Thank you Robert for listing about the postcards for the Mississippi Supreme Court Runoff Election and our Zoom this morning! Below are more details about the race and how to get script etc. If people could “like” this, it’ll keep the message at the top so more volunteers might see it, to get more postcards out to remind Democrats in MS to vote next week! Thank you!
We have just today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday) to write and mail for this MS Runoff Election. The postcards are in support of the incumbent, Justice Jim Kitchens. Jim's opponent, Jenifer Branning, is currently a (MAGA) Republican State Senator. As one of the most conservative members of the State Senate, she voted against changing the state flag to remove Confederate Battle emblem, voted against expanding Medicaid to working poor, and for increasing minimum sentences for crime. She also authored a bill to allow businesses to deny services to LGBTQ. Let's help Justice Kitchens keep his seat.
So great! As of yesterday at 2pm, PTV volunteers had taken 39,150 addresses. Basically in 24 hours. We were all part of making that happen. THANK YOU! Go Justice Kitchens!
Thank you thank you thank you, Robert. I have spells of terror and despair and I was feeling that way this morning. I can't tell you how much better I felt after reading your newsletter and watching the Lawrence Tribe video. And I will definitely look into joining Blue sky. I have forwarded you to even more people than usual this morning and have encouraged them to read you and to watch the video. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your huge contribution everyday.
I was just about to write exactly what you wrote, but you said it so well, I thank you. Had a meltdown last night and I thought I was going okay. Thank you both xo
I’ve have huge post election stress disorder. I listen to meditations on Apple Fitness+ on my iPhone. I like Christian Howard and Joanna the best. This morning I listened to 3 twenty minutes meditations as I did not want to get out of bed at 3 am. Audiobooks might also help. I like the Michelle Obama books. Comfort food. Some neighbors and I have a small meditation group. One of them is retiring from being an ER doctor. He’s been helpful. This is the first time I’ve been on Substack in one week. I’ll only read Today’s Edition this week.
I was recently informed by BluSky, when they reached 15 million accounts that I was user 269,480 in the early 10%, back when you needed an invite to join.
I respect that Blue Sky is a X / Twitter alternative. It should be clearly noted however that social media and non-mainstream media are key parts of the social challenges we face today both politically and personally / relationally. If true “news” sites seek truth, follow journalist ethics, have editorial processes, etc, then too many humans are receiving information from non-news media, such as Fox and other biased organizations, social media, and increasingly podcasts, and the like. We need to be honest that this information landscape is central to the spread of misinformation and disinformation and highly susceptible to manipulation by the owners such as musk with X/Twitter and the Murdochs with Fox.
This unregulated information atmosphere poses a major challenge for humanity. It is much easier to manipulate belief in susceptible humans that it is too help people understand truth, which is often complicated and nuanced. This is made worse by the center left’s - the Dems in the US - challenges in generally connecting with voters across the political spectrum and communicating clearly and repeatedly with them about complex topics such as inflation and immigration. In the US, the Dems have done poorly at effective at communication, at positively influencing the public sentiment and guiding people to truthful assessments. The examples are abundant.
And we are about to see a major assault on mainstream media because they tried to stand up to Trump‘s continuous lying. Trump will continue to claim that the problem is mainstream media itself, and not the misinformation and disinformation propagated by right wing media of all sorts – Fox, social media sources, and podcasts for example. This assault is going to be substantial and sustained. Democracy will depend on the ability of society to stand up for truth and contemplate how to address an information environment that allows continual propaganda and misinformation and disinformation.
It is possible, but difficult in this US political landscape. Media control is key to authoritarian. Europe has done a more effective job and Australia recently announced the following:
I offer this for our contemplation as we continue to work on behalf of democracy, which does require an informed public and a focus on ethical media and truth.
Nah, Charles. I see where you are coming from and I get the desire for some sort of professional standards to be followed - a laudable goal. But ALL of legacy media whether it was cable, OTA, "print" - all of them failed miserably. They ALL failed to challenge the legitimacy of Donald Trump. He NEVER should have been considered a serious candidate for office. He SHOULD have been challenged at every interview, during every conversation.
But from the alphabet channels to the NYT to the WaPo - all of them offered what they thought was "balanced" news and reporting. But it was really sucking up to fascists.
The reality is that the Resistance is building elsewhere and younger people have embraced the new venues. Places like BlueSky are where it will happen. I suspect Walter Cronkite would be so disgusted with CBS that he would be joining us.
And yes, Dems have not messaged as well as they could have - forever. But the bigger problem is that we have been too nice. Charles, it is now REVOLUTION time. The problem is less the messaging than it is the message itself. The GOP became the GQP and they WON. Time for some Norma Rae standing on a table and screaming for our rights.
$50 trillion has gone to the top few since the Reagan con - we want it back.
So agree with you Bill. Main stream media has completely failed us, our democracy in this critical time. We need to leave legacy media and move to independent news and commentary sources. So many - Substack, Guardian, Bluesky, Meidas, Courier. And yes, it’s revolution time now!
LOL! "And we are about to see a major assault on mainstream media because they tried to stand up to Trump‘s continuous lying". Not in this reality! I dropped several papers due to their obvious support of Trump and denigration of Biden. No facts or censoring of editorials and reader comments that were blatant conspiracy theories. I'm assuming you work for legacy media and are worried about your job. If you hadn't made this ridiculous statement I would have felt sorry for you. But since you did, you are part of the problem. We need some truth. Maybe your publication did stand up but if so your generalization shot you in the foot. We need factual journalism. No such thing in paper form, on the whole, right now. Lots of great individuals, who need to move to Substack, if they haven't already, because I won't be subscribing again anytime soon.
I don’t work for legacy media and they have been far from perfect, no doubt. Otherwise, you may view Substack as a firm of good information due to people the Robert and Ruth Ben-Ghait, but it too is like other information sites is equally susceptible to the mass and rapid spread of lies, propaganda, misinformation and disinformation. True journalism which should be behind “news” has systems and processes in place to try to strive toward a stronger representation of truth, certainly not perfect systems, but better than sources that don’t have those things in place.
If I follow this discussion aright, some are arguing that we set up alternative news. OK, I guess for us cognoscenti who have time and energy, money and education enough to follow the Substack alernatives and other choices. This might work. But we need to see that MAGA hates the NYT and MSM more than we do. The MAGA reaction to 60 Minutes opening with a "just-the-facts-ma'am" litany of the resumes of Trump's nomination is a continuation and intensification of the attack on ANY news other than their own. Years before Trump one of my best friends hated the NYT and got his news from the NY Post. He's now full MAGA after calling Trump a fool. While I understand Democrats dismay and even disgust with NYT, our visceral attack on the "mainstream media" allows them to say, "See, even Democrats agree with us. The NYT is a bunch of liars and cowards." They will then go on to say any coming criticism of Trump is just the "deep state" serving the "Biden crime family." It's an old bully's trick. We say "Fox News is corrupt." They say, "Oh, yeah. So is the NYT and look at all the liberals who agree with us." One respondent damning "60 Minutes" wrote "Interesting how they never had an episode on biden's circus 🤡 cabinet. I guess that would be fair, and mainstream media will never be fair or unbiased. Whatever. still didn't win them the election." I'm furious with the NYT and WAPO almost daily, but if we bring them down we also serve Trump's purposes. Maybe I'm regressing to the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But any resistance movement needs to use any means we can, even those that failed us and the United States when they failed to go after Trump in the early days of his run.
