If you’re able to tune in, I’m going on the Illinois Green Party’s livestream tonight at 5pm. (It’s also recorded if you can’t make it and would like to watch.)

I met Eyde Arndell in Seattle at the inaugural Workers Strike Back conference at the end of February 2025. She and the other Illinois Greens were lovely, and she was kind enough to extend an invite to her local party’s podcast.

I’m going to try to focus on Bay Area issues, but I’m also really interested in discussing the broader left and how organizations like Workers Strike Back can better collaborate with the Green Party.

Hope to see you tonight! :)

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I’m lucky enough to be employed at a place that does a winter shutdown for the week of Christmas. This is relevant because I was able to turn to my wife this past weekend and ask if she would be willing to accompany me to a showing of The Seed of the Sacred Fig on Monday, December 23, at 11:15am. It was the last showing of this film the theater had. She asked what it was. I told her it was a 3-hour Iranian political thriller. She hadn’t even seen the trailer, and told me yes, she’d go with me.

Yes, she loves me a lot. Too much, maybe. I was worried that she’d be bored out of her mind midway through the film, if not much earlier. (This isn’t an indictment on my wife’s attention span, but an acknowledgment that I am often invested in terribly boring, long-form media.) She insisted she wouldn’t do that–she was committed.

After walking out of the theatre, I was delighted to hear that she felt that the film was among the top films she had ever seen. I felt the same way.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig was written and directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, an Iranian director who had previously directed Manuscripts Don’t Burn (2013) and There Is No Evil (2020). Rasoulof had to flee from Iran to Europe on foot just two weeks before the global premiere of The Seed of the Sacred Fig at the 2024 Cannes Festival, as he was told that he received an 8-year prison sentence for his previous activism and creative work.

It goes without saying that Rasoulof is a fierce critic of the Iranian government. He was previously incarcerated in 2022, and got the idea for this film while he was talking to one of the prison guards:

“While incarcerated, [Rasoulof] followed the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests taking place in Iran. He then had a discussion with a staff member in the prison, which sparked his interest.

“I had a few words that I could exchange with this man who was in charge of the authority of our prison, and then he told me that he had this feeling of shame and self-hatred that made him even consider hanging himself, killing himself, especially because of the pressure he felt from his children who would not accept that he made a living this way and didn’t accept the role that he took in this repression while people of his generation were protesting on the streets,” Rasoulof reveals.”

Davidson, Denton. Defiance in filmmaking: Mohammad Rasoulof on the secret production and global acclaim of ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’. Gold Derby. 20 Dec 2024. https://www.goldderby.com/article/2024/mohammad-rasoulof-the-seed-of-the-sacred-fig-interview/

In September 2022, mass protests began to take place in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year old who died while in the custody of the morality police. The police claim that Amini was wearing her hijab incorrectly, which led to her arrest. She was subsequently transferred to the hospital and died after having a heart attack, according to the police. However, a CT scan showed bleeding in her brain and skull fractures consistent with being hit on the head. It was suspected that Amini was beaten to death by the police. Thousands of women proceeded to take off their hijabs and protested in the streets, which would kick off a period of civil unrest that lasted for several months.

The civil unrest was said to be the “most widespread revolt” since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Nearly 20,000 people were arrested in connection with the protests. It is estimated that over 500 people were killed, including 68 minors, and that nearly 900 people were injured.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig feels like it is half documentary, as it included many clips from social media of protestors in the streets, often beaten or killed by Iranian police. Clips also showed police indiscriminately beating or firing on civilians and smashing the windows of passing cars. The clips are essential in creating the political context of the film, and conveying the extreme bias of the state-run media that often depicted protestors as agitators that “deserved” their injuries.

This clashing of realities is also depicted along generational lines in the family central to the film. Najmeh is the mother of two daughters, Rezvan and Sana, both of whom have come of age. Rezvan is a 21 year-old college student while Sana appears to still be in secondary school. Najmeh is married to Iman, who has just gotten a promotion to be an investigating judge on behalf of the government.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig initially tricks the audience into believing that the film would be following Iman and the ins and outs of his government job. This film was billed as a political thriller; where else could the action be? The first few scenes open with Iman at his place of work, a government building filled with life-size cardboard printouts of Iranian political and military leaders. After a few minutes, Iman leaves work and the real setting of the film is revealed: his family home.

In the first two acts of the film, Iman is truly a side character who is rarely at home. All we often see is an exhausted man who returns late in the evening to sleep, with some moral dilemma weighing on him. The meat of the drama occurs between Najmeh and her daughters in their two-bedroom apartment. Najmeh is an incredibly faithful wife who is hopeful Iman’s government job will ensure their family future prosperity. Her daughters are slowly radicalized by the civil unrest. Iman is still regarded with respect and affection by his family, but Najmeh goes out of her way to shield Iman from the issues that arise at home, refusing to exhaust him further.

I have yet to experience a film that has regarded the domestic sphere traditionally assigned to women–cooking, cleaning, and child-rearing–with just as much respect as a traditional workplace. Every emotion experienced by the female characters is taken seriously by the film. The family home quickly becomes a microcosm of what is happening outside on the streets of Tehran, and as a leftist, this was deeply satisfying; it effectively conveys that the personal is political. The way women are regarded in Iranian society, their roles, their expectations, would inevitably have an effect on their family dynamic at home. This film demonstrated that skillfully.

It may be difficult to believe that this film can hold the audience’s interest for nearly three hours, with the majority of it happening between a few family members in a small apartment. But for anyone that’s experienced genuine, prolonged conflict in their families–and I would imagine that is virtually everyone reading this–you know full well that the tension can last for days at a time, if not weeks.

At one inflection point, Rezvan, the eldest daughter, lashes out at her father and accuses him of being an insider that is blind to the abuses being carried out by the government. The next morning, the government-issued gun assigned to Iman disappears from his bedside drawer. It drives him into an intense paranoia that affects the entire family. I won’t comment on who took the gun, as it is a spoiler that is best revealed by watching the film, but I found the gun to be a brilliant symbol for authority. It did not feel like an accident that the gun disappeared from Iman’s possession after being confronted by Rezvan (read: he lost political authority in the family unit), or that he goes nearly insane trying to find it and regain ownership.

In the opening scenes of the film, Iman gingerly offers the gun to Najmeh. Najmeh initially declines to touch it but then briefly holds it when encouraged by Iman. After identifying the gun to be a symbol of (masculine) authority, I found it touching that Iman offered it to Najmeh. Their relationship appeared to be rather tender and equitable on the surface, and I found the depiction sweet. As the political divide between Iman and Najmeh and their daughters grows, however, their marriage is also challenged, and it becomes clear what the balance of power really is.

