I truly feel ill. We are screwed. They are taking over the US government. I cannot believe that article in the WSJ by the broligarchs. We need to take some action. I’m not a lawyer. What can I do? I am trying to take positive steps; if I don’t take action, I get swamped with fear, anger, despair. I am meeting with my local Democratic chapter this Saturday. And I will work to make sure New Jersey keeps a blue governor, I will take that positive action. …I want to add that I don’t watch the news ..but read and it’s difficult to avoid finding out about Dump’s abhorrent cabinet picks. I don’t want to be ignorant of what he/ they are doing. I have to, at the least, call my representatives…the public outcry is what forced Gaetz out. We need to resist.
Disinformation will be exposed when the economy crashes. People who are hungry, sick and poor won't tolerate tyrants. Once the pain is severe enough, for enough people, the revolution begins. My suggestion is we have 18 mths to make that happen so we can flip the house and senate in '26. Think ahead. Buy anything you may need in the next 2 years now. That includes autos, appliances, tvs, household goods, food, meds.. etc. That will help Biden's economy go out strong. Then come Jan 6th, STOP SPENDING with big corps and Maga businesses. We need to SAVE money like we are going to lose jobs, and take cuts to other services plus see tax and rate hikes. Because we will. If and when people stop spending the economy will go down the tubes. The sooner the better for a quick turn around. And please, for your health's sake, STOP WATCHING THE NEWS! Go for a walk, read a novel, listen to music, find a hobby and beat your technology addiction! There are plenty of other people out there that will join you! Blessings!
Wow...interesting advice, especially about getting supplies in advance of Biden leaving office, and then spending only locally. That may be a challenge, but thinking I will try it.
We can start out boycotting/canceling teslas (musk), starling (musk), PayPal (thiel), Amazon (bezos), whole foods (bezos). Little things. Love T Allen's ideas of making big purchases before jjan. 6 or 20. I am still donating to Harris. She is helping with the counts and curing of votes. Write to her and beg her to be our out of office spokesperson. Remember how Trump never stopped yapping when he held no position? We need that.
I just withdrew investment funds and paid off a credit card (an obvious move given the 3% return on the investment and the 12% cost of the credit card).
Then I went out and had new tires put on my aging vehicle, putting $989 back on that same card. I'm hoping to pay that off by the end of the year.
I'm also getting an eye exam while my current health insurance covers it at least partially. And I'll think *hard* about having some dental work done.
And, I'll take my RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) from my 401(k) investments in early January.
I'm doing these things while things still work. While contract law is still in effect.
I like the way you think! I have gone on a news fast since the election and am finally sleeping well and enjoying my (non virtual) life with friends and family. There will be huge economic consequences for this administration, and as an infamous Philly politician once said "money talks, bullshit walks". A bad economy will be the best revolution against 47.
I share your concerns - two weeks ago I began looking at replacing my car before tariffs increase costs. Also, I suggest if you need any government documents (e.g. Passport, TSA PreCheck etc.), you take care of that now because when Trump's KAOS (i.e. Deconstruction) administration takes office, I believe we'll see a mass exodus (or firing) of non-partisan government workers. Federal government dysfunction will reign supreme over the next 4 years.
As for disinformation being exposed, just know that if the economy falls into recession (which I believe will happen) and people stop spending (a natural outcome), Trump will blame Democrats for the recession. In other words, there will be disinformation on top of disinformation.
I agree with all of what you say T Allen. Great advice . I was just discussing our current (2024) purchasing power with my husband this week. Buying bigger items now also makes sense if the Felon really plans to exert tariffs. I plan on only necessary spending in 2025-26.
You’re right! Trumpistas and other Republicans lied about the Biden economy, claiming it was bad. Once in office, they’ll attempt to take credit for its momentum, which will likely carry six months or so into the new Trump era.
You mirror my feelings. I am ready to resist as well. However, if disinformation played a role in this loss, and I believe it did, how will we right the ship in future elections when the levers of power are in their hands?
I hear you. I feel ok most days and then the enormity of the corruption just overwhelms me. Yes, the disinformation and the media hose of lies is overwhelming. How can we take back the media? Also the voter suppression issues are real. How can we fight these corrupt appointments when the GOP has just capitulated and become the party of autocracy?
Ellen here-Kathy, consider supporting ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center. They are always working to protect our freedoms but it will become increasingly difficult to keep up with the sheer numbers of lawsuits too file. Except for ourselves. they remain our most effective guardrail in the coming chaos.
Counteract the disinformation by calling it out and countering when you hear it in your personal interactions with your friends, loved ones and acquaintences. It's difficult and painful and feels so much better just to avoid the conflict. I have been guilty of that. I'm telling myself I'm not going to do that anymore and instead will challenge. Wish me luck.
Ditto. So far, I have focused my action on writing letters to 8 Republican senators (in addition to mh two) who might vote not to approve Gaetz, Hegseth, Gabbard, and/or Kennedy.I want them to know that they should do their constitutional duty, and not rubber stamp unqualified/dangerous nominees.
Kathy, I totally agree that America and democracy are screwed. The anxiety about what's coming can most definitely be overwhelming. My outlet for my angst is working with my Indivisible group to do all we can to combat the darkness. For example, we just wrote postcards for a MS Supreme Court candidate. It felt good to be doing something positive and constructive. We are planning for 2025 and beyond. Join an Indivisible or similar group, i.e. Swing Left is an example, as we all work together for a sane and safe future.
Thank you Kathy. Your words here matter. You inspire others to DO SOMETHING, as Michele urged us to do. Don't sell yourself short please. Your words matter, and your service to our country is vital. Stay well !! Oh, and remember monitor yourself for conscious, steady breathing. You are doing the right things.
Thank you for your kind words of support! You’ve really helped ! I feel like what can I do, as Dump and the criminals are so powerful and I feel very small right now. We need to band together.
Sarah McBride is a class act. No one would ever say that about the nasty MAGA crowd whose motto is “Make America Cruel Again.”
I worked with a trans person at my last job. Unless they told you they were trans, you would never know it. They have just transformed into the person they truly are.
Dear Jean in Florida, I agree with you wholeheartedly! My niece and I are taking glassblowing lessons at a local studio. Our favorite instructor is a trans woman, and we love her! She is always kind and patient and helps us be our most creative and successful selves. Just as Sarah McBride's being trans does not have anything to do with the class act she is, our instructor's gender has nothing to do with her skills as a professional glassblower or her generosity in helping others learn the craft. I just wish the media-hog Mace and her MAGA friends could understand what a simple truth that is.
If Sarah McBride didn’t say she was trans, she’d be using the women’s restroom and no one would even know. How many other trans women quietly use the ladies room without any fuss?
I fully expected MTG to be named as head of the Department of Education. With Linda MacMahon the felon found an even worse candidate. No small feat, indeed.
Just curious, but how does one even go about making the determination as to who is worse, McMahon or MTG? FWIW, I think MTG is holding out for the title of Mrs. Trump III.
I think it is most useful to look at the totality of what will be happening and try to figure how to resist and stay safe if possible. For some groups that may not be possible unless they leave beforehand.
I think we have to let go of valuing safety over what's right. We're about to become rebels, perhaps. It's not a safe job. It's a necessary one, though. Remember the colonials rebelling against the king. New Hampshire motto is still "Live free or die." You willing?
Christina I agree that we have to be stand up for our democracy where we can, but I don't think everyone should let go of safety. I was thinking of the advice that Andrea Pitzer gives. Here she is on How to Survive This Mess.
Some people are much less safe than others. For example, U-Mass has let their international students know that if they go away over winter break, they should be back before January 20 in case a ban goes into effect on students and faculty on that day. Given that some students who return may be rounded up and imprisoned and if no country will receive them, they might end up in the prisons that are planned they might be better off to find somewhere else to go than come back here. It depends on which countries they come from.
Women in Red States might be better off leaving them because they are in danger of death for having to try to have a child, let alone forbidden to have an abortion, or leave their state, and their fertility cycles will be monitored. Who should be fighting this fight for them and the doctors that need to be able to treat them is their allies who are not pregnant. There are many such allies. This is true of trans-people who are prevented from getting gender affirming care as well. They need allies to fight for them too.
