It astounds me that no one considers that the way things have been in the past may not be the way things work going forward. The hosts seem so sure that elections are going to be held in 2028.
I agree with your point about 'business as usual' not meeting this moment...but there is good news (and it is HUGE): thanks to tens of thousands of us calling/writing, and nonprofit groups organizing/galvanizing around this super-critical issue—there will not be even one Senate Democrat crossing the line to vote for the SAVE Act.
Had this Jim Crow on Steroids law passed, the 2026 midterms (actually, starting with all subsequent special elections and the Virginia state Governor, Lt. Governor, Atty General and House of Delegates elections this year) would have been nothing but window dressing after 10s of millions of voters would have been purged from the voter rolls, forget getting to 2028.
We must all remember that WE the people, the majority that have NEVER, ever voted for Tr*mp, in three elections. In fact, more than 12 million of us have voted for someone NOT Tr*mp. We have to stand up and fight back...if we all show a little courage, no one has to be a hero (paraphrasing a quote from Rep. Sarah McBride's father).
We forget, Tr*mp has never won 50% of the popular vote, let alone a majority. And when you consider how many eligible voters don't/can't vote—he has never won even a third of the voting population.
I am so ready for an opposition party that will fight FOR our freedoms and a better future...and not just AGAINST the fascists and a return to the 'normal' status quo after this horrific regime.
I wish you spoken about AOC and Bernie’s rallies. WE ignore when leadership steps up. That I find very disconcerting- it’s like those packed rallies don’t exist. Very strange to me.
Agreed, Lisa! That’s not nothing nor are all the weekly and daily protests. Not everyone that opposes Trump is a Democrat. Folks are out there, though, and someone better figure out who they are.
Agreed, Lisa! That’s not nothing nor are all the weekly and daily protests. Not everyone that opposes Trump is a Democrat. Folks are out there, though, and someone better figure out who they are.
Candidly, the smugness m.. turning to discomfort is right there in Mika’s expression; because capitulation isn’t reckoning.
And meanwhile, the Morning Joe promos claim that theirs is the place for “Hard conversations.” MSNBC is a big reason why there’s been no reckoning; because it gives quarter to those who wish to engage in disclaiming accountability, because of discomfort avoidance…
The Morning Joe people make me want to vomit. They are a shining example of what enabled us to get here in this horrific mess. Narrow thinkers who armor themselves with crusted, privileged opinions that miss the disease.
This is SPOT ON: "The obstacles to self-examination and change are very real and rooted deep in our anxieties, our sense of self, and our fears about the future."
There IS NOT an answer to the question of "What happened??" because we are blind until we move these obstacles out of the way of ourselves to see things DIFFERENTLY. Fear of the unknown, fear of our survival of our own center-centered identity STOPS the evolution of solutions.
We must look deeply into what is BROKEN in our society and the democratic party. Own it. Fix it. That's the hard work. If we can't do that, we'll be no better than Russia.
Anand, your I Was Going to Be Brave video is a brilliant piece of political theatre. It confronts us with our excuses and fears. It is emotionally powerful. It is scary. And it makes me want to do even more! I keep hoping there will be street theatre, but this is a perfect beginning. You need to perform it live! I have sent it to everyone I know who is angry, fearful, confused, lost, or starting to look the other way. Thank you thank you.
Hopefully the Democrats aren’t just patiently waiting for 2028. Trump did assure us that if we voted for him we’d never have to vote again. Hopefully they aren’t taking the constitution as it is for granted. Without a reckoning what could happen?
Anand, this was powerful when I read it. And it was hauntingly powerful hearing your voice say the words. As a person who has tried to be involved and active in this moment, when my health hit me over the head, I had to find a different way. Your SubStack is a go to daily for inspiration. And I’m happy to report I am back building a group in red ass Missouri 8th Congressional District. Rural was my home and I want it to come back alive. The work is tremendous to regain our strength.
I've just begun Solnit's latest book "No Straight Road Takes You There" as a way to live through this particular day/week/month. Though there is so little that I can do, I shall practice the Butterfly Effect and resist where able. I shall practice Guzman's "I Never Thought of It That Way". I shall be open to synchronicity as something really new bubbles up.