Over the course of the film, I felt particularly endeared to Najmeh. She was depicted as a faithful wife, a protective and caring mother, and an Iranian woman sensitive to the chaos and suffering all around her. (My wife identified her to be the backbone of the family, tending to the needs of both her daughters and her husband.) Despite holding conservative political beliefs, she still grapples with the assertions made by her daughters, and goes out of her way to protect them or intervene when she is able. It’s not often that a film like this goes out of its way to develop the mother’s character, leaving Iman relatively one-dimensional in comparison. His absence and lack of participation in the political discourse at home felt intentional, and another reason why his authority as the patriarch was fading.

The entire film was made in secret, as producing it openly would have led to the arrest of the film crew. Rasoulof directed the film remotely, which is unbelievable to me. The actors’ performances are incredible. Unfortunately, as a result of the release of the film, many members of the production have had to flee Iran or are currently facing prosecution. If possible, when you watch this film, please watch it through legitimate channels to support the production team.

Regrettably, it does not appear that theatres in the US are screening The Seed of the Sacred Fig any longer. However, it appears to be available to watch on Apple+ TV, which offers a 7-day free trial. If you have a VPN and an Amazon Prime subscription, you may be able to watch on the international catalog of Amazon Prime (it does not appear to be available in the American catalog, unfortunately). I will update whenever there is an official method to purchase the film.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig was such an unexpected treat. I’d be eager to support the director in future endeavors. As of late, I’ve been really interested in learning more about geopolitics in the Middle East. For an excellent podcast series on the Iraq War, I really recommend Blowback (Season 1), which is available on Spotify. As for some high-quality analysis on the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, please check out this episode of the Bad Faith podcast featuring Rania Kalek from Breakthrough News. She does an excellent job breaking down all the regional players in Syria and demystifying how things progressed to this point.

Sources | Further Reading

Chang, Justin. Shot in secret, 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig' calls out Iran's authoritarian regime. NPR. 11 Dec 2024. https://www.npr.org/2024/12/11/nx-s1-5223531/the-seed-of-the-sacred-fig-review-iran

Davidson, Denton. Defiance in filmmaking: Mohammad Rasoulof on the secret production and global acclaim of ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’. Gold Derby. 20 Dec 2024. https://www.goldderby.com/article/2024/mohammad-rasoulof-the-seed-of-the-sacred-fig-interview/

Wintour, Patrick, et al. Head of Iran’s morality police reportedly suspended amid protests. The Guardian. 19 Sep 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/19/mahsa-amini-iran-protests-enter-third-day-after-kurdish-womans-death-in-custody

Moaveni, Azadeh. The Protests Inside Iran’s Girls’ Schools. The New Yorker. 07 Aug 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/14/the-protests-inside-irans-girls-schools

Iran hangs two men accused of killing security agent during protests. Reuters. 07 Jan 2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-hangs-two-men-alleged-crimes-committed-during-protests-judiciary-2023-01-07/

One Year Protest Report: At Least 551 Killed and 22 Suspicious Deaths. Iran Human Rights. 15 Sep 23. https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6200/

Hengaw Report No. 7 on the Kurdistan protests, 18 dead and 898 injured. HENGAW Organization for Human Rights. 26 Sep 2022. https://hengaw.net/en/news/archive/56611

Hello! It feels like years have passed since November 5th, 2024. I got a new full-time job after relocating across the country. The news cycle has been bustling with the toppling of the Assad regime in Syria, the sudden declaration of martial law in South Korea, and the murder of the United Healthcare CEO. (Thoughts on the murder and the resultant public response will be coming soon!) Oh, and of course, we can’t go a day without hearing about the next psychopath that Trump has decided to nominate to his Presidential cabinet. Because, yes, we’re here, in this timeline–about to begin Trump Presidency 2.0.

2024 Presidential Election Reflections

First, to no one’s surprise, my Electoral Map predictions were hilariously wrong. But to be fair, I don’t think many people expected that Trump would sweep every. Single. Swing state.

One of the political analysts I follow on YouTube did, however. Her name is Sabrina Salvati, and she covers current events from a leftist perspective. She predicted a full Trump sweep in this video published a few days prior to the election (start watching at 28:23):

I won’t go in-depth here with a 2024 Presidential election autopsy, as there are plenty of high-quality analyses out there. We’ve been inundated.

I will admit that I was disappointed. I really hoped that, despite my many, many political disagreements with her, Harris would win. There are plenty of fights to be had under a hypothetical Harris administration, such as: stopping the Palestinian genocide, fighting for universal healthcare, and increasing the federal minimum wage. However, at least a Harris administration would be staffed by relative experts who wouldn’t be attempting to ban vaccines, eliminate the Department of Education, conduct mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, or place disastrous tariffs that would worsen the economy for many in the short term. The scope of our efforts as leftists have broadened significantly, and that prospect is exhausting.

Many liberals and centrists have been rather angry with leftists like myself who openly criticized the Biden (and later Harris) campaign for being so out of touch with voters. There seemed to be an insistence to keep our criticisms to ourselves until after they had won, or we would be the reason they lost. We can’t be asking for the campaign to commit to universal healthcare! said Democrats. (Which feels particularly ironic after seeing the unanimous public sentiment after the murder of the United Healthcare CEO.) Then we would be accused of being socialists! Forget defending immigrants and perpetuating a positive message about immigrants, WE are tougher on the border! WE like guns!

The most upsetting aspect about all of this is that top Democrats knew they were losing from the start and still continued with a losing strategy. There was internal polling done early on by Democrats that showed that Trump was poised to win 400 votes in the Electoral College, whether Biden or Harris was the Democratic nominee. Biden refused to believe them, and his advisers went along with it. There were plenty of signs that Biden was entering a stage of cognitive decline (see my previous blog post about the cover-up, and why you shouldn’t trust Democrats after that). Before the disastrous summer Presidential debate that exposed the Biden campaign’s lies, we were all told that replacing Biden as the nominee was not only impossible, but unwise, despite a majority of voters asking for a truly competitive primary that would deliver the best nominee.

Even when Harris stepped up, there were many indications that voters were not energized for Harris. Just a few weeks before the election, many voters said they didn’t know what Harris stood for. While there was undeniably misogyny and racism at play, the Harris campaign chose to pander to a moderate voter that doesn’t exist. The Harris campaign courted them alongside never-Trump Republicans, a very small minority of voters overall.

Now I’m going to do the self-aggrandizing thing and quote myself, but I felt like this snippet from my previous blog post about the Democrats was particularly prescient:

“Now, voters are stuck with the nominee of Vice President Kamala Harris and appear to be even less enthusiastic about her match-up with Trump. Many voters feel like the sudden switch was rather undemocratic, and further proof that the Democratic Party does what it wants with impunity, rather than listening to what voters are asking for in the first place. The Democrats are engaging in an incredibly risky strategy that has caused them to lose more and more working-class voters, particularly young men and people of color.”