I have just started reading Prof. Timothy Snyder's book On Freedom. I think he is defining freedom differently, but I have not read enough to explain it yet. I am not willing to die if I can stay alive to protect my child. Ideally I can help to protect other children too.
Funny you should ask. I actually hesitated for a moment before hitting the 'post' button. From the viewpoint of the felon MTG would have been a better (which translates into 'worse' for every decent concerned democrat) choice, as it would have reflected much more accurately his in your face attitude.
Most if not all nominations are based in some perceived loyalty and bending knee to the narcissist in chief. Nothing more. No background checks, you say? Fear of being exposed for the fraud they all are.
Self-Healing. Every morning, as I listen to Roberts’ excellent newsletter, I remind myself that I’m in mourning for the loss of the election. I’ve been experiencing the five key stages of grief, starting with profound anger at the people who threw away the opportunity to vote (over 90 million). Then I started “bargaining,” maybe if I had done X, the results might have Y…maybe I can still do something else… and then I realized with a hefty dose of depression that there is a new sociopolitical reality (not so new, just more obvious). I am nowhere near acceptance, because it hurts so much to face the daily assaults on my health and that of millions of people whose home is the United States. Sometimes, to deny this painful reality, I briefly consider that the election was stollen. But very fast I remind myself that Kamala, the person I wanted to be my president, is more than capable to investigate this and, if needed, fight it legally. Then I do the only thing that helps my mood and improves the odds of any sociopolitical change, I take actions to keep my sanity and to contribute to a growing resistance movement. The Silence = Death (1988) movement provides a blueprint for resistance and action that uses art for improving critical awareness and healing. I hope each of us can find a healing moment by engaging with some artform. Enjoy!
Dear Robert, Stephen Spoonamore might be right or he might be wrong. You have no idea. And you're missing the point. Here are some facts we do know--A group of top-flight computer scientists and cybersecurity experts wrote Kamala Harris a letter strongly urging her to seek hand-recounts in several swing states. They do not claim evidence of fraud but they do cite well-documented evidence of Trump supporters unlawfully breaching proprietary voting systems, copying its software, and distributing it across the Internet following the 2020 election. Spoonamore cites their letter in his own and takes it up a notch. Both letters primary point is that there is no way to know for sure what the actual outcome is/was without some sort of hand-recount or audit. Republicans make all the noise in the world over false claims of election fraud and actually move the needle of public opinion. Dems, on the other hand, prefer paralysis and passivity when confronted with actual evidence of unusual voting anomalies and actual evidence of Republican ill intent. And there is urgency here. Harris has very little time left to demand a recount. Spoonamore is a highly reputable cybersecurity expert. He might be right. He might be wrong. Wouldn't you like to know for sure? I would. And this has nothing to do with ongoing evaluations of how to run better campaigns. It has everything to do with providing the public some reasonable expectation that elections results truly reflect the people's will. We're just following John Lewis's brilliant exhortation trying to make some "good trouble."
Much of the fraud alleged by Spoonamore occurred in jurisdictions controlled by Democratic election officials. They have undoubtedly seen his letter. They are in a position to evaluate his claims, even if I am not. None of them have chosen to act based on his allegations. A reasonable inference from that set of facts is that the election officials in a position to evaluate his assertions do not find them sufficiently credible to demand a recount. The “just asking questions” approach to alleging fraud would never meet the standard of proof in court to justify a recount.
Robert, I am concerned about the tone of many of this morning's comments. I am scared, mostly about my health insurance and Social Security. The comments I have read so far (it's 7:30 am right now) seem extreme. However, I don't know what to think. Can you weigh in regarding this morning's comments? It's fine to do it in tomorrow morning's newsletter.
"They have undoubtedly seen his letter." is not a fact. It's an assumption. I don't know whether election officials on their own can conduct a comprehensive recount in a case like this or not. No idea what "just asking questions" approach means. Spoonamore was right about the Cleland/Chambliss race years ago. He discovered the Ohio vote tabulations being rerouted out of state then back again in 2004. He noticed no irregularities in 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020. He's a lifelong Republican and cybersecurity expert. Can you acknowledge that he might have knowledge about and insight into this sort of thing that you do not? And you have not addressed the warnings of the other reputable computer scientists who DON'T claim fraud but are just really concerned because of the stealing and dispersing of proprietary voting software by Trump supporters. The alarmed vendor of the machines said because of that theft they were vulnerable to manipulation without the patch that, in Georgia anyway, Raffensperger refused to install till after the 2024 election. Again, you might be right. You might be wrong. There is no way to know for sure without a hand-recount or audit of some sort.
Spoonamore says there are. What's your expertise? He's a cybersecurity expert specializing in credit card and computer fraud. Spoonamore made a big fuss years ago when Max Cleland, a very popular incumbent expected to easily retain his senate seat, was beaten by Saxby Chambliss in a stunning upset. Years after the fact Cleland told Spoonamore he should have taken him more seriously.
Kathy - That is EXACTLY how they STOLE this election! Voter suppression fueled by gerrymandering. Voter suppression fueled by laws and actions that targeted voting in Blue districts. Voter suppression by ads micro targeting specific groups often with opposite messages. Voter suppression by phoning in bomb threats to polling places in swing states.
I believe that the a number of around 300,000 votes cost Harris/Walz the election in a few of those swing states. I look forward to an analysis of how many votes the billionaires helped suppress so the Christofascists could steal this election. Only about a third of eligible voters elected Trump/Vance.
As Ds we are experiencing death by a thousand cuts. I find Robert's title: Addressing claims that the 2024 election was "stolen"; to be very misleading because this election WAS stolen. Until some billionaires like Mark Cuban start funding and helping the DNC with a disciplined comm strategy that reverses this voter suppression our country is screwed.
It is certainly worth exploring in a calm but thorough way. Some FBI division warned of a serious election interference threat earlier in the fall. There's a "do something" rubric operating here. I sincerely hope Harris is using her resources as a sitting Vice President to explore it. I am sending her more money. I want her to stay on the scene. Like Trump did for 4 years.
Hi, David. Please post the link to the letter from the cybersecurity guys to Harris. I would like to show it to a few people. I have read it myself, but I would also like to read it again. Thanks.
Jocelyn, the link I just provided has the Spoonamore letter and a little way down the Spoonamore letter he gives a link to the other computer scientists' letter. So you should be able to access both from that one link.
Are there any downsides to doing a recount? If it turns out there’s nothing wrong, we will accept that - not like the other side that kept pushing a false narrative even after being proven wrong. If there was something fishy going on, then we could act on it.
I don’t like conspiracies either, but our democracy is at stake. Shouldn’t someone like the FBI orCIA investigate the possibility? ???
Exactly. There are no downsides to doing a hand-recount or at least some sort of limited forensic audit. It's the only way to truly have confidence in election outcomes whether the concerns are imaginary and done in bad faith (2020) or painfully obvious with plenty of evidence like this year. The fact that after political operatives breached voting systems in several states, stole proprietary software, spread it over the internet and then we don't even bother to check what's real and what's not is a form of passive, collective insanity. FBI or CIA will not touch this. Not in their purview. It's entirely up to us to insist on it or let it slide.
Janet HB, Sorry, that last sentence of my response to you was terribly imprecise. Currently, I do not believe there are many legal avenues open to us, merely as citizens, to demand recounts except in some places in individual precincts. My understanding is that the way we currently have things set up it's only the candidates themselves who can really make it happen. And even then, not always. Jill Stein tried to get some hand-recounts in several swing states several election cycles ago and multiple obstacles were thrown in her way making it prohibitively expensive and thus in short order rendering it impossible.
Robert, one of the many things I admire about you is your consistency. You apply your principles and beliefs no matter which way the chips fall, even if it means calling BS when the BS is coming from the liberal/left. Your comments on alleged election fraud are a case in point. You are absolutely correct in all respects, which I take to mean that (i) there was no election fraud and (ii) claiming that there was fraud does nothing but undermine the sanctity and standing of our election system to the detriment of everyone. That's all fine as far as it goes, but I question whether it goes far enough.
We are left with a situation in which elections that are won by MAGA approved candidates are fair and free of fraud while elections which are won by candidates disfavored by MAGA are inherently fraudulent and corrupt. This goes to the central problem of our time and place: When facts are optional, it is impossible to have a marketplace of ideas which in turn means that it is impossible to have a government in which faith and trust are a given. I don't have the imagination necessary to untie this brutal knot but applying traditional analyses to untraditional problems is not it.