Anand, i read your piece and loved the emphasis on CURIOSITY and the lack of it. Curiosity is an old virtue, especially important for people who want to learn, grow and transform. It is a necessary ingredient for individuals and collectively. Open Mind, Beginner's Mind – it is not enough to just speak those words. Curiosity is a deep inner need – and you have it innately, which drove me to your The.Ink. In my teaching i put this capacity first, for many it needs to be practiced.
I also saw you speak at MSNBC. Please keep your style and depth of thinking & communicating, don’t adjust to the style of bigger conventional platforms. We need people like you who bridge add inspire, ask good questions, are curious and open. It means one is willing to take risks, not conform to denial and "success," to majority certain-ness, but rather stay true to one's inner inquiry. Now we all will have to stand up for our Tue North – it's not about left or right, it is about evolving into a better human being and humane society. Evolution points into that direction even though right now human-ness seems to be losing – but this loss is there so we can wake up fully!!!
Being post-war German-born and raised, i know about inquiry into history, and the causes of fascism and authoritarianism, and letting it become as well self-inquiry, self-criticism, deep change, transformation. Now at 71, having worked as filmmaker, artist, writer, for 44 years in America, I feel all of us have to do this difficult work that was a "must" in Germany, as late and imperfect the reckoning was and is. For a teenager in 1968, reckoning didn't happen immediately and fast enough. Reckonings take time, courage, encouragement, space, and perseverance. But now we are in the equivalent of 1934, we don’t have the time. We need the Miracles of Curiosity. Envisaging. Let’s do it. Keep on going with what you do – so needed, fantastic work, Anand!
May CURIOSITY prevail and grow! Tausend Dank – thousand thanks, from Karina in Berkeley.
I agree with you, Anand, that there hasn’t been a reckoning regarding what happened in the election and why. I read the article and listened to the Morning Joe clip. To have a true reckoning requires self assessment, evaluation, and reflection, and this is not happening at least on a deep level. I also want to say that I agree that progressives often use terms and phrases from academia that are fine in a course of study but really off putting in conversation. Such discourse is evidence of an inability or unwillingness to empathize with others. And too why do Democrats shy away from dynamic, charismatic people. Democrats spend too much time resisting change.
This is a text I got a half hr ago - reflecting EXACTLY what you said this morning, Anand. Dems don’t do any meaning making for voters, they just keep asking for money. “Please $5 & please vote” like you said, but nothing to explain what’s going on to the voter nor connecting with us emotionally.
(I’m posting this as an example. I deleted the link to donate obviously, but pls delete my comment if it breaks some rule)
“Kamala Harris is asking if there is ANYTHING we can say to convince you to donate to the Democratic National Committee -- especially after today's vote?
What if we told you that after House Republicans voted to slash funding for Medicaid and nutrition programs to give tax cuts to the rich, they actually chanted USA! USA! USA! on the House floor?
What if we told you that next week the DNC has an FEC fundraising deadline and they are legally required to report what they raise and it's critical that the press and Republicans see a HUGE number of donations made today, on May 22?
This fight is not over. The bill goes to the Senate and back to the House. We want every Republican to see the overwhelming opposition to what they are doing.
And if they do it again, that money will be used to hold them accountable at the ballot box.
So please - let's make today a day of an overwhelming number of donations to the DNC
Anand, please do a program on Free our Feeds! Its about creating a social network free from the control of the morbidly rich. It is critical that progressives can communicate on a social network alternative to Instagram, X & the like. Also, have you interviewed Carol Cadwalladr? She is a guiding light in this era of misinformation.
Honestly, I found this conversation disappointing. There were some good points made, but overall it’s a miss. I overall agree that top Democratic leadership is failing, but these kind of conversations are depressing and cynical. To say that no one is doing anything is not true. Indivisible, Run for Something, Working Families Party, 50501 are organizing and pushing back. Honestly, I don’t think change in the Democratic Party is going to come from top down-it’s going to come from the bottom up and I’ve been seeing lots of exciting candidates running for office in 2026 and I think there’s opportunity to shake things up and I wish that was discussed more. Also, the reference around David Hogg was disappointing. He spun that whole situation to serve himself, frankly. Anand, I’d like to see you interview and talk with Malcolm Kenyatta.
It astounds me that no one considers that the way things have been in the past may not be the way things work going forward. The hosts seem so sure that elections are going to be held in 2028.
I agree with your point about 'business as usual' not meeting this moment...but there is good news (and it is HUGE): thanks to tens of thousands of us calling/writing, and nonprofit groups organizing/galvanizing around this super-critical issue—there will not be even one Senate Democrat crossing the line to vote for the SAVE Act.
