The eloquent counsels of despair I am reading posit a degree of competence, clarity, and constraint in the Republicans that they fail to demonstrate in actual life. I agree there will be suffering but disagree on both the severity and the timeline. I believe we are hearing the death rattle of White Supremacy.
The last time there was such a revanchist control of US institutions was in 1929 which resulted in the New Deal and all of its consequences within four years. The comparatively modest Bush recession of 2008 gave us 8 years of Obama, starting almost immediately. I’m with Heather Cox Richardson who says Trump has promised everything to everyone, while the actual policies of the Republican Party are unpopular even with their base. The income support, medical and food supplement cuts to Federal benefits they are promising will fall disproportionately on Red and rural counties. They promise to lower consumer costs while also putting tariffs from 10% to 60% on all imports which will be borne by consumers, blowing up inflation again. The promised mass deportations of undocumented workers would be recessionary in itself and will not occur against the pressures brought to bear not only in the courts but by the Republican owners of the businesses that depend on them. The despairing assumption that courts are dominated by Republican-nominated judges: in fact in the Federal Courts of Appeals, Democratically-nominated and Republican-nominated judgeships are tied 89 to 89. There’s a Dem majority on 7 of 13 Appeals Courts. I give the despairing SCOTUS, but the 6 White Nationalists there are conservative high-churchers who are trying to turn a tide that won’t stop.
Promises of mass deportation and tariffs with cuts in benefits while growing an economy that is already suffering from worker shortages is a difficult circle to square. Trump & his incredible shrinking band of jail-bound treason weasels aren’t the ones who will accomplish that feat of geometry. I agree that we must survive in order to overcome these idiots. I believe there will be a struggle and it’s not the foregone conclusion the despairing think it is. If we surrender our freedom to a dumbass like Trump we deserve the loss. I’m with Robert here: let’s reach out to each other, recognize what has actually happened, and organize for the struggle to come…
I live in eastern NC on the coast. Job opportunities are not abundant. Some of the largest businesses are big factory farms and meat processing. Native born Americans did not want to work in those low wage dead end jobs. (Do you aspire to work in a chicken processing plant?) So poor immigrants from Central and South America came in to fill those jobs. What’s going to happen to the price of eggs and meat when the people producing them go away? What happens to those businesses that employed immigrants who were deported? Agriculture, construction, food processing, restaurants, hospitality, elder care. These industries depend on immigrants. They are essential in my state. The future was voted away by dumb and dumber. So much energy and HARD work will have to be expended to make up for lost ground.
Yes, just wait to all those immigrant-haters (for no good reason) have no lettuce for their salads or hamburgers because all the lettuce died in the fields, and they have to pay $25/lb. for chicken wings for the football game! We will see then how much they hate all those folks who put food on our tables at an affordable price, build our houses, create new small businesses, and so much more.
A lot of good stuff here. I think it's important to paint an indelible picture of where we are at this moment (or as of November 4), to serve as. a reference point in future elections. This is the time we will be asking about in 2028 with, "Were you better off four years ago?" We must not forget or fail to be able to answer that question accurately and provably.
The same for 2026: we should ask at the midterms if voters are better off under the Trump (or, by then, Vance) regime than they were on November 4, 2024?!
Actually, Patrick, it matters every year 2025 has gubernatorial and state legislatures on the ballot. But the four year argument is what I believe was effective to many voters. They had shamnesia.
We are better off than4 years ago, 2020, boarded businesses, no toilet paper,etc. 350,000 friends and family dying, no community gatherings, no kids in school, hospitals and medical personnel without needed equipment. and no plan from 45 to improve it. He had no plan no policy. Remember!
Listening to an interview on the radio yesterday was helpful. They were outlining all the roadblocks in the way of tffg’s attempts to screw us. Also, anyone who tries to mess with Social Security…….
Well said, Patrick. I have had some of the same thoughts as I fear my Social Security and Medicare benefits will be gutted! Millions of Republicans have Social Security and Medicare. However, I do fear Obamacare is on the chopping block, which benefits millions of Americans who otherwise would not be able to afford healthcare.
Thank you for your clarity. I for one am getting ready to fight. But I also admit to letting my anger drive me to write up some ideas to present at my next local Democratic meeting that I should probably look at again in a week or so. It's my belief that we failed in large part because the Democratic Party IS disconnected from the people who are losing so badly. Bringing in outsiders to canvass in areas where they don't live just comes off as phony, and I think that may have hurt us.
I think we need to restructure the party completely, starting by bringing in younger people who are strongly plugged into their local communities. I've had enough of the "Beltway insiders" driving policy that fails. We could have avoided the whole debacle if the DNC hadn't foisted Clinton on us in 2016. Oh, I think she would have been a strong president, but every poll said she had no shot, but Bernie could have won easily. But he was cast aside by a party that seems to be terrified of being truly progressive.
But, as Robert points out, and which I keep yelling about on other platforms, Trump won 51% of THOSE WHO VOTED. As always, the Non-Voting Party carried the day. I am so pissed at those assholes i could scream, but that won't help. I thought I was over my shock, but I think you're right--I need a lot more time to process this than I've given myself. Thanks for your wise words, Robert.
This is the most helpful comment I've read so far. The first sentence in particular is on point, and the second paragraph makes a lot of good points I hadn't considered. Thank you from the bottom of this internet stranger's heart.
“If I’m confused, or upset, or angry, if I can go out and look at the stars I’ll almost always get back a sense of proportion. It’s not that they make me feel insignificant; it’s the very opposite; they make me feel that everything matters, be it ever so small, and that there’s meaning to life even when it seems most meaningless.”
Also from Madeleine L'Engle..."Stay angry little Meg. You will need all your anger now." We must continue to oppose the forces of Camazatz, manifested in our own time.
You are simply the best, Robert. Thank you for your wisdom, knowledge and willingness to challenge legacy media tropes right now.
Legacy media has chosen several stances, like "polarization" and "elitism" as a way to equalize and normalize the two choices we had; they have continuously used a stance of “both sidesism” in their reporting, which is partly what allowed this election to occur. As Timothy Snyder points out in his work on fascism, they have obeyed in advance.
Only one party has candidates and a presidential nominee who have torn children from their parents and put them in cages, had people with Nazi insignias in their campaign events, threatened and acted out violence against women, made completely racist remarks and threats. Only one party is threatening deportation camps and a national abortion ban, even knowing that in states with those bans maternal and infant mortality has skyrocketed. That is not polarization, that is fascism. Opposing it is essential.
