Two brilliant women–Jennifer Rubin of The Contrarian and Joyce Vance, former federal prosecutor–talk about the current state of American politics. It’s way better than what you see on TV talk shows. Watch. You will be glad you did.
https://joycevance.substack.com/p/coffee-with-contrarians-and-joyce-daf
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It is way worse than you think. Of course no link was provided .
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I found a link for it here:
http://X.com/astrasdoctor/status/2040874798755025041?s=43
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https://joycevance.substack.com/p/coffee-with-contrarians-and-joyce-daf
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No, sorry that’s an error, so see below instead.
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Nothing attached.
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https://joycevance.substack.com/p/coffee-with-contrarians-and-joyce-daf
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One thing I immediately note 🎵 n this conversation is that is moderator comes out with disparaging comments about the state of Alabama, complimenting her guest on having the fortitude to live there.
Jess Piper has a nice essay on the tendency of outsiders to bust the chops of her rural voters the way we are made to feel guilty for our own medical problems. People who do not live in places where the right wing has been able to win a majority need to understand that their disparaging only makes the problem worse for those of us trying to shift the local conversation to something other than whether weirdos are trying to go into your daughter’s restroom.
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Roy,
I noticed that too. Jennifer’s comment made me wince. There is a snobbery among people who have never lived anywhere but NY, DC, or the West Coast.
Having grown up in Texas, with my kinfolk in Alabama (Birmingham and Tuscaloosa) and Georgia (Savannah), I’ve never succumbed to that syndrome.
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I had forgotten how maligned Hillary was for her 2016 remarks about Trump supporters. Forgot that they actually were a call to do better for many of those people. Until Ezra Klein / neoliberal jack ass reminded me.
Waldman formally of WaPo. nails it
https://open.substack.com/pub/paulwaldman/p/the-right-wing-infosphere-youre-soaking?r=59r9dn&utm_medium=ios
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Hillary was right.
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That said, the exchange was frank, open, and penetrating. If only people around me here could hear it.
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I posted it because I had the same reaction.
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Roy with all due respect as a New Yorker who lived in and frequents one of the safest cities in America. A city portrayed as hell in the halls of congress the White House and the “Right Wing Media “. The crocodile tears from those that would die of covid or subject their children to preventable diseases just to own the Libs are a little over the top. I sympathize with your position trying to deal with” these people” . In honesty although historical circumstance makes it a bit worse in the South and as Heather Cox Richardson asserted the West that Southerners migrated to “winning the Civil War.” We here on Long Island have our fair share of troglodytes.
Reasoning with them is not possible. As Mike Lofgren pointed out in a piece a while back even after 6 million Germans, civilians and military were killed in WW2 . Over 30% of Germans surveyed in 46 felt the final solution was necessary for the safety of Germany.
Perhaps ridicule combined with the economic hardship of giving them what they want is the answer. The reason the Democrats shut down the Government last fall is because strangely Healthcare is a losing issue for them. As people see rural hospitals shut, see insurance rates rise, the vastly uninformed public reverts to both parties are the same Government sucks . The shutdown was to educate the public.
It is worse than you think Diane. Margret Sullivan the former Ombudsman / Public Editor of the NYT and WaPo points out that the sane washing in the media is over the top. When we are talking about a mad man with control of the Military and his hands on the nuclear button. A fascist oligarch backed by an anti Democratic kleptocracy who threatens free elections. The headlines should reflect a 5 alarm fire.
There is no room for hand wringing about a description that might insult those vile enough to support them . Trump won by putting his foot on the gas bringing out the “deplorables”. 85 % of that basket
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Joel,
Your comments hit home with me. Trump is a dangerous man because of his stupidity, greed, lack of empathy, narcissism. By his idiotic decision to attack Iran, he has crashed the world economy. Maybe his MAGA cult won’t like paying $4-5 a gallon for gas.
Internationally, we are a laughing stock, he is a loose cannon, and no one sees us as a reliable ally.
America First means America Alone. A Trump budget means a bloated military led by a dimwit drunk, while Americans go hungry and homeless.
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We are seeing The American Nightmare.
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