Huynh-O’Keefe, Valielza. Why You Shouldn't Trust the Democratic Party. Leftist in Progress. 30 Oct 2024. https://leftistinprogress.substack.com/p/why-you-shouldnt-trust-the-democratic

It’s impossible to really know whether a hypothetical Harris campaign that held fast to a leftist program would have won, but I contend that it would have. If people understood that an increased minimum wage was on the table, along with a real affordable housing program and universal healthcare, turnout would not have been so depressed. And while the Palestinian genocide was not the top issue for most voters, it had an undeniable effect on the razor-thin margins of the race. The Green Party captured the most Muslim votes for President across the country, and Trump was second place.

Now, we have to contend with a large population of voters that feels so disaffected from the electoral process that they are willing to vote for the hand grenade that is Trump, or not vote at all. I deeply sympathize with these voters and understand why the Harris campaign didn’t appeal to them. They wanted their votes to mean something instead of perpetuating the status quo. It’s a damn shame that the changes in the status quo are extremely unlikely to be positive, but the incoming malfeasance of the MAGA Republicans, along with the persistent ignorance and betrayals from the Democratic Party, creates a wide opening for leftists and third parties like the Green Party to present an alternative.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

I don’t think our strategy changes much under a Trump 2.0 administration. Funnily enough, Donald Trump, similar to the effect Anita Bryant had for the gay movement in the 1970s, gives the broader American Left (including liberals here) something to focus on. Trump unites us and creates a common cause. While I dread having to resist much of what this administration does, it’s comforting to know that for once, Democrats will be on our side, now that it’s cool to criticize the Republican President. There is strength in numbers.

Personally, I will be focusing on building up my local chapter of the Green Party. I, along with another party member, recently hosted a holiday party for longtime and new San Francisco Greens. We also encouraged people to invite community members and invited some of our endorsed candidates. It was amazing to hear how the Green endorsement was rather significant for many of our endorsed candidates, such as Alan Wong, who will be serving as President of the City College Board in 2025 and beyond. I moderated a Socratic circle where each person was able to discuss their thoughts and feelings about the election in front of the entire group. It was lovely. It re-emphasized that having these political conversations in-person is absolutely crucial to building community.

We heard from a campaign staffer from one of our endorsed candidates for mayor, Dylan Hirsch-Shell. This staffer’s name was Honest (no lie!). He spoke about how crucial it was to organize in between elections. Especially since the Greens have a (somewhat unfair) reputation of showing up every four years to push our candidate for President, this really resonated with me. Plus, there are a whole host of local issues to get involved in that are not necessarily connected to elections.

For example, MUNI, the public transportation agency of San Francisco, is facing a large budget shortfall that would dramatically impact service levels. For anyone who hasn’t been to San Francisco, it’s an incredibly dense city that is very difficult to drive in, but what makes this city amazing is its well-funded public transport. You don’t need a car to live here. SF was built originally around streetcars, and now offers many bus lines, train lines with connectivity to other transit services (BART, CalTrain) that take riders around the Bay Area, and continues to offer historic cable car service.

There was a proposition on the 2024 ballot for San Franciscans called Prop L that proposed a tax on rideshare services such as Lyft, Uber, and Waymo. The tax would be used to bridge the MUNI budget deficit. Lyft and Uber spent millions of dollars in opposition, while the Prop L campaign was mostly grassroots and focused on letting community members know that MUNI is at risk. It received an overwhelmingly positive response and got more than 50% on the ballot, but another proposition unfortunately killed it (Prop M) due to a technicality. It was upsetting to know that Prop L ultimately failed, but the Prop L campaign generated so much momentum and activated many people who were not previously politically active. I would contend that’s a major success. Many of us are continuing to organize at the regional and state levels for MUNI funding.

This is all to say, each one of us should find a single cause we’re passionate about and champion it. As individuals, we cannot organize and devote time and energy to every single issue. That quickly leads to burnout–it’s something I personally experienced after the BLM movement in 2020, thinking I needed to be aware of and involved in every social justice cause. However, as a community, we very much can focus on every issue if each individual has a unique contribution according to their interests.

This is a strategy I am trying to promote in the SF Green Party. As an individual organizer, I am focusing on public transit; there is another organizer who will be focusing on organized labor, and ideally, as we onboard new members, they can champion other causes as well or join existing teams. I’m also hoping to find people who are passionate about free college, universal healthcare, and prison abolition/reform so we can point to meaningful action in all of these policy areas and build trust with voters.

It’s crucial to support local and independent journalism now more than ever, as they will be under attack by the new Trump administration. I’d highly recommend subscribing to your local newspapers. Ask around and see which paper is more liberal, and which is more conservative. Subscribe to both, if possible, in order to get the maximum amount of coverage, and understand how people are thinking and discussing issues across the spectrum. Public libraries also frequently include subscriptions to local newspapers. For example, the San Francisco Public Library has free subscriptions to the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner. Local newspapers are the best way to keep up with local and state level issues, which are significantly easier channels to exercise influence compared to the federal level.

More than anything else, be kind to the people around you. Strive to build community and host in-person events. Get to know people and resist the antisocial impulses encouraged by the digital landscape. Or as the Gen Z folks would say, touch grass. Have conversations with people in the public about the political issue you’re championing whenever possible, and listen. You’ll be surprised by what you learn, surprised by their degree of consideration, or perhaps surprised by their degree of disillusion. Witnessing leftists online convinces me further and further that these people have not been organizing in the real world on a regular basis. You wouldn’t insult someone in a face-to-face conversation for not immediately aligning with you politically or not using the most politically correct terms; each person is an opportunity for a meaningful connection that can result in important action.

I’ve been learning a lot about movement organizing by reading about Ella Baker (see Ella Baker & the Black Freedom Movement by Barbara Ransby, 2003). She’s not spoken about nearly enough in the context of the Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s, but she was one of the core organizers who sometimes disagreed with MLK Jr. and other leaders on their strategies. She insisted that the organizing was too focused on MLK Jr. as an individual (! what a cogent take that foreshadowed what would happen to the movement after his assassination), and detested how women were frequently sidelined in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and not acknowledged for their massive contributions. It’s been so insightful learning about her childhood and how she grew as an organizer. I’ve been finding many answers to modern dilemmas in her biography. (I plan on discussing this book at length in a future post!)

