Thank you for everything, Robert. All I know right now is that there are going to be people who need us to stand up for them. I don’t know what that looks like. I will appreciate and respond to any leadership on this from trusted voices. Thank you again.
That is just what I said to my husband. There are people we know that we may need to protect, literally. You ask a great question, how do we do this, what does it look like. I will be on the call tonight, hopefully this will be discussed.
On another site, I read a heart-rending post from a person who wrote, "I'm dead already. I am a transgender person in a relationship with another transgender person and we have a biracial marriage." It was so sad, the way it read. An older lady wrote, "I can't stop shaking. This is just like Nazi Germany. How do I stop shaking??"
This election has completely changed the way I see this country. I have all been living with blinders on. He won by a landslide. There is no amount of talking that can make that ok.
Christine, you're right. Nothing will ever make it ok. But it's where we are right now. We need to acknowledge the feelings, then plan. Many of us see strength in numbers and solace in community. We won't all be ready to engage right now. but I think it's important to provide a safe space while we still can. My heart breaks for all of us.
IMHO, and off the top of my still-spinning head, we need to work on our empathy. These "others" have emotions and perceptions that guide their decisions. We may not consider those feelings rational, but they are there, nonetheless. We are so adept at empathizing with marginalized groups of people, but when it comes to Magats, it's too easy to write off their perceptions as extreme and irrational. That may be, but it doesn't relieve us of the responsibility of looking deeply into their perspective. This is what democracy looks like. Keep up the fight!
So true. It’s hard to empathize with MAGA but at some point, as Ghandi said “ There is no way to peace, peace is the way.” That does not mean we do not stumble horribly on attaining that ideal, but that is the work and in a lot of ways it is an inside job. That does not mean we sit around doing nothing but actions coming from unexamined anger normally won’t resolve anything. We are grieving again and we need to give space to ALL the feelings that entails, if possible. It’s hard because parts of me want to just escape into my eating disorder but I can also choose to get more support in healthy ways and at the very least be there for those feelings as best as I can. If I do that, I can be available to be there and act in the best possible way for all concerned. Parts of me want to rage, yell and scream at my parents who are republican ( not necessarily Trumpers, they are old school but mom watched Fox for many years 😞) anyway, I am trying to stay present to this all and not make life worse for anyone. All the same, it’s ok, a part of me is very freaked out. I may need to break some dishes and find a safe outlet for this rage and fear. But I will try to be gentle with all the reactive parts today, validate them tell them we are not alone, it’s ok, we can do this and today, I am here to be with you and other people who feel the same. ( I practice Internal Family Systems so I speak for my inner parts)
This space is helping me get a grip. Thank you all for being who you are. For caring and working for humanity and our beautiful Mother Earth. I feel grateful for all of you. I truly do. ❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️
It's not fruitful to whitewash their motives in voting for a leader so BLATANTLY flawed and divisive. In one breath he threatens his "enemies within" and in the next, he says he'll unify the country. If the blue failed, it was in the failure to GOTV. We should have seen at least an equal number vote for Harris this cycle as voted for Biden in the last. I can't believe memories are SO short. Is it possible that 75 million people really stopped maturing beyond the 3rd grade? And, where were those additional 5-10 million registered Democrats who didn't vote? They are complicit in this disaster.
Thank you. Yes. Not to quote the jerk himself but.......of the people who voted for him? Most are *good* people. Their priorities aren't the same as ours. But they are good. It's really important to remember that now.
No, especially the ones with alot of money, left and right. But I do have two very wealthy ones who voted for Kamala, although she takes money from them of course. People wanted huge change in 2016. We missed that boat by pushing Bernie Saunders out of the primary. I really think its about that. Money talks alot and he was and still is an old school democrat who used to have the middle class. But social media and fear mongering regarding immigration, LGBTQ + and misogynistic attitudes may have smashed him too. Also gerry mandering is a huge problem. Throwing out votes, making it very hard to vote as well. But as I said, a fair amount of Trumpers were Bernie supporters so there is that.