Patrick White is right: Because of their unmatched resources, we still need legacy media like NYT and WaPo, despite their faults. Substack should be viewed as an important supplement, not an alternative. To keep up with events in east Asia and west Asia, for example, NYT and WaPo are important (Guardian helps some). Readers can see through their biases and cut to the facts, annoying though it may be.
I don't agree with Patrick White and Michael Alexander. We don't need legacy media any more. They don't fulfill any role other than to further Trump's lies, effectively and consistently. (Don't ask me why they continue to cover him with largely slavish adoration while he trashes them viciously. I guess it's like Mike Johnson and Rick Scott continuing to brownnose Trump as he trashes them.) These old newspapers are pure sanewashing organizations. If you want news about Asia, read the Guardian, Al-Jazeera, the Economist, even (selectively) the AP website. You don't NEED the NYT for that, even though in the previous century you might have needed them for that.
Agree. Yes, you articulate the points well. And it’s not just supporting WaPo and the NYTs which have made me furious, but supporting a real journalism environment, real truth seeking news, not just opinion (which is largely what Substack, YouTube and Podcasts are), but real journalism, which has always had its flaws and challenges, but also structures and ethics. Substack, YouTube and Podcasts can be useful tools and we might look to Heather Cox Richardson and we might like the truly informed interviews with real experts on those venues for example, but they are also pathways for a very large number of charlatans, con-men and more. It’s unrealistic to build new media right now, but we need to media guidelines or regulation to reduce social harm… a wide variety of harms induced by social media and these other venues.
Charles, honey, there is no "true journalism." Quotes for irony. There is no fourth estate. There is no free press. This is the 21st century. There is only perception, amplified by new and fragmented dissemination technology that is designed to reach only silos. The point here is that good, moral people that want democracy have to create our own technology platforms that disseminate our own perceptions effectively and broadly. And we have to figure out a way to make those disseminated perceptions as attractive to the unthinking, uninformed American as Fox news and Twitter have become to that population.
Yes, it is nice at Bluesky. I didn't follow Rebecca Solnit's advice to use my name as my handle, but I use such a platform for reposting and getting information. I stuck with my Twitter handle from 2009, which I deactivated last week. I am @beewel. See you there!
Thank you Ellie! The starter packs are very helpful. I am now schooling myself in "BlueSky".
Although, now I must figure out how to discipline my screen time - something else will have to go and it won't be recipes or farming or environmental research or.... Oy.
I’ve been sad since a sport I used to follow in the old, polluted place hadn’t migrated to other platforms but now there’s a really good starter pack for them.
Robert - ok, first time I've seen a Nebula photo that includes a moonbeam! Man, that 60-40 landslide establishing the greatest win and the greatest mandate in all of history for Trump, didn't take long to evaporate! The pundits and major media pushing this fiction really have done their readers a disservice. I can't wait to see their followups pointing out their error and that why a loss is a loss it sure was a whole lot closer than reported in that first week. Hmm...maybe we ought not to hold our collective breaths, though! I've had a Bluesky account for a while. I've found it much more pleasant than Twitter. I deleted my Twitter account Fri. I can no more stay on Twitter than buy a Tesla. :-)
Thank you for not staying on Twitter and not buying a Tesla! Every time one of my friends--many of them liberal Democrats--buys a tesla I just groan, another $75000 in Musk's pocket. So few people are making the connection between Musk and Tesla/Twitter, Thiel and Paypal, Bezos and Amazon/Whole Foods...
I am glad you are continuing to examine the election and update us. I really hope we can gain some seats in the House. Anything to put a wrench in their gears.
I also agree with you that we need independent social media platforms, and the best thing to do would be if we would use a democratic one that is based outside of the US. I wonder if Blue Sky is thinking of doing that. Otherwise we have the situation where Musk seems to own Trump since he bought him the presidency, and helped him win using his social media platform. See Prof. Timothy Snyder article today called The Phantom Campaign. https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/the-phantom-campaign?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&comments=true
Musk also told the EU who is thinking of banning X, that if they do that the US will pull out of NATO. So, I would not put it past him once Trump takes office to shut down any competing platforms through Trump, and maybe even consolidate with Truth Social for a hefty amount of money to entice Trump to sell it to Musk.
I am skeptical of what Prof. Lawrence Tribe is saying. As we know, our country has been a democracy since the 60s, and it has not been working for large swaths of people to keep them safe. Most women I know don't feel safe to leave their homes at night, let alone safe politically. I just wonder how helpful he is being to say that the guardrails will stand. In Journal of Democracy, the US is viewed as a backsliding democracy, not a strong one. Here is what they are saying in Misunderstanding Democratic Backsliding https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/misunderstanding-democratic-backsliding/
They agree that we need to strengthen our democratic institutions, thus the rush to appoint a lot more democratic judges and the move off of X onto a more democratic and hopefully safer platform. However, if Substack gets shut down, do you have plans to move to a platform that we can access through VPNs?
I just don't think the US has been democratic for anyone in an out group. The racism and sexism, and pro-Christian norms are hard fought to overcome. I don't see how people are going to stop the massive deportations and incarceration in camps that is planned. Right now I see the US as being unsafe for women, and particularly young women who will be vessels for putting babies into in the new administration. I am watching all sorts of women fight for rights to have their lives saved and our democracy is not helping them. So, the system is failing a lot of people, and our work has been to always improve this, but now we are going to go far backwards. Some people might have a better chance if they go elsewhere. Otherwise here is Andrea Pitzer telling people what they can expect, areas for resistance, and what people can do to help themselves be safe.
Point emphasized: Trump has targeted (for violence) multiple identity groups. We have a rapist going BACK to the White House, and many of his nominees fit the category as well. Never forget The Central Park Five, now the Exonerated Five, and Trump's continued and unrepentant attacks on them - for execution, despite their innocence! Help people understand little kids in Springfield, Ohio couldn't go to school because his lies led to dozens of bomb threats. And, of course, January 6, 2021 is based on A LIE - The Big Lie!
Trump executed 13 people during his one term - five of those were AFTER he LOST the 2020 Election. Now he plans to become a dictator on Day One, order a "rough day" of violence from law enforcement... his own Kristallnacht. It can happen here. It is happening here. And those of us with any awareness do NOT feel safe in Trump's "Amerikkka."
In 1972 the Supreme Court ruled Capital Punishment was "cruel and unusual." Federal executions were halted; state executions were not. For a LONG LIST of reasons, federal executions have been on hold since. I don't have time to go through each reason, but you can learn more from Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), ACLU, NCADP, ICDP, I can list more. You might also be interested in John Grisham's latest (nonfiction) book "Framed," with Jim McCloskey.
So fast forward to Donald Trump. You ARE aware he took out full page ads calling for the public executions of the BOYS formerly labeled "The Central Park Five," now the Exonerated Five, who were featured in the brilliant Ava DuVernay's documentary series "When They See Us." Not only has he stubbornly refused to apologize, during the 2024 campaign he made the false claims that 1) they had pled guilty (they all pled innocent) and 2) that they had killed someone (they never did; and the victim in the spotlight survived. If the police had investigated and caught the actual perpetrator, several other attacks would have been prevented.)
So take that as background for how Trump intends to kill people, even innocent people.
Now to his Administration. During the final six months of his term, he ordered the resumption of FEDERAL executions. Thirteen people WERE executed during that time, before the January 20, 2021 Inauguration of Joe Biden. Five of those executed were AFTER the November 3, 2020 Election.
