I agree Ginnie. Disinformation combined with voter suppression really worked for those on the radical right, though they did not win by much.
" none of this is conspiracy or theory. This is the end result of Republicans working hard to restrict voting access, particularly for Black and brown voters."
Agree. Also, I appreciate that there have been times that Democrats have “talked down” to voters. Frankly, there are times when Republicans have talked pretty snottily to Democrats. Certainly we should all talk to each other respectfully, WHEN we are having a good faith conversation. But we have a whole lot of people who are uninformed, through no fault of their own or by choice. We need to RAISE the information level, not “dumb down.” I believe that Republicans WANT an uninformed electorate, and that is despicable. Their leaders are letting them down. They are being duped. I hope some will soon see that Trump and MAGA have betrayed them. That’s the message we need to communicate.
Cathy, you make many excellent points, but I respectfully disagree about Democrats talking down to voters. I never heard Harris or Walz speak down to anyone. Every message from them, the actual candidates, was about lifting all people up and working together to improve life for all Americans.
I do not think all Trump voters were stupid or bigots. In fact, as I was campaigning for Harris, if I met a Trump voter (I'm in a solid blue area, so I did not meet many), I always politely asked them their reasons and listened politely to their answers. I would try to counter their reasons (again politely) and then offer them a US flag pin. We always parted on agreeable terms.
I do think a lot of us felt that the Trump voters were misinformed or not informed on the stakes of the race. Moreover, I am sorry that your perception is that too many Democrats felt that Trump voters were stupid. That is certainly something we need to address for 2026 if we want to win.
I don't think all Trump voters are stupid or racist or misogynistic but I think many are, and I think almost all are either one of those things or dreadfully misinformed or uninformed. I am inherently polite to everyone, but my internal thoughts, while not displayed openly must follow my observations. Also, I have had respectful conversations with R voters where we disagreed, and I have had shockingly ugly ones, and I can assure you I remained polite. I have seen two studies lately where they asked voters for answers to political questions where there were objectively correct answers and then correlated that with who they voted for, and those who voted for Trump were significantly more poorly informed.
I looking toward the 2026 election we need to focus on clearer messaging in places Trump voters see such as on tiktok, and while I embrace Bluesky as a healing and comfortable space, and we should try to promote it and other Xitter alternatives, we must guard against succumbing to the impression that blue bubble represents the real world or even those who must be reached. Someone above says there was some lack in spelling out things like exactly what a tariff is - which is true of other vague statements bulleting tends to yield like "policies" and I thought so, too, and did not think that should be viewed as "talking down to" at all. Done correctly explanations and definitions are not heard as condescending.
We're just going to do better next time, so now we call our representatives, email the White House, and try to promote all of our best Right Now, Next 48 days (minus holidays - yikes!) ideas.
I agree. Gotta make things plain as day. Find, or make, the best, brief explanation, and use that over and over again. Paint a vivid picture. Here's my attempt:
A Chinese company is selling a $1000 TV in America. An American company, an importer, plans to buy it. With a 20% tariff, the *American company* would need to pay the U.S. Treasury $200 for the TV to get through customs. And, the American company would increase the retail price by $200.
I only heard an explanatory story like this *once.*
Claiming it's a "sales tax" was incorrect. It's *like* a sales tax, but that idea is completely unnecessary to get across the idea of increased costs.
You should have written to NYT, WaPo, or whatever papers you read. There were many articles that mentioned the tariffs but never ever explained. I complained about their lack of explanation and authors actually responded that I must be responding to Lawrence O’Donnell’s complaint and then denied it was their responsibility. Harris is now criticized for not giving a 9th grade lecture on tariffs? Cmon folks. You are aiming your criticism at the wrong candidate.
Jon, where were you when she did explain AND refer to economists’ prediction of the impact? Sorry but I did not see a single time when Harris talked down to voters.
I wouldn't see omitting a definition as talking down - if anything over explaining is sometimes interpreted as talking down (EG "mansplaining") so I don't think Jon was specifically saying she was talking down, but in fact saying he'd have liked to see the clear explanation more often. That lack (and I too only saw it once or twice) was not primarily on Harris who had much to say in a limited time - such is the nature of public speaking - but on all of the support media be it D releases, ads, Us in our comments, as you say in our letters to the editors and article writers, the editors who ignored us, etc. The info was not out there in sufficient quantity for some reason, and next time we'll know to spot those things that others apparently googled for too late like "what is a tariff?" because that's part of what we have to do next - After the inauguration. Until then, we have to turn our "voter 'splaining" powers onto our representatives.
A lot of them are. But not all. That said, I cannot understand why anyone would vote for a convicted felon, rapist, liar, and conman. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
I agree. Gotta make things plain as day. Find, or make, the best, brief explanation, and use that over and over again. Paint a vivid picture. Here's my attempt:
A Chinese company is selling a $1000 TV in America. An American company, an importer, plans to buy it. With a 20% tariff, the *American company* would need to pay the U.S. Treasury $200 for the TV to get through customs. And, the American company would increase the retail price by $200.
I only heard an explanatory story like this *once.*
Claiming it's a "sales tax" was incorrect. It's *like* a sales tax, but that idea is completely unnecessary to get across the idea of increased costs.
How about just saying: if a company imports a washing machine and must pay $200, or $500 or $1,000 more for it, the company will pass that cost right on to you, the consumer.