I’ll end this post with some videos that I found incredibly useful, by a leftist YouTuber named Eliot Sang. In this video, he talks about the Ella Baker biography, which is what motivated me to check the book out from the library and read it myself. Sang also puts some concepts from Ella Baker’s organizing into a modern context, discussing online influencers and their reluctance to support Palestine:

If you’re especially bored and interested in a bit of political history, as well as heaps of validation as to why leftists despise Joe Biden, you ought to watch Sang’s video about his political career.

If you have any thoughts, I’d be happy to chat. Leave a comment or send me an e-mail at the Substack’s official e-mail, leftistinprogress [at] proton.me :) I hope everyone is doing well during the holiday season, and I’m incredibly grateful for all your support. I’ve been dreaming about getting this blog off the ground for 3 years now, and it’s incredibly fulfilling and exhilarating to finally do it and grow a readership. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

*PS, if anyone needs access to an article from the Sources/Further Reading list, just let me know and I will send it to you.

Sources | Further Reading

A Surprise Advance to Damascus, Captured on Video. The New York Times. 09 Dec 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/world/middleeast/syria-damascus-rebels-assad-video.html?searchResultPosition=3

Tammy Kim, E. A Coup, Almost, in South Korea. The New Yorker. 04 Dec 2024. https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/a-coup-almost-in-south-korea

Wilson, Michael, et al. Manhunt Enters Second Day After Health Executive Is Gunned Down in Manhattan. The New York Times. 04 Dec 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/04/nyregion/unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-shooting.html?searchResultPosition=2

Tolentino, Jia. A Man Was Murdered in Cold Blood and You’re Laughing? The New Yorker. 07 Dec 2024. https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/what-the-murder-of-the-unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-means-to-america

Gage, Beverly. How Would Kash Patel Compare to J. Edgar Hoover? The New Yorker. 11 Dec 2024. https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/kash-patel-vs-j-edgar-hoover

Thompson, Derek. RFK Jr. Is a Bellwether. The Atlantic. 04 Dec 2024. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/rfk-health-regulation-elitism/680863/

The Editors of The Atlantic. What’s Behind Trump’s Controversial Cabinet Picks. The Atlantic. 16 Nov 2024. https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2024/11/trump-cabinet-picks-washington-week/680687/

2024 Presidential Election Reflections

Huynh-O’Keefe, Valielza. 2024 Electoral Map Predictions. Leftist in Progress. 05 Nov 2024. https://leftistinprogress.substack.com/p/2024-electoral-map-predictions-pt

“Final 2024 Polls SHOCK! Electoral Map Prediction!” YouTube, uploaded by Sabby Sabs, 30 October 2024. See link in article.

Vasquez, Tina. Democrats Have Embraced the Terms of the Immigration Debate Set by Extremists. Truthout. 16 Oct 2024. https://truthout.org/articles/democrats-have-embraced-the-terms-of-the-immigration-debate-set-by-extremists/

Lang, Alex. Biden’s polling said Trump would win at least 400 electoral votes before president quit the race, Obama’s aide claims. The Independent. 08 Nov 2024. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/biden-polling-trump-votes-harris-election-b2644079.html

Huynh-O’Keefe, Valielza. Why You Shouldn't Trust the Democratic Party. Leftist in Progress. 30 Oct 2024. https://leftistinprogress.substack.com/p/why-you-shouldnt-trust-the-democratic

Lee, MJ, et al. Angry and stunned Democrats blame Biden’s closest advisers for shielding public from full extent of president’s decline. CNN. 11 Jul 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/11/politics/joe-biden-age-decline-democrats-angry/index.html

Preston, Julia. A Kamala Harris Canvasser’s Education. The New Yorker. 30 Nov 2024. https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-weekend-essay/a-kamala-harris-canvassers-education

The Intercept Briefing. Kamala’s Fruitless Pursuit of the Mythical Moderate. The Intercept. 7 Nov 2024. https://theintercept.com/2024/11/07/briefing-podcast-harris-trump-election-results/

Bender, Michael C. Why was there a broad drop-off in Democratic turnout in 2024? The Seattle Times. 11 Nov 2024. https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/why-was-there-a-broad-drop-off-in-democratic-turnout-in-2024/

Cohn, Marjorie. Palestine Was a Top Concern for Many Voters. Harris Refused to Listen to Them. Truthout. 07 Nov 2024. https://truthout.org/articles/palestine-was-a-top-concern-for-many-voters-harris-refused-to-listen-to-them/

Harb, Ali. ‘We warned you,’ Arab Americans in Michigan tell Kamala Harris. Al Jazeera. 06 Nov 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/6/we-warned-you-arab-americans-in-michigan-tell-kamala-harris

Allison, Ismail. CAIR Exit Poll of Muslim Voters Reveals Surge in Support for Jill Stein and Donald Trump, Steep Decline for Harris. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). 08 Nov 2024. https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-exit-poll-of-muslim-voters-reveals-surge-in-support-for-jill-stein-and-donald-trump-steep-decline-for-harris/

So Where Do We Go From Here?

“Coming of Age During the 1970s — Chapter Five: Thank You, Anita.” Making Gay History, 8 Jun 2023. https://makinggayhistory.org/podcast/chapter-five-thank-you-anita/

Alcindor, Yamiche. Liberal Activists Join Forces Against a Common Foe: Trump. The New York Times. 14 Feb 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/us/politics/protesters-resist-trump.html

Kariisa, Jessica, et al. SF Muni Could Face 'Devastating' Cuts. KQED. 20 Nov 2024. https://www.kqed.org/news/12015011/devastating-cuts-to-muni-could-be-coming

“I Explored San Francisco by Public Transit.” YouTube, uploaded by Adam, 24 November 2024. See link in article.

What's in Proposition L? SFMTA. (n.d.). https://www.sfmta.com/projects/whats-proposition-l

Council, Stephen. San Francisco rejects Muni-funding measure, despite a 56% vote. SFGate. 07 Nov 2024. https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/prop-l-results-muni-funding-19886865.php

“3 Reasons NOT To Care About Local Politics (and why you should anyway).” YouTube, uploaded by Leeja Miller, 09 September 2024. See link in article.

Ransby, Barbara. Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement. Chapel Hill & London, The University of North Carolina Press, 2003.

“Solidarity is supposed to be hard.” YouTube, uploaded by Elliot Sang, 27 September 2024. See link in article.

“Biden.mp4.” YouTube, uploaded by Elliot Sang, 29 November 2024. See link in article.

27DEC24: Updated source that supported the claim that a majority of Muslim Americans nationwide voted for Jill Stein for President in 2024. Initial source from Responsible Statecraft only included exit polling from Michigan. Updated source from Council on American-Islamic Relations reflects nationwide exit polling.

