Well, we do need to reform the prison system entirely. Meaning less prisons and people incarcerated. Meaning less staff. Shouldn’t have been naive we all been taking about this.
Sadly right now we have two parties .. if he doesn’t vote or votes republican. He fails to solve any problem. Can’t waste one once of energy on someone who will not stand up and realize it’s the 99% vs the 1%. The republicans work for the 1% have since Reagan.
They both work for the 1%. They give us the illusion of voting, having a say, but the system is broken. Thought Trump would root the corruption out. Even musk said if they did that they would be killed. We’re getting digital ID and digital currency whomever got in office. That’s like the Chinese credit score. If you look at donors, 85% donated to Kamala/Biden. However the real piece od info that tells you who they work for is AIPAC. ALL OF CONGRESS AND THE ENTORE ADMIN TOOK buku bucks. Israel first.
And what exactly are the Democrats going to do to pick up all these blue collar workers? Any shred of economic populism on the left is put down faster than Trump goes through bottles of spray tan. The Democrats are looking for upper class abundance hoping that sham theory with no real policy will somehow "trickle down" 🙄. I don't see hope here as much as I see even more disallusionment with the entire system.
I don't think there is any excuse for voting MAGA. Harris reiterated support for Main Street, for working families, was Pro-Union and pro family. Biden was the most pro union president in history. I believe that many red state white men just couldn't pull the lever for a woman, especially a black woman. He even admits that knowing everything he knows now, he would not vote at all. Why? That's crazy. At the least, he could have been assured his job and the union were safe by voting Democratic. I realize everyone is saying the Democrats need to change, to appeal to these Red state voters, but the truth of the matter is they have been. Biden was speaking and demonstrating Family, Country, Job. Kamala was saying the same thing These voters were not listening. I am glad he changed his party affiliation, but the onus is now on him to educate himself and listen. The orange rat showed us who he was many times over. And if he hadn't been personally effected, he would not be changing his support even a little. How do you convince a person to change their perspective from an "it's all about me" to a "we" thought process? I am sick of the Democrats getting beat up because their message didn't appeal enough to these voters. Man, open your eyes and ears!
Exactly. Harris had the support and endorsements of most of the biggest unions. The head of the UAW publicly and repeatedly called DJT a "scab" and this guy and millions like him thought DJT would stand up for labor. 🤦♀️
I do worry that people like him will just sit out of politics and still be susceptible to being radicalized. He’s made the first step, which is that the illusion is broken; now we need to make the second step and work to get this person integrated into our cause.
While we should all welcome people like Mr. Chapman back to the Dem side, I feel the same as the comment below this by lunafaer. Hey, Chapman and others who voted for Trump and not for Harris, THIS IS WHAT YOU VOTED FOR! Elections HAVE CONSEQUENCES! So, welcome back, but DO NOT expect any smiles from us over here. There is room on the Dem side for idiots.
i’m glad to once again hear that personal experience is the only thing that reaches these selfish pricks.
i’m glad they’re learning but they can fuck all the way off. i hope this prick suffers in all the ways he was ok with others suffering. it’s what he deserves.
They also had a 50-state strategy with Dean, if I remember correctly, which I think is something else they should return to. Not every state should have the same amount of resources devoted to it - media markets vary in cost, for one thing - but they need to at least put up a stand.
That’s Correct. Dean was appointed DNC chairman in 2005 after the Democrats suffered a Humiliating Election Season in 2004. Two years prior, they blew their chance to take back control of Congress by running a very Messageless Post 9-11 Midterm campaign. In ‘04, the DNC squandered their chance to defeat Dubya by not approaching Al Gore to run again and by having John Kerry run Way to the Left. With him doubling down on LGBT rights instead of keeping quiet about it at a time when the Country had no interest in that issue.
Dean Got it. He realized much like Gary Hart did that the Electorate doesn’t vote far Left. He found the Weakness of Dubya, he found the weak spots and was able to convince the Democrats that it was more than the Iraq War. What resulted in 2006 was a Comeback. A Renaissance. They roared back into power on a Blue Tidal Wave and Finally humiliated Dubya. He was beyond shell shocked and crestfallen.
