166 Comments

Mike Lee is a proven insurrectionist. John Kennedy is an irrelevance, an unserious insult to the title of Senator. Joyce Vance is an American heroine and fearless truthteller - of the first and highest order.

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Senators Lee and Kennedy have not learned what a profound privilege it is to sit in Congress on behalf of the best interests of all of the American people in their districts. They hide behind their arrogance and spit out responses that do not justify their means, with no clarity of purpose or care.

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Mike Lee and John Kennedy are playing for the Fox cameras. They are performing; that's what governing is the Republicans--performing, but no substance.

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Yes, else why not sit for the reply to your question?

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Remember Kennedy is the ignoramus who made the remark about Mexicans eating cat food if not for the wonderful US! Great way to get along with our neighbors, right? His "folksy" remarks tick me off.

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John Kennedy=Deputy Dawg

Mike Lee=Huckleberry Hound.

Cartoonish political hacks.

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Perfect images!

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Huckleberry Hound is head and shoulders above Lee in the character department.

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Evil needs anger, mad, violence, killing or the thought of to exist.

Love thy neighbor and pray for the misguided puppets.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee shows some of the best (Whitehouse) and the worst (Kennedy, Lee) that we have. Kennedy, particularly, is one of the worst hypocrites- a wealthy lawyer and Oxford (undergraduate, very rare among Americans) alum who talks as though he’s just plain folks.

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I wish Whitehouse would run for the White House. His name recognition would skyrocket.

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They are sad. Pray for them. Puppets on a string.

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As a born-and-bred Massachusetts girl, I wish John Kennedy would change his name.

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I've often had that same thought.

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Hear, hear! Joyce in all her podia (here, on MSNBC, with her colleagues in their outstanding “Sisters-In-Law” podcast, etc.) shares legitimate, studied legal support for the nearly countless affronts to democracy we currently endure. Live long and carry on, Counselor Vance.

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Let us pray for all these misguided individuals. They are unread. Maybe never traveled out of their own communities. They know not what they do.

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One of the best and brightest essays to come along. Thank you Joyce Vance for providing the information to us. It helps to know there are upstanding people like Judge Wolf who demonstrate the courage needed during these dark times. I am also impressed by the citizenry and groups in Florida stepping up to defend our 1st Amendment. I always wonder how much courage I could muster up to defend our humanity. It seems daunting. Thank you so much!

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Yes, how much! I was an alternate to the '84 Dem. convention in S.F (and my highest achievement in our governmental system, to some, in my life) Walter Mondale was the candidate that a laborer like me should have favored, but I felt he had no chance against Reagan and he would be wiped out in the general election (which wasn't some extraordinary prescience on my part.)

I thought the only chance was a radical alternative to present to people, a total break with all traditional candidates and alliances and so I favored Jackson. I was living in northern Virginia at the time and Jesse Jackson had been our choice (we had a caucus then, not a primary). Doug Wilder, who would soon become the first black governor in the south since reconstruction was the leader of our delegation. When the voting was to take place there was no floor debate after the nominations. Virginia went for Jackson but Mondale won handily on the first ballot. Then it was proposed to make it unanimous. Our delegation refused without opening it to floor debate first. We were told that wasn't necessary (possible) because Mondale had already been nominated. I guess there was other incidents going on (interviews or whatnot) and so there was no public disclosure of what was going on, other than that Virginia had voted to pass on the unanimity resolution. There was a lot of pressure being applied on our delegation and we were being visited by every influential democrat but Mondale himself. But some of us were quite adamant that since their had been no floor debate before the first ballot we should not have to switch our vote until there was a debate, Finally there were still five holdouts, six if you count me, but as an alternate I had no vote. Finally we were threatened with being arrested if we did not approve the nomination. At which point I totally lost it, and said "Absolutely arrest Me! If I have no choice, I have no voice, and this convention is nothing but a scam operation, a fascist attempt to stifle debate and I will have no part in allowing it. I began to demand cameras and to get quite loud, and while not arrested, I was escorted out of the Moscone Center. So my direct knowledge ends, but I do know the 5 delegates were allowed to abstain and Virginia made Mondale's nomination unanimous.

I walked away, I became an independent registered voter, and never participated in party politics again. I voted silently. I rejected parties and only spoke to very few intimates ever again about why I dislike political parties.So for 37 years I never thought the government really represented me. I could have been the Trump voter,but I continued to read.

I've written about my background. Failing out of high school, I went to work in the foundries, I spent thirteen years getting a college degree, and then became active in politics, not influential, but active. Seven years later I abhorred the political system. I vowed to never work for anyone and contracted for whatever I could do to stay alive. But Jan 6, 2021 changed things.

