I am currently living in Europe. Most of my family is in the US and I am worried for them as much as for the world. We are told we are at a point of no return in the climate crisis. I presume Trump, Musk and Kennedy feel that they will not suffer from the climate crisis because they have the means to shield themselves. This is probably true. However, will e-cars remain popular with leadership that turns from green initiatives? It won't matter to Musk because Space-X is and will be the space exploration company of the US government.
Many of my friends are able to leave the US because they are from other countries, and affluent professionals. I have read that a lot of people are renewing passports and looking into going to Canada. At least there were apparently a lot of Google searches for living in Canada. Since Americans can vote from abroad some may be choosing to effect the next election in 2 years from afar.
A friend here in Germany who has a lot of family in the US, was telling me she heard an American woman interviewed who said she did not believe women can lead. I am glad I am not around any women like that. Kamala Harris is a hero to me. She took on running against a fascist which takes amazing strength. She has shown more than anything why the US does not have affirmative action if left to its own devices, and for every male that told me males are suffering, I would say, males are imposing a lot of suffering on women in their suffering.
I wonder what the fall of the Roman Empire looked like to the Romans. I know what the fall of Germany looked like. It looked like endless devastating war.
As respectfully as I am able, I wish to present the perspective of an American who lives in the US, who has been an environmental activist since the first Earth Day in 1970 and who is firmly planted - here.
Millions of us just worked our butts off to elect Democrats across the board. We wrote postcards, made phone calls, sent texts, worked at the polls, sent money and so much more. I have done this work to, first and foremost, protect democracy, this specific democracy, whose democratic principles have created one of the freest and most livable places in the world. Far from perfect but good for vast numbers. It is damn hard and emotionally draining work. And has been for all of the 54 years I’ve been at it.
I have lived in Ireland and still have relatives in Canada- my paternal grandparents were from New Brunswick. I could, in fact, leave and find temporary shelter in those two countries.
But democracy is not a spectator sport. If we are to preserve it, we must be active participants. And on-the-ground activism, the kind that Robert and many others advocate for, is the most effective way to make a difference.
I’m exhausted, grieving, and frightened about my future here, especially because if Trump shuts down SS and Medicare, I’m screwed as are many others I know in my age group. And you already know that the climate is THE issue - no one can escape the climate crisis. No one.
So please think about those of us who either can’t afford to leave or refuse to because abandoning democracy is unthinkable. You vote, you organized others to vote from abroad but you don’t necessarily understand how ravaged those of us who have fought this fight here feel right now.
I’m sticking around. And will be here for the next round of on the ground work. Fun? Hell no. But I’m not the spectator type. I prefer to work on the inside. Thank you for your efforts from afar.
OMG..you spoke my heart. Older, ravaged, exhausted from 24/7 work and apathetic and often arrogant “voters” and no where to go and deeply devoted to my home. I am also, body willing, determined to face it all to build community and see what OUR history will look like. Ya never know…!
I too have been a climate activist…started a nonprofit action program focused on climate issues in 2008….we need to keep on keeping on, working with our local governments. We are fortunate in our community to have forward progressive leaders. I also know that Republicans get older too and rely on SS and Medicare…let that sociopath and his sociopathic cronies try to take our hard earned benefits and put that money in their pockets…economically frightened people will turn on him on a dime, it is them that erroneously determined he would be better for them economically…they will see their errors when their pockets are empty, their daughter’s bleed out outside an ER, their grandchildren can’t compete in the international market because their education was substandard, or they and their families are deported for walking around brown and Latino …we may have a very hard tiring and chaotic next 2 years, but democrats MUST organize and strategically work locally, and finally rid ourselves of MAGA trolls, and eventually our sociopathic, narcissistic next leader. Sometimes it has to go to extremes to equalize. It’s a crying shame, but we must stay strong and remain courageous.
I appreciate your bringing up the elephant in the room: climate change. It is a terrifying concept that is being buried by all the dysfunction, wars, and tyrants taking up all the airspace, but it is so very important and each minute that our eye is not on that ball is one tick closer to midnight.
I am going to go out on a limb here and say, when the history books are written, they will be analyzing this election as leading to the Fall of the American Empire. It might be more catastrophic than that.
I personally agree, Linda, BUT don't forget that history is written by the winners. And Trump and MAGA will continue to try to rewrite history with their "Fake News" and "alternative facts".
Howard, after they alone, or with Putin, have destroyed the US Empire, they won't be winners. Perhaps Putin will. Or, will the US rise like Brazil and oust Trump or JD Vance once they come to their senses. Are there senses to come to? My mother, an immigrant from the country I am now mostly living in, has always said Americans are faddish. It seems that many did not learn in these past 4 years the difference between a government that works for the people and a government that works for the rich. I doubt they will recognize the difference when it happens, because the ability to connect the dots is lacking.
I particularly agree with your very well-turned phrase, "It seems that many did not learn in these past 4 years the difference between a government that works for the people and a government that works for the rich." But they will not recognize the difference because the MAGA Government will simply pin the blame on whatever goes wrong on the "other", whomever that might be.
We missed the psyops. All about marketing. The package is more important than the product. The girls' sports commercial sealed the deal. Trump didn't need a ground game. Women who play sports should be feminists.
I am not going to analyze all of that right now. It seems that I have a good understanding of who lives in the USA, and right now I would rather have the data on groups and how they voted in each place, and who did not, rather than look at who to blame.
It is a time to plan how you can take care of yourself. The most vulnerable are between a rock and a hard place now, perhaps naively believing that a bad life cannot get worse, or having tried to vote against Trump.
Apparently a lot of people are looking up how to move to Canada. I know that in 2016 a lot of people not only moved there, but also sent their children to University there, so that was looking at ways to help integrate their children into another country. A friend of mine is banking on the fact that her son-in-law is Canadian as a back up if it is needed.
Let us not underestimate the super wealthy and the money they spent on access in this election. We watched Elon Musk buying the election in Pennsylvania with nothing to stop him. These people are so narcissistic just like Trump that they don't care about the world they leave their children, grandchildren, so obviously they cannot see that their children and grandchildren will inherit a less safe, less sustainable world with what they plan to do to it.
I couldn’t agree more. Climate change will ultimately bring people together, as seen already in the western Carolinas. It is a powerful force that none of us are exempt from, no matter our standing in society. Mother Nature will hold us all accountable for not taking measures decades ago. How many times have I read we only have so much time left to make a difference and yet here we are decades later looking at massive wildfires, flooding and devastation from now category “6” hurricanes and killing heat. Wake up America!!
And, it will slowly but surely push the southern states to the midwest and inner states. Those are the people that deny climate change but will experience more and more radical weather struggles, and lack of insurance in case their life needs are destroyed. We see it already. It wiped out an entire city in N. Carolina.
I am pulling at least half a dozen ticks off my dog after each walk (3 x day) in a place where ticks never used to exist. One of the most important threats to our planet has continually been pushed aside and now, I fear, will go completely unaddressed.
I agree with that as I sit here a few miles from a devastating fire that's leveling communities here in Southern California. It never used to be like this.
Remember it is the states that don't rake their forests as the problem. Not climate change, and most of the forests are federal land so Trump had the opportunity to enact a raking program.
The fires I'm talking about are not forest fires. They involve the scrub that grows on the Southern California hills. There's nothing to rake. They burn because of drought and gale force winds that are much stronger than they used to be. There is no way to prevent them other than by getting more precipitation.
No surprise that Google searches for living in Canada went up. One of my first thoughts when the election results came in: Putin and Canadian real estate agents must be celebrating. The Irish Consul General at the time in San Francisco told me that coming to the office on the morning after the Brexit decision (which, remember, was Putin's dry run for interfering in the 2016 elections) his email inbox was flooded with requests of British citizens on how to get the Irish citizenship.
I can believe that many Americans are looking for places to move to right now, and Canada seems the easiest. In 2016 many Americans sent their children to university in Canada. I think they felt it would more easily integrate them into the Canadian system. That is what is hard. I read that it is easy to move there if you don't try to find work, so for retirement.
A friend of mine, who is Lithuanian-American and her husband wanted to consider moving to Lithuania, but they were afraid because Lithuania is so close to Russia and so small. This year their son went to University in Canada. I don't know if that was part of their planning. I assume they feel a bit of relief because he is there and not in the US.
Many of the Americans I know here in Germany are wishing to get German citizenship and were starting the process before now, or are now going to start it. I imagine that is true of those who are living in other countries too. I know a couple who moved to Portugal last fall. He is working for a company in Chicago. She is trying to start a consulting business, but just had a baby, so that is on hold. They got their permanent residency after around 3 or 4 months there.
I encouraged my daughter to apply to a canadian university but she wasn’t interested- even though a friend of hers and the friend’s older brother are at university in canada for this very reason. She is at NYU and I’m frightened for her.
