The debate goes on about why Harris and Dems lost. We lost because trump has some clear advantages. He is not hampered by having to tell the truth.or behave according to social or political norms. He knows what his base will believe and feeds their fears with lies. He has no remorse about anything he says or does and never admits to being wrong. In short, it is very hard to win against an opponent that has no moral boundaries.
If you are right that people cannot grasp issues, it’s a situation that *must* be corrected, else we will be governed forever by propagandists. Looking to the future, how can ordinary, normal Americans be taken back to school (mostly figuratively) about basic concepts and facts of civics and reasoning?
We don’t know, yet, why Harris lost. Trump got about as many votes as he did in 2020, but Harris got millions fewer than Biden did four years ago. It will take much work and careful study to say why that was. Trying to explain things now is just wasteful guessing.
For me, I am not going to be getting my answers from the corporate or social media as it exists right now, so I need other sources. I like seeing what the research says. This is useful for that. I have also signed up for the Guardian's new newletter on Democracy, and am going to give them more money while I still have some. Funding democratic journalism, which is not oligarchically owned, is super important right now. Also, broadening our reading to new sources, so that is some disappear we have others. Also, to continue accessing things we should all have VPNs.
Frankly we won't know anything until we get some data in a few months from Pew Research. We as a party failed to pivot on immigration until it was too late, Biden didn't do enough press meetings and kept telling people Bidenomics was working (which though the data shows it did and is working at a macro level) even though people didn't get that vibe and their cost of living was higher, Biden should've said he wasn't running right after the State of the Union Speech, and the American Rescue Plan was a little too big. Outside of that Kamala ran a good campaign but I truly believe that the constant ads of anti-trans attacks during football season hurt her in the long run since they were able to tie her directly to it.
I think we need to do some soul searching, Ezra Klein, Noah Smith, Josh Barro and Matthew Yglesias all have had some good insights, even hearing Professor Richardson speak with Jon Stewart this week was helpful. I really hope the Dem party can retool and gain some voters back. I also hate to say this, but maybe Americans need to feel a little hurt by Trump policies, maybe all the Gen Z kids that are on their parents' health insurance need to feel the fear of getting kicked off, maybe all the workers that thought no taxes on tips was actually going to pass need to feel lied to, maybe all of the seniors who voted for Trump because even though Dems have said for years that Republicans are going to cut social security it hasn't happened yet, maybe those people need to see / feel those cuts. Maybe all the people that said that they voted for Trump because they wanted peace in the middle east will see Palestinians get hurt and realize how stupid they were. For all the people that say they care about prices, maybe they need to see blanket 20-60% tariffs and see their paycheck hurt. Maybe when the Republicans hut $2T in discretionary spending per Elon and it ruins families and people are homeless when they lose health insurance, or their business fail, maybe then they'll understand. Maybe the people that have undocumented friends and family, or have overstayed a Visa will get targeted by ICE or will see a family member kicked out will understand.
Lets face it, Democrats have prevented the worst Republican policies from taking place over the years and it clearly hasn't gained them any good will from the voters outside of their core base. Additionally, Democrats need to run NY, MA, WA and CA super well, we need to build more housing and limit the outflows, we need to encourage the EV rollouts but get away from mandates until we have chargers on every corner. Honestly, if we keep seeing outflows then our already small EC advantage will be gone. We need to crack down on petty crimes, illegal immigration, homelessness and drug use and progressives need to hold police accountable but stop with the defund the police, identity politics, flying hamas flags, and harassing Jewish kids, they need to stop talking about how this election was stolen and it was a conspiracy. Accept that we lost and how we need to retool. Whether we like it or not, Americans have spoken, and people's perception is their reality.
Philly you have written the most cogent analysis of the election results. I applaud you for spending the time to write it. The road to Trump’s victory started decades ago even before Ronald Reagan began to supercharge it with his policies. Republicans kept marching towards their goal and never let a little thing like Watergate get in their way. Republicans slowly but steadily took over state houses, Democrats depended upon the SCOTUS to save them until it didn’t. Republicans play the long game while Democrats lurch from one election to the next without a game plan. Democrats tout their big tent. Republicans are openly racist, misogynistic, anti-immigration and are against abortion and yet black men, hispanics and women voted them into office.
You’re on to something. The Republican propaganda machine will probably try to cast blame in Democrats for their own failings.
Liberals don’t like the word “propaganda”, but given the near-upbiquity of Republican propaganda, Democrats are going to have to discover and practice good propaganda.*
Robert said it in his first newsletter after the election. Racism (white supremacy) and misogyny won. She is a black woman. Being a woman even outweighed race. A Black man won in 2008 and 2012. Citing inflation or the economy or immigration is a cover up excuse. IMHO.
trump got about 50,000 more votes than in 2020. There were 10.8 million fewer votes cast in 2024 than in 2020, but there was record voter registration for the 2024 election. Why did Dems, particularly women, win lower ballot races, including Senate seats in battleground states, but trump won the state?
