Thank you Robert Hubbell with all of my heart. You have kept us from despair many times, inspired us to get involved, and carried us to the finish line. No matter what happens, we will be with you going forward, understanding now that democracy requires our participation. Thank you for showing us we can make a difference. You’re a champion.
I second your comment, Barbara. Thank you, Robert! You leaned in and then jumped in and built a community that shared our pain, our joys, our ideas; you helped motivate us to write postcards, call voters, knock on doors, contribute what we could to preserve our Democracy for our children. For this I am grateful.
I couldn’t agree more. Thank you, Robert. Your newsletter was exactly what I needed with my coffee this morning. Linking arms with all of you today and in the days ahead.
“We came to talk with you. You are not forgotten. Your voice matters. Vote.” This message you left on the door for those residents you couldn’t talk with has sincerity and kindness. You likely did connect with them even if not face to face. So grateful to you, Jill and Jessica and friends for giving your all in Mecklenburg county.
9 hrs ago·edited 9 hrs agoLiked by Robert B. Hubbell
This is your BEST column, EVER. And boy! Do I feel wonderful reading it. Thank you for your chef-d'œuvre -- and all the ceaseless work that you and Jill have put in to be able to write what you have written. As I used to say to myself many decades ago, back in medical school when things got sometimes way too tough: you can't do better than your best. You did your best. So did Jill.
I am also confident that we are not going back, no matter what happens Tuesday, Nov 5th. Robert Hubbell, you are a big reason why. You have given so many of us American Citizens a steadfast example of pragmatic engagement, and compassionate, and thoughtful hard work for democracy. John Lewis would have his heart warmed by your leadership you provided us. Thank You ! I also came across this you tube video from a debate with Pete and 25 undecided west Michigan voters. Pete Buttigieg offers us a master-class in compassionate communication. He models the skills we need going forward to knit our frayed Union back together. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/YE1f3n_n9UA
A master class indeed. Thanks for sharing. I truly hope Pete Buttigieg will run again and win. He would be a great President – following eight years of Kamala Harris.
PS Kamala and all Democrats running for office across the country made us proud with the campaigns they ran. I'm not aware of any that have embarrassed us. That's a mouthful considering our opponents. Joe Biden made me hugely proud. I hope all of us. He is in a class of his own.We can call it a day today proud of where we are knowing we left nothing on the field. Watching Kamala give her closing in Philadelphia a few minutes ago was invigorating. She is charged up and ready to go. We can all smile knowing that where there is a will there is a way, and that if there is a way to win tomorrow, we will win!
Thanks as always for the perspective and optimism Mr. Hubbell, I hope when I grow up I'm half the person you are :). You inspire me. Additionally, great notes about Charlotte, its an up and coming town in America it's sad to hear that even it has areas that are ignored. That needs addressing, not just in Charlotte but everywhere.
Thank you, Robert and Jill, for your wisdom and unfaltering optimism.
My partner and I—Nevada residents in our 70s—have proudly put in many hours writing letters, knocking on doors, phone banking, and texting on behalf of the Harris campaign and local Democrats. We have faith that this swing state of ours will swing blue…
We share your confidence.
A small group of friends will join us for dinner and to watch returns come in tomorrow night. On the menu: Tim Walz’s prizewinning Minnesota Hot Dish and a red-white-and-blue cheesecake dessert. And champagne, because after all, we have much to celebrate.
Thank you, Robert. I know I have often expressed my gratitude to you for these newsletters, the awe-inspiring astronomy images, the words you put out that bring us hope and sustain our efforts to make a difference towards saving our democracy, and I hope you know how much you are appreciated. Take care of yourself and Jill!
I had the same felling and thoughts you expressed about canvassing in the large apartment complexes in NC that were in disrepair but it was in Oct 2016 in PA near Philly. I took a bus from NYC with my high school aged daughter to canvass for Hillary. I was at first surprised when I heard so many say they probably would not go to vote. But as I walked the neighborhood I realized how left out and left behind they were. This was a poor Black neighborhood and even with a Dem in the White House for 8 years, Obama in the White House, they did not get anything out of it, even their sidewalks were cracked and dislodged, let alone the houses and abandoned lots. That was when I started to understand why they might not bother to vote and why they felt it didn't matter. I tell that story often. After all the work we've done since then, I am hoping for a steady push forward. I don't know how it can be so close but like you said, we could not be working any harder! We have organized volunteers tomorrow to be at the polls to continue to try to push Prop 1 (NY's abortion ballot question) across the finish line! Since we have worked on so many candidates and issues this cycle, there will be many results to watch and some of them have to be good! Thank you for working in community with us.