Today's Letter from Professor Richardson is similar. She goes to great lengths to "prove" that Elon and Vivek's moronic op-ed in the WSJ is factually, legally and constitutionally wrong. To which I say "so what?" It matters a lot more that the WSJ prints an op-ed that is incorrectly based on the assertion that Trump has a "mandate" than whether the EV plan is actually constitutional. It matters more that simply calling their program by its name, the "Department of Government Efficiency" inherently gives credibility to a, what shall we call it?, concept?, that is neither a Department nor about government "efficiency." It is about dismantling the government, not making it more "efficient" and its champions don't even try to hide the fact. How can Professor Richardson's erudite and correct arguments compete with that kind of doublespeak and lies?
We need a plan and an approach that attacks the fact-free environment, not one that either attempts to fight back with traditional methods or which is based on the idea that we can create our "own" social media environment that is somehow better than theirs and so will triumph in the end. I don't have that plan but I know that what we're doing right now meets the classic definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result).
Well said and I agree. Here's my plan (besides finding and supporting Dem candidates for '26. Disinformation will be exposed when the economy crashes. People who are hungry, sick and poor won't tolerate tyrants. Once the pain is severe enough, for enough people, the revolution begins. My suggestion is we have 18 mths to make that happen so we can flip the house and senate in '26. Think ahead. Buy anything you may need in the next 2 years now. That includes autos, appliances, tvs, household goods, food, meds.. etc. That will help Biden's economy go out strong. Then come Jan 6th, STOP SPENDING with big corps and Maga businesses. We need to SAVE money like we are going to lose jobs, and take cuts to other services plus see tax and rate hikes. Because we will. If and when people stop spending the economy will go down the tubes. The sooner the better for a quick turn around.
I doubt that all of us on Robert Hubbell's wonderful community -- even adding Simon Rosenberg's and others' -- are numerous enough and rich enough to crash the economy and, even we were, do we really want to defend democracy by making more poor people suffer? Obviously, people are free to do what they think best with their money and denying your money where possible to hateful folks on the right (look at Trumps donors for a start, including the Walton family) makes sense to me. And I'll try to front load major purchases to get under Biden. But Trump's tariffs; the cost of rounding up 10 million illegal immigrants (Trump's numbers) -- that's about 100 times the number of Japanese-Americans "interred" in prison camps in World War II; the continual cost of climate disasters; and the cost of doing business when millions of tax-paying immigrant are rounded up at the meat packing plants, RV factories (Northern Indiana and Michigan), trucking firms, and small and large manufacturing outfits in "Red" states: and who knows what military adventures Trump may get us into, etc. will do more to "tank the economy" than your or my purchases. Trump's policies will do the job some of you want to engineer. And when it happens, he and his cohort will blame the victims. Remember, folks, we had all kinds of data that the economy is better under Democrats, and we had the lived misery of Trump's horrible management of COVID-19 to throw in his face and it didn't work. Even if I could pull the switch, I am not ready to "crash the economy," which would hurt Black and brown citizens and women and young people the most just to give Trump a political blow that would likely not register with the millions of people who voted for him or his gang anyway. The Republicans who voted against every economic benefit of the Biden administration and want to crash the ACA are the first to line up at the bridge opening or brag about how they are protecting health care.
One of the early post-election mysteries is the very strong performance of the stock market. As far as I can read them, all the economic indicators are that Trump will tank the economy with or without our collective purchase decisions.
If you care about the price of retail goods, tariffs will make "Biden's inflation" seem like the good old days. Domestic companies, freed from all antitrust and consumer protections will gleefully raise their prices to just under tariff-adjusted import prices.
Retaliation by foreign countries, whether by the imposition of tariffs of their own or by other actions antithetical to actual US interests will be a wild card but will not be a positive development.
Gas prices are ALREADY under $3.00 and it's not clear how much lower they can go (and when and how did gas prices stop being an election issue???)
The loss of low priced labor in key industries will send prices even higher and could even result in the scarcity of some goods. Because, you know, there are millions of "real" Americans just lining up and chomping at the bit to do those jobs at those wages.
Eliminating even, say, 10% of federal jobs may well cause a recession by itself and will surely decimate some smaller "company towns" where the Feds are among the largest employers.
Tax cuts for the rich will balloon the deficit and will not be offset by increased economic activity *because as has been proven over and over again supply side economics doesn't work*.
Should it come to pass, messing with the healthcare system will not only be disastrous for the health of the country but will inevitably cause higher prices and/or lower supply of medical goods and services.
Yep, fun times ahead. I think I'll stop now before I head out to build a survivalist shelter.
I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Republicans on the Ethics Committee voted against releasing the report on Matt Gaetz.
I want to thank Rep. Casten (D-Illinois 6th District), for his House Resolution to release the report, which publicly states what Gaetz was investigated for and which included the following:
Sexual misconduct
Shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor
Illicit drug use
Misuse of state identification records
Converted campaign funds for personal use
Accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or gift for impermissible special privileges
Dispensed funds to individuals he had a personal relationship with
Sought to obstruct government investigation into his conduct
While the findings of the investigation are still unknown, Caston’s resolution made me aware that the investigation was more comprehensive than I had known.
I hope the Ethics Committee makes the right choice and votes on Dec. 5 to release the report. The public deserves to know the findings of the committee, especially as Gaetz is Trump’s choice for Attorney General.
It was the worse thing Joe and Mika could have done. It immediately put paid to all their years of pointing out all Trumps lies and moral failings - and God knows there are many. Maybe it was an audience grab for all those viewers leaving MSNBC and CNN. They have successfully joined the ranks of all the rest of the legacy media in trying to make him seem normal, and, like that lose all credibility.
"Consider political reasons for the loss." All are pretext. But for Russian interference, we would have won. Consider the intimidation factor. For months propaganda inferred there would be violence. That's psy ops. It took courage to vote.
Visceral voters, fearful or hateful of the "other" were targeted. Theier excuses are weak rationalizations.
As I noted above, much of the alleged fraud occurred in jurisdictions controlled by Democratic election officials. They are aware of the allegations in the letters that use site. Apparently do not find those allegations credible.
Robert - anecdotally I worked my local poll for the first time in NYC. The number of people coming in saying they never voted before (not young first time voters), asking if they could only vote for president and not anyone else, was shocking to me. More things that were shocking to me, not pairing people who had never worked the polls with experienced folks, and the utter disorganization of the whole process.
For me the difference in this election is, they told us they are / were cheating. I subscribe to Maya Angelou, "when someone tells you who they are the first time, believe them."
We don't know that -- unreported. I am originally from Pa. I know that the local DA is looking into inconsistencies raised re counting provisional ballots.
Also circumstantial evidence is the best evidence because it bears a single inference. In 2016 Russians tried to hack Dems. Lots of proof. Hacked Little Marco Rubio. This is deja vu all over again.
Perhaps more important are the threats made by Russian propaganda to frighten Dems, destruction of ballots, bomb scares at Dem precincts, etc. On election eve, the FBI issued a statement. "Since our statement on Friday, the Intelligence Community (IC) has been observing foreign adversaries, particularly Russia, conducting additional influence operations intended to undermine public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections and stoke divisions among Americans."
If voters were wary of the "other" it was because Russia and a complying media and Republican proaganda targeted visceral voters. To me the "other" is Russia
From Time Magazine.
In Pennsylvania, a polling place in West Chester was evacuated because of a threat, according to Josh Maxwell, chair of the Chester County Board of Elections. The Government Services Center was searched by dogs, and voters at the two polling stations in the center were redirected to neighboring polling places that extended their voting hours to accommodate them.
A Pennsylvania judge also granted a motion to extend voting in Clearfield County, northeast of Pittsburgh, after a bomb threat targeted an administrative building where votes were being counted, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
In Georgia, several voting locations extended their hours due to bomb threats, according to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as reported by CNN. “We identify the source that it was from Russia,” he said in an earlier press conference.
Officials in DeKalb County, where five polling places suspended voting due to bomb threats, said no bombs were found, and voters were able to re-enter the polling booths and vote.