Ya. He was killed when some brave Democrat was able to shoot an arrow that found the one area of his body not protected by his armor scales. Kidding in that he wasn’t a Democrat but the story does resonate today. The ugly dangerous dragon was killed in the end.
I am using this time to read and reflect, and not just about things having to do with protecting democracy, but that is a direction I am going in. In the Journal of Democracy, there is an article on Misunderstanding Democratic Backsliding. There is research on this topic, and the US is one of the countries under study from when Trump was first out there. Conclusions they have come to is it is important to strengthen one's democratic guardrails, like the press, courts, voting etc...
They say that,
"But our findings point the primary finger of blame for democratic backsliding at the politicians and political parties that have acted antidemocratically and the weakness of democracy’s institutional guardrails in these countries."
The media is one of those guardrails, and I think that as corporate and social media have failed us we need to look at where it is stronger and take lessons that we can implement from them. They go on to tell us that,
"...On the side of public institutions, this may include courts, anticorruption bodies, electoral-management bodies, and those parts of local government that have preserved some autonomy from national political control. It may also include work with national parliaments, if that can be done in a way that augments the role of parliament as a check on executive power. On the nongovernmental side, this will often mean support for independent media and independent civic groups that seek to hold power accountable whether by protecting political and civil rights, increasing government accountability, or countering political misinformation and disinformation.'
I think we can see that we need to support Independent media, and that would include financially. Still, I think there are some bigger goals here, which is that we should think about funding our media in the way that several European countries do, which is they charge everyone. In Germany we have to pay around 18€ a month for broadcast media, and that is every household, regardless of whether you use it or not. It is like paying for water, even if you live off the grid. So, people do use it. I have some thoughts of what needs to happen going forward that I am working on.
I am also grateful to see that the electorate in many states who voted Trump and other Republicans into or back into power passed laws protecting minimum wages, abortion, and were against vouchers. That means that if their will is overturned, or even a fight to overturn it, or the things they don't want are implemented anyway, they are going to have issues to fight for in the next election in 2 years.
I think that many people, who are conflict averse voted in both Trump and other Republicans feeling that things will get done. If they find that they don't like the things that are done, they may change the make up of Congress, that is what we can hope for, and try to help.
Wise and thoughtful words, Linda. It's the first week of school in the new world where Trump is an elected dictator. We need to read, study, and think as well as nurture one another and act. Thank you for sharing your reading and study. The American public thought they "knew" Trump before the election last week, and some knew him deeply and cheered the misogynist, racist, tyrant that he is. But many thought this was a kind of funny man who made it OK and fun to act out our base instincts of fear and loathing of people we neither knew and were told we wouldn't like take for example the hundreds of transgendered athletes who, according to Trump ads, were popping up and taking first string positions in high school basketball tryouts in Fort Dodge, Iowa or Macon, Georgia and every town in the country. We have to continue the work of learning, understanding, and wise action. Despair won't do it. Mere anger won't do it. Taking to the streets and marching won't do it unless we know what we are trying to accomplish. We are awake in a brave new world now. We have to understand how it is working to destroy America as we knew it and that takes a lot of thinking. Our various "thought leaders" like Robert, Simon Rosenberg, Rebecca Solnit, Timothy Snyder and others will help. I for one rely on the "courage teachers" in everyone of you shaping what I need to think about and understand. There's a lot of smoke out there, That makes all of us necessary thinkers and researchers who share our knowledge. Class dismissed.
"...funding our media in the way that several European countries do, which is they charge everyone" If you don't vote in Australia, you're fined. Imagine all of that! 🤭
B. Evan’s, you highlight the asymmetry of competing against shamelessness. I am taking Robert Hubbell’s advice and staying away from the opinionators on MSM. It’s helped me get through this first tough week. In one sense “We Lost” is very tough to accept, but true. How we lost is not difficult to see when you accept human frailty, and the consented manipulation of our minds from the same old fascist playbook, whether it used new technology to inflame our petty hatred’s and fears, or not.. In short, we have been successfully Mindfucked. Yet, I am much happier being us right now, as awful as that is to endure. I did not vote for a criminal,rapist, white-supremacist, misogynistic, treasonous xenophobe, who is a business failure, a marital failure, and a failed president. My new question to my fellow Americans is: “I’m curious, HOW do you think trump will be better for you? For America?” They may at first respond with standard maga BS, and this will be a marker to measure by in the coming years. They will either reveal their complicit shamelessness or be disturbed by it as we again descend into chaos. Never talk to me again about “character”!