It's easy to feel that democracy is defeating you, not representing you. I understand the Trump voter, but the voices who are attempting to lead them--too many to mention will never help their sense of loss. But I know quite well how easy it is to lose faith in the system of democracy, how easy it is to become dejected by a system that doesn't ever really seem to help the working class.That is what I am attempting to convey in my own substack posts, and how to ultimately defeat these autocratic monsters who are leading the current conflicts. I don't think democracy survives unless it restructures and becomes more inclusive.

You ask what you would do. I do not know. I know how I responded, how many of those I live around began to respond, I know how easy it is to believe in stolen elections when you feel unimportant and unrepresented. But I despise those so-called leaders who tap into the angst of those who feel despair and turn that despair into hatred. That will not help us. me. you or anyone--that will destroy not only America, but quite possibly human life. That has to be fought. And so as John Dewey once wrote to make democracy democratic it needed to be more democratic.(paraphrase).

.

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"I know how easy it is to believe in stolen elections when you feel unimportant and unrepresented." Your story about your experience at the 1984 Democratic convention in San Francisco, and what a huge negative impact it had in your trust for politics, helps me to understand for the first time exactly what some of the Trump voters felt in 2020, when he lost. That immense sense of frustration and despair is something I don't think I've heard described before. I've read countless articles about the anger and the irrationality of those voters, but not what you've expressed. Thank you so much for taking the time to write about this.

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Clarification please on this statement “will never help their sense of loss.” What “loss” have they experienced exactly?

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First they took away the unions (right to work) then they took away their jobs (sent to other countries) then they killed public education (no more taxes) and now they want to take away their right to vote. Why wouldn’t the voiceless look for someone to give voice to their anger? We have collectively allowed this to happen- especially the wealthiest among us. We must all pull together if we want a Democracy. There are those who like this state of affairs and think Fascism suits their agenda better than democracy does (all those messy laws).

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Most likely loss of their own expectations. If you go into any situation with a preconceived notion of how folks will behave or how things should come out, and things go a different way, you might become angry over the result because it didn’t meet your expectations. The real question is how reasonable were your expectations? I have found that expectations are the problem—more than the results. If you have no expectations, you cannot be disappointed. That’s not a cop-out, it’s sensible. There are many circumstances that affect results, especially other folks’ actions which are not predictable. How can you expect other folks you know nothing about to behave in ways you expect them to? That’s unreasonable. Try having no expectations, and see how the results look from that perspective. It has made a difference in my outlook. I don’t get mad about situations over which I have no control any more. It’s freeing. It is especially so with respect to grievance or resentment.

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🙏🏼

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My thoughts exactly! Well said!

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Joyce and her lovely chickens are essential to our democracy.

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May 18, 2023·edited May 18, 2023Liked by Joyce Vance

The Republic needs us but definitely she needs Joyce too. Somehow there is definitely a bluer sky appearing with dark clouds starting to part. Even if in Texas the weather seems cloudy, it doesn't prevent women from wanting their freedom and rights, and decided to fight for it. Bless Senator Whitehouse and Judge Wolf. Perhaps Republicans have forgotten about women scorned.

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May 18, 2023·edited May 18, 2023Liked by Joyce Vance

Along with your reporting and explaining, Joyce, people of integrity like Judge Wolf help us keep the bastards from grinding us down. No, we're NOT going to hell in a handmaid's basket! Channeling outrage into voter turnout by the anti-MAGA majority: It's been happening, hallelujah, and will be critical for 2024.

Of course if the wrongdoings by Justices Thomas, Gorsuch and Alito had been by Justices Sotomayor, Jackson, or Kagan, those female judges would have long ago been impeached or at least in serious trouble. (And if Obama had said "grab them by the ***sy"? White male supremacy is fighting back with extreme and destructive force, but the more extreme, the more certain we can be that it is on the way out. Demographics are making it so. As 25 YO Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost says: "They know time is not on their side.")

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And that is just how stupid they miscalculate who we are.

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I'm thrilled to read this column tonight. I'm going to write a column with a similar message on right wing money in politics. I'm calling it, "Don't panic."

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As Jessica Craven said, more or less: our many beats their money.

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The First Amendment lawsuit: Much of its basis is Popular Information's detailed reporting on the whole sickening mess in FL. Many Vance readers probably read and support P.I.'s outstanding work. Here's alerting those who don't yet!

https://open.substack.com/pub/popularinformation/p/update-new-federal-lawsuit-says-florida

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I do and I'm a huge fan of popular information. It's brilliant!

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Judd Legum is one smart dude.

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Thanks for the link!