Yes, if faith is optimism, gratitude, and joy, Kamala ran on faith. The opposite of faith is fear, and that's what Trump ran on. Even so, this is not a victory for the radical right. The House is probably going to have the exact same makeup as before the election, and when you defend twice as many Senate seats as the opposition and lose only three or four, that is statistical regression toward the mean. Had we lost to a Republican moderate (if they still exist), the election would have been a logical response to the logical concern over the price of groceries--a real deal to the bottom 1/3 of American families; their pain is proportionately far greater than even that of the middle; and we should enlist compassion as an antidote to considering these voters "stupid". The tragedy for all of us, including them, is that we are about to find out, if we didn't already know, that misogyny and xenophobia define MAGA; and yes, far too many men voted explicitly for those--and maybe some women, as well. Maybe some Trump voters didn't vote for fear and hate, but these will be visited on the whole nation. We must walk in faith and find love and community together, "wherever two or more of you are gathered". As Robert has said, community and action are the response to Trump's (and his ultimate would-be puppeteers, who think they can ride the tiger, a la the German industrialists) attempts to drown us, one at a time, in despair.
Lisa, Sorry but Hillary was right all along. Many voters were “deplorable”. If you doubt that, I ask you to go back and watch the videos of the people attending Trump’s rallies. Women who stand by and make excuses for them need to wake up. I heard people cheering when he smiled or even suggested that Harris was a whore, retarded, wasn’t sure of her race, and so on ad nauseum.
Frankly Bonnie, it has nothing to do with what you or I, or even Hillary think. It has everything to do with insulting citizens whose votes you need. It was thoughtless and extremely unwise of her. And yes, I completely agree with the opinion but know better than to further alienate those we need to reach.
Frankly, Lisa, I think you are wrong. Silence means you don’t care enough to say something and are afraid of insulting someone when they are racist, sexist, homophobes, and all the rest. We need to speak up or tolerate sexism for another 200 years. I’ve had enough.
Good point. Someone commented recently that people and the people's representatives need to define "Where you stand and why you stand there." "Values" like fear, hate, bigotry, vengeance, and the like should be called out and not tolerated in a civil society. That is common sense, not an ideology or a party platform.
That isn't why she didn't get there votes. She was never going to get them no matter what she said. I know some of those deplorables and nothing was going to get them to vote for Hillary . Some of them loved making jokes about the comment .. "I guess I am just one of those deplorables." ha ha!
It's happening now, though, Cathy, when some Democrats blame other Dems for not doing 'it' right! Many of us have worked our fingers, voices or feet off trying to get an incredibly qualified candidate elected. I feel terribly bad for her. But she is a woman who is sturdy and she has a wonderful husband. That doesn't help us, however, down here watching Trump try to destroy us. I take heart in Robert's words today in the hopes that the Senate will not give way to Trump. But John Heilmann, on Nicolle Wallace's show on Friday, asked her, "Have you ever seen a Republican member of the House disobey Trump?" She had to say "No!" He shrugged his shoulders. Heilman has said all the way up to the day before Election Day that he was worried for Kamala. He did not want to be right!
Exactly. And it was those words that upset the MAGA crowd the most. As my husband put it, "They are terrified that someone is going to get their stuff."
I couldn't agree more. I'm tired of having the finger pointed at me because I have embraced education and my right to continue to learn. We have let so many capable folks who were not given a decent education due in large part to funding cuts for public education. Ignorant people are more easily manipulated, which is exactly what oligarchs want. We should never, ever feel guilty or ashamed of not dumbing down. Leave that to reality TV.
His campaign pivoted to racism and sexism when he started whining about Joe dropping out. One can pin it down to a day most likely. Not that they hadn’t used more dirty tricks and shady maneuvers before. It just went into overdrive. Whine, whine, whine, and the megaphone blares more Schitt.
So, Dump won this because of Citizens United and voter suppression. He stole this election.
Elon Musk poured millions into a flash flag advertisement buy at the ned of the election cycle, pretending to be Kamala Harris. Were these AI ads? The article doesn't say.
I believe we must counter it. I have two very dear Dutch friends who I call my Dutch sisters and they tell me the same story you did. We must work together to overcome this. A great place to start is with Timothy Snyder's, On Freedom.
At age 79, would I be one of the "sisters" or perhaps the "mother?" HA! As the world sees America "embrace" Trump, they are trying it out for themselves (just like they've tried letting Valentine's Day and Halloween jump The Pond--a bad comparison but my Dutch wife hates it because of the commercialism). Anyway, thanks for the nod to Timothy Snyder, with whom I definitely resonate!
Robert, Thank you for these thoughtful and encouraging comments. As one who gave time, money and heart to Kamala’s campaign, I am among those who are still in shock: less about her loss, and more about the elevation (again?!) of this grifter and felon to the highest office. Like many, I am taking a little time off from most political commentary. But like many, I will soon re-engage. So again…thank you. Your encouragement inspired me to get into the fight, and it encourages me to do so again.
Agreed, Neil, and certainly well said. I am finding that my grief-related incapacity comes in waves that are getting shorter, and I credit Substack writers/commenters with helping to resume resistance activities. Yesterday I pledged to join the DC march against Project 2025 on Jan 18; just finished sending messages to my Senators about the need to get as many pending judicial nominations through as they can right now. Donations are much slowed as I overdid it during the election and am now concerned about future income. I'm not angry about that; just gutted that Harris did not secure a much deserved win. Trying to stop my head from that awful "they'll find out" retribution loop; it's not helpful. Doing my best to take things one day at a time. Hang with us Robert!!