She is willing to, but is insisting on doing her spring semester at NYU and then doing a year abroad, already applied for. For her safety, I want her to leave the US after this fall semester ends. Figure out the rest later. We are actually about to leave on a many years in the planning circumnavigation on our boat and she could join us initially.
The bigger question is, is anywhere going to be safe. I’ve watched the world dictators cozy up to each other this past year, meeting in each of their countries- to include trump in maralago and a right leader in germany. No where will be safe for long if the US goes in the expected direction. North Korea soldiers are lined up on the Ukrainian border.
I planned for many years to be able to go back and forth from Germany to the US. Now, I hardly want to go to the US. The EU feels safer right now. So, you might head there. Here is a list of places that are easy for Ex Pats to go to.
My 19-year old daughter is not worried like I am because I have protected her from understanding more fully what Trump has planned. So, she is living her regular life these past two days. She is sad about Harris' loss. She has learned to vote from abroad. She is in University in Germany and while a friend of hers is studying North American studies so they are all talking about it. My daughter is getting ready to go visit a friend in Vienna over the weekend, and is going to classes (where the US election is not being discussed) and going about her business trying to get her work done before leaving tomorrow morning. I am sure her friends in the US are more panicked.
A friend's daughter just moved to Portugal with her husband Fall of 2023. It took them about 3-4 months to get their permanent Resident status. He is working for a US company digitally. When we went to Portugal in the spring we saw a lot of people from US, England and other countries living there and working on laptops in the cafes.
I do not feel so unsafe in Germany but I am wary. It is different when you live here. Germany has 5 new states (former DDR) and 11 old states (former West Germany). The new states have 15% of the population. In recent German elections in 3 of the new states, the fascist party AfD came in first place with 33% in 2 of these new states, and in second place after the democratic Social Democrats. Still, 33 of less than 15% of the population does not a mandate make. That is even though Germans are dissatisfied with immigration and inflation in general. Although I would say Germans are used to being dissatisfied, it is part of the national character. In the meantime the constitutional court is deciding whether it is legal to have the party at all, because it is illegal to have a political party that is agains tenets of the constitution.
My reading of Canadian immigration rules was that it's very easy for Americans, including or especially those of us who have aged out of the workforce, to go there for up to six months per year. We're welcome to buy property, own a car, etc., but _not_ join the national health system for free, or vote in Canada. Those of us with very great amounts of money we're willing to invest in the country in specified ways will find more immigration doors open. Younger folks with sought-after technical or medical skills -- the list of such skills isn't all that long -- will find a facilitated pathway to long-term resident status or citizenship. People who may face imminent danger or harm, the "enemy within" recently mentioned by the orange criminal-elect, may be able to make a case for political asylum, but it won't necessarily be easy.
Moving to Canada permanently is not a slam dunk. Read the rules; they're easily found on line and are very clear.
Most Americans who go to retire to a country might have to pay for private insurance. This is one of the reasons that Americans Abroad have been fighting to get their insurance have medicare extended to other countries, who generally are cheaper than the US anyway, so the system would save money.
This is what I have read about where people might be able to go now.
My daughter's friend is going to university in the Czech Republic. She is going to a private Anglo-American one, so everything is taught in English. her friend is already fluent in Germany so I think she will pick up Czech.
We know that people coming with professions that are desired are welcome. Also, a lot of countries want you to be able to prove that you have at least 3000€ a month income. They don't necessarily want you to have a lot of money because they worry that it is drug money, but I guess it depends on what they feel you are bringing in as skills too. Doctors are going to be welcome most places.
Thanks for those pointers. I've looked in detail at the visa/immigration rules for Portugal and Spain. Both countries offer so-called retirement visas (called a D7 in Portugal and a Visa No Lucrativo in Spain); each country applies a means test (the money amounts differ a bit); the Visa Dorada is no longer available in either country, having generated a lot of unintended consequences and economic mayhem for local folks. Both countries require those on retirement visas to spend 180 (or maybe it's 181) days/year in country, the underlying point of that being to make visa holders eligible to be taxed.
The process is somewhat confusing and rather slow and cumbersome in both countries but is navigable, even without an agent (though perhaps with a double measure of additional patience and good humor). A reputable agent will of course cost a bit but will slice through much of the BS and make things happen as expeditiously as can be expected. Speaking the local language to some extent will help a lot.
The good news is that both countries are open to retirees who can support themselves, and private medical insurance doesn't appear to cost much more than what I'm spending now in the States. Folks with EU passports will find far fewer hoops to jump through; citizens from parts of the world other than the US and the EU may face different rules. It's somewhat complicated, so as always, read the book and do the homework before taking the exam. ;-)
Thanks for laying this out. I have friends who moved to Portugal in Fall of 2023. He has a job in Chicago in Tech, and they were able to get a permanent residencies in about 3-4 months. She is pregnant and told me they are in Portugals free health care system. Of course it is not free, one is paying taxes. Here is a discussion of some countries with Golden Visas.
Because I am a member of Democrats Abroad and live as an immigrant, and a citizen in Germany it is interesting. Most of my American friends here do not have dual citizenship. I have had it all my life. So, my German friends treat me is if I am a German with the German expectations, while my American friends treat me as an American. I have always lived with that limbo land of cultures. So has my daughter. She grew up having most of her friends be multicultural.
I really think that most people who are unhappy with the US should look into other countries and figure out where they might go. I know Ireland is supposed to be good for retirement and they speak English in addition to Gaelic. I say that people should be looking because it is sometimes easier to bear things when you have an out, and know what it will take.
Most of the Americans that I know in Germany are teaching in Universities and some in schools. Many came here for University or for someone they were dating. Some got married and some moved on but were already fully integrated here. If you move to Europe you can probably get some private pupils to teach English to, for some income.
Apparently some Taiwan is supposed to be a really happy place for US expats. Of course a lot are retirees.
I was in a party on Zoom on election night. It was regional so that was Europe Middle East and Asia. There were shifts of who were the cohosts, and India came on about 3 or 4 am in Europe. Before then the hosts were in Germany and then Italy. It was cool to talk to people who are living in many different countries. We planned for a long time. Since 2016. A lot of parents in the school where I taught were telling their children they would move to Canada if Trump won, and no one did. My daughter asked us if we would be moving to Germany and my husband, who is German, said not so fast. I said, we shall see in my head. The whole 4 years, all of my teaching colleagues were depressed and daily there would be discussions of what Trump had done or was doing, until Covid, and then people were in survival mode. I felt since I was teaching over Zoom I could go to Europe and no one would know. My husband said he was not getting on a plane. So, we weathered it.
There are a lot of publications for expats, and you can look into them. A lot of people have done this and are doing it and provide community for those who come. One should pick a place where you are going to be able to feel comfortable with the government that you can afford.
A friend and her husband moved to Canada 10 years ago because the husband was disgusted with American politics. It is not as easy as one would think. They had to have enough "points" as a couple to become landed immigrants, one of which was to pass a French language test, which she did. He became a citizen last year and swore alliance to King Charles.
What do you mean by landed immigrants? And was this their only option to go there? Another friend knows someone who easily moved to Canada. She has a PhD in Engineering. It all depends on what they think you have to offer. That is true of all of the countries that people are thinking of fleeing to. But still, if one has the spirit that your family had in coming to the US, you can do it.
In practice, the US no longer intentionally prioritizes various groups. Massive border crossings have rendered prioritization policies virtually irrelevant.
I'm a person who would love to emigrate but don't have the financial means to do so; that of course is the rule rather than the exception. I'm also 'stuck' for similar reasons in Texas where I've lived for many years but which is getting too hot for me to be able to handle, esp. w/my COPD; I literally can't breathe in it, so must spend almost 6 months at this point only able to be outdoors very early in the day for brief intervals. I envy you because Europe has already gone through similar crises more recently than the U.S. and some of them, Brexit for instance -- seem to have served as lessons learned re White authoritarian nationalism.
You guys, Putin is Trump's boss. The first thing he's going to do is take Ukraine. Then he's going to turn Netanyahu loose on Palestine. Then, NATO will fall. Do you think Putin is going to use his brand-new control over the American military to defend any free European country from...himself? Europe is not any safer than the US, under the Trump/Putin rulership.
Christina you might be right about NATO. We shall see. Right now in Europe it is much safer than the US because we just don't have the level of gun ownership or violence. In Germany they are talking about making some restrictions on knife ownership. I can tell you the crisis is from 2 attacks in the past year. Still, students in schools here are not doing knife attack drills, and parents are not telling their children how to act in case someone attacks them with a knife while they are walking to school. In fact, first graders going on their own is not uncommon. So, violence is much less, and most people are not so worried about it, as is common in the US.
Both leaders have been holding on to the level of war they are engaged in counting on Trump winning and backing each of them. So two separate leaders counting on support from the US under Trump. I would also say that they both did their parts to help Trump to victory.