Honestly, I think it was all of the reasons you listed above but also a lot of other issues around the margins. Trump wins low info voters, and most people aren't empathetic enough to relate to people not in their group. Trump highly appeals to those people who blindly accept they'll never receive anything bad. We are at peak consumerism and peak late-stage capitalism. Agreed on your point about no moral boundaries though, I don't know how you win against rhetoric like that.
I realize there is more to it, but for me, the painful realization that we lost to a lying, cheating, self absorbed con-man makes it so hard to accept. It defies my sense of right and wrong and shatters my faith in America.
Honestly, it's as simple as that, and the fact that so many people in certain swing states are honestly socially conservative, while they may not like Trump, they certainly are a little misogynistic, exclusionary also anti LGBTQ more and that outweighs their dislike of Trump. Until Democrats accept that truth we won't win future national elections. This election has shown me that people in America think of the American pie as finite and think that in order for someone like them to move ahead, someone else needs to lose or have something taken from them.
The one thing I wish the Dems had done would have been to make the Harris/Walz campaign signs actually say something to the electorate instead of just "Harris/Walz 2024." Something to counter the "Harris = High Prices : Trump = Secure Border" GOP signs that I saw everywhere. I still wonder if this kind of sign would have made a difference: "Harris/Dems = Healthcare, Abortion Rights, Higher Wages : Trump/GOP = Taking it all away!" Simple and direct reminder of what was at stake.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Rick Scott is being pushed by the trump inner circle as Majority Leader in the Senate. He is a poster boy for everything that has gone wrong in the last decades. He built the largest for-profit health care company in the country (what possibly could go wrong with "for-profit" and "health care?") in the 90's and pleaded the 5th 75 times when his company came under investigation. Being the US, nobody was held accountable, the company ended up paying a record of more than 2 billion to settle the fraud claims.
Scott then went on to be elected Governor in Florida (where else, one might ask). And now perhaps on his way to succeed the turtle. A true partner in crime.
And Senator Scott has offered the most egregious suck-up-style 'premature obedience' to Trump in his disgusting agreement to a Senate recess so Trump can make "recess appointments". Scott is giving away any power the Senate has to keep Trump even loosely in bounds...Trump is no doubt basking in the widespread bum-kissing that is occurring in his minions as they jockey for favor. Do those fools need reminding that sooner or later Trump will throw each and every one of them under the bus?
Actually Scott did not build HCA here in Nashville. The Frist Family did. He was CEO during the time that HCA bilked tens of millions out of Medicare. When discovered, HCA had to repay millions back to Medicare. Scott was dismissed from HCA with a golden parachute and fled to Florida.
I knew Scott walked away from that HCA mess with a bulging pocket leaving the HCA to pay 1.7 BILLION in repayments and fines. And, yeah I remember reading that he was CEO and yes, took the 5th Amendment an astonishing number of times. He is a slimy scumbag but I guess Florida is the place for him. I'm sorry for blue Floridians.
The fact that Florida Seniors voted for him multiple times tells you everything you need to understand about the American electorate. Super disappointing.
I am working at just reading the headlines. Barely. No tv news; no radio; I read HCR and you....but sometimes just one third at a time...and hours later a little more. Rebecca Solnit pieces I do read and may go to her books. This is so damn hard. My life’s work is in pediatrics primarily with families who struggled. Can we really go this far backwards? The basic rules of decency are gone? There is no accountabiity and there are no facts. I will keep showing up after I stop weeping in the garden. I have wonderful faily, community and friends. But. Hard. Really hard.
YES, Let's meet in the Garden, something for Everyone....a meditation, a tipple, a singsong, a time of listening to the birds, a dance time, a time for Holding Hands, a time of Commitment to Resistance a la Robert.....
A bit off the subject, but I am very tired of all the talk of what Democrats “did wrong” that led to a Trump win. Especially disappointing was Bernie Sanders saying Democrats have abandoned the working class, which in my opinion is rubbish. I was set to explain why, then came across this article that explains better than I could.
You can ignore all the included video clips. Just check out the article. The biggest problem that I can see is that Democrats need to figure out how to “speak louder” than Republicans on social media and the likes of Fox “News”. Speaking about the truth and facts is up against the emotions of anger and resentment. And yes, we need to stay hopeful, focused, & united in order to win future elections, from local to national, and to prevent Trump from doing his worst.
That is a great article! It doesn't mention disinformation, but this is where the Russian and conservative lies and "political technology" fueled the disinformation campaign. The fact that Biden undid ONE THIRD of the wage growth inequality that has happened since 1980 in just 4 years should have been touted as a major accomplishment. Instead, MSM focused on how he spoke and questioned his competence, and people believed that the economy was bad.
