Look, I'm not saying we don't need a candidate with serious appeal or that it'll be EASY. But the best argument against Drumpf's re-election is still Drumpf. And defeatist talk will just make it harder to put in the work needed to actually win.

Look, I'm not saying we don't need a candidate with serious appeal or that it'll be EASY. But the best argument against Drumpf's re-election is still Drumpf. And defeatist talk will just make it harder to put in the work needed to actually win.

I totally agree. (And I asked about 2018 because, hand to god, I have blocked out SO MUCH about the election of 2016 after about 8 p.m. or so as the returns came in. So there could have been a lot of downticket Democratic wins that I just don't remember.)

Yeah, I'm with you, Chris. The only way to win is to get more people out to vote -- there's no changing anyone's mind. So enough people in the right places have to believe that it's worth a shot.

J is still in surgery. I have been told it is going well. Still feel sick to my stomach waiting for info.

Surgery-ma for J!

the best argument against Drumpf's re-election is still Drumpf

The best argument is not going to win in a system where one party is engaged in active voter suppression and has been strategically packing the courts with sympathetic judges. That's not me being defeatist, that's me being practical about which battles we should be focused on. The tactic of having a better candidate who can get more votes failed pretty spectacularly three years ago, and that was before he was the incumbent with a strong economy. There is literally no reason to think that Trump being openly racist is going to hurt his electoral chances.

Whoever the Democratic candidate winds up being, and whatever issues their stump speeches are focused on, the bulk of work by the party (because the Senate won't do it) needs to be registering voters, making sure they have access to polling places, and protecting the election from interference (including protecting electronic voting machines from cyber-attacks, and working with news and social media platforms to prevent the spread of bots and propaganda).

Whoever the Democratic candidate winds up being, and whatever issues their stump speeches are focused on, the bulk of work by the party (because the Senate won't do it) needs to be registering voters, making sure they have access to polling places, and protecting the election from interference (including protecting electronic voting machines from cyber-attacks, and working with news and social media platforms to prevent the spread of bots and propaganda).

100% People have an extraordinary low opinion of politicians and don't think Trump is worse than any of the rest of them. I've heard 'of course he paid off Stormy, he wouldn't have won', of course he brags about sexual conquests, boys will be boys'. The people who don't accept any of that as normal need to vote. Get out the vote efforts need to be the focus. Along with secure the vote.

Is gmail down for anyone else?

Whoever the Democratic candidate winds up being, and whatever issues their stump speeches are focused on, the bulk of work by the party (because the Senate won't do it) needs to be registering voters, making sure they have access to polling places, and protecting the election from interference (including protecting electronic voting machines from cyber-attacks, and working with news and social media platforms to prevent the spread of bots and propaganda).

That's 100% right, and I shouldn't have subsumed all of that under "getting out the vote."

Youngest is in the hospital with a gut abscess (he has Crohn's Disease). The plan was to drain it, but they can't because of its location, so he's on IV antibiotics for we don't know how long yet. Hopefully that will resolve it.

Any good thoughts or prayers are appreciated.