The comment you refer to was a German quoting an American woman who said that she (the American) didn't believe a woman could lead a country. (Please read more carefully.)
Sadly, this is not uncommon, especially in certain geographical areas, but I have heard it said right here in Vermont, where our experienced well-respected woman legislator just lost to an uninformed male with little knowledge but a gift for stirring up people with grudges. He just moved here about a year ago, "returning to his roots". He was born in a different part of the state,to parents from elsewhere, and did not even go to school here before his parents moved out of state. He has no experience, and no clue about the issues or how Vermont government works. But he won.
Who in Germany said that? I certainly did not. In fact, it was a source of pride to my daughter when Obama was President and Merkel was Chancellor that one of her countries had a Black man leading and the other had a woman. In fact, an American/Swiss friend and I were discussing how backwards the US seems compared to countries that have already had, or currently have a woman leader.
Thank you for your words, Linda. Just wanted to mention a future Elon Musk role in our government. I feel that anyone who will profit off government contracts and profits will be the step into oligarchy. It happened under his first presidency when his daughter and SIL received a 2 billion dollar investment in their new company from Saudi Arabia. Now they have received hundreds of millions in profits from doing nothing with that business, and SA has expected nothing in return. I'm sure they will expect something from the Trump administration. I know that some of his wealthy supporters got lucrative contracts to build and run the border detention camps his last presidency when he enacted containment and separation of families. Another donor was appointed a lead position in the Veterans Affairs agency. Since the organization of Project 2025 I imagine oligarchy for his wealthy supporters and family will increase a thousandfold. Trump screams about "The Biden Crime family" while he and his family grift off his role as president. There has been zero evidence of any such events for the Bidens.
It's not about leaving the US. No, no, no. Maybe, Linda, that works for you but my family has been here for ten generations and have tried hard to build the country which is, at least until this week, mostly the envy of the world. Lets work on the problems, not duck them and vacate the field. Biden took on the Covid and the economy -- successfully -- but got in return a 25%+ increase in many prices, and the "economy" is usually #1. Yup, there is major racism, misogyny, white supremacy, hatred, anger (not new ideas). But I would add the "disrespect" by coast elites for fly-over country, well written by David Brooks in the -- yes -- NYT:
As I have said, each person has to figure out what their plan is.
I am guessing you are a White-male. I am neither. So, I have a different take on where I feel safe. One side of my family came over on slave ships, and what they did to build the US was not accorded to them in wealth. The other side of my family immigrated. So, I have always felt like a citizen of a world, and am not so into nationalism.
I do not want my daughter living with the amount of violence in the US. The inability of the US to get guns under control seemed pretty hopeless to me. Right now the US is #132 in the global peace scale. I am in a country which is at #20. It dropped down 5 spots this year, but the US dropped 1 as well, and 3 in the past 2 years to reach a much less safe level. See pages 8 and 9. https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf
Many people want their children in a safer country. I am sure you can understand that.
Thanks Robert and Jill. Your calming words remind me of rescuers trying to bring in a lost, run away dog. A musician named Will Stenberg posted a similar comforting post on Facebook. He wrote "But I nonetheless urge everyone not to invite him into your soul" ("he" meaning the felon). Don't let him steal your joy.
Thank you as always, Robert. Today I couldn't even bring myself to read any of the Substacks and tried to take a walk outside at a local park and just couldn't do it today, went back home instead. Probably didn't help that I stayed up until 330am hoping that the results would change, so I was simply exhausted. Ate lunch, and then crawled under the covers and fell asleep until dinnertime. After all the work of writing letters, donating, writing postcards, to have this result was just shattering. My eyes hurt from the tears shed and the grief was as if a person had passed away. My husband was so depressed that when I tried to talk about it he told me he couldn't bear to discuss any of it. My kids were similarly grieving - it was a painful day attempting to cope. Almost 24 hrs later now and I think I'm maybe starting to be OK, but I'm afraid for the Ukrainians, and the Palestinians in Gaza, and for our fellow Americans who will suffer further under another tffg regime.
I am grateful for you and Joyce and HCR and Jess and Dan Rather and the others whose efforts support and sustain us, and I hope you and Jill are being supported by your loved ones as well. I'm not ready to start up again yet but will still be around these next few weeks even if I might not comment much.
Your comments went straight to my heart. I felt the same way yesterday. I am marginally better this morning. This community is here for all of us and will help us heal and focus on our next steps. Thank you, Robert. Last night your voice helped soothe my anxious and sad soul.
I think he is right that we need to rest and recuperate. And our bodies are telling us that as well. But I think when we begin to see a path forward, in the form of a fight, a way to fight, and what to fight, we will rise up and find our wherewithall.
I'll be thinking of you all day, JR. I've found in the depths of despair that the only thing that really helps is love, the giving and receiving. I'm glad you can offer love and support to your husband and kids and hope they give it back to you. Here's a bunch of love coming your way from this reader.
The linked site includes election-related stories titled "Mexico Builds Wall First" ("to keep out the millions of Americans planning to flee") and "'F*ck It, Let’s Give Fascism a Go!' America Says." The home page currently has other election-related stories <https://theshovel.com.au/>.
I'm a clinical psychologist and I can share that every one of my patients is devastated today- from the young woman about to give birth to a daughter, to the gay woman afraid for her marriage, medicare and social security benefits. The election is dominating the treatment rooms and I am joining in with my patients in a way I never expected I would.
In this moment, grounding, settling and taking care of one another and ourselves is the essential thing.
As the mother of two daughters I worry for myself but especially for them. Robert, I am grateful to you and Jill for this newsletter. I know it will be a continuing source of comfort.
Has anyone figured out what the Orange Führer meant when he recently said that he and Mike Johnson have a surprise? He won so easily, one state after another. Anyone else wondering if that surprise had something to do with the ease with which he seemed to have won?
I have wondered that too. He didn’t have field offices in the states campaigning for him, his donations went into his own pockets, his rallies were smaller and people left early, and at his rallies he didn’t talk much about his plans and policies. It is like he knew that he didn’t have to do that because he knew he would win. How can that be?
The margins Trump won by in most states were just tight enough to not raise alarms. But they were 100% winning margins in the states he needed to win in. Of course, that could have been massive numbers of Trump voters. But as you two point out, all the pre-indicators were against such a landslide. Yet it--as HCR notes today--"apparently" happened.
Absolutely I am wondering that, Sara. About the Trump and Johnson "surprise." On election night it was so fast and so unlilateral. Even the margins were very plausible. I was watching one newsperson on msnbc who kept comparing the incoming results to the past two elections, and Trump's margins were ALWAYS just a few points higher than the last two times. Not much. Just steadily, consistently, a few points higher. I think history will tell us that Russian disinformation and hacking played the pivotal role in this election. I'm not computer-smart, so I can't analyze how they did it. But I have seen enough computer miracles these last two or three years to know anything is possible. And I work with some young Russian immigrants in my non-profit who are computer geniuses, far and above anything their American counterparts can do. The Russians wouldn't be able to take over by military force. But they would by penetrating our systems. Maybe they just did.
If Russian disinformation played pivotal role in this election, it’s a damning reflection on the level of genuine education (as distinct from credentials) in the US.
If you are going to start that sort of speculation, you had better bring receipts (hard evidence). Otherwise you incite the same irrationality that the people on the other side have been stirring up for months/years.
You don't think the frequent phone calls between putin and Trump, and putin and Musk, are indicators? There's some excellent data-style info in the film Active Measures. And in Woodward book on Trump, War. Does that constitute hard evidence for you? Sort of like the FBI findings on Russian influence in the previous Trump era?
No argument here about these things: the orange criminal-elect is Putin's poodle, there has been lots of MAGA-driven voter suppression, and for sure Russian disinformation along with right-wing media and cowardly legacy media cooperation effectively misled or confused a large portion of the low-information electorate. Those gross offenses and blatant acts of treachery against our notion of a constitutional republic rolled together certainly had a significant effect. But we knew most of that going in; we knew we were going to have to paddle that much harder against the current to defeat the fascists. If we're talking about on-the-day vote counting fraud, which is what I took your and the OP's posts to be referring to, I've yet to see or hear of any evidence. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but I am saying that if we start shouting and waving our arms about it before we have some concrete proof that voting machines were rigged, votes were changed, or whatever, we're undermining the system just like the other m-fs have been doing.
But if there is evidence, bring it on. I will help lead the effort to blow the lid off.
Today's edition of Today's Edition is imho one of your very best, Robert. Especially the 2 sections about pundits and pollsters. A lot of quotable, perceptive material there.
But I do wonder about your assertion that this election was decided by the people who didn't vote. Leaving aside the late night dorm room philosophical question of the meaning and impact of non-action, the implication is presumably that a large majority of those non-voters would have voted for Harris. Is that true? As someone who has been saying for a long time that this election was going to be about turnout, I am sympathetic to the idea that we (i.e. Dems) needed to get all of "our" voters to the polls and that we failed to do that. But given the surprising (astonishing?) strength of Trump's performance it does not seem obvious that a higher turnout in general would have changed the result.