And if I hear one more "yah but" regarding wage growth - claiming that it didn't affect some people and using that to discredit the whole thing (without any specifics like people, market segments, etc) - I'm going to scream.
In a similar but different vein: Try reading “How the Good Guys Finally Won”, by Jimmy Breslin. It’s a tale of how Tip O’Neill, much mocked (like Biden) slowly but finally undid Richard Nixon politically at a time when Nixon seemed invulnerable. A fun read with, perhaps a strong implied message against despair.
Democrats clearly need to spend more time on Twitter and Joe Rogan. I don't think creating new spaces is the answer, we have to work where the people are. Even if I hate it. AOC was on Instagram yesterday and was asking people who voted for her and Trump why they voted that way, and outside of a clear populist / anti-establishment vibe people have. It is clear that some Americans are just holding multiple conflicting opinions and generally not well informed on policy over anything that isn't surface level.
Such good news that the ballot curing efforts are having positive results. Thank you all! I am annoyed that the mainstream press is analyzing the results when the votes have not all been counted, by a large amount. It is unlikely but I would love to see the House go to the Democrats.
Thank you for your insights and sparing us from listening to MAGA news- it is incredible how exactly they are following Tim Snyder & Ruth Ben-Giat fascistic playbooks. The comet picture is so beautiful and appropriate distraction from the news!
Just about the right amount. I have refrained form watching, listening to any media for the last week. Tonight I watched Tom Hanon(?) say he wouldn't separate families in the deportation process. He'd just deport them all! Just the picture of Millers smug face ended up in my Turing off the "news". I will be relying on you, Heather and Joyce for a bit more.
It's worth keeping in mind that of the almost 150 million votes cast for President, Trump only edged out Harris by about 3.3 million. And, appallingly, other candidates (Stein, RFK, Oliver, etc) altogether gathered about 2 million votes. Keep in mind, despite all the doom scrolling in the media that Trump barely was the winner. He's a long way from being able to legitimately claim he won in a landslide - though he'll claim it anyway and Fox, McConnell, Vance, and Johnson will all swear it's a "Mandate" and a "New way forward". yada yada.
Forget about whether Trumpsters claim that they won by this or that amount. They won’t really care, because they care only about wielding power for their objectives.
This is chilling. I have forwarded Today's Edition to friends a bezillion times since I've been a subscriber. I tried to forward today's piece, "Resistance affirms our character and our conscience," as well. Believe it or not, Xfinity REFUSED to forward it!! I got this message from Xfinity: "Your message was believed to contain questionable content, and therefore as not delivered to the intended recipients." I am stunned and feel that this is a very bad indication of things to come. Already the horrible results from last Tuesday's election are bearing ugly fruit. Censorship! Yes, I will contact Xfinity at the number they provided, but meanwhile I'm suffering from a sense of forboding.
Hi, thanks for your comment. I don’t think there’s anything nefarious going on in the situation you describe. My newsletter is somewhat unusual in the number of third-party links that are included in the text. That is a classic sign of spamming. many email platforms have algorithms that look for significant number of links to determine whether something is spam. And then when you add on top of that, my astronomy photos, it seems all the more suspect. I would take Xfinity at its word that it was an unintentional block that can be remedied.
I contacted Xfinity and spoke with a person on the Customer Security Assurance Team, named Richard. He informed me that he has made a report to escalate my report. He was able to confirm that I have forwarded Today's Edition many times in the past, and he says he has made a change that should prevent this from happening again. I hope that he is correct, although it is very interesting that the word "resistance" seems to have triggered Xfinity's refusal to forward Robert's excellent piece this morning. I hope that this truly is the end of it. I think we all need to be vigilant about things like this.
Elaine: Glad you asked! I'm one year ahead of you in the same part of the world.
First, I stay informed (as you are doing through this newsletter, and others).
Then, I stay in contact with positive, hopeful people who buoy my spirits. I stay involved in various organizations that promote activism, such as my church. Others join League of Women Voters, etc.
Look for and be open for opportunities to write letters to your representatives at the national, state, and local levels. Support ones who fight for democracy and the rights of all with donations of as much as you can afford, even if it doesn't seem to be enough to make a difference; it will energize you by making you part of the whole effort.
Take care of yourself, mentally, emotionally and physically so that when called on for a specific action (marching, attending a meeting, even writing postcards from home) you'll be ready.
And, as Timothy Snyder advises, don't obey in advance.
We seniors can donate a few $ to the organizations that will fight back, like the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Democracy Docket to help Marc Elias, subscribe to a few Substack newsletters.
