Top 5 things that have happened in the past year that are signs of a crumbling democracy; should we truly be concerned of our governmental structure could cease to exist and what real control do we have over it as everyday citizens? More historical deep dives into how this has happened in other countries and what we can learn from them.
To add to this, I've heard several people comment that we're looking similar to South American authoritarianism of the 20th century- is this true? If this is the closest 'look,' what were their most effective interventions or what would have been more effective?
How can we, as individuals, help bring about true change? It often feels like we are so small and that any "screaming" we're doing is into a void. Do we band together? Do we march? How do we do these things with purpose and effect? In a world where everything happens and changes so quickly, it is easy to get tired before you see results. I would love for you to dig deeper into this. Thank you for listening and being there for all of us.
Examples of leaders, cities, states who are doing something positive. Itās easy to see where things are broken, but it would be helpful to examples of when things are working to know that itās at least possible.
I would like to see more examples of where things are going well. And follow up articles when illegal actions by our current government are prevented or reversed.
I would to see more examples of how we can take action on articles, especially the ones that are more negative.
Yes! This is my wish as well. Can we form an organization with a voice to speak up for our democracy? What are some concrete ways to reach our state and federal representatives? Even writing verbiage to use would be so helpful. Thank you for all of your efforts and for caring enough to ask!
I want to better understand the farming crisis. Is it specific to the Midwest and Great Plains? Or is it a problem affecting the farmers in my state (GA)? Are there ways for state governments to help them? What about us? How can we help?
Yes! A great resource is to follow @tonifarmersgarden on IG. She is an adjunct agriculture professor at U Penn who does deep dives into the farming/food crisis as well as teaches how to grow your own garden, etc etc. Look around her page and past posts. Sheās spunky & fun but VERY passionate about this subject, trying to educate.
Thoughts on how to rebuild democracy in America in a post-Trump world. How do we hold people to account for repeated violations of civil rights, our constitution, and the rule of law. In other words, if we were drafting the opposite of Project 2025, what would it look like.
Could you take each section of Project 2025, write about how itās been implemented, write a version of how to un-do the bad parts, so we have a blue print for how to survive this disaster?
Then, write a corresponding Project for how to prevent this in the future, and fix the things that keep us from fulfilling our American promise.
I think youād find @AmandasMildTakes helpful if thatās what youāre looking for - her paid substack has a weekly breakdown of each chapter of project 2025. Sheās a spicy dem & keeps it šÆ
I am genuinely very very excited about this. I feel so understood. Not related to the first edition, but still something I would like to see: more books or long form journalism related to the topics being discussed. I would love a governerd bookstore that could easily tie in the podcasts with the weekly preamble. For example, I keep hearing people compare the current administration with that of FDR and Andrew Jackson, and my brain would rather read an in-depth book about these former presidents instead of watch/read short snippets online. For me it's challenging to search through the old podcasts to find the author interviews and topical episodes. I would love to be able to type in "FDR" and "Andrew Jackson" into a search bar, and see a list of governerd resources of "what to read/watch/listen to understand" the topic. In the spirit of staying curious and avoiding overwhelm in the current moment, I vote for easily referenced books and other governerd resources. But mostly books. My brain really wants books right now, and not continuous emotionally charged punditry on the same three or four people. I need a longer more nuanced story.
This is my favorite. The exhaustion is across the spectrum. Some are hopelessly lost to extremism, and thatās not going to change. But most of us are just feeling hopeless, because social media is telling us the other side is evil. We see brilliant takes from people we align with and hateful, ugly stuff from people we are different from. We canāt see the reasonable people on the other side unless we intentionally seek them out and know where to find them. We only see the 10% of extremists who get an algorithmically boosted position on the internet.
And sure, we have some great individuals representing us in government, but in the big picture: people in power are incentivized to keep us divided and disorganized so that they can comfortably remain in power without offending the donors they need.