What a glorious thing imagining you and Simon in the same physical space, addressing the same crowd. I have a not so secret dream of a new network channel in which you both speak to us and to each other (alongside Heather and Jessica and Jay and others) in informed and helpful and dare I say hopeful segments, bringing cool and smart and norms-shattering guests into the fold. This channel is backed by the Knight foundation and Mackenzie Bezos and Obama and the rest of us. Its reach surpasses the reach of Fox. Musk envies its power. Truth prevails.
Rob, Trump isn't making his abhorrent cabinet nominations to discourage or weaken us. He's not that stupid. He knows his appointments will strengthen our resolve. He's craving that fight. He is making those appointments to do what he promised he would do: dismantle the federal government and seek retribution against his enemies. Us. And to pardon the insurrectionists. To strip people of control over their bodies. To crush the free press. To further enable the wealthiest among us at the expense of the poor and disenfranchised across the globe. The list goes on. This is far more serious than tit for tat. Trump is a rising fascist on the brink of absolute power.
Peter_ I agree with your assessment. The fact that it discourages and weakens us is just icing on the cake for Trump. He’ll run rough shod over this nation, and probably the rest of the world, not giving a crap about anything but his own ego-fix. And his ass-kissing MAGA supporters will aide and abet, cheering him on all the way.
Knowing trump loves his optics, I am imagining him arresting his enemies from within at the inauguration. Full fascism on day one. Dems are on power until Jan 20, are they going to step up and save us and the entire world? I would prefer a fascist regime under democrats than trump.
I think everyone is vastly underestimating trump’s and all of his disciples’ love of brutality and violence. They are clearly, obviously, awaiting jan 20 to unleash it. While we sit here, obediently, waiting.
Yes. And many are sitting here, obediently, and offering critical remarks about Harris. Remind me not to read the comments until this kind of talk stops. I have stopped reading NYT and WaPo as I’m sick and tired of reading articles about Democrats elitism only to read more of that BS in today’s comments. I will stick with Robert’s comments and move on. Thanks, Robert, for not blaming Nov 5 results on Kamala!!
Thank you, Bonnie. Do too many Dems have some kind of twisted psychology that compels them to cast blame on Harris and fellow Dems? The only blame should be placed at the feet of those who did not vote, did not vote for Harris, and the uninformed; and the disgusting gerrymandering, voter purges, closed polling places in Dem areas, and deceitful, slanderous ads run by trump operatives.
Peter, really appreciate and agree with your comments. Timothy Snyder in his 11/15 Thinking About…newsletter entitled “Decapitation Strike” identifies perfectly tr&$0’s (Putin’s , Musk’s, +) motives and purposes. I remain hopeful, yet fearful for their success.
As a so-called blue state resident who, for years, largely has split her time digitally among the 7 battleground states, I, presumably along with millions of others, are returning to our respective home communities eager to help ensure that the things the Trump Administration wants to do federally do not conflict with an individual or a citizen’s rights within that state. Well aware that federal law, when in conflict with state law, predominates, in my view, our response must be, “We will not consent.”
As a final point, I would express my gratitude to every Governor who emphatically has pledged not to deploy state law enforcement or the National Guard to carry out Trump’s deportation plan.
« I would express my gratitude to every Governor who emphatically has pledged not to deploy state law enforcement or the National Guard to carry out Trump’s deportation plan. » —
I agree. But bear in mind that the President can federalize units of the National Guard, moving them under his command.
Michael, I’m aware. I’m also aware, quoting Daily Kos, that “Democratic governors are spearheading a new pro-democratic organization ‘Governors Safeguard Democracy’ to fight President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration.” Hence, when anyone states there are no guardrails, I say we still have one—the states, fueled by over 200 grassroots organizers, millions of volunteers, and top state officials. That said, I will grant that the states are our last guardrail.
Stephen, Feasibly that fact could change as increasingly more community groups nationwide organize to preserve constitutional rights and freedoms within their respective states
What concerns me is are we missing a large number of voters who don’t join these groups? We lost 10 million voters in the popular vote. We need to get them back. Sure the groups can fight to preserve democracy but we need to win at the ballot box to really preserve it.
Stephen, Currently organizers are putting into place two-year strategy plans (2025-2026) that gets us to midterms. In my view, we have two choices: spending calories obsessing over what-ifs or giving our all to supporting our last guardrail—the states.
That of course is great but we need right now strong leadership at the national level. Recent articles have indicated that a reason people voted for Trump is he looked and sounded strong and Biden and a Harris looked weaker. We need stronger leaders to step up now and be the vocal and physical presence that makes Trump look weak.
Thanks to all the people curing ballots! You give me hope & renew my fighting spirit. My 'plan' is to pour sand in their gears every chance I get. Let our elected officials (city and state too) hear from us. Make sure they know we are watching and remembering.
I love the metaphor (slouching towards Bethlehem ) and the Cocoon nebula seems appropriate at this time. You are absolutely correct about Trump's strategy at this time with his appointments. We need to remember that he cannot do anything until he becomes president. I sincerely hope that President Biden and his Congress aND agencies are getting projects wrapped up and judges appointed behind the scenes. And the House count is getting interesting with Gaetz's resignation and 3 members slated to take cabinet positions. Go, ballot curers!
