July 6, 2024: The Debate Debacle – Your Responses

I am heartened that, so far, 180 people have looked at my July 4 blog post (Blogger shows me how many people read each post but not their identities).  I also have received some great responses via email from various sides of the political spectrum.  I would like to share these with you, identifying the writers by their first names and where they live.  I’ve “cleaned up” some of the grammar, punctuation, etc. but I’m not going to comment on these emails although you are free to do so or send me more emails for future publication on the blog.

By the way, I’ve decided to scrap my idea of visiting Colorado politicians’ offices in person.  I discussed this idea briefly with a friend who has experience lobbying Congress.  “Should I make an appointment to speak to staffers or just show up at their offices?”  I asked.  “You need an appointment but they are unlikely to give you one,” he replied.  This snapped me into reality:  Why bother making all the effort to speak for 2 minutes with some staff person to a Congresswoman, Senator, or Governor who may or may not pass along my thoughts when they are likely getting 100s or even 1000s of other comments, pro and con about Biden.  Maybe I should instead make a big sign (“Please, Mr. President.  Drop out NOW!”) and picket their Denver offices, State Democratic Party Headquarters, the July 20 local Democratic Party meeting, and the steps of the State Capital.  What do you think?  Anyone want to join me?

Without further ado, here are your emails in the order I received them:

 

I have a friend in San Diego who has been very angry for a long time about Trump. She used to post her anger frequently to a few people on Facebook. After telling her many times that she would be much more effective working with a group, she finally made a switch and has been instrumental in forming a local group.

I suggest you write a guest editorial or letter to the editor to have more readers.  Or maybe work within a group.  Surely there are several.  

I think many of us are devastated and terrified and would join a march if there was one.   Some don’t know what to think.  I am not as judgmental as you.  I’m not sure a new Dem candidate would now have the time to demonstrate their appeal, competency and influence that would be needed to beat Trump.

I’ve also noted, it’s younger folk who are contemplating a move.  

By the way, I did contact the governor feeling he had the most influence with that pending Dem governors meeting. I’m less impressed with him.  And politics.

Barbara

Lakewood, Colorado

 

 

 

Dear Will,

I found your email very interesting!  I had many thoughts and will mention a few things:

I hope you have a chance to read THE ATLANTIC.  Some very elegant articles were written about the things you wrote about in your email.

While reading your email, I was thinking about that famous quote from George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.”

When I woke up this morning, it was a BEAUTIFUL SUNNY MORNING, and I had to think about a 21-year-old college student.  Her name was Sophie Scholl.  She was a university student in Munich during the Nazi times, and was caught printing anti-Nazi pamphlets (called die Weisse Rose)

On 22 February 1943, Sophie, her brother, and an accomplice went to court and received their sentences.  Later that day, they were led to the guillotine.  Her last words are known:

”How come we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a Righteous cause.  IT IS SUCH A FINE SUNNY DAY AND I HAVE TO GO, BUT WHAT DOES MY DEATH MATTER IF, THROUGH US, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE AWAKENED AND STIRRED TO ACTION.”

It was also today, 248 years ago, that 13 colonies presented the Declaration of Independence to the American people; copies went to England.  It took about six weeks before King George the Third saw that paper and HE WAS NOT AMUSED!  There was a good reason for me to re-read that famous document again today. It tells me that there is always hope for change for the better.

Since I am still a citizen of the Netherlands, I still look and read about what politically is going on in my home country.  Today was also the first day of a newly chosen parliament in the Netherlands. I felt politically very ashamed of what I heard and saw:  Kindergarten-type children fighting over stupid things in a sand box.

André

Las Vegas, Nevada

 

 

Will:

No need to worry.  Politicians don't give a shit...Polis will be Pres in 2028, after Biden gets reinstated in November after stealing the election again.  Why do you think they are propping him up?  Anyone with half a brain may actually close the borders to the scum who are flooding in, but the illegals are the weapon of Soros and the WEF to destroy white civilization.

So it is I who should be worried that the destruction of this once great country which began in 2021 will be completed in 2025.  And I don't believe I will have the luxury of boarding myself inside my house and ignoring the world....the Commie government will have confiscated it in a Dr. Zhivago-style raid.

I write this as I have breakfast in a hotel located in a slum in East London, costing $300/night, where the entrance door is locked 24 hours a day, and I seem to be the only white guy among bourkas and turbans. There is shit on the streets, and every vertical surface is covered in graffiti.  It disgusts me what the natives have allowed to happen to themselves.

Enjoy summer.