Fulton County Police Chief W. Wade Yates said that out of 177 polling places in the county, 32 faced bomb threats, and five required evacuation and had their hours extended as a result. Yates said authorities intend to prosecute those who made the threats.
Officials in Wisconsin and Michigan also confirmed bomb threats in several polling locations in the state, according to ABC7 Chicago. And Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said Tuesday that four locations in Navajo County faced bomb threats that federal and state authorities dismissed as “not credible.” Fontes said the threats came from emails with Russian domains, and that the motive looks to be to “ensue chaos” and not to “impact any political outcome.”
Pretext
The appointment of Tulsi Gabbard, reasonably looks like Trump reciprocation in thanks for a "big steal".
I completely agree that Joe and Mika’s trip to Mara Lago was stomach turning. Fine for them to cover Trump, but why does that require a trip to ML? Clearly to document the groveling. What complete lack of self-respect.
Does anyone know if the photo of Joe and Trump, both with thumbs up, was this recent trip? Again, such a display of groveling.
One of my huge disappointments these last years has been the appalling number of cowards in this country. Sheesh.
I am not surprised by the picks from Trump because he seems to be following the playbook written in the Project 2025 document that I read in a book club. It is a document designed to implode our country. As such, if effective, then when we get free of Trump it will be necessary to rebuild our entire governmental infrastructure, and we may not have the resources to do that. The millionaires, billionaires and probably trillonaires that will be made from the policies, will be able to up and move elsewhere after they have taken what they can from us. I would not look at any of them as patriots for nation, but only to themselves.
As a poll worker on Nov 5 i was witness to the disappointing support for trump. Many voters for him were unconcerned about the privacy of their vote, holding ballots unfolded, almost waving them on the way to the ballot machine. One voter approached me with a question on his way to the machine, holding his ballot openly asking if he had filled it out correctly....there were only two boxes chosen....both for trump...and no others. I can imagine many others like his.
As far as adding ballots??? Being part of the process, it's hard for me to see how it could be done. There is so much procedure and protocol to voting. Every step has to involve a Dem and Rep who signs off on that task.
Being in a red district we were all grateful that there were no incidents that day.
As always, thank you Robert for keeping us grounded.
KC, I had a very similar experience. Also in a red district, I was concerned about disruptive behavior, but other than a guy who was wearing a poncho that looked like a garbage bag, nothing happened. Several people were unabashed trump supporters but didn't make a scene. I did have one cute elderly woman who struggled with the technology, who said, "I just want to vote for Trump."
Robert and Jill, thank you for your continuing work on ‘Today’s Edition’. I cannot stomach reading or watching the news, in general. Your selection and narration of need-to-know elements, with relevant opportunities for action, is a lifeline. Robert, your personal, expressive, conversational narration is essential as a human, and humane, voice of solidarity. Thank you.
Good evening Robert .I've caught up on my sleep and am focussing on what to take on next. I am wondering if you have a moment to let me know if I am way off base in looking at the clear and present danger posed by the machine behind Trump. I have written my thoughts in a couple of comment threads tonight. I'll paste it here. It is short. I was hopeing things would have turned out otherwise and we would be having time to kick around astronomy and astrophysics by now. Oh well.
"That sounds hopeful, but in that regard, I believe the unqualified candidates to be appointed to the Cabinet are a smoke screen to run out the clock before they take full control to dismantle the government itself. I wrote this comment to Ben Meiselas' interview of Congressman Raja Krishnamoorth a few hours ago :
We know all that, sir. The issue is the CLEAR and Present Danger that exists at this moment to dismantle our government and eliminate the Constitution that many thousands of us over the years have sworn to "PROTECT AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, FOREIGN and DOMESTIC WITH OUR LIVES"!
It is the responsibility of our dear POTUS, as Comander-in-Chief, to step in NOW and arrest all these traitorous thugs whose aim is to destroy our nation for the benefit of Vladimir Putin, our known enemy.
That is what they scream loudly is their intention. WHAT GIVES? SCOTUS gives him full permission to carry out an official act, legal or not. I believe saving our Nation from Domestic enemies is as legal as from a foriegn attack. Does a shooting war have to happen first? 1860 is not that long ago.
With the aid and encouragement of Hitler, the Republican Party attempted a coup to overthrow our government in 1939. Senator Robert Taft and several others were caught in action and indicted. It was only the mistrial that set them free to try again. They are still at it. Do we need any more than Jan. 6, 2021 to know that these people attempted a coup once again.
Thank you, once again, Robert. I sent an email to MSNBC yesterday expressing my disappointment and disgust not only for Mika’s and Joe’s craven behavior, but also for the network’s distorted post-election coverage. Then I called my internet provider and cancelled the “package” that permitted me to receive MSNBC. Not only do I feel cleaner and happier, I am one hundred dollars richer every month! You are truly a gift!
We don't need a conspiracy that the 2024 election was "stolen". The outcome of this election was not a surprise to anyone remaining aware that MAGA Republicans have been right under our nose in passing voter suppression bills and it seems Democrats have taken no action to address this to ensure a free and fair election.
I think everyone needs to speak with younger trump voters/supporters and ask them why they support someone who does not have their best interests at heart. My nephew in Iowa informed me that he does his "Tik Tok" research. A local activist friend asked his 15 year grandson why he would support MAGA in this election, and he replied "well Kamala is a pervert". (There is actually more to his comment that I just don't want to subject you to )
Conspiracy theories will only keep us from addressing the real problem we have been ignoring here- voter suppression and widespread disinformation. If we do not figure this out, we will never overcome the MAGA GOP.
I posted this Substack article here last week and will post it again as it provides a concise outline of our problems at hand.
"There's no need to entertain wild tech conspiracies when Republicans are openly dismantling democracy in broad daylight"
100%. I have had three conversations with people this week from a landscaper to a realtor to a wealthy educated woman and they each recited some vile and hateful lie about Harris/Biden. It was shocking. I have no idea how to begin to counter that.
Well, we have to start by calling it out when individuals repeat it - a lie, a slander, whatever. I would probably say what I said above if someone said something ridiculous like that. It's even more egregious when trump is nominating sexual predators to run his cabinet. "every accusation is a confession" would also frame the lie pretty well.
Sure, but MAGAs are quite entrenched in their disinformation. We are going to have to have a much bigger plan to communicate the truth on a huge scale, which may allow for reality to penetrate when we have individual discussions.
I truly feel ill. We are screwed. They are taking over the US government. I cannot believe that article in the WSJ by the broligarchs. We need to take some action. I’m not a lawyer. What can I do? I am trying to take positive steps; if I don’t take action, I get swamped with fear, anger, despair. I am meeting with my local Democratic chapter this Saturday. And I will work to make sure New Jersey keeps a blue governor, I will take that positive action. …I want to add that I don’t watch the news ..but read and it’s difficult to avoid finding out about Dump’s abhorrent cabinet picks. I don’t want to be ignorant of what he/ they are doing. I have to, at the least, call my representatives…the public outcry is what forced Gaetz out. We need to resist.
Disinformation will be exposed when the economy crashes. People who are hungry, sick and poor won't tolerate tyrants. Once the pain is severe enough, for enough people, the revolution begins. My suggestion is we have 18 mths to make that happen so we can flip the house and senate in '26. Think ahead. Buy anything you may need in the next 2 years now. That includes autos, appliances, tvs, household goods, food, meds.. etc. That will help Biden's economy go out strong. Then come Jan 6th, STOP SPENDING with big corps and Maga businesses. We need to SAVE money like we are going to lose jobs, and take cuts to other services plus see tax and rate hikes. Because we will. If and when people stop spending the economy will go down the tubes. The sooner the better for a quick turn around. And please, for your health's sake, STOP WATCHING THE NEWS! Go for a walk, read a novel, listen to music, find a hobby and beat your technology addiction! There are plenty of other people out there that will join you! Blessings!
Wow...interesting advice, especially about getting supplies in advance of Biden leaving office, and then spending only locally. That may be a challenge, but thinking I will try it.
We can start out boycotting/canceling teslas (musk), starling (musk), PayPal (thiel), Amazon (bezos), whole foods (bezos). Little things. Love T Allen's ideas of making big purchases before jjan. 6 or 20. I am still donating to Harris. She is helping with the counts and curing of votes. Write to her and beg her to be our out of office spokesperson. Remember how Trump never stopped yapping when he held no position? We need that.