I love what Bernie Saunders says about whst happened. Its been quite a chunk of time and wrong actions on both parties fault to get to this place. He was on the Daily podcast the other day. I see nothing wrong with doing some self reflection even if the people who voted for Trump are acting from totally misguided, racist, misogynistic and LGBTQ + phobia. On the other hand there is such a thing as narcissism and I think there were a ton if them voting for Trump. So its a beyond precarious for sure. Downright nightmare and most of me is furious and very afraid. 🤬😔
Right now I want to stand in my front yard and scream, “what the hell were you thinking!”
I am wondering if anything I say or do will make any difference.
Then I remember, the woman who, in December of 1973, knocked on our hotel door and pleaded with us to let her in.
I opened my door, I brought her in. I could tell she was scared. She and her husband were staying in a room across the hall. He had been beating her and she had escaped.
My husband wasn’t sure if we should have let her in our room. My in laws were in the adjoining room, they said I shouldn’t have let her in, and it was none of our business.
The hotel was the guest quarters on the Canon airbase in Clovis, New Mexico. I called the MPs.
Three responses to a person under threat:
1) help and offer refuge,
2) not sure what should be done, and ask how will it affect me, but go along with what the group thinks should be done,
3) it doesn’t involve us.
My question to all of us is, which response would you choose? For me it will always be open the door and take action.
Now I need to figure out where are the doors and what action will I need to take?
What is your choice?
My husband, of 52 years of marriage, is a good person and he tends to act to protect those in need, though always at a distance. My in-laws have passed away, they were good people, but didn’t “like to interfere.”
I think we all know that when good people stand back and wait for others to take action, it will be the people with bad intentions who will act. I am not sure what we need to do, but I am answering every knock on the door and I will let you in.
I had a conversation with my son this morning. It went something like this:
Mom, our son Sal said find a place locally l, maybe with people who voted for Trump and find out how they are struggling, listen to them, let them say the words out loud, don’t try to tell why they are wrong, just keep asking them questions, and if you can help them in some way help them. We have to to take a page from the haters playbook, but change it toward the positive.
Meet hate with love, anger with understanding, violence with kindness, and start by solving small problems at a local level. Build our community and strengthen relationships.
He said “think like you did when I was a kid, you would say, if we clean up your room, we can have your friend over.”
Act local, start small, and build community and celebrate the small successes. Maybe I am a Pollyanna, but I refuse to give in or up. I will listen for every knock on the door and I will let people in. I will weave a blanket to cover us all. Lanette, we will not give up. We will not give in.
Wow, what a beautiful and clear message. It's so hard to know what we would do in these difficult times, what sacrifices we would make, but it's time to find out. Thank you so much for your powerful message. So many feel the same way I am sure.
Thank you for being such a beacon of light and truth during this dark time in our history -we all tried our best and need to regroup and find strength to keep going
Thank you Robert. I really need this. I do have one question about the results... are we certain this is legitimate, with all the bomb threats and Trump's promise of a "surprise"? I'm not a conspiracy theorist but this just doesn't add up to me.
Ellen here--my thoughts exactly. Are we and can we be sure there was no possible hacking going on. This just doesn't feel right to me. Remember trump does things he projects onto others.
Same here. I can't understand how fewer people voted in this election than in the past two and that he won by such a large margin. Both the House and Senate. There was so much excitement and energy for Harris, huge numbers of early voters, and long lines yesterday.
A quote from Dorothy Parker: "What fresh hell is this?"
Sandy, I, too, have harbored concerns about the several bomb scares all occurring in battleground polling stations causing everyone to evacuate. While the facilities re-opened and extended their hours, I very much have wondered how many voters, particularly for Harris, didn’t return.
Regrettably, because we have no recourse, our only choice is to find a way forward in solidarity with one another.
I have had these thoughts also, not to jump on the victim bandwagon, but to cling to the hope that there was more interference than actual voting Americans that created this new dystopian paradigm.
My daughter just showed me the percentage of women and Gen Z's who voted for Trump. I can't believe I've lived in a bubble all this time and never saw it. It's very suspect from what I saw online.