I am getting my news primarily via Indivisible -- so I can move straight to their calls for collective action. I think this is why I have avoided the kind of distress others descibe. Last week, I was a safety marshall at a biig march in NYC. The chants ring in my ears -- We the people are united. We the people cannot be defeated! I cured ballots. I phoned my senators. I join zoom calls with other activist groups. All our activism did make a big difference in the outcome of the election (Ben Wiikler or Wisconsin Dems has explained this) and also -- to quote a recent email from Swing Blue Alliance "There is one thing that really stood out about our loss. We did not feel alone. We built this campaign together and we are still in this together. " Thanks to you, Bob, and everyone else who reads your newsletter!
I’m deeply grateful for you, Robert and this community. I wept with your acknowledgment of our fight for future generations. I’m unable to sleep tonight and hearing your voice and wisdom helps me. For one, it’s great to hear that Derek Tran is close to pulling even with his MAGA opponent for his House seat. I’ll be ballot curing on Sunday from Boston.
I recommend HRC’s YouTube from 11/12 for her clear-eyed take this week which I found grounding. We cannot let Trump’s messing with our deep brain to rule us and her video helped me. Link below.
Doing the blame game accomplishes absolutely nothing. The media is thriving on this rather than having headlines about Trump the dictator and nominating crazy insane cabinet people - RFK - really? Goetz are you kidding? We cannot listen to this garbage. We are a democracy and we fight for freedoms as our ancestors did before us. I have been phone banking for NC until it ended Nov 14 and double booked California phone banks all week and will continue this weekend etc. the CA phone bank is so well organized it is an absolute pleasure to try to get the remaining Dems over the finish line. Most of the rejected ballots are mismatched signatures. This new generation print their names because they did not learn cursive!!! In CA it is a really easy fix - by mail, email or in person - easy peasy! Get on a phone bank and do your part - do not sit home and mope. I Chaired Women for Stein who won the governorship for NC easily - we women wrote over 1/4 million postcards which meant that we got all our friends neighbors, co-workers and relatives to vote because we participated. NC also won 4 of the Council of State - so we can keep fighting the good fight - do NOT give up - that is not what our country is about. I will fight everyday for democracy and for my fellow Americans. I want my children and grandchildren to have a democratic government for the people and BY the people - I will fight until I cannot fight any longer. Stop complaining and fight for what's right!!!!!
1) Allison Gill of MuellerSheWrote, penned an open letter to Dick Durbin. It calls for him to invite Jack Smith to speak before his committee for "a public hearing on his investigation of Donald Trump." It also asks that he "request FBI background checks on Justice Department nominees...." We can help by calling on him to do the same.
Here's Durbin's contact info:
202.224.2152
711 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20002
2) Jessica Craven reminds us that President Joe Biden can easily "make the ERA the law of the land simply by asking the national archivist to sign and submit the amendment (which has been ratified by the required 38 states) to the Federal Registry."
Saying that “Democrats are liberal elitists who got what they deserved” is as ridiculous as Trump's constant ads (paid for by Musk) that "all illegal immigrants are murderers and rapists." Come on Democrats, please recognize that we barely lost this election for multiple reasons, NONE of which is that we are largely a bunch of liberal elitists. I am ready to rejoin the fight with even more vigor than before, if that is possible. Let's put our big people pants on and jump right back in!
Thank you for urging us on, Robert. I cannot see any purpose to standing around wringing my hands while Trump and his corrupt, creepy cronies wreck my grandchildren’s future. Action is the antidote to angst!
Also, I’ve been in Kenya for the last three weeks and have queried all my Uber drivers about how they feel about Trump. By and large, and alarmingly, they are largely pro-Trump. Their news has fed them Trump’s traditional conservative social values - anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion, and that aligns well with their cultural beliefs. When I tell them how Trump might make climate change worse and how his Make America Great Again agenda might translate to cutting our aid to developing countries, they pause. Somehow Trump did a better job tapping into people’s fears and unexamined beliefs than did the Democrats who tried to explain why his policies would be harmful to us at home and abroad. Takes too many words to explain stuff!
"Rest and be kind to strangers." Well said, Robert! The best thing I did the day after the election was donate platelets, with the knowledge that my platelets may save the life of someone who voted for trump.
Also, as I said in a meme before the election, "Our Values Are More Important Than Any Policies. We Should Take Care, Not Advantage, Of Each Other." We must not sacrifice our values.
This is what I wrote on my family blog the other day:
"This is the only story I can tell right now, a week+ later, following the initial gut-punch:
Kamala Harris did NOT lose.
She ran one of the greatest campaigns in American history FOR the middle class.
Trump did NOT win.
Sadly, it won't be long before Americans and the world find out why.
DISINFORMATION won!
And it's happening all over the world, including here in the Netherlands (where I live with my Dutch wife).
Can we figure out how to counter it? I sure hope and believe so!"
I agree Ginnie. Disinformation combined with voter suppression really worked for those on the radical right, though they did not win by much.
" none of this is conspiracy or theory. This is the end result of Republicans working hard to restrict voting access, particularly for Black and brown voters."
https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/how-republicans-actually-stole-the
Thanks for the link. Info packed and clearly written.
Agree. Also, I appreciate that there have been times that Democrats have “talked down” to voters. Frankly, there are times when Republicans have talked pretty snottily to Democrats. Certainly we should all talk to each other respectfully, WHEN we are having a good faith conversation. But we have a whole lot of people who are uninformed, through no fault of their own or by choice. We need to RAISE the information level, not “dumb down.” I believe that Republicans WANT an uninformed electorate, and that is despicable. Their leaders are letting them down. They are being duped. I hope some will soon see that Trump and MAGA have betrayed them. That’s the message we need to communicate.
