Happy Tuesday, all! This morning I’m going to quote extensively from the latest Climate Action Now newsletter, because the lines I’m about to excerpt blew my mind, and I believe they’re worth sharing: "ARE WE GOING TO BE OKAY?" Against an ever-expanding backdrop of record-breaking floods, heatwaves, and fires, this question was asked by a listener in the
I just want to say thank you for sharing this quote about how climate change. As a farmer who has been feeling the effects of climate change and feeling rather dour about it, I found this a way to change my perspective. I also shared the quote with my daughter who just received her masters from Scripps in climate science snd policy who has decided not to pursue this field any longer because she was finding it so depressing. She was very grateful and appreciative of the perspective. I’m new here, but really enjoying your writings.
You are so welcome, Maggie. Hang in there and stay with us. We have a lot of work to do but we're in this together and we will get there. Tell your daughter for me, too, OK?
I am writing to ask you to spend tomorrow's newsletter encouraging everyone to fight KOSA. Here is brilliant trans writer and activist Charlie Jane Anders' plea that we all get behind this.
As Charlie Jane makes incontrovertibly clear (with links and data), this bill weaponizes the Internet against every trans person (including trans children) in this country. It also provides a national weapon to forbid all anti-racist discussion, and follow the Florida model of "slavery was good for the slaves." It is a bipartisan bill, enthusiastically endorsed by President Biden, and we probably have no chance of turning it around, but we MUST try.
I’ve had several people on TikTok ask me to do this and I must confess I just haven’t been sure of what the issue is. Let me read the piece and see if I can craft an action. Thanks!
I attempted to send the suggested text from The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact section, via Resistbot. Unfortunately, after 3 attempts I gave up. Each time I previewed the message I wanted to send, there were several typos and missed words
I’m having a hard time being heard on these two points which I believe are valuable insights into messaging for Democrats in 2023-2024
---------------------------------------
Why so many think the Economy is bad
It’s the Prices Stupid !
Everyday I keep hearing pundits and political consultants bemoaning the fact that Biden is not getting the credit he deserves for his incredible and amazing good results with the economy. He really has overseen a remarkable recovery and everyone keeps scratching their heads, “I don’t know why so many think he has done poorly managing the economy - unemployment is down, new jobs are up, inflation is down. I just don’t understand it. Now they’ve added a new inquiry, “How long does it usually take for a President to get credit for a good economy?”
Open your f-ing eyes ! It’s the Prices Stupid !
Past inflation has driven up the prices of groceries and other items we purchase everyday. We went for years with very little inflation and the average person internalized a sort of “set price” for most items. When they go to the store now they see:
Food. 2020 & Precious Prices. 2023 Prices
Eggs. $1.40 - 1.50/doz. $2.50- $4.83
Milk. $3.20 - $3.50. $4.00 / gal
Bread. $1.30 — $1.50 / lb. $1.90 / lb
Bacon. $5.30 — $5.80 / lb. $6.20- $6.80 / lb
Etc.
This is a whopping increase in percentage and in actual dollar price increase -- and it hits the average consumer in the face every day. Every time he or she goes shopping for anything. The cost is way above the range they had been used to for years and years.
We sound like idiots and/or liars when we try to tell them inflation is no longer a problem. Or that we think they are idiots – it’s insulting. It doesn’t match what they see at the store with their own eyes every day. They know what they used to pay and how much they have to pay now. It’s a lot more.
The Republicans are very successful at blaming this on the Dems with their tired old tropes about massive Democratic spending. "Of course prices are up: it’s the result of too many dollars chasing too few goods — and the Dems caused this with their massive deficit spending."
I believe many Dem strategists and pundits must rarely go shopping and/or when they go they just buy what they want and don’t pay much attention to the price; sometimes never even checking the total bill at checkout. It just isn’t important to them -- they have plenty of money and this is just an incidental expense. I think this must be how most of our analysts and political consultants still operate, or worse - they don’t know how to observe from another’s point of view.
