Michael MacMahon on LinkedIn: Yes, it would be great to have something like this in the UK; and more of… (2024)

What did you think of last night’s debate? I watched it with hundreds of Republicans, Democrats, and independents. In one room. Together. After, they shared their thoughts. It could have gotten ugly. Instead, it’s was a beautiful—a rare display of the civilivty that so many of us want as fellow Americans. It was hosted by Braver Angels — a national grassroots group dedicated to helping Americans bridge partisan divides and speak to each other with civility. This watch party—perhaps the largest watch party in the country—was held in Kenosha, Wisconsin, one of the swing states that may decide this election. After the debate, people stood up and spoke, in the spirit of the Braver Angels principles:"We state our viewsfreely and fully, without fear.We treat people who disagree with us withhonesty, dignity and respect.We welcomeopportunities to engagethose with whom we disagree.We believeall of us have blind spotsand none of us are not worth talking to.We seek todisagree accurately, avoiding exaggeration and stereotypes.We look for common ground where it exists and, if possible,find ways to work together.We believe that, in disagreements,both sides share and learn."Thank you, Braver Angels, for showing us the way—the civility we need in our politics, now more than ever. You can learn more about -- or join -- the Braver Angels movement here:https://braverangels.org/

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Dear Democratic National Committee,I am a Democratic voter since 1980. Would you like me to change that? It's a core identity. I am a Roosevelt Democrat since I was knee-high to my mother. She lived through 1930s Kansas, and let me tell you, she is rolling in her grave seeing the circus you've turned our beloved party into.On June 25th, 2024, I saw my dad shuffle onto the televised debate stage. My dad later passed due to complications of full-blown Parkinson's. It was like watching a tragic replay of the last debate. Oh wait, it was the actual debate! My mistake, but it’s easy to get confused when the candidates look like they’ve been revived from the New Deal era themselves.I mean, who needs dynamic, forward-thinking leadership when we can have a parade of candidates who seem more suited for a bingo hall than the White House? It's heartwarming to know that our party's strategy for inspiring youth engagement is to have them wonder if they should call 911 during the debates. Nothing says "party of the future" quite like candidates who look like they could use a nap and some soup.And let's not forget the constant squabbling and hair-splitting to try and please everyone under the big tent. Watching the endless debates over minute details is like watching a soap opera without the entertainment value. It's truly impressive how efficiently the party manages to delay any meaningful progress in favor of internal bickering. Maybe next time, instead of focusing on pleasing everyone and ending up pleasing no one, you could find someone who has some clue about how to navigate the complexities of the 21st century.If your goal is to drive lifelong Democrats like me to seriously reconsider our loyalties, you're doing a fantastic job. Keep up the good work, and maybe next election cycle, I'll just stay home and watch the circus from my couch. At least then, I can change the channel.Sincerely,A Disillusioned Roosevelt Democrat

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Let's break the two-party system, together. Not only because it's better, but because it is necessary for the survival of civilization as we know it. As Bobby reminds us in his post below: "𝑰𝒏 𝑮𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆 𝑾𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒐𝒏’𝒔𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂’𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 “𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆.” 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏 𝑨𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒔, 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, “[𝒕]𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔….”Those of us who are steadfast supporters of Bobby understand just how precarious our society is today. We are being offered a gift we do not deserve in the form of a man who stands for all the principles that helped form America into that shining beacon on a hill. The media will continually tell you it is a two-way race. They will do everything they can to marginalize his candidacy. The media thrives on tribalism and binary choices, reminiscent of a TV/social media version of the Roman Colosseum. The execs ring their registers, politicians accommodate those who grease their palms. The people- knowingly or unknowingly- follow the mind-numbing charade into a den of complicity. They will attempt in every way to convince you that Robert F. Kennedy is an also-ran and has little chance of winning. They are wrong. They will use every dirty trick and tactic to try to keep him off the ballot. They will throw democracy under a bus, as they are doing right now. But here's the thing: 𝐖𝐞 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲. This is a people-first movement. We know what is at stake. We are part of a peaceful revolution, a new "PR" campaign. Bobby is our phoenix rising from the ashes of an Orwellian society. So summon up the best within yourself and become part of this very special moment in human history. We simply must not sit idly by. I get to tell my children, and perhaps my grandchildren, that I stood up and declared my Independence. This is not a drill.#Kennedy24