Cathy, you make many excellent points, but I respectfully disagree about Democrats talking down to voters. I never heard Harris or Walz speak down to anyone. Every message from them, the actual candidates, was about lifting all people up and working together to improve life for all Americans.
Remember when Kamala repeatedly said that Trump wants to impose a national sales tax, but never explained why that’s what tariffs would do?
And many of us did express the view that Trump voters were stupid and ignorant, if not outright bigots. (Are you thinking, Well, they are?)
I do not think all Trump voters were stupid or bigots. In fact, as I was campaigning for Harris, if I met a Trump voter (I'm in a solid blue area, so I did not meet many), I always politely asked them their reasons and listened politely to their answers. I would try to counter their reasons (again politely) and then offer them a US flag pin. We always parted on agreeable terms.
I do think a lot of us felt that the Trump voters were misinformed or not informed on the stakes of the race. Moreover, I am sorry that your perception is that too many Democrats felt that Trump voters were stupid. That is certainly something we need to address for 2026 if we want to win.
I don't think all Trump voters are stupid or racist or misogynistic but I think many are, and I think almost all are either one of those things or dreadfully misinformed or uninformed. I am inherently polite to everyone, but my internal thoughts, while not displayed openly must follow my observations. Also, I have had respectful conversations with R voters where we disagreed, and I have had shockingly ugly ones, and I can assure you I remained polite. I have seen two studies lately where they asked voters for answers to political questions where there were objectively correct answers and then correlated that with who they voted for, and those who voted for Trump were significantly more poorly informed.
I looking toward the 2026 election we need to focus on clearer messaging in places Trump voters see such as on tiktok, and while I embrace Bluesky as a healing and comfortable space, and we should try to promote it and other Xitter alternatives, we must guard against succumbing to the impression that blue bubble represents the real world or even those who must be reached. Someone above says there was some lack in spelling out things like exactly what a tariff is - which is true of other vague statements bulleting tends to yield like "policies" and I thought so, too, and did not think that should be viewed as "talking down to" at all. Done correctly explanations and definitions are not heard as condescending.
We're just going to do better next time, so now we call our representatives, email the White House, and try to promote all of our best Right Now, Next 48 days (minus holidays - yikes!) ideas.
I also was frustrated by Kamala's referring to the "sales tax" without explaining how tariffs would have that effect.
I agree. Gotta make things plain as day. Find, or make, the best, brief explanation, and use that over and over again. Paint a vivid picture. Here's my attempt:
A Chinese company is selling a $1000 TV in America. An American company, an importer, plans to buy it. With a 20% tariff, the *American company* would need to pay the U.S. Treasury $200 for the TV to get through customs. And, the American company would increase the retail price by $200.
I only heard an explanatory story like this *once.*
Claiming it's a "sales tax" was incorrect. It's *like* a sales tax, but that idea is completely unnecessary to get across the idea of increased costs.
Thanks. That is a very clear explanation. I think most of us did not get much of an education in basic economics and how they work.
That is so typical of democrats, not explaining and messaging correctly. Why is that? I yelled at the TV when she keep calling the tariffs taxes.
You should have written to NYT, WaPo, or whatever papers you read. There were many articles that mentioned the tariffs but never ever explained. I complained about their lack of explanation and authors actually responded that I must be responding to Lawrence O’Donnell’s complaint and then denied it was their responsibility. Harris is now criticized for not giving a 9th grade lecture on tariffs? Cmon folks. You are aiming your criticism at the wrong candidate.
Jon, where were you when she did explain AND refer to economists’ prediction of the impact? Sorry but I did not see a single time when Harris talked down to voters.
I wouldn't see omitting a definition as talking down - if anything over explaining is sometimes interpreted as talking down (EG "mansplaining") so I don't think Jon was specifically saying she was talking down, but in fact saying he'd have liked to see the clear explanation more often. That lack (and I too only saw it once or twice) was not primarily on Harris who had much to say in a limited time - such is the nature of public speaking - but on all of the support media be it D releases, ads, Us in our comments, as you say in our letters to the editors and article writers, the editors who ignored us, etc. The info was not out there in sufficient quantity for some reason, and next time we'll know to spot those things that others apparently googled for too late like "what is a tariff?" because that's part of what we have to do next - After the inauguration. Until then, we have to turn our "voter 'splaining" powers onto our representatives.
A lot of them are. But not all. That said, I cannot understand why anyone would vote for a convicted felon, rapist, liar, and conman. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
I agree. Gotta make things plain as day. Find, or make, the best, brief explanation, and use that over and over again. Paint a vivid picture. Here's my attempt:
A Chinese company is selling a $1000 TV in America. An American company, an importer, plans to buy it. With a 20% tariff, the *American company* would need to pay the U.S. Treasury $200 for the TV to get through customs. And, the American company would increase the retail price by $200.
I only heard an explanatory story like this *once.*
Claiming it's a "sales tax" was incorrect. It's *like* a sales tax, but that idea is completely unnecessary to get across the idea of increased costs.
How about just saying: if a company imports a washing machine and must pay $200, or $500 or $1,000 more for it, the company will pass that cost right on to you, the consumer.
Perhaps she refers to Hillary, who definitely talked down to voters. Kamala is uplifting.