When the President-elect talks about appointing someone who may stop all vaccine programs, endangering millions, that isn’t polarization, it’s incredibly dangerous. Do we want the reemergence of polio, of measles with its high morbidity and mortality? Do we want continued availability of flu and covid vaccines?
When the new catchphrase of MAGA men is “Your body, my choice.” we are in extremely dangerous times.
When women miscarrying are bleeding to death in parking lots, we are not polarized, we have lost our bodily autonomy.
When Trump pulls out of NATO and allows Putin (with North Korean troops) to march into Kyiv, and god knows where else,. we are lost.
Thank you for always, always, speaking these truths, and for being a comforting and clear leader. I imagine you and your family are struggling, as well. I send you, and them, my compassion and care. We all need to care for ourselves and each other. Please know that I take great solace in your words; that your efforts are enough.
In North Carolina Josh Stein beat Mark Robinson by an almost-impossible 14.6% (811,000 votes). So apparently many voted for Trump and then checked the box for Democrat Josh Stein. How is this possible?
If Trump had been elected President of France, Italy, or Brazil the NY Times and Wapo would be reprting that a fascist was elected President. They're not doing that here. The free press is already cowering, and it is only a couple of days after the election. We can't sleep walk through this or rely on playing defense.
And we can cancel our subscriptions to those outlets and focus on Hubbell, HCR, Jess Cravens, Lucian Truscott, Jay Kuo and Democracy Docket as our guiding lights. We don’t have time to consume all that divisive BS. We have work to do.
You’re so right! The Trump voter does not listen to mainstream news, so why should we? We should curate a menu of reliable and rational voices to tune into. I’ll start with the names your respondent Sandy listed.
Just as I stopped reading what the pundits were saying about what “could” or “might” happen before the election, I now skip reading any of the nattering about why what did happen, happened. None of those opinions help me figure out what I need to do next. As one of my first actions, I borrowed Robert‘s “Taking Care of One Another“ newsletter title to convene a gathering of the activists I worked with this past season to support state legislative candidates. We need to acknowledge our grief but also give ourselves credit for what we were able to accomplish. Keeping unified, maintaining our energy, and growing our capacity for courage will be essential in the coming years.
My sister and I are hosting a gathering today with our group Invest to Elect. It' important to gather in the communities that have been on the ground doing the hard work for so many years. I look forward to getting together today with my hard working members who I know are in this fight for the long game!
I totally agree about tuning out the how's and why's. For one thing, they want to put everyone into a basket. And for another, just because a person gives a reasaon, how do you know they're being emotionally honest and not speaking in code that they might not even be aware of.
Yes, Robert. It is a room full of tears. There are way too many ego diven reasons or paths to take pouring down on the comment sections everywhere. I have been trying to be supportive to those in pain and caution all that SLEEP is good and necesary now to calm us into clear focus. There are many who will stay in touch to be involved on whatever level possible.
Yes thank you and some of the work is ongoing. I am helping MI to ensure that all votes are counted, including in a couple state house races as a cure canvass capt.
These noble volunteer on the ground canvassers we send to homes of voters is an incredibly rewarding experience for both the voter and volunteer!
CA and other states have ongoing in person cure canvasing.
Yes, and when it becomes clear what and how, we will rally. To a large degree, we have to see what unfolds. How much of Trump's bluster was just campaign malarkey, and how much was forecasting. I think it would be good to write our Dem representatives, encouraging them to be ready to fight.
I guarantee you that all three of Vermont's representatives (@ D's, one I) are not only ready, but continue their work in this fight. We may be small, but we pack a big punch!
“How much of Trump’s bluster was just campaign malarkey … –
In practice, it’s Trump’s *minions* who need to be watched. *They* are going to infiltrate the government, head various agencies, and pull various levers of power. They may be hostile to the purposes of the organizations they take over, and may, in practice, begin dismantling them.
I am very sure it's no longer malarkey, Kim. This is not 2016. He has Putin squarely in his court, several billionaires, total immunity from his criminal acts, and the thousands of well-organized hate-filled people who wrote Project 2025. Even the NYT said, when Trump says something, believe him. He's deadly serious this time. He won't have to act (he's too demented). But they will act for him. Please don't think this is normal or that regular methods will combat him. If we fight hard and in a unified fashion, we have a chance of reclaiming our democracy. Otherwise we don't.
David Brooks is an elitist. Just one of the many reasons I stopped subscribing to the NYT. The best post mortem I have read comes from Noah Berlatsky of Public Notice.
I love that he puts our election in the context of the wave of post Covid elections. I am continuing to recognize the damage that covid did, particularly to the youth, but apparently to all of us. I dread thinking what will happen in the US if another deadly virus is spreading and Robert Kennedy is in charge.
Isn't it amazing that David Brooks is incapable of understanding the hypocrisy of being an elite among elites and finding the temerity to scold elitists?
It's stunning, and concerning, how Covid became so political. That means that just about everything is up for political grabs. Look at Ukraine. Never in a million years did I think we'd have a significant population rooting for Russia. These people calling Dems "elites" are, IMO, showing us their own lack of doing the homework, not understanding the complexity of the world or making any effort to. So they call the others "elite." The news is free, the facts are out there, if you want to find them. There is nothing elite about reading and learning. Calling others stupid (or elite) doesn't make you smart or better.
Yes, Kim. I stop reading *anyone* who nitpicks and calls Harris and her supporters “elitist”, including writers for NYT and WaPo. I started responding to Frank Bruni yesterday and then decided to let it go for now. Has he and other journalists learned nothing about the 200+ years of discrimination and bias against women, Native Americans, persons of color, and LGBTQ persons? It doesn’t take a PhD degree in Sociology to raise other hypotheses about why so many Americans voted for Trump. Briefly, Trump supporters were NOT concerned about elitism, the price of eggs or gas, being raped by an immigrant, or lack of detail in Harris’ call for changes in Medicare, childcare, or housing. Frankly, I believe they were MORE concerned about loss of white privilege and loss of male dominance. Democratic elitism does NOT explain why we still have no women presidents 200+years! And it does not explain why so many Americans looked the other way as Trump became more and more vulgar about Harris and all women for that matter.
right, Bonnie. claiming that elitism is a problem is a distracting tactic designed to make smart liberals self-shame and make sure they don't have a healthy reaction--anger and activism--against fascist goons. Let's not be distracted. Blaming is old-style journalistic business as usual. What Harris called the same old playbook. We did nothing wrong. Bullies are shaming us. Don't let them. Focus the eagle eye on how to fight in the trenches, in the next months, against what's happened to us.