He had inquired about shooting protestors (and refugees), but been dissuaded by his military advisors. This is documented by former Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
I hope you also remember he had peaceful protestors cleared from the area around the White House, using tear gas and riot control measures, in order to have a performative photo op where he held a Bible in front of a church he apparently had only entered once before during installation events. June 1, 2020. And of course, on January 6, 2021, which he had SUMMONED his followers to by a December Tweet, he KNEW some of them were ARMED and said "Take the mags away." He then sent them TO the US Capitol Building, and when he was prevented from joining them in person, spent the next three-plus hours WATCHING ON TV and Tweeting to further incite violence. Law Enforcement was overwhelmed, attacked, and at least 140 suffered various injuries. He has promised to pardon and release all those convicted by juries of their peers for their actions to attempt to prevent the peacrful transfer of power.
He has called for military tribunals to have his perceived "enemies" executed, and singled out Liz Cheney, saying “Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK?” Trump said. “And let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face.”
For historical reference, look up Edith Cavell, who was a nurse who helped soldiers escape the war front and was executed by firing squad. The German commander instructed the eight-man squad not to hesitate to shoot her, despite being a woman because she had not born any children. Those words sound completely aligned with JD Vance's statements of "childless cat ladies."
I don’t think people on this site need a primer on why Trump is an odious human being. The Federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988. In 1994, President Clinton expanded it to include some 60 crimes. Timothy McVeigh was e executed in 2001. Two other individuals were executed in 2001 and 2003. Whether you agree with the death penalty or not, Trump’s actions (in the case of these executions)were lawful. My concern with your initial comment was that it implied Trump’s actions were taken in violation of the US Constitution. Let’s just focus on actions he has taken that ARE unlawful—and there are plenty of them!
Sure. I see you using the expertise available very well and that's great. Yet, even with the hope, agreement, thoughts, skepticism, seeing, watching, and gladness written about, I don't hear or get YOU. I get your opinion about stuff but I don't get you.
What is Linda Weide committed to? What moves, touches, or inspires Linda? Who is this human being who reads and writes opinions about things that impact us all in the wee hours of the night (or maybe day for you)?
I can extrapolate much from your expressed opinions and make up a whole story about who Linda is and that doesn't leave me knowing who you are, really.
While you cover a broad range of issues, it seems you lean a bit in the direction of women's safety. Not a surprise coming from a women. I'm just left wanting to hear more of your voice so I can recognize the person behind the commitment you so clearly express. The question "what makes a difference to you" was meant to be an opening so your own unique voice has the widest room in which to swing out.
Linda, you see clearly IMO as usual. I am discerning two kinds of post-apocalypse progressive thinkers at this point. The cautious optimists, like Tribe: "the guardrails will hold"; and the phoenix-rising people: "the democracy was rotten and had to be broken in order for it to rise again in a better format." Neither seems good to me. I guess there is a third kind: the numb. C'est moi.
Christiana my friend and I were just discussing yesterday as we were talking about messaging platforms that are not based in the USA and finding one to switch to, and we both said, Hope for the best, prepare for the worst! To that end, I am sharing this article with you from the BBC.
Please read the lists. To me it is like the to go bag when you are going to have a baby. You just prepare it.
In Europe, where I am currently living, people are starting to think about the fact that Putin and Trump and Musk are all buddies. So, since Trump has threatened to pull the US out of NATO. What if Putin and Trump join militaries and turn on the EU or NATO? So, Finland and Norway, being forward thinking and super prepared have updated their instructions for people in case of war. It has added to my to do list. As Andrea Pitzer says, most authoritarian governments don't give you 2.5 months to prepare.
What Prof. Timothy Snyder says is, "And citizens, regardless of how they voted, need now to check their attitudes. This is no longer a post-electoral moment. It is a pre-catastrophic moment. "
If I take his advice and it is a pre-catastrophic moment, we should recognize it as such and prepare while we can. For me here, I gave my daughter instructions too. I have never done this sort of stuff before in her life. Now, she has had to ditch the period app, and the BeReal, and we are talking about how to get to each other if there were war. My friend was remarking on how healthy the Swedish list of foods seemed.
Thanks for this post. I am so annoyed at legacy media for parroting claims of a mandate for Trump. It's also encouraging to know that the GOP margin in thr House is going to be so small. Hardly a red tsunami
If Matt Gaetz resigned, doesn't that bring the R total down to 217? If the Ds have 212 now and you add the 2 winning seats, that is only 214, not 215 or 216, although two others could go Democratic, especially the one in California where there are lots of votes to count. Again my thanks to the ballot curers.
The problem about Gratz’s resignation, I believe, is that he resigned from the current Congress but he is still a Congressman-elect for the upcoming Congress and technically could choose to rejoin (e.g., supposing his AG appointment does not go through. I heard Jamie Raskin explain this the other day.
Republicans lead in three of the five contested races. They can lose three in the 119th Congress and still have 218. See the link to the Vote Tracker posted in the newsletter.
I hope there are more and more photos of Trump and Musk in the papers and on Broadcast and Cable news shows. Giving the impression to the world that the surest way to get to Trump is to go through Musk is a sure-fire formula for having Musk pushed to the sidelines. If there's one thing we know for sure about Trump, it is that he cant stand anyone taking the spotlight away from him.
Robert, my sense is that we have all been swinging from deep hope (initially) to horror to despair to we-shall-fight to oh-my-God-could-it-be-any-worse to we-shall-fight to Good-Lord-where-is-my-chocolate. The earth beneath your starlight feels less firm than it ever did before (to me), but you are playing an enormous role in preventing us from sinking. Following you and all the others on Blue Sky (Marc Elias has a terrific starter pack). We'll amplify you out there, and bring others to your Stack.
Thank you for this post, which made me feel a little better but, if I’m going to be totally honest, also made me feel worse at the same time. It makes me both angry and disappointed that so many people didn’t bother to use their precious right to vote, particularly when voting is so much easier now and you don’t have to stand on a line on Election Day. The results could have been different. That the popular vote result now reflects such a narrow margin makes me even sadder. It does not make me feel better. To me, best news is the small margin in the House and that hopefully some Republican Senators will not roll over and play dead for trump regarding some of his cabinet nominations.
In March, I sat down and looked at our financials and figured out that I could retire within 2 years at 67, and my wife a few years after. Retirement was no longer just a word. I’ve worked hard at the same school for 42 years, and was looking forward to some well-earned rest. Now? With SocSec, Medicare & Medicaid on the line, retirement has been demoted to a nice idea.
This election season I donated far and wide; wrote postcards; made calls and sent texts, yet my younger brother, who lives in deep red PA, and my nonagenarian mother, who lives in blue MA, both voted against their best interest, and against the best interests of their children and grandchildren. I love them dearly, and I just can’t ignore them, much less vilify them.
I’ve had odd dreams the past year of living in a vast tent city, cooking meager meals over cow-dung fires (yes, this is a thing in impoverished areas of the world) and I now know why. This grand experiment of Democracy is being challenged so completely we may never survive as a nation.
Sorry to sound so negative in the face of your heartening words, Robert, but I feel no relief reading them.