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Besides, they have many sources of right wing dark money, yet bitch and moan about George Soros as if he were the only and most evil source. Kochtopus—the Koch brothers’ web of right wing libertarians who bundle their dark money together as the Donors’ Trust, and have secret meetings 1 or 2 times a year to decide who or what issue to push with their huge pot of $$$; and then there’s Leonard Leo, who spearheads the groups “fixing” the judicial branch with hundreds of millions in dark $$$. They need to remove the log from their eyes before going after our splinter……

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Thank you Joyce, for the shot of positivism; it's sorely needed. I would like to think there's something that can be done SOONER to protect women, girls, pregnant people, and the trans community. But there WILL be a price to pay by Republicans. Proud to be a subscriber.

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"You can feel the determination they will bring to the coming election."

As all the women in my family would say when I was growing up, "From your lips to god's ears."

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May 18, 2023Liked by Joyce Vance

There is a big problem that happens in states with RepubliCON supermajorities in state legislatures. They are likely gerrymandered to be that way, as in FL, and NC, and with state Supreme Courts appointed by Republican Governors as in FL, how can voting be enough to dislodge these supermajorities? What can be done about gerrymandering if the SCOTUS has said that partisan gerrymanders cannot be reviewed by the Courts. ( is that really what they said??)

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For starters, I'd point out gerrymandering doesn't impact all elections-it doesn't impact statewide. Gerrymandering is really rotten and we need to continue to develop strategies for fighting back, but we can also focus on races for president, senators, governors and other state and local officials, which are critically important. Most of all, we can't let them keep us from voting because we feel like they've already won. That's a big part of their goal here.

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Exactly. “There will be a price for inflicting laws a majority of Americans don’t want on us, and it will be paid by Republicans at the polls.”

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It will be paid only if we make them pay. And we will, together.

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May 18, 2023Liked by Joyce Vance

Thank you, Joyce. I spent most of my career as a federal court employee, and there are far more Judge Wolfs than Clarence Thomases. It’s been so disheartening to watch Thomas abuse his SCOTUS seat, on top of watching unqualified Trump-appointed judges perverting the law to advance repressive Republican measures. I think Judge Wolf will inspire other judges to speak out in support of ethical guardrails for SCOTUS. I pray we hold the White House and pick up some Senate seats in 2024 so we can appoint more judges like Wolf and expand SCOTUS. It’s time.

And now Jacksonville has been flipped blue by Mayor-elect Donna Deegan! A sign of better days to come.

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This is so true. So many good decent hardworking federal judges. I know their hearts are breaking.

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"...there are far more Judge Wolfs than Clarence Thomases." I was hoping that's the case, so thank you.

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My reflection through the years: when something is normal and good, we consider it a natural part of life. [We don't think oh my body feels good today when we're totally fine; we don't think, oh my children are so happy if that's their usual state, etc...]

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Yes indeed 🇺🇸

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Thank you Joyce for this message of hope in the midst of the chaos caused

by people in power forgetting who put them there. Peace👏🙏🏼☮️

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"No dystopian nightmare is complete without checking in on Texas." LOL

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I'm not wrong though 😎

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Grateful for today's Civil Discourse, Joyce Vance! I am also grateful for my 2 Dem Senators and U.S. Representative, who have been soliciting my views via email about what I want them to do about the SCOTUS and other issues of the day. It has made me feel so connected to my government!

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May 18, 2023·edited May 18, 2023Liked by Joyce Vance

Thank you for this, Joyce, and all your writings. So pleased to be able to support your work, and to stay informed about the people and events that matter. Thank you.

Edit: and your CHICKENS!!!! 🐔

I forgot to mention them. 😍😍😍

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May 18, 2023Liked by Joyce Vance

You are the best thank you for explaining this to us .

You always give me hope !

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May 18, 2023Liked by Joyce Vance

I served on a jury in the Newark Federal Courthouse and was so impressed with Judge who was balanced and fair even though the case went south on the defendants, and they had to settle right at the end before we had a chance to deliberate. The Judge actually came into the Jury room and spent time explaining what happened and why they settled and thank us for our patience and dedication. There are good people out there, they just do their job every day.

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Top of the evening to you Joyce - I watched Senator Whitehouse’ ethics hearing today, a thorough recounting of how this was all brought to the attention of Judge Wolf’s testimony on the matter beginning in 2011. It was uncanny how I detected no fear in Wolf’s voice or manner. I was so impressed with both he and Whitehouse. Now that’s the stuff that stars are made of and what our forefathers wanted for our fledgling nation. Yes there is indeed hope here. I appreciate your careful layout of the facts yesterday and today on this subject. Do you wonder if Justice Thomas and his wife Ginny have made any contingency plans for their futures? Brilliant icing on the cake tonight. So grateful for your post. I’m looking over a four leaf clover... 🇺🇸

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