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🎤 I shall repeat what Old Man Gino told us all on his last post. These days, it feels like political parties have lost their way. 🤔 Are they more focused on power and their national agendas than representing regular people in local communities? 🏘️ That’s why Old Man Gino does not just vote the party line. 🗳️ He votes for candidates as individuals 👩💼👨💼based on their proven records in his area. 🙌🎤 Don’t get him wrong, He is still a proud liberal at heart. ❤️ His views align with that side of the spectrum on many issues. 💭 But blind party loyalty does more harm than good. Just because a candidate has a D or R next to their name doesn't mean they have his community's interests in mind. 🤨 🎤 That's why he does his homework and look past the partisan labels. 📚 He learns where each candidate stands on the hyperlocal problems that impact his neighbours. 👪 Things like community development, small businesses, schools, and infrastructure. The nuts-and-bolts stuff that makes our lives better. 🛣️🎤 Old Man Gino votes for any candidate, whether Democrat, Republican, or third party, who can show him evidence they care about his community and have plans to deliver real change. 🔍 Not just more empty election year promises and pandering. Actual proof of improving life here. 📈🎤 This might mean he splits his ticket sometimes. 🎫 But for him, it's not about blind partisanship. It's about choosing leaders who will best represent his family and friends. 👨👩👧👦 Who will fight to improve his community, not just push agendas of Washington power brokers. 🏛️🎤 More people need to break from just picking teams and start demanding candidates who really earn their votes. 🗳 I'm proud to say that Old Man Gino votes for people, not parties. Because at the end of the day, he cares more about having someone in office who will lift up his community than just putting another warm body from a certain party into power. The health of any community is too important for partisan games. 🏟️ 🎤 Oops! It seems like I've run out of time. ⌛️ Thanks for listening Gino DiCaprio followers, use #NoMoreBlindLoyalty to share your thoughts! Until next time...

#politics #unitedstates #nobelprizeHouse speaker Mike Johnson posts on X:“It was an honor to host President Trump this morning with our House Republican Conference.Something is happening across America: People recognize this will be the most consequential election of our lifetimes. Everything is at stake.With President Trump, we are going to win back the White House, win the Senate, and grow the House majority. When we do that, we will not waste a moment to fix all the great problems facing our country right now.”I am deeply concerned about @realDonaldTrump’s erratic behavior and unpredictable and undemocratic ‘my way or the highway’ conduct as president and given his statements inciting an unconstitutional insurrection on 01/06/2021 and calls for violence after that.If Trump is the nominee I will not vote in the election. If @POTUS Joe Biden The White House is the nominee I will not vote either because of the wars. Both candidates and the state of nation’s politics is unacceptable.Washington needs the Supreme Court to issue an open ended restraining order on it to keep the American people safe from their unhinged paranoid schizophrenic and hopelessly broken government, which has neither insight nor judgment about its behavior, in urgent need of involuntary mental health care from the days of Bill Clinton to Donald Trump once again embracing brazen, in your face, mendacity to accumulate and perpetuate absolute power. United States of America has become a danger to itself and the world.

I don’t want more Democrats in government. I don’t want more Republicans in government. I want more Americans in government. At the end of the day, ISIS wasn’t celebrating because they’d murdered a 1st-generation female Latina from the US during the 2015 Paris bombings. They were celebrating because they murdered an American. Otto Warmbier wasn’t targeted because he was white. He was targeted because he was an American. All of this in-fighting is ridiculous and the politicians pushing societal otherness are no better. Democrats are the complacent party. Most are satisfied with the status quo. We saw this with the DNC attempts to sabotage Bernie Sander’s running. Republicans are the power-crazy party. They care more about having political dominance than solving actual problems like the historical poverty affecting white, impoverished Appalachia. We require a party that’s interest-based. Neither left or right. One that mediates internal conflict and resolves problems in a sustainable way that can benefit future American generations to come. We need a a new party. We need an American party. One without ego, greed, and totally focused on navigating the nuances of American identity within the framework of our founding legal documents.

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I’ve caught a bit of grief in messaging regarding my recent posts that focus on the election. For the record I belong to no party, I support none of front contenders for president. My views on party and partisan issues are “Washingtonian” in that the hegemonic ambitions of party and cults of personality often take precedence over the needs of nation. Need proof? Look backwards over history. My views are largely conservative but I am “liberal” enough to have zero desire from ripping the financial rug out from under people, fellow citizens, human beings that have been made dependent upon creeping “cradle to grave” entitlement. Dependency of almost any type is slavery. Lets make people free first, let’s remove the chains of dependency first before they are sent out on their own to the path of the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.No one man, even those that assert magical, messianic abilities can personally fix the problems that accrued over decades to create. We as a nation will need to eschew ideological constraints that really make little contribution of making a living. We need to abscond rooting for political personalities (fallible human beings) with the same fanaticism as we do for our favorite sports team. Until such an eventuality, what you see is what you get. The names, the labels, the slogans change periodically…but little else does. No matter who is elected, I have little faith that federal policy makers that we hire every so often will actually pause, get quiet, focus, and actually fix anything.It will be up to reasonable people in both red and blue states to come together, recognize problems, realize solutions, and build the future. Unfortunately, there seems only one path, and even that one is dubious…

