobs. They know this. Enough money against the MAGAs, and you have actually done something. Better yet ...make campaign contributions illegal (not a free speech issue. this is paid speech, not free.). Then we return to "by the people, for the people." Then we defeat Trump. Then the great pendulum starts swinging the other way.
I don't really get your point, Jay. Of course we all understand the power of wealth, both in politics and in society. And the distortions of our democracy flowing from a system that equates money with speech are well known. So your cynicism is not surprising.
On the other hand, the world is a complicated place. And the humans who populate it are subject to many more pressures and constraints than can be measured on an accountant's ledger.
The three Republican gentlemen named in this week's post have in the past voluntarily put their lives at risk in service to their country, with little financial remuneration. Presumably, some measure of devotion to the ideals of our democratic republic still resonate in their daily life.
Likewise, the limits of our own power can not be measured solely by checking our bank balance. Were that the case, most of us would be toiling in a perpetual state of helplessness.
You seem to suggest that the only way to "have actually done something" is to spend a lot of money, or to "make campaign contributions illegal." Since neither of these are within the realm of what ordinary citizens can do, there remains only a core of profound despair in your concept of civil engagement.
Let me invite you into the world of political activism, where every day millions of regular folks join with one another to counter the forces of repression and tyranny. There are literally thousands of grass-roots organizations working diligently to affect how public funds are allocated, how elections are conducted, how schools are administered, how laws are enforced, how communities are regulated, and yes, how legislators vote, to name but a few.
(Perhaps you'd be particularly interested in the work of a group advocating a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision: www.MoveToAmend.org )
So long as we can raise our voices, we will continue to do so.
Yeah, Jerry … I know. I have been watching folks like you guys for many years as a reporter. I love your intentions. I wish you (all of us) luck, but we have systems, some bad, some good. Metaphorically, to get the car to go you have to actually push the accelerator pedal. To get the thing to move (whatever it is) you have to actually push the right button. To make the changes we all would LIKE to see, we will have to defeat a lot of politicians at the polls because they know how to work the system, and most of them have no intention of changing, turning over their own rice bowls. The vote is the only power we average citizens have, and apathy has smothered it. And huge TV ads control it. As a nation, we stand in the same place that many other nations like ours have stood, like Germany in 1929. The wolf is now at our door, due to our inattention. Let’s see what happens after 2024. In addition to saving democracy, this election MAY create enough of a “disturbance in the force” to set some changes in motion.
While we have our own growing MAGA wave in Canada (so we're not above criticism), I am just gobsmacked at the political madness i'm witnessing in Washington. McCarthy throws Ukraine under the bus to save his job. At first I thought the only 2 people dancing were Putin and Gaetz. But now Gaetz wants to turf McCoward because he - wait for it - worked with Democrats! Bi-partisanship! God forbid.
And I just don't buy the argument from Senate and White House that the shut-down had to be avoided at all costs - so Ukraine support is "temporarily" suspended. Yeah, like in 45 days we won't be watching the same shit-show.
I'm 77 years old and have been involved in politics since my teens, and I'm starting to feel that Democracy is failing - certainly failing for the public. The only thing I see is politicians fighting for their own careers. Period. Gaetz is hitting every TV interview - he's even headline news on Canadian & British news (CBC, BBC). All I see is: look at me, look at me. And he says he's doing this for American taxpayers. For future generations. To rescue everyone from the "tax-and-spend" Democrats. Like we haven't heard all that BS a million times before.
Lately I've heard the term "performance politics", and Gaetz is definitely today's headliner in that department.
So the goal of this substack newsletter has been the removal of Kevin McCarthy, and that goal just might be achieved. And if so, then hopefully the Gaetz and Marjorie Greens will lose some of their influence. And maybe some semblance of sanity might return. But I'm not gonna hold my breath.
And thanks for your determined effort, Jerry. If McCarthy goes down, I'll drink a toast to you. Maybe take a breath. But I've got a feeling the political shit-show ain't over by a long shot.
My rep IS Dave Joyce, and I just sent him a lengthy email asking for his bravery, followed with a phone call. This is probably the 10th time I've brought up this subject with Mr. Joyce, but I think I added a bit more urgency this time! Hopefully, my fellow Northeast Ohioans will follow suit!
Thank you, Daniel. Your determination is inspiring. It takes a lot of chipping away to break through. But we have the advantage of being right.
There simply is no better way to remedy a failure of leadership than to replace the failed leader. I'm confident that eventually, having tried everything else, Mr. Joyce and his colleagues will recognize that no other practical alternative exists.
.