Derek Smith, thank you for sharing the breadth of your worries and some of the reasons you feel so down. I appreciate our courageous detail. Many will suggest solutions, my only advice is to search for perspective and context, led by Robert Hubbell's pointing out that we all have agency and just resisting even a little bit, if that's all we can do, will help. Trump won the election, he hasn't won the war. He hasn't destroyed democracy...yet. In his first term, he showed himself to be uninterested in governance or leading even within his own party. He has power and slimeball enablers (Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk, ad infinitum, not to mention his co-president Elon Musk) but let's not surrender in advance. Each of us can throw some sand in the works of the Tyranny Train that Trump is trying to drive across America. He's an enormously flawed human being. Let's do our part and not give superhuman powers to Trump. He and his cronies are very dangerous, but they are already making mistakes and reaping opposition. We can beat these guys. (And please, don't think, I am some lofty wise man looking down from blissful calm. I'm scared/hopeful/incapcitated/trying to do some work/trying to read some context about how historical autocracies work/trying to move my lukewarm democratic friends to action/and more -- and this before lunch. Let's all try to stay frosty and awake and help each other - not just get through "this," but help each other be powerful in combating the grave and real threat that has made us feel such despair.
Patrick, thank you for re-stating what may be the only constructive thing we can each do--work on organizing in community, and for pointing out that while we have lost a big battle, we have not lost the war.
As always, Robert, your framing and explaining is so helpful. I do apologize for the next statement - I DO blame MERRICK GARLAND - what a disappointment. If not for him, we would not have the criminal in the WH. I wonder is Ms Collins has learned anything, as she had suggested the criminal has. I am not holding my breath - I expect her to roll over as usual. Whether Murkowski will be any better remains to be seen. It is helpful when you put the margins in perspective ---- still, the idea of the criminal SOILING the WH fills me with overwhelming nausea and disgust.
I will join the chorus of gratitude for Robert! Today was also a turning point for me as I too, have decided to join Blue Sky. So thank you so much, Robert!
Though I think much of what Laurence Tribe said is true, the key message for me is “that doesn’t mean that people won’t go to the ramparts” when the President elect does some outrageous thing, the example was a member of Congress arrested in the middle of the night.
As the parent of African-American children, I can tell you that our country has not gone to the ramparts to make sure that the criminal justice system is fairly and equitably applied and every American citizen has access to their rights under the constitution. For goodness sakes, arguably women no longer have equal rights under the 14th amendment.
My son, who is now an attorney, was unlawfully arrested and detained for peaceful protest. I can tell you exactly how this happens: police in military gear round up protesters, and this can be everyone on the street who happen to have the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, even those who are not actively protesting. In our case, it included someone who was walking their dog and a person delivering a pizza. Zip tie handcuffs are placed on those arrested and they are made to sit in the street until they are transported to a detainment center. Their wallets and their phones are taken so they have no identification and no way to contact the outside world. My son was only 17 when this happened and he was held in an undisclosed location for 54 hours. The terror in my heart was indescribable. The only people who were allowed in the makeshift prison, actually an abandoned bus warehouse with poisonous chemicals on the floor and no place to sit or sleep and no food, were attorneys from the National Lawyers Guild. These arrests were not covered by mainstream media. The only publication that mentioned them was Alternet. All in all about 1600 people were arrested by the NYPD and charged with disorderly conduct. They were all released, eventually, and charges were dropped. But huge damage was done.
If individuals with high public profiles, like members of Congress or known members of the Press are arrested and jailed, then perhaps there would be outrage. However, it still remains to be seen whether or not there would actually be widespread and effective protest. And then of course it remains to be seen how durable those protests are and how politicians respond. It could also be that the arrest of high profile individuals would frighten people into compliance. And that is what I have seen with Jeff Bezos, JD, Vance, Elon Musk, and so many other never-Trumpers who are all of a sudden his friends and colleagues.
Defending democracy is more than just reading articles in your living room or engaging in social media. It’s the really hard work of putting your body on the line. And it’s really scary.
This is not to take issue with anything Lawrence Tribe or Robert said, it is to emphasize that it depends on the power of the counter movement’s resistance. And that is up to us.
Funny. (Weird?!) Watching Trump accept his victory in the early morning of November 6th, I was shocked by the outcome. . .the "landslide" that was noted, as I had imagined and hoped it would be the other way around. But, in a strange way, I was actually comforted by the imbalance of the votes cast. I was quick to accept that I had greatly overestimated the intelligence of the voters. And, because it was a huge victory, no "what if's" or recriminations. But now that you are showing how actually CLOSE the election was, Robert, I am comforted by THAT! What is wrong with me? Is it cognitive dissonance . . or just self care? I think I am still in shock as I have not yet cried. . . and I always cry! Do I need professional help? Is it a syndrome? Is there a cure? Has anyone else made this "flip"? Adjustment?
Your newsletter is the first thing I read with my morning coffee. Since the election, I typically have felt dread while opening it. This morning, the newsletter leaves me with a glimmer of hope. Thank you, again, for helping ground your readers with truth and perspective. I have joined a local Indivisible group and am ready to do my part to resist. Love the photo and explanation. Sometimes we find a light source when it is unexpected.
“Scold the Democrats” and “Who’s to Blame?” -- the fact that some Dems (Bernie, I'm looking at you) have been/are playing this game is absolutely disgraceful. As you wrote not long ago, there are only THREE significant reasons why trumpists "won" (if it's fair to use that word, since it's unlikely that they would have without a little help from their friends; no, a lot of help from one friend, in particular). Those reasons are: misogyny, racism, and white supremacy. I have come to believe that misogyny is by far the most significant reason: not only did Latino men vote against Harris because of their tradition of machismo, but Black men also voted against Harris. Probably shouldn't have, but both astounded me. Voting against your own interests is pretty much incomprehensible to me. And the number of educated, intelligent white men who voted against Harris has shocked me. I truly never expected that to happen. I believe the ONLY reason it happened is because Harris is a woman. As a woman who made it in a "man's world" -- (I got into medical school in 1978 and 25% of my classmates were women -- whereas in 1972, only 5% ! of women in the same medical school were women) -- I truly expected between from educated white men. It has been crushing to me to find out that some of the white men whom I very much respect, voted against a person like me.
Thank you Robert for listing about the postcards for the Mississippi Supreme Court Runoff Election and our Zoom this morning! Below are more details about the race and how to get script etc. If people could “like” this, it’ll keep the message at the top so more volunteers might see it, to get more postcards out to remind Democrats in MS to vote next week! Thank you!
Postcards To Voters approved writers can get addresses and script via Web Abby by going to Abby.postcardstovoters.org, or use Slack Abby or Email Abby or email the RR Team. All options are available on the PTV linktree ( https://linktr.ee/postcardstovoters ) New writers can get started by sending an email to Postcards@TonytheDemocrat.org.
We have just today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday) to write and mail for this MS Runoff Election. The postcards are in support of the incumbent, Justice Jim Kitchens. Jim's opponent, Jenifer Branning, is currently a (MAGA) Republican State Senator. As one of the most conservative members of the State Senate, she voted against changing the state flag to remove Confederate Battle emblem, voted against expanding Medicaid to working poor, and for increasing minimum sentences for crime. She also authored a bill to allow businesses to deny services to LGBTQ. Let's help Justice Kitchens keep his seat.
I'm working on my list of addresses! 🤗
Fantastic!!!!!!!
mailed 30 postcards this morning!
I have my addresses from PTV also. Grateful.
Thank you so much for writing. The postcards, Giving Circles and Robert give me real hope.
Thank you, Sarah, since I'm already an approved writer, I can can get addresses right away. I will do that!
So great! As of yesterday at 2pm, PTV volunteers had taken 39,150 addresses. Basically in 24 hours. We were all part of making that happen. THANK YOU! Go Justice Kitchens!