Hi, Jeff. I didn't say the result would have been different (although I believe it would have been). I said that the election was decided by those who did not vote. I haven't done the math, but the number of eligible voters in 2024 was likely 240 million. https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/eligible-voters-by-state
If so, more people did not vote than voted for either candidate. The people who chose not to vote decided the election.
Amen ! What makes us think that all those people who stayed home and never voted were Democratic votes ? This could have been worse ! I am not going in for an explanative necropsy here only a reflective reactive stance going forward. I want to see what he does first.
Dear Robert, you will never know how much your words and your voice has meant to me these past few years. Thank you for your perspective and your optimism and the amazing work you’ve done to form this community. ❤️
To say yesterday was hard is an understatement. But…We still have 2 1/2 months with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in office. I am not thinking about January 20 until January 20.
Yesterday I helped organize intrepid MI volunteers to cure canvass in person. Even when Slotkin was announced as the winner, building the relationships is one key to the future democracy.
The intense connection and oxytocin-inducing experience to aid a voter to heal their ballot until made whole is ineffable. Particularly after Election Day and in person. Per one of intrepid volunteers I sent our to canvass:
'I just completed the first turf. I think will we will succeed in curing at least 90% of those. I heard that the race has been called for slotkin. But until they call us off we'll keep doing this.'
Absolutely Ellie. These are ongoing phone banks. I know that we are giving NC in person cure canvassers today off, but some other groups within NC continue. If you in MI then we will be sending cure canvassers out today & tomorrow til tomorrow 5 pm. Message me and I can share that sign up.
I pretty sure MI phone curing may still be going on. NC as noted continues (links I don't have off hand, but can find out). I know CA curing is also still going on, but I am not sure the current links (I can find out later).
Thank you, Cheryl and Joe. With House races only a few points apart and the Rs ahead, along with unawareness of the need for ballot curing, we can't overdo spreading this how-to information.
To follow-up with more details, NC, MI, PA, AZ, CA, and NV are being run by VPP in conjunction with the DNC. This is #5. 1-4 are being run by state level or more local campaigns.
Here is a link from Field Team 6 with an aggregated list of opportunities for Ballot Curing. If you know of others, they are asking that you let them know.
It means that their vote was initially not accepted by their elections office. And you are helping a voter to make 'whole' (or be actually counted) what was likely a voter suppression action (law/policy) to cause an issue with their ballot. In VA & CA they have very progressive voting laws so it is more legit re: the reasons.
I say the part about voter suppression because much of the curing involves things such as signature matching or voter id photocopies, etc.
Sometimes ballots are incurable of deadlines or other reasons. One example is in NC when you move to another County that you must inform the new County (in which you now reside) elections office and update your registration. This can be done through the last Sat of Early Voting. But of course not on ED!
HCRichardson's lettee today is a gut punch. This seems right. "As actor Walter Masterson posted: “I tried to educate people about tariffs, I tried to explain that undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes and are the foundation of this country. I explained Project 2025, I interviewed to show that they supported it. I can not compete against the propaganda machines of Twitter, Fox News, [Joe Rogan Experience], and NY Post. These spaces will continue to create reality unless we create a more effective way of reaching people."
Re HCR’s comment, quoted by Marsha Schauer: It starts with the quality of American up through high school (and, for many, college). American education, overall, has long been lacking.
I know the race was tight but I was pretty sure we'd win but now I think Congress should pass a law that requires applicants for president fill the same employment form as businesses use "Have you ever been convicted of a felony/" Yes or No.Do you think Speaking of...Shouldn't Biden think twice about turning turn over top secret classified documents to a convicted felon with pending charges re classified document mishandling? Especially one with sentimental ties to adversaries like Russia and N. Korea?
Just two thoughts, Robert. As to sharing top secret classified documents, that's water under the bridge as the insurrectionist and his posse will have access to all the state's secrets from Jan 20 on.
And filling out the 'employment form'. Nice idea. But why not extending that prerequisite to all candidates running for Congress. At least in those states that make it difficult for felons to vote. That would weed out quite number of people (looking at you, Rick Scott, for starters).
Very good points, Stefan, Yes, that is a big worry that he'll continue to receive top secret documents for the next four years and no doubt e will again share them with people without clearance and store some in a various places at his clubs and residences just as before. And as far as making everyone you mentioned having to fill out a standard employment form that would be a greta idea. After all from the president on down they are all employees of the American taxpayer who pay for their salaries and many perks, geat medical insurance, office staffs,even lifetime pensions. Not that man of them earn or deserve all that. They don't view themselves as servants of the people, far from it.
Thank you. I thought of you and the early emails you sent out. I have not been able to look at news really all day and I thought, I am going to be like Robert's daughters in those early months, I am maybe going to filter my news through Today's Edition for a bit. I am a visual person, and I just cant deal with having to see him and his family constantly, and act like they are normal people that should be in the White House or wherever they will be pictured. I prepped for today months ago, got some other grassroots leaders to get tickets to see Suffs (again) today. Went with Kim B, Ellen B, and Sarah O and it was really what we needed.
Robert and Jill, I have no doubt your feelings are like many of ours. I admire your ability to stay positive and welcoming right now. I’m having a difficult time just breathing, however, I am comforted knowing you’re there with comfort and positivity. I know I’ll get there, just not today. Know I am as worried about you both as I am of all of us. You deserve a break, too.
I am 86 years old and have lived through a lot of American politics. I was alive at the end of WWII and celebrated in Flint, Mi. My mother and I walked downtown. There was joy everywhere-I thought, until 50 years later when I saw the Flint Journal’s front page photo of the gathering. Every face was Caucasian. I finished my MA in Ed Administration then requested a refund from Dean Cohen ( yep, Wilbur Cohen, former HEW Secretary) because the placement service believed that women would not be hired as public school principals and would not schedule interviews. There were so many other similar ‘woman’ experiences that it was immediately obvious to me that Kamala Harris did not win because she is 1. A woman, 2. Multiracial and 3. Married to a Jewish man. There were far too many Americans who just could not pull the lever, so they either voted for the White man or stayed home. I listened to the pundits yesterday explaining what we have to do to save our country, but none directly attacked this issue. Yet, I believe we must.
Thank you. I am comforted by your thoughts. At almost 80 years of age, I had hoped to see a woman President. I am impressed with Kamala Harris as a potential leader of our country, and extremely disappointed that this is not to be. That so many of my fellow Americans voted for Trump as President dumbfounds me. I find him beneath contempt. There will be consequences from his election that will surprise his voters, & not in a good way. Unfortunately, those of us who oppose him will be affected by his policies, too.
I am currently living in Europe. Most of my family is in the US and I am worried for them as much as for the world. We are told we are at a point of no return in the climate crisis. I presume Trump, Musk and Kennedy feel that they will not suffer from the climate crisis because they have the means to shield themselves. This is probably true. However, will e-cars remain popular with leadership that turns from green initiatives? It won't matter to Musk because Space-X is and will be the space exploration company of the US government.
Many of my friends are able to leave the US because they are from other countries, and affluent professionals. I have read that a lot of people are renewing passports and looking into going to Canada. At least there were apparently a lot of Google searches for living in Canada. Since Americans can vote from abroad some may be choosing to effect the next election in 2 years from afar.
A friend here in Germany who has a lot of family in the US, was telling me she heard an American woman interviewed who said she did not believe women can lead. I am glad I am not around any women like that. Kamala Harris is a hero to me. She took on running against a fascist which takes amazing strength. She has shown more than anything why the US does not have affirmative action if left to its own devices, and for every male that told me males are suffering, I would say, males are imposing a lot of suffering on women in their suffering.
I wonder what the fall of the Roman Empire looked like to the Romans. I know what the fall of Germany looked like. It looked like endless devastating war.
As respectfully as I am able, I wish to present the perspective of an American who lives in the US, who has been an environmental activist since the first Earth Day in 1970 and who is firmly planted - here.
Millions of us just worked our butts off to elect Democrats across the board. We wrote postcards, made phone calls, sent texts, worked at the polls, sent money and so much more. I have done this work to, first and foremost, protect democracy, this specific democracy, whose democratic principles have created one of the freest and most livable places in the world. Far from perfect but good for vast numbers. It is damn hard and emotionally draining work. And has been for all of the 54 years I’ve been at it.
I have lived in Ireland and still have relatives in Canada- my paternal grandparents were from New Brunswick. I could, in fact, leave and find temporary shelter in those two countries.
But democracy is not a spectator sport. If we are to preserve it, we must be active participants. And on-the-ground activism, the kind that Robert and many others advocate for, is the most effective way to make a difference.
