It's the opposite though -- the Trump campaign defined the Democrats around culture war issues. They dropped millions on anti-trans ads. The Democrats weren't running ads about drag queen story hour. They got defined by the GOP.
Honestly, as a gay man, I have to ask, how is drag queen story hour even a thing? Who the hell decided that THAT was a good idea? I would NEVER take my child to such a thing and I think it's really weird and creepy that people do so.
Do you take you son to the theater? The circus? Renaissance Faire? Rodeo? Comic Con? There's all kinds of performances where people dress up in costume and tell stories, sing songs, and entertain people. Drag Queens are just characters & clowns. Performers. No different from other types of performers.
The Democrats have turned their backs on America's men for the last 30 years. They funded women's health, but ignored men's health. They made sure there is 3 times more funds for breast cancer than prostate cancer.
On Democrats.org/who-we-are/who-we-serve, you will see that they serve women, but not men. So America's men turned their backs on Democrats and voted for Trump.
You and I discussed this a number of months back on our call. The problem in the Democratic party is that they seem to be laser focused on the far Left and their issues and have forgotten the issues that are important to the moderates that are center to Left leaning. Unfortunately, that leaves the party cow towing to the >5% and not focusing on the 95% that will get them elected.
Is there a way to be on the "right side" of history and still win elections? I get it... I, too, have felt aggravated by "communities of caring" at the Univ level where students barely show up to class, can't be held accountable, etc etc. I have really struggled (taken classes, worked to be an ally) to get the pronouns right and have been chastised for not doing so. I want to stop talking about bathrooms, woke, all of it, too. BUT!!! These marginalized groups are people, they deserve as much right in America as I do. I think about telling an African American person in the 60s... "could you just pipe down a bit, we are working to win this election so that you can have some share in the American Dream?". How can we be the good people we want to be and still win a damn election?!
100% this. The whole "overtime" portion of the show is available for free on YouTube and is worth 12 minutes of your time. Rahm is pretty spot on on pointing out some of the current things that are troubling the democratic party now and what has worked for them when they have been successful in the past.
Really? Successful? A party that lost to Trump twice? That abandoned red states? Rigged a primary, didn't have another, ignore their voters on major policy issues in healthcare & housing.
I agree with this! I loved the Rahm interview and thought he made a great point. I, even as a gay man, struggle with Trans issues. Trans people need to have protections but we need to balance those against other non trans feelings. We have done a horrible job at that. Again we need to moderate ourselves.
How is it the democrats allowed kindness to be labeled “woke”? And how do they get it back? Even Rahm’s quote is demonizing kindness. Democrats have encouraged listening to people, especially those marginalized, and letting them know they are heard. For example, hearing Trans people who want to feel comfortable themselves when they go to the bathroom. Clearly, not all the solutions are good solutions for everyone , however, it seems showing empathy is immediately labeled “woke” and demonized. How does kindness and empathy, and trying to help those in need become valued more than the trolling?
I like Rahm and thought he should have been elected Chair of the DNC. Maybe he didn't throw his hat in the ring. Rahm, James Carville, often David Axelrod - others I am forgetting - have an ear for and instinct for the middle policy-wise and that's where we as Democrats should be heading. Biden's 2020 defeat of Senators Sanders and Warren showed, I believe, that most Ds are in the middle of the political spectrum - and most American voters reside there as well. Ds have lost their ability to communicate with, listen to and appeal to middle spectrum voters. I think that loss is temporary. Trump is on track to give Ds a big opening for a comeback - maybe as early as 2026. Ds need to get back in the middle of the political spectrum to be ready for that opportunity. As for the progressive coalition that seems to have taken over the DNC - just because middle spectrum Ds don't talk about your issues as much as you would like or use the words you would like, when it comes to policies, you have a much better chance with middle spectrum Ds to achieve a workable policy than with any Rs in the current version of the Republican party. The job of all Ds regardless of where we are on the political spectrum is to turn our national electoral map from a sea of red to blotches of blue from coast to coast. Bob Szabo
Agreed. My fear is that those players were made for a different era. Who is part of and understands the new generations and moves us forward like those guys did, without being those actual guys? They are pretty old and from a very different time.