The Democrats need to turn the clock back to them but address the Citizens United debacle that has haunted our country for 15 years. Not only do they need to return to the Howard Dean mindset, but in my opinion, they need to invest a lot into Texas. And abandon Florida. Florida took a Hard Red turn in 2016 and has doubled down every cycle. Texas is the Bunker Base of the GOP. And flipping it Blue would be like dropping an Atomic Bomb on the RNC. We have Potentially Strong Rockstar Democrat politicians here in TX. With Beto O’Rourke leading the way.
Totally agree about Texas. North Carolina too. Cheri Beasley had a chance to become Senator if she’d had more support from the party.I saw the DNC abruptly abandon Mary Landrieu here in Louisiana, which was probably the right move, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Since then I’ve donated to individual candidates, not to any of the state or national Democratic committees. And, in some places where the Democratic brand is toxic, I’m in favor of running as an Independent (something I wouldn’t have said a year ago). Utah, for example, I think might be gettable for an Independent, because I think the state is uncomfortable with some of MAGA’s policies, but a Democrat is not going to win there. An Independent might. (I know Evan’s - wasn’t that his name? - didn’t, but a lot has happened since then.
While I can see why Mr. Chapman feels betrayed, the man works in a prison trying to teach inmates a trade so they can rejoin society productively. Why, then, did he put his faith in someone who was convicted of sexual assault and at every turn, called the victim a liar, a whore and other choice descriptions, including the lie that he never knew her? Working in a prison, I'm sure he had insights into the type of person who is not repentant of their crime. And Mr. Chapman doesn't sound uneducated. Why would he believe the outlandish claims by trump that he could "fix it all"? Mr. Chapmans choice was surely made by listening to one stream of propaganda instead of using sound judgement to realize that "caravans of rapists and murderers" were not invading our country, and other sordid claims that "others" were the root of all misery.
We make choices in life, as we are still able to do so in this country. Mr. Chapman says if he could do the election all over again, he "would probably stay home". It's that attitude that delivered a traitor (for that is what trump is) into our White House to begin with, along with the votes of people who made no effort to seek out the facts, and those who were racist. Take your pick.
In the future, it's my hope that people like Mr. Chapman pay closer attention to the persons they vote for, and remember that sitting home, pouting because there is no one perfect candidate in their opinion does nothing to advance their agenda. And voting for someone who wants to destroy the Constitution, the very document that affords us our freedoms, is a bad move.
Now. it's time for people like Mr. Chapman to get out there and protect the right to free and fair elections instead of choosing to stay home and waste their precious vote.
You chose the Democratic approach of berating people and looking down on them. The Democrats will attack more flies with honey instead of acting like that haughty libs like this. The pressure should squarely be on the Democratic party to start forming an economic platforms that seeps down into the lower classes to start building this country up from the ground floor. That's how you get Mr Chapman out to vote for the Dems. Save your scoldings for the higher ups. Gripes go up!
This is EXACTLY what they had during Howard Dean. All this Virtue signaling and Bernie Sanders Leftist Platitudes, I’m Gotdamn sick of it. I live in the Heart of the GOP: Texas. A State that if flipped Blue could cause Catastrophic Damage to the Republican Party. Democrats need to tell Leftist to STFU and NOT get involved with this “Free Gaza” Astroturfing bullshit. It’s a Red Herring.
Thanks for writing this, really sparking some thoughts.
Mr. Chapman makes a notable point about the lack of career paths in his area, and specifically Walmart and other jobs like that not being it. What can Democrats do to help people find a life path through work? I’m curious?
This is why I am convinced that Beto O’Rourke is the Right Choice to run for President in 2028. Because he can reach out to Disenfranchised Conservative voters like Chapman. This is how Obama won in 2008.
It’s a good question, and the traditional answer would be heavy government investment. I still believe in that, but the public-private partnerships and subsidies for things like alternative energy have often been delayed, hijacked by Republicans, and failed to produce long-term jobs for locals.