Yes, if faith is optimism, gratitude, and joy, Kamala ran on faith. The opposite of faith is fear, and that's what Trump ran on. Even so, this is not a victory for the radical right. The House is probably going to have the exact same makeup as before the election, and when you defend twice as many Senate seats as the opposition and lose only three or four, that is statistical regression toward the mean. Had we lost to a Republican moderate (if they still exist), the election would have been a logical response to the logical concern over the price of groceries--a real deal to the bottom 1/3 of American families; their pain is proportionately far greater than even that of the middle; and we should enlist compassion as an antidote to considering these voters "stupid". The tragedy for all of us, including them, is that we are about to find out, if we didn't already know, that misogyny and xenophobia define MAGA; and yes, far too many men voted explicitly for those--and maybe some women, as well. Maybe some Trump voters didn't vote for fear and hate, but these will be visited on the whole nation. We must walk in faith and find love and community together, "wherever two or more of you are gathered". As Robert has said, community and action are the response to Trump's (and his ultimate would-be puppeteers, who think they can ride the tiger, a la the German industrialists) attempts to drown us, one at a time, in despair.
Lisa, Sorry but Hillary was right all along. Many voters were “deplorable”. If you doubt that, I ask you to go back and watch the videos of the people attending Trump’s rallies. Women who stand by and make excuses for them need to wake up. I heard people cheering when he smiled or even suggested that Harris was a whore, retarded, wasn’t sure of her race, and so on ad nauseum.
Yes and please lets not Hillary bash ... They were deplorable and I wish she have doubled down.
Fifty-three percent of white women voted for an abuser. That statistic will be branded on my brain forever.
Frankly Bonnie, it has nothing to do with what you or I, or even Hillary think. It has everything to do with insulting citizens whose votes you need. It was thoughtless and extremely unwise of her. And yes, I completely agree with the opinion but know better than to further alienate those we need to reach.
Frankly, Lisa, I think you are wrong. Silence means you don’t care enough to say something and are afraid of insulting someone when they are racist, sexist, homophobes, and all the rest. We need to speak up or tolerate sexism for another 200 years. I’ve had enough.
Good point. Someone commented recently that people and the people's representatives need to define "Where you stand and why you stand there." "Values" like fear, hate, bigotry, vengeance, and the like should be called out and not tolerated in a civil society. That is common sense, not an ideology or a party platform.
That isn't why she didn't get there votes. She was never going to get them no matter what she said. I know some of those deplorables and nothing was going to get them to vote for Hillary . Some of them loved making jokes about the comment .. "I guess I am just one of those deplorables." ha ha!
Wasn’t the “deplorables” comment made in a private gathering of donors and someone leaked it to the press?
Yes, you might be right. I hate to think anyone would hold that against Harris.
It's happening now, though, Cathy, when some Democrats blame other Dems for not doing 'it' right! Many of us have worked our fingers, voices or feet off trying to get an incredibly qualified candidate elected. I feel terribly bad for her. But she is a woman who is sturdy and she has a wonderful husband. That doesn't help us, however, down here watching Trump try to destroy us. I take heart in Robert's words today in the hopes that the Senate will not give way to Trump. But John Heilmann, on Nicolle Wallace's show on Friday, asked her, "Have you ever seen a Republican member of the House disobey Trump?" She had to say "No!" He shrugged his shoulders. Heilman has said all the way up to the day before Election Day that he was worried for Kamala. He did not want to be right!
To be clear, I never heard Harris or Walz talk condescendingly…I do notice it with commentators/pundits.
Exactly. And it was those words that upset the MAGA crowd the most. As my husband put it, "They are terrified that someone is going to get their stuff."
Agree
I couldn't agree more. I'm tired of having the finger pointed at me because I have embraced education and my right to continue to learn. We have let so many capable folks who were not given a decent education due in large part to funding cuts for public education. Ignorant people are more easily manipulated, which is exactly what oligarchs want. We should never, ever feel guilty or ashamed of not dumbing down. Leave that to reality TV.
I'm not sure they will ever admit it!
Yes Cathy, yes!
His campaign pivoted to racism and sexism when he started whining about Joe dropping out. One can pin it down to a day most likely. Not that they hadn’t used more dirty tricks and shady maneuvers before. It just went into overdrive. Whine, whine, whine, and the megaphone blares more Schitt.
So, Dump won this because of Citizens United and voter suppression. He stole this election.
Elon Musk poured millions into a flash flag advertisement buy at the ned of the election cycle, pretending to be Kamala Harris. Were these AI ads? The article doesn't say.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/15/republican-ads-false-flag/
I'm hoping The Onion's purchase of Info Wars will create a platform for Dem's ability to combat misinformation.
sigh, that's now under review by a bko judge.
I'm in complete agreement with you. All of it.
I believe we must counter it. I have two very dear Dutch friends who I call my Dutch sisters and they tell me the same story you did. We must work together to overcome this. A great place to start is with Timothy Snyder's, On Freedom.
At age 79, would I be one of the "sisters" or perhaps the "mother?" HA! As the world sees America "embrace" Trump, they are trying it out for themselves (just like they've tried letting Valentine's Day and Halloween jump The Pond--a bad comparison but my Dutch wife hates it because of the commercialism). Anyway, thanks for the nod to Timothy Snyder, with whom I definitely resonate!
You are sooo right, thank you.
Exactly!! Thank you for all you say.
Robert, Thank you for these thoughtful and encouraging comments. As one who gave time, money and heart to Kamala’s campaign, I am among those who are still in shock: less about her loss, and more about the elevation (again?!) of this grifter and felon to the highest office. Like many, I am taking a little time off from most political commentary. But like many, I will soon re-engage. So again…thank you. Your encouragement inspired me to get into the fight, and it encourages me to do so again.