Phil

Suburban Denver

 

 

Hi Will,

You are not alone. Americans are very small-minded, and don't really seem to care about the effect they have on the rest of the world. Like Britain and Brexit, it's all about the green grass of England, not the fact that the EU was founded from the ashes of a world war to prevent future conflicts in Europe by balancing freedom with equality. An unleashed Trump will be a nightmare for the whole world, except for those despotic types who don't believe in fairness, like Putin, Kim and Netanyahu. Dictators usually end up fighting each other, but create an awful mess first. However, these are really minor issues when compared to the state of the planet with a very angry climate venting its wrath worst on those least equipped to deal with it.

Joe Bader-Ginsburg Biden is a good man with good intentions, but with very poor judgement, and his legacy will no doubt condemn him to notoriety! I notice that the heirs to the Disney Empire will withdraw support for the Democrats until Biden withdraws. Will that help? Who can effectively replace him? Not Kamala. Trump is a mendacious showman who focuses on the person and not on the issues. Do the Dems have any showmen/ women to compete? After the Supreme Court decision to give the president immunity from prosecution for acts of a presidential nature, why the fuck does Joe not give Trump the electric chair?

We are all feeling our age, some more than others, so I hope you will bravely weather the coming storm.

Hope you had a great Independence-from-what Day!

Hugh

Dublin, IRELAND

 

 

Hi Will,

I read your message and share your rage and despondency. Here’s why we must win, regardless of who runs. It’s not just Trump, but an international movement that’s not going away:  https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/archive (see July 4, 2024 post)

Karen

Denver

 

 

EXCELLENT article Will…my sentiments exactly…by the time these morons figure out how much they have lost, it will be too late.  We are in the process of moving from this right wing nut state of TX with its fully loaded fascist population, to Washington state….can’t stomach it here anymore and I have one more move in me….will keep you posted, thanks for the article….NEVER stop writing!!!!!!!

David

Dallas, Texas

 

 

If you find Project 2025 alarming, take a look at Agenda 21. Project 2025 is being used as a distraction from Agenda 21, which is endorsed by both political parties: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xfgsm1

Have you watched Greg Braden videos? He gives an eye opening account of climate change misinformation as a geologist. Something else to argue about. Least ways, not boring.

Andy

URUGUAY

 

 

Will, my brother,

You are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome*. 

Let me share with you the craziness of Whitmer...the new Dem darling. The crazy woman locked down Michigan for 17 months...yup, February 2020 to July 2021.  Think about public education destruction!!  Talk about indoctrination via TV screens.

Whitmer sicked her dog AG on a 78-year-old barber in a one-traffic-light-town in Michigan to arrest him for staying open to give men haircuts.   The Whitmer state police went to arrest and lock up the 78 year old barber.  Thank goodness more rational folks showed up to blockade....those folks were the Hells Angels!!!  

Oh....the state of Michigan was locked down only for state residents who pay property taxes year around.  She allowed the wealthy from Chi-town to open up their cottages on the east shore of Lake Michigan.  The unwashed masses who have cottages were left to the Gestapo lockdown.

Of course no sane human could understand the no-travel ban.  Whitmer spread her legs to travel to Florida to "help her poor old dad clean his home".

She made the junket during spring break on a private plane and on the return trip brought her two daughters home after the daughters enjoyed spring break.

Whitmer...do as I say...not as I do

The answer for you is not the Pelosi, Whitmer, Hochul, Dems....look to Green Party, the Libertarians.

BTW....may be worth reading the SCOTUS decision US v Curtis Wright, 1936 ...to learn about someone else (FDR) who had an outsized ego.

David

a 38 year property tax payer in Michigan

 

*Note from Will:  Wikipedia defines Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) as follows:  TDS “is a pejorative term, usually for criticism or negative reactions to former United States president Donald Trump that are perceived to be irrational and to have little regard towards Trump's actual policy positions, or actions undertaken by his administration. The term has mainly been used by Trump supporters to discredit criticism of him, as a way of reframing the discussion by suggesting that his opponents are incapable of accurately perceiving the world….Despite the usage of the term ‘syndrome’ suggesting a medical condition, TDS is not an official medical diagnosis.”

 

Hey Will,

As you know I was a 60’s left wing radical and have been fighting the good fight for almost 60 years now. Protesting in DC, taking over my university’s administration building, writing to political leaders as well as working for them, 2005 Big Horn Fellow, passing legislation, etc.

After Thursday night’s debacle, like you I found Biden’s performance horrific! And now Biden and his inner circle want us not to believe what we heard and saw. Really? I believe all is lost, neither political party gives 2 shits about the country nor the American people.

At 76, I believe I am going to have to move to Vancouver, BC or Ireland.  FUCK the health care issues, living in this country with Trump as president will be unsustainable.

