https://talktoyourneighbors.com/ Nonpartisan. One calm look at the loudest headlines, left and right, plus Maine court outcomes and the Sanity Rules. en-us Tue, 03 Nov 2026 07:17:23 -0500 https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-two-dans-one-ballot https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-two-dans-one-ballot Tue, 03 Nov 2026 07:00:00 -0500 In Alaska, a decoy candidate is being used to say the race is rigged, and a lawsuit to hold up certification is being used to say it's being stolen. Each side's tactic is the other side's proof. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-the-polls-don-t-vote https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-the-polls-don-t-vote Tue, 03 Nov 2026 07:00:00 -0500 It's Election Day. If you've been told it's already decided, notice who's telling you, and what they want you to do next. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-the-revenge-pre-game https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-the-revenge-pre-game Mon, 02 Nov 2026 07:00:00 -0500 The election is tomorrow, and both camps are already planning what to do with power they don't have yet. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-one-vote-isn-t-a-membership-card https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-one-vote-isn-t-a-membership-card Mon, 02 Nov 2026 07:00:00 -0500 One Democrat broke with her party on ONE vote. Both headlines turn that single choice into a verdict on a whole person or a whole party. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/midcoast-court-outcomes-week-2 https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/midcoast-court-outcomes-week-2 Mon, 02 Nov 2026 07:00:00 -0500 33 charges closed in Waldo and Knox courts Oct. 21-30. 14 were dismissed, none with a reason given. No names, every source linked. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/what-does-a-maine-district-attorney-actually-do https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/what-does-a-maine-district-attorney-actually-do Mon, 02 Nov 2026 07:00:00 -0500 What should Maine prosecutors charge, and when should they decline or reduce? A fair way to judge any DA's choices, using state law and court rules. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-whose-prosecution-was-it https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-whose-prosecution-was-it Sun, 01 Nov 2026 07:00:00 -0500 A Texas Senate ad blames Ken Paxton for Crystal Mason's prosecution. County prosecutors brought the case. What the record shows. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-same-math-both-parties https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-same-math-both-parties Sun, 01 Nov 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Two super PACs, one from each party, used the EXACT same math trick to claim an opponent got rich in office. How to spot it. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-gop-eyes-illegal-plan-or-stop-dsa-radicals https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-gop-eyes-illegal-plan-or-stop-dsa-radicals Sat, 31 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Some Republicans say incoming democratic socialists shouldn't be sworn in. One side wants you sneering, the other scared. The facts. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-their-plan-is-insane-or-loose-lips-sink-ships https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-their-plan-is-insane-or-loose-lips-sink-ships Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 A senator's one word about a classified Iran war plan, days before an election. One side wants fear, the other fury. One has a point. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/midcoast-court-outcomes-week-1 https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/midcoast-court-outcomes-week-1 Fri, 30 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 How cases end in Maine's Prosecutorial District 6: the charge, the outcome and the source, with no names. Updated weekly. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/pingree-vs-charles-vs-bennett-what-the-records-show https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/pingree-vs-charles-vs-bennett-what-the-records-show Thu, 29 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Every candidate for Maine governor has record gaps worth asking about. Each ad's claims checked against votes, filings and dates. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/jackson-vs-collins-what-the-records-show https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/jackson-vs-collins-what-the-records-show Thu, 29 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Both Maine Senate campaigns' ads oversell. We check each claim against the vote, the filing and the date, from both camps. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-maga-provocateur-or-soros-prosecutor https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-maga-provocateur-or-soros-prosecutor Thu, 29 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Two activists tested a voting rule on camera using real names. Poll workers caught it. A prosecutor calls it a crime; a court decides. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-two-dan-sullivans-and-a-paper-trail https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-two-dan-sullivans-and-a-paper-trail Wed, 28 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 NYT reports Democratic aides worked to add spoilers, including a second Dan Sullivan, to Alaska's ballot. Both deny it. What's backed. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-of-course-or-chills https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-of-course-or-chills Wed, 28 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Johnson said "Of course" to a peaceful transfer of power. One headline heard chills, the other sneered. Same 30 seconds, two scripts. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-coup-playbook-or-fear-porn https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-coup-playbook-or-fear-porn Wed, 28 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Former officials wrote a test for when Washington stops being legitimate. It's not a coup and not nothing. A calm look at both spins. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/reality-vs-perception-we-agree-on-more https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/reality-vs-perception-we-agree-on-more Wed, 28 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 What the polls show about where both parties actually agree, and why we've been convinced to hate the other team. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-every-democrat-is-a-socialist https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/spot-the-tactic-every-democrat-is-a-socialist Tue, 27 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 A viral AI film treats the whole Democratic Party as the DSA. A faction isn't a party, and one standard should apply both ways. https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/mercy-without-follow-through https://talktoyourneighbors.com/stories/mercy-without-follow-through Mon, 26 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0500 Treatment and second chances matter, but they need follow-through. Why non-prosecution as a default isn't compassion.