"I'm stocking up on supplies, I fully expect these morons to crash the economy and tank the dollar within a year." Deb Haaland's post on Blue Sky
https://bsky.app/profile/debhaalandnm.bsky.social/post/3lb24mq2nbs2r
I just withdrew investment funds and paid off a credit card (an obvious move given the 3% return on the investment and the 12% cost of the credit card).
Then I went out and had new tires put on my aging vehicle, putting $989 back on that same card. I'm hoping to pay that off by the end of the year.
I'm also getting an eye exam while my current health insurance covers it at least partially. And I'll think *hard* about having some dental work done.
And, I'll take my RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) from my 401(k) investments in early January.
I'm doing these things while things still work. While contract law is still in effect.
I have a GREAT dentist in Mexico. Excellent care at a third the cost. American Biodental.
Good idea!
I like the way you think! I have gone on a news fast since the election and am finally sleeping well and enjoying my (non virtual) life with friends and family. There will be huge economic consequences for this administration, and as an infamous Philly politician once said "money talks, bullshit walks". A bad economy will be the best revolution against 47.
IF we can guarantee that our elections are, and will be, free and fair. I think that’s a big “if.”
Frogs -;
Pamsy, I think it's a definite no. The fogs are boiled.
I share your concerns - two weeks ago I began looking at replacing my car before tariffs increase costs. Also, I suggest if you need any government documents (e.g. Passport, TSA PreCheck etc.), you take care of that now because when Trump's KAOS (i.e. Deconstruction) administration takes office, I believe we'll see a mass exodus (or firing) of non-partisan government workers. Federal government dysfunction will reign supreme over the next 4 years.
As for disinformation being exposed, just know that if the economy falls into recession (which I believe will happen) and people stop spending (a natural outcome), Trump will blame Democrats for the recession. In other words, there will be disinformation on top of disinformation.
I think stocking up is a good idea, then going scorched earth…prices will definitely go up …My family and I are going to renew our passports now...
I agree with all of what you say T Allen. Great advice . I was just discussing our current (2024) purchasing power with my husband this week. Buying bigger items now also makes sense if the Felon really plans to exert tariffs. I plan on only necessary spending in 2025-26.
Trump will take credit for Biden’s economy in the 6 months following his inauguration That is a fact
You’re right! Trumpistas and other Republicans lied about the Biden economy, claiming it was bad. Once in office, they’ll attempt to take credit for its momentum, which will likely carry six months or so into the new Trump era.
Interesting plan... I like it.
You mirror my feelings. I am ready to resist as well. However, if disinformation played a role in this loss, and I believe it did, how will we right the ship in future elections when the levers of power are in their hands?
I hear you. I feel ok most days and then the enormity of the corruption just overwhelms me. Yes, the disinformation and the media hose of lies is overwhelming. How can we take back the media? Also the voter suppression issues are real. How can we fight these corrupt appointments when the GOP has just capitulated and become the party of autocracy?
Ellen here-Kathy, consider supporting ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center. They are always working to protect our freedoms but it will become increasingly difficult to keep up with the sheer numbers of lawsuits too file. Except for ourselves. they remain our most effective guardrail in the coming chaos.
Counteract the disinformation by calling it out and countering when you hear it in your personal interactions with your friends, loved ones and acquaintences. It's difficult and painful and feels so much better just to avoid the conflict. I have been guilty of that. I'm telling myself I'm not going to do that anymore and instead will challenge. Wish me luck.
Ditto. So far, I have focused my action on writing letters to 8 Republican senators (in addition to mh two) who might vote not to approve Gaetz, Hegseth, Gabbard, and/or Kennedy.I want them to know that they should do their constitutional duty, and not rubber stamp unqualified/dangerous nominees.
Please visit Indivisible.org to find a local group near you. If there isn’t one, you can get help starting one.
Calling the annoyance of Trump’s nominees " a clown show" is the ultimate insult to clowns.
It is not a « clown show » – there’s nothing to laugh at. It’s a serious wrecking ball show.
Join organizations like Lawyers Defending American Democracy! And write/call/email all your representatives in Congress.
Kathy, I totally agree that America and democracy are screwed. The anxiety about what's coming can most definitely be overwhelming. My outlet for my angst is working with my Indivisible group to do all we can to combat the darkness. For example, we just wrote postcards for a MS Supreme Court candidate. It felt good to be doing something positive and constructive. We are planning for 2025 and beyond. Join an Indivisible or similar group, i.e. Swing Left is an example, as we all work together for a sane and safe future.
Thank you Kathy. Your words here matter. You inspire others to DO SOMETHING, as Michele urged us to do. Don't sell yourself short please. Your words matter, and your service to our country is vital. Stay well !! Oh, and remember monitor yourself for conscious, steady breathing. You are doing the right things.
Thank you for your kind words of support! You’ve really helped ! I feel like what can I do, as Dump and the criminals are so powerful and I feel very small right now. We need to band together.
Boycotts? General strikes? We need to hit them where it hurts (their wallets).
Sarah McBride is a class act. No one would ever say that about the nasty MAGA crowd whose motto is “Make America Cruel Again.”
I worked with a trans person at my last job. Unless they told you they were trans, you would never know it. They have just transformed into the person they truly are.
Dear Jean in Florida, I agree with you wholeheartedly! My niece and I are taking glassblowing lessons at a local studio. Our favorite instructor is a trans woman, and we love her! She is always kind and patient and helps us be our most creative and successful selves. Just as Sarah McBride's being trans does not have anything to do with the class act she is, our instructor's gender has nothing to do with her skills as a professional glassblower or her generosity in helping others learn the craft. I just wish the media-hog Mace and her MAGA friends could understand what a simple truth that is.
I follow trans investigative journalist, Erin Reed.For those not familiar, several posts which may be useful for those in your circle:
Republican Bathroom Panic Over McBride Shows It Was Never About Sports Or Kids
https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/opinion-the-trans-sports-attacks?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Steps For Transgender People Preparing For Federal Crackdowns Under Trump
https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/steps-for-transgender-people-preparing?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Nance Mace displays a cruelty that is reprehensible. I wrote an email to her, calling her out for her despicable behavior.
MAGA = Make America Gross Again
Back to the “halcyon” 1950’s of White Male Christian Supremacy (Nationalism)
You are right: MACA, not MAGA
If Sarah McBride didn’t say she was trans, she’d be using the women’s restroom and no one would even know. How many other trans women quietly use the ladies room without any fuss?
I fully expected MTG to be named as head of the Department of Education. With Linda MacMahon the felon found an even worse candidate. No small feat, indeed.
Just curious, but how does one even go about making the determination as to who is worse, McMahon or MTG? FWIW, I think MTG is holding out for the title of Mrs. Trump III.
I think it is most useful to look at the totality of what will be happening and try to figure how to resist and stay safe if possible. For some groups that may not be possible unless they leave beforehand.
I think we have to let go of valuing safety over what's right. We're about to become rebels, perhaps. It's not a safe job. It's a necessary one, though. Remember the colonials rebelling against the king. New Hampshire motto is still "Live free or die." You willing?
Christina I agree that we have to be stand up for our democracy where we can, but I don't think everyone should let go of safety. I was thinking of the advice that Andrea Pitzer gives. Here she is on How to Survive This Mess.
https://youtu.be/BwFZpROLvX4?si=WLsFi9DGepMaw3Hn
Some people are much less safe than others. For example, U-Mass has let their international students know that if they go away over winter break, they should be back before January 20 in case a ban goes into effect on students and faculty on that day. Given that some students who return may be rounded up and imprisoned and if no country will receive them, they might end up in the prisons that are planned they might be better off to find somewhere else to go than come back here. It depends on which countries they come from.
Women in Red States might be better off leaving them because they are in danger of death for having to try to have a child, let alone forbidden to have an abortion, or leave their state, and their fertility cycles will be monitored. Who should be fighting this fight for them and the doctors that need to be able to treat them is their allies who are not pregnant. There are many such allies. This is true of trans-people who are prevented from getting gender affirming care as well. They need allies to fight for them too.
I have just started reading Prof. Timothy Snyder's book On Freedom. I think he is defining freedom differently, but I have not read enough to explain it yet. I am not willing to die if I can stay alive to protect my child. Ideally I can help to protect other children too.