With Trump as president you can forget about masks & vaccinations. And bigger issues, Trump will align himself with Putin and Kim Jong Un and seek the destruction of the free world unless they pay him exorbitant sums of money. And he plans to pardon the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, etc. so he can use them as his personal death squads. He will have them assassinate whomever he pleases with impunity with the support of the SCOTUS. The Christian Evangelicals have won and they now want to kill every liberal on the planet!

We have two options; a violent response or leave. I would support a violent response but there are so few of us, and most of us are too old. Our best option:  we need to put together a dozen folks or so and all move to the same foreign country in order to support each other.

There is little support for democracy in the country, few care anymore.  Most liberals will only stand in silence desperation hoping things will change. I booed a republican politician in the 4th of July parade and my friends here in Fort Collins were aghast! Which confirmed my greatest fears - liberals are not going to fight back. They won’t even demand Biden be removed. And I refuse to stand idly by and be imprisoned or executed.

All is lost, Will….

Steve

Fort Collins, Colorado

 

Saw the debate, and I too, cringed and had to turn it off.  But I remember all the positive steps forward that Joe has made, and have no doubt, he is a better choice for this country than DJT.

I’m confident he can do the job, has just as much chance of a major health event as djt, and of course, Putin is cheering on any doubts Americans might have which can give djt the edge he needs to take power.  If it’s a choice between feeble kindness, morality, and competence, vs the ‘pit of depravity’, my choice is clear.  Guess I just trust Joe.  I’m greatly reassured by the many clear, lucid, and energetic speeches he has given since that night at the debate.  He’s still ‘got it’ and needs our support. 

I see the debate as an anomaly.  Makes me wonder if MAGA doped Joe’s water bottle!

David

Northern California

Sent from my AI coffee maker   (Will’s note:  Yes, David’s email actually closed with that line.  Is this a joke or can AI coffee makers now send emails?  OMG, what’s next?  Programmable toilets, maybe?)

 

 

Thanks for sharing so much of what most intelligent people are thinking. It is so scary. Difficult to believe that this is reality. To me it’s like a bad dream

Sandy

South Florida

 

 

Will:  I left the Republican Party the day they nominated Trump and, like you, have become increasingly worried about our country’s future.  We live in a deep Red state with a Tallahassee legislature and governor whose only accomplishments have been to attack those who cannot fight back – minorities, immigrants, women, and the LBGT community.  Laws are regularly passed that can only be described as mean-spirited at best, bigoted at worst.

I will vote for Joe Biden if he is the Democratic nominee but I pray he drops out.  Last week’s performance cannot be papered over through speaking points given by party line Democrats.

Thanks for the note.  I will do what I can.

Don

Central Florida

 

 

Thanks, Will!

Keep speaking your mind and keep me on the email list.  I appreciate you.   

Thanks,

Rob

Aurora, Colorado

 

 

Hello Will -

I read every word. Too soon for my opinion yet.

I have voted for every Democratic candidate since and including Adlai Stevenson. Many were not my first choice. Not all were winners.

But, for the moment, I wanted to mention this book, which I picked up in Australia. It may have been printed in England but is available here.

Ron

Northeastern Pennsylvania

 

Hello Will,

To be perfectly honest, I think you exaggerated the power of your piece.  There was nothing that a rational person couldn’t work out for themselves. There was nothing I disagreed with, but I am aware of how nasty and vindictive the religious right are in the US and it doesn’t take much truth to upset them.

The huge problem this week is the Supreme Court placing the President above the law

Remember Clark Kent and Superman, stood for Truth, Justice, and the American way, I say make up your mind:  Truth, Justice, OR The American Way.

Norm

Victoria (State), AUSTRALIA

 

Will,

Well said.  I totally agree and would like to see a Gavin Newsom/Wes Moore or Gretchen Whitmer ticket!

Joe

Columbus, Ohio

 

[Practice your Spanish comprehension with the following or see my English translation below. – Will]

Estimado Willi,

Me alegra muuuucho saber de ti, que estas bien y con actividades importantes.

Como siempre muy entretenido tu relato, me lo leí en pocos minutos porque no lo pude soltar hasta el final.

Es indignante lo que pasa con los políticos de EE.UU. Es inaceptable su irresponsabilidad y egoísmo. Cómo puede ser que quienes debieran ser los mejor dotados del país más importante del mundo, sean unos mentirosos y farsantes. Han escogido a los peores.

Gracias por tu información y opiniones. Felicitaciones por intentar cambiar a estos incapaces y reemplazarlos por mejor dotados.

¿Qué opinas de Kamala? ¿Podría ser una buen reemplazante?

Saludos cordiales,

Javier

Santiago, CHILE

 

Esteemed Willi,

It makes me verrrrrry happy to know what you've been doing.  May you be well and [continue] important activities.

