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founding

This is a great beginning to an important conversation. I also think that we need to talk more specifically, even locally, about those things that the Federal, state and local governments do in the background. People tend to look at talented athletes, musicians, writers, actors and experience something that appears to be effortless, as if these individuals woke up one day and were exceptional and successful. We don't see the hours, days and years of learning, practicing and sacrificing behind the scenes with the exception of the Olympics when the media spends some time looking behind the curtain. People forgot about infrastructure until the Infrastructure Act began using the grants for construction and improvements. People forget about our military except when there's a war; we forget about the National Guard until there's a domestic emergency; we forget about Federally funded medical research until there's a pandemic; we forget and hate the IRS until its increased funding allowed it to go after wealthy tax cheats; we forget the direct connection between taxes and revenue for government projects we support. I'd love to see more PR effort, for lack of a better word, into making it clear what the different levels of government do to make our lives better, as well as making it clear when these government entities fail to make our lives better. This would also allow people to talk to, and hear from government employees - what they do every day, why they do it, what's wrong and what's right. We only hear about most of this during an election cycle and then you have to parse through the rhetoric and lies to get to the truth, and some politicians no longer do local town halls to avoid any questions. The only way to fight against anti-government institutional noise is to provide more information and feedback about what it is these institutions do, or fail to do, to make our lives better.

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We Americans have become so spoiled with our riches and many blessings and so focused on our own personal agenda. We forget the work it took to get to where we are now. We are soaked with entitlement to the point we are unwilling to compromise our personal grievances and sacrifice for the greater good of our country. Candidates are not perfect people. Remember what Joe Biden said, “Don’t compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the alternative”. Having said that, there is only one certain choice, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

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I completely agree with Anand. He is one of the most intelligent and eloquent speakers I follow. He has insight on the deeper meaning of issues and can explain them well. The problem with "sharing" this video with the undecided is it is too logical, has too much reason and stated well beyond what those people can understand.

The media speaks about Trump as if he is a true candidate for President with specific policies in mind. The majority of his voters can't name 3 of his policies (because he has nothing besides "deport millions of immigrants"), but his voters don't care about policy. They are taken in by the cult of personality and believe his lies (or want to), and will not vote for Kamala Harris under any circumstance. The media and Democrats need to realize why people do what they do for their own self-interest. Debating policy has no bearing on why people are voting for Trump.

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Excellent commentary. I will use and share.

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Amazing and spot ON. I keep wondering, whenever someone talks about Trump being good for corporate America (presumably because of tax policy or their misunderstanding of tariffs or whatever), this exact thing that you describe. Corporate America thrives on optimistic, aspirational consumerism. Trump would so short-circuit the average American’s ability to dream, to imagine, to aspire to anything beyond survival, that I cannot imagine that being a good thing for our economy. Therefore, I fail to comprehend how corporate America isn’t more actively seeking to undermine his ascendency unless they simply assume they can control him, which I think is a big miscalculation. They could, however, control Vance — for the reasons you point out — and that’s something to reflect upon.

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I wholeheartedly agree with you.

Been talking about organizing live monthly entertaining town halls in my little community to interview public servants, along with music performances and fun!

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If the orange man gets elected do you think the plan is to dump him and pave the way for a Vance presidency? Could the 25th amendment be used to ditch tr__mp in order to allow Vance to step up?

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That's the Plan. They'll turn on trump behind his back and install JD. A younger, slicker version but with the same black heart.

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And his ideas are evil, but he’s not senile. Way more dangerous.

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Anand. This Morning Joe talk is great, but needs to contine, be longer. I showed it to an undecided and they were captured, listening, plugged in, but then shrugged when it ended too soon. Almost moved the needle, then... stop. I need a few more minutes of your concrete tangible examples that the unplugged can relate to.

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Excellent!

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Beautifully said, thank you Anand.

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