"There is nothing elite about reading and learning." Wise words, Kim, borne out by every autobiography of every non-elite leader and thinker in U.S. history: Lincoln, Richard Wright, Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Annie Dillard, Richard Rodriguez, bell hooks, and millions of others unknown but transformed by their reading and being pulled/pushed/prodded/loved/and encouraged by teachers and mentors.
Shoot, and what's so wrong about being "elite" if it means you care about something other than yourself, value knowledge and learning, regard truth and lies as not a matter of personal choice or "belief," and walk on this earth with love and respect for all people and the natural world. Sign me up. I've been trying to join join that elite world all my life.
FDR was just about as elite as elite could be. Elite status didn’t prevent him (and Eleanor!) from connecting with dispossessed and down-on-their-luck Americans.
I agree Kim. I see the MAGAs as useful idiots. I also take in Robert's point that a lot of people did not vote at all. I know a few of them. They are all Millennial men who are well off. They don't vote and their stated reasoning to me is that their vote doesn't count. In my observation, they see the world as always having favored them and that if things get bad they will still be on top. There has been no candidate that enthuses them. They do not get enthused about candidates, but they do about a possibility of earning more money or a new YouTube that they are enjoying. I enjoy YouTube too, and a possibility of earning more money, so I cannot fault them for that. But, it does not prevent me from being invested in elections.
I like the point you raise, Linda. Well-off favored people seemingly have no moral compass. It's all about me me me and how well I'm doing and what I like and what I want more of. What happened to social conscience? Morality? Ethics? Shared values in community? Caring for each other? Altruism? The idea that, to those to whom much is given, much is expected?
Christina, I agree with all you are saying. It sickens me. I saw this change with Ronald Reagan. He was the president that gave permission for people to be all about ME, ME, ME! Business schools attract a lot of people and don't seem to teach ethics. If parents don't do this, and it is done by modeling not just saying, then these lessons are generally not learned.
I don't think it was that Covid got political, it was that life *really* sucked after Covid, and we still have residual effects and a lot of people are still struggling (economically) about it.
Here's an email I just sent to Robert (note that I also mention Berlatsky's article -- I highly recommend it)
==========
Greetings. (FWIW, I'm one of those in pain and having a hard time dealing...)
In any event, there have been a series of articles by Josh Marshall at TPM that make sense to me in terms of explaining what happened. The super short version is that this was simply an "anti-incumbent" election, and that *all* the incumbent parties in Western countries faced great difficulty in their first elections after Covid.
He makes some good points, and he asserts that the majority of voters don't like Trump, and don't like his policies -- but they thought the Biden administration's handling of the post-Covid inflation and other economic disruptions were bad and voted to "throw the bums out."
Consider: you and I know that our economic recovery ended up being better than any Western nation -- by far. But does the low-information voter know that? All they know is: inflation was painful, and prices are still too high at the gas pump, at the grocery store, and that rents/mortgages make it impossible for a great number of people to get the housing they want. What else matters? (I remember telling my 29 yo daughter that our recovery from Covid was better than anybody, and that inflation was down, and she (a liberal who voted for Harris) scoffed at me, saying "yeah, tell my friends that who can just barely afford their rent")
Also consider: voters all over the place, even in deep red Florida and Missouri, voted for abortion rights (57% in Florida) and other progressive causes (Missouri: increase minimum wage to $15 (!!) and paid leave, etc. -- 59%!) even while voting for the GOP.
In any event, I highly highly highly recommend checking out two of the TPM articles (I know you're really busy, but these are worth it, imho -- and not very long). Here are free gift links to them:
One of the reasons that people are struggling so much is that the Republicans voted to remove the supports that had been in place, so for many people Covid was a respite from struggling, and the removal of the supports found people being evicted, loss of health supports and many things where Covid had made our nation a kinder more EU like place.
Covid *was* political – from the get-go. Early on, Trump and his close advisers knew covid could mushroom. But they acted as though ignoring covid would make it go away.
The damage to vaxx was done before Kennedy. I had hoped a million people dying of covid would have opened people's eyes but it's only gotten worse. Bird flu has now crossed into pigs, meaning soon it will be transmitted from pigs to humans. My guess is 2028 will be a rerun of 2020, except much much worse because vaxx may be more limited and won't be used.
thank you for this comment ----- I love perspectives that have a broad historical perspective - and yes - the devastation which the republicans will own this time - -----
I watched Jimmy Kimmel last night, and he had a segment on where they interviewed people on the street the day after the election asking them if they were going to vote that Wednesday. Amazing that they found people who answered in the affirmative, totally unaware that the election had taken place the day before. So, maybe the question is how do we create an engaged, educated electorate who take their responsibility as citizens of this country seriously. Also, let’s protect our comedians as they seem to be our most reliable truth tellers.
Thank you thank you thank you for readers' Joe E and Mark B's info on how we can help cure ballots. The House of Representatives still has 27 seats that are not yet called, and the possibility of getting Democratic control hangs in the balance. CA-47 (currently held by Katie Porter) has Dave Min down by only 616 votes! The windows for curing ballots vary by state and are generally a week or two. For these 27 candidates, some have ballot cure phone banks, and others have ballot cure in-person opportunities. Persist!
We need to understand how Hitler built on his rise. What are the lessons we can learn from the Weimar Republic. I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but we need to be realistic. We elected a fascist government.
The first and actually very sobering takeaway from rightly drawing comparisons (or pointing out differences) between the situation in Germany in the 1930s and what we are witnessing currently in the US: the German electorate didn't really know who they were voting for. Once it became clear that Hitler would end the fledgling Weimar democracy and establish an autocratic regime there were no elections anymore.
While they had no elections anymore, they cheered for him. One needs to watch the films of Germans cheering Hitler. It’s chilling. He didn’t kill 6 million Jews by himself.
And please, let us not forget, his best buddy Vance called him America's Hitler. Trump IS America's Hitler. He's not just a nutty old guy we have to put up with for four years then he's gone.