Thank you thank you thank you, Robert. I have spells of terror and despair and I was feeling that way this morning. I can't tell you how much better I felt after reading your newsletter and watching the Lawrence Tribe video. And I will definitely look into joining Blue sky. I have forwarded you to even more people than usual this morning and have encouraged them to read you and to watch the video. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your huge contribution everyday.
Shelly, I have the same feelings take over upon arising in the AM, but after getting a chance to engage with others, my day always improves.
I was just about to write exactly what you wrote, but you said it so well, I thank you. Had a meltdown last night and I thought I was going okay. Thank you both xo
totally agree!
I’ve have huge post election stress disorder. I listen to meditations on Apple Fitness+ on my iPhone. I like Christian Howard and Joanna the best. This morning I listened to 3 twenty minutes meditations as I did not want to get out of bed at 3 am. Audiobooks might also help. I like the Michelle Obama books. Comfort food. Some neighbors and I have a small meditation group. One of them is retiring from being an ER doctor. He’s been helpful. This is the first time I’ve been on Substack in one week. I’ll only read Today’s Edition this week.
Thanks, Shelley - I second your comment - gratitude for Robert!!!!
Welcome to BlueSky! Interesting features include:
Custom feed topics
Pin a post with 📌 in a reply
Starter packs of others to follow:
https://bsky.app/profile/skypacks.bsky.social
Yes, the Resistance is gathering there. Some 18+ million now.
I was recently informed by BluSky, when they reached 15 million accounts that I was user 269,480 in the early 10%, back when you needed an invite to join.
I respect that Blue Sky is a X / Twitter alternative. It should be clearly noted however that social media and non-mainstream media are key parts of the social challenges we face today both politically and personally / relationally. If true “news” sites seek truth, follow journalist ethics, have editorial processes, etc, then too many humans are receiving information from non-news media, such as Fox and other biased organizations, social media, and increasingly podcasts, and the like. We need to be honest that this information landscape is central to the spread of misinformation and disinformation and highly susceptible to manipulation by the owners such as musk with X/Twitter and the Murdochs with Fox.
This unregulated information atmosphere poses a major challenge for humanity. It is much easier to manipulate belief in susceptible humans that it is too help people understand truth, which is often complicated and nuanced. This is made worse by the center left’s - the Dems in the US - challenges in generally connecting with voters across the political spectrum and communicating clearly and repeatedly with them about complex topics such as inflation and immigration. In the US, the Dems have done poorly at effective at communication, at positively influencing the public sentiment and guiding people to truthful assessments. The examples are abundant.
And we are about to see a major assault on mainstream media because they tried to stand up to Trump‘s continuous lying. Trump will continue to claim that the problem is mainstream media itself, and not the misinformation and disinformation propagated by right wing media of all sorts – Fox, social media sources, and podcasts for example. This assault is going to be substantial and sustained. Democracy will depend on the ability of society to stand up for truth and contemplate how to address an information environment that allows continual propaganda and misinformation and disinformation.
It is possible, but difficult in this US political landscape. Media control is key to authoritarian. Europe has done a more effective job and Australia recently announced the following:
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/14/nx-s1-5191273/australia-social-media-prevent-online-harm
I offer this for our contemplation as we continue to work on behalf of democracy, which does require an informed public and a focus on ethical media and truth.
Nah, Charles. I see where you are coming from and I get the desire for some sort of professional standards to be followed - a laudable goal. But ALL of legacy media whether it was cable, OTA, "print" - all of them failed miserably. They ALL failed to challenge the legitimacy of Donald Trump. He NEVER should have been considered a serious candidate for office. He SHOULD have been challenged at every interview, during every conversation.
But from the alphabet channels to the NYT to the WaPo - all of them offered what they thought was "balanced" news and reporting. But it was really sucking up to fascists.
The reality is that the Resistance is building elsewhere and younger people have embraced the new venues. Places like BlueSky are where it will happen. I suspect Walter Cronkite would be so disgusted with CBS that he would be joining us.
And yes, Dems have not messaged as well as they could have - forever. But the bigger problem is that we have been too nice. Charles, it is now REVOLUTION time. The problem is less the messaging than it is the message itself. The GOP became the GQP and they WON. Time for some Norma Rae standing on a table and screaming for our rights.
$50 trillion has gone to the top few since the Reagan con - we want it back.
I’m with you Bill. Completely
So agree with you Bill. Main stream media has completely failed us, our democracy in this critical time. We need to leave legacy media and move to independent news and commentary sources. So many - Substack, Guardian, Bluesky, Meidas, Courier. And yes, it’s revolution time now!
LOL! "And we are about to see a major assault on mainstream media because they tried to stand up to Trump‘s continuous lying". Not in this reality! I dropped several papers due to their obvious support of Trump and denigration of Biden. No facts or censoring of editorials and reader comments that were blatant conspiracy theories. I'm assuming you work for legacy media and are worried about your job. If you hadn't made this ridiculous statement I would have felt sorry for you. But since you did, you are part of the problem. We need some truth. Maybe your publication did stand up but if so your generalization shot you in the foot. We need factual journalism. No such thing in paper form, on the whole, right now. Lots of great individuals, who need to move to Substack, if they haven't already, because I won't be subscribing again anytime soon.
I don’t work for legacy media and they have been far from perfect, no doubt. Otherwise, you may view Substack as a firm of good information due to people the Robert and Ruth Ben-Ghait, but it too is like other information sites is equally susceptible to the mass and rapid spread of lies, propaganda, misinformation and disinformation. True journalism which should be behind “news” has systems and processes in place to try to strive toward a stronger representation of truth, certainly not perfect systems, but better than sources that don’t have those things in place.
If I follow this discussion aright, some are arguing that we set up alternative news. OK, I guess for us cognoscenti who have time and energy, money and education enough to follow the Substack alernatives and other choices. This might work. But we need to see that MAGA hates the NYT and MSM more than we do. The MAGA reaction to 60 Minutes opening with a "just-the-facts-ma'am" litany of the resumes of Trump's nomination is a continuation and intensification of the attack on ANY news other than their own. Years before Trump one of my best friends hated the NYT and got his news from the NY Post. He's now full MAGA after calling Trump a fool. While I understand Democrats dismay and even disgust with NYT, our visceral attack on the "mainstream media" allows them to say, "See, even Democrats agree with us. The NYT is a bunch of liars and cowards." They will then go on to say any coming criticism of Trump is just the "deep state" serving the "Biden crime family." It's an old bully's trick. We say "Fox News is corrupt." They say, "Oh, yeah. So is the NYT and look at all the liberals who agree with us." One respondent damning "60 Minutes" wrote "Interesting how they never had an episode on biden's circus 🤡 cabinet. I guess that would be fair, and mainstream media will never be fair or unbiased. Whatever. still didn't win them the election." I'm furious with the NYT and WAPO almost daily, but if we bring them down we also serve Trump's purposes. Maybe I'm regressing to the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But any resistance movement needs to use any means we can, even those that failed us and the United States when they failed to go after Trump in the early days of his run.
Patrick White is right: Because of their unmatched resources, we still need legacy media like NYT and WaPo, despite their faults. Substack should be viewed as an important supplement, not an alternative. To keep up with events in east Asia and west Asia, for example, NYT and WaPo are important (Guardian helps some). Readers can see through their biases and cut to the facts, annoying though it may be.
I don't agree with Patrick White and Michael Alexander. We don't need legacy media any more. They don't fulfill any role other than to further Trump's lies, effectively and consistently. (Don't ask me why they continue to cover him with largely slavish adoration while he trashes them viciously. I guess it's like Mike Johnson and Rick Scott continuing to brownnose Trump as he trashes them.) These old newspapers are pure sanewashing organizations. If you want news about Asia, read the Guardian, Al-Jazeera, the Economist, even (selectively) the AP website. You don't NEED the NYT for that, even though in the previous century you might have needed them for that.
