Reminder & more
Focused Read: Highlights in 2 minutes
"Interview
Madeleine Albright: ‘The
things that are happening are genuinely, seriously bad’
(By Andrew Rawnsley)
Albright is a sage woman,
but also one taken by mortified surprise by the turn the world has
taken.
In common with most liberal internationalists, she hadn’t
expected the arc of history to bend in this dark direction. When the
Berlin Wall came down in 1989, liberal capitalist democracy was
thought to be irreversibly triumphant. Francis Fukuyama even wrote a
book entitled The End of History.
History had other ideas. I
suggest that it is not good enough for liberal internationalists to
simply bewail Trump and his fellow travellers. They need to examine
what they got wrong. Maybe there were too many complacent assumptions
that the world had become permanently safe for democracy.
“I don’t know whether
complacent [is the right word],” she says. “We were all initially
enthusiastic, but then we became euphoric.” One conclusion she
draws is that “democracy is obviously harder than we think.
“Democracy is not the
easiest form of government. It does require attention and
participation and carrying out the social contract. And it doesn’t
deliver immediately. What we have to learn is how to get democracy to
deliver because people want to vote and eat. But it just took me 10
minutes to explain it and that’s the problem.
“The things that are
happening are genuinely, seriously bad. Some of them are really bad.
They’re not to do with Trump; it is the evolution of a number of
different trends. All the various problems that we have, they can’t
be solved by simple slogans. But it’s easier to listen to some
simple slogan.”
Albright is far from alone
in worrying about the future of liberal democracy. This anxiety is
felt more acutely by a woman who was born in the time of Mussolini,
Hitler and Stalin, who reached the peaks of international diplomacy
when freedom seemed ascendant and has since observed the unravelling
of so much hope.
At the end of our conversation, I am left unsure
whether she thinks democracy has the resilience to survive this
testing time.
“You ask if I’m an
optimist or a pessimist,” she responds. “I am an optimist who
worries a lot.”
You can read more here
Focused Thought in 15 seconds
Focused Action 30 seconds
You can share Avenatti's Tweet here
New:
⬇
You can order my 2018 E-book ~ “How
to Influence Media on Twitter in Real Time” for a small donation here
.
.
.
→ Direct sources for Democrats:
* ( Personal favored and most informative follows are also shared here with the understanding that readers will always apply their own critical thinking to any information provided anywhere by anyone. #StrongerTogether does not share sources of information lightly but -- no one is perfect! -- so always #DistrustAndVerify -- even if it's me. I am using a star rating that is strictly based on my situational experience with the work of the media personality specifically in relation to issues of interest to me. )
The Democratic Party Website
Also, NOT exactly a Democratic Party specific source under a GOP majority but a good place for to hear and to watch speeches & hearings directly C-SPAN
→ Some of my favorite, most active organizations -- some existing & some developing to elect Democrats:
Born from conversations between Governor Howard Dean and Secretary Hillary Clinton in the aftermath of the 2016 election, Onward Together was established to lend support to leaders — particularly young leaders — kicking off projects and founding new organizations to fight for our shared progressive values. here
An "organizing project that advocates for the agenda of former U.S. President Barack Obama" here
→ Fact checking organizations courtesy of the Society of Professional Journalists
in alphabetical order...
→ Some of my favorite, most informative
follows on Twitter include:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ US Intelligence | Author | Navy Senior Chief | NBC/MSNBC
⭐⭐⭐ Federal Government Operations | Vanity Fair | Newsweek | MSNBC Contributor | Author
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Voting Rights/Voter Suppression | Author | Mother Jones
→ Some of my favorite, highly credible media -- at the moment:
📰📰📰 Mother Jones
📰📰📰📰 The Washington Post
→ Some of my favorite Talking Heads -- at the moment -- and their Twitter handles:
→ Some of my favorite media/panelists -- at the moment -- and their Twitter handles:
✅✅✅✅ Joan Walsh national affairs correspondent for The Nation; CNN political contributor
✅✅✅ Heidi Przybyla USA TODAY Senior Political Reporter
✅✅✅ Heidi Przybyla USA TODAY Senior Political Reporter
✅✅✅ Jennifer Rubin Conservative blogger at @ WashingtonPost's Right Turn, MSNBC contributor
✅✅✅ Natasha Bertrand Staff writer @ TheAtlantic covering national security & the intel community. @ NBCNews/@ MSNBC contributor
→ Some of my favorite Democrats to follow on Twitter, not in elected office but proving knowledge & experience are positives & not negatives are:
President Barack Obama
Former First Lady Michelle Obama
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Former Labor Secretary/Today's DNC Chair Tom Perez
Former Attorney General Eric Holder
( 📎 Interesting to note: Wallace, a former Republican (or an inactive Republican I believe she calls herself) is new to the job but for right now she has clearly put country over party and her work on Trump GOP has been credible, IMO... )
...for Networking for Democrats today!
g. (Unapologetic Democrat)
g. (Unapologetic Democrat)
📎 Note: I rarely get involved in primary races -- outside of those in my own area. And, unless there is a glaring reason that can not be ignored, I support Democratic Party nominees winning in general elections.
.
.
.
(Linked) "...is our 2016 platform...a declaration of how we plan to move America forward. Democrats believe that cooperation is better than conflict, unity is better than division, empowerment is better than resentment, and bridges are better than walls.
It’s a simple but powerful idea: We are stronger together."
( #its2018now )
*
Curated by Gail Mountain, this blog is often gently edited and/or excerpted for quick reading, with occasional personal commentary in the form of the written word and/or in the form of emphasis noted. Network For #StrongerTogether ! is not affiliated with The Democratic Party in any capacity. This is an independent blog and the hope is you will, at a glance, learn more about the Party and you will, with a click or two, also take action on its behalf as it is provided!
( You can also find me on Twitter
*
See the League of Women Voters website:
Vote411 here
*
Thank you for Focusing!
g., aka Focused Democrat
✊ Resisting "Fake News"
No comments:
Post a Comment