Had this Jim Crow on Steroids law passed, the 2026 midterms (actually, starting with all subsequent special elections and the Virginia state Governor, Lt. Governor, Atty General and House of Delegates elections this year) would have been nothing but window dressing after 10s of millions of voters would have been purged from the voter rolls, forget getting to 2028.
We must all remember that WE the people, the majority that have NEVER, ever voted for Tr*mp, in three elections. In fact, more than 12 million of us have voted for someone NOT Tr*mp. We have to stand up and fight back...if we all show a little courage, no one has to be a hero (paraphrasing a quote from Rep. Sarah McBride's father).
We forget, Tr*mp has never won 50% of the popular vote, let alone a majority. And when you consider how many eligible voters don't/can't vote—he has never won even a third of the voting population.
Seriously, we have the receipts: https://election.lab.ufl.edu/voter-turnout/
I am so ready for an opposition party that will fight FOR our freedoms and a better future...and not just AGAINST the fascists and a return to the 'normal' status quo after this horrific regime.
I wish you spoken about AOC and Bernie’s rallies. WE ignore when leadership steps up. That I find very disconcerting- it’s like those packed rallies don’t exist. Very strange to me.
Agreed, Lisa! That’s not nothing nor are all the weekly and daily protests. Not everyone that opposes Trump is a Democrat. Folks are out there, though, and someone better figure out who they are.
Agreed, Lisa! That’s not nothing nor are all the weekly and daily protests. Not everyone that opposes Trump is a Democrat. Folks are out there, though, and someone better figure out who they are.
How can anyone who has watched a Marvel Universe movie think the movie industry is "left wing?"
Candidly, the smugness m.. turning to discomfort is right there in Mika’s expression; because capitulation isn’t reckoning.
And meanwhile, the Morning Joe promos claim that theirs is the place for “Hard conversations.” MSNBC is a big reason why there’s been no reckoning; because it gives quarter to those who wish to engage in disclaiming accountability, because of discomfort avoidance…
Morning hand wringing…
The Morning Joe people make me want to vomit. They are a shining example of what enabled us to get here in this horrific mess. Narrow thinkers who armor themselves with crusted, privileged opinions that miss the disease.
This is SPOT ON: "The obstacles to self-examination and change are very real and rooted deep in our anxieties, our sense of self, and our fears about the future."
There IS NOT an answer to the question of "What happened??" because we are blind until we move these obstacles out of the way of ourselves to see things DIFFERENTLY. Fear of the unknown, fear of our survival of our own center-centered identity STOPS the evolution of solutions.
We must look deeply into what is BROKEN in our society and the democratic party. Own it. Fix it. That's the hard work. If we can't do that, we'll be no better than Russia.
Anand. You are one of a kind. Your bravery piece says it all doesn’t it. Thank you. Thank you. Trying to be brave🇺🇸♥️🙏🏻
Thank you for being brave every day, Anand. And as Congresswoman Sarah McBride's father said:
"If everyone has just a little bit of courage, then nobody has to be a hero."
Anand, your I Was Going to Be Brave video is a brilliant piece of political theatre. It confronts us with our excuses and fears. It is emotionally powerful. It is scary. And it makes me want to do even more! I keep hoping there will be street theatre, but this is a perfect beginning. You need to perform it live! I have sent it to everyone I know who is angry, fearful, confused, lost, or starting to look the other way. Thank you thank you.
Hopefully the Democrats aren’t just patiently waiting for 2028. Trump did assure us that if we voted for him we’d never have to vote again. Hopefully they aren’t taking the constitution as it is for granted. Without a reckoning what could happen?
Anand, this was powerful when I read it. And it was hauntingly powerful hearing your voice say the words. As a person who has tried to be involved and active in this moment, when my health hit me over the head, I had to find a different way. Your SubStack is a go to daily for inspiration. And I’m happy to report I am back building a group in red ass Missouri 8th Congressional District. Rural was my home and I want it to come back alive. The work is tremendous to regain our strength.
I've just begun Solnit's latest book "No Straight Road Takes You There" as a way to live through this particular day/week/month. Though there is so little that I can do, I shall practice the Butterfly Effect and resist where able. I shall practice Guzman's "I Never Thought of It That Way". I shall be open to synchronicity as something really new bubbles up.