But if they start paying attention and trying to put themselves in the position of the average family that lives paycheck to paycheck, they would be shocked at the price of everyday goods from the perspective of someone that has to make his or her dollars stretch. AND THAT IS THE EXPERIENCE OF MOST OF OUR COUNTRY — PRICES ARE HIGH AND MY DOLLAR DOESN’T GO AS FAR. — I AM WORSE OFF AND I SEE IT EVERY DAY.
Abstract concepts like the "rate of inflation” coming down have no impact on the day-to-day prices the average consumer confronts again and again. Inflation moving from 6%--9% down to 3% doesn’t change the prices at the store. In fact, the prices at the store mostly stay the same and/or they continue to rise, just not as fast.
We Dems have to confront and recognize this experience. We have to acknowledge it. And then start a full-on blitz of all media that inflation was a GLOBAL phenomenon brought on by the pandemic, Ukraine, supply chain disruption etc. it is easy to demonstrate this by using a chart showing the inflation rates of the industrialized countries around the globe. It’s a simple and direct illustration to understand.
The accompanying message is: “Inflation was everywhere and It was not the result of Democratic spending. -- Yes Biden and Dems (along with Republicans who joined in passing the legislation) spent money that was needed to bring us out of the pandemic induced Great Recession”. Did this have some impact on inflation? Probably some, but that was a necessary cost to bring us out of the tailspin of losing 800,000 jobs a month.
In fact, Biden and the Dems have worked to bring inflation down in the US tremendously compared to other countries [show chart again]. Yes, prices are up, across the globe. But Bidonomics has worked to bring us out of the recession and set us on a road to future growth and stability. This is a remarkable accomplishment -- remember Trump turned over to Biden an economy that was hemorrhaging hundreds of thousand jobs a month, our economy was so bad it was coined “The Great Recession.” Biden has helped lead our economy back to health and mostly tamed the inflation genie. Yep we now have to adjust to the higher price levels, but for most of us, our wages are up too. (Note to reader: I don’t really know if this is true – I hope so).
We need to put the political and communication experts on delivering this message — I watch show after show where all the pundits throw their hands in the air and say they don’t understand why Biden’s good economic results aren’t being recognized. They don’t understand because they don’t see what the average American living paycheck to paycheck sees every day. — prices are way up ! That the RATE of inflation is down doesn’t change this everyday reality.
Dominion Systems showed us how. Make him show his fear of being sued again.
Every time Trump is available he should be hit with something like the following:
“You continue to say the 2020 Election was stolen. Approximately 60 independent Courts looked at the evidence presented and rejected that claim every time, yet you still persist in this lie.
If you are not merely a dishonest Con Man, tell us exactly who rigged the election and how. Give us a name. Tell us when and where. Unless you give us that simple information it is clear that you are nothing more than dishonest con man abusing the trust of your followers. . So who did it ? When and Where? Are you too afraid to give us a name? Or is it that you really are just a con man who has been abusing the trust of your followers for years? Which is it? Are you a con man or will you give us a name and when and where? Or have you just been abusing for years the confidence your followers have placed in you ?”
Something like this. And don’t let up until he gives a straight answer — that he can’t give a name or a when and how. Everyone has to do this. Hit him with this over and over. Stick with the line of questioning to its conclusion. Over and over.
Give him a choice: give us the goods or admit you’ve been abusing the confidence of your followers for years – you’re just a con man.
There are now 875,000,000+ reasons why he won’t name a name, and we have push hard on this leverage point again and again.
Don’t argue facts with his followers use this question to show they’ve been conned.
Ron
PS — this will work for all the other election deniers as well.
Ron is it OK if I quote part of your comment on a listserv I'm on? With or without attribution--I just think it's a really good point that I can get in front of some appropriate eyes.
Thank you for your climate action message, Jessica. Your words and work are a true gift.
Very kind of you. Thank you.
I just want to say thank you for sharing this quote about how climate change. As a farmer who has been feeling the effects of climate change and feeling rather dour about it, I found this a way to change my perspective. I also shared the quote with my daughter who just received her masters from Scripps in climate science snd policy who has decided not to pursue this field any longer because she was finding it so depressing. She was very grateful and appreciative of the perspective. I’m new here, but really enjoying your writings.