Hi all! This post is a quick one I wanted to shoot off before the results started coming out in full swing for the 2024 Presidential Election. Also, it is the culmination of a research project my younger brothers (hi, Xavier! Hi, Jaeredan!) and I have been working on dutifully for the past few months. I believe it’s really important to instill our youth with rigorous political education that will allow them to be attentive, mindful, and conscientious citizens when they come of age. Fortunately, both my brothers have been kind and curious enough to receive that education from me. We’ve had a boatload of fun over the past few weeks.

I’d like to expand on our justifications further, but I’m obviously a little crunched for time. So I’m going to include brief explanations with plenty of sources, as usual. I’m very interested to see how the map plays out over the next couple of weeks, and analyzing the differences!

We mostly focused our research on the seven swing states that have been identified this cycle, the states that will ultimately determine the outcome of the Electoral College: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Our methods were rather unscientific and mostly vibes-based. This was a project intended to challenge my younger brothers in evaluating sources, identifying what is fact versus what is opinion, and trying to suss out what the average person is feeling politically, something that even seasoned pollsters and pundits often get wrong. We prioritized reading and listening to interviews with regular, working-class people, along with recent history and contemporaneous events that we felt may affect the outcome.

Arizona: Democratic

Major reasons here include demographic changes—more Gen Z, Hispanic voters, and people moving from California (who are notoriously more liberal)—as well as the recent election of Arizona’s first Democratic governor in a while (Katie Hobbs), and Arizona’s U.S. Senators both being Democrat (until Kyrsten Sinema switched to being independent, anyway).

I suspect Harris’ housing policies will be attractive to voters who claim that housing has become far too expensive in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Abortion is also on the ballot for Arizonans, and I believe Harris’ reproductive rights platform, along with slightly stronger showings with female voters will help her here.

However, some of the other numbers have been concerning: Republican voter registrations have gone up while Democratic voter registrations have gone down. Immigration has also been a rather weak issue for Harris, and it is a top concern for many Arizonans.

Georgia: Republican

Lots of hijinks by the Republican Party to purge voters illegally from voter rolls. Not ot mention the election deniers currently sitting on the Georgia Elections Board. Fortunately their rulings are getting blocked by state courts, but I worry that this and their various modes of voter suppression will have a chilling effect that will ultimately be successful.

Also, Harris is not polling as well among Black male voters compared to Biden or Clinton, which will be pivotal in Georgia, which boasts the highest proportion of Black people of all the swing states.

Michigan: Republican

Most significantly, a lack of Arab-American support that will probably keep Harris from beating Trump in this state. Why? The genocide in Gaza. It’s that simple. Jill Stein from the Green Party is also beating Kamala Harris with Muslim voters nationwide.

Nevada: Democratic

Xavier insisted on Nevada going Democratic, and I think he’s right on the money: Latinos are royally *pissed off* after Trump’s MSG rally and all the racist remarks against Latinos. There is a strong Latino presence in the state and many of them work in hospitality or tourism on the Vegas strip. Big unions including the Culinary Union and Nevada Teamsters have made endorsements for Harris.

As someone who’s lived in Nevada for much of her life, I’m also inclined to think that the state has a Democratic tilt, although it’s very, very slight. After seeing Bernie win the state in the 2020 Democratic primary, however, I’m convinced that the best way to break through to Nevadan voters is with solid economic proposals, and I think Harris’ recent tax credits, commitment to raise the minimum wage, and her promise to eliminate taxes on tips speaks quite directly to Nevadan voters.

North Carolina: Democratic

I truly do think that Mark Robinson is going to bring down Trump’s chances in this state. Usually Trump can avoid being too closely associated with his counterparts, but this guy is too nasty. And the shift in the polls after Harris became the nominee was enough to turn North Carolina from a lean Republican state to a battleground state, which tells me that Harris is energizing young and Black voters there.

Pennsylvania: Democratic

This has been the most difficult state to predict of them all. Similar to Nevada, though, I truly do think the Trump rally at MSG—where a comedian described Puerto Rico as “an island of floating garbage”—skewered his chances with the massive Puerto Rican population there. Also, Trump is lagging with older voters for the early vote, but it’s difficult to tell if this is because they’re not voting for him or if they’re following his directive of voting in-person these days.

Wisconsin: Republican

Another incredibly difficult state to predict, with wildly changing counties and independently thinking voters. This is probably the most vibes-based prediction on this list. But this segment produced by 60 Minutes made me feel like voters were more concerned about the economy at the end of the day, and trust Trump more. (To be clear, the segment didn’t really come to any clear conclusion. Mostly going off what that last guy said.)

This was a fun exercise that allowed me to dig in deep and experience the political mood in other parts of the country. I hope everyone stays safe tomorrow (technically, today, as this is getting published just after midnight on November 5th), and tell me what you think of our predictions! Tell me what yours were, if you had any, or feel free to point out how wrong we were. Stay tuned for some juicy post-election analysis!

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The Democratic Party is often eager to market itself as the mainstream political party of choice for progressive voters. For those of us that want to see widely popular policies such as universal healthcare, free college, and a living wage for all workers implemented in the near future, we are herded into the Democratic tent. “Vote blue no matter who” is the frequent anthem of those who are interested in maintaining recent wins such as the right to gay marriage and access to gender-affirming healthcare, or preventing further rollbacks in reproductive rights after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. These are all deeply valid concerns. This is particularly true now that the Republican Party is under the spell of neo-fascism and illiberalism embodied by Trump and the Freedom Caucus.

However, the incrementalist approach of the Democratic Party can be quite maddening for those of us that would like to see these policies enacted in our lifetimes. Democrats have had ample opportunities, time and time again, to promote policies and candidates that would significantly benefit the working class now. Their refusal to take these opportunities, and listen to the needs of working-class voters, is likely the root cause of so many Democratic voters migrating to the GOP. (Democrats have had a very difficult time explaining the high incidence of Obama-Trump voters except to blame it on racist backlash to Obama, a narrative that is very unlikely.)

The blatant bias on behalf of the DNC for Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders in 2016, the refusal to adopt a $15 federal minimum wage in 2021 during the height of COVID, and the recent gaslighting about Joe Biden’s obvious cognitive decline are all examples of how the Democratic Party is out of touch with working-class voters, and is frequently completely unaccountable for its (domestic policy) failures. The Democratic Party has also stood aside as the most progressive members of the House of Representatives, such as Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush–who were among the first to correctly condemn Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza post the October 7th attack–have been pushed out of Congress due to foreign lobbying and redistricting. 

The Institutional Bias Against Bernie Sanders in 2016

The Presidential election of 2016 holds a special place in my heart. I was exasperated at being only 17 and unable to vote. At the same time, I was giddy at the notion of electing our first female President. As a burgeoning high school debater, it was the first election where I felt like I actually understood the major issues and candidates. Trump was a minor concern, but mostly a joke. I was worried when he suddenly was able to beat out a crowded field to win the Republican presidential nomination, but trusted the polls that assured us that it would be a landslide, in favor of Clinton. 