Yep, they are of my vintage and we have grown old. However, I think the truths by which they lived their lives and pursued their professions as political advisers don't change. I think one of the truths that too many Ds, including D political advisers, have forgotten is that we are all humans with similar concerns; most of us are not single issue voters - nor do we necessarily vote in accordance with pre-conceived notions about how people in our cohort vote. For instance, I am a white, 78 year old male who was born and raised in the south. Yet, I don't hold the political views that some may associate with my group. We all want security in our lives, economic, physical, mental and, probably for many of us, spiritual; we all want to see our children have happy and successful lives; the overwhelming majority of us love our great nation and most of us want to see our nation discharge the responsibilities that come with being the world's leading democracy; we want equal opportunities for everyone; we don't want to see people held back due to their race, religion or sexual orientation; we all want efficient government, but here Ds differ from many Rs. Ds believe in government and want to see if take on tasks, efficiently and effectively, that only government, at its various levels, can pursue; many Rs would rather see extremely limited government or no government. And most of us don't see the world or individual issues in terms of dollars and cents only. I have to believe there are younger generation James Carvilles, Rahm Emanuels, and David Axelrods - I just don't know them. Of course, the best solution is for D candidates to step forward who have middle spectrum sensitivities and understandings that they talk about to the public. They will attract the kind of political operatives that are needed to help these politicians and candidates achieve their goals. Chris, this has to happen. I believe right now that the D party has a better chance of getting on the right path than the R party. Did you ever think you would see a R party 74% of whose voters believe (according to a Sunday CNN poll), that they just want the Ukraine/Russia war to end regardless of the terms and are perfectly happy for Ukraine to be barred from NATO and for Russia to keep the Ukraine territory it has already occupied? And a party a majority of whose Congressional members are perfectly comfortable with that humiliating performance by Trump and Vance in the Oval Office last week? I don't see the R party getting back on track for some time. Keep up your good work, Chris. Thanks, Bob Szabo
The best comment from that show was not from Rahm but from the Canadian running for PM. She said it is not a good idea to act like you think you are smarter than the people you are working for.
I like Rahm, I even met him once back when he was Mayor of my city, and he's a really nice guy.
But no. We need some new blood. We need a Beshear, a Buttigeig, even a Michelle Obama type to lead the way. A Jasmine Crockett who isn't afraid to kick asses. For that matter, we need more than one ass-kicker.
If they move to the center, by definition, these culture issues would disappear, in order to focus on the kitchen table budgets, AND the essential services that government provides but are too often taken for granted, BIG TIME. Sadly, losing something is when people start to get "educated", and that coming education is going to start in a very stark way. For example, when Medicaid starts being looked at as supporting aging parents needing assisted living, and cutting that would bankrupt the middle class in the process (as it will), the tax cuts for the rich that add 11 trillion to the debt over 10 years may be looked at differently. Just one example of the needed personal family details of so many programs the democrats need to include in their messaging (as they once did with pre-existing conditions). Rahm is insightful, but need a more compassionate explainer to do that -- a young Obama came from nowhere, hope someone emerges soon.
"particularly those living in the middle of the country"
I also wish folks would say what they mean when they say these things. Democrats need a message for white conservative voters. Let's not beat around the bush. I don't think people who say this are racist, not at all. I wish we could be honest about what that statement means.
True to an extent, but as one that lives in the middle of the country there is a tension between flyover country and the coasts, especially the Northeast, that doesn't have much to do with race.
agree with Rahm. I mean, really, I go into a Starbucks and see a she/her badge and I am like "what in the world does that even mean?" I am as liberal as they come but that is a bridge too far. Don't get it and don't want to get it. We lose on cultural issues, like it or not. I want freedom for everyone but we don't have to loudly support it at the expense of real issues that 99% of Americans are dealing with.
sorry dude, like i said, don't really care what people want to think of themselves, but i don't have to play along w/ the less than one percent that do.
The Democratic Party should fund a national speaking tour for Rahm and Pete Buttigieg.
YES those two indeed
Agree!!
It's the opposite though -- the Trump campaign defined the Democrats around culture war issues. They dropped millions on anti-trans ads. The Democrats weren't running ads about drag queen story hour. They got defined by the GOP.
Honestly, as a gay man, I have to ask, how is drag queen story hour even a thing? Who the hell decided that THAT was a good idea? I would NEVER take my child to such a thing and I think it's really weird and creepy that people do so.
Drag queens are not all transgender people. Many drag queens are straight.
Many drag queens are very entertaining and theatrical and put on a good show. Children enjoy them.
There is nothing wrong with drag queens reading children's stories to children.
How many story times for children do YOU put on? Children need more story times period.
It is sad that you can not accept the ideals our nation was founded on.
That all are created equal.
That we all have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
More reason to be nervous if it was a youth pastor
What do you mean? If a youth pastor was a drag queen, or if a youth pastor put on a story time for children?