I'm so dissapointed in the American people this morning. its too hard to fathom that people are willing to vote for a candidate with hundreds of character flaws but won't vote for candidate with only one perceived flaw "a woman of color". There are gutless and spineless and get what they deserve from their new dictator. Unfortunley I get dragged down with them
Thanks, Robert, for having the courage and energy to do this. Not sure I'll have the courage and energy to attend. I've been fascinated with politics since 1960, when Jack Kennedy (who was born a few blocks from where I am writing this) ran for president, and active since working my guts out for Humphrey and Muskie in 1968. Right now, I'm thinking that yesterday was the worst day of my life. So not sure I'm ready to get up off the mat.
I am continuing with my plans to expat to France. I’ve seen this coming for too many years. We have been frogs in the pot with the heat gradually rising.
I have been researching for three + years. I subscribe to Le Monde and am a member of several expat groups in France. I also researched Portugal extensively. This is not a decision made lightly or without consideration. When threatened with the prospect of LePen’s party gaining power, the French united to thwart her rather than what we have seen in the U.S. to embrace the worst aspects of Trump and his ilk.
“OK Joe, you need to use your immunity powers granted to you by the corrupt supreme court court and you need to do this right now. You need to slow down or stop his plans to set up concentration camps, separate children at the border deport all of our brown people and maybe make sure the awful man goes to jail? And pardon your son.”
I sent this through the White House email system to both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. You could do the same.
I can’t f’ing believe this news or that, as a politically battle-scarred 91 year old who has a good working brain, that I am conjuring up conspiracy theories…..just like the horror named Trump. I ask myself do I have the strength to do battle again?
I recommend reading Simon Rosenberg’s most recent post here on Substack. Please subscribe. We cannot give up but we must recover from this shock and move forward. We’ve been awake since 1 am and cannot even eat.
And Robert Hubbell. Not a landslide, a third of voters didn’t vote. There’s a lot of common sense out there. And ways to move forward. The midterms can change everything!
Thanks Robert for your encouraging words. I've sent your email to many friends this morning to help sooth their broken hearts and frustrations. As you say, we carry on and keep vigilant!
Hi Jennifer~ You don’t need to pick up any torch right now. Its ok. If you want to join in and just listen it’s fine. You might feel a little better if you hear others are taking action or others feel like you. I think the point is to stay in a sense of community. No matter how you are feeling, I would welcome you. But of course do what you feel is best for you. Take good care❤️
I took a nap and your advice. Thank you, I will listen in. Today I am reading in the NYT stuff like ‘America Hires a Strongman’. Strong? Seriously NYT?’ One of the ten takeaways is how Harris lost because she couldn’t outrun Joe Biden’s unpopular agenda. His economy and the border. Same negative spin, delusional different day.
This is like blaming a beaten, abused person for their injuries. ‘Well, they shouldn’t have made him mad!’ I am sick and tired of the blame game and hearing how Democrats are responsible for the disenfranchised. Do we play a part? Yes, of course. But, there’s an ugly amount of hate and ignorance in our country. It’s real and we need to face it.
You are right about that- it’s really hard to hold both truths, we make mistakes we can learn from AND we have a sickness in this country with several names: racism, misogyny, hate, ignorance, greed, homophobia and more.
Thank you for everything, Robert. All I know right now is that there are going to be people who need us to stand up for them. I don’t know what that looks like. I will appreciate and respond to any leadership on this from trusted voices. Thank you again.
That is just what I said to my husband. There are people we know that we may need to protect, literally. You ask a great question, how do we do this, what does it look like. I will be on the call tonight, hopefully this will be discussed.
On another site, I read a heart-rending post from a person who wrote, "I'm dead already. I am a transgender person in a relationship with another transgender person and we have a biracial marriage." It was so sad, the way it read. An older lady wrote, "I can't stop shaking. This is just like Nazi Germany. How do I stop shaking??"
Lord. 😭
👆🏻
Me too.
This election has completely changed the way I see this country. I have all been living with blinders on. He won by a landslide. There is no amount of talking that can make that ok.
Christine, you're right. Nothing will ever make it ok. But it's where we are right now. We need to acknowledge the feelings, then plan. Many of us see strength in numbers and solace in community. We won't all be ready to engage right now. but I think it's important to provide a safe space while we still can. My heart breaks for all of us.
Yes…for all of us.
How did we not see this coming? I really believed she was going to win by a landslide.