Then the electoral map began to light up in red. Clinton had lost despite winning three million more votes in the popular vote. What went wrong?

The sinking feeling in my gut told me that it was likely due to choosing the wrong Democratic presidential nominee. I was a Bernie Bro through and through, believing his platform of economic populism would be the best way to reach across the aisle and incentivize disillusioned voters. While I thought Sanders was better than Clinton, I wasn’t terribly upset with the notion of electing the first female President, and someone who seemed to be well-experienced in governance.

What I didn’t know at the time, being very new to electoral politics, was that Hillary Clinton was a historically unpopular candidate, along with Trump. She did not do better with any demographic (save for white college-educated women) compared to Obama. I clearly remember talking to my father, a white, college-educated man, about the 2016 election and his distaste for Clinton nearly pushed him to vote for Trump. I insisted that voting for Trump was a wasted vote, and he agreed, but I was taken aback that Clinton was so unpalatable that the alternative was even a consideration. This seemed to be a microcosm of how many voters were feeling at the time. 

Clinton openly described herself as a moderate, despite her campaign officials insisting that she was truly a progressive. At the time, anti-establishment sentiment was quite high among the public. With Trump’s posture as an “outsider” and his many promises to drain the swamp, while Sanders promised to tax the top 1% of earners and break the chokehold of the elite on politics, Clinton’s messaging failed to land. Her ties to big banks such Goldman Sachs and the last-minute FBI probe into her private email server (that yielded nothing) surely did not help her appeal, either.

If Clinton was so unsuited for the political moment, one might ask, then why did she ultimately receive the nomination? She did win the nomination through the primary process. But many observers claim that she was benefitting from an obvious bias from the DNC, which also treated any non-Clinton candidate as unserious and not deserving of attention. These sentiments were confirmed after a large amount of DNC emails were leaked on Wikileaks. The Clinton campaign also exerted an unusual amount of control over the DNC up to a year before she formally received the nomination; some observers even accused the Clinton campaign of using the DNC to “money launder,” and much of the funds promised for down-ballot races in various states went to Clinton’s campaign instead. The debate schedule was sparse, denying Sanders exposure. 

To top it off, Clinton had won the “invisible primary” years before, shoring up support as early as 2013.

“The term “invisible primary” refers to the attempts by important elements of each major party — mainly elites and interest groups — to anoint a presidential nominee before the voting even begins. [...]

Essentially, party insiders — elected officials, donors, interest groups, activists, and political staffers — are attempting to individually decide who they want their nominee to be, and often to coordinate with others in the party. These insider deliberations take place in private conversations with each other and with the potential candidates, and eventually in public declarations of who they’re choosing to endorse, donate to, or work for.”

Prokop, Andrew. The invisible primary: Can party elites pick a nominee before anyone votes? Vox. 29 Dec 2014. https://www.vox.com/2014/12/29/7450793/invisible-primary

There is nothing illegal or even necessarily unethical for a political party to engage in an “invisible primary.” However, as Ezra Klein astutely points out, coming to a similar conclusion at Vox, “coronation is not a good look for anyone.” Clearing the field inadvertently gave more backing to Sander’s message of elites rigging electoral politics in their favor. Moreover, while party elites were eager to lock in Clinton as the nominee years prior, it was incredibly arrogant to make assumptions so far ahead of a general election, without considering the moods of voters and what issues they truly cared about. This is precisely why Clinton felt so unsuited for the political moment in 2016. The flawed calculations of the Democrats–banking on vague messages of change and identity politics instead of concrete economic proposals like free college or a $15 minimum wage–led to a disastrous Trump presidency. 

The Refusal to Adopt a $15 Federal Minimum Wage in 2021

One of the easiest ways to materially improve the lives of workers across the country would be to increase the federal minimum wage. While only 1% of workers make the current federal wage, which is $7.25 an hour, a minimum wage increase would benefit as many as “1 in 4 workers—nearly 40 million—and lead to an annual wage increase as large as $8,000 for some of the lowest-wage workers,” according to the Center for American Progress in July 2023.

Unfortunately, the promise of a $15 minimum wage that Biden campaigned on has failed to come into fruition. It appeared as if a minimum wage increase was on the horizon when Congress was deliberating on passing the 2021 American Rescue Plan (the stimulus package), but the provision was suddenly eliminated by the Senate parliamentarian. The parliamentarian claimed that the $15 minimum wage increase broke the rules of budget reconciliation, which allowed the Senate to pass the bill with a simple majority (50 votes) versus surmounting the usual filibuster (60 votes). She claimed that the provision had to be removed to prevent potential abuses of the budget reconciliation process, in case either party tried to pass major legislative policy that was irrelevant to the budget.

While this may seem like an ironclad ruling, it certainly was not. The parliamentarian can be overruled and even ousted by the Senate if it disagrees with their findings, as it did with Robert B. Dove in 2001. Several analysts covering the ruling acknowledged that the Senate could elect to ignore the parliamentarian, but the Senate chose not to. Even Democrats were upset with the decision, feeling like the minimum wage increase was set up for failure by the Biden administration:

“Some Democrats groused privately on Thursday night that [...] Mr. Biden’s public admission this month that he did not think the wage increase would survive, gave Ms. MacDonough [the Senate parliamentarian] the “permission structure” to essentially kill the proposal, according to one Democratic aide who described their thinking on the condition of anonymity.” 

Cochrane, Emily. Top Senate Official Disqualifies Minimum Wage From Stimulus Plan. The New York Times. 25 Feb 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/us/politics/federal-minimum-wage.html 

Fast forward to 2024, and we have not come any closer to passing a $15 minimum wage, despite Biden’s campaign promises. It is difficult to believe the Democrats will stick to their guns despite controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress in 2021, and still failing to pass a simple measure that would have massively improved the lives of many Americans. So it is difficult to dismiss voters who are now leaning towards Trump, when they have not seen any improvement in their economic prospects under Biden. (To be clear, this blog does not endorse Trump or any of his policies; Trump is extremely dangerous and unfit to serve. However, the failure of the Democrats to retain working-class voters created the specter of Trump.)

The Gaslighting of Voters in Regards to Joe Biden’s Cognitive Decline & Re-Electability

Finally, and perhaps the most galling recent betrayal of voters by the Democratic Party, is the cover-up of President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, which was exposed by the Presidential debate on June 27, 2024. This is particularly infuriating after the suppression of a competitive Democratic primary in the face of historic unpopularity on Biden’s part. 