Stefan, you see clearly. I don't want to be "unpleasant." But we are crazy if we psychologically whitewash what we are facing, and sit comfortably around tut-tutting, relying on a justice system that has been almost wholly severed at its roots by these people, or an election system that is hanging by a thread. We have to fight. As you say. The danger is imminent and enormous. But we still have a slight chance. If we fight.
Peter, I 2000% agree with you. We should be scared. I do believe these MAGAs have planned and are about to put into effect a Nazi plan for the USA. It's not alarmist; they couldn't have been clearer in their communication, whether it was Project 2025, the Madison Square Garden rally. It's us who refuse to see what they're putting in front of us. We have to fight. And they've already tipped many of the scales in the favor: SCOTUS, Senate and maybe House control by MAGA, Trump's ability to commit any crime he wishes while in office. This is not business as usual. Don't be lulled. People here are blithely chatting about "the next elections." Have we forgotten Trump said this will be the last? The rule of law is in danger of being suspended. Then what recourse will we have? We have to fight. We're in the battle of our lives.
Peter, we did, and taking lessons from Hitlers Germany is a wise action, so we can construct an effective fight to overturn it. The French resistance comes to mind. There were resistance fighters in many countries, I believe. They included not just men and women of fighting age, but children and the elderly. We can all join the resistance.
This is grief!!! I've walked among trees where I find peace and strength. I deleted fb from my phone. I continue to read HCR, The Front Page, Lucien Truscott, and a few others. I do not watch the news, rather I read books and depend on newspapers. Someone offered me leftover Halloween candy, I took it and ate way too much. I've discovered the Paradox of Tolerance, written in 1945. I've suggested to others they read Vicktor Frankel's, Mans Search for Meaning and Elie Weisel's Night. I watched Will and Hunter on Neflix. I highly recommend it. I've returned to my sewing and sorting. I sleep well. However, when I sit down to read, the gut punch and pit in my stomach returns. But, I am, in no way, giving up. We women have work to do, again!!! January 20th would be a good day to rise up and let the world know we women of all races, sexual orientation and culture will not tolerate the intolerable.
I’ve read a few pieces this morning pointing out that Trump’s fluctuation in his win, loss, win has not changed much…hardly a mandate.
I also woke up to AXIOS preaching about all the fingerprinting and analysis that’s going on.
I’m going to leave the big philosophizing up to those much more knowledgeable than I. I just flat don’t know. Frankly, I don’t know why the press isn’t asking how it is that we elected a conman, felon, sexual assaulter. But especially that last one. I am angry that some of my friends and relatives helped elect a criminal rapist. Do not talk to me about law and order, Republican Party, every again.
Finally, and this relates to the third of the country that don’t vote, I will continue to focus on voter registration, information, and advocacy through the League of Women Voters. Politics-wise, I plan to get involved with local elections this spring, volunteering for candidates who possess the values we consider Democratic values.
Robert - that photo of the Pleiades is quite striking! It was nice to see after the soul-crushing of Tuesday. I reached out to a former HS classmate who has voted for Rs for years, voted for Trump, has Angry White Male issues, but yet is not MAGA, I realized. I found it a little comforting. It seems to me some of that anger is open to redirection to the Rs with a little respect, patience, and clear thinking. Chris Hayes 11/7 program opens with an eerie re-statement of what you write above about the mandate crap, the tiny shift in votes, and the rest. Worth a listen. Looking at Trump 2 as a 2nd term is helpful, I think. They are generally much weaker than 1st terms. Think of Bush 2. He appointed Susan Wiles as COS. I believe it's been reported by Tim Alberta and others that she had said she would not take a job in Trump 2, so an interesting decision. I'm sure she has looked at the brutal record of Trump's COSes. Think of what's happened to folks who served in Trump 1. This outcome is a horrible result but there are solid reasons to understand this was not a blow-out, Donald Trump is not going to morph and run a competent, effective administration. And those Times columnists need to take their heads out of the dark place and look around for real elitists! :-)
No, but it won't be Trump running things. He is mentally unable to at this point. It's Vance who will in charge and the clowns in the cabinet. Trump is super easy to manipulate.
Ballot cure phone banks that I believe are in addition to what Robert shared (that I sent him). I posted most of these yesterday:
Led by the VoPro Pros, in conjunction with the DNC:
(https://events.democrats.org/event/684133/)
Also more specific to a state/campaign:
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. OH - Ballot Cure Phonebank (https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/714404/)
4. PA - Ballot Cure Phonebank
https://www.mobilize.us/2024pavictory/event/742453/
The eloquent counsels of despair I am reading posit a degree of competence, clarity, and constraint in the Republicans that they fail to demonstrate in actual life. I agree there will be suffering but disagree on both the severity and the timeline. I believe we are hearing the death rattle of White Supremacy.
The last time there was such a revanchist control of US institutions was in 1929 which resulted in the New Deal and all of its consequences within four years. The comparatively modest Bush recession of 2008 gave us 8 years of Obama, starting almost immediately. I’m with Heather Cox Richardson who says Trump has promised everything to everyone, while the actual policies of the Republican Party are unpopular even with their base. The income support, medical and food supplement cuts to Federal benefits they are promising will fall disproportionately on Red and rural counties. They promise to lower consumer costs while also putting tariffs from 10% to 60% on all imports which will be borne by consumers, blowing up inflation again. The promised mass deportations of undocumented workers would be recessionary in itself and will not occur against the pressures brought to bear not only in the courts but by the Republican owners of the businesses that depend on them. The despairing assumption that courts are dominated by Republican-nominated judges: in fact in the Federal Courts of Appeals, Democratically-nominated and Republican-nominated judgeships are tied 89 to 89. There’s a Dem majority on 7 of 13 Appeals Courts. I give the despairing SCOTUS, but the 6 White Nationalists there are conservative high-churchers who are trying to turn a tide that won’t stop.
Promises of mass deportation and tariffs with cuts in benefits while growing an economy that is already suffering from worker shortages is a difficult circle to square. Trump & his incredible shrinking band of jail-bound treason weasels aren’t the ones who will accomplish that feat of geometry. I agree that we must survive in order to overcome these idiots. I believe there will be a struggle and it’s not the foregone conclusion the despairing think it is. If we surrender our freedom to a dumbass like Trump we deserve the loss. I’m with Robert here: let’s reach out to each other, recognize what has actually happened, and organize for the struggle to come…
I live in eastern NC on the coast. Job opportunities are not abundant. Some of the largest businesses are big factory farms and meat processing. Native born Americans did not want to work in those low wage dead end jobs. (Do you aspire to work in a chicken processing plant?) So poor immigrants from Central and South America came in to fill those jobs. What’s going to happen to the price of eggs and meat when the people producing them go away? What happens to those businesses that employed immigrants who were deported? Agriculture, construction, food processing, restaurants, hospitality, elder care. These industries depend on immigrants. They are essential in my state. The future was voted away by dumb and dumber. So much energy and HARD work will have to be expended to make up for lost ground.