I’m exhausted, grieving, and frightened about my future here, especially because if Trump shuts down SS and Medicare, I’m screwed as are many others I know in my age group. And you already know that the climate is THE issue - no one can escape the climate crisis. No one.
So please think about those of us who either can’t afford to leave or refuse to because abandoning democracy is unthinkable. You vote, you organized others to vote from abroad but you don’t necessarily understand how ravaged those of us who have fought this fight here feel right now.
I’m sticking around. And will be here for the next round of on the ground work. Fun? Hell no. But I’m not the spectator type. I prefer to work on the inside. Thank you for your efforts from afar.
OMG..you spoke my heart. Older, ravaged, exhausted from 24/7 work and apathetic and often arrogant “voters” and no where to go and deeply devoted to my home. I am also, body willing, determined to face it all to build community and see what OUR history will look like. Ya never know…!
Beautifully and pointedly written, Sheila B. I can feel your strength and determination even through my anger and hopelessness. Thank you so much.
Thank you SO SO much, Sheila, for all that you have done and no doubt currently do!
Beautiful words, Sheila!
I too have been a climate activist…started a nonprofit action program focused on climate issues in 2008….we need to keep on keeping on, working with our local governments. We are fortunate in our community to have forward progressive leaders. I also know that Republicans get older too and rely on SS and Medicare…let that sociopath and his sociopathic cronies try to take our hard earned benefits and put that money in their pockets…economically frightened people will turn on him on a dime, it is them that erroneously determined he would be better for them economically…they will see their errors when their pockets are empty, their daughter’s bleed out outside an ER, their grandchildren can’t compete in the international market because their education was substandard, or they and their families are deported for walking around brown and Latino …we may have a very hard tiring and chaotic next 2 years, but democrats MUST organize and strategically work locally, and finally rid ourselves of MAGA trolls, and eventually our sociopathic, narcissistic next leader. Sometimes it has to go to extremes to equalize. It’s a crying shame, but we must stay strong and remain courageous.
I appreciate your bringing up the elephant in the room: climate change. It is a terrifying concept that is being buried by all the dysfunction, wars, and tyrants taking up all the airspace, but it is so very important and each minute that our eye is not on that ball is one tick closer to midnight.
I am going to go out on a limb here and say, when the history books are written, they will be analyzing this election as leading to the Fall of the American Empire. It might be more catastrophic than that.
I personally agree, Linda, BUT don't forget that history is written by the winners. And Trump and MAGA will continue to try to rewrite history with their "Fake News" and "alternative facts".
Howard, after they alone, or with Putin, have destroyed the US Empire, they won't be winners. Perhaps Putin will. Or, will the US rise like Brazil and oust Trump or JD Vance once they come to their senses. Are there senses to come to? My mother, an immigrant from the country I am now mostly living in, has always said Americans are faddish. It seems that many did not learn in these past 4 years the difference between a government that works for the people and a government that works for the rich. I doubt they will recognize the difference when it happens, because the ability to connect the dots is lacking.
I particularly agree with your very well-turned phrase, "It seems that many did not learn in these past 4 years the difference between a government that works for the people and a government that works for the rich." But they will not recognize the difference because the MAGA Government will simply pin the blame on whatever goes wrong on the "other", whomever that might be.
We missed the psyops. All about marketing. The package is more important than the product. The girls' sports commercial sealed the deal. Trump didn't need a ground game. Women who play sports should be feminists.
I am not going to analyze all of that right now. It seems that I have a good understanding of who lives in the USA, and right now I would rather have the data on groups and how they voted in each place, and who did not, rather than look at who to blame.
It is a time to plan how you can take care of yourself. The most vulnerable are between a rock and a hard place now, perhaps naively believing that a bad life cannot get worse, or having tried to vote against Trump.
Apparently a lot of people are looking up how to move to Canada. I know that in 2016 a lot of people not only moved there, but also sent their children to University there, so that was looking at ways to help integrate their children into another country. A friend of mine is banking on the fact that her son-in-law is Canadian as a back up if it is needed.
Let us not underestimate the super wealthy and the money they spent on access in this election. We watched Elon Musk buying the election in Pennsylvania with nothing to stop him. These people are so narcissistic just like Trump that they don't care about the world they leave their children, grandchildren, so obviously they cannot see that their children and grandchildren will inherit a less safe, less sustainable world with what they plan to do to it.
Linda, yes! History will tell it like it is, a big fall. Many have already turned away and live in denial.
We shouldn't be an empire anyway.
Many would agree with that. Probably not the MAGAs though. One of the best Post Mortems of the election is by Noah Berlatsky in Public Notice. https://www.publicnotice.co/p/kamala-harris-anti-incumbent-backlash-2024
Thanks so much for this excellent link, Linda. Let's just hope we DO hve elections again in four years.
I couldn’t agree more. Climate change will ultimately bring people together, as seen already in the western Carolinas. It is a powerful force that none of us are exempt from, no matter our standing in society. Mother Nature will hold us all accountable for not taking measures decades ago. How many times have I read we only have so much time left to make a difference and yet here we are decades later looking at massive wildfires, flooding and devastation from now category “6” hurricanes and killing heat. Wake up America!!
And, it will slowly but surely push the southern states to the midwest and inner states. Those are the people that deny climate change but will experience more and more radical weather struggles, and lack of insurance in case their life needs are destroyed. We see it already. It wiped out an entire city in N. Carolina.
I am pulling at least half a dozen ticks off my dog after each walk (3 x day) in a place where ticks never used to exist. One of the most important threats to our planet has continually been pushed aside and now, I fear, will go completely unaddressed.
I agree with that as I sit here a few miles from a devastating fire that's leveling communities here in Southern California. It never used to be like this.
Remember it is the states that don't rake their forests as the problem. Not climate change, and most of the forests are federal land so Trump had the opportunity to enact a raking program.
The fires I'm talking about are not forest fires. They involve the scrub that grows on the Southern California hills. There's nothing to rake. They burn because of drought and gale force winds that are much stronger than they used to be. There is no way to prevent them other than by getting more precipitation.
No surprise that Google searches for living in Canada went up. One of my first thoughts when the election results came in: Putin and Canadian real estate agents must be celebrating. The Irish Consul General at the time in San Francisco told me that coming to the office on the morning after the Brexit decision (which, remember, was Putin's dry run for interfering in the 2016 elections) his email inbox was flooded with requests of British citizens on how to get the Irish citizenship.
I can believe that many Americans are looking for places to move to right now, and Canada seems the easiest. In 2016 many Americans sent their children to university in Canada. I think they felt it would more easily integrate them into the Canadian system. That is what is hard. I read that it is easy to move there if you don't try to find work, so for retirement.
A friend of mine, who is Lithuanian-American and her husband wanted to consider moving to Lithuania, but they were afraid because Lithuania is so close to Russia and so small. This year their son went to University in Canada. I don't know if that was part of their planning. I assume they feel a bit of relief because he is there and not in the US.
Many of the Americans I know here in Germany are wishing to get German citizenship and were starting the process before now, or are now going to start it. I imagine that is true of those who are living in other countries too. I know a couple who moved to Portugal last fall. He is working for a company in Chicago. She is trying to start a consulting business, but just had a baby, so that is on hold. They got their permanent residency after around 3 or 4 months there.
I encouraged my daughter to apply to a canadian university but she wasn’t interested- even though a friend of hers and the friend’s older brother are at university in canada for this very reason. She is at NYU and I’m frightened for her.
If she is frightened you can ask her to revisit this.
She is willing to, but is insisting on doing her spring semester at NYU and then doing a year abroad, already applied for. For her safety, I want her to leave the US after this fall semester ends. Figure out the rest later. We are actually about to leave on a many years in the planning circumnavigation on our boat and she could join us initially.
The bigger question is, is anywhere going to be safe. I’ve watched the world dictators cozy up to each other this past year, meeting in each of their countries- to include trump in maralago and a right leader in germany. No where will be safe for long if the US goes in the expected direction. North Korea soldiers are lined up on the Ukrainian border.
I planned for many years to be able to go back and forth from Germany to the US. Now, I hardly want to go to the US. The EU feels safer right now. So, you might head there. Here is a list of places that are easy for Ex Pats to go to.
https://fortune.com/2024/11/06/americans-move-abroad-2024-presidential-election/
My 19-year old daughter is not worried like I am because I have protected her from understanding more fully what Trump has planned. So, she is living her regular life these past two days. She is sad about Harris' loss. She has learned to vote from abroad. She is in University in Germany and while a friend of hers is studying North American studies so they are all talking about it. My daughter is getting ready to go visit a friend in Vienna over the weekend, and is going to classes (where the US election is not being discussed) and going about her business trying to get her work done before leaving tomorrow morning. I am sure her friends in the US are more panicked.