Anand, i read your piece and loved the emphasis on CURIOSITY and the lack of it. Curiosity is an old virtue, especially important for people who want to learn, grow and transform. It is a necessary ingredient for individuals and collectively. Open Mind, Beginner's Mind – it is not enough to just speak those words. Curiosity is a deep inner need – and you have it innately, which drove me to your The.Ink. In my teaching i put this capacity first, for many it needs to be practiced.
I also saw you speak at MSNBC. Please keep your style and depth of thinking & communicating, don’t adjust to the style of bigger conventional platforms. We need people like you who bridge add inspire, ask good questions, are curious and open. It means one is willing to take risks, not conform to denial and "success," to majority certain-ness, but rather stay true to one's inner inquiry. Now we all will have to stand up for our Tue North – it's not about left or right, it is about evolving into a better human being and humane society. Evolution points into that direction even though right now human-ness seems to be losing – but this loss is there so we can wake up fully!!!
Being post-war German-born and raised, i know about inquiry into history, and the causes of fascism and authoritarianism, and letting it become as well self-inquiry, self-criticism, deep change, transformation. Now at 71, having worked as filmmaker, artist, writer, for 44 years in America, I feel all of us have to do this difficult work that was a "must" in Germany, as late and imperfect the reckoning was and is. For a teenager in 1968, reckoning didn't happen immediately and fast enough. Reckonings take time, courage, encouragement, space, and perseverance. But now we are in the equivalent of 1934, we don’t have the time. We need the Miracles of Curiosity. Envisaging. Let’s do it. Keep on going with what you do – so needed, fantastic work, Anand!
May CURIOSITY prevail and grow! Tausend Dank – thousand thanks, from Karina in Berkeley.
I agree with you, Anand, that there hasn’t been a reckoning regarding what happened in the election and why. I read the article and listened to the Morning Joe clip. To have a true reckoning requires self assessment, evaluation, and reflection, and this is not happening at least on a deep level. I also want to say that I agree that progressives often use terms and phrases from academia that are fine in a course of study but really off putting in conversation. Such discourse is evidence of an inability or unwillingness to empathize with others. And too why do Democrats shy away from dynamic, charismatic people. Democrats spend too much time resisting change.
This is a text I got a half hr ago - reflecting EXACTLY what you said this morning, Anand. Dems don’t do any meaning making for voters, they just keep asking for money. “Please $5 & please vote” like you said, but nothing to explain what’s going on to the voter nor connecting with us emotionally.
(I’m posting this as an example. I deleted the link to donate obviously, but pls delete my comment if it breaks some rule)
“Kamala Harris is asking if there is ANYTHING we can say to convince you to donate to the Democratic National Committee -- especially after today's vote?
What if we told you that after House Republicans voted to slash funding for Medicaid and nutrition programs to give tax cuts to the rich, they actually chanted USA! USA! USA! on the House floor?
What if we told you that next week the DNC has an FEC fundraising deadline and they are legally required to report what they raise and it's critical that the press and Republicans see a HUGE number of donations made today, on May 22?
This fight is not over. The bill goes to the Senate and back to the House. We want every Republican to see the overwhelming opposition to what they are doing.
And if they do it again, that money will be used to hold them accountable at the ballot box.
So please - let's make today a day of an overwhelming number of donations to the DNC
- Team Kamala
Text STOP to quit”
Anand, please do a program on Free our Feeds! Its about creating a social network free from the control of the morbidly rich. It is critical that progressives can communicate on a social network alternative to Instagram, X & the like. Also, have you interviewed Carol Cadwalladr? She is a guiding light in this era of misinformation.
Honestly, I found this conversation disappointing. There were some good points made, but overall it’s a miss. I overall agree that top Democratic leadership is failing, but these kind of conversations are depressing and cynical. To say that no one is doing anything is not true. Indivisible, Run for Something, Working Families Party, 50501 are organizing and pushing back. Honestly, I don’t think change in the Democratic Party is going to come from top down-it’s going to come from the bottom up and I’ve been seeing lots of exciting candidates running for office in 2026 and I think there’s opportunity to shake things up and I wish that was discussed more. Also, the reference around David Hogg was disappointing. He spun that whole situation to serve himself, frankly. Anand, I’d like to see you interview and talk with Malcolm Kenyatta.