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Simon Rosenberg Interview with Tom Keen,"Four More Years," Why We Must Fund Ukraine
Hope Everyone Will Donate or Volunteer for Tom This Week!
This is a special Hopium Chronicles fun event here on this Tuesday.
We're joined today by Tom Keen, who's running a terrific race in Florida's HD-35.
All of you who follow Hopium know that Florida, to me, is one of the most important states in the country.
We played a major role in helping Donna Deegan get elected in the spring of last year.
We've been encouraging people to participate and help in the ballot initiative that just qualified
A Conversation with Tom Keen
Democrats all across the country to kick off 2024 really strong.
And joining me today is Tom Keen, who's running, as I said, is running a terrific race for a first-time candidate.
He is doing a great, great job, and I'm really impressed with what he's been able to do.
Appreciate you taking time out of your incredibly busy schedule in this final week to be with us.
I mean, give us a little bit of a background on the race and yourself.
Well, good morning and thanks for having me on again, Simon.
Getting out to your listeners has been incredibly important to my campaign.
We've been supported financially as well as by a lot of volunteers that have joined up just based on what you guys have
I'm knocking personally on a lot of doors as well to make sure that I'm still tuned in to what voters are talking about.
So it's going really well.
But make no mistake, it's still going to be a very, very close race.
We're getting outspent and there's a few dirty tricks that are out there as well.
We just want to make sure that we're getting our message of reproductive freedom and housing affordability and property insurance out to voters so they can make informed decisions.
What's the feeling on the ground?
I mean, have you had good support from volunteers or people fired up?
I mean, when you look back on this a few months ago, are you happy with where things are today?
Well, the response that we've received since the primary has been incredible.
I'll just point to one exact thing that we had.
Congressman Max Frost, and we had a special guest, David Hogue, who many will probably not recognize his name.
We had over 80 people show up at somebody's home for that event.
I've never seen that many people and that kind of enthusiasm in any of the things that I've been involved with.
So I'm getting a lot of that kind of feedback and that kind of help.
And I think that's going to carry us across the finish line next Tuesday.
Yeah, look, I mean, the Florida Republicans have gone too far.
And like they have across the country, they've reached, they've gone beyond their mandate, I think, for many, you know, regular folks in Florida.
And tell me about, Tom, the issues.
I mean, you mentioned reproductive freedom and housing.
Talk a little bit about how you're running the race, what you're talking to people about and what people are responding to.
Those are the two main issues that I've been talking about.
I mean, obviously, there's a buffet of issues that we can talk about, but we want to make sure that people know exactly how I stand on reproductive freedom.
In fact, right now, the legislative session in Florida is just starting today, and there's already going to be a bill introduced to basically make abortion completely illegal here in Florida.
And it's just, it's incredible what they're trying to do.
So we know from polling that most voters want reproductive freedom.
They don't want government involvement.
And yet Republicans are going back to the well on that again.
And I can't believe they're doing it, but they are going to do it this session.
So it's incredibly important for me to get to Tallahassee and to add my
My Voice, and start to get us out of that super minority that we're in right now.
The other key issue is property insurance.
We are the highest in the nation.
There's no excuse for us to be that expensive.
And again, I lay that on the feet of Republicans in Tallahassee who've taken no action basically to help consumers.
And in fact, again, looking at the media that we see, I'm getting blamed for those high insurance rates, if you can believe it.
It's really funny, but it's serious business.
But it is, I'm not sure if voters see through that, hopefully they do, because it is important to stabilize our, we have an insurance crisis here in Florida, and we need to get that stabilized as soon as possible.
You also have one of the highest inflation rates in the country, in part because of all this.
I mean, for all of DeSantis' attacking Biden,
It's actually much higher per capita in Florida than it is in most other states.
Even though it's come that way down, it's still running way above.
Talk a little bit about your background, Tom.
I mean, what makes you the right guy for this job?
So I do have a passion for public service, and that's represented by the fact that I spent 20 years on active duty in the United States Navy.
I served our country, and I want to serve the voters of District 35 here in Florida and in Tallahassee.
And to be honest, I want to serve
The Voters of All of Florida.
But District 35 is where I'm running for right now, and I'll be able to give that voice, that passion when I go up to Tallahassee.