You are so welcome, Maggie. Hang in there and stay with us. We have a lot of work to do but we're in this together and we will get there. Tell your daughter for me, too, OK?
Will do!
I didn’t. Should have 🥴
I am writing to ask you to spend tomorrow's newsletter encouraging everyone to fight KOSA. Here is brilliant trans writer and activist Charlie Jane Anders' plea that we all get behind this.
https://buttondown.email/charliejane/archive/the-internet-is-about-to-get-a-lot-worse/
As Charlie Jane makes incontrovertibly clear (with links and data), this bill weaponizes the Internet against every trans person (including trans children) in this country. It also provides a national weapon to forbid all anti-racist discussion, and follow the Florida model of "slavery was good for the slaves." It is a bipartisan bill, enthusiastically endorsed by President Biden, and we probably have no chance of turning it around, but we MUST try.
Thanks for whatever you can do here.
I’ve had several people on TikTok ask me to do this and I must confess I just haven’t been sure of what the issue is. Let me read the piece and see if I can craft an action. Thanks!
Thank you SO MUCH. Reach out if I can help in any way.
I attempted to send the suggested text from The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact section, via Resistbot. Unfortunately, after 3 attempts I gave up. Each time I previewed the message I wanted to send, there were several typos and missed words
Huh that is so weird! Did you try going to your state rep’s website?
It’s The Prices Stupid !
The reason folks think the economy is bad
+
How to hit Trump
I’m having a hard time being heard on these two points which I believe are valuable insights into messaging for Democrats in 2023-2024
---------------------------------------
Why so many think the Economy is bad
It’s the Prices Stupid !
Everyday I keep hearing pundits and political consultants bemoaning the fact that Biden is not getting the credit he deserves for his incredible and amazing good results with the economy. He really has overseen a remarkable recovery and everyone keeps scratching their heads, “I don’t know why so many think he has done poorly managing the economy - unemployment is down, new jobs are up, inflation is down. I just don’t understand it. Now they’ve added a new inquiry, “How long does it usually take for a President to get credit for a good economy?”
Open your f-ing eyes ! It’s the Prices Stupid !
Past inflation has driven up the prices of groceries and other items we purchase everyday. We went for years with very little inflation and the average person internalized a sort of “set price” for most items. When they go to the store now they see:
Food. 2020 & Precious Prices. 2023 Prices
Eggs. $1.40 - 1.50/doz. $2.50- $4.83
Milk. $3.20 - $3.50. $4.00 / gal
Bread. $1.30 — $1.50 / lb. $1.90 / lb
Bacon. $5.30 — $5.80 / lb. $6.20- $6.80 / lb
Etc.
This is a whopping increase in percentage and in actual dollar price increase -- and it hits the average consumer in the face every day. Every time he or she goes shopping for anything. The cost is way above the range they had been used to for years and years.
We sound like idiots and/or liars when we try to tell them inflation is no longer a problem. Or that we think they are idiots – it’s insulting. It doesn’t match what they see at the store with their own eyes every day. They know what they used to pay and how much they have to pay now. It’s a lot more.
The Republicans are very successful at blaming this on the Dems with their tired old tropes about massive Democratic spending. "Of course prices are up: it’s the result of too many dollars chasing too few goods — and the Dems caused this with their massive deficit spending."
I believe many Dem strategists and pundits must rarely go shopping and/or when they go they just buy what they want and don’t pay much attention to the price; sometimes never even checking the total bill at checkout. It just isn’t important to them -- they have plenty of money and this is just an incidental expense. I think this must be how most of our analysts and political consultants still operate, or worse - they don’t know how to observe from another’s point of view.
But if they start paying attention and trying to put themselves in the position of the average family that lives paycheck to paycheck, they would be shocked at the price of everyday goods from the perspective of someone that has to make his or her dollars stretch. AND THAT IS THE EXPERIENCE OF MOST OF OUR COUNTRY — PRICES ARE HIGH AND MY DOLLAR DOESN’T GO AS FAR. — I AM WORSE OFF AND I SEE IT EVERY DAY.