I would love to study some ways to reach people who normally disagree with me and find opportunities to change the conversation from āhow could you feel that way?ā to āhow can we come together to fix this toxicity that makes everyone sick regardless of political culture, so we can get back to disagreeing on policy ideas, not each othersā humanity?ā
There are so many specific topics that could fall under this umbrella of nonpartisan agreement, but I think the most fundamental is our election laws. From gerrymandering, to confusing primaries, to lack of term limits, to dark money, there are so many things that, with some education, could and should be things that people are motivated to demand to be changed. They donāt pit voter against voter, they pit voter against politicians that donāt respond to their constituents. Is there anything that unites Americans more than their disgust for representatives who arenāt accountable to the people who elect them? We should all be experts in election reform ideas, I think.
Sorry for hijacking your comment, Nicole. But I feel really strongly about this š
Right now I donāt have any suggestions. But this new format helped me make a decision. I was going to cancel my subscription next week right before my renewal because I was feeling overwhelmed by all the reading each day. Iām not going to cancel now! š I didnāt really want to do it because this is my favorite Substack and the only one that I pay for. I subscribed to others but I unsubscribed from all but two others yesterday. I kept Heather Cox Richardson and Adam Kinzinger. There are only so many hours in the day but also FOMO. Thank you, Sharon, for all of your hard work! I appreciate you! š„°
I would like to understand immigration a little better. I know a couple years ago my friendās husband applied for a tourist visa and still hasnāt gotten one. The wait just for the initial appointment was almost 2 years. My friendās nephew has been waiting almost 2 years for a visa and he has a Masterās Degree and the visa request is by a US based company he works for. Why is so hard even for highly educated workers and spouses of US Citizens with no criminal record to come here legally? How can we fix it?
Could there be a story in each issue thatās light hearted/optimistic? Or even just a link to a video of baby goats jumping around. āThe New Paperā always has a link to a funny/interesting website or video and I really appreciate it. I need a pallet cleanser after reading current events.
Another suggestion - have people with opposing views write their opinions on the same topic. I try to understand both perspectives of current issues.
Or instead of a funny/irreverent story, maybe something along the lines of The Small and the Mighty - a little spotlight of someone somewhere who is (currently!) doing āthe next needed thingā to give us some hope.
I second this! If itās a topic where one side says āhow is it possible that the other side believes that?!ā, thatās what Iād love a deep dive on. Opinions are helpful on both sides but data matters to me most, if data exists around that topic.
I love where youāre taking The Preamble and agree with all the comments! One thing Iād love you to take on is book bans. Iād like to understand how itās possible for this plague to have infected so many long-honored books and authors. From Hemingway and Steinbeck to Morrison, books are being banned every day. Please help us understand and know how to help, other than following PEN America (and others), which I do.
I would love to see stuff about some of the "big ticket" issues that are behind people's continued support for this executive overreach. Examples would be immigration, like you mentioned, but also crime, protests, insurrection, etc. Personally, I feel so much more ready to talk to the people in my life who are believing blatant lies when I feel like I have an understanding of a topic.
1 - How to teach our children about civics/government/constitution without overwhelming them. Topics you think should be taught in school but are not. 2 - Are there are other democratic countries that became authoritarian and managed to claw back to democracy? How long did it take to undo the damage? 3 - How are treaties created, signed, upheld? Thinking about treaties made with Indigenous Tribes in USA.
Top 5 things that have happened in the past year that are signs of a crumbling democracy; should we truly be concerned of our governmental structure could cease to exist and what real control do we have over it as everyday citizens? More historical deep dives into how this has happened in other countries and what we can learn from them.
To add to this, I've heard several people comment that we're looking similar to South American authoritarianism of the 20th century- is this true? If this is the closest 'look,' what were their most effective interventions or what would have been more effective?
Or what happened in our own country around 1920āsā¦.seem to be similarities. Is this accurate? If so, what worked to break this hold?
How can we, as individuals, help bring about true change? It often feels like we are so small and that any "screaming" we're doing is into a void. Do we band together? Do we march? How do we do these things with purpose and effect? In a world where everything happens and changes so quickly, it is easy to get tired before you see results. I would love for you to dig deeper into this. Thank you for listening and being there for all of us.
https://indivisible.org/ is working to accomplish what you are asking about. Worth exploring.
