Hi, all.
Sunday Comments are open.
Apologies for the failed livestream this morning. Jill and I have concluded that we will arrange for satellite-based internet at our cabin, which has (understandably) been a step we have been reluctant to take. (We have been borrowing a neighbor’s.) But staying in touch with the newsletter community is important to us, so we have decided to take the leap into the 21st Century in our humble mountain abode. It may take a month or two, but certainly by next season, we will have a standalone, dedicated internet service for audio recordings and livestreams when we are in the mountains.
I buried the lead in yesterday’s newsletter. I should have led with the story of Senator Joni Ernst deciding not to stand for reelection in 2026. Senator Ernst was in the “maybe” column for a Democratic pickup. She decided she was a “definite” loss for Republicans. That is progress! The fact that she believes she would have been defeated speaks volumes. Although we cannot relent, our hard work is paying off.
Still, we must defeat whomever Trump anoints as the GOP nominee, but we know that the Republican nominee will be Trumpier and toadier than Ernst. That is not what the people of Iowa want, if recent town halls and special elections are any indication.
I will write on Monday about the distressing spate of articles by academics and political observers declaring that democracy is dead. Here is the common thread in those analyses: None of them mentions the resistance. None of the authors mentions being a participant in the efforts to save democracy. Instead, they relegate themselves to the role of neutral observers with no stake in the outcome. Or they specialize in criticizing what “the Democrats” are doing wrong, as if “the Democrats” are the problem, rather than “the Republicans.”
It is telling that those engaged in the fight to save democracy are more positive and confident about the outcome of the battle than are disinterested observers.
Just ask Catelin Drey and Joni Ernst. They can sense the shift in the firmament—a low rumble that is being felt only by those whose feet are firmly planted on the ground. The shaking hasn’t yet reached the top floors of the political consultants on K Street or the academics in ivory towers. It will.
But it doesn’t matter when they finally recognize the shift. What matters is that we know we can shape the future, but only if we try. Do not quit. Do not obey in advance. Do not surrender in advance. Our predecessors refused to give up; we must do no less.
Stay strong!
Talk to you tomorrow!
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