A friend's daughter just moved to Portugal with her husband Fall of 2023. It took them about 3-4 months to get their permanent Resident status. He is working for a US company digitally. When we went to Portugal in the spring we saw a lot of people from US, England and other countries living there and working on laptops in the cafes.
I do not feel so unsafe in Germany but I am wary. It is different when you live here. Germany has 5 new states (former DDR) and 11 old states (former West Germany). The new states have 15% of the population. In recent German elections in 3 of the new states, the fascist party AfD came in first place with 33% in 2 of these new states, and in second place after the democratic Social Democrats. Still, 33 of less than 15% of the population does not a mandate make. That is even though Germans are dissatisfied with immigration and inflation in general. Although I would say Germans are used to being dissatisfied, it is part of the national character. In the meantime the constitutional court is deciding whether it is legal to have the party at all, because it is illegal to have a political party that is agains tenets of the constitution.
My reading of Canadian immigration rules was that it's very easy for Americans, including or especially those of us who have aged out of the workforce, to go there for up to six months per year. We're welcome to buy property, own a car, etc., but _not_ join the national health system for free, or vote in Canada. Those of us with very great amounts of money we're willing to invest in the country in specified ways will find more immigration doors open. Younger folks with sought-after technical or medical skills -- the list of such skills isn't all that long -- will find a facilitated pathway to long-term resident status or citizenship. People who may face imminent danger or harm, the "enemy within" recently mentioned by the orange criminal-elect, may be able to make a case for political asylum, but it won't necessarily be easy.
Moving to Canada permanently is not a slam dunk. Read the rules; they're easily found on line and are very clear.
Most Americans who go to retire to a country might have to pay for private insurance. This is one of the reasons that Americans Abroad have been fighting to get their insurance have medicare extended to other countries, who generally are cheaper than the US anyway, so the system would save money.
This is what I have read about where people might be able to go now.
https://fortune.com/2024/11/06/americans-move-abroad-2024-presidential-election/
Also, in Euro News they are aware that Americans might want to leave. They recommend these countries.
https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/11/06/want-to-move-abroad-these-are-the-cheapest-european-countries-for-expats-in-2023
My daughter's friend is going to university in the Czech Republic. She is going to a private Anglo-American one, so everything is taught in English. her friend is already fluent in Germany so I think she will pick up Czech.
We know that people coming with professions that are desired are welcome. Also, a lot of countries want you to be able to prove that you have at least 3000€ a month income. They don't necessarily want you to have a lot of money because they worry that it is drug money, but I guess it depends on what they feel you are bringing in as skills too. Doctors are going to be welcome most places.
Thanks for those pointers. I've looked in detail at the visa/immigration rules for Portugal and Spain. Both countries offer so-called retirement visas (called a D7 in Portugal and a Visa No Lucrativo in Spain); each country applies a means test (the money amounts differ a bit); the Visa Dorada is no longer available in either country, having generated a lot of unintended consequences and economic mayhem for local folks. Both countries require those on retirement visas to spend 180 (or maybe it's 181) days/year in country, the underlying point of that being to make visa holders eligible to be taxed.
The process is somewhat confusing and rather slow and cumbersome in both countries but is navigable, even without an agent (though perhaps with a double measure of additional patience and good humor). A reputable agent will of course cost a bit but will slice through much of the BS and make things happen as expeditiously as can be expected. Speaking the local language to some extent will help a lot.
The good news is that both countries are open to retirees who can support themselves, and private medical insurance doesn't appear to cost much more than what I'm spending now in the States. Folks with EU passports will find far fewer hoops to jump through; citizens from parts of the world other than the US and the EU may face different rules. It's somewhat complicated, so as always, read the book and do the homework before taking the exam. ;-)
Thanks for laying this out. I have friends who moved to Portugal in Fall of 2023. He has a job in Chicago in Tech, and they were able to get a permanent residencies in about 3-4 months. She is pregnant and told me they are in Portugals free health care system. Of course it is not free, one is paying taxes. Here is a discussion of some countries with Golden Visas.
https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/11/07/what-is-a-golden-visa-and-why-are-some-countries-giving-them-up-for-good
Because I am a member of Democrats Abroad and live as an immigrant, and a citizen in Germany it is interesting. Most of my American friends here do not have dual citizenship. I have had it all my life. So, my German friends treat me is if I am a German with the German expectations, while my American friends treat me as an American. I have always lived with that limbo land of cultures. So has my daughter. She grew up having most of her friends be multicultural.
I really think that most people who are unhappy with the US should look into other countries and figure out where they might go. I know Ireland is supposed to be good for retirement and they speak English in addition to Gaelic. I say that people should be looking because it is sometimes easier to bear things when you have an out, and know what it will take.
Most of the Americans that I know in Germany are teaching in Universities and some in schools. Many came here for University or for someone they were dating. Some got married and some moved on but were already fully integrated here. If you move to Europe you can probably get some private pupils to teach English to, for some income.
Apparently some Taiwan is supposed to be a really happy place for US expats. Of course a lot are retirees.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2024/07/08/expats-rank-the-best-places-to-live-in-the-world/
I was in a party on Zoom on election night. It was regional so that was Europe Middle East and Asia. There were shifts of who were the cohosts, and India came on about 3 or 4 am in Europe. Before then the hosts were in Germany and then Italy. It was cool to talk to people who are living in many different countries. We planned for a long time. Since 2016. A lot of parents in the school where I taught were telling their children they would move to Canada if Trump won, and no one did. My daughter asked us if we would be moving to Germany and my husband, who is German, said not so fast. I said, we shall see in my head. The whole 4 years, all of my teaching colleagues were depressed and daily there would be discussions of what Trump had done or was doing, until Covid, and then people were in survival mode. I felt since I was teaching over Zoom I could go to Europe and no one would know. My husband said he was not getting on a plane. So, we weathered it.
There are a lot of publications for expats, and you can look into them. A lot of people have done this and are doing it and provide community for those who come. One should pick a place where you are going to be able to feel comfortable with the government that you can afford.
A friend and her husband moved to Canada 10 years ago because the husband was disgusted with American politics. It is not as easy as one would think. They had to have enough "points" as a couple to become landed immigrants, one of which was to pass a French language test, which she did. He became a citizen last year and swore alliance to King Charles.
What do you mean by landed immigrants? And was this their only option to go there? Another friend knows someone who easily moved to Canada. She has a PhD in Engineering. It all depends on what they think you have to offer. That is true of all of the countries that people are thinking of fleeing to. But still, if one has the spirit that your family had in coming to the US, you can do it.
https://fortune.com/2024/11/06/americans-move-abroad-2024-presidential-election/
Canada prioritizes certain groups of immigrants, just like the US does. Not everyone is welcome.
In practice, the US no longer intentionally prioritizes various groups. Massive border crossings have rendered prioritization policies virtually irrelevant.
I'm a person who would love to emigrate but don't have the financial means to do so; that of course is the rule rather than the exception. I'm also 'stuck' for similar reasons in Texas where I've lived for many years but which is getting too hot for me to be able to handle, esp. w/my COPD; I literally can't breathe in it, so must spend almost 6 months at this point only able to be outdoors very early in the day for brief intervals. I envy you because Europe has already gone through similar crises more recently than the U.S. and some of them, Brexit for instance -- seem to have served as lessons learned re White authoritarian nationalism.
You guys, Putin is Trump's boss. The first thing he's going to do is take Ukraine. Then he's going to turn Netanyahu loose on Palestine. Then, NATO will fall. Do you think Putin is going to use his brand-new control over the American military to defend any free European country from...himself? Europe is not any safer than the US, under the Trump/Putin rulership.
Christina you might be right about NATO. We shall see. Right now in Europe it is much safer than the US because we just don't have the level of gun ownership or violence. In Germany they are talking about making some restrictions on knife ownership. I can tell you the crisis is from 2 attacks in the past year. Still, students in schools here are not doing knife attack drills, and parents are not telling their children how to act in case someone attacks them with a knife while they are walking to school. In fact, first graders going on their own is not uncommon. So, violence is much less, and most people are not so worried about it, as is common in the US.
In fact, the USA ranks #132 on the Global Peace Ranking. European countries rank higher. In fact there are at least 20 countries in Africa considered safer. See pages 8 and 9. https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf
There is no causal connection between Putin’s actions against Ukraine (or elsewhere) and Israel’s actions vis-à-vis Palestine.
Both leaders have been holding on to the level of war they are engaged in counting on Trump winning and backing each of them. So two separate leaders counting on support from the US under Trump. I would also say that they both did their parts to help Trump to victory.
Funny that someone in Germany would say women can’t lead…pretty short memory, what about Angela Merkel?
The comment you refer to was a German quoting an American woman who said that she (the American) didn't believe a woman could lead a country. (Please read more carefully.)