Examples of leaders, cities, states who are doing something positive. Itās easy to see where things are broken, but it would be helpful to examples of when things are working to know that itās at least possible.
I would like to see more examples of where things are going well. And follow up articles when illegal actions by our current government are prevented or reversed.
I would to see more examples of how we can take action on articles, especially the ones that are more negative.
Yes! This is my wish as well. Can we form an organization with a voice to speak up for our democracy? What are some concrete ways to reach our state and federal representatives? Even writing verbiage to use would be so helpful. Thank you for all of your efforts and for caring enough to ask!
I want to better understand the farming crisis. Is it specific to the Midwest and Great Plains? Or is it a problem affecting the farmers in my state (GA)? Are there ways for state governments to help them? What about us? How can we help?
Yes! A great resource is to follow @tonifarmersgarden on IG. She is an adjunct agriculture professor at U Penn who does deep dives into the farming/food crisis as well as teaches how to grow your own garden, etc etc. Look around her page and past posts. Sheās spunky & fun but VERY passionate about this subject, trying to educate.
Matt Stoller is an attorney who writes about antitrust law in BIG on Substack. He did a great piece about this recently and he'd be a perfect guest writer here. https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-round-up-soy-boy-america
Thoughts on how to rebuild democracy in America in a post-Trump world. How do we hold people to account for repeated violations of civil rights, our constitution, and the rule of law. In other words, if we were drafting the opposite of Project 2025, what would it look like.
Yes, please!
Could you take each section of Project 2025, write about how itās been implemented, write a version of how to un-do the bad parts, so we have a blue print for how to survive this disaster?
Then, write a corresponding Project for how to prevent this in the future, and fix the things that keep us from fulfilling our American promise.
It might be multiple editions!
I think youād find @AmandasMildTakes helpful if thatās what youāre looking for - her paid substack has a weekly breakdown of each chapter of project 2025. Sheās a spicy dem & keeps it šÆ
Thank you for the info
I personally would love to see this dissected and explained.
John Leguizamo posted a bullet list. Not sure if it was instagram or threads. They were good starting points but need detail added about how to do it.
I am genuinely very very excited about this. I feel so understood. Not related to the first edition, but still something I would like to see: more books or long form journalism related to the topics being discussed. I would love a governerd bookstore that could easily tie in the podcasts with the weekly preamble. For example, I keep hearing people compare the current administration with that of FDR and Andrew Jackson, and my brain would rather read an in-depth book about these former presidents instead of watch/read short snippets online. For me it's challenging to search through the old podcasts to find the author interviews and topical episodes. I would love to be able to type in "FDR" and "Andrew Jackson" into a search bar, and see a list of governerd resources of "what to read/watch/listen to understand" the topic. In the spirit of staying curious and avoiding overwhelm in the current moment, I vote for easily referenced books and other governerd resources. But mostly books. My brain really wants books right now, and not continuous emotionally charged punditry on the same three or four people. I need a longer more nuanced story.
This is a great idea!!
Things that most people regardless of political leanings agree on
This is my favorite. The exhaustion is across the spectrum. Some are hopelessly lost to extremism, and thatās not going to change. But most of us are just feeling hopeless, because social media is telling us the other side is evil. We see brilliant takes from people we align with and hateful, ugly stuff from people we are different from. We canāt see the reasonable people on the other side unless we intentionally seek them out and know where to find them. We only see the 10% of extremists who get an algorithmically boosted position on the internet.
And sure, we have some great individuals representing us in government, but in the big picture: people in power are incentivized to keep us divided and disorganized so that they can comfortably remain in power without offending the donors they need.
I would love to study some ways to reach people who normally disagree with me and find opportunities to change the conversation from āhow could you feel that way?ā to āhow can we come together to fix this toxicity that makes everyone sick regardless of political culture, so we can get back to disagreeing on policy ideas, not each othersā humanity?ā
There are so many specific topics that could fall under this umbrella of nonpartisan agreement, but I think the most fundamental is our election laws. From gerrymandering, to confusing primaries, to lack of term limits, to dark money, there are so many things that, with some education, could and should be things that people are motivated to demand to be changed. They donāt pit voter against voter, they pit voter against politicians that donāt respond to their constituents. Is there anything that unites Americans more than their disgust for representatives who arenāt accountable to the people who elect them? We should all be experts in election reform ideas, I think.
