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As of October 1, 2021, the population of the United States was 333,421,330.

Joe Manchin, is attempting to dismantle President Biden’s proposal to spend $3.5 trillion for things like education, housing and child care that actually HELP ordinary Americans. He is the Senator from the state of West Virginia which has only 1.8 million residents. Kyrsten Sinema, who also opposes the plan, is from Arizona with a total population of 7.3 million.

Together, these two represent only 2.7 percent of Americans, and yet they are going to stop legislation that would change the lives of countless millions of men, woman and children in our country for the better.

On Thursday Manchin sneered that if liberals want to pass more bills, they should “elect more liberals.”

Here’s an idea: Have two Democrats —one in West Virginia and one in Arizona— each launch a campaign for the United States Senate next week to replace Manchin and Sinema when their terms expire in 2025. They can start the race now!

Let the candidates tell the people of their states why they are running: so ordinary folk can have some of the same benefits their counterparts in Europe

have enjoyed for decades.

These are some of the things your Senators don’t think you should have, the candidates can declare:

Universal pre-kindergarten education for 3- and 4-year-olds,

affordable child care for working families,

tuition-free community college,

an expansion of Pell Grants for higher eduction so students

will not be burdened by massive student debt.

Hundreds of billions to build affordable housing and establish

community land trusts

$107 billion to address the climate crisis, including forest fires,

the effects of droughts and the need to reduce carbon emissions

$198 billion to develop clean energy and create millions of jobs

in the process

If candidates like this for the U.S. Senate were to emerge right now when Manchin and Sinema are trying to sink the Biden agenda, it would be a news sensation. Every TV network, newspaper and internet venue would run the story. The two would become instant household names. Campaign funds would pour in from all over the country.

And the two Senate challengers have only to repeat over and over

and over what President wants to do for the people of America with his two infrastructure plans that will cost a total of $5.5 trillion over 10 years.

(They can compare this amount to the $14 trillion the Pentagon has spent since 9/11, according to National Public Radio. In a September 13 story, NPR also reported that Brown University Cost of War study revealed that some $7 trillion of that money went to for-profit defense contractors.)

The two Senate challengers can investigate and report exactly what special interests have financed the campaigns of Manchin and Sinema. They

can focus particularly on the largesse to the two Senators from the fossil fuel industry which certainly does not want hundreds of billions spent to fight climate change and develop clean energy.

According to recent polls, the $3.5 trillion-dollar package is extremely popular among voters in West Virginia and Arizona when the benefits are explained fully, along with the President’s plan on how to finance them.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported that “a poll of 600 registered West Virginia voters found 48% support Biden’s plan. After polled voters were given the option of raising taxes on the richest Americans and corporations, while closing the loopholes that have caused significant wealth disparities, support for the plan rose as high as 70%.”

Who is ready to stand up and do battle against the tyranny of this ridiculously tiny minority of the nation?

And let’s stop calling Manchin and Cinema “moderates” for heaven’s sake. Congress members with records like theirs are certainly at least “conservative” and might even be termed “right-wing” at a time when life on earth is being destroyed and threatened every moment by the climate emergency we humans and especially our children and grandchildren are facing.

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Reading Heather's "reflective" piece this morning, I did some reflecting myself about her ongoing efforts to present the evidence about how "Republican lawmakers are actively working to undermine our democracy." Ever since she began her endeavor, famously known as Letters from an American, she has been the voice of democracy for me and countless others as the forces of fascism have gathered to undermine the power of the people as established by the Constitution. On September 15, 2021, she posted a letter about how the blog was born and expressed her gratitude to her readers for their support.

"I write these letters because I love America," she stated in part. "I am staunchly committed to the principle of human self-determination for people of all races, genders, abilities, and ethnicities, and I believe that American democracy could be the form of government that comes closest to bringing that principle to reality. And I know that achieving that equality depends on a government shaped by fact-based debate rather than by extremist ideology and false narratives."

The post evoked a flood of reader responses reflecting the power and passion of her words. Richardson has a way of inspiring readers to participate, to think, to write back in response to the issues she raises and to join the chorus of We, the People, singing the great song of Democracy throughout the land. I acknowledged in my own response to her beautiful letter how I admired the way she continues to stand up for democracy in the face of a fascist assault unprecedented in American history, also noting how the legacy of the lone, self-sufficient individual (most likely a Reagan Republican) riding off into the sunset drags on, as does what Lewis Mumford called the predatory corporate "megamachine," the industrial regime that's destroying the planet.