From the outset, many voters were upset with the insistence by party elites that Biden should be the nominee. There was deep anxiety and discontent about another Biden-Trump match-up, and polls showed that a majority of voters wanted alternate nominees to avoid another depressing election cycle. ABC News reported in May 2023 that 68% of voters thought Biden was too old to run for re-election. 

While Biden never necessarily made a public pledge to be a one-term President, much of his messaging was clear: “I view myself as a transition candidate,” he was quoted as saying during an April 2020 fundraiser. At another event, with Kamala Harris at his side, he also said, “I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else.” Harris’ nomination felt like an implicit nod to many voters that she would be the next President, considering Biden’s advanced age. Politico reported in December 2019 that “it is virtually inconceivable that he will run for reelection in 2024,” according to several sources who spoke regularly with Biden. They feared that running for a second term “could turn him into a lame duck and sap him of his political capital.” Unfortunately, Biden quickly changed course after getting elected, which has ultimately manifested his advisers’ fears into reality.

In addition, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) refused to hold primary debates, despite the fact that there were viable candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, including Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Marianne Williamson. (For the record: incumbent Presidents typically do not participate in debates when running for re-election. However, in the face of massive unpopularity and desire for another nominee, it would have been prudent to listen to voters much earlier.) Representative Phillips in particular was alienated by many of his colleagues, who were in disbelief that he would step out of line to challenge Biden.

Biden has always had a stutter, and it’s impossible to be in the public eye as much as he is without the occasional gaffe. However, there have been many moments that demonstrated something more was happening. He began to ramble during meetings or press events, often telling bizarre stories, or confusing people who were present. He appeared to zone out, struggled to keep up with other world leaders (see the China/US summit held in California), or trip down stairs and over other objects. CNN reported that sources described meetings with Biden as “not free-wheeling, and pretty well-orchestrated.” In the same reporting, a Cabinet secretary even told CNN that they did not know about Biden’s current condition because the meetings are so infrequent and rare. Axios reported that Biden’s public events have to be scheduled within a 10am-4pm timeframe, otherwise he may not be “dependably engaged.” 

Republicans have been on the record insisting Biden is too old and on the decline for many months now. While it is warranted to take Republicans insulting Biden’s mental acuity with a grain of salt, it is even more concerning to witness the White House engaging in classic PR-style damage control to ensure Democratic lawmakers stay in line with their narrative, instead of telling the public the truth:

“The White House kept close tabs on some of The Wall Street Journal’s interviews with Democratic lawmakers. After the offices of several Democrats shared with the White House either a recording of the interview or details about what was asked, some of those lawmakers spoke to the Journal a second time and once again emphasized Biden’s strengths.

“They just, you know, said that I should give you a call back,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, referring to the White House.” 

Linskey, Annie. Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping. The Wall Street Journal. 04 Jun 2024. https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/joe-biden-age-election-2024-8ee15246 

CNN also reported similarly:

“That [anonymous] Democrat was blunt about how the president’s closest advisers have responded to any criticism or concerns expressed about the president – including his age and fitness: “Everyone who expresses any level of suspicion or contrary views? They call everyone and they beat the s*** out of them and say: ‘Stay on message.’” 

Lee, MJ, et. al. Angry and stunned Democrats blame Biden’s closest advisers for shielding public from full extent of president’s decline. CNN. 11 Jul 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/11/politics/joe-biden-age-decline-democrats-angry/index.html 

Perhaps the most damning evidence of the cover-up is how much Biden is shielded from the press. He has done less formal news conferences than every preceding President except Reagan and Nixon. Biden seems to prefer more casual environments with talk show hosts or internet influencers, and often limits exchanges with reporters to a few minutes while they shout questions at him (many of which he elects to ignore or respond with one- or two-word answers). While his team insists that this is due to the changing nature of the information ecosystem, and that voters rely increasingly less and less on major newspapers, it is undeniable that keeping the press at arm’s length makes it much easier to hide his cognitive decline. According to CNN in July 2024, ““It’s not like Biden’s inner circle didn’t know this,” one Democratic strategist close to the White House said of the extent of the president’s recent decline.”

Now, voters are stuck with the nominee of Vice President Kamala Harris and appear to be even less enthusiastic about her match-up with Trump. Many voters feel like the sudden switch was rather undemocratic, and further proof that the Democratic Party does what it wants with impunity, rather than listening to what voters are asking for in the first place. The Democrats are engaging in an incredibly risky strategy that has caused them to lose more and more working-class voters, particularly young men and people of color.

Okay, Your Arguments are Flawless and You’ve Convinced Me that the Democratic Party Can’t be Trusted. Now What?

Why, thank you! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ Vote for third-party candidates whenever possible, particularly at the state and local levels. Pay attention to what happens in your town or city, and your state. This is difficult and often dispiriting work, but it’s important that we, as citizens and residents of this country, are always politically engaged. (Subscribing to this newsletter is a good way to start! I promise it gets easier! :)

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More concretely: if you are concerned with seeing progressive policies passed in your lifetime, like free college, guaranteed affordable housing, or universal healthcare, I believe that working with the Green Party, the Peace & Freedom Party (if you’re in California), or the Party for Socialism & Liberation are all viable alternatives with solid records of activism and concrete electoral strategies. 

My heart lies with the Green Party (no surprise for anyone who knows me personally), and I will write more as to why I subjectively think they would be the most efficient use of your time. We should be supportive of all minor political parties that are interested in enacting progressive policies, and stop assuming that the Democratic Party is our only option. Even if you don’t vote for one of their candidates for President in 2024 or 2028, there is a lot of ground to be gained just at the state and local levels.

Sources

Democratic Party (United States). “Democratic Disc.” Wikimedia, 2 Nov. 2020, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Democratic_Disc.svg. 

Cohn, Nate. The Obama-Trump Voters Are Real. Here’s What They Think. The New York Times. 15 Aug 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/upshot/the-obama-trump-voters-are-real-heres-what-they-think.html?smid=url-share 

McGreal, Chris. Cori Bush loses primary after pro-Israel groups spend millions to oust ‘Squad’ member. The Guardian. 06 Aug 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/06/missouri-cori-bush-primary-bell-aipac-israel 

Zogby, James J. A Deep Dive Into The Bowman Loss. Arab American Institute. 01 Jul 2024. https://www.aaiusa.org/library/a-deep-dive-into-the-bowman-loss 

The Institutional Bias Against Bernie Sanders in 2016

Crossover1370. “2016 U.S. presidential election margins.svg.” Wikimedia, 18 Aug 2019, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2016_U.S._presidential_election_margins.svg. 