4th.
Funny you should ask. I actually hesitated for a moment before hitting the 'post' button. From the viewpoint of the felon MTG would have been a better (which translates into 'worse' for every decent concerned democrat) choice, as it would have reflected much more accurately his in your face attitude.
🤮
Smart and evil vs stupid and evil. McMahon runs a successful business, unlike the one who named her...
Not thin enough.
Most if not all nominations are based in some perceived loyalty and bending knee to the narcissist in chief. Nothing more. No background checks, you say? Fear of being exposed for the fraud they all are.
MTG is saving herself as a helpmeet to Matt Gaetz.
I have thought for a long time that she wants to be married to tffg. YUK.
Self-Healing. Every morning, as I listen to Roberts’ excellent newsletter, I remind myself that I’m in mourning for the loss of the election. I’ve been experiencing the five key stages of grief, starting with profound anger at the people who threw away the opportunity to vote (over 90 million). Then I started “bargaining,” maybe if I had done X, the results might have Y…maybe I can still do something else… and then I realized with a hefty dose of depression that there is a new sociopolitical reality (not so new, just more obvious). I am nowhere near acceptance, because it hurts so much to face the daily assaults on my health and that of millions of people whose home is the United States. Sometimes, to deny this painful reality, I briefly consider that the election was stollen. But very fast I remind myself that Kamala, the person I wanted to be my president, is more than capable to investigate this and, if needed, fight it legally. Then I do the only thing that helps my mood and improves the odds of any sociopolitical change, I take actions to keep my sanity and to contribute to a growing resistance movement. The Silence = Death (1988) movement provides a blueprint for resistance and action that uses art for improving critical awareness and healing. I hope each of us can find a healing moment by engaging with some artform. Enjoy!
Rogerio, your personal application of the stages of grief was very helpful, especially your reminder about Kamala. Thank you.
Dear Robert, Stephen Spoonamore might be right or he might be wrong. You have no idea. And you're missing the point. Here are some facts we do know--A group of top-flight computer scientists and cybersecurity experts wrote Kamala Harris a letter strongly urging her to seek hand-recounts in several swing states. They do not claim evidence of fraud but they do cite well-documented evidence of Trump supporters unlawfully breaching proprietary voting systems, copying its software, and distributing it across the Internet following the 2020 election. Spoonamore cites their letter in his own and takes it up a notch. Both letters primary point is that there is no way to know for sure what the actual outcome is/was without some sort of hand-recount or audit. Republicans make all the noise in the world over false claims of election fraud and actually move the needle of public opinion. Dems, on the other hand, prefer paralysis and passivity when confronted with actual evidence of unusual voting anomalies and actual evidence of Republican ill intent. And there is urgency here. Harris has very little time left to demand a recount. Spoonamore is a highly reputable cybersecurity expert. He might be right. He might be wrong. Wouldn't you like to know for sure? I would. And this has nothing to do with ongoing evaluations of how to run better campaigns. It has everything to do with providing the public some reasonable expectation that elections results truly reflect the people's will. We're just following John Lewis's brilliant exhortation trying to make some "good trouble."
David Lasagna
Much of the fraud alleged by Spoonamore occurred in jurisdictions controlled by Democratic election officials. They have undoubtedly seen his letter. They are in a position to evaluate his claims, even if I am not. None of them have chosen to act based on his allegations. A reasonable inference from that set of facts is that the election officials in a position to evaluate his assertions do not find them sufficiently credible to demand a recount. The “just asking questions” approach to alleging fraud would never meet the standard of proof in court to justify a recount.
Robert, I am concerned about the tone of many of this morning's comments. I am scared, mostly about my health insurance and Social Security. The comments I have read so far (it's 7:30 am right now) seem extreme. However, I don't know what to think. Can you weigh in regarding this morning's comments? It's fine to do it in tomorrow morning's newsletter.
Also in HCR's comments.
"They have undoubtedly seen his letter." is not a fact. It's an assumption. I don't know whether election officials on their own can conduct a comprehensive recount in a case like this or not. No idea what "just asking questions" approach means. Spoonamore was right about the Cleland/Chambliss race years ago. He discovered the Ohio vote tabulations being rerouted out of state then back again in 2004. He noticed no irregularities in 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020. He's a lifelong Republican and cybersecurity expert. Can you acknowledge that he might have knowledge about and insight into this sort of thing that you do not? And you have not addressed the warnings of the other reputable computer scientists who DON'T claim fraud but are just really concerned because of the stealing and dispersing of proprietary voting software by Trump supporters. The alarmed vendor of the machines said because of that theft they were vulnerable to manipulation without the patch that, in Georgia anyway, Raffensperger refused to install till after the 2024 election. Again, you might be right. You might be wrong. There is no way to know for sure without a hand-recount or audit of some sort.
But there aren’t “unusual voting anomalies”.
How do we know how many votes were suppressed and purged by various means (which won’t show up in exit polls)?
Spoonamore says there are. What's your expertise? He's a cybersecurity expert specializing in credit card and computer fraud. Spoonamore made a big fuss years ago when Max Cleland, a very popular incumbent expected to easily retain his senate seat, was beaten by Saxby Chambliss in a stunning upset. Years after the fact Cleland told Spoonamore he should have taken him more seriously.
There was an enormous amount of voter suppression in the states.
Kathy - That is EXACTLY how they STOLE this election! Voter suppression fueled by gerrymandering. Voter suppression fueled by laws and actions that targeted voting in Blue districts. Voter suppression by ads micro targeting specific groups often with opposite messages. Voter suppression by phoning in bomb threats to polling places in swing states.
I believe that the a number of around 300,000 votes cost Harris/Walz the election in a few of those swing states. I look forward to an analysis of how many votes the billionaires helped suppress so the Christofascists could steal this election. Only about a third of eligible voters elected Trump/Vance.
As Ds we are experiencing death by a thousand cuts. I find Robert's title: Addressing claims that the 2024 election was "stolen"; to be very misleading because this election WAS stolen. Until some billionaires like Mark Cuban start funding and helping the DNC with a disciplined comm strategy that reverses this voter suppression our country is screwed.
It is certainly worth exploring in a calm but thorough way. Some FBI division warned of a serious election interference threat earlier in the fall. There's a "do something" rubric operating here. I sincerely hope Harris is using her resources as a sitting Vice President to explore it. I am sending her more money. I want her to stay on the scene. Like Trump did for 4 years.
Hi, David. Please post the link to the letter from the cybersecurity guys to Harris. I would like to show it to a few people. I have read it myself, but I would also like to read it again. Thanks.
Here ya go, Jocelyn.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-151721941
Jocelyn, the link I just provided has the Spoonamore letter and a little way down the Spoonamore letter he gives a link to the other computer scientists' letter. So you should be able to access both from that one link.
Are there any downsides to doing a recount? If it turns out there’s nothing wrong, we will accept that - not like the other side that kept pushing a false narrative even after being proven wrong. If there was something fishy going on, then we could act on it.
I don’t like conspiracies either, but our democracy is at stake. Shouldn’t someone like the FBI orCIA investigate the possibility? ???
Exactly. There are no downsides to doing a hand-recount or at least some sort of limited forensic audit. It's the only way to truly have confidence in election outcomes whether the concerns are imaginary and done in bad faith (2020) or painfully obvious with plenty of evidence like this year. The fact that after political operatives breached voting systems in several states, stole proprietary software, spread it over the internet and then we don't even bother to check what's real and what's not is a form of passive, collective insanity. FBI or CIA will not touch this. Not in their purview. It's entirely up to us to insist on it or let it slide.
Janet HB, Sorry, that last sentence of my response to you was terribly imprecise. Currently, I do not believe there are many legal avenues open to us, merely as citizens, to demand recounts except in some places in individual precincts. My understanding is that the way we currently have things set up it's only the candidates themselves who can really make it happen. And even then, not always. Jill Stein tried to get some hand-recounts in several swing states several election cycles ago and multiple obstacles were thrown in her way making it prohibitively expensive and thus in short order rendering it impossible.