Here's a full-page ad the American Civil Liberties Union took out in the New York Times. Maybe, Elaine, you can join the ACLU or donate to them. I will bet you can get information from their sites/newsletters about how to resist. They called it "Donald Trump, we have a message for you":
Dear President-elect Trump:
In case you had any doubt, we are the American Civil Liberties Union. And we're not moving to Canada.
So, rest assured that when you target immigrants, dissidents, and your political opponents – we will challenge you in the courts, at state legislatures, and in the streets.
Surely, you remember the landmark lawsuits we won against you on family separation, the U.S. Census, and immigrants' rights – some of which were decided by judges you appointed.
During your last presidency, we brought 434 legal actions, including 250 lawsuits against your administration's anti-civil liberties agenda.
We also mobilized the power of our more than 1 million card-carrying members into the streets, at airports, and in state capitals.
We've developed a comprehensive roadmap to defend our rights beginning on day one. We're not new to this.
At the ACLU, we play the long game. We've been around for 105 years and seen 19 presidents come and go.
That's why any attempt to roll back the nation's civil liberties on our watch will be hard fought and met with the full power of our resistance.
Steadfast and determined to make ours a more perfect union, we remain,
Just watched movie "Caesar Chavez " - very inspirational; and interesting what he does to organize and resist to successfully help the farmworkers seeking social justice. Persons like Chavez, Harriet Tubman, MLK can provide ideas on what one person can do.
An interesting contrast to today is demonstrated in the 2014 documentary "Jimmy Carter, the rock and roll president". Music it seems shows more about politics of an era than may be appreciated. Anyway, Carter is a thoroughly honorable, consistent, and decent man. I hope we get back to that situation. In watching it, it was thought provoking to reminisce, and contrast to the present.
Hello, Ellen. In addition to the wonderful suggestions here, you might try connecting with Third Act,Bill McKibben’s activist group for people over 60. ❤️ https://thirdact.org
Thank you as always, Robert. I know you are busy, and I hope you are taking care of yourself. If you have 20 minutes to spare, I can’t recommend this from Rabbi Sharon Brous enough. It really helped move this moment from a political perspective to one of social justice for me. Thank you again. https://youtu.be/bamMqPmks_M?si=vh5TPiRjETfV_Yeq
I’m very grateful to Robert and Jill. My only media is Substack. I do not watch TV. I have not read NY Times or WaPo in months and cancelled my subscriptions. I will receive Jennifer Rubin’s subscriber only emails until May 2025 when my WaPo subscription expires. I also donate to Voting Rights attorney Marc Elias and his Democracy Docket newsletter. (www.elias.law) He has a podcast also, Defending Democracy. I will pass on information if appropriate. We need to regroup and develop strategies. We all need time for rest and recovery. We have holidays ahead. I will have more information and ideas later in the week. I’m only reading Today’s Edition from Robert the rest of the week. I’m too burned out and exhausted.
Resisting every way possible. Among my ways, I will be sending a new email to the New York Times everyday. In time I'll do the same to other legacy media. At the same time, I continue to get some of the news from Democracy Now. Their approach, being more global, gives me hope for a global resistance. But that will only happen when we begin to see that there is a world outside the USA.
Here is what I sent to the NYT.
Your one-sided, all Republican planning for the fascist regime that is coming about, makes it seem that there is no resistance to the egregious unconstitutional plans put forward by the Trump administration. As a newspaper the New York Times continues it's irresponsible coverage of a phenomenon without any curiosity about how many millions of people are already resisting and taking action against the racist and sexist Trump regime. Be more curious and you will do better journalism. What I see here in "the morning" feels like a one-sided cadre of old news. Be serious and do a thorough job.
Respectfully I want to explain why I am not comfortable with the term resistance. I believe that term implies that we are less than equal citizens. It conjures visions of underground movements in totalitarian countries, and I believe it cedes power to the opposition that they do not possess. You have rightfully cautioned us to not give them power they do not have. It implies that our democracy is already gone. It also implies that we are the “other.” It implies that we are far fewer in number than they are, and we are not. I strongly urge you to adopt the term opposition. It describes an equal party that is powerful enough to counteract the evil of those that barely won a majority in this election.
Thanks. Use whatever words you want. But the notion that we will have equal power is simply wrong. Trump’s first wish was for Senate Republicans to stop operating as a check on presidential appointment power. Rick Scott said, “Yes, Sir! How high? “. And I don’t understand how anyone can think that women have equal rights in today’s America. Or Black voters, whose votes are diminished through racial gerrymandering, to which John Roberts said, “Racism? I don’t see any racism in America.” And remember that time when the Supreme Court said Trump was immune from the criminal law? The guardrails are off. We are the guardrails. That is why we are the resistance.
