PRO-DEMOCRACY COALITION: My personal strategy

1. Campaign for democrats up and down the ticket. Working with Lehigh Valley For All and Susan Wild's campaign (https://wildforcongress.com/). [No direct contact with Bob Casey's campaign but I know both campaigns are including his literature along with everyone else in the downballot races.]

2. Make popcorn, watch cable news, and share my unwanted opinions online between Election Day on Tuesday, November 5th, 2024 and Inauguration Day on Monday, January 20, 2025. I'm inclined NOT to participate in any "live action" stuff unless it is peaceful and led by responsible organizations.

DON'T show up for a brawl and become part of and even escalate any violence. THAT is the job of the Executive branch at the federal, state, and local level.

[THAT was poorly phrased. I really need to read my stuff before I post. Hopefully everyone knows what I meant!! 🤣  ]

3. Should Donald Trump be inaugurated (by fair means or foul), engage in peaceful civil resistance - including civil disobedience if necessary - for CRITICAL ISSUES.

I consider Trump's execution of the Insurrection Act and any illegal, violent action against citizens, on the one hand, and the mass, "bloody" roundup of immigrants (documented or undocumented) and incarcerating them in camps to be such issues.

4. Presuming we survive all that - and we will - we need to talk AND ENGAGE with our seriously aggrieved neighbors on projects to address community level problems, increasing social capital and community resilience against extremism using the three social networking tools of bonding, bridging, and linking.

Megan Leahy: The Bonding and Bridging (Im)Balance

Thank you, J. D. Vance. Now let's give MAGA a Wedgie 🤣

Thank you, J. D. Vance. Now let's give MAGA a  Wedgie 🤣

BEYOND ALL PARTISANSHIP, I am fighting for public facts, American civics, and basic human decency.

I fell asleep during the debate (of course), but the back and forth on Morning Joe clarified things for me a bit.

Vance handled himself as a gentleman. Between the two of them, it was quite the gentlemanly affair with no hard feelings either side.

Walz reminded me of any number of Scout leaders I have had or known.

Vance reminded me of Tom Ellis' characterization of Lucifer (without the later's unfortunate habit of occasionally doing the wrong thing for the right reasons). 🙂

As Charlie Sykes said, "Vance won on style. But this is not figure skating."

If you LISTENED to what Vance was saying, he was asking voters to overthrow the Constitution. For every opportunity he let go, he dropped the elephant in the room right on Vance's head and you'll see THAT exchange, forever, in Harris ads.

Vance demonstrated that you can do the MAGA thing in a classy, gentlemanly way (no doubt REALLY pissing off Donald Trump by everyone telling him how MAGNIFICENTLY Vance did).

It also reminded me of “The Wire” with Trump playing Avon Barksdale, the shoot’m up gangsta who wants to fight for every corner and with Vance playing Stringer Bell, with HIS eye on the wealth and the power to come post-gangsta, where dropping bodies is an unfortunately necessary cost of doing business and the less dropped the better because bodies bring the police.

Admiral James Stravidis even referenced Michael Corleone’s advice from “The Godfather” in reference to Vance’s “style”: ““Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment”

We need a center-right party that can give voice to the important and valid concerns that a LARGE caucus within Trump’s 46% favorability raters, people we know from long experience, that nonetheless embraces speaking the truth, putting community above party, and is grounded in the norm of human decency.

That would put a wedge in the current MAGA coalition and would hopefully exclude the extremist ideologues (Bannon), the bat shit crazies (Gen. Flynn), the insurrectionist cosplayers (the militias), and the grifters (Trump, Guilliani).

It would split the MAGA vote, giving the Democrats the ability to push their agenda while the GOP or its successor can build a loyal party in opposition.

Anyone not admitting that Donald Trump LOST the election yet attempted to retain power through inciting an insurrection timed to prevent the peaceful transfer of power is disqualified right out of the gate.

"WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Nearly identical percentages of U.S. adults rate Donald Trump (46%) and Kamala Harris (44%) favorably in Gallup’s latest Sept. 3-15 poll, during which the candidates debated for the first time. Both candidates, however, have higher unfavorable than favorable ratings. Trump’s unfavorable rating is seven percentage points higher than his favorable score, and Harris’ is 10 points higher."

Favorable Ratings of Harris, Trump Remain Under 50%