Sadly, this is not uncommon, especially in certain geographical areas, but I have heard it said right here in Vermont, where our experienced well-respected woman legislator just lost to an uninformed male with little knowledge but a gift for stirring up people with grudges. He just moved here about a year ago, "returning to his roots". He was born in a different part of the state,to parents from elsewhere, and did not even go to school here before his parents moved out of state. He has no experience, and no clue about the issues or how Vermont government works. But he won.
Who in Germany said that? I certainly did not. In fact, it was a source of pride to my daughter when Obama was President and Merkel was Chancellor that one of her countries had a Black man leading and the other had a woman. In fact, an American/Swiss friend and I were discussing how backwards the US seems compared to countries that have already had, or currently have a woman leader.
Thank you for your words, Linda. Just wanted to mention a future Elon Musk role in our government. I feel that anyone who will profit off government contracts and profits will be the step into oligarchy. It happened under his first presidency when his daughter and SIL received a 2 billion dollar investment in their new company from Saudi Arabia. Now they have received hundreds of millions in profits from doing nothing with that business, and SA has expected nothing in return. I'm sure they will expect something from the Trump administration. I know that some of his wealthy supporters got lucrative contracts to build and run the border detention camps his last presidency when he enacted containment and separation of families. Another donor was appointed a lead position in the Veterans Affairs agency. Since the organization of Project 2025 I imagine oligarchy for his wealthy supporters and family will increase a thousandfold. Trump screams about "The Biden Crime family" while he and his family grift off his role as president. There has been zero evidence of any such events for the Bidens.
It's not about leaving the US. No, no, no. Maybe, Linda, that works for you but my family has been here for ten generations and have tried hard to build the country which is, at least until this week, mostly the envy of the world. Lets work on the problems, not duck them and vacate the field. Biden took on the Covid and the economy -- successfully -- but got in return a 25%+ increase in many prices, and the "economy" is usually #1. Yup, there is major racism, misogyny, white supremacy, hatred, anger (not new ideas). But I would add the "disrespect" by coast elites for fly-over country, well written by David Brooks in the -- yes -- NYT:
//www.nytimes.com/2024/11/06/opinion/trump-elites-working-class.html .
Lots of things to work on.
As I have said, each person has to figure out what their plan is.
I am guessing you are a White-male. I am neither. So, I have a different take on where I feel safe. One side of my family came over on slave ships, and what they did to build the US was not accorded to them in wealth. The other side of my family immigrated. So, I have always felt like a citizen of a world, and am not so into nationalism.
I do not want my daughter living with the amount of violence in the US. The inability of the US to get guns under control seemed pretty hopeless to me. Right now the US is #132 in the global peace scale. I am in a country which is at #20. It dropped down 5 spots this year, but the US dropped 1 as well, and 3 in the past 2 years to reach a much less safe level. See pages 8 and 9. https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf
Many people want their children in a safer country. I am sure you can understand that.
Thanks Robert and Jill. Your calming words remind me of rescuers trying to bring in a lost, run away dog. A musician named Will Stenberg posted a similar comforting post on Facebook. He wrote "But I nonetheless urge everyone not to invite him into your soul" ("he" meaning the felon). Don't let him steal your joy.
Susan, Will's message is powerful. Thanks for sharing. We must not let him in uninvited either.
Thank you as always, Robert. Today I couldn't even bring myself to read any of the Substacks and tried to take a walk outside at a local park and just couldn't do it today, went back home instead. Probably didn't help that I stayed up until 330am hoping that the results would change, so I was simply exhausted. Ate lunch, and then crawled under the covers and fell asleep until dinnertime. After all the work of writing letters, donating, writing postcards, to have this result was just shattering. My eyes hurt from the tears shed and the grief was as if a person had passed away. My husband was so depressed that when I tried to talk about it he told me he couldn't bear to discuss any of it. My kids were similarly grieving - it was a painful day attempting to cope. Almost 24 hrs later now and I think I'm maybe starting to be OK, but I'm afraid for the Ukrainians, and the Palestinians in Gaza, and for our fellow Americans who will suffer further under another tffg regime.
I am grateful for you and Joyce and HCR and Jess and Dan Rather and the others whose efforts support and sustain us, and I hope you and Jill are being supported by your loved ones as well. I'm not ready to start up again yet but will still be around these next few weeks even if I might not comment much.
Your comments went straight to my heart. I felt the same way yesterday. I am marginally better this morning. This community is here for all of us and will help us heal and focus on our next steps. Thank you, Robert. Last night your voice helped soothe my anxious and sad soul.
I think he is right that we need to rest and recuperate. And our bodies are telling us that as well. But I think when we begin to see a path forward, in the form of a fight, a way to fight, and what to fight, we will rise up and find our wherewithall.
I'll be thinking of you all day, JR. I've found in the depths of despair that the only thing that really helps is love, the giving and receiving. I'm glad you can offer love and support to your husband and kids and hope they give it back to you. Here's a bunch of love coming your way from this reader.
As it does so often, The Shovel (the Onion-like humor publication from Australia) captures the moment: "F*ck, This Guy Again" <https://preview.mailerlite.com/d6g8f2u0j4/2607753317543053421/j6d4/>.
The linked site includes election-related stories titled "Mexico Builds Wall First" ("to keep out the millions of Americans planning to flee") and "'F*ck It, Let’s Give Fascism a Go!' America Says." The home page currently has other election-related stories <https://theshovel.com.au/>.
Thanks for the much needed laugh!!
I'm a clinical psychologist and I can share that every one of my patients is devastated today- from the young woman about to give birth to a daughter, to the gay woman afraid for her marriage, medicare and social security benefits. The election is dominating the treatment rooms and I am joining in with my patients in a way I never expected I would.
In this moment, grounding, settling and taking care of one another and ourselves is the essential thing.
As the mother of two daughters I worry for myself but especially for them. Robert, I am grateful to you and Jill for this newsletter. I know it will be a continuing source of comfort.
thanks for your support for people who are feeling devastated.
Has anyone figured out what the Orange Führer meant when he recently said that he and Mike Johnson have a surprise? He won so easily, one state after another. Anyone else wondering if that surprise had something to do with the ease with which he seemed to have won?
I have wondered that too. He didn’t have field offices in the states campaigning for him, his donations went into his own pockets, his rallies were smaller and people left early, and at his rallies he didn’t talk much about his plans and policies. It is like he knew that he didn’t have to do that because he knew he would win. How can that be?
Agree Nancy. Something doesn’t smell right
The margins Trump won by in most states were just tight enough to not raise alarms. But they were 100% winning margins in the states he needed to win in. Of course, that could have been massive numbers of Trump voters. But as you two point out, all the pre-indicators were against such a landslide. Yet it--as HCR notes today--"apparently" happened.
Absolutely I am wondering that, Sara. About the Trump and Johnson "surprise." On election night it was so fast and so unlilateral. Even the margins were very plausible. I was watching one newsperson on msnbc who kept comparing the incoming results to the past two elections, and Trump's margins were ALWAYS just a few points higher than the last two times. Not much. Just steadily, consistently, a few points higher. I think history will tell us that Russian disinformation and hacking played the pivotal role in this election. I'm not computer-smart, so I can't analyze how they did it. But I have seen enough computer miracles these last two or three years to know anything is possible. And I work with some young Russian immigrants in my non-profit who are computer geniuses, far and above anything their American counterparts can do. The Russians wouldn't be able to take over by military force. But they would by penetrating our systems. Maybe they just did.
If Russian disinformation played pivotal role in this election, it’s a damning reflection on the level of genuine education (as distinct from credentials) in the US.
???
https://www.gregpalast.com/heres-what-we-do-now/
If you are going to start that sort of speculation, you had better bring receipts (hard evidence). Otherwise you incite the same irrationality that the people on the other side have been stirring up for months/years.
You don't think the frequent phone calls between putin and Trump, and putin and Musk, are indicators? There's some excellent data-style info in the film Active Measures. And in Woodward book on Trump, War. Does that constitute hard evidence for you? Sort of like the FBI findings on Russian influence in the previous Trump era?
No argument here about these things: the orange criminal-elect is Putin's poodle, there has been lots of MAGA-driven voter suppression, and for sure Russian disinformation along with right-wing media and cowardly legacy media cooperation effectively misled or confused a large portion of the low-information electorate. Those gross offenses and blatant acts of treachery against our notion of a constitutional republic rolled together certainly had a significant effect. But we knew most of that going in; we knew we were going to have to paddle that much harder against the current to defeat the fascists. If we're talking about on-the-day vote counting fraud, which is what I took your and the OP's posts to be referring to, I've yet to see or hear of any evidence. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but I am saying that if we start shouting and waving our arms about it before we have some concrete proof that voting machines were rigged, votes were changed, or whatever, we're undermining the system just like the other m-fs have been doing.
But if there is evidence, bring it on. I will help lead the effort to blow the lid off.
Today's edition of Today's Edition is imho one of your very best, Robert. Especially the 2 sections about pundits and pollsters. A lot of quotable, perceptive material there.