Robert, one of the many things I admire about you is your consistency. You apply your principles and beliefs no matter which way the chips fall, even if it means calling BS when the BS is coming from the liberal/left. Your comments on alleged election fraud are a case in point. You are absolutely correct in all respects, which I take to mean that (i) there was no election fraud and (ii) claiming that there was fraud does nothing but undermine the sanctity and standing of our election system to the detriment of everyone. That's all fine as far as it goes, but I question whether it goes far enough.
We are left with a situation in which elections that are won by MAGA approved candidates are fair and free of fraud while elections which are won by candidates disfavored by MAGA are inherently fraudulent and corrupt. This goes to the central problem of our time and place: When facts are optional, it is impossible to have a marketplace of ideas which in turn means that it is impossible to have a government in which faith and trust are a given. I don't have the imagination necessary to untie this brutal knot but applying traditional analyses to untraditional problems is not it.
Today's Letter from Professor Richardson is similar. She goes to great lengths to "prove" that Elon and Vivek's moronic op-ed in the WSJ is factually, legally and constitutionally wrong. To which I say "so what?" It matters a lot more that the WSJ prints an op-ed that is incorrectly based on the assertion that Trump has a "mandate" than whether the EV plan is actually constitutional. It matters more that simply calling their program by its name, the "Department of Government Efficiency" inherently gives credibility to a, what shall we call it?, concept?, that is neither a Department nor about government "efficiency." It is about dismantling the government, not making it more "efficient" and its champions don't even try to hide the fact. How can Professor Richardson's erudite and correct arguments compete with that kind of doublespeak and lies?
We need a plan and an approach that attacks the fact-free environment, not one that either attempts to fight back with traditional methods or which is based on the idea that we can create our "own" social media environment that is somehow better than theirs and so will triumph in the end. I don't have that plan but I know that what we're doing right now meets the classic definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result).
Well said and I agree. Here's my plan (besides finding and supporting Dem candidates for '26. Disinformation will be exposed when the economy crashes. People who are hungry, sick and poor won't tolerate tyrants. Once the pain is severe enough, for enough people, the revolution begins. My suggestion is we have 18 mths to make that happen so we can flip the house and senate in '26. Think ahead. Buy anything you may need in the next 2 years now. That includes autos, appliances, tvs, household goods, food, meds.. etc. That will help Biden's economy go out strong. Then come Jan 6th, STOP SPENDING with big corps and Maga businesses. We need to SAVE money like we are going to lose jobs, and take cuts to other services plus see tax and rate hikes. Because we will. If and when people stop spending the economy will go down the tubes. The sooner the better for a quick turn around.
I doubt that all of us on Robert Hubbell's wonderful community -- even adding Simon Rosenberg's and others' -- are numerous enough and rich enough to crash the economy and, even we were, do we really want to defend democracy by making more poor people suffer? Obviously, people are free to do what they think best with their money and denying your money where possible to hateful folks on the right (look at Trumps donors for a start, including the Walton family) makes sense to me. And I'll try to front load major purchases to get under Biden. But Trump's tariffs; the cost of rounding up 10 million illegal immigrants (Trump's numbers) -- that's about 100 times the number of Japanese-Americans "interred" in prison camps in World War II; the continual cost of climate disasters; and the cost of doing business when millions of tax-paying immigrant are rounded up at the meat packing plants, RV factories (Northern Indiana and Michigan), trucking firms, and small and large manufacturing outfits in "Red" states: and who knows what military adventures Trump may get us into, etc. will do more to "tank the economy" than your or my purchases. Trump's policies will do the job some of you want to engineer. And when it happens, he and his cohort will blame the victims. Remember, folks, we had all kinds of data that the economy is better under Democrats, and we had the lived misery of Trump's horrible management of COVID-19 to throw in his face and it didn't work. Even if I could pull the switch, I am not ready to "crash the economy," which would hurt Black and brown citizens and women and young people the most just to give Trump a political blow that would likely not register with the millions of people who voted for him or his gang anyway. The Republicans who voted against every economic benefit of the Biden administration and want to crash the ACA are the first to line up at the bridge opening or brag about how they are protecting health care.
One of the early post-election mysteries is the very strong performance of the stock market. As far as I can read them, all the economic indicators are that Trump will tank the economy with or without our collective purchase decisions.
If you care about the price of retail goods, tariffs will make "Biden's inflation" seem like the good old days. Domestic companies, freed from all antitrust and consumer protections will gleefully raise their prices to just under tariff-adjusted import prices.
Retaliation by foreign countries, whether by the imposition of tariffs of their own or by other actions antithetical to actual US interests will be a wild card but will not be a positive development.
Gas prices are ALREADY under $3.00 and it's not clear how much lower they can go (and when and how did gas prices stop being an election issue???)
The loss of low priced labor in key industries will send prices even higher and could even result in the scarcity of some goods. Because, you know, there are millions of "real" Americans just lining up and chomping at the bit to do those jobs at those wages.
Eliminating even, say, 10% of federal jobs may well cause a recession by itself and will surely decimate some smaller "company towns" where the Feds are among the largest employers.
Tax cuts for the rich will balloon the deficit and will not be offset by increased economic activity *because as has been proven over and over again supply side economics doesn't work*.
Should it come to pass, messing with the healthcare system will not only be disastrous for the health of the country but will inevitably cause higher prices and/or lower supply of medical goods and services.
Yep, fun times ahead. I think I'll stop now before I head out to build a survivalist shelter.
I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Republicans on the Ethics Committee voted against releasing the report on Matt Gaetz.
I want to thank Rep. Casten (D-Illinois 6th District), for his House Resolution to release the report, which publicly states what Gaetz was investigated for and which included the following:
Sexual misconduct
Shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor
Illicit drug use
Misuse of state identification records
Converted campaign funds for personal use
Accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or gift for impermissible special privileges
Dispensed funds to individuals he had a personal relationship with
Sought to obstruct government investigation into his conduct
While the findings of the investigation are still unknown, Caston’s resolution made me aware that the investigation was more comprehensive than I had known.
I hope the Ethics Committee makes the right choice and votes on Dec. 5 to release the report. The public deserves to know the findings of the committee, especially as Gaetz is Trump’s choice for Attorney General.
Re Morning Joe hosts:
It was the worse thing Joe and Mika could have done. It immediately put paid to all their years of pointing out all Trumps lies and moral failings - and God knows there are many. Maybe it was an audience grab for all those viewers leaving MSNBC and CNN. They have successfully joined the ranks of all the rest of the legacy media in trying to make him seem normal, and, like that lose all credibility.
Nancy Reinke
I agree and it will be really interesting to see what happens in the first one air interview with you know who.
"Consider political reasons for the loss." All are pretext. But for Russian interference, we would have won. Consider the intimidation factor. For months propaganda inferred there would be violence. That's psy ops. It took courage to vote.
Visceral voters, fearful or hateful of the "other" were targeted. Theier excuses are weak rationalizations.
Re Spoonamore. He cites to a letter from 7 experts in computer science who go into detail. https://freespeechforpeople.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/letter-to-vp-harris-111324.pdf
Greg Palast alleges that 2.7 million provisional ballots should have been counted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfs2kC0xOmU
Musk said it would be easy to steal an election.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV58O0USCaY
As I noted above, much of the alleged fraud occurred in jurisdictions controlled by Democratic election officials. They are aware of the allegations in the letters that use site. Apparently do not find those allegations credible.
Robert - anecdotally I worked my local poll for the first time in NYC. The number of people coming in saying they never voted before (not young first time voters), asking if they could only vote for president and not anyone else, was shocking to me. More things that were shocking to me, not pairing people who had never worked the polls with experienced folks, and the utter disorganization of the whole process.
For me the difference in this election is, they told us they are / were cheating. I subscribe to Maya Angelou, "when someone tells you who they are the first time, believe them."
We don't know that -- unreported. I am originally from Pa. I know that the local DA is looking into inconsistencies raised re counting provisional ballots.
Also circumstantial evidence is the best evidence because it bears a single inference. In 2016 Russians tried to hack Dems. Lots of proof. Hacked Little Marco Rubio. This is deja vu all over again.
DOJ identified the Russians early on. On September 4, 2024, the United States publicly accused Russia of interfering in the 2024 election and announced several steps to combat Russian influence including sanctions, indictments, and seizing of Doppelganger-linked web domains used to spread propaganda and disinformation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_2024_United_States_elections#:~:text=On%20September%204%2C%202024%2C%20the%20United%20States%20publicly%20accused%20Russia,to%20spread%20propaganda%20and%20disinformation.