If I were in charge, I’d be trying to back and subsidize local businesses and industry, providing super low-interest loans to the community, and prevent states and municipalities from racing to the bottom in tax incentives to attract big companies. I’d also invest a huge amount of money in new and affordable housing to bring down rents and home costs.
I’m all for increasing manufacturing, but so many of those factories are highly automated, so there are way fewer jobs to be had.
Your comment took my thoughts in so many directions. First, I believe that many MAGA voters like him are the victims of affinity fraud, like Bernie Madoff’s victims. And, like the victims of such con artists, they’re reluctant to admit that they’ve been defrauded. At least Mr. Chapman is willing to admit that. (Although It’s still a mystery why he felt that a rich New York real estate developer was “one of us”. The “ He hates the same people I hate” mentality, perhaps?)
Second, I wonder if he voted for the outspokenly pro-labor Joe Biden?
And third, knowing what he knows now, why would he stay home? Why was Kamala Harris so unacceptable- or, at least, unappealing- to him?
I believe that racism is inherent in the part of the country he hails from. (although not exclusively) Misogyny as well. Why else would someone cast a vote for a rude braggart instead of the intelligent, caring candidate with experience in government? Harris' campaign was all inclusive and those who chose trump new exactly the difference. As I said, it's all about the choices we make, and if he would stay home instead of voting last time after knowing what he knows, that tells me he won't vote for a woman or a minority. Misogyny and racism. It's people like him who are responsible for the nightmare we are dealing with. Admitting you made an error and refusing to correct it tells me there are underlying problems that no one can fix.
Without getting into all of it, I don’t think most people jump from one extreme to another. He grew up Republican in a deep red area and has spent 50+ years influenced by everything he’s read, heard, and experienced. Publicly admitting that he was fooled and changing his voter registration are pretty dramatic steps and indicative of some serious self-reflection.
It seems to both of us that voting Democrat should be the obvious next step, but that’s not really how political persuasion works. Votes have to be earned, especially from people who have spent a lifetime being told the party is corrupt, evil, etc. Frankly, it’s not as if his region has thrived under any president, and in my conversations with him, he harbored frustration at Obama for helping to transition us away from the coal that sustained his community. We agree that it was necessary for the planet, but it’s hard to see it that way when your town is becoming a husk of what it was.
I don’t want to presuppose his biases, and you may well be correct about them, and as I wrote, you have every right to feel frustrated with his choices as a voter. But maybe it wasn’t racism or misogyny — maybe he just believed the Trump hype and has come to an epiphany. I don’t know either way.
I think coalition building requires patience and a willingness to put in the work to persuade folks we disagree with, if they’re willing to make something of a leap as well. His leaving the GOP after a lifetime as a Republican, in a region that is still mad for MAGA, is definitely worth taking seriously.
That said, I don’t think it means making concessions on our values or the policies that dictate how we treat people. There are non-negotiables. I wouldn’t surrender on any of the things that someone like Gavin Newsom is so willing to sacrifice for political expediency. But there are other ways into working with people and finding common ground — in this case, it’s worker’s rights.
In any case, I appreciate your comments and totally understand your perspective. We are in a difficult place and there are no easy solutions.
Thanks for this comment, Jordan. I may seem critical, but I do understand your point, and I should give more credit to Mr. Chapman. The whole country is going through stressful changes, and you are correct that his actions, while they seem necessary to me, had to be difficult for him. I'll try to be more understanding in the future. We are ALL in a difficult place these days.
That’s what I suspect as well, but I recognize that what seems obvious to me (Harris’ competence compared to Trump’s incompetence) may not be interpreted the same way by others.
Well, we do need to reform the prison system entirely. Meaning less prisons and people incarcerated. Meaning less staff. Shouldn’t have been naive we all been taking about this.
Sadly right now we have two parties .. if he doesn’t vote or votes republican. He fails to solve any problem. Can’t waste one once of energy on someone who will not stand up and realize it’s the 99% vs the 1%. The republicans work for the 1% have since Reagan.