Abstract concepts like the "rate of inflation” coming down have no impact on the day-to-day prices the average consumer confronts again and again. Inflation moving from 6%--9% down to 3% doesn’t change the prices at the store. In fact, the prices at the store mostly stay the same and/or they continue to rise, just not as fast.
We Dems have to confront and recognize this experience. We have to acknowledge it. And then start a full-on blitz of all media that inflation was a GLOBAL phenomenon brought on by the pandemic, Ukraine, supply chain disruption etc. it is easy to demonstrate this by using a chart showing the inflation rates of the industrialized countries around the globe. It’s a simple and direct illustration to understand.
The accompanying message is: “Inflation was everywhere and It was not the result of Democratic spending. -- Yes Biden and Dems (along with Republicans who joined in passing the legislation) spent money that was needed to bring us out of the pandemic induced Great Recession”. Did this have some impact on inflation? Probably some, but that was a necessary cost to bring us out of the tailspin of losing 800,000 jobs a month.
In fact, Biden and the Dems have worked to bring inflation down in the US tremendously compared to other countries [show chart again]. Yes, prices are up, across the globe. But Bidonomics has worked to bring us out of the recession and set us on a road to future growth and stability. This is a remarkable accomplishment -- remember Trump turned over to Biden an economy that was hemorrhaging hundreds of thousand jobs a month, our economy was so bad it was coined “The Great Recession.” Biden has helped lead our economy back to health and mostly tamed the inflation genie. Yep we now have to adjust to the higher price levels, but for most of us, our wages are up too. (Note to reader: I don’t really know if this is true – I hope so).
We need to put the political and communication experts on delivering this message — I watch show after show where all the pundits throw their hands in the air and say they don’t understand why Biden’s good economic results aren’t being recognized. They don’t understand because they don’t see what the average American living paycheck to paycheck sees every day. — prices are way up ! That the RATE of inflation is down doesn’t change this everyday reality.
It's the Prices, Stupid !
________________________________________________________________
Bonus:
How to shut Trump down
Dominion Systems showed us how. Make him show his fear of being sued again.
Every time Trump is available he should be hit with something like the following:
“You continue to say the 2020 Election was stolen. Approximately 60 independent Courts looked at the evidence presented and rejected that claim every time, yet you still persist in this lie.
If you are not merely a dishonest Con Man, tell us exactly who rigged the election and how. Give us a name. Tell us when and where. Unless you give us that simple information it is clear that you are nothing more than dishonest con man abusing the trust of your followers. . So who did it ? When and Where? Are you too afraid to give us a name? Or is it that you really are just a con man who has been abusing the trust of your followers for years? Which is it? Are you a con man or will you give us a name and when and where? Or have you just been abusing for years the confidence your followers have placed in you ?”
Something like this. And don’t let up until he gives a straight answer — that he can’t give a name or a when and how. Everyone has to do this. Hit him with this over and over. Stick with the line of questioning to its conclusion. Over and over.
Give him a choice: give us the goods or admit you’ve been abusing the confidence of your followers for years – you’re just a con man.
There are now 875,000,000+ reasons why he won’t name a name, and we have push hard on this leverage point again and again.
Don’t argue facts with his followers use this question to show they’ve been conned.
Ron
PS — this will work for all the other election deniers as well.
Ron Feinman, Esq.
Lynchburg Virginia
rfeinman@oneworld.ws
Ron is it OK if I quote part of your comment on a listserv I'm on? With or without attribution--I just think it's a really good point that I can get in front of some appropriate eyes.
Jessica,
Absolutely! Post away!
I have been having a really hard time getting both of these two messages out ( please read the second half too).
And thank you so much for all the energy and effort you put into your work every single day. You are very inspiring.
All I ask is that you tell me how to have my own posts on Substack or that you point me in the right direction.
Many thanks,
Ron
That is AMAZING! I feel really good about his chances. Will you be volunteering for him?