Obviously, again, we want to make sure that reproductive freedom and the insurance crisis is tackled.
But there are a lot of other things that we've got to do, too.
So I want to be an advocate and be a true representative for the folks here of District 35.
I think for people, you know, I've had a long history of working in Florida.
I actually went to Lawton Childs' second inaugural.
And just a few years ago, I mean, it's that long that I've been, you know, involved in Florida politics, and I've watched this arc.
Florida being this kind of very middle-of-the-road, common-sense, you know, slightly libertarian, right, you know, leave-me-alone kind of sense to now this very fire-breathing, right-wing Republican Party that's in charge, which is very out of keeping, in my view, with what has been the core sensibility of Florida.
I know Florida's changing, but I think that part of the opportunity we have in the coming years is that there has been overreach.
and I think this kind of common sense, you know, getting stuff done, pragmatic politics that you represent is really what Florida has always been.
I mean, people don't know this, but Florida really pioneered Sunshine Falls, for example.
You know, to make it or the politics of the state far more open.
DeSantis is doing everything he can to
you know, trample on that.
But talk a little bit about what you're hearing on the ground.
I guess my final question is your, two more questions for you, right?
One is, what are you hearing on the ground about them and about, is there the sense that, you know, they've really gone a little bit too far and they've pushed too far?
Is there a sense that the Republican Party, for all the good things that it's done in Florida, is the current crew is overreaching a little bit?
So there's no question when I knock on doors, people are talking about high property insurance.
The question is whether we can reach voters and let them know who's really responsible for that.
And I think a lot of times, you know, people are very busy.
They don't, you know, they don't really have time to dig into, well, why do we have high property insurance?
And that's the job of the representative to make sure that those voters are informed on what's happening.
and I think maybe that's where we've fallen down just a little bit as Democrats in making sure that that education, that information is getting to the voters.
There's no question though that I think Republicans have overstepped and they're going to pay a penalty for it.
And we're going to hold them accountable and making sure the voters know and understand who's really responsible for the issues that we have here in Florida.
Final question is what can people do to help?
Sure, so this is an incredibly expensive campaign, and I've been helped already by many of your viewers, which I very much appreciate.
We try to reach out and thank them for whatever contribution, donation that they can make.
So that would be extremely helpful, and you can go to my website, keenforflorida.com, that's K-E-E-N,
I think you can see it there on my side, K-E-E-N-F-O-R-F-L dot com, and make a donation.
We're on TV, we're doing mailers, and we're knocking on doors, so that would be great.
And if you live in District 35, get out and vote.
Early voting has started.
Every single vote counts.
And if you do live in District 35, just get out and vote.
That's the most important thing.
Thanks again for the honor.
And Tom, I want to mention for anyone watching, there's also on our, on my Hopium site and on Tom's site, there are opportunities for remote texting and remote phone calling for the final GOTV push and canvassing opportunities as well.
And so for, I've already been pleased to see people from the Hopium community who live in your district, who have gotten involved in your race.
Through us, which is, I mean, I was really proud, proud of that.
I mean, we do have several thousand,
Followers and Subscribers in Florida.
And it's been great to see, you know, people who have been part of the Hopium community work, you know, going out and canvassing for you on this past weekend, for example.
I'm going to... Absolutely.
We had somebody come from Tampa this last weekend.
We had somebody from Jacksonville and I had somebody from South Florida as well.
So we've been incredibly blessed to get volunteers on the ground and helping us knock on doors.
I mean, thank you so much for
You know, a few hundred or 2,000 votes makes the difference.
If 1,000 of you watching today, you know, make a phone call, do a text, give a little bit of money, we can win this thing.
This will be a huge way to start 2024.
I'm here because Tom has been a great candidate, is doing a good job.
He got a great endorsement from the Orlando Sentinel over the weekend.
We can do this, everybody.
Let's put our heads down, get this done, and start 2024 really strong.
Thanks, everybody.
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Joe Biden Is A Good President, The Country Is Better Off - On Friday, we got another really good jobs report, and the President gave his first big campaign speech of 2024, a spirited and powerful defense of our democracy. Yesterday the President gave another important early 2024 campaign speech in South Carolina decrying the “poison of white supremacy.” Together, these events confirm our basic understanding of the 2024 election right now:
Joe Biden is a good President. The country is better off. The Democratic Party is strong, and winning elections across the US.
