Stump Speech

Hey Everyone,

For years, I've taken for granted the liberties that I have in the USA. I haven't believed that the freedom to express views is special, because I've never really thought about it, except in theory.

Now, I'm thinking about it.

An Organized Campaign

The Trump administration has actively pursued or threatened multiple news organizations for their speech, including by using the power of the goverment to supress commentary critical of the President. They've sued the New York Times, Penguin Random House, The Wall Street Journal, CBS News, Des Moines Register, Gannett, ABC News, and dangled the power of the FCC and the Federal Trade Commission to get their way. This is not to mention several Universities, art and history institutions and more.

This week, JD Vance hosted Charlie Kirk's podcast from his office in the White House and said this:

"We're going to go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates, and engages in violence."

He invited Stephen Miller to talk about the government's plans to carry this out. Stephen said this:

"We are going to channel all the anger over the organized campaign that led to this assassination, to uproot and dismantle these terrorist networks."

To be clear, Charlie Kirk was killed by one crazy person, who did it on his own. What Vance speaks of is using a crisis to go after organizations that they can now claim are terrorists. Facts won't be needed when a PR campaign is more effective.

This same week, multiple reporters were fired for commentary about Charlie Kirk after his recent death. Others were fired across the country simply for comments.

Jimmy Kimmel, after criticizing the Trump Administration in a joke, had his show cancelled. This was just weeks after a similar fate for Stephen Colbert.

This week, Brenden Carr, the FCC chairman, said the following on a conservative podcast about the subject.

“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead... They have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with an obligation to operate in the public interest.”

Which means not to criticize Donald Trump or his allies. He expanded on his comments on Fox News.

This is not an algorithm. These are verifiable, uncommon government actions.

Political violence is the worst feature of the United States, and Donald Trump is the second worst. Not because he is a republican, a factor which means almost nothing to me, but because he is committed to bending the United States to his will. And they've bent the facts to convince you they are doing something good.

"But the left does it too."

Yes. Politicians are terrible people. The data is incriminating of the right most of all, but sure, the left is bad too. I hope to dunk on them soon when there is one who manages to get into government. If the Green New Deal prioritizes an obscure fish over humans, I'll call it the Sardeen New Deal if that makes you happy. Either way, I'll criticize anyone who has it coming, because that is a right I have.

Getting cancelled by the left for saying the wrong thing about some social issue is not illegal. It's just bullshit. But for the Administration to abridge our speech is against the law.

Is it illegal to use a legal pressure campaign to do the same? I don't know. But it is government coercion.

This week, I found myself writing my vision for America. It's ready for the day I run for office (most likely when I am in my early nineties). I started with my biggest concern – that we would rather be at war than listen. I end with how much we can achieve if we do.

A Stump Speech

Gone are the days when divisive people are hidden in darkened chat rooms and obscure roles in narrowly elected offices. Now is a time when anyone who has something to say has a megaphone to go with it. And those dark rooms have the power to boost their visibility. Those most powerful have direct access to the President.

But we’re a better people than one that divides itself post after post or bullet after bullet. We’re a people who have built highways and traveled to space, not because of the genius of any one leader, but the talent of many scientists and laborers who have broken barriers and discovered new technologies. 

This is one of the few places on earth where you can start with nothing and make something great. This is one of the few places where you can stand up and speak vigorously about what you believe in. Here, you can change your community or your country through the power of ideas. It's not lost on me that the privilege of being American is not guaranteed, and many are facing legal challenges, economic destruction, and even death because they are passionately American. This is a crime against humanity that we must put an end to.

The best way to fight crime is to fight it where it starts. For some, it begins in struggling homes and impoverished neighborhoods, where some are faced with the choice to either starve or steal. For others, it begins in the voting booth, where your voice may be the only barrier between the liberties we enjoy today and a politician who is intent on seizing power at the cost of our freedom.

That's why we need to be engaged in our politics, but not in a way that shuts down uncomfortable conversations, but in a way that civilizes them. We need to lift up the laborers who have built this country, and celebrate the entrepreneurs who have led us into the future. We also need to hold them both accountable, to protect our neighborhoods, our economic mobility, and take responsibility to sustain the system that one has profited from.

And we're just the kind of people who can do that. The people in the middle who believe in family values and civil rights. Those who believe in being fiscally responsible, while not failing to invest in the future.

A better nation is one that recognizes that the wind is not subject to borders. Because we all live under the same sun and breathe the same air, we should do our part to honor our shared space and our shared humanity.

It's better to be the nation that everyone wants to live in, because it's a place where anything is possible.

It's better to be that nation, not just for the country, but for the world. It’s better to be a nation that offers inspiration than one that wields fear. It's better to be the nation that stands tall with a strong military behind us, but not in front of us.

In America, we're the people who have told the world what is possible when you give the power to the people, where leaders are temporary stewards rather than dictators.  

When people are free and their government is honest and functional, those people live better, they have better jobs, better resources. And it makes a better world, because a better nation has something to offer for trade, travel, and partnerships between nations.

We’re a people who are capable of anything, but only when we link arms, listen to one another’s ideas, and follow the vision of greatness, instead of revenge. When everyone wants to talk about what’s wrong, we need to start talking about what’s possible. So it’s time to be who we were meant to be. To lift up those who are down. To honor our shared goals and respect those who see the way to them a little differently. It’s time to shine a light on our better selves and embrace the path to a great nation, the path that can only be taken when we take it together. 

That's it for this week.

Remember: The Lorem Ipsum is free speech but it’s not cheap. Help me keep it alive by sharing and upgrading to a paid membership to support my work.

Have a great weekend!