Republicans are experiencing Colony Collapse Disorder. For reasons too numerous to iterate, Trump's numbers are plummeting, as is interest in special elections (even more so that usual) among right-leaners. In the Kansas 4th--Koch's home ground--James Thompson polled within 1% shortly before the election and lost by only 6.8%. What is more, he did so with almost no help from the DNC or the liberal media (most notably MSNBC, who have focused exclusively on Jon Ossoff). Not bad for a Kansan without his own Wikipedia page!
To put this in perspective, the last Democrat to win this seat was segregationist Jon James Flynt Jr. in 1965.
Rob Quist, Montana.
Was the Kansas 4th an anomaly?
Hardly.
True, Governor Sam Brownback is almost universally detested but that was the case on November 8th, 2016, when the district went for Trump by 20.5% while Mike Pompeo (now CIA Director) beat Democrat Daniel Giroux by 31.1%.
That was then. Flash forward 5 months and the GOP is free-falling in the polls, as is enthusiasm among the remaining supporters.
James Thompson ran an excellent campaign but he was more the result
than the cause. Simply put, the Thompson Effect is: There are no
more red districts. By extension, his outcome underscored the
obsolescence of the concept of red states.
Every seat should be
contested. Vigorously. We agree that our discretionary resources
should go into the tightest races. However, the Overton Window has shifted left so far and so fast that these previously unattainable seats are the new battleground. To wit, we should regard Jon Ossoff (Georgia 6th), Rob Quist (Montana), Larry Barnett (Virginia 27th), and others like them as the front line. This isn't merely a "healthy conceit" aimed at rallying supporters; it is the status quo.
Larry Barnett, Virginia.
We're talking about a 50-state strategy on steroids. No more "Keep our powder dry!" nonsense. Every challenged candidate should be supported equally, without regard to whether the nominee is centrist or progressive. Think "Big Mo"[mentum] here: Democratic success in one previously difficult region will translate into enthusiasm and support--including funding--in subsequent tilts.
Kingston Trio 1961: John Stewart, Nick Reynolds, Bob Shane.
In the 4th Kansas district yesterday, Republican Ron Estes defeated Democrat James Thompson
by 53.3%-45%. Dolt 45 won the 4th by 27% in November, and the outgoing Rep. Mike Pompeo, who will now direct the CIA [shudder], won it in 2010 with 59%, in 2012 with 62%, in 2014 with 66.7%, and in 2016 with 60.6% of the vote. Each time, Pompeo faced a different Democratic opponent--sometimes more than one. (Please, no more Duo Democrats!)
This is one of the reddest districts in the country. For those who don't understand momentum, this means that our worst loss between now and November 2018 may be single digits. Statistically, that virtually guarantees a landslide in 2020. Do the math. Oh, and this is before we factor in recent legal decisions against gerrymandering.
Kingston Trio 1957: Dave Guard, Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds
The result is remarkable in its own right--so much so that the margin isn't mentioned in most Republican accounts. On the circuit, this is where the more ornery among us would turn to an opponent, smile, and ask: "Do you feel something slipping?"
For the 50-state strategy to continue to work we need to raise money, yes, but we also need to "think outside the bucks", raising the profile and goodwill of our [potential] candidates, as with regular meet-and-greets. Not in 2018 or 2020 but today and every day. Find some venue: swap meets, farmers' markets, craft shows, music mini-festivals, et cetera. Get musicians' permissions to use their videos in your food courts; ask them if they would make one in support of the candidate(s).
All volunteer. $0.
That said, what money the Democratic Party does spend on red states invariably gets more "bang for the buck" than in blue districts. As Bill Clinton would say: "It's called 'arithmetic'."
Would it be too much to ask that MSNBC, at least, do stories--plural--on the races of James Thompson (Kansas 4th), Jon Ossoff (Georgia 6th), and Rob Quist (Montana)? Can we at least organize Wikipedia pages for all of our candidates?