Same!! I’m in denial that (so much of) this country chooses hate right now!
IMHO, and off the top of my still-spinning head, we need to work on our empathy. These "others" have emotions and perceptions that guide their decisions. We may not consider those feelings rational, but they are there, nonetheless. We are so adept at empathizing with marginalized groups of people, but when it comes to Magats, it's too easy to write off their perceptions as extreme and irrational. That may be, but it doesn't relieve us of the responsibility of looking deeply into their perspective. This is what democracy looks like. Keep up the fight!
So true. It’s hard to empathize with MAGA but at some point, as Ghandi said “ There is no way to peace, peace is the way.” That does not mean we do not stumble horribly on attaining that ideal, but that is the work and in a lot of ways it is an inside job. That does not mean we sit around doing nothing but actions coming from unexamined anger normally won’t resolve anything. We are grieving again and we need to give space to ALL the feelings that entails, if possible. It’s hard because parts of me want to just escape into my eating disorder but I can also choose to get more support in healthy ways and at the very least be there for those feelings as best as I can. If I do that, I can be available to be there and act in the best possible way for all concerned. Parts of me want to rage, yell and scream at my parents who are republican ( not necessarily Trumpers, they are old school but mom watched Fox for many years 😞) anyway, I am trying to stay present to this all and not make life worse for anyone. All the same, it’s ok, a part of me is very freaked out. I may need to break some dishes and find a safe outlet for this rage and fear. But I will try to be gentle with all the reactive parts today, validate them tell them we are not alone, it’s ok, we can do this and today, I am here to be with you and other people who feel the same. ( I practice Internal Family Systems so I speak for my inner parts)
This space is helping me get a grip. Thank you all for being who you are. For caring and working for humanity and our beautiful Mother Earth. I feel grateful for all of you. I truly do. ❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️
@paula. First, God bless you. Second I *just* was introduced to Internal Fmaily Systems a couple days ago so yes, yes, yes!
Its very cool huh?☺️
It's not fruitful to whitewash their motives in voting for a leader so BLATANTLY flawed and divisive. In one breath he threatens his "enemies within" and in the next, he says he'll unify the country. If the blue failed, it was in the failure to GOTV. We should have seen at least an equal number vote for Harris this cycle as voted for Biden in the last. I can't believe memories are SO short. Is it possible that 75 million people really stopped maturing beyond the 3rd grade? And, where were those additional 5-10 million registered Democrats who didn't vote? They are complicit in this disaster.
Thank you. Yes. Not to quote the jerk himself but.......of the people who voted for him? Most are *good* people. Their priorities aren't the same as ours. But they are good. It's really important to remember that now.
I have a friend that says that. That their priorities are not the same… So what are their priorities? Not democracy I guess.
No, especially the ones with alot of money, left and right. But I do have two very wealthy ones who voted for Kamala, although she takes money from them of course. People wanted huge change in 2016. We missed that boat by pushing Bernie Saunders out of the primary. I really think its about that. Money talks alot and he was and still is an old school democrat who used to have the middle class. But social media and fear mongering regarding immigration, LGBTQ + and misogynistic attitudes may have smashed him too. Also gerry mandering is a huge problem. Throwing out votes, making it very hard to vote as well. But as I said, a fair amount of Trumpers were Bernie supporters so there is that.
I love what Bernie Saunders says about whst happened. Its been quite a chunk of time and wrong actions on both parties fault to get to this place. He was on the Daily podcast the other day. I see nothing wrong with doing some self reflection even if the people who voted for Trump are acting from totally misguided, racist, misogynistic and LGBTQ + phobia. On the other hand there is such a thing as narcissism and I think there were a ton if them voting for Trump. So its a beyond precarious for sure. Downright nightmare and most of me is furious and very afraid. 🤬😔
Economics and immigration. Limiting money going overseas. Trash talk like Dt’s verbiage doesn’t bother them. It’s just not important.
We had confidence in America's common sense prevailing. And underestimated how stupid people can be.
Me too
Exactly!
Think I’ll start referring to myself as an ABBO.
American By Birth Only
I want it clearly known that I am not ok with what this country stands for presently.
Not a landslide according to Robert Hubble. He said about a third of voters didn’t vote. And it really is close.