Lots of cases where circumstial evidence was the basis. Many cases involve pretext.
What is the remedy? A hand count in selected jurisdictions is not reversal of the outcome, as it was in Bush v Gore.
Circumstantial evidence,
Perhaps more important are the threats made by Russian propaganda to frighten Dems, destruction of ballots, bomb scares at Dem precincts, etc. On election eve, the FBI issued a statement. "Since our statement on Friday, the Intelligence Community (IC) has been observing foreign adversaries, particularly Russia, conducting additional influence operations intended to undermine public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections and stoke divisions among Americans."
If voters were wary of the "other" it was because Russia and a complying media and Republican proaganda targeted visceral voters. To me the "other" is Russia
From Time Magazine.
In Pennsylvania, a polling place in West Chester was evacuated because of a threat, according to Josh Maxwell, chair of the Chester County Board of Elections. The Government Services Center was searched by dogs, and voters at the two polling stations in the center were redirected to neighboring polling places that extended their voting hours to accommodate them.
A Pennsylvania judge also granted a motion to extend voting in Clearfield County, northeast of Pittsburgh, after a bomb threat targeted an administrative building where votes were being counted, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
In Georgia, several voting locations extended their hours due to bomb threats, according to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as reported by CNN. “We identify the source that it was from Russia,” he said in an earlier press conference.
Officials in DeKalb County, where five polling places suspended voting due to bomb threats, said no bombs were found, and voters were able to re-enter the polling booths and vote.
Fulton County Police Chief W. Wade Yates said that out of 177 polling places in the county, 32 faced bomb threats, and five required evacuation and had their hours extended as a result. Yates said authorities intend to prosecute those who made the threats.
Officials in Wisconsin and Michigan also confirmed bomb threats in several polling locations in the state, according to ABC7 Chicago. And Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said Tuesday that four locations in Navajo County faced bomb threats that federal and state authorities dismissed as “not credible.” Fontes said the threats came from emails with Russian domains, and that the motive looks to be to “ensue chaos” and not to “impact any political outcome.”
Pretext
The appointment of Tulsi Gabbard, reasonably looks like Trump reciprocation in thanks for a "big steal".
Watch the Palast interview - very convincing!
I completely agree that Joe and Mika’s trip to Mara Lago was stomach turning. Fine for them to cover Trump, but why does that require a trip to ML? Clearly to document the groveling. What complete lack of self-respect.
Does anyone know if the photo of Joe and Trump, both with thumbs up, was this recent trip? Again, such a display of groveling.
One of my huge disappointments these last years has been the appalling number of cowards in this country. Sheesh.
I am not surprised by the picks from Trump because he seems to be following the playbook written in the Project 2025 document that I read in a book club. It is a document designed to implode our country. As such, if effective, then when we get free of Trump it will be necessary to rebuild our entire governmental infrastructure, and we may not have the resources to do that. The millionaires, billionaires and probably trillonaires that will be made from the policies, will be able to up and move elsewhere after they have taken what they can from us. I would not look at any of them as patriots for nation, but only to themselves.
As a poll worker on Nov 5 i was witness to the disappointing support for trump. Many voters for him were unconcerned about the privacy of their vote, holding ballots unfolded, almost waving them on the way to the ballot machine. One voter approached me with a question on his way to the machine, holding his ballot openly asking if he had filled it out correctly....there were only two boxes chosen....both for trump...and no others. I can imagine many others like his.
As far as adding ballots??? Being part of the process, it's hard for me to see how it could be done. There is so much procedure and protocol to voting. Every step has to involve a Dem and Rep who signs off on that task.
Being in a red district we were all grateful that there were no incidents that day.
As always, thank you Robert for keeping us grounded.
KC, I had a very similar experience. Also in a red district, I was concerned about disruptive behavior, but other than a guy who was wearing a poncho that looked like a garbage bag, nothing happened. Several people were unabashed trump supporters but didn't make a scene. I did have one cute elderly woman who struggled with the technology, who said, "I just want to vote for Trump."
Robert and Jill, thank you for your continuing work on ‘Today’s Edition’. I cannot stomach reading or watching the news, in general. Your selection and narration of need-to-know elements, with relevant opportunities for action, is a lifeline. Robert, your personal, expressive, conversational narration is essential as a human, and humane, voice of solidarity. Thank you.
Good evening Robert .I've caught up on my sleep and am focussing on what to take on next. I am wondering if you have a moment to let me know if I am way off base in looking at the clear and present danger posed by the machine behind Trump. I have written my thoughts in a couple of comment threads tonight. I'll paste it here. It is short. I was hopeing things would have turned out otherwise and we would be having time to kick around astronomy and astrophysics by now. Oh well.
"That sounds hopeful, but in that regard, I believe the unqualified candidates to be appointed to the Cabinet are a smoke screen to run out the clock before they take full control to dismantle the government itself. I wrote this comment to Ben Meiselas' interview of Congressman Raja Krishnamoorth a few hours ago :
We know all that, sir. The issue is the CLEAR and Present Danger that exists at this moment to dismantle our government and eliminate the Constitution that many thousands of us over the years have sworn to "PROTECT AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, FOREIGN and DOMESTIC WITH OUR LIVES"!
It is the responsibility of our dear POTUS, as Comander-in-Chief, to step in NOW and arrest all these traitorous thugs whose aim is to destroy our nation for the benefit of Vladimir Putin, our known enemy.
That is what they scream loudly is their intention. WHAT GIVES? SCOTUS gives him full permission to carry out an official act, legal or not. I believe saving our Nation from Domestic enemies is as legal as from a foriegn attack. Does a shooting war have to happen first? 1860 is not that long ago.
With the aid and encouragement of Hitler, the Republican Party attempted a coup to overthrow our government in 1939. Senator Robert Taft and several others were caught in action and indicted. It was only the mistrial that set them free to try again. They are still at it. Do we need any more than Jan. 6, 2021 to know that these people attempted a coup once again.
What more do we need to know??"
Thank you, once again, Robert. I sent an email to MSNBC yesterday expressing my disappointment and disgust not only for Mika’s and Joe’s craven behavior, but also for the network’s distorted post-election coverage. Then I called my internet provider and cancelled the “package” that permitted me to receive MSNBC. Not only do I feel cleaner and happier, I am one hundred dollars richer every month! You are truly a gift!
We don't need a conspiracy that the 2024 election was "stolen". The outcome of this election was not a surprise to anyone remaining aware that MAGA Republicans have been right under our nose in passing voter suppression bills and it seems Democrats have taken no action to address this to ensure a free and fair election.
I think everyone needs to speak with younger trump voters/supporters and ask them why they support someone who does not have their best interests at heart. My nephew in Iowa informed me that he does his "Tik Tok" research. A local activist friend asked his 15 year grandson why he would support MAGA in this election, and he replied "well Kamala is a pervert". (There is actually more to his comment that I just don't want to subject you to )
Conspiracy theories will only keep us from addressing the real problem we have been ignoring here- voter suppression and widespread disinformation. If we do not figure this out, we will never overcome the MAGA GOP.
I posted this Substack article here last week and will post it again as it provides a concise outline of our problems at hand.
"There's no need to entertain wild tech conspiracies when Republicans are openly dismantling democracy in broad daylight"
https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/how-republicans-actually-stole-the
100%. I have had three conversations with people this week from a landscaper to a realtor to a wealthy educated woman and they each recited some vile and hateful lie about Harris/Biden. It was shocking. I have no idea how to begin to counter that.
How about, "that is the dumbest shit I've ever heard"?
That's funny, but does not address the serious issue we have with disinformation in this country.
Well, we have to start by calling it out when individuals repeat it - a lie, a slander, whatever. I would probably say what I said above if someone said something ridiculous like that. It's even more egregious when trump is nominating sexual predators to run his cabinet. "every accusation is a confession" would also frame the lie pretty well.
Sure, but MAGAs are quite entrenched in their disinformation. We are going to have to have a much bigger plan to communicate the truth on a huge scale, which may allow for reality to penetrate when we have individual discussions.
You made me laugh. Thank you!
Thanks Pamsy. All kidding aside, this is a serious and difficult situation we must find a solution to.