Here in red ole Tennessee, you have continually helped me see the blue, and I have shared your newsletter with numerous friends, hoping your positive, energizing messages will inspire them, too.
Many friends and acquaintances of mine who have voted Republican all their lives are voting blue this year.
Thank you for steering a course for us to follow to the stars of truth, justice, peace, and love.
Thank you Robert Hubbell with all of my heart. You have kept us from despair many times, inspired us to get involved, and carried us to the finish line. No matter what happens, we will be with you going forward, understanding now that democracy requires our participation. Thank you for showing us we can make a difference. You’re a champion.
I second your comment, Barbara. Thank you, Robert! You leaned in and then jumped in and built a community that shared our pain, our joys, our ideas; you helped motivate us to write postcards, call voters, knock on doors, contribute what we could to preserve our Democracy for our children. For this I am grateful.
Amen. We’re not going back.
Indeed! This newsletter has been a staple of my life since it first came to my attention many years ago. Thank you, Robert.
I couldn’t agree more. Thank you, Robert. Your newsletter was exactly what I needed with my coffee this morning. Linking arms with all of you today and in the days ahead.
“We came to talk with you. You are not forgotten. Your voice matters. Vote.” This message you left on the door for those residents you couldn’t talk with has sincerity and kindness. You likely did connect with them even if not face to face. So grateful to you, Jill and Jessica and friends for giving your all in Mecklenburg county.
This is your BEST column, EVER. And boy! Do I feel wonderful reading it. Thank you for your chef-d'œuvre -- and all the ceaseless work that you and Jill have put in to be able to write what you have written. As I used to say to myself many decades ago, back in medical school when things got sometimes way too tough: you can't do better than your best. You did your best. So did Jill.
I am also confident that we are not going back, no matter what happens Tuesday, Nov 5th. Robert Hubbell, you are a big reason why. You have given so many of us American Citizens a steadfast example of pragmatic engagement, and compassionate, and thoughtful hard work for democracy. John Lewis would have his heart warmed by your leadership you provided us. Thank You ! I also came across this you tube video from a debate with Pete and 25 undecided west Michigan voters. Pete Buttigieg offers us a master-class in compassionate communication. He models the skills we need going forward to knit our frayed Union back together. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/YE1f3n_n9UA
A master class indeed. Thanks for sharing. I truly hope Pete Buttigieg will run again and win. He would be a great President – following eight years of Kamala Harris.
I may have to be like Jimmy Carter and decide to live long enough to vote for Pete Buttigieg for President.
I’ve heard it said and been there…it’s like waiting for a biopsy report…and have it turn out to be the best news ever!!
We all feel the same. This was just forwarded to me from a friend in California
Alison Luterman
HOLDING VIGIL
My cousin asks if I can describe this moment,
the heaviness of it, like sitting outside
the operating room while someone you love
is in surgery and you’re on those awful plastic chairs
eating flaming Doritos from the vending machine
which is the only thing that seems appealing to you, dinner-wise,
waiting for the moment when the doctor will come out
in her scrubs and face-mask, which she’ll pull down
to tell you whether your beloved will live or not. That’s how it feels
as the hours tick by, and everyone I care about
is texting me with the same cold lump of dread in their throat
asking if I’m okay, telling me how scared they are.
I suppose in that way this is a moment of unity,
the fact that we are all waiting in the same
hospital corridor, for the same patient, who is on life support,
and we’re asking each other, Will he wake up?
