No, not assuming. Asking to be informed. That's why I asked, "Is there something that I'm not getting?" Tell me what I'm not understanding. What are you doing to address the situation?

@CliffordCook I donate regularly to both The Lincoln Project and the ACLU, vote every chance there is, and keep abreast of companies that deserve to Not get my money. (There are plenty of every kind of store)
In addition I have volunteered at local candidate offices and once upon a time worked hard for Bernie too.
Plus been a poll monitor for the last 2 major elections, putting 463 miles on my car the first time circulating among 8 polling places, and 301 miles the last time, circulating among 6 places, both 8am-8pm days. (which meant I had to absentee ballot of course.)
Plus a few marches and so forth, all my life.
Will no doubt be a poll monitor again this year too, and call the Dems to bring me yard signs again (you Have to call them!)
You?

@annewimsey500 Sounds pretty fantastic. It is frustrating when rank and file Democrats have to call to ask for a lawn sign, and push to get involved. I've been there. In the past, I've been a member of my state's Democratic Party committee, and in the elections I was involved with in those capacities were surprisingly disorganized. I've been making political donations and coordinating / canvassing with my area's US House Democratic campaign. I've also been podcasting on Christian Nationalism and am currently almost done with a book about a network of church leaders coordinating support for Donald Trump in this year's election.
My state is reliably blue - and thus isn't getting much attention from Biden, which makes some sense in terms of allocation of resources, while on the other hand, blue states are where there could be a much stronger grassroots political organization to help out in other states.
Progressive grassroots activism in my area is currently dominated by protests against US funding for Israel, which are both turning young voters away from Biden in frightening numbers and sucking all the oxygen out of the room from other political issues. So, I'm witnessing progressive activist networks in my area crumbling apart (except on the issue of Gaza) just when they should be ramping up. It's a frightening combination.

@CliffordCook those yard sign permissions are a state law and I agree with it, 100%, I sure would dislike waking up to Trump signs in my yard!!!!!!!

@annewimsey500 I'm just saying I wish the campaigns would reach out to people to offer.

"Troops! Raise your shit shields NOW!"

@anglophone I have a crossbow that will punch a hole through those cheesy plywood shields the Nazis carry without even waving bye bye....

I'd love to believe that Trump is on the path to losing, but a huge number of young people angry about the Israel-Gaza conflict are declaring that they either will not vote, or will vote for RFK. Polling in the swing states that will determine the result of the election have consistently been in Donald Trump's favor. Trump is also ahead in nationwide polls. I'm afraid that dismissing the chances of Trump winning, like we did in 2016 will bring about results like what we had in 2016.

@CliffordCook The old establishment news services tell you that to keep you upset so you keep watching. This gives them more advertising revenues...

I think every country has its pros and cons. The "Trump show" I hope, will be an example of what not to accept in a leader.

@Betty Scott Morrison is Australia's answer to Trumpty Dumpty.

I saw that pro-Russian material. There are some truly bizarre posts over on one of those groups.

I have some history in Democratic Party politics, having spend a few years on my state's Democratic committee. I can't think of another election that's been like this one, though. I'll admit to you, Glenn, that I'm feeling quite panicky about it.

I'm not experiencing ammunition being provided to activists. I'm seeing a whole lot of counterproductive fundraising emails, and not much else. I'm in touch with our area's congressional campaign, and seeing very slow organization there, too.

I'm also quite worried about the grassroots enthusiasm that is going into protests related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. The zeal on that issue seems to be a distraction from the presidential election that's going on, turning a lot of young voters away from the Democrats.

There are great organizations, such as the Secular Coalition and FFRF, but they're not directly oriented to electoral politics. I'd really love to see an organization that's focused on organizing godless Americans in campaign activism, as our numbers have grown to a sufficient level in many parts of the country to make us an influential group. Do you know of anything like that?

Thanks for responding! You're right that the obstacles to getting good government are high. The way I see it, though, there's a lot of difference between the bad government we get if Donald Trump is defeated and the astonishingly awful government we get if Donald Trump wins. If you take a look at the agenda of Project 2025, it's terrifying what Donald Trump's closest allies plan to do. It's beyond bad government. It's imposing Christianity as a state religion, and removing all the internal government checks on government power. Trump is claiming absolute immunity to commit crimes as President, recently says he thinks a lot of Americans would like a dictator, promised to suspend the Constitution... and says he will "stop" "the atheists" if he's elected. These threats aren't a media invention to keep ratings up. They're for real, and the number of times I've seen pickup trucks with "Punisher" fascist logos and decals threatening to shoot liberals is certainly not a media invention. Is the election going to be fair? No, of course not, not with the influence of Citizens United, as you note. The lack of fairness we see now, however, is nothing compared with what we'll see if Trump gets elected. We have only 6 months to get in gear, and right now, Donald Trump is ahead, consistently. I don't think we can wait for establishment activist organizations to tell us what to do in the autumn.

I totally support your position. I simply cannot make a rational judgement on what level of effort to deploy. I already don't feel comfortable giving money away while living on a fixed income. I try to continue being able to look at myself in the mirror.

@racocn8 I totally hear you about money. I don't think donating money to campaigns is the most effective form of activism anyway. Talking with friends and family is a great, zero cost place to start.

Unless the pustule prevails....we'll have some options about SCOTUS!

Thanks for your response. I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I am having a very difficult time understanding the low energy levels in online organizing right now. Understanding things from your point of view is helpful.