As you said, "opposition" implies equal entities. To me, that normalizes the maga party and its felonious leader. They are NOT an equal and legitimate opposition. They are in power thru cheating and lies. I believe I am RESISTING an evil force.
Believe me I am well aware of the horror and peril of this moment. I have been physically ill most of this week. As I said before, I feel that labeling ourselves as the resistance makes us look weaker. You are free to disagree, but do not assume that you have any idea about how I am feeling about what is happening to our country.
Hopehappens, I appreciate your sanguine mindset, but I don't agree. A number of my friends think it's a temporary setback and business as usual will resume soon. I wish I agreed, but I don't. Everything is different now. We ARE less than equal citizens, in these fascists' minds.
Please know that I am absolutely NOT sanguine about the situation we are in. Nor do I think that there will be anything normal in the coming years. Our democracy is hanging by a thread and may not survive this horror. My thought is that if we label ourselves as the resistance that reduces the statue we are entitled to as citizens of this country. I am well aware of their fascist views and actions. I just think that we should continue to fight from as powerful a position as possible. And labels can matter.
Are there any thinking Republican senators who will resist Trump's assault on our country? Is it possible that Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins and a few others will balk? Why not leave the party altogether? That could change the game.
Is that possible?
Also, the Democratic senators are strong and a good bunch. Ruben Gallego for one. We can hope they will fight back.
As a Maine resident who has been disappointed over and over with Collins' statements and actions, I have no illusions about her willingness to stand up for what's right. She will not.
Lisa Murkowski might offer resistance but don't depend on Susie "he's learned his lesson" Collins. Susie is firmly in the pocket of Leonard Leo and is no leader; In any case, Collins is a follower and certainly won't buck the party.
No there aren't any thinking GOP Senators. They all fell in line behind Trump. Susan Collins is a joke. She's always "concerned", or troubled, but ends up giving Trump her vote.
The debate goes on about why Harris and Dems lost. We lost because trump has some clear advantages. He is not hampered by having to tell the truth.or behave according to social or political norms. He knows what his base will believe and feeds their fears with lies. He has no remorse about anything he says or does and never admits to being wrong. In short, it is very hard to win against an opponent that has no moral boundaries.
We lost to Russian style psy ops.
Why could those not be stopped?
Goes directly to the amygdala. Fear of "the other." Many people are visceral, not moved by issues,
Daniel, enough people cannot grasp issues in the first place, so they listen with intent to the fear mongering propaganda media machine
If you are right that people cannot grasp issues, it’s a situation that *must* be corrected, else we will be governed forever by propagandists. Looking to the future, how can ordinary, normal Americans be taken back to school (mostly figuratively) about basic concepts and facts of civics and reasoning?
The appeal to misogyny is powerful beyond any Democrat's imagining.
Complacency, apathy and inertia on the part of our sitting government.
We don’t know, yet, why Harris lost. Trump got about as many votes as he did in 2020, but Harris got millions fewer than Biden did four years ago. It will take much work and careful study to say why that was. Trying to explain things now is just wasteful guessing.
That is why I find reading articles like the ones in the Journal of Democracy helpful.
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/
For me, I am not going to be getting my answers from the corporate or social media as it exists right now, so I need other sources. I like seeing what the research says. This is useful for that. I have also signed up for the Guardian's new newletter on Democracy, and am going to give them more money while I still have some. Funding democratic journalism, which is not oligarchically owned, is super important right now. Also, broadening our reading to new sources, so that is some disappear we have others. Also, to continue accessing things we should all have VPNs.
Frankly we won't know anything until we get some data in a few months from Pew Research. We as a party failed to pivot on immigration until it was too late, Biden didn't do enough press meetings and kept telling people Bidenomics was working (which though the data shows it did and is working at a macro level) even though people didn't get that vibe and their cost of living was higher, Biden should've said he wasn't running right after the State of the Union Speech, and the American Rescue Plan was a little too big. Outside of that Kamala ran a good campaign but I truly believe that the constant ads of anti-trans attacks during football season hurt her in the long run since they were able to tie her directly to it.
I think we need to do some soul searching, Ezra Klein, Noah Smith, Josh Barro and Matthew Yglesias all have had some good insights, even hearing Professor Richardson speak with Jon Stewart this week was helpful. I really hope the Dem party can retool and gain some voters back. I also hate to say this, but maybe Americans need to feel a little hurt by Trump policies, maybe all the Gen Z kids that are on their parents' health insurance need to feel the fear of getting kicked off, maybe all the workers that thought no taxes on tips was actually going to pass need to feel lied to, maybe all of the seniors who voted for Trump because even though Dems have said for years that Republicans are going to cut social security it hasn't happened yet, maybe those people need to see / feel those cuts. Maybe all the people that said that they voted for Trump because they wanted peace in the middle east will see Palestinians get hurt and realize how stupid they were. For all the people that say they care about prices, maybe they need to see blanket 20-60% tariffs and see their paycheck hurt. Maybe when the Republicans hut $2T in discretionary spending per Elon and it ruins families and people are homeless when they lose health insurance, or their business fail, maybe then they'll understand. Maybe the people that have undocumented friends and family, or have overstayed a Visa will get targeted by ICE or will see a family member kicked out will understand.