Republicans, on the other hand, are making an enormous mistake in sticking with Trump, who is far more degraded, extreme and dangerous - and further away from the electorate - than he was in 2020 when he lost by 4 and a half points. His performance on the stump is far more erratic, and he keeps making hugely consequential political mistakes (calling for a repeal of the ACA - WTF?).
All of this is why, as we enter 2024, in every way possible, I would much rather be us than them.
Here is how I see it now:
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2022 - the red wave which never came
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2023 - the recession which never came
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2024 - the strong Trump campaign which will never come
For more on 2024, catch this new Deep State Radio pod where I join David Rothkopf, Tara McGowan and Tom Bonier; my MSNBC op-ed and Morning Joe appearance; and a recent post where I argue while our coalition is wandering a bit right now, our numbers with Hispanics and younger Americans are likely far better than some recent polls have shown, something Harvard’s John Della Volpe also discusses in a new analysis.
The Morning Consult weekly tracking poll released this morning has Biden up, 43%-42%. He had been down in this poll over the past month or so. It’s a reminder that Biden is either tied or leads in a majority of the independent polls taken since Thankgiving. Trump may have been ahead earlier in the fall but that is no longer the case. We will see if other polls show this Biden uptick, something that one can imagine happening given rising consumer sentiment and Biden’s campaign ramping up.
Here’s how the President’s speech at Mother Emanuel AME Church ended yesterday - “Four More Years” - Yes, the campaign has begun. Let’s get to work people and win this thing!
Winning FL HD 35 Next Tuesday - My Interview With Tom Keen - Above please find an interview I did with Tom Keen this morning. I wanted to make sure folks in our community got to learn a bit more about him, and let him pitch you directly. It was a fun discussion, and Tom is a great guy and a very strong candidate. Please watch, share and here’s how you can learn more, and support him:
Donate - Learn More - Phone Bank - Text Bank - Phone Bank w/Maxwell Frost - Orlando Sentinel Endorsement
I know many of you have already been hard at work for Tom - thank you. For everyone else please consider donating or taking an action for Tom in this homestretch. The election is next Tuesday, January 16th, and early voting has begun. If a few thousand members of the Hopium community give or volunteer in the coming days it makes it far more likely we flip this seat and start this year with a strong win in a very important expansion state.
Enjoy these comments from members of our community:
Suzanne Brockman - “Yesterday, as a member of Simon’s Hopium community, I phonebanked for Tom Keen (FL 35, with a special election on 1/16, early voting has begun) and connected with D-registered voters, one of whom didn’t even know about the election! I’ll be phonebanking again this week before I move on to phonebanking for the Tom of February’s special election (Tom Suozzi, running for Santos’s NY seat). I’m not losing what’s left of this democracy without a fight, and I encourage you to do the same. Give time or $$ or, like me, both.”
Ellen Gottlieb - “Dear Mr. Rosenberg, thanks for the heads up on the Tom Keen FL HD 35 race. I'm canvassing beginning at 9:00 AM on January 7th and again during GOTV. Four friends are joining me. Ellen”
And after we elect Tom Keen, we will work to elect the next Tom, Tom Suozzi, in NY-3. Tom joins us live on Jan 24th (register here) and here’s how you can support his campaign:
Donate - Learn More - Get Updates - Canvass/Make Calls - Write Postcards
Ellen Bender - “Reading today's newsletter and the comments the passion for democracy in this community is palpable. So glad to be in this fight with you all. One step toward making this a blue 2024 would be flipping NY-03 from red to blue next month. My law school classmate Tom Suozzi is running in a Special Election for his old seat in Congress and could use help. If you have been paying attention, Long Island has gone red for the past 3 elections (2021, 2022, 2023). Winning back NY-03 on February 13th is the first step toward winning back the districts we lost in NY in 2022 and winning back the House in November.”
Susan Denning - “Looking forward to virtually meeting Tom Suozzi later this month. I connected with Activate America for NY addresses and just dropped postcards in the mail in support of getting Tom elected to Congress on Special Election Day Feb 13. Let's do this!”
Keep working hard all. 2023 was a very good year for us. Let’s make 2024 even better - Simon