Agree. Yes, you articulate the points well. And it’s not just supporting WaPo and the NYTs which have made me furious, but supporting a real journalism environment, real truth seeking news, not just opinion (which is largely what Substack, YouTube and Podcasts are), but real journalism, which has always had its flaws and challenges, but also structures and ethics. Substack, YouTube and Podcasts can be useful tools and we might look to Heather Cox Richardson and we might like the truly informed interviews with real experts on those venues for example, but they are also pathways for a very large number of charlatans, con-men and more. It’s unrealistic to build new media right now, but we need to media guidelines or regulation to reduce social harm… a wide variety of harms induced by social media and these other venues.
Charles, honey, there is no "true journalism." Quotes for irony. There is no fourth estate. There is no free press. This is the 21st century. There is only perception, amplified by new and fragmented dissemination technology that is designed to reach only silos. The point here is that good, moral people that want democracy have to create our own technology platforms that disseminate our own perceptions effectively and broadly. And we have to figure out a way to make those disseminated perceptions as attractive to the unthinking, uninformed American as Fox news and Twitter have become to that population.
Yes, it is nice at Bluesky. I didn't follow Rebecca Solnit's advice to use my name as my handle, but I use such a platform for reposting and getting information. I stuck with my Twitter handle from 2009, which I deactivated last week. I am @beewel. See you there!
Thank you Ellie! The starter packs are very helpful. I am now schooling myself in "BlueSky".
Although, now I must figure out how to discipline my screen time - something else will have to go and it won't be recipes or farming or environmental research or.... Oy.
I’ve been sad since a sport I used to follow in the old, polluted place hadn’t migrated to other platforms but now there’s a really good starter pack for them.
love "the old, polluted place."
Robert - ok, first time I've seen a Nebula photo that includes a moonbeam! Man, that 60-40 landslide establishing the greatest win and the greatest mandate in all of history for Trump, didn't take long to evaporate! The pundits and major media pushing this fiction really have done their readers a disservice. I can't wait to see their followups pointing out their error and that why a loss is a loss it sure was a whole lot closer than reported in that first week. Hmm...maybe we ought not to hold our collective breaths, though! I've had a Bluesky account for a while. I've found it much more pleasant than Twitter. I deleted my Twitter account Fri. I can no more stay on Twitter than buy a Tesla. :-)
Thank you for not staying on Twitter and not buying a Tesla! Every time one of my friends--many of them liberal Democrats--buys a tesla I just groan, another $75000 in Musk's pocket. So few people are making the connection between Musk and Tesla/Twitter, Thiel and Paypal, Bezos and Amazon/Whole Foods...
I am glad you are continuing to examine the election and update us. I really hope we can gain some seats in the House. Anything to put a wrench in their gears.
I also agree with you that we need independent social media platforms, and the best thing to do would be if we would use a democratic one that is based outside of the US. I wonder if Blue Sky is thinking of doing that. Otherwise we have the situation where Musk seems to own Trump since he bought him the presidency, and helped him win using his social media platform. See Prof. Timothy Snyder article today called The Phantom Campaign. https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/the-phantom-campaign?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&comments=true
Musk also told the EU who is thinking of banning X, that if they do that the US will pull out of NATO. So, I would not put it past him once Trump takes office to shut down any competing platforms through Trump, and maybe even consolidate with Truth Social for a hefty amount of money to entice Trump to sell it to Musk.
I am skeptical of what Prof. Lawrence Tribe is saying. As we know, our country has been a democracy since the 60s, and it has not been working for large swaths of people to keep them safe. Most women I know don't feel safe to leave their homes at night, let alone safe politically. I just wonder how helpful he is being to say that the guardrails will stand. In Journal of Democracy, the US is viewed as a backsliding democracy, not a strong one. Here is what they are saying in Misunderstanding Democratic Backsliding https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/misunderstanding-democratic-backsliding/
They agree that we need to strengthen our democratic institutions, thus the rush to appoint a lot more democratic judges and the move off of X onto a more democratic and hopefully safer platform. However, if Substack gets shut down, do you have plans to move to a platform that we can access through VPNs?
I just don't think the US has been democratic for anyone in an out group. The racism and sexism, and pro-Christian norms are hard fought to overcome. I don't see how people are going to stop the massive deportations and incarceration in camps that is planned. Right now I see the US as being unsafe for women, and particularly young women who will be vessels for putting babies into in the new administration. I am watching all sorts of women fight for rights to have their lives saved and our democracy is not helping them. So, the system is failing a lot of people, and our work has been to always improve this, but now we are going to go far backwards. Some people might have a better chance if they go elsewhere. Otherwise here is Andrea Pitzer telling people what they can expect, areas for resistance, and what people can do to help themselves be safe.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-151702504
Point emphasized: Trump has targeted (for violence) multiple identity groups. We have a rapist going BACK to the White House, and many of his nominees fit the category as well. Never forget The Central Park Five, now the Exonerated Five, and Trump's continued and unrepentant attacks on them - for execution, despite their innocence! Help people understand little kids in Springfield, Ohio couldn't go to school because his lies led to dozens of bomb threats. And, of course, January 6, 2021 is based on A LIE - The Big Lie!
Trump executed 13 people during his one term - five of those were AFTER he LOST the 2020 Election. Now he plans to become a dictator on Day One, order a "rough day" of violence from law enforcement... his own Kristallnacht. It can happen here. It is happening here. And those of us with any awareness do NOT feel safe in Trump's "Amerikkka."
Add on the hundreds of thousands from COVID because of his vindictiveness and narcissism .
Well maybe his best friend Jeffrey Epstein.
Who did Trump have executed?? This is a very puzzling comment….please explain!
In 1972 the Supreme Court ruled Capital Punishment was "cruel and unusual." Federal executions were halted; state executions were not. For a LONG LIST of reasons, federal executions have been on hold since. I don't have time to go through each reason, but you can learn more from Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), ACLU, NCADP, ICDP, I can list more. You might also be interested in John Grisham's latest (nonfiction) book "Framed," with Jim McCloskey.
So fast forward to Donald Trump. You ARE aware he took out full page ads calling for the public executions of the BOYS formerly labeled "The Central Park Five," now the Exonerated Five, who were featured in the brilliant Ava DuVernay's documentary series "When They See Us." Not only has he stubbornly refused to apologize, during the 2024 campaign he made the false claims that 1) they had pled guilty (they all pled innocent) and 2) that they had killed someone (they never did; and the victim in the spotlight survived. If the police had investigated and caught the actual perpetrator, several other attacks would have been prevented.)
So take that as background for how Trump intends to kill people, even innocent people.
Now to his Administration. During the final six months of his term, he ordered the resumption of FEDERAL executions. Thirteen people WERE executed during that time, before the January 20, 2021 Inauguration of Joe Biden. Five of those executed were AFTER the November 3, 2020 Election.
He had inquired about shooting protestors (and refugees), but been dissuaded by his military advisors. This is documented by former Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
I hope you also remember he had peaceful protestors cleared from the area around the White House, using tear gas and riot control measures, in order to have a performative photo op where he held a Bible in front of a church he apparently had only entered once before during installation events. June 1, 2020. And of course, on January 6, 2021, which he had SUMMONED his followers to by a December Tweet, he KNEW some of them were ARMED and said "Take the mags away." He then sent them TO the US Capitol Building, and when he was prevented from joining them in person, spent the next three-plus hours WATCHING ON TV and Tweeting to further incite violence. Law Enforcement was overwhelmed, attacked, and at least 140 suffered various injuries. He has promised to pardon and release all those convicted by juries of their peers for their actions to attempt to prevent the peacrful transfer of power.