Thanks, Jerry. I'm "cautiously optimistic" that Joyce will heed the call, but I won't stop. I'll be sending another nudge his way tomorrow, and again Thursday, and who knows, maybe we'll see some Headline News come Friday.
Sure. Raise your voice. If you have little in the way of campaign contributions, you might get a form letter in response. If you have actually given campaign contributions, you might get a phone call. If you control millions in campaign contributions, you get exactly what you pay for. They don't campaign on stumps anymore. Under our system of mass communications today, they absolutely HAVE to have campaign contributions to buy the mass advertising or else they lose their jobs. They know this. Enough money against the MAGAs, and you have actually done something. Better yet ...make campaign contributions illegal (not a free speech issue. this is paid speech, not free.). Then we return to "by the people, for the people." Then we defeat Trump. Then the great pendulum starts swinging the other way.
I don't really get your point, Jay. Of course we all understand the power of wealth, both in politics and in society. And the distortions of our democracy flowing from a system that equates money with speech are well known. So your cynicism is not surprising.
On the other hand, the world is a complicated place. And the humans who populate it are subject to many more pressures and constraints than can be measured on an accountant's ledger.
The three Republican gentlemen named in this week's post have in the past voluntarily put their lives at risk in service to their country, with little financial remuneration. Presumably, some measure of devotion to the ideals of our democratic republic still resonate in their daily life.
Likewise, the limits of our own power can not be measured solely by checking our bank balance. Were that the case, most of us would be toiling in a perpetual state of helplessness.
You seem to suggest that the only way to "have actually done something" is to spend a lot of money, or to "make campaign contributions illegal." Since neither of these are within the realm of what ordinary citizens can do, there remains only a core of profound despair in your concept of civil engagement.
Let me invite you into the world of political activism, where every day millions of regular folks join with one another to counter the forces of repression and tyranny. There are literally thousands of grass-roots organizations working diligently to affect how public funds are allocated, how elections are conducted, how schools are administered, how laws are enforced, how communities are regulated, and yes, how legislators vote, to name but a few.
(Perhaps you'd be particularly interested in the work of a group advocating a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision: www.MoveToAmend.org )
So long as we can raise our voices, we will continue to do so.
.
“I don't really get your point, Jay.”
Yeah, Jerry … I know. I have been watching folks like you guys for many years as a reporter. I love your intentions. I wish you (all of us) luck, but we have systems, some bad, some good. Metaphorically, to get the car to go you have to actually push the accelerator pedal. To get the thing to move (whatever it is) you have to actually push the right button. To make the changes we all would LIKE to see, we will have to defeat a lot of politicians at the polls because they know how to work the system, and most of them have no intention of changing, turning over their own rice bowls. The vote is the only power we average citizens have, and apathy has smothered it. And huge TV ads control it. As a nation, we stand in the same place that many other nations like ours have stood, like Germany in 1929. The wolf is now at our door, due to our inattention. Let’s see what happens after 2024. In addition to saving democracy, this election MAY create enough of a “disturbance in the force” to set some changes in motion.
While we have our own growing MAGA wave in Canada (so we're not above criticism), I am just gobsmacked at the political madness i'm witnessing in Washington. McCarthy throws Ukraine under the bus to save his job. At first I thought the only 2 people dancing were Putin and Gaetz. But now Gaetz wants to turf McCoward because he - wait for it - worked with Democrats! Bi-partisanship! God forbid.
And I just don't buy the argument from Senate and White House that the shut-down had to be avoided at all costs - so Ukraine support is "temporarily" suspended. Yeah, like in 45 days we won't be watching the same shit-show.
I'm 77 years old and have been involved in politics since my teens, and I'm starting to feel that Democracy is failing - certainly failing for the public. The only thing I see is politicians fighting for their own careers. Period. Gaetz is hitting every TV interview - he's even headline news on Canadian & British news (CBC, BBC). All I see is: look at me, look at me. And he says he's doing this for American taxpayers. For future generations. To rescue everyone from the "tax-and-spend" Democrats. Like we haven't heard all that BS a million times before.
Lately I've heard the term "performance politics", and Gaetz is definitely today's headliner in that department.
So the goal of this substack newsletter has been the removal of Kevin McCarthy, and that goal just might be achieved. And if so, then hopefully the Gaetz and Marjorie Greens will lose some of their influence. And maybe some semblance of sanity might return. But I'm not gonna hold my breath.
And thanks for your determined effort, Jerry. If McCarthy goes down, I'll drink a toast to you. Maybe take a breath. But I've got a feeling the political shit-show ain't over by a long shot.