Agreed, Neil, and certainly well said. I am finding that my grief-related incapacity comes in waves that are getting shorter, and I credit Substack writers/commenters with helping to resume resistance activities. Yesterday I pledged to join the DC march against Project 2025 on Jan 18; just finished sending messages to my Senators about the need to get as many pending judicial nominations through as they can right now. Donations are much slowed as I overdid it during the election and am now concerned about future income. I'm not angry about that; just gutted that Harris did not secure a much deserved win. Trying to stop my head from that awful "they'll find out" retribution loop; it's not helpful. Doing my best to take things one day at a time. Hang with us Robert!!
Well said. Yes, me, too.
Well - said Neil. I can tell by your writing, you already have something they will never possess. You have enough. Nice!
What a glorious thing imagining you and Simon in the same physical space, addressing the same crowd. I have a not so secret dream of a new network channel in which you both speak to us and to each other (alongside Heather and Jessica and Jay and others) in informed and helpful and dare I say hopeful segments, bringing cool and smart and norms-shattering guests into the fold. This channel is backed by the Knight foundation and Mackenzie Bezos and Obama and the rest of us. Its reach surpasses the reach of Fox. Musk envies its power. Truth prevails.
Rob, Trump isn't making his abhorrent cabinet nominations to discourage or weaken us. He's not that stupid. He knows his appointments will strengthen our resolve. He's craving that fight. He is making those appointments to do what he promised he would do: dismantle the federal government and seek retribution against his enemies. Us. And to pardon the insurrectionists. To strip people of control over their bodies. To crush the free press. To further enable the wealthiest among us at the expense of the poor and disenfranchised across the globe. The list goes on. This is far more serious than tit for tat. Trump is a rising fascist on the brink of absolute power.
Peter_ I agree with your assessment. The fact that it discourages and weakens us is just icing on the cake for Trump. He’ll run rough shod over this nation, and probably the rest of the world, not giving a crap about anything but his own ego-fix. And his ass-kissing MAGA supporters will aide and abet, cheering him on all the way.
And I think he's getting direction from Putin.
Yes, I wish certain people would stop minimizing the danger that trump presents.
Knowing trump loves his optics, I am imagining him arresting his enemies from within at the inauguration. Full fascism on day one. Dems are on power until Jan 20, are they going to step up and save us and the entire world? I would prefer a fascist regime under democrats than trump.
I think everyone is vastly underestimating trump’s and all of his disciples’ love of brutality and violence. They are clearly, obviously, awaiting jan 20 to unleash it. While we sit here, obediently, waiting.
Yes. And many are sitting here, obediently, and offering critical remarks about Harris. Remind me not to read the comments until this kind of talk stops. I have stopped reading NYT and WaPo as I’m sick and tired of reading articles about Democrats elitism only to read more of that BS in today’s comments. I will stick with Robert’s comments and move on. Thanks, Robert, for not blaming Nov 5 results on Kamala!!
Thank you, Bonnie. Do too many Dems have some kind of twisted psychology that compels them to cast blame on Harris and fellow Dems? The only blame should be placed at the feet of those who did not vote, did not vote for Harris, and the uninformed; and the disgusting gerrymandering, voter purges, closed polling places in Dem areas, and deceitful, slanderous ads run by trump operatives.
Agree.
Peter, really appreciate and agree with your comments. Timothy Snyder in his 11/15 Thinking About…newsletter entitled “Decapitation Strike” identifies perfectly tr&$0’s (Putin’s , Musk’s, +) motives and purposes. I remain hopeful, yet fearful for their success.
As a so-called blue state resident who, for years, largely has split her time digitally among the 7 battleground states, I, presumably along with millions of others, are returning to our respective home communities eager to help ensure that the things the Trump Administration wants to do federally do not conflict with an individual or a citizen’s rights within that state. Well aware that federal law, when in conflict with state law, predominates, in my view, our response must be, “We will not consent.”
As a final point, I would express my gratitude to every Governor who emphatically has pledged not to deploy state law enforcement or the National Guard to carry out Trump’s deportation plan.
« I would express my gratitude to every Governor who emphatically has pledged not to deploy state law enforcement or the National Guard to carry out Trump’s deportation plan. » —
I agree. But bear in mind that the President can federalize units of the National Guard, moving them under his command.
Michael, I’m aware. I’m also aware, quoting Daily Kos, that “Democratic governors are spearheading a new pro-democratic organization ‘Governors Safeguard Democracy’ to fight President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration.” Hence, when anyone states there are no guardrails, I say we still have one—the states, fueled by over 200 grassroots organizers, millions of volunteers, and top state officials. That said, I will grant that the states are our last guardrail.
Unfortunately there are not enough Governors who agree.
Stephen, Feasibly that fact could change as increasingly more community groups nationwide organize to preserve constitutional rights and freedoms within their respective states
What concerns me is are we missing a large number of voters who don’t join these groups? We lost 10 million voters in the popular vote. We need to get them back. Sure the groups can fight to preserve democracy but we need to win at the ballot box to really preserve it.
Stephen, Currently organizers are putting into place two-year strategy plans (2025-2026) that gets us to midterms. In my view, we have two choices: spending calories obsessing over what-ifs or giving our all to supporting our last guardrail—the states.
That of course is great but we need right now strong leadership at the national level. Recent articles have indicated that a reason people voted for Trump is he looked and sounded strong and Biden and a Harris looked weaker. We need stronger leaders to step up now and be the vocal and physical presence that makes Trump look weak.