These are the forces that diminish the aspirations of every civic-minded citizen yearning to participate in the process of governing this nation, which is what democracy is all about. The enemies of democracy today are the same ones that coalesced around the Republican Party and enabled it to launch the class war against FDR's New Deal and the rise of democracy during the 30's. In the current era of what I call Bozo Republicanism, Richardson's voice has become the clarion call of democracy and social justice for thousands who read her letters, and when a recent Financial Times profile revealed that she had considered giving up this beautiful thing she does, I was horrified at the thought of not having Letters from an American in my email inbox to get my motor running every morning. It seems to me that her writing transmits on the same frequency as Cicero, Tom Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglas, Susan B. Anthony, Millicent Fawcett, Ralph Nader, Lewis Lapham, Thomas Frank, Robert Scheer, Chris Hedges, Matt Taibbi, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Rep. Barbara Lee, and many other inspired luminaries who have taken a stand for democracy and the rule of law. Chris Hedges once said a person really has only two choices when push comes to shove: either serve money and power or truth and justice. Heather Cox Richardson's choice is clearly the latter, which explains the high regard readers have for her work. She relentlessly tells the truth in support of a just, democratic society the thrives for everyone, not just a cabal of wealthy elites.

When Richardson published the September 15 thank-you letter, the gratitude flowed both ways with a torrent of appreciative sentiment coming from the multitude of Letters from an American readers. That fact speaks volumes about the respect readers share for her integrity and passion for equality. Albert Einstein famously said "a student is not a container you have to fill, but a torch you have to light up." As a writer and an educator, "lighting up torches" is what Heather is all about, empowering the hearts and minds of a growing number of like-minded people yearning for democracy and uniting together to make it a reality. Power to the People!

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It’s infuriating and enervating that The NY Times, the major TV networks, and other mainstream news sources have reduced the work of Congress to a cross between a sports event and a soap opera. They all seem to think they must turn every political negotiation into a terrifying, nail-biter of a cliffhanger that might lead to the end of the world. And their constant harangues that the Dems are hapless, hopeless, and useless is exhausting. It’s all just unending blather and noise. Thank you, Professor Richardson for your eloquent, focused, and calm recital of just plain facts.

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Thank you Heather.

These last few days I have been watching not what news is being reported, but how it's being reported. It fascinates me how a simple news release is twisted to their liking. I'm not talking about some insignificant newspaper in the South, I'm referring to The New York Times. I'm thinking The New York Times is full of shit these days. More to the point, its getting away with it. I'm reading from people quoting the NYTs as if it's gospel. These are the same people that would have used this same paper to cover their trailer windows , not actually read the paper.

The twisting of news to fortify sales is hardly new in this industry. The lack of guardrails is disturbing.

I would have hoped that during the most destructive political time in our lifetimes, the media would dial back the BS and try to report with accuracy. No, not in this country.

I suppose that is why we come to Heather for news we can trust.

Be safe, be well.

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I'm shocked, Heather, shocked I tell you, that you don't think non-gendered Potato Heads aren't newsworthy and historically relevant! If I could, I would gladly erase the Trump years from my memory. That he still lives rent free in our brains thanks to every news outlet in the US hungry for hits and clicks. Revolting.

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I've said it before, and I'll say it again, The Biden/Harris, Pelosi, and Schumer teams have proven much more adept at crafting and passing needed legislation than the Trump, McConnell and McCarthy "teams" - or even The Obama/Biden team. They have gotten more done in 8 1/2 months than the previous administration did in 4 years - and 2 of those years they held majorities in both houses.

I read both yesterday's and today's posts this morning, I found it very chilling that EVERY Republican voted against vaccine mandates and for withholding aid to Afghan refugees. Any hope of bipartisanship, i.e. a coalition to save the Republic, got a little more frost bitten.

The fourth estate has their own agenda and challenges, the profit motive chief among them. PBS and the BBC are not perfect, but this seems to be less of a problem for these outlets. I know less about Al Jazeera, but that also seems to be a more responsible outlet.

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Holy guacamole. Prof Richardson just redefined "perspective". This portrait of America one year ago if created for a film (like "Idiocracy"?) probably couldn't have had it's script read - because it was too crazy, too fantastic...

So Democrats are squabbling over HOW to help Americans and Republicans are voting against every effort to do so. That is the current story, for sure.

As to the news cycle? If you need to have your TV on all day, find a cooking show or try Animal Planet. Our big screens are black until the PBS NewsHour. Then black for dinner. And then maybe on again for a favorite Netflix or HBO show.

Cable News will have a "breaking story" every few minutes. But it can wait. Don't get sucked into the entertainment style of so called news shows. They are selling drama. We don't buy it.

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Amen! The story going unreported is the one about the rise of Republican fascism.

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What a sweet relief to read your perspective on the news this morning. I usually read your piece before the NYT and WP, but this morning I didn't and was swept into the cold river of disappointment and Biden-blaming. Your piece rescued me from drowning in that negativity and shifts the blame where it belongs—with the shamelessly empty handed, empty hearted Republicans. Let's throw em all in the river and let em drown.