Yes, just wait to all those immigrant-haters (for no good reason) have no lettuce for their salads or hamburgers because all the lettuce died in the fields, and they have to pay $25/lb. for chicken wings for the football game! We will see then how much they hate all those folks who put food on our tables at an affordable price, build our houses, create new small businesses, and so much more.
Exactly! Have you ever seen the movie, “A Day Without Mexicans”? Takes place in California, but the message is like yours.
A lot of good stuff here. I think it's important to paint an indelible picture of where we are at this moment (or as of November 4), to serve as. a reference point in future elections. This is the time we will be asking about in 2028 with, "Were you better off four years ago?" We must not forget or fail to be able to answer that question accurately and provably.
The same for 2026: we should ask at the midterms if voters are better off under the Trump (or, by then, Vance) regime than they were on November 4, 2024?!
Important point you make: the next political opportunity comes in *two* years, not four.
Now, how to hold the Trump wrecking crews at bay … .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SDdOZ_bMmc&t=56s Breaking news! California Gov. Newsome and 17 other states which are forming a coalition to help stop Trump laws and stuff.
working at the governor level can be very effective. They'll need a lot of support.
CA is already working on that. Fingers crossed!
Actually, Patrick, it matters every year 2025 has gubernatorial and state legislatures on the ballot. But the four year argument is what I believe was effective to many voters. They had shamnesia.
We have to jump on every gubernatorial and state campaign, starting in 2025, then.
2026 seems far away, but that's beside the point, Patrick! WE must stay involved!
We are better off than4 years ago, 2020, boarded businesses, no toilet paper,etc. 350,000 friends and family dying, no community gatherings, no kids in school, hospitals and medical personnel without needed equipment. and no plan from 45 to improve it. He had no plan no policy. Remember!
Listening to an interview on the radio yesterday was helpful. They were outlining all the roadblocks in the way of tffg’s attempts to screw us. Also, anyone who tries to mess with Social Security…….
I hope you're right about Social Security. I also worry about Medicare.
Yes, right! Me too! I should have mentioned that as well.
Do you remember who was being interviewed? I'd like to check it out.
No, sorry. I was driving with the sun in my eyes. I wonder if that could be found on NPR’s website.
Bravo, well said.
Well said, Patrick. I have had some of the same thoughts as I fear my Social Security and Medicare benefits will be gutted! Millions of Republicans have Social Security and Medicare. However, I do fear Obamacare is on the chopping block, which benefits millions of Americans who otherwise would not be able to afford healthcare.
Thank you!
Great comments, Patrick. Thanks so much. Fine articulation of spot-on thinking.👌🙏
Thank you for your clarity. I for one am getting ready to fight. But I also admit to letting my anger drive me to write up some ideas to present at my next local Democratic meeting that I should probably look at again in a week or so. It's my belief that we failed in large part because the Democratic Party IS disconnected from the people who are losing so badly. Bringing in outsiders to canvass in areas where they don't live just comes off as phony, and I think that may have hurt us.
I think we need to restructure the party completely, starting by bringing in younger people who are strongly plugged into their local communities. I've had enough of the "Beltway insiders" driving policy that fails. We could have avoided the whole debacle if the DNC hadn't foisted Clinton on us in 2016. Oh, I think she would have been a strong president, but every poll said she had no shot, but Bernie could have won easily. But he was cast aside by a party that seems to be terrified of being truly progressive.
But, as Robert points out, and which I keep yelling about on other platforms, Trump won 51% of THOSE WHO VOTED. As always, the Non-Voting Party carried the day. I am so pissed at those assholes i could scream, but that won't help. I thought I was over my shock, but I think you're right--I need a lot more time to process this than I've given myself. Thanks for your wise words, Robert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SDdOZ_bMmc&t=56s A coalition of Gov. Newsome, California and 17 states to stop Trumps actions.
This is the most helpful comment I've read so far. The first sentence in particular is on point, and the second paragraph makes a lot of good points I hadn't considered. Thank you from the bottom of this internet stranger's heart.
Yes!
Bravo!!!! I love what you wrote!!
For the Pleiades tonight:
“If I’m confused, or upset, or angry, if I can go out and look at the stars I’ll almost always get back a sense of proportion. It’s not that they make me feel insignificant; it’s the very opposite; they make me feel that everything matters, be it ever so small, and that there’s meaning to life even when it seems most meaningless.”
A Ring of Endless Light
Madeleine L'Engle
Also from Madeleine L'Engle..."Stay angry little Meg. You will need all your anger now." We must continue to oppose the forces of Camazatz, manifested in our own time.
I'm re-reading her A Wrinkle in Time series.
She was my absolute favorite as a child. Clearly time to revisit them all. THANK YOU!
Mine too!!!
Love Madeleine L’Engle. I keep thinking of Meg trying so hard to rescue Charles Wallace.
Perhaps I need to do that too!
You are so right. Thank you. Good night. I'm hittin' the sack. Too bright to see Andromeda.
You are simply the best, Robert. Thank you for your wisdom, knowledge and willingness to challenge legacy media tropes right now.
Legacy media has chosen several stances, like "polarization" and "elitism" as a way to equalize and normalize the two choices we had; they have continuously used a stance of “both sidesism” in their reporting, which is partly what allowed this election to occur. As Timothy Snyder points out in his work on fascism, they have obeyed in advance.
Only one party has candidates and a presidential nominee who have torn children from their parents and put them in cages, had people with Nazi insignias in their campaign events, threatened and acted out violence against women, made completely racist remarks and threats. Only one party is threatening deportation camps and a national abortion ban, even knowing that in states with those bans maternal and infant mortality has skyrocketed. That is not polarization, that is fascism. Opposing it is essential.
When the President-elect talks about appointing someone who may stop all vaccine programs, endangering millions, that isn’t polarization, it’s incredibly dangerous. Do we want the reemergence of polio, of measles with its high morbidity and mortality? Do we want continued availability of flu and covid vaccines?