He has called for military tribunals to have his perceived "enemies" executed, and singled out Liz Cheney, saying “Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK?” Trump said. “And let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face.”
For historical reference, look up Edith Cavell, who was a nurse who helped soldiers escape the war front and was executed by firing squad. The German commander instructed the eight-man squad not to hesitate to shoot her, despite being a woman because she had not born any children. Those words sound completely aligned with JD Vance's statements of "childless cat ladies."
IF you have any other questions, DM me.
People need to KNOW who they elected.
I don’t think people on this site need a primer on why Trump is an odious human being. The Federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988. In 1994, President Clinton expanded it to include some 60 crimes. Timothy McVeigh was e executed in 2001. Two other individuals were executed in 2001 and 2003. Whether you agree with the death penalty or not, Trump’s actions (in the case of these executions)were lawful. My concern with your initial comment was that it implied Trump’s actions were taken in violation of the US Constitution. Let’s just focus on actions he has taken that ARE unlawful—and there are plenty of them!
Nobody. He wants it and is pushing for it and hasn't achieved it.
I was reacting to the flat statement that “Trump executed 13 people….” Want to understand this comment from Beverly Falls
Alice, don't you think they probably wouldn't have been executed if not for Trump?
No. HE DID EXECUTE THIRTEEN PEOPLE. FACT.
And what is your truth, Linda? I see you punting to authority outside yourself. What is your word in the matter of what makes a difference for you?
I am punting to authorities whose words make sense to me and that I respect. What do you mean what makes a difference for me Bern?
Is anyone else seeing comments that are cut off in mid- sentence? This I happening, for me, in three different newsletters, including this one.
Me too and I see that the cut off comments on my iPhone show up in full on my laptop. Might be the SubStack app having issues.
Sure. I see you using the expertise available very well and that's great. Yet, even with the hope, agreement, thoughts, skepticism, seeing, watching, and gladness written about, I don't hear or get YOU. I get your opinion about stuff but I don't get you.
What is Linda Weide committed to? What moves, touches, or inspires Linda? Who is this human being who reads and writes opinions about things that impact us all in the wee hours of the night (or maybe day for you)?
I can extrapolate much from your expressed opinions and make up a whole story about who Linda is and that doesn't leave me knowing who you are, really.
While you cover a broad range of issues, it seems you lean a bit in the direction of women's safety. Not a surprise coming from a women. I'm just left wanting to hear more of your voice so I can recognize the person behind the commitment you so clearly express. The question "what makes a difference to you" was meant to be an opening so your own unique voice has the widest room in which to swing out.
Bern, I am not trying to share all of myself with people, just joining in the conversation. I am not asking that of you either.
Linda, I appreciate your response to Bern. Not taking any bait, if that’s what it was.
What does "just joining in the conversation" mean in the context of a conversion of such significance?
Maybe you two should date! Bern seems fascinated with Linda!
Linda, you see clearly IMO as usual. I am discerning two kinds of post-apocalypse progressive thinkers at this point. The cautious optimists, like Tribe: "the guardrails will hold"; and the phoenix-rising people: "the democracy was rotten and had to be broken in order for it to rise again in a better format." Neither seems good to me. I guess there is a third kind: the numb. C'est moi.
Christiana my friend and I were just discussing yesterday as we were talking about messaging platforms that are not based in the USA and finding one to switch to, and we both said, Hope for the best, prepare for the worst! To that end, I am sharing this article with you from the BBC.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr4zwj2lgdo
Please read the lists. To me it is like the to go bag when you are going to have a baby. You just prepare it.
In Europe, where I am currently living, people are starting to think about the fact that Putin and Trump and Musk are all buddies. So, since Trump has threatened to pull the US out of NATO. What if Putin and Trump join militaries and turn on the EU or NATO? So, Finland and Norway, being forward thinking and super prepared have updated their instructions for people in case of war. It has added to my to do list. As Andrea Pitzer says, most authoritarian governments don't give you 2.5 months to prepare.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-151702504
What Prof. Timothy Snyder says is, "And citizens, regardless of how they voted, need now to check their attitudes. This is no longer a post-electoral moment. It is a pre-catastrophic moment. "
You can read full discussion in his article Decapitation Strike here. https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/decapitation-strike?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
If I take his advice and it is a pre-catastrophic moment, we should recognize it as such and prepare while we can. For me here, I gave my daughter instructions too. I have never done this sort of stuff before in her life. Now, she has had to ditch the period app, and the BeReal, and we are talking about how to get to each other if there were war. My friend was remarking on how healthy the Swedish list of foods seemed.
Thanks for this post. I am so annoyed at legacy media for parroting claims of a mandate for Trump. It's also encouraging to know that the GOP margin in thr House is going to be so small. Hardly a red tsunami
If Matt Gaetz resigned, doesn't that bring the R total down to 217? If the Ds have 212 now and you add the 2 winning seats, that is only 214, not 215 or 216, although two others could go Democratic, especially the one in California where there are lots of votes to count. Again my thanks to the ballot curers.
The problem about Gratz’s resignation, I believe, is that he resigned from the current Congress but he is still a Congressman-elect for the upcoming Congress and technically could choose to rejoin (e.g., supposing his AG appointment does not go through. I heard Jamie Raskin explain this the other day.
Yep!
That's correct. If he's not confirmed, BIG IF, then he goes right back to congress in January.
Thank you for the explanation.
Gaetz, I meant (darn auto-correct!)
Republicans lead in three of the five contested races. They can lose three in the 119th Congress and still have 218. See the link to the Vote Tracker posted in the newsletter.
I hope there are more and more photos of Trump and Musk in the papers and on Broadcast and Cable news shows. Giving the impression to the world that the surest way to get to Trump is to go through Musk is a sure-fire formula for having Musk pushed to the sidelines. If there's one thing we know for sure about Trump, it is that he cant stand anyone taking the spotlight away from him.
Absolutely, Swbv!
Robert, my sense is that we have all been swinging from deep hope (initially) to horror to despair to we-shall-fight to oh-my-God-could-it-be-any-worse to we-shall-fight to Good-Lord-where-is-my-chocolate. The earth beneath your starlight feels less firm than it ever did before (to me), but you are playing an enormous role in preventing us from sinking. Following you and all the others on Blue Sky (Marc Elias has a terrific starter pack). We'll amplify you out there, and bring others to your Stack.
Love your comments Beth. That’s me swinging back and forth, up and down also
Mmmm chocolate. Every time Robert flashes a nebula, I want to eat another Milky Way left over from Halloween.
How do I find Marc's (& others) starter packs? TIA!
I just went to his pinned post. It was right there. It is everyone you want in your corner. I feel better just hanging with that crowd.
Thanks Beth, I'll look again.
Thank you for this post, which made me feel a little better but, if I’m going to be totally honest, also made me feel worse at the same time. It makes me both angry and disappointed that so many people didn’t bother to use their precious right to vote, particularly when voting is so much easier now and you don’t have to stand on a line on Election Day. The results could have been different. That the popular vote result now reflects such a narrow margin makes me even sadder. It does not make me feel better. To me, best news is the small margin in the House and that hopefully some Republican Senators will not roll over and play dead for trump regarding some of his cabinet nominations.
