That's it right there. Good for the Speaker using plain language. Not trying to sugarcoat anything. You don't have to be a fantastic orator to get the point across. That was a perfect one-liner that could be used in every District all across the country.

Yes, a great line that every prominent politician should use!

Last edited Wed Nov 5, 2025, 01:32 PM - Edit history (1)

Framing some issues can be challenging, but with Trump, this simple line gets right to the core of what Americans are all feeling.

When in doubt, go with the simpler language. This is a line that every Democrat (elected and otherwise) should memorize and work into every discussion. It can and should be the opening line in every argument, regardless of the subject, because this really is Trump/MAGA at its reptilian core. Everything he is doing is about chaos (directly linked with greed and corruption) and cruelty.

For example, if we're talking about the ACA cuts, "The Trump politics of chaos and cruelty are once again on full display. It is hard to imagine anything more cruel than a HC system run by rich old white men that pay themselves exorbitant salaries and maximize their pay package by denying care, and then we cut off the ACA supports that allow 40 million people to have any HC at all? This was always about cruelty, and Trump brought on the chaos of the government shutdown intentionally to carry out this cruelty. And the chaos doesn't stop there. Even when a court orders Trump to continue the SNAP and WIC programs using contingency funds properly appropriated by Congress, Trump uses the chaos of a constitutional crisis to make sure he can inflict the most cruelty on the most people -- and he calls us the 'enemies of the state' '".

A friend of mine is a preacher in a very influential urban church and a rising community leader. One of his sayings is "Life is a sermon." That is to say, a sermon is all about telling a story that is relatable. And a powerful sermon isn't just a random stream of thoughts. It has linkage. In this case, Trump = chaos = cruelty is powerful, powerful linkage. And once we understand that simple idea, we can all be much more impactful.

Congratulations Virginia Democrats - you made this happen!

It's going to go even better in 2026 so we need to keep our heads up and keep our eyes on the prize.

Come 1/2027 or 1/2029 they may very well find themselves on the outside looking in, with truly independent news agencies in the front seat. I would personally find that quite satisfying.

the return of the Fairness Doctrine, and extending this to all new media as well.

It is not enough just to run against Trump because he can moderate his position if he is convinced that is the best way. Running against Trump is defensive. In the NFL (and just about every competition) you need a combination of offense and defense. Some teams, like the '85 Bears, were known for defense, but they still had to put points on the board. And the Mahomes Chiefs are known for offense, but they still have to stop somebody.

We can (and must) play both defense (attacking Trump's insanity) and offense (advocating bold solutions) at the same time. In the case of the media, there is now a very realistic possibility of Dems -- led by the progressive wing -- having solid control of Congress in 2027, and being in a strong governing position in 2029. That means we are in a position to warn the media that they must clean up their own house or else they will not like what comes their way when we regain control. If they are smart, they will stop participating in Trump's payola/fraud schemes, start reporting on the unprecedented levels of corruption, and challenge both parties equally. We need to make it clear to the major media that it is manifestly in their best interests to return to their Constitutional role of providing real checks on corrupt administrations.

looking at our media.

Instead of thinking of them as media, think of them as corporations who happen to have a media outlet.

Independent news agencies are making gains. I hope they crush them.

I used to buy media time back in the day before computers took it over. We buyers would make our selections from the Arbitron surveys and the Nielsen ratings. From that I got a sense of how programming and different media outlets can fluctuate. I think the rise of the independents could happen.

but this is truly a sign of what we can do in the midterms if we don't give in! Keep up the pressure.

That was Jerry Falwell's and Pat Robertson's country then. My, how things have changed.