I don't see why anyone should be nervous about either.
Or do you mean if GreatDarkSpot was a youth pastor? Then yes, I would be nervous.
Given the abuse headlines, I’d be more concerned if a youth pastor was in contact with my kids than a drag performer
Ok, got it.
Why not let people make their own choices on stuff like that and not make your own taste preferences by legislative fiat?
I'm not in favor of banning it, just not interested in taxpayer dollars being spent on it.
I'm pretty sure those are all volunteers doing story times at libraries.
Since such things are done at the local level, go to a library meeting then.
How many children do you have?
One 11yo son, why?
Do you take you son to the theater? The circus? Renaissance Faire? Rodeo? Comic Con? There's all kinds of performances where people dress up in costume and tell stories, sing songs, and entertain people. Drag Queens are just characters & clowns. Performers. No different from other types of performers.
The Democrats have turned their backs on America's men for the last 30 years. They funded women's health, but ignored men's health. They made sure there is 3 times more funds for breast cancer than prostate cancer.
On Democrats.org/who-we-are/who-we-serve, you will see that they serve women, but not men. So America's men turned their backs on Democrats and voted for Trump.
Rahm is spot on.
You and I discussed this a number of months back on our call. The problem in the Democratic party is that they seem to be laser focused on the far Left and their issues and have forgotten the issues that are important to the moderates that are center to Left leaning. Unfortunately, that leaves the party cow towing to the >5% and not focusing on the 95% that will get them elected.
How is protecting other people's civil rights "far left"?
Chris
Is there a way to be on the "right side" of history and still win elections? I get it... I, too, have felt aggravated by "communities of caring" at the Univ level where students barely show up to class, can't be held accountable, etc etc. I have really struggled (taken classes, worked to be an ally) to get the pronouns right and have been chastised for not doing so. I want to stop talking about bathrooms, woke, all of it, too. BUT!!! These marginalized groups are people, they deserve as much right in America as I do. I think about telling an African American person in the 60s... "could you just pipe down a bit, we are working to win this election so that you can have some share in the American Dream?". How can we be the good people we want to be and still win a damn election?!
Alas, most people think on trans issues the Democrats are on the wrong side of reason, common sense, and alas the wrong side of history.
100% this. The whole "overtime" portion of the show is available for free on YouTube and is worth 12 minutes of your time. Rahm is pretty spot on on pointing out some of the current things that are troubling the democratic party now and what has worked for them when they have been successful in the past.
Really? Successful? A party that lost to Trump twice? That abandoned red states? Rigged a primary, didn't have another, ignore their voters on major policy issues in healthcare & housing.
I agree with this! I loved the Rahm interview and thought he made a great point. I, even as a gay man, struggle with Trans issues. Trans people need to have protections but we need to balance those against other non trans feelings. We have done a horrible job at that. Again we need to moderate ourselves.
How is it the democrats allowed kindness to be labeled “woke”? And how do they get it back? Even Rahm’s quote is demonizing kindness. Democrats have encouraged listening to people, especially those marginalized, and letting them know they are heard. For example, hearing Trans people who want to feel comfortable themselves when they go to the bathroom. Clearly, not all the solutions are good solutions for everyone , however, it seems showing empathy is immediately labeled “woke” and demonized. How does kindness and empathy, and trying to help those in need become valued more than the trolling?
I like Rahm and thought he should have been elected Chair of the DNC. Maybe he didn't throw his hat in the ring. Rahm, James Carville, often David Axelrod - others I am forgetting - have an ear for and instinct for the middle policy-wise and that's where we as Democrats should be heading. Biden's 2020 defeat of Senators Sanders and Warren showed, I believe, that most Ds are in the middle of the political spectrum - and most American voters reside there as well. Ds have lost their ability to communicate with, listen to and appeal to middle spectrum voters. I think that loss is temporary. Trump is on track to give Ds a big opening for a comeback - maybe as early as 2026. Ds need to get back in the middle of the political spectrum to be ready for that opportunity. As for the progressive coalition that seems to have taken over the DNC - just because middle spectrum Ds don't talk about your issues as much as you would like or use the words you would like, when it comes to policies, you have a much better chance with middle spectrum Ds to achieve a workable policy than with any Rs in the current version of the Republican party. The job of all Ds regardless of where we are on the political spectrum is to turn our national electoral map from a sea of red to blotches of blue from coast to coast. Bob Szabo
Agreed. My fear is that those players were made for a different era. Who is part of and understands the new generations and moves us forward like those guys did, without being those actual guys? They are pretty old and from a very different time.