In March, I sat down and looked at our financials and figured out that I could retire within 2 years at 67, and my wife a few years after. Retirement was no longer just a word. I’ve worked hard at the same school for 42 years, and was looking forward to some well-earned rest. Now? With SocSec, Medicare & Medicaid on the line, retirement has been demoted to a nice idea.
This election season I donated far and wide; wrote postcards; made calls and sent texts, yet my younger brother, who lives in deep red PA, and my nonagenarian mother, who lives in blue MA, both voted against their best interest, and against the best interests of their children and grandchildren. I love them dearly, and I just can’t ignore them, much less vilify them.
I’ve had odd dreams the past year of living in a vast tent city, cooking meager meals over cow-dung fires (yes, this is a thing in impoverished areas of the world) and I now know why. This grand experiment of Democracy is being challenged so completely we may never survive as a nation.
Sorry to sound so negative in the face of your heartening words, Robert, but I feel no relief reading them.
Derek Smith, thank you for sharing the breadth of your worries and some of the reasons you feel so down. I appreciate our courageous detail. Many will suggest solutions, my only advice is to search for perspective and context, led by Robert Hubbell's pointing out that we all have agency and just resisting even a little bit, if that's all we can do, will help. Trump won the election, he hasn't won the war. He hasn't destroyed democracy...yet. In his first term, he showed himself to be uninterested in governance or leading even within his own party. He has power and slimeball enablers (Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk, ad infinitum, not to mention his co-president Elon Musk) but let's not surrender in advance. Each of us can throw some sand in the works of the Tyranny Train that Trump is trying to drive across America. He's an enormously flawed human being. Let's do our part and not give superhuman powers to Trump. He and his cronies are very dangerous, but they are already making mistakes and reaping opposition. We can beat these guys. (And please, don't think, I am some lofty wise man looking down from blissful calm. I'm scared/hopeful/incapcitated/trying to do some work/trying to read some context about how historical autocracies work/trying to move my lukewarm democratic friends to action/and more -- and this before lunch. Let's all try to stay frosty and awake and help each other - not just get through "this," but help each other be powerful in combating the grave and real threat that has made us feel such despair.
Patrick, thank you for re-stating what may be the only constructive thing we can each do--work on organizing in community, and for pointing out that while we have lost a big battle, we have not lost the war.
Thanks for your boost, Patrick. I'm not giving up.
As always, Robert, your framing and explaining is so helpful. I do apologize for the next statement - I DO blame MERRICK GARLAND - what a disappointment. If not for him, we would not have the criminal in the WH. I wonder is Ms Collins has learned anything, as she had suggested the criminal has. I am not holding my breath - I expect her to roll over as usual. Whether Murkowski will be any better remains to be seen. It is helpful when you put the margins in perspective ---- still, the idea of the criminal SOILING the WH fills me with overwhelming nausea and disgust.
Derek, I hope we can soon move from blame and anxiety and disgust—all of which are justified and understandable—to focus on what we should do next.
I will join the chorus of gratitude for Robert! Today was also a turning point for me as I too, have decided to join Blue Sky. So thank you so much, Robert!
Though I think much of what Laurence Tribe said is true, the key message for me is “that doesn’t mean that people won’t go to the ramparts” when the President elect does some outrageous thing, the example was a member of Congress arrested in the middle of the night.
As the parent of African-American children, I can tell you that our country has not gone to the ramparts to make sure that the criminal justice system is fairly and equitably applied and every American citizen has access to their rights under the constitution. For goodness sakes, arguably women no longer have equal rights under the 14th amendment.
My son, who is now an attorney, was unlawfully arrested and detained for peaceful protest. I can tell you exactly how this happens: police in military gear round up protesters, and this can be everyone on the street who happen to have the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, even those who are not actively protesting. In our case, it included someone who was walking their dog and a person delivering a pizza. Zip tie handcuffs are placed on those arrested and they are made to sit in the street until they are transported to a detainment center. Their wallets and their phones are taken so they have no identification and no way to contact the outside world. My son was only 17 when this happened and he was held in an undisclosed location for 54 hours. The terror in my heart was indescribable. The only people who were allowed in the makeshift prison, actually an abandoned bus warehouse with poisonous chemicals on the floor and no place to sit or sleep and no food, were attorneys from the National Lawyers Guild. These arrests were not covered by mainstream media. The only publication that mentioned them was Alternet. All in all about 1600 people were arrested by the NYPD and charged with disorderly conduct. They were all released, eventually, and charges were dropped. But huge damage was done.
If individuals with high public profiles, like members of Congress or known members of the Press are arrested and jailed, then perhaps there would be outrage. However, it still remains to be seen whether or not there would actually be widespread and effective protest. And then of course it remains to be seen how durable those protests are and how politicians respond. It could also be that the arrest of high profile individuals would frighten people into compliance. And that is what I have seen with Jeff Bezos, JD, Vance, Elon Musk, and so many other never-Trumpers who are all of a sudden his friends and colleagues.
Defending democracy is more than just reading articles in your living room or engaging in social media. It’s the really hard work of putting your body on the line. And it’s really scary.
This is not to take issue with anything Lawrence Tribe or Robert said, it is to emphasize that it depends on the power of the counter movement’s resistance. And that is up to us.
Funny. (Weird?!) Watching Trump accept his victory in the early morning of November 6th, I was shocked by the outcome. . .the "landslide" that was noted, as I had imagined and hoped it would be the other way around. But, in a strange way, I was actually comforted by the imbalance of the votes cast. I was quick to accept that I had greatly overestimated the intelligence of the voters. And, because it was a huge victory, no "what if's" or recriminations. But now that you are showing how actually CLOSE the election was, Robert, I am comforted by THAT! What is wrong with me? Is it cognitive dissonance . . or just self care? I think I am still in shock as I have not yet cried. . . and I always cry! Do I need professional help? Is it a syndrome? Is there a cure? Has anyone else made this "flip"? Adjustment?
Your newsletter is the first thing I read with my morning coffee. Since the election, I typically have felt dread while opening it. This morning, the newsletter leaves me with a glimmer of hope. Thank you, again, for helping ground your readers with truth and perspective. I have joined a local Indivisible group and am ready to do my part to resist. Love the photo and explanation. Sometimes we find a light source when it is unexpected.
“Scold the Democrats” and “Who’s to Blame?” -- the fact that some Dems (Bernie, I'm looking at you) have been/are playing this game is absolutely disgraceful. As you wrote not long ago, there are only THREE significant reasons why trumpists "won" (if it's fair to use that word, since it's unlikely that they would have without a little help from their friends; no, a lot of help from one friend, in particular). Those reasons are: misogyny, racism, and white supremacy. I have come to believe that misogyny is by far the most significant reason: not only did Latino men vote against Harris because of their tradition of machismo, but Black men also voted against Harris. Probably shouldn't have, but both astounded me. Voting against your own interests is pretty much incomprehensible to me. And the number of educated, intelligent white men who voted against Harris has shocked me. I truly never expected that to happen. I believe the ONLY reason it happened is because Harris is a woman. As a woman who made it in a "man's world" -- (I got into medical school in 1978 and 25% of my classmates were women -- whereas in 1972, only 5% ! of women in the same medical school were women) -- I truly expected between from educated white men. It has been crushing to me to find out that some of the white men whom I very much respect, voted against a person like me.
Don’t forget about the white women. I saw that 53% of them voted for the felon.
I know. Disgusting.