Lets face it, Democrats have prevented the worst Republican policies from taking place over the years and it clearly hasn't gained them any good will from the voters outside of their core base. Additionally, Democrats need to run NY, MA, WA and CA super well, we need to build more housing and limit the outflows, we need to encourage the EV rollouts but get away from mandates until we have chargers on every corner. Honestly, if we keep seeing outflows then our already small EC advantage will be gone. We need to crack down on petty crimes, illegal immigration, homelessness and drug use and progressives need to hold police accountable but stop with the defund the police, identity politics, flying hamas flags, and harassing Jewish kids, they need to stop talking about how this election was stolen and it was a conspiracy. Accept that we lost and how we need to retool. Whether we like it or not, Americans have spoken, and people's perception is their reality.
Philly you have written the most cogent analysis of the election results. I applaud you for spending the time to write it. The road to Trump’s victory started decades ago even before Ronald Reagan began to supercharge it with his policies. Republicans kept marching towards their goal and never let a little thing like Watergate get in their way. Republicans slowly but steadily took over state houses, Democrats depended upon the SCOTUS to save them until it didn’t. Republicans play the long game while Democrats lurch from one election to the next without a game plan. Democrats tout their big tent. Republicans are openly racist, misogynistic, anti-immigration and are against abortion and yet black men, hispanics and women voted them into office.
I think you are very right. Thanks for articulating this. It's a hard reality but it may come to this.
My question is won’t those who “learn the hard way” continue to blame Democrats? Easier than looking within and admitting one’s error.
You’re on to something. The Republican propaganda machine will probably try to cast blame in Democrats for their own failings.
Liberals don’t like the word “propaganda”, but given the near-upbiquity of Republican propaganda, Democrats are going to have to discover and practice good propaganda.*
*cf. getting into “good trouble”
Robert said it in his first newsletter after the election. Racism (white supremacy) and misogyny won. She is a black woman. Being a woman even outweighed race. A Black man won in 2008 and 2012. Citing inflation or the economy or immigration is a cover up excuse. IMHO.
Not necessarily: it may just have *added to* the racism.
trump got about 50,000 more votes than in 2020. There were 10.8 million fewer votes cast in 2024 than in 2020, but there was record voter registration for the 2024 election. Why did Dems, particularly women, win lower ballot races, including Senate seats in battleground states, but trump won the state?
Good question.
We lost because the American Media Propaganda Machine owned by Oligarchs directed a message that was implanted in people’s head. Smaug has awoken
We lost because people are even more misogynistic than racist. It's no more complex than that.
Yes!
What's smaug?
Ya. He was killed when some brave Democrat was able to shoot an arrow that found the one area of his body not protected by his armor scales. Kidding in that he wasn’t a Democrat but the story does resonate today. The ugly dangerous dragon was killed in the end.
Smaug is the dragon in Tolkien's The Hobbit-slumbering in his hoard ofctreasure until woken.
Thanks
I am using this time to read and reflect, and not just about things having to do with protecting democracy, but that is a direction I am going in. In the Journal of Democracy, there is an article on Misunderstanding Democratic Backsliding. There is research on this topic, and the US is one of the countries under study from when Trump was first out there. Conclusions they have come to is it is important to strengthen one's democratic guardrails, like the press, courts, voting etc...
They say that,
"But our findings point the primary finger of blame for democratic backsliding at the politicians and political parties that have acted antidemocratically and the weakness of democracy’s institutional guardrails in these countries."
The media is one of those guardrails, and I think that as corporate and social media have failed us we need to look at where it is stronger and take lessons that we can implement from them. They go on to tell us that,
"...On the side of public institutions, this may include courts, anticorruption bodies, electoral-management bodies, and those parts of local government that have preserved some autonomy from national political control. It may also include work with national parliaments, if that can be done in a way that augments the role of parliament as a check on executive power. On the nongovernmental side, this will often mean support for independent media and independent civic groups that seek to hold power accountable whether by protecting political and civil rights, increasing government accountability, or countering political misinformation and disinformation.'