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Ezra Klein makes serious arguments for challenging Trump and Trumpism on 2 major fronts 1) just what is the meaning of America First vs Trump First2) just what is going to make America safer? A prison who has made America unsafe in the four years he was prrsudentv( and as well before then) Whether it be his attempt to overthrow an election, inciting a mob to do it, creating uncertainty about America’s role in the world stage, uncertainty about vulnerablity in dealing with a pandemic during which over a million lives were list, or labeling America in the verge of total collapse if he doesn’t win - This is what the election campaign needs to be about. - how to keep America safe - not scared, fearful or angry - but rather inspired by goals, Opportunities l, confidence. and shared destinies.

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Chaos, and ...DEBT are a big part of the answer to this question, "How Come... the Republican Party...?" at the featured 'Hartmann Report'. A bigger picture, GOP-damning Post and article here by Thom Hartmann . Here's my input regarding the article's listed TERRIBLE OUTCOMES* of U.S. Republican Party governance. *(summary in Comments👇): Deregulation & avoidance of taxes are the GOP's most basic ongoing motives, since Reagan, regardless of who gets hurt. It's simple GREED, mostly. And it will get worse if we don't keep them out of power. Extreme WEALTH INEQUALITY is the only reason that we have a thousand (+) billionaires in America, while hundreds of millions live paycheck to paycheck, and hundreds of thousands are homeless.The Party of Trump's super-wealthy interests - including international conglomerates, big banking, credit companies, hedge funds, real estate etc. - have pretty much owned the GOP since Pres. Reagan. Their weaponized, chaotic control over our public policies will only accelerate IF their PROJECT 2025* is implemented under a second Trump Presidency (*900 pages of "how to destroy & privatize the administrative state").See,👉 https://lnkd.in/gBFy87tYCONSUMER DEBT is one of the common threads running all through the Republican chaos. The GOP leadership WANTS us all to im debt. Most of the outcomes listed here by Hartmann will lead to deeper & broader consumer debt for most BECAUSE, simply put, the GOP's big-money owners want ALL the govt. contracts, plus our indebted interest payments, your house, your bankruptcy assets, etc. 💰🤮👉https://lnkd.in/g_xPRzjDThe GOP is also primarily responsible for an ever bigger NATIONAL debt by means of their constantly lowering or eliminating TAXES on the wealthy & corporations. Then they blame Democrats for "too much unnecessary spending," while they manipulate the huge $$ bond & Treasury markets.ADD to their ongoing push for more indebtedness, the GOP's long record of pushing the PRIVATIZATION of (i.e., profiting from) government functions & assets. If they can't privatize it, they'll at least work to make our public agencies succumb to all kinds of crooked graft in contracting. 💰OK. The well informed among us KNOW about most of this. But unfortunately, most of our mass media is owned by huge corporate interests which tend to favor Republican policies. The media giants do NOT generally report on the GOP's constant efforts to cultivate debt, & to plunder our government. The motives & agenda of the GOP are many & varied, but GREED is central - come what may for the rest of us. Undermining efforts at Democratic government, the Party of Trump is ALL about capitalizing on fear and chaos. 🌎🇺🇸 🗳️ 🗳️🗳️ 💪⚖️VOTE BLUE! & double check your voter registrations if you live in a red state!#publichealth #democracy #inequality #greed #DemocraticParty #politics #politics #monopoly #VoteBlue-------- 13 March, 2024 --------https://lnkd.in/gyNeVyFP?

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📚 I’m currently reading David L. Roll’s new book about Harry Truman’s seemingly impossible election victory, and the daunting political challenges he faced once elected to the US Presidency, after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s sudden and unexpected death in 1945. Two things that are really striking as I read this book: 1) even though there are valid critiques that can be made of these men, their actions while in office, aspects of their political philosophy and some of their policies, etc, they were also both far more competent, disciplined, skilled and dedicated to the common good and serious governance than most other Western political leaders of our day - left or right. They were both Democrats, but, even though both men are still nostalgically referenced by current Democrat politicians, neither man would recognize what has become of their formerly morally serious and coherent party, which has now collapsed into factions riven by far left fringe ideologies or co-opted by big corporate interests. It’s quite possible that neither of these men would even be welcome in today’s Democrat Party.