Will she be herself? And we’re taking turns holding vigil,
as families do, and bringing each other coffee
from the cafeteria, and some of us think she’s gonna make it
while others are already planning what they’ll wear to the funeral,
which is also what happens at times like these,
and I tell my cousin I don’t think I can describe this moment,
heavier than plutonium, but on the other hand,
in the grand scheme of things, I mean the whole sweep
of human history, a soap bubble, because empires
are always rising and falling, and whole civilizations
die, they do, they get wiped out, this happens
all the time, it’s just a shock when it happens to your civilization,
your country, when it’s someone from your family on the respirator,
and I don’t ask her how she’s sleeping, or what she thinks about
when she wakes at three in the morning,
cause she’s got two daughters, and that’s the thing,
it’s not just us older people, forget about us, we had our day
and we burned right through it, gasoline, fast food,
cheap clothing, but right now I’m talking about the babies,
and not just the human ones, but also the turtles and owls
and white tigers, the Redwoods, the ozone layer,
the icebergs for the love of God—every single
blessed being on the face of this earth
is holding its breath in this moment,
and if you’re asking, can I describe that, Cousin,
then I’ve gotta say no, no one could describe it
we all just have to live through it,
holding each other’s hands.
—from Poets Respond
This poem so accurately describes what many of us are feeling. Thank you for sharing it.
PS Kamala and all Democrats running for office across the country made us proud with the campaigns they ran. I'm not aware of any that have embarrassed us. That's a mouthful considering our opponents. Joe Biden made me hugely proud. I hope all of us. He is in a class of his own.We can call it a day today proud of where we are knowing we left nothing on the field. Watching Kamala give her closing in Philadelphia a few minutes ago was invigorating. She is charged up and ready to go. We can all smile knowing that where there is a will there is a way, and that if there is a way to win tomorrow, we will win!
Thanks as always for the perspective and optimism Mr. Hubbell, I hope when I grow up I'm half the person you are :). You inspire me. Additionally, great notes about Charlotte, its an up and coming town in America it's sad to hear that even it has areas that are ignored. That needs addressing, not just in Charlotte but everywhere.
Night before the marathon!
Thank you, Robert and Jill, for your wisdom and unfaltering optimism.
My partner and I—Nevada residents in our 70s—have proudly put in many hours writing letters, knocking on doors, phone banking, and texting on behalf of the Harris campaign and local Democrats. We have faith that this swing state of ours will swing blue…
We share your confidence.
A small group of friends will join us for dinner and to watch returns come in tomorrow night. On the menu: Tim Walz’s prizewinning Minnesota Hot Dish and a red-white-and-blue cheesecake dessert. And champagne, because after all, we have much to celebrate.
Onward!
And again, many thanks…
Thank you, Robert. I know I have often expressed my gratitude to you for these newsletters, the awe-inspiring astronomy images, the words you put out that bring us hope and sustain our efforts to make a difference towards saving our democracy, and I hope you know how much you are appreciated. Take care of yourself and Jill!
I had the same felling and thoughts you expressed about canvassing in the large apartment complexes in NC that were in disrepair but it was in Oct 2016 in PA near Philly. I took a bus from NYC with my high school aged daughter to canvass for Hillary. I was at first surprised when I heard so many say they probably would not go to vote. But as I walked the neighborhood I realized how left out and left behind they were. This was a poor Black neighborhood and even with a Dem in the White House for 8 years, Obama in the White House, they did not get anything out of it, even their sidewalks were cracked and dislodged, let alone the houses and abandoned lots. That was when I started to understand why they might not bother to vote and why they felt it didn't matter. I tell that story often. After all the work we've done since then, I am hoping for a steady push forward. I don't know how it can be so close but like you said, we could not be working any harder! We have organized volunteers tomorrow to be at the polls to continue to try to push Prop 1 (NY's abortion ballot question) across the finish line! Since we have worked on so many candidates and issues this cycle, there will be many results to watch and some of them have to be good! Thank you for working in community with us.
Thank you Robert and Jill.
Last week, at the close of a postcarding gathering, meditation teacher Matthew Brensilver, PhD spoke of what we have come to know:
"… that love persists, no matter what happens, we'll persist."
May it be so.
“We are stardust
We are golden
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden.”
Joni Mitchell
💙💫🌟
Thank you Robert! Well said. We have fought hard and when we fight, we win. Let's go win tomorrow!
Here in red ole Tennessee, you have continually helped me see the blue, and I have shared your newsletter with numerous friends, hoping your positive, energizing messages will inspire them, too.
Many friends and acquaintances of mine who have voted Republican all their lives are voting blue this year.
Thank you for steering a course for us to follow to the stars of truth, justice, peace, and love.