But I do wonder about your assertion that this election was decided by the people who didn't vote. Leaving aside the late night dorm room philosophical question of the meaning and impact of non-action, the implication is presumably that a large majority of those non-voters would have voted for Harris. Is that true? As someone who has been saying for a long time that this election was going to be about turnout, I am sympathetic to the idea that we (i.e. Dems) needed to get all of "our" voters to the polls and that we failed to do that. But given the surprising (astonishing?) strength of Trump's performance it does not seem obvious that a higher turnout in general would have changed the result.
Hi, Jeff. I didn't say the result would have been different (although I believe it would have been). I said that the election was decided by those who did not vote. I haven't done the math, but the number of eligible voters in 2024 was likely 240 million. https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/eligible-voters-by-state
If so, more people did not vote than voted for either candidate. The people who chose not to vote decided the election.
Amen ! What makes us think that all those people who stayed home and never voted were Democratic votes ? This could have been worse ! I am not going in for an explanative necropsy here only a reflective reactive stance going forward. I want to see what he does first.
Dear Robert, you will never know how much your words and your voice has meant to me these past few years. Thank you for your perspective and your optimism and the amazing work you’ve done to form this community. ❤️
To say yesterday was hard is an understatement. But…We still have 2 1/2 months with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in office. I am not thinking about January 20 until January 20.
Yesterday I helped organize intrepid MI volunteers to cure canvass in person. Even when Slotkin was announced as the winner, building the relationships is one key to the future democracy.
The intense connection and oxytocin-inducing experience to aid a voter to heal their ballot until made whole is ineffable. Particularly after Election Day and in person. Per one of intrepid volunteers I sent our to canvass:
'I just completed the first turf. I think will we will succeed in curing at least 90% of those. I heard that the race has been called for slotkin. But until they call us off we'll keep doing this.'
That's great, Joe! Can you post a link for getting started on curing ballots?
Absolutely Ellie. These are ongoing phone banks. I know that we are giving NC in person cure canvassers today off, but some other groups within NC continue. If you in MI then we will be sending cure canvassers out today & tomorrow til tomorrow 5 pm. Message me and I can share that sign up.
I pretty sure MI phone curing may still be going on. NC as noted continues (links I don't have off hand, but can find out). I know CA curing is also still going on, but I am not sure the current links (I can find out later).
Ballot Curing
1. AZ Dems – Ballot Cure Phonebank (https://www.mobilize.us/jumpstartaz/event/717867/)
2. NV Dems – Ballot Cure Phonebank (https://www.mobilize.us/2024nvvictory/event/724469/)
3. VA Dems – Ballot Cure Phonebank (https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/725001/)
4. OH – Ballot Cure Phonebank (https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/714404/)
5. Harris-Walz Voter Protection phone bank (by VoPro Pros) (https://events.democrats.org/event/684133/)
Joe, I have already posted the links for NC. But here it is again; https://www.mobilize.us/ncvictory2024/event/709165/
I recommend that you share this link from Field Team 6:
https://www.fieldteam6.org/ballot-curing
Thank you, Cheryl and Joe. With House races only a few points apart and the Rs ahead, along with unawareness of the need for ballot curing, we can't overdo spreading this how-to information.
To follow-up with more details, NC, MI, PA, AZ, CA, and NV are being run by VPP in conjunction with the DNC. This is #5. 1-4 are being run by state level or more local campaigns.
Here is a link from Field Team 6 with an aggregated list of opportunities for Ballot Curing. If you know of others, they are asking that you let them know.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/ballot-curing. States with stars are presumably the highest priority.
Also PA. I have been looking all day for a direct PA Link:
https://www.mobilize.us/2024pavictory/event/742453/
Here is the true gen of California cure efforts. It is simply viewable but I was allowed to share.
THERE IS A GREAT NEED FOR ON THE GROUND CURE CANVASSERS (see links):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mkJBZcxZCyOOS6CzJpfxsLaN2Kfzcc4AohS-4jI3Wp0/edit?usp=sharing
CALIFORNIA!
https://www.mobilize.us/dccc/event/742433/
What does it mean to cure a ballot?
It means that their vote was initially not accepted by their elections office. And you are helping a voter to make 'whole' (or be actually counted) what was likely a voter suppression action (law/policy) to cause an issue with their ballot. In VA & CA they have very progressive voting laws so it is more legit re: the reasons.
I say the part about voter suppression because much of the curing involves things such as signature matching or voter id photocopies, etc.
Sometimes ballots are incurable of deadlines or other reasons. One example is in NC when you move to another County that you must inform the new County (in which you now reside) elections office and update your registration. This can be done through the last Sat of Early Voting. But of course not on ED!
HCRichardson's lettee today is a gut punch. This seems right. "As actor Walter Masterson posted: “I tried to educate people about tariffs, I tried to explain that undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes and are the foundation of this country. I explained Project 2025, I interviewed to show that they supported it. I can not compete against the propaganda machines of Twitter, Fox News, [Joe Rogan Experience], and NY Post. These spaces will continue to create reality unless we create a more effective way of reaching people."
Yep
Re HCR’s comment, quoted by Marsha Schauer: It starts with the quality of American up through high school (and, for many, college). American education, overall, has long been lacking.
I know the race was tight but I was pretty sure we'd win but now I think Congress should pass a law that requires applicants for president fill the same employment form as businesses use "Have you ever been convicted of a felony/" Yes or No.Do you think Speaking of...Shouldn't Biden think twice about turning turn over top secret classified documents to a convicted felon with pending charges re classified document mishandling? Especially one with sentimental ties to adversaries like Russia and N. Korea?
-----
T
Just two thoughts, Robert. As to sharing top secret classified documents, that's water under the bridge as the insurrectionist and his posse will have access to all the state's secrets from Jan 20 on.
And filling out the 'employment form'. Nice idea. But why not extending that prerequisite to all candidates running for Congress. At least in those states that make it difficult for felons to vote. That would weed out quite number of people (looking at you, Rick Scott, for starters).
I’ll certainly second that!!!
In Florida too....RS winning is like salt in the wound.
Very good points, Stefan, Yes, that is a big worry that he'll continue to receive top secret documents for the next four years and no doubt e will again share them with people without clearance and store some in a various places at his clubs and residences just as before. And as far as making everyone you mentioned having to fill out a standard employment form that would be a greta idea. After all from the president on down they are all employees of the American taxpayer who pay for their salaries and many perks, geat medical insurance, office staffs,even lifetime pensions. Not that man of them earn or deserve all that. They don't view themselves as servants of the people, far from it.
Thank you. I thought of you and the early emails you sent out. I have not been able to look at news really all day and I thought, I am going to be like Robert's daughters in those early months, I am maybe going to filter my news through Today's Edition for a bit. I am a visual person, and I just cant deal with having to see him and his family constantly, and act like they are normal people that should be in the White House or wherever they will be pictured. I prepped for today months ago, got some other grassroots leaders to get tickets to see Suffs (again) today. Went with Kim B, Ellen B, and Sarah O and it was really what we needed.
Robert and Jill, I have no doubt your feelings are like many of ours. I admire your ability to stay positive and welcoming right now. I’m having a difficult time just breathing, however, I am comforted knowing you’re there with comfort and positivity. I know I’ll get there, just not today. Know I am as worried about you both as I am of all of us. You deserve a break, too.
I tell myself, one step at a time. We can do this.
Thanks Robert and Jill, I grieve for our women, children and Ukraine. But as Jesus said “love thy neighbor as thyself” perhaps thats a beginning.
Christopher, we have to keep fighting. And we have to do it with love.
I am 86 years old and have lived through a lot of American politics. I was alive at the end of WWII and celebrated in Flint, Mi. My mother and I walked downtown. There was joy everywhere-I thought, until 50 years later when I saw the Flint Journal’s front page photo of the gathering. Every face was Caucasian. I finished my MA in Ed Administration then requested a refund from Dean Cohen ( yep, Wilbur Cohen, former HEW Secretary) because the placement service believed that women would not be hired as public school principals and would not schedule interviews. There were so many other similar ‘woman’ experiences that it was immediately obvious to me that Kamala Harris did not win because she is 1. A woman, 2. Multiracial and 3. Married to a Jewish man. There were far too many Americans who just could not pull the lever, so they either voted for the White man or stayed home. I listened to the pundits yesterday explaining what we have to do to save our country, but none directly attacked this issue. Yet, I believe we must.
Thank you. I am comforted by your thoughts. At almost 80 years of age, I had hoped to see a woman President. I am impressed with Kamala Harris as a potential leader of our country, and extremely disappointed that this is not to be. That so many of my fellow Americans voted for Trump as President dumbfounds me. I find him beneath contempt. There will be consequences from his election that will surprise his voters, & not in a good way. Unfortunately, those of us who oppose him will be affected by his policies, too.