They both work for the 1%. They give us the illusion of voting, having a say, but the system is broken. Thought Trump would root the corruption out. Even musk said if they did that they would be killed. We’re getting digital ID and digital currency whomever got in office. That’s like the Chinese credit score. If you look at donors, 85% donated to Kamala/Biden. However the real piece od info that tells you who they work for is AIPAC. ALL OF CONGRESS AND THE ENTORE ADMIN TOOK buku bucks. Israel first.
BBC
Radio B@ m
And what exactly are the Democrats going to do to pick up all these blue collar workers? Any shred of economic populism on the left is put down faster than Trump goes through bottles of spray tan. The Democrats are looking for upper class abundance hoping that sham theory with no real policy will somehow "trickle down" 🙄. I don't see hope here as much as I see even more disallusionment with the entire system.
Remember Barack Obama? That’s how he won 2008 and kept Ohio Blue in 2012.
I don't think there is any excuse for voting MAGA. Harris reiterated support for Main Street, for working families, was Pro-Union and pro family. Biden was the most pro union president in history. I believe that many red state white men just couldn't pull the lever for a woman, especially a black woman. He even admits that knowing everything he knows now, he would not vote at all. Why? That's crazy. At the least, he could have been assured his job and the union were safe by voting Democratic. I realize everyone is saying the Democrats need to change, to appeal to these Red state voters, but the truth of the matter is they have been. Biden was speaking and demonstrating Family, Country, Job. Kamala was saying the same thing These voters were not listening. I am glad he changed his party affiliation, but the onus is now on him to educate himself and listen. The orange rat showed us who he was many times over. And if he hadn't been personally effected, he would not be changing his support even a little. How do you convince a person to change their perspective from an "it's all about me" to a "we" thought process? I am sick of the Democrats getting beat up because their message didn't appeal enough to these voters. Man, open your eyes and ears!
Preach 🙌
Exactly. Harris had the support and endorsements of most of the biggest unions. The head of the UAW publicly and repeatedly called DJT a "scab" and this guy and millions like him thought DJT would stand up for labor. 🤦♀️
I do worry that people like him will just sit out of politics and still be susceptible to being radicalized. He’s made the first step, which is that the illusion is broken; now we need to make the second step and work to get this person integrated into our cause.
While we should all welcome people like Mr. Chapman back to the Dem side, I feel the same as the comment below this by lunafaer. Hey, Chapman and others who voted for Trump and not for Harris, THIS IS WHAT YOU VOTED FOR! Elections HAVE CONSEQUENCES! So, welcome back, but DO NOT expect any smiles from us over here. There is room on the Dem side for idiots.
i’m glad to once again hear that personal experience is the only thing that reaches these selfish pricks.
i’m glad they’re learning but they can fuck all the way off. i hope this prick suffers in all the ways he was ok with others suffering. it’s what he deserves.
“Family, country, job.” Democrats would do well to remember those priorities when they’re trying to win elections.
When Howard Dean was DNC Chairman, they did exactly that.
They also had a 50-state strategy with Dean, if I remember correctly, which I think is something else they should return to. Not every state should have the same amount of resources devoted to it - media markets vary in cost, for one thing - but they need to at least put up a stand.
That’s Correct. Dean was appointed DNC chairman in 2005 after the Democrats suffered a Humiliating Election Season in 2004. Two years prior, they blew their chance to take back control of Congress by running a very Messageless Post 9-11 Midterm campaign. In ‘04, the DNC squandered their chance to defeat Dubya by not approaching Al Gore to run again and by having John Kerry run Way to the Left. With him doubling down on LGBT rights instead of keeping quiet about it at a time when the Country had no interest in that issue.
Dean Got it. He realized much like Gary Hart did that the Electorate doesn’t vote far Left. He found the Weakness of Dubya, he found the weak spots and was able to convince the Democrats that it was more than the Iraq War. What resulted in 2006 was a Comeback. A Renaissance. They roared back into power on a Blue Tidal Wave and Finally humiliated Dubya. He was beyond shell shocked and crestfallen.