As always, your story is very entertaining.  I read it in quickly because I was not able to leave it until the end.

It’s outrageous what is happening with politicians of the United States.  Their irresponsibility and egotism is unacceptable.  How can it be that those who should be the most gifted of the most important country in the world are liars and fakers?  They [U.S. Americans] have chosen the worst. 

Thanks for your information and opinions.  Congratulations for trying to get rid of these incompetents, replacing them with the most gifted.

What do you think of Kamala?  Would she be a good replacement?

Cordial greetings,

Javier

 

 

Feel better?  I applaud your courage in speaking an opinion on a mass media platform. Too many people remain silent from fear of being lambasted for having a view different from the majority of the moment.

Yesterday, the Mediterranean climate of Los Angeles hit 111 degrees and it will be over a 100 every day all week long. Anybody who denies climate change is batshit crazy.

It’s sad when out of all the brilliant minds in this country we have to settle for the lesser of two evils for President and we have been doing that for my entire life. I mean who would want a job mired in political bullshit where the number one priority in Washington DC is to get re-elected. People be damned.

Don’t get me started on the media with their steady stream of caca.

The only hope is we are two years away from the average male lifespan and won’t be around to see it all go down the drain. God help our kin.

Maybe all this is building up to another ice age or flooding. Wipe the slate clean and start over.

Richard

Southern California

Hello Will,

I read your July 4 Howard Beale missive. Pretty depressing stuff. What I would say about the first part of your letter is that your feelings are widespread. I can assure you that I feel the same way. About essentially all of the same things. But just from a totally opposite political perspective! And that’s the rub.

I try to avoid talking politics to most people anymore. As the nation has become increasingly partisan, everything has become political. And everything is politics. It’s like the world of Oceania in 1984. Our country is dividing right down the middle, and that divide, I’ve said, is wide, it is deep, and it is irreconcilable. Friendships and familial relationships have disappeared. Even one-time allies on the same side of the political spectrum have separated as one or the other isn’t sufficiently doctrinaire. Scary times.

I’m sorry that your outlook is so bleak. It’s a tough way to feel as we approach the inevitable end. And I can again assure you that my thoughts, emotions, and frustrations are along the same lines. But different politics. Linda and I’ve talked about relocating outside the country, but where to go? And like you, we figure we’re a tad old to be trying to start over someplace.

I’ve struggled for years to see any believable way back to an America with a future. I won’t say a better America. Many elements of what I would consider a “better” society would almost certainly not accord with your views. You talk at the end of your note about smugly watching everything flush down the toilet, and I understand. But when you throw kids and grandkids into the mix, it pushes the panic levels to a whole new level.

Being a sometimes student of history, I’ve told myself that all republics, and all nations generally, fail. A 250-year run for the USA seems to be a pretty good run, as republics go. So I’ve tried to remain somewhat calm and observe what are truly historic events. But it really hasn’t worked very well. I’m too wrapped up in the actuality of things.

I guess it was when I got to the last part of the letter, the “ugly” part, that I was most surprised. Over the years, I think we’ve pretty much papered over our political differences and concentrated on other things. There is, after all, or should be, a lot in life that has nothing to do with politics. I’ve always felt that you held a much more realistic and nuanced view of the worth and morality of those of us “on the other side.” I never thought you saw us with horns and a barbed tail.

You said you would dispense vitriol, and I gotta say, that was pretty vitriolic. Contrary to the view I’ve always had of you, it seemed that you retrieved every vicious, hateful stereotype of every person on the other, i.e. my, side of that big old divide. Wow. That was a shock.

See, I don’t like Trump. I probably wouldn’t have him in my home. But I might vote for him, because, aside from all the infantile bullshit, I liked almost all of what he did, or tried to do. Especially considering the alternative. Biden’s obvious deteriorated condition scares the hell out of me. I think another term as president for him materially increases the risk of major war among the great powers. None of these views were arrived at casually. I read a lot, especially history. But I realize I’ve probably consigned myself to the lower circles of Hell in your eyes.

I had thought of trying to take on your points in the last part of your letter and explain my frustrations with the same issues, from the opposite political viewpoint. But, after a couple of re-readings, I think that’s probably futile. One valuable service your note provided, I think, was convincing me that conversation between the two sides over, especially, every one of the issues you wrote about, is useless. I don’t think our country has been this split since 1860. The issues of the day then couldn’t be talked over, and I suspect that’s where we are now. Irreconcilable.

Will, I continue to wish you the best. I do not wish for success for your political proclivities. I think you’re wrong about a number of things, but not evil. I hope you and Judy can somehow enjoy a happier retirement in the future.

All the best,

Joe

Centennial, Colorado