I think we can see that we need to support Independent media, and that would include financially. Still, I think there are some bigger goals here, which is that we should think about funding our media in the way that several European countries do, which is they charge everyone. In Germany we have to pay around 18€ a month for broadcast media, and that is every household, regardless of whether you use it or not. It is like paying for water, even if you live off the grid. So, people do use it. I have some thoughts of what needs to happen going forward that I am working on.
I am also grateful to see that the electorate in many states who voted Trump and other Republicans into or back into power passed laws protecting minimum wages, abortion, and were against vouchers. That means that if their will is overturned, or even a fight to overturn it, or the things they don't want are implemented anyway, they are going to have issues to fight for in the next election in 2 years.
I think that many people, who are conflict averse voted in both Trump and other Republicans feeling that things will get done. If they find that they don't like the things that are done, they may change the make up of Congress, that is what we can hope for, and try to help.
Wise and thoughtful words, Linda. It's the first week of school in the new world where Trump is an elected dictator. We need to read, study, and think as well as nurture one another and act. Thank you for sharing your reading and study. The American public thought they "knew" Trump before the election last week, and some knew him deeply and cheered the misogynist, racist, tyrant that he is. But many thought this was a kind of funny man who made it OK and fun to act out our base instincts of fear and loathing of people we neither knew and were told we wouldn't like take for example the hundreds of transgendered athletes who, according to Trump ads, were popping up and taking first string positions in high school basketball tryouts in Fort Dodge, Iowa or Macon, Georgia and every town in the country. We have to continue the work of learning, understanding, and wise action. Despair won't do it. Mere anger won't do it. Taking to the streets and marching won't do it unless we know what we are trying to accomplish. We are awake in a brave new world now. We have to understand how it is working to destroy America as we knew it and that takes a lot of thinking. Our various "thought leaders" like Robert, Simon Rosenberg, Rebecca Solnit, Timothy Snyder and others will help. I for one rely on the "courage teachers" in everyone of you shaping what I need to think about and understand. There's a lot of smoke out there, That makes all of us necessary thinkers and researchers who share our knowledge. Class dismissed.
"...funding our media in the way that several European countries do, which is they charge everyone" If you don't vote in Australia, you're fined. Imagine all of that! 🤭
Well our guard rails will be tested.
We need to build them up and develop new ones. I have some ideas which I am thinking through before writing them down.
B. Evan’s, you highlight the asymmetry of competing against shamelessness. I am taking Robert Hubbell’s advice and staying away from the opinionators on MSM. It’s helped me get through this first tough week. In one sense “We Lost” is very tough to accept, but true. How we lost is not difficult to see when you accept human frailty, and the consented manipulation of our minds from the same old fascist playbook, whether it used new technology to inflame our petty hatred’s and fears, or not.. In short, we have been successfully Mindfucked. Yet, I am much happier being us right now, as awful as that is to endure. I did not vote for a criminal,rapist, white-supremacist, misogynistic, treasonous xenophobe, who is a business failure, a marital failure, and a failed president. My new question to my fellow Americans is: “I’m curious, HOW do you think trump will be better for you? For America?” They may at first respond with standard maga BS, and this will be a marker to measure by in the coming years. They will either reveal their complicit shamelessness or be disturbed by it as we again descend into chaos. Never talk to me again about “character”!
I think it is deeper than that...
Charles Blow wrote a good article about it today at the Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/12/opinion/trump-harris-obama-gender-race.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZU4.zcWg.8U2T7f538I6e&smid=url-share
Honestly, I think it was all of the reasons you listed above but also a lot of other issues around the margins. Trump wins low info voters, and most people aren't empathetic enough to relate to people not in their group. Trump highly appeals to those people who blindly accept they'll never receive anything bad. We are at peak consumerism and peak late-stage capitalism. Agreed on your point about no moral boundaries though, I don't know how you win against rhetoric like that.
I realize there is more to it, but for me, the painful realization that we lost to a lying, cheating, self absorbed con-man makes it so hard to accept. It defies my sense of right and wrong and shatters my faith in America.
We lost because 13 million fewer democrats voted this year than in 2020.
Honestly, it's as simple as that, and the fact that so many people in certain swing states are honestly socially conservative, while they may not like Trump, they certainly are a little misogynistic, exclusionary also anti LGBTQ more and that outweighs their dislike of Trump. Until Democrats accept that truth we won't win future national elections. This election has shown me that people in America think of the American pie as finite and think that in order for someone like them to move ahead, someone else needs to lose or have something taken from them.
The one thing I wish the Dems had done would have been to make the Harris/Walz campaign signs actually say something to the electorate instead of just "Harris/Walz 2024." Something to counter the "Harris = High Prices : Trump = Secure Border" GOP signs that I saw everywhere. I still wonder if this kind of sign would have made a difference: "Harris/Dems = Healthcare, Abortion Rights, Higher