The Democrats need to turn the clock back to them but address the Citizens United debacle that has haunted our country for 15 years. Not only do they need to return to the Howard Dean mindset, but in my opinion, they need to invest a lot into Texas. And abandon Florida. Florida took a Hard Red turn in 2016 and has doubled down every cycle. Texas is the Bunker Base of the GOP. And flipping it Blue would be like dropping an Atomic Bomb on the RNC. We have Potentially Strong Rockstar Democrat politicians here in TX. With Beto O’Rourke leading the way.
Totally agree about Texas. North Carolina too. Cheri Beasley had a chance to become Senator if she’d had more support from the party.I saw the DNC abruptly abandon Mary Landrieu here in Louisiana, which was probably the right move, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Since then I’ve donated to individual candidates, not to any of the state or national Democratic committees. And, in some places where the Democratic brand is toxic, I’m in favor of running as an Independent (something I wouldn’t have said a year ago). Utah, for example, I think might be gettable for an Independent, because I think the state is uncomfortable with some of MAGA’s policies, but a Democrat is not going to win there. An Independent might. (I know Evan’s - wasn’t that his name? - didn’t, but a lot has happened since then.
While I can see why Mr. Chapman feels betrayed, the man works in a prison trying to teach inmates a trade so they can rejoin society productively. Why, then, did he put his faith in someone who was convicted of sexual assault and at every turn, called the victim a liar, a whore and other choice descriptions, including the lie that he never knew her? Working in a prison, I'm sure he had insights into the type of person who is not repentant of their crime. And Mr. Chapman doesn't sound uneducated. Why would he believe the outlandish claims by trump that he could "fix it all"? Mr. Chapmans choice was surely made by listening to one stream of propaganda instead of using sound judgement to realize that "caravans of rapists and murderers" were not invading our country, and other sordid claims that "others" were the root of all misery.
We make choices in life, as we are still able to do so in this country. Mr. Chapman says if he could do the election all over again, he "would probably stay home". It's that attitude that delivered a traitor (for that is what trump is) into our White House to begin with, along with the votes of people who made no effort to seek out the facts, and those who were racist. Take your pick.
In the future, it's my hope that people like Mr. Chapman pay closer attention to the persons they vote for, and remember that sitting home, pouting because there is no one perfect candidate in their opinion does nothing to advance their agenda. And voting for someone who wants to destroy the Constitution, the very document that affords us our freedoms, is a bad move.
Now. it's time for people like Mr. Chapman to get out there and protect the right to free and fair elections instead of choosing to stay home and waste their precious vote.
You chose the Democratic approach of berating people and looking down on them. The Democrats will attack more flies with honey instead of acting like that haughty libs like this. The pressure should squarely be on the Democratic party to start forming an economic platforms that seeps down into the lower classes to start building this country up from the ground floor. That's how you get Mr Chapman out to vote for the Dems. Save your scoldings for the higher ups. Gripes go up!
This is EXACTLY what they had during Howard Dean. All this Virtue signaling and Bernie Sanders Leftist Platitudes, I’m Gotdamn sick of it. I live in the Heart of the GOP: Texas. A State that if flipped Blue could cause Catastrophic Damage to the Republican Party. Democrats need to tell Leftist to STFU and NOT get involved with this “Free Gaza” Astroturfing bullshit. It’s a Red Herring.
It wasn't a scold, and no one was berated. It was my opinion., and my suggestion he pay closer attention to who his vote goes to.
Chill.
Thanks for writing this, really sparking some thoughts.
Mr. Chapman makes a notable point about the lack of career paths in his area, and specifically Walmart and other jobs like that not being it. What can Democrats do to help people find a life path through work? I’m curious?
The right is offering a whole lot of grift.
This is why I am convinced that Beto O’Rourke is the Right Choice to run for President in 2028. Because he can reach out to Disenfranchised Conservative voters like Chapman. This is how Obama won in 2008.