When the new catchphrase of MAGA men is “Your body, my choice.” we are in extremely dangerous times.
When women miscarrying are bleeding to death in parking lots, we are not polarized, we have lost our bodily autonomy.
When Trump pulls out of NATO and allows Putin (with North Korean troops) to march into Kyiv, and god knows where else,. we are lost.
Thank you for always, always, speaking these truths, and for being a comforting and clear leader. I imagine you and your family are struggling, as well. I send you, and them, my compassion and care. We all need to care for ourselves and each other. Please know that I take great solace in your words; that your efforts are enough.
From earthworms to bears nature will pay a heavy price for the voters error. Sadly they had no vote.
There is nothing rational about voting for Trump. How do we fight that? That's what we have to understand, IMO.
In North Carolina Josh Stein beat Mark Robinson by an almost-impossible 14.6% (811,000 votes). So apparently many voted for Trump and then checked the box for Democrat Josh Stein. How is this possible?
Racism sexism
Ignorance.
Mark Robinson was too much even for Trump voters in NC
You just helped me clarify my thoughts. Thank you so much.
I echo your sentiments exactly. Thank you!
This was an Awesome statement. Full agreement. Deep bow of gratitude for saying to RH—and all of us—what so many of us have in our hearts.
Any man who tells me my body is his choice will find himself lacking the equipment to do anything but cry. :D
Beautiful, Sandycreek. Thank you for this contribution. When I think that Injust can’t read anymore, comments like yours give me some small comfort.
If Trump had been elected President of France, Italy, or Brazil the NY Times and Wapo would be reprting that a fascist was elected President. They're not doing that here. The free press is already cowering, and it is only a couple of days after the election. We can't sleep walk through this or rely on playing defense.
And we can cancel our subscriptions to those outlets and focus on Hubbell, HCR, Jess Cravens, Lucian Truscott, Jay Kuo and Democracy Docket as our guiding lights. We don’t have time to consume all that divisive BS. We have work to do.
Please add Steven Beschloss to your list.
Also add Jess Piper to the list
Good point! I agree that the legacy media is already reporting on Trump as if he is a normal US president. When will they learn?
Never?
You’re so right! The Trump voter does not listen to mainstream news, so why should we? We should curate a menu of reliable and rational voices to tune into. I’ll start with the names your respondent Sandy listed.
Almost 30 years of Fox propaganda has brought us here. As long as this continues, I don't see any improvement in America.
Just as I stopped reading what the pundits were saying about what “could” or “might” happen before the election, I now skip reading any of the nattering about why what did happen, happened. None of those opinions help me figure out what I need to do next. As one of my first actions, I borrowed Robert‘s “Taking Care of One Another“ newsletter title to convene a gathering of the activists I worked with this past season to support state legislative candidates. We need to acknowledge our grief but also give ourselves credit for what we were able to accomplish. Keeping unified, maintaining our energy, and growing our capacity for courage will be essential in the coming years.
My sister and I are hosting a gathering today with our group Invest to Elect. It' important to gather in the communities that have been on the ground doing the hard work for so many years. I look forward to getting together today with my hard working members who I know are in this fight for the long game!
I totally agree about tuning out the how's and why's. For one thing, they want to put everyone into a basket. And for another, just because a person gives a reasaon, how do you know they're being emotionally honest and not speaking in code that they might not even be aware of.
Absolutely, Barbara!
Yes, Robert. It is a room full of tears. There are way too many ego diven reasons or paths to take pouring down on the comment sections everywhere. I have been trying to be supportive to those in pain and caution all that SLEEP is good and necesary now to calm us into clear focus. There are many who will stay in touch to be involved on whatever level possible.
Sleep tight folks. WE have work to do.
Yes thank you and some of the work is ongoing. I am helping MI to ensure that all votes are counted, including in a couple state house races as a cure canvass capt.
These noble volunteer on the ground canvassers we send to homes of voters is an incredibly rewarding experience for both the voter and volunteer!
CA and other states have ongoing in person cure canvasing.
Yes, and when it becomes clear what and how, we will rally. To a large degree, we have to see what unfolds. How much of Trump's bluster was just campaign malarkey, and how much was forecasting. I think it would be good to write our Dem representatives, encouraging them to be ready to fight.
Kim, again what unfolds is NOW. Your opportunity to possibly put the House back in the hands of Dems is not just what might happen in the future.
Please give the curing work a shot.
I guarantee you that all three of Vermont's representatives (@ D's, one I) are not only ready, but continue their work in this fight. We may be small, but we pack a big punch!
“How much of Trump’s bluster was just campaign malarkey … –
In practice, it’s Trump’s *minions* who need to be watched. *They* are going to infiltrate the government, head various agencies, and pull various levers of power. They may be hostile to the purposes of the organizations they take over, and may, in practice, begin dismantling them.
I am very sure it's no longer malarkey, Kim. This is not 2016. He has Putin squarely in his court, several billionaires, total immunity from his criminal acts, and the thousands of well-organized hate-filled people who wrote Project 2025. Even the NYT said, when Trump says something, believe him. He's deadly serious this time. He won't have to act (he's too demented). But they will act for him. Please don't think this is normal or that regular methods will combat him. If we fight hard and in a unified fashion, we have a chance of reclaiming our democracy. Otherwise we don't.
David Brooks is an elitist. Just one of the many reasons I stopped subscribing to the NYT. The best post mortem I have read comes from Noah Berlatsky of Public Notice.
https://www.publicnotice.co/p/kamala-harris-anti-incumbent-backlash-2024?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I love that he puts our election in the context of the wave of post Covid elections. I am continuing to recognize the damage that covid did, particularly to the youth, but apparently to all of us. I dread thinking what will happen in the US if another deadly virus is spreading and Robert Kennedy is in charge.
Isn't it amazing that David Brooks is incapable of understanding the hypocrisy of being an elite among elites and finding the temerity to scold elitists?
It's stunning, and concerning, how Covid became so political. That means that just about everything is up for political grabs. Look at Ukraine. Never in a million years did I think we'd have a significant population rooting for Russia. These people calling Dems "elites" are, IMO, showing us their own lack of doing the homework, not understanding the complexity of the world or making any effort to. So they call the others "elite." The news is free, the facts are out there, if you want to find them. There is nothing elite about reading and learning. Calling others stupid (or elite) doesn't make you smart or better.