Yep, they are of my vintage and we have grown old. However, I think the truths by which they lived their lives and pursued their professions as political advisers don't change. I think one of the truths that too many Ds, including D political advisers, have forgotten is that we are all humans with similar concerns; most of us are not single issue voters - nor do we necessarily vote in accordance with pre-conceived notions about how people in our cohort vote. For instance, I am a white, 78 year old male who was born and raised in the south. Yet, I don't hold the political views that some may associate with my group. We all want security in our lives, economic, physical, mental and, probably for many of us, spiritual; we all want to see our children have happy and successful lives; the overwhelming majority of us love our great nation and most of us want to see our nation discharge the responsibilities that come with being the world's leading democracy; we want equal opportunities for everyone; we don't want to see people held back due to their race, religion or sexual orientation; we all want efficient government, but here Ds differ from many Rs. Ds believe in government and want to see if take on tasks, efficiently and effectively, that only government, at its various levels, can pursue; many Rs would rather see extremely limited government or no government. And most of us don't see the world or individual issues in terms of dollars and cents only. I have to believe there are younger generation James Carvilles, Rahm Emanuels, and David Axelrods - I just don't know them. Of course, the best solution is for D candidates to step forward who have middle spectrum sensitivities and understandings that they talk about to the public. They will attract the kind of political operatives that are needed to help these politicians and candidates achieve their goals. Chris, this has to happen. I believe right now that the D party has a better chance of getting on the right path than the R party. Did you ever think you would see a R party 74% of whose voters believe (according to a Sunday CNN poll), that they just want the Ukraine/Russia war to end regardless of the terms and are perfectly happy for Ukraine to be barred from NATO and for Russia to keep the Ukraine territory it has already occupied? And a party a majority of whose Congressional members are perfectly comfortable with that humiliating performance by Trump and Vance in the Oval Office last week? I don't see the R party getting back on track for some time. Keep up your good work, Chris. Thanks, Bob Szabo
The best comment from that show was not from Rahm but from the Canadian running for PM. She said it is not a good idea to act like you think you are smarter than the people you are working for.
I like Rahm, I even met him once back when he was Mayor of my city, and he's a really nice guy.
But no. We need some new blood. We need a Beshear, a Buttigeig, even a Michelle Obama type to lead the way. A Jasmine Crockett who isn't afraid to kick asses. For that matter, we need more than one ass-kicker.
If they move to the center, by definition, these culture issues would disappear, in order to focus on the kitchen table budgets, AND the essential services that government provides but are too often taken for granted, BIG TIME. Sadly, losing something is when people start to get "educated", and that coming education is going to start in a very stark way. For example, when Medicaid starts being looked at as supporting aging parents needing assisted living, and cutting that would bankrupt the middle class in the process (as it will), the tax cuts for the rich that add 11 trillion to the debt over 10 years may be looked at differently. Just one example of the needed personal family details of so many programs the democrats need to include in their messaging (as they once did with pre-existing conditions). Rahm is insightful, but need a more compassionate explainer to do that -- a young Obama came from nowhere, hope someone emerges soon.
Agree completely! Dems need more straight shooters like Rahm.
"For my money, he is the single best message person in the Democratic party"... Indeed
"particularly those living in the middle of the country"
I also wish folks would say what they mean when they say these things. Democrats need a message for white conservative voters. Let's not beat around the bush. I don't think people who say this are racist, not at all. I wish we could be honest about what that statement means.
Yeah, but Dems are losing Hispanic voters with this shit, too. So it's not just white ones anymore.
Yeah, but folks don't mean Hispanic voters when they say this haha.
True to an extent, but as one that lives in the middle of the country there is a tension between flyover country and the coasts, especially the Northeast, that doesn't have much to do with race.
agree with Rahm. I mean, really, I go into a Starbucks and see a she/her badge and I am like "what in the world does that even mean?" I am as liberal as they come but that is a bridge too far. Don't get it and don't want to get it. We lose on cultural issues, like it or not. I want freedom for everyone but we don't have to loudly support it at the expense of real issues that 99% of Americans are dealing with.
"I am as liberal as they come but that is a bridge too far."
Tbh this seems unlikely if some pronouns bother you this much lol
Sounds like a you problem
sorry dude, like i said, don't really care what people want to think of themselves, but i don't have to play along w/ the less than one percent that do.
You could also ignore it. You choose what to be bothered by.
Yeah, but the Dems can't get away from they/them, so until they do, they will continue to lose.