Yglesias, Matthew. What really happened in 2016, in 7 charts. Vox. 18 Sep 2017. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/9/18/16305486/what-really-happened-in-2016 

Merica, Dan. Clinton ‘pleads guilty’ to being a moderate. CNN. 10 Sep 2015. https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/10/politics/hillary-clinton-democrat-progressive/index.html 

Roberts, Dan. Why Hillary Clinton lost the election: the economy, trust and a weak message. The Guardian. 9 Nov 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/09/hillary-clinton-election-president-loss 

White, Ben. What Clinton said in her paid speeches. Politico. 09 Feb 2016. https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/clinton-speeches-218969 

Beech, Eric. Clinton email probe finds no deliberate mishandling of classified information. Reuters. 19 Oct 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/clinton-email-probe-finds-no-deliberate-mishandling-of-classified-information-idUSKBN1WY0K9/ 

Shear, Michael D. and Rosenberg, Matthew. Released Emails Suggest the D.N.C. Derided the Sanders Campaign. The New York Times. 22 Jul 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/23/us/politics/dnc-emails-sanders-clinton.html 

Brazile, Donna. Inside Hillary Clinton’s Secret Takeover of the DNC. Politico Magazine. 02 Nov 2017. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/02/clinton-brazile-hacks-2016-215774/ 

Vogel, Kenneth P. and Arnsdorf, Isaac. Clinton fundraising leaves little for state parties. Politico. 02 May 2016. https://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/clinton-fundraising-leaves-little-for-state-parties-222670 

Klein, Rick. In Secret Letter, Senate Democratic Women Rally Behind Hillary Clinton. ABC News. 30 Oct 2013. https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/10/in-secret-letter-senate-democratic-women-rally-behind-hillary-clinton 

Prokop, Andrew. The invisible primary: Can party elites pick a nominee before anyone votes? Vox. 29 Dec 2014. https://www.vox.com/2014/12/29/7450793/invisible-primary

Klein, Ezra. Was the Democratic primary rigged? Vox. 14 Nov 2017. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/14/16640082/donna-brazile-warren-bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-rigged 

The Refusal to Adopt a $15 Federal Minimum Wage in 2021

Blue, Fibonacci. “Dinkytown minimum wage march-Raise the minimum wage protesters at a McDonalds restaurant.jpg.” Wikimedia, 15 Apr. 2015, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dinkytown_minimum_wage_march-Raise_the_minimum_wage_protesters_at_a_McDonalds_restaurant.jpg. 

Khattar, Rose, et al. Raising the Minimum Wage Would Be an Investment in Growing the Middle Class. Center for American Progress. 20 Jul 2023. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/raising-the-minimum-wage-would-be-an-investment-in-growing-the-middle-class/ 

Cochrane, Emily. Top Senate Official Disqualifies Minimum Wage From Stimulus Plan. The New York Times. 25 Feb 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/us/politics/federal-minimum-wage.html 

Rosenbaum, David E. Rules Keeper Is Dismissed By Senate, Official Says. The New York Times. 08 May 2001. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/08/us/rules-keeper-is-dismissed-by-senate-official-says.html 

Zhou, Li. The $15 minimum wage is effectively dead — for now. Vox. 25 Feb 2021. https://www.vox.com/2021/2/25/22299034/15-dollar-minimum-wage-senate-parliamentarian 

The Gaslighting of Voters in Regards to Joe Biden’s Cognitive Decline & Re-Electability

The White House. “President Biden speaks with Cancer Cabinet.jpg.” Wikimedia, 13 Sept. 2023, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_Biden_speaks_with_Cancer_Cabinet.jpg. 

Anand, Vijay. Joe Biden is currently the most unpopular US president in modern history — what ails his presidency? CNBC TV 18. 11 Dec 2023. https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/joe-biden-is-currently-the-most-unpopular-us-president-in-modern-history--what-ails-his-presidency-18536391.htm 

McHugh, Calder. Voters Don’t Want a Biden-Trump Rematch. This is Why. Politico. 20 Dec 2023. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/12/20/biden-trump-2024-presidential-race-no-one-wants-00132791 

Kim, Seung Min and Sanders, Linley. Few U.S. adults want a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024, AP-NORC poll shows. PBS News. 14 Dec 2023. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/few-u-s-adults-want-a-biden-trump-rematch-in-2024-ap-norc-poll-shows 

Langer, Gary. Broad doubts about Biden’s age and acuity spell Republican opportunity in 2024: POLL. ABC News. 06 May 2023. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/broad-doubts-bidens-age-acuity-spell-republican-opportunity/story?id=99109308 

Krakauer, Steve. Did Biden break a ‘one term’ pledge? The Hill. 13 Jun 2024. https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/4718993-did-biden-break-his-one-term-pledge/ 

Lizza, Ryan. Biden signals to aides that he would serve only a single term. Politico. 11 Dec 2019. https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/11/biden-single-term-082129 

Rosen, Jacob. Why Dean Phillips' primary challenge against Biden failed. CBS News. 06 Mar 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dean-phillips-2024-campaign-challenge-against-biden-failed/ 

Samuels, Brett. Biden mistakenly calls Egyptian leader ‘president of Mexico’. The Hill. 08 Feb 2024. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4457527-biden-mistakenly-calls-egyptian-leader-president-of-mexico/ 

Smith, David. Gaffes, stumbles and missteps – for Biden, the cracks were showing. The Guardian. 11 Jul 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/11/biden-nato-summit-sketch 

Plummer, Kate. Video of Joe Biden Appearing to Freeze at Juneteenth Event Raises Questions. Newsweek. 11 Jun 2024. https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-freeze-video-juneteenth-event-white-house-questions-republicans-rnc-1911050 

Lee, MJ, et. al. Angry and stunned Democrats blame Biden’s closest advisers for shielding public from full extent of president’s decline. CNN. 11 Jul 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/11/politics/joe-biden-age-decline-democrats-angry/index.html 

See moment Biden trips and falls at Air Force Academy commencement. CNN. 01 Jun 2023. https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/06/01/biden-trips-graduation-ceremony-air-force-academy-alvarez-nc-vpx.cnn 

Thompson, Alex. Two Joe Bidens: The night America saw the other one. Axios. 29 Jun 2024. https://www.axios.com/2024/06/29/two-bidens-trump-debate-2024-president 

Linskey, Annie. Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping. The Wall Street Journal. 04 Jun 2024. https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/joe-biden-age-election-2024-8ee15246 

Kight, Stef W. Biden's media evasion. Axios. 03 Jul 2024. https://www.axios.com/2024/07/04/biden-media-interviews-press-data 

Shear, Michael D. Biden Has Held the Fewest News Conferences Since Reagan. Any Questions? The New York Times. 21 Apr 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/us/politics/biden-public-appearances-media.html