Yes, Kim. I stop reading *anyone* who nitpicks and calls Harris and her supporters “elitist”, including writers for NYT and WaPo. I started responding to Frank Bruni yesterday and then decided to let it go for now. Has he and other journalists learned nothing about the 200+ years of discrimination and bias against women, Native Americans, persons of color, and LGBTQ persons? It doesn’t take a PhD degree in Sociology to raise other hypotheses about why so many Americans voted for Trump. Briefly, Trump supporters were NOT concerned about elitism, the price of eggs or gas, being raped by an immigrant, or lack of detail in Harris’ call for changes in Medicare, childcare, or housing. Frankly, I believe they were MORE concerned about loss of white privilege and loss of male dominance. Democratic elitism does NOT explain why we still have no women presidents 200+years! And it does not explain why so many Americans looked the other way as Trump became more and more vulgar about Harris and all women for that matter.
right, Bonnie. claiming that elitism is a problem is a distracting tactic designed to make smart liberals self-shame and make sure they don't have a healthy reaction--anger and activism--against fascist goons. Let's not be distracted. Blaming is old-style journalistic business as usual. What Harris called the same old playbook. We did nothing wrong. Bullies are shaming us. Don't let them. Focus the eagle eye on how to fight in the trenches, in the next months, against what's happened to us.
Christina, You are so right about blaming as a tactic.
"There is nothing elite about reading and learning." Wise words, Kim, borne out by every autobiography of every non-elite leader and thinker in U.S. history: Lincoln, Richard Wright, Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Annie Dillard, Richard Rodriguez, bell hooks, and millions of others unknown but transformed by their reading and being pulled/pushed/prodded/loved/and encouraged by teachers and mentors.
Shoot, and what's so wrong about being "elite" if it means you care about something other than yourself, value knowledge and learning, regard truth and lies as not a matter of personal choice or "belief," and walk on this earth with love and respect for all people and the natural world. Sign me up. I've been trying to join join that elite world all my life.
FDR was just about as elite as elite could be. Elite status didn’t prevent him (and Eleanor!) from connecting with dispossessed and down-on-their-luck Americans.
I agree Kim. I see the MAGAs as useful idiots. I also take in Robert's point that a lot of people did not vote at all. I know a few of them. They are all Millennial men who are well off. They don't vote and their stated reasoning to me is that their vote doesn't count. In my observation, they see the world as always having favored them and that if things get bad they will still be on top. There has been no candidate that enthuses them. They do not get enthused about candidates, but they do about a possibility of earning more money or a new YouTube that they are enjoying. I enjoy YouTube too, and a possibility of earning more money, so I cannot fault them for that. But, it does not prevent me from being invested in elections.
I like the point you raise, Linda. Well-off favored people seemingly have no moral compass. It's all about me me me and how well I'm doing and what I like and what I want more of. What happened to social conscience? Morality? Ethics? Shared values in community? Caring for each other? Altruism? The idea that, to those to whom much is given, much is expected?
Christina, I agree with all you are saying. It sickens me. I saw this change with Ronald Reagan. He was the president that gave permission for people to be all about ME, ME, ME! Business schools attract a lot of people and don't seem to teach ethics. If parents don't do this, and it is done by modeling not just saying, then these lessons are generally not learned.
I don't think it was that Covid got political, it was that life *really* sucked after Covid, and we still have residual effects and a lot of people are still struggling (economically) about it.
Here's an email I just sent to Robert (note that I also mention Berlatsky's article -- I highly recommend it)
==========
Greetings. (FWIW, I'm one of those in pain and having a hard time dealing...)
In any event, there have been a series of articles by Josh Marshall at TPM that make sense to me in terms of explaining what happened. The super short version is that this was simply an "anti-incumbent" election, and that *all* the incumbent parties in Western countries faced great difficulty in their first elections after Covid.
He makes some good points, and he asserts that the majority of voters don't like Trump, and don't like his policies -- but they thought the Biden administration's handling of the post-Covid inflation and other economic disruptions were bad and voted to "throw the bums out."
Consider: you and I know that our economic recovery ended up being better than any Western nation -- by far. But does the low-information voter know that? All they know is: inflation was painful, and prices are still too high at the gas pump, at the grocery store, and that rents/mortgages make it impossible for a great number of people to get the housing they want. What else matters? (I remember telling my 29 yo daughter that our recovery from Covid was better than anybody, and that inflation was down, and she (a liberal who voted for Harris) scoffed at me, saying "yeah, tell my friends that who can just barely afford their rent")
Also consider: voters all over the place, even in deep red Florida and Missouri, voted for abortion rights (57% in Florida) and other progressive causes (Missouri: increase minimum wage to $15 (!!) and paid leave, etc. -- 59%!) even while voting for the GOP.
I've noticed, too, that a few other pundits have put forth this argument (Noah Berlatsky (https://open.substack.com/pub/aaronrupar/p/kamala-harris-anti-incumbent-backlash-2024) as well as others).
In any event, I highly highly highly recommend checking out two of the TPM articles (I know you're really busy, but these are worth it, imho -- and not very long). Here are free gift links to them:
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/thoughts-on-the-day-after/sharetoken/f36c377f-1d7a-4c0d-b63f-300f5cc562ba
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/reality-straight-up-no-chaser-and-no-anchor/sharetoken/38fd5959-5369-4128-b178-32b6fb0c3160
Thanks for carrying on the fight. I admire your energy.
One of the reasons that people are struggling so much is that the Republicans voted to remove the supports that had been in place, so for many people Covid was a respite from struggling, and the removal of the supports found people being evicted, loss of health supports and many things where Covid had made our nation a kinder more EU like place.
Covid *was* political – from the get-go. Early on, Trump and his close advisers knew covid could mushroom. But they acted as though ignoring covid would make it go away.
Thank you for the articles.
Yes David Brooks is elitist but he is not of elite intelligence.
Thanks for making me laugh!