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Apparently they have forgotten how legislation is supposed to work. Ideas, discussion, disagreement, negotiation and consensus…all parts of a healthy democratic Congress. This hasn’t happened for so long thanks to the Republican obstructionists that it has become a foreign concept to much of the press. Or equally likely they feel the need to compete for ratings by sensationalizing it.

On another note speaking of Covid vaccine mandates, my hospital’s mandate goes into effect Oct 18. Any employees not vaccinated will lose their job unless they have a VALID medical or religious exemption. I am all for this mandate and am hoping it convinces at least part of them to receive the vaccine. However our occupational health nurses and staff have started getting threats. I went there yesterday and received my Pfizer booster and they have extra security present. The increasing lack of civility and increasing violent threats towards healthcare workers, teachers, school boards etc. is disheartening and frightening.

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It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings. [The media dismissed the Yankees some weeks ago. Oophs, they don’t wish to be reminded of their haste to trash.] President Biden is in the early miles of a marathon. He is dealing with some fractious Democrats and Republicans who steadfastly are running backwards with sharp elbows. I am betting that President Biden will be able to herd his rambunctious cats, that the Delta virus will subside significantly, the economy will be robust by early-mid-2022, that Trump will be embroiled in legal battles, and that President Biden’s record will help his team in the dash towards the 2022 election finish line.

I remember election night 1948. The pollsters had stopped polling weeks earlier, since it was such a certainty that Thomas Dewey would thrash President Truman. The pundits all ate crow. This time I hope that it is Turkey-chin McConnell.

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October 2, 2021. Women’s March of, by, and for the People. Raise the roof, let’s sing our song. Our rights, our choice.

Unite! ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

“America, America, may God thy gold refine, ‘til all success be nobleness and every gain devined.” Love me some Ray Charles on this day.

https://youtu.be/TRUjr8EVgBg

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We have a functioning government. It consists of the democratic party that is made of conservatives, liberals and many in betweens. It is an example of how a democratic government works. The republicans only appear as a negative force. They're really not part of the equation when it comes to a functioning democratic government.

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Dear Heather,

How could we take a break from your writing, even for one night? No, I, for one, cannot take a break, as I would feel that I have missed a breath of vital truths. Who needs the daily schmooze outlets as long as we have HCR and her LFAA? Please don't diminish your import in our lives -- no, not even reminders of 45's reign of terror!

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Republicans are united, and organized. They all voted against raising their own debt ceiling. They all voted for government default. They all voted against the coronavirus relief bill. They all support voter suppression. They all support tax cuts for the rich. They all voted to install right-wing, theocratic, partisan hacks on the Supreme Court. Every one of them. No one can accuse them of disarray. Un-American? Sure. Autocratic? Definitely. Anti-democratic? Without a doubt. But disorganized? Never. They march in lock step.

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This may not be new news, Heather, but thank you for repeating it to the many progressive and less progressive Democrats who read your Letter.

We all need to wrap our minds around this: only one party is attempting to govern, while the other is trying to fatally damage -- and take over -- our country. The outcome of this struggle has not yet been determined, but when it has it will surely not satisfy everyone and will be attacked from all sides.

My only real criticism of Biden and the DEM party leadership is that they are still playing catch-up with the GOP when it comes to messaging, and they are not yet (publicly) loudly acknowledging that the GOP has become an outlaw party, deeply involved in activities that are wrong, unpatriotic and simply illegal in many cases. House hearings regarding the Jan. 6th insurrection must start soon and be made easily available to all citizens on TV, radio and -- of course -- the internet. Every brainless, untrue and traitorous statement from the GOP must be called out, analyzed and exposed for what it is. Loudly. Repeatedly. Ad nauseum. Every accusation regarding "socialist" Democrats must be balanced and outweighed by simple, direct explanations of what the GOP is up to and why it constitutes Fascism. No, this is not exaggeration, just accurate labeling. Examine events in Nazi Germany and Italy in the 1920s and 30s; the similarities with the USA, 2016 to the present, are striking.

While the Justice Dept. must, MUST follow the law and the Constitution in its investigations of wrongdoing by Trump, his flunkies and his (mostly) tight-lipped GOP fellow travelers in Congress, it must also not be afraid to investigate vigorously and widely, follow evidence wherever it leads, indict suspected criminals without regard to any political fallout, and detain those suspects who -- the DOJ suspects -- will try to destroy evidence or flee or commit further crimes.

If the Congress is unable to pass essential voting rights and election reform legislation (even a somewhat trimmed back version that the two rogue DEM Senators can vote for), and/or the various wings of the DEM party are unable to bring robust infrastructure and social spending bills to a vote (compromised versions are better than nothing), then it will be up to Merrick Garland to do the work, take the heat and bring the GOP to its knees.

Like it or not, we are hanging by a thread.

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