Sorry for hijacking your comment, Nicole. But I feel really strongly about this š
Yes, we need this!
I agree Timothy. There is momentum building on electoral reform - https://openprimaries.org/ and https://www.uniteamerica.org/ are 2 national organizations. And https://www.americaspromise.org/ is tackling money in politics. To your point, it's the incumbents that like this duopoly and are resisting change.
I see a Republican led government that is doing everything they possibly can to make our democracy a thing of the past.
As a Vietnam Veteran this not what we fought for and many gave their lives for.
I see criminals that are running our nation into the ground for simple LOVE OF MONEY!!! God help us.
Michael, thank you for your sacrifice.
I feel like itās my turn to fight for our country, this time against greedy criminals.
Thanks for serving
Right now I donāt have any suggestions. But this new format helped me make a decision. I was going to cancel my subscription next week right before my renewal because I was feeling overwhelmed by all the reading each day. Iām not going to cancel now! š I didnāt really want to do it because this is my favorite Substack and the only one that I pay for. I subscribed to others but I unsubscribed from all but two others yesterday. I kept Heather Cox Richardson and Adam Kinzinger. There are only so many hours in the day but also FOMO. Thank you, Sharon, for all of your hard work! I appreciate you! š„°
Thank you for this, Patti!
I would like to understand immigration a little better. I know a couple years ago my friendās husband applied for a tourist visa and still hasnāt gotten one. The wait just for the initial appointment was almost 2 years. My friendās nephew has been waiting almost 2 years for a visa and he has a Masterās Degree and the visa request is by a US based company he works for. Why is so hard even for highly educated workers and spouses of US Citizens with no criminal record to come here legally? How can we fix it?
Could there be a story in each issue thatās light hearted/optimistic? Or even just a link to a video of baby goats jumping around. āThe New Paperā always has a link to a funny/interesting website or video and I really appreciate it. I need a pallet cleanser after reading current events.
Another suggestion - have people with opposing views write their opinions on the same topic. I try to understand both perspectives of current issues.
Excited for the new format!
I like this idea too
One vexing challenge, however, is how to tackle misinformation without inadvertently spreading it wider or giving it more of a platform.
Or instead of a funny/irreverent story, maybe something along the lines of The Small and the Mighty - a little spotlight of someone somewhere who is (currently!) doing āthe next needed thingā to give us some hope.
I second this! If itās a topic where one side says āhow is it possible that the other side believes that?!ā, thatās what Iād love a deep dive on. Opinions are helpful on both sides but data matters to me most, if data exists around that topic.
I feel like that last suggestion would be really helpful.
I love where youāre taking The Preamble and agree with all the comments! One thing Iād love you to take on is book bans. Iād like to understand how itās possible for this plague to have infected so many long-honored books and authors. From Hemingway and Steinbeck to Morrison, books are being banned every day. Please help us understand and know how to help, other than following PEN America (and others), which I do.
How can we get congress to change their own rules, such as term limits, being on ACA insurance, not getting paid if government is shut down, etc
Relevance, recognition, significance in our retired and older years.
Or even what retirement has looked like and what it will look like in the future. Can people really fully retire anymore?
I love this one
I would love to see stuff about some of the "big ticket" issues that are behind people's continued support for this executive overreach. Examples would be immigration, like you mentioned, but also crime, protests, insurrection, etc. Personally, I feel so much more ready to talk to the people in my life who are believing blatant lies when I feel like I have an understanding of a topic.
1 - How to teach our children about civics/government/constitution without overwhelming them. Topics you think should be taught in school but are not. 2 - Are there are other democratic countries that became authoritarian and managed to claw back to democracy? How long did it take to undo the damage? 3 - How are treaties created, signed, upheld? Thinking about treaties made with Indigenous Tribes in USA.