The damage to vaxx was done before Kennedy. I had hoped a million people dying of covid would have opened people's eyes but it's only gotten worse. Bird flu has now crossed into pigs, meaning soon it will be transmitted from pigs to humans. My guess is 2028 will be a rerun of 2020, except much much worse because vaxx may be more limited and won't be used.
thank you for this comment ----- I love perspectives that have a broad historical perspective - and yes - the devastation which the republicans will own this time - -----
I watched Jimmy Kimmel last night, and he had a segment on where they interviewed people on the street the day after the election asking them if they were going to vote that Wednesday. Amazing that they found people who answered in the affirmative, totally unaware that the election had taken place the day before. So, maybe the question is how do we create an engaged, educated electorate who take their responsibility as citizens of this country seriously. Also, let’s protect our comedians as they seem to be our most reliable truth tellers.
League of Women Voters and other such organizations!
Did you know the Ukraine's Zelensky was his country's Jon Stewart before he got elected president?
Thank you thank you thank you for readers' Joe E and Mark B's info on how we can help cure ballots. The House of Representatives still has 27 seats that are not yet called, and the possibility of getting Democratic control hangs in the balance. CA-47 (currently held by Katie Porter) has Dave Min down by only 616 votes! The windows for curing ballots vary by state and are generally a week or two. For these 27 candidates, some have ballot cure phone banks, and others have ballot cure in-person opportunities. Persist!
https://apps.npr.org/2024-election-results/house.html
Thank you for sharing this Ellie.
We need to understand how Hitler built on his rise. What are the lessons we can learn from the Weimar Republic. I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but we need to be realistic. We elected a fascist government.
The first and actually very sobering takeaway from rightly drawing comparisons (or pointing out differences) between the situation in Germany in the 1930s and what we are witnessing currently in the US: the German electorate didn't really know who they were voting for. Once it became clear that Hitler would end the fledgling Weimar democracy and establish an autocratic regime there were no elections anymore.
While they had no elections anymore, they cheered for him. One needs to watch the films of Germans cheering Hitler. It’s chilling. He didn’t kill 6 million Jews by himself.
And trump has promised that as well.
And please, let us not forget, his best buddy Vance called him America's Hitler. Trump IS America's Hitler. He's not just a nutty old guy we have to put up with for four years then he's gone.
Stefan, you see clearly. I don't want to be "unpleasant." But we are crazy if we psychologically whitewash what we are facing, and sit comfortably around tut-tutting, relying on a justice system that has been almost wholly severed at its roots by these people, or an election system that is hanging by a thread. We have to fight. As you say. The danger is imminent and enormous. But we still have a slight chance. If we fight.
Peter, I 2000% agree with you. We should be scared. I do believe these MAGAs have planned and are about to put into effect a Nazi plan for the USA. It's not alarmist; they couldn't have been clearer in their communication, whether it was Project 2025, the Madison Square Garden rally. It's us who refuse to see what they're putting in front of us. We have to fight. And they've already tipped many of the scales in the favor: SCOTUS, Senate and maybe House control by MAGA, Trump's ability to commit any crime he wishes while in office. This is not business as usual. Don't be lulled. People here are blithely chatting about "the next elections." Have we forgotten Trump said this will be the last? The rule of law is in danger of being suspended. Then what recourse will we have? We have to fight. We're in the battle of our lives.
Peter, we did, and taking lessons from Hitlers Germany is a wise action, so we can construct an effective fight to overturn it. The French resistance comes to mind. There were resistance fighters in many countries, I believe. They included not just men and women of fighting age, but children and the elderly. We can all join the resistance.
One thing that Biden should do now is to supply Ukraine with all the weapons it needs, and urge our allies to do the same.
I am very, very worried about Ukraine. You are right, of course. The problem is Putin's stock of tactical nuclear weapons.
This is grief!!! I've walked among trees where I find peace and strength. I deleted fb from my phone. I continue to read HCR, The Front Page, Lucien Truscott, and a few others. I do not watch the news, rather I read books and depend on newspapers. Someone offered me leftover Halloween candy, I took it and ate way too much. I've discovered the Paradox of Tolerance, written in 1945. I've suggested to others they read Vicktor Frankel's, Mans Search for Meaning and Elie Weisel's Night. I watched Will and Hunter on Neflix. I highly recommend it. I've returned to my sewing and sorting. I sleep well. However, when I sit down to read, the gut punch and pit in my stomach returns. But, I am, in no way, giving up. We women have work to do, again!!! January 20th would be a good day to rise up and let the world know we women of all races, sexual orientation and culture will not tolerate the intolerable.
I’ve read a few pieces this morning pointing out that Trump’s fluctuation in his win, loss, win has not changed much…hardly a mandate.
I also woke up to AXIOS preaching about all the fingerprinting and analysis that’s going on.
I’m going to leave the big philosophizing up to those much more knowledgeable than I. I just flat don’t know. Frankly, I don’t know why the press isn’t asking how it is that we elected a conman, felon, sexual assaulter. But especially that last one. I am angry that some of my friends and relatives helped elect a criminal rapist. Do not talk to me about law and order, Republican Party, every again.
Finally, and this relates to the third of the country that don’t vote, I will continue to focus on voter registration, information, and advocacy through the League of Women Voters. Politics-wise, I plan to get involved with local elections this spring, volunteering for candidates who possess the values we consider Democratic values.
I feel better after reading this newsletter. Not great just better.
Robert - that photo of the Pleiades is quite striking! It was nice to see after the soul-crushing of Tuesday. I reached out to a former HS classmate who has voted for Rs for years, voted for Trump, has Angry White Male issues, but yet is not MAGA, I realized. I found it a little comforting. It seems to me some of that anger is open to redirection to the Rs with a little respect, patience, and clear thinking. Chris Hayes 11/7 program opens with an eerie re-statement of what you write above about the mandate crap, the tiny shift in votes, and the rest. Worth a listen. Looking at Trump 2 as a 2nd term is helpful, I think. They are generally much weaker than 1st terms. Think of Bush 2. He appointed Susan Wiles as COS. I believe it's been reported by Tim Alberta and others that she had said she would not take a job in Trump 2, so an interesting decision. I'm sure she has looked at the brutal record of Trump's COSes. Think of what's happened to folks who served in Trump 1. This outcome is a horrible result but there are solid reasons to understand this was not a blow-out, Donald Trump is not going to morph and run a competent, effective administration. And those Times columnists need to take their heads out of the dark place and look around for real elitists! :-)
No, but it won't be Trump running things. He is mentally unable to at this point. It's Vance who will in charge and the clowns in the cabinet. Trump is super easy to manipulate.
I agree entirely. David Brooks and Ezra Klein. I plan on never reading/ listening to them again. Pathetic.
My agreement is with Greg, to be clear!