Thanks to all the people curing ballots! You give me hope & renew my fighting spirit. My 'plan' is to pour sand in their gears every chance I get. Let our elected officials (city and state too) hear from us. Make sure they know we are watching and remembering.
Be kind to strangers. Many days, that's my only goal; it never fails to make two people feel a bit better.
I love the metaphor (slouching towards Bethlehem ) and the Cocoon nebula seems appropriate at this time. You are absolutely correct about Trump's strategy at this time with his appointments. We need to remember that he cannot do anything until he becomes president. I sincerely hope that President Biden and his Congress aND agencies are getting projects wrapped up and judges appointed behind the scenes. And the House count is getting interesting with Gaetz's resignation and 3 members slated to take cabinet positions. Go, ballot curers!
I am getting my news primarily via Indivisible -- so I can move straight to their calls for collective action. I think this is why I have avoided the kind of distress others descibe. Last week, I was a safety marshall at a biig march in NYC. The chants ring in my ears -- We the people are united. We the people cannot be defeated! I cured ballots. I phoned my senators. I join zoom calls with other activist groups. All our activism did make a big difference in the outcome of the election (Ben Wiikler or Wisconsin Dems has explained this) and also -- to quote a recent email from Swing Blue Alliance "There is one thing that really stood out about our loss. We did not feel alone. We built this campaign together and we are still in this together. " Thanks to you, Bob, and everyone else who reads your newsletter!
I’m deeply grateful for you, Robert and this community. I wept with your acknowledgment of our fight for future generations. I’m unable to sleep tonight and hearing your voice and wisdom helps me. For one, it’s great to hear that Derek Tran is close to pulling even with his MAGA opponent for his House seat. I’ll be ballot curing on Sunday from Boston.
I recommend HRC’s YouTube from 11/12 for her clear-eyed take this week which I found grounding. We cannot let Trump’s messing with our deep brain to rule us and her video helped me. Link below.
https://youtu.be/sLsp464Ac7k?si=uuDOZjcCEjPL9B8b
Doing the blame game accomplishes absolutely nothing. The media is thriving on this rather than having headlines about Trump the dictator and nominating crazy insane cabinet people - RFK - really? Goetz are you kidding? We cannot listen to this garbage. We are a democracy and we fight for freedoms as our ancestors did before us. I have been phone banking for NC until it ended Nov 14 and double booked California phone banks all week and will continue this weekend etc. the CA phone bank is so well organized it is an absolute pleasure to try to get the remaining Dems over the finish line. Most of the rejected ballots are mismatched signatures. This new generation print their names because they did not learn cursive!!! In CA it is a really easy fix - by mail, email or in person - easy peasy! Get on a phone bank and do your part - do not sit home and mope. I Chaired Women for Stein who won the governorship for NC easily - we women wrote over 1/4 million postcards which meant that we got all our friends neighbors, co-workers and relatives to vote because we participated. NC also won 4 of the Council of State - so we can keep fighting the good fight - do NOT give up - that is not what our country is about. I will fight everyday for democracy and for my fellow Americans. I want my children and grandchildren to have a democratic government for the people and BY the people - I will fight until I cannot fight any longer. Stop complaining and fight for what's right!!!!!
1) Allison Gill of MuellerSheWrote, penned an open letter to Dick Durbin. It calls for him to invite Jack Smith to speak before his committee for "a public hearing on his investigation of Donald Trump." It also asks that he "request FBI background checks on Justice Department nominees...." We can help by calling on him to do the same.
Here's Durbin's contact info:
202.224.2152
711 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20002
2) Jessica Craven reminds us that President Joe Biden can easily "make the ERA the law of the land simply by asking the national archivist to sign and submit the amendment (which has been ratified by the required 38 states) to the Federal Registry."
https://voteequality.us/activate/write4rights/
Thanks, Robert; I feel much better now!
Saying that “Democrats are liberal elitists who got what they deserved” is as ridiculous as Trump's constant ads (paid for by Musk) that "all illegal immigrants are murderers and rapists." Come on Democrats, please recognize that we barely lost this election for multiple reasons, NONE of which is that we are largely a bunch of liberal elitists. I am ready to rejoin the fight with even more vigor than before, if that is possible. Let's put our big people pants on and jump right back in!
In part, I disagree: A contributing factor *was* that many Democrats did come across as « liberal elitists ».
Just look, for example, at posts on Hubbell blogs that disparage the intelligence of Trump voters. People react negatively to being looked down upon.
Thank you for urging us on, Robert. I cannot see any purpose to standing around wringing my hands while Trump and his corrupt, creepy cronies wreck my grandchildren’s future. Action is the antidote to angst!
Also, I’ve been in Kenya for the last three weeks and have queried all my Uber drivers about how they feel about Trump. By and large, and alarmingly, they are largely pro-Trump. Their news has fed them Trump’s traditional conservative social values - anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion, and that aligns well with their cultural beliefs. When I tell them how Trump might make climate change worse and how his Make America Great Again agenda might translate to cutting our aid to developing countries, they pause. Somehow Trump did a better job tapping into people’s fears and unexamined beliefs than did the Democrats who tried to explain why his policies would be harmful to us at home and abroad. Takes too many words to explain stuff!
"Rest and be kind to strangers." Well said, Robert! The best thing I did the day after the election was donate platelets, with the knowledge that my platelets may save the life of someone who voted for trump.
Also, as I said in a meme before the election, "Our Values Are More Important Than Any Policies. We Should Take Care, Not Advantage, Of Each Other." We must not sacrifice our values.