In 2018 we can and will go back to Kansas.
Lyrics and Chords for "Can't Go Back To Kansas": (C) (G) (Am) (C7) (F) (G) (C) (G) (C) Time (G)moves like a (Am)river,(C7) (F) You can (G)either sink or (C)swim.(G) (C) And a wise man (G)learns to for(Am)give her(C7) (F) For (G)all she's done to (C)him.(C7) And (F)no-one's getting (C)younger, And a (F)few aren't (G)getting (C)old, It's (Am)all in what you (Em)feel, And (D)not in what you're (G)told.
Oh, you (Am)can't go back to (Em)Kansas, I was (F)there just (G)yester(C)day, Oh, you (Am)can't go back to (Em)Kansas, It just (D)up and blew a(G)way. Oh, but (F)I will go on (C)loving you, It's (F)easi(G)er that (C)way, But you (Am)can't go back to (Em)Kansas, 'Cause (F)that was (G)yester(C)day. (G) (Am) (C7) (F) (G) (C) (G)
(C) I see the (G)sun rise and (Am)fall,(C7) (F) And I feel the (G)earth beneath my (C)shoes.(G) (C) Still I´m (G)stuck in my be(Am)lieving(C7) (F) That some were (G)born and cursed to (C)lose.(C7) But (F)nothing´s gonna (C)happen here, That´s (F)all I´ve (G)got to (C)say, It´s (Am)nothing to be (Em)down about, It´s (D)always been that (G)way.
Oh, I (Am)can't go back to (Em)Kansas, I was (F)there just (G)yester(C)day, Oh, I (Am)can't go back to (Em)Kansas, It just (D)up and blew a(G)way. Oh, but (F)I will go on (C)loving you, It's (F)easi(G)er that (C)way, But you (Am)can't go back to (Em)Kansas, 'Cause (F)that was (G)yester(Am)day. (Em) (F)(G)(C) (Am) (Em) (D) (G) (F) (C) (F)(G)(C) (Am) (Em) (F)(G)(C)
Oh, you (Am)can't go back to (Em)Kansas, I was (F)there just (G)yester(C)day, Oh, you (Am)can't go back to (Em)Kansas, It just (D)up and blew (G)away. Oh, but (F)I will go on (C)loving you, It's (F)easi(G)er that (C)way, But you (Am)can't go back to (Em)Kansas, 'Cause (F)that was (G)yester(C)day. (G) (Am) (C7) (F) (G) (C)
When you play this alternate version, please WATCH OUT: The distinctive high-notes run is written out John plays during the chord change from (G) to (C) only once, see first line of intro. Play most of the runs on the bass-strings, “it´s easier that way.”
(C) (Em7/B) (Am7) (Am7/G) (F) (G, highlight high notes:g-b-c-d) (C) "And across the (G)plains of Wichita, (C)at the farms being (Em7/B)sold at auction,(Am7) they listened to the (Am7/G)clear New England voice (F) cut the cold (G)Kansas sky."(C) (Em7/B)
(C) Time (Em7/B)moves like a (Am7)river,(Am7/G) (F) You can (G)either sink or (C)swim. (G) (C)And a wise (Em7/B)man learns (Am7)to forgive her(Am7/G) (F) For (G)all she's done to (C)him. (C7) (F) No one's getting (Cj7)younger, (Dm7) But a (G)few aren't getting (C)old, (high notes:e-d)(Am) It's all in what you (Em)feel (D) It's not in what you're (G)told.(G/F) (G/E) (Bass run: G-A-B-D)
(Am) But you can't go back to (Em)Kansas, (F) I was (G)there just yester(C)day.(Bass run: G-A-B-D) (Am) You can't go back to (Em)Kansas, (D) It just up and blew a(G)way. (Fj7) So I will go on (Cj7)loving you, (F) It's (G)easier that (C)way,(run, start on G-string:g-a-b-d) (Am) And you can't go back to (Em)Kansas, (F) 'Cause (G)that was yester(C)day. (Em7/B) (Am7) (Am7/G) (F) (G) (C) (G) (C) (Em7/B) (Am7) (Am7/G) (F) (G) (C) (G)
(C) I see the (Em7/B)sun rise and (Am7)fall,(Am7/G) (F) And I feel the (G)earth beneath my (C)shoes. (G) (C) There's no (Em7/B)need in you be(Am7)lieving(Am7/G) (F) That you were (G)born and cursed to (C)lose.(C7) (Fj7) So why not go on (Cj7)dreaming then? (F) Yeah, take (G)anyone you (C)choose. (Am) There's nothing to be (Em)down about, (D) 'Cause you either (G) win or lose.(G/F) (G/E) (Bass run: G-A-B-D)
(Am)You can't go back to (Em)Kansas,(high notes:g-f-e-d-f) (F) I was (G)there just yester(C)day.(high notes:g-g g-g g-g) (Am You can't go back to (Em)Kansas, (D) It just up and blew (G)away. (Fj7) So I will go on (Cj7)loving you, (F) 'Cause it's (G)easier that (C)way,(single notes:g-a-b-d-a) (Am) But you can't go back to (Em)Kansas, (F) 'Cause (G)that was (C) yesterday. (Em7/B) (Am7) (Am7/G) (F) (G) (C)
Carry on my wayward son, For there'll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don't you cry no more Once I rose above the noise and confusion Just to get a glimpse beyond the illusion I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man Though my mind could think I still was a mad man I hear the voices when I'm dreamin', I can hear them say Carry on my wayward son, For there'll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don't you cry no more Masquerading as a man with a reason My charade is the event of the season And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know On a stormy sea of moving emotion Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean I set a course for winds of fortune, but I hear the voices say Carry on my wayward son, For there'll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don't you cry no more Carry on, you will always remember Carry on, nothing equals the splendor Now your life's no longer empty Surely heaven waits for you Carry on my wayward son, For there'll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don't you cry no more
Kerry Allen Livgren of Kansas.
Guitarist Kerry Allen Livgren, who became a born again Christian in 1980, was the creative talent behind both of the ensemble's breakthroughs. "Dust in the Wind" from the 1977 "Point of Know Return" album is their biggest hit. The music is a departure from everything else this progressive rock group ever did. Why so? Because it was a fingerpicking exercise that Livgren's wife enjoyed hearing. Fortunately, Kerry was able to convince the band to record it.
On Day 45 ("Losing My Religion") we began this discussion of duality/ambiguity, using the acrostic curgina "Beans" as an example. While we rely on local voices (more of whom should be liberal clergy) in the states, presidential candidates must speak to red and, especially, purple state voters using biblical overtones without alienating more secular or non-Christian audiences.
Secular listeners often regard "Dust in the Wind" as an atheist's anthem, similar to John Lennon's "Imagine". "All we are is dust" doesn't seem to leave much room for a spirit or an afterlife. To those of faith, this song is downright hymnal, given that the lyrics are based on Ecclesiastes 1:14:
I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded:
Everything he has accomplished is futile — like chasing the wind!
...to say nothing of Genesis 3:19 from the King James Version:
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Earl Gray's 182nd Law.
So, everything is in the interpretation, right? Well, yes, but those interpretations are not "happy accidents". Apart from the serendipitous praise from Kerry's wife during practice, this song was a very well-planned one.
Among other things, this dual tracking is why some of us consider "Dust in the Wind" the greatest song of the last half century.
There are a number of other versions, including one by Sarah Brightman, but this is another case where we should accept no substitutes.
Lyrics:
I close my eyes only for a moment, and the moment's gone All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind
Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind
Now, don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind (all we are is dust in the wind) Dust in the wind (everything is dust in the wind), everything is dust in the wind (the wind)
