Three Dot Don
@threedotdon
Former CA Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata on politics, power, hypocrisy, and the backroom deals behind the headlines. Free gets the punch. Paid gets the X-ray. Subscribe:
Dalio's argument, unpacked in today's Three Dot Don: AI doesn't just replace jobs, it ends the 20th-century deal where productivity gains meant higher wages. The savings go to owners; the costs go to government. He calls the result techno-feudalism. threedotdon.substack.com/p/ai-doesnt-...
Alameda County approved a reparations roadmap. Dave Manson, a Black social justice advocate who has spent his life on the front lines, supports reparations—and he’s drawing a clear line: “Administration is necessary, but it is not the repair.” threedotdon.substack.com/p/repair-req...
Two veteran political consultants just wrote the campaign manual that matters: Walk precincts first. Raise your own money. Chase endorsements that deliver voters, not logos. & never underestimate a slate mailer that lands when ballots are in hand. open.substack.com/pub/threedot...
Two professors ran 5,700 surveys and concluded what a lot of voters already know: Democrats lose when they speak campus-first and ignore paychecks, rent, and safety. Read today’s Three Dot Don for the plain-language fix. threedotdon.substack.com/p/it-took-a-...
New Three Dot Don out now — three tight reads: Maine Senate leadership, the WHCD fallout, and AG Bonta’s move to slow a massive media merger. Quick, sourced, and opinion-forward. What should we cover next? threedotdon.substack.com/p/a-record-b...
Condolences are human. Revisionist history is not. Today’s Three Dot Don examines the canonization of Lindsey Graham—and Bonta’s fight to stop David Ellison from putting CBS, CNN and a third of basic cable under one corporate roof. Which story alarms you more? substack.com/@threedotdon... #News
The plan is disciplined. The president is not. Today’s TDD reviews "Regime Change"—a direct hit on Trump’s imperial second term—then asks why three corporate middlemen manage nearly 80% of America’s prescriptions. Ask your doctor. Then ask who gets paid. threedotdon.substack.com/p/the-presid...
"No more celebrity auditions. No more national consultants parachuting into Maine explaining to voters what they supposedly think." Maine has ~100 days to rebuild. Here's what it'll take: threedotdon.substack.com/p/everybody-...
Trump skipped commenting on a Gulf war to lobby FIFA about a red card. Chappelle told the truth on live TV and got asked about his cigarette brand instead. Senate Dems are relearning that "vetting" is supposed to happen before the nomination, not after.
America’s 250th gave us a parade. Now comes the test. Rob Bonta, Democratic AGs, Trump’s midterm fear, election intimidation, & the media’s sudden panic over socialism. What do voters care more about: prices, power, & cowardly incumbents or Trump's favorite "ism"? substack.com/@threedotdon...
At the G7, President Trump announced an alleged U.S.–Iran framework and promised the text soon. Allies & adversaries alike are left waiting for verification. When global security is at stake, rhetoric isn’t enough. Today’s Three Dot Don unpacks the claims, the context, and the risks. Link in bio.
With Trump, America’s allies are always on trial. Putin is always on hold music. Shasta County passed an anti-mail ballot measure by mail ballot. And Karen Bass is no longer running against the circus. Today’s Three Dot Don: the noise cleared. The real fights remain substack.com/@threedotdon...
Redistricting created chances — but 4 of 5 is not 5 of 5. Close primaries in CD‑6 and a grassroots upset in CD‑22 matter for the House math; crowded Democratic fields cost opportunities in places like CD‑40. threedotdon.substack.com/p/california...
Today’s Three Dot Don is about care — and contradiction. In Oakland’s Chinatown, a pilot will test whether AI can check in on seniors before anyone has to worry. Meanwhile, California’s billboard lawyers have re‑emerged everywhere… just as Uber bankrolls a ballot fight targeting their fees.
The tell is always the same. When their candidate is ahead, it is democracy. When the count keeps moving, it is suddenly a crime scene. Today in Three Dot Don: Count the votes. Then do something. substack.com/@threedotdon... What election-night myth needs to be retired permanently?
That ballot sitting on the kitchen counter is not political clutter. It’s the assignment. Today’s Three Dot Don: Vote Like It Still Belongs To You Question: what’s the worst excuse people use for not voting? substack.com/@threedotdon...
The governor’s race gets the noise. But the undercard may decide the consequences: schools, statewide ambition, & House control. That’s how politics works. The race everyone ignores = the one somebody powerful is counting on. Question: which overlooked race should voters be paying attention to?
Silicon Valley keeps calling AI “inevitable.” Funny how inevitable always shows up right after billionaires find a way to profit from it. The future still has to get through workers, towns, power grids, and zoning hearings. Question: what human job or skill should AI never replace?
What excuse will they use when the numbers get worse? Get creative - let's hear some doozies!
Serious question: has any candidate for governor explained how counties are supposed to absorb the next safety-net hit without cutting services or raising taxes? Or are we all just pretending the bill gets lost in the mail? open.substack.com/pub/threedot...
I spent years inside California politics. Three Dot Don is what it looks like when the talking points come off. Three times a week: short, sharp, funny, and usually annoyed. Subscribe free. Upgrade if you want the Inside Memo. substack.com/@threedotdon #California #News #Politics
Today’s Three Dot Don hits a nerve: if we want grown‑ups in charge, we have to act like it. No vote, no game. No excuses. A sharp read for a noisy moment. Read + share: threedotdon.substack.com/p/no-vote-no... #California #News #Politics #Trump
Trump throws the grenade. California gets stuck choosing between classrooms and clinics. Today’s Three Dot Don: H.R. 1, Medi-Cal, county hospitals, Trump’s China CEO parade, and the Oval Office trading desk. Read/share: threedotdon.substack.com/p/trump-thro... #California #Politics #News
Trump: the Jackson Pollock of military strategy A cease-fire where both sides keep bombing? CBS Radio goes silent after 99 years—the owner, not the medium, is now the message. Rubio in Rome, cleaning up Trump's papal attacks with incense. Read: threedotdon.substack.com/p/the-cleanu...