Right now I want to stand in my front yard and scream, “what the hell were you thinking!”
I am wondering if anything I say or do will make any difference.
Then I remember, the woman who, in December of 1973, knocked on our hotel door and pleaded with us to let her in.
I opened my door, I brought her in. I could tell she was scared. She and her husband were staying in a room across the hall. He had been beating her and she had escaped.
My husband wasn’t sure if we should have let her in our room. My in laws were in the adjoining room, they said I shouldn’t have let her in, and it was none of our business.
The hotel was the guest quarters on the Canon airbase in Clovis, New Mexico. I called the MPs.
Three responses to a person under threat:
1) help and offer refuge,
2) not sure what should be done, and ask how will it affect me, but go along with what the group thinks should be done,
3) it doesn’t involve us.
My question to all of us is, which response would you choose? For me it will always be open the door and take action.
Now I need to figure out where are the doors and what action will I need to take?
What is your choice?
My husband, of 52 years of marriage, is a good person and he tends to act to protect those in need, though always at a distance. My in-laws have passed away, they were good people, but didn’t “like to interfere.”
I think we all know that when good people stand back and wait for others to take action, it will be the people with bad intentions who will act. I am not sure what we need to do, but I am answering every knock on the door and I will let you in.
That brought fresh tears on a day when I’ve cried many. Beautiful.
We will get through this, we will not give up.
I had a conversation with my son this morning. It went something like this:
Mom, our son Sal said find a place locally l, maybe with people who voted for Trump and find out how they are struggling, listen to them, let them say the words out loud, don’t try to tell why they are wrong, just keep asking them questions, and if you can help them in some way help them. We have to to take a page from the haters playbook, but change it toward the positive.
Meet hate with love, anger with understanding, violence with kindness, and start by solving small problems at a local level. Build our community and strengthen relationships.
He said “think like you did when I was a kid, you would say, if we clean up your room, we can have your friend over.”
Act local, start small, and build community and celebrate the small successes. Maybe I am a Pollyanna, but I refuse to give in or up. I will listen for every knock on the door and I will let people in. I will weave a blanket to cover us all. Lanette, we will not give up. We will not give in.
Your letter made me thing of this quote, which I will alter slightly.
"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men [and women] do nothing."
Wow, what a beautiful and clear message. It's so hard to know what we would do in these difficult times, what sacrifices we would make, but it's time to find out. Thank you so much for your powerful message. So many feel the same way I am sure.
Yes! Open the door and take action!
Thank you for being such a beacon of light and truth during this dark time in our history -we all tried our best and need to regroup and find strength to keep going
Thank you Robert. I really need this. I do have one question about the results... are we certain this is legitimate, with all the bomb threats and Trump's promise of a "surprise"? I'm not a conspiracy theorist but this just doesn't add up to me.
Ellen here--my thoughts exactly. Are we and can we be sure there was no possible hacking going on. This just doesn't feel right to me. Remember trump does things he projects onto others.
Same here. I can't understand how fewer people voted in this election than in the past two and that he won by such a large margin. Both the House and Senate. There was so much excitement and energy for Harris, huge numbers of early voters, and long lines yesterday.
A quote from Dorothy Parker: "What fresh hell is this?"
Sandy, I, too, have harbored concerns about the several bomb scares all occurring in battleground polling stations causing everyone to evacuate. While the facilities re-opened and extended their hours, I very much have wondered how many voters, particularly for Harris, didn’t return.
Regrettably, because we have no recourse, our only choice is to find a way forward in solidarity with one another.
I have had these thoughts also, not to jump on the victim bandwagon, but to cling to the hope that there was more interference than actual voting Americans that created this new dystopian paradigm.
I've been thinking the same things...
My daughter just showed me the percentage of women and Gen Z's who voted for Trump. I can't believe I've lived in a bubble all this time and never saw it. It's very suspect from what I saw online.
I can't understand why one single female would vote for such a creep (for lack of a better word)!
I'm so dissapointed in the American people this morning. its too hard to fathom that people are willing to vote for a candidate with hundreds of character flaws but won't vote for candidate with only one perceived flaw "a woman of color". There are gutless and spineless and get what they deserve from their new dictator. Unfortunley I get dragged down with them
🎯 I feel this, too!