It’s a good question, and the traditional answer would be heavy government investment. I still believe in that, but the public-private partnerships and subsidies for things like alternative energy have often been delayed, hijacked by Republicans, and failed to produce long-term jobs for locals.
If I were in charge, I’d be trying to back and subsidize local businesses and industry, providing super low-interest loans to the community, and prevent states and municipalities from racing to the bottom in tax incentives to attract big companies. I’d also invest a huge amount of money in new and affordable housing to bring down rents and home costs.
I’m all for increasing manufacturing, but so many of those factories are highly automated, so there are way fewer jobs to be had.
Your comment took my thoughts in so many directions. First, I believe that many MAGA voters like him are the victims of affinity fraud, like Bernie Madoff’s victims. And, like the victims of such con artists, they’re reluctant to admit that they’ve been defrauded. At least Mr. Chapman is willing to admit that. (Although It’s still a mystery why he felt that a rich New York real estate developer was “one of us”. The “ He hates the same people I hate” mentality, perhaps?)
Second, I wonder if he voted for the outspokenly pro-labor Joe Biden?
And third, knowing what he knows now, why would he stay home? Why was Kamala Harris so unacceptable- or, at least, unappealing- to him?
I believe that racism is inherent in the part of the country he hails from. (although not exclusively) Misogyny as well. Why else would someone cast a vote for a rude braggart instead of the intelligent, caring candidate with experience in government? Harris' campaign was all inclusive and those who chose trump new exactly the difference. As I said, it's all about the choices we make, and if he would stay home instead of voting last time after knowing what he knows, that tells me he won't vote for a woman or a minority. Misogyny and racism. It's people like him who are responsible for the nightmare we are dealing with. Admitting you made an error and refusing to correct it tells me there are underlying problems that no one can fix.
Yes. This. That’s why he said he would stay home.
Without getting into all of it, I don’t think most people jump from one extreme to another. He grew up Republican in a deep red area and has spent 50+ years influenced by everything he’s read, heard, and experienced. Publicly admitting that he was fooled and changing his voter registration are pretty dramatic steps and indicative of some serious self-reflection.
It seems to both of us that voting Democrat should be the obvious next step, but that’s not really how political persuasion works. Votes have to be earned, especially from people who have spent a lifetime being told the party is corrupt, evil, etc. Frankly, it’s not as if his region has thrived under any president, and in my conversations with him, he harbored frustration at Obama for helping to transition us away from the coal that sustained his community. We agree that it was necessary for the planet, but it’s hard to see it that way when your town is becoming a husk of what it was.
I don’t want to presuppose his biases, and you may well be correct about them, and as I wrote, you have every right to feel frustrated with his choices as a voter. But maybe it wasn’t racism or misogyny — maybe he just believed the Trump hype and has come to an epiphany. I don’t know either way.
I think coalition building requires patience and a willingness to put in the work to persuade folks we disagree with, if they’re willing to make something of a leap as well. His leaving the GOP after a lifetime as a Republican, in a region that is still mad for MAGA, is definitely worth taking seriously.
That said, I don’t think it means making concessions on our values or the policies that dictate how we treat people. There are non-negotiables. I wouldn’t surrender on any of the things that someone like Gavin Newsom is so willing to sacrifice for political expediency. But there are other ways into working with people and finding common ground — in this case, it’s worker’s rights.
In any case, I appreciate your comments and totally understand your perspective. We are in a difficult place and there are no easy solutions.
Thanks for this comment, Jordan. I may seem critical, but I do understand your point, and I should give more credit to Mr. Chapman. The whole country is going through stressful changes, and you are correct that his actions, while they seem necessary to me, had to be difficult for him. I'll try to be more understanding in the future. We are ALL in a difficult place these days.
That’s what I suspect as well, but I recognize that what seems obvious to me (Harris’ competence compared to Trump’s incompetence) may not be interpreted the same way by others.
Happy birthday, Jordan. Thanks for what you do.
A belated thank you!
Doesn’t the investment in the chips & science act help workers? Aren’t factories being built to use this money? Seems like a solution to me…