Thanks, Robert, for having the courage and energy to do this. Not sure I'll have the courage and energy to attend. I've been fascinated with politics since 1960, when Jack Kennedy (who was born a few blocks from where I am writing this) ran for president, and active since working my guts out for Humphrey and Muskie in 1968. Right now, I'm thinking that yesterday was the worst day of my life. So not sure I'm ready to get up off the mat.
Amen. We’re a hurting people. Need to gather. I’ll be looking for the link. Ty so much for all you have done & are doing ❌⭕️❌
I am continuing with my plans to expat to France. I’ve seen this coming for too many years. We have been frogs in the pot with the heat gradually rising.
When trump pulls out of NATO, there will be no safe place on earth.
For some in this country, that has always been true. We have never had a safe space. I just choose to insure I live in a democracy.
Somehow I sensed that the 2024 presidential election would turn out this way. Am heartbroken, terrified and enraged.
Well, you might want to check the current political situation in France before you move. Frying pan to fire!
I have been researching for three + years. I subscribe to Le Monde and am a member of several expat groups in France. I also researched Portugal extensively. This is not a decision made lightly or without consideration. When threatened with the prospect of LePen’s party gaining power, the French united to thwart her rather than what we have seen in the U.S. to embrace the worst aspects of Trump and his ilk.
Good for you! My research for somewhere else to live begins today.
I am so sorry. 😞
“OK Joe, you need to use your immunity powers granted to you by the corrupt supreme court court and you need to do this right now. You need to slow down or stop his plans to set up concentration camps, separate children at the border deport all of our brown people and maybe make sure the awful man goes to jail? And pardon your son.”
I sent this through the White House email system to both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. You could do the same.
I wish he would, but he won't.
He might
Can he? Will he?
Is he thinking he could have beaten Trump?
Please let him act!
I will send this too--do you have a link to the WH email system?
I can’t f’ing believe this news or that, as a politically battle-scarred 91 year old who has a good working brain, that I am conjuring up conspiracy theories…..just like the horror named Trump. I ask myself do I have the strength to do battle again?
I recommend reading Simon Rosenberg’s most recent post here on Substack. Please subscribe. We cannot give up but we must recover from this shock and move forward. We’ve been awake since 1 am and cannot even eat.
Stop, eat, take a nap, and a break.
I watched his Zoom meeting this morning and it was really great. He actually started crying, and then apologized :( No apology necessary sir!
And Robert Hubbell. Not a landslide, a third of voters didn’t vote. There’s a lot of common sense out there. And ways to move forward. The midterms can change everything!
I am numb.
I'm still shaking.
Thanks Robert for your encouraging words. I've sent your email to many friends this morning to help sooth their broken hearts and frustrations. As you say, we carry on and keep vigilant!
Jess Piper zoom tonight. Too soon for me. I need a bit of time to lick the bloody, gaping wounds before picking up the torch again.
Hi Jennifer~ You don’t need to pick up any torch right now. Its ok. If you want to join in and just listen it’s fine. You might feel a little better if you hear others are taking action or others feel like you. I think the point is to stay in a sense of community. No matter how you are feeling, I would welcome you. But of course do what you feel is best for you. Take good care❤️
I took a nap and your advice. Thank you, I will listen in. Today I am reading in the NYT stuff like ‘America Hires a Strongman’. Strong? Seriously NYT?’ One of the ten takeaways is how Harris lost because she couldn’t outrun Joe Biden’s unpopular agenda. His economy and the border. Same negative spin, delusional different day.
This is like blaming a beaten, abused person for their injuries. ‘Well, they shouldn’t have made him mad!’ I am sick and tired of the blame game and hearing how Democrats are responsible for the disenfranchised. Do we play a part? Yes, of course. But, there’s an ugly amount of hate and ignorance in our country. It’s real and we need to face it.
You are right about that- it’s really hard to hold both truths, we make mistakes we can learn from AND we have a sickness in this country with several names: racism, misogyny, hate, ignorance, greed, homophobia and more.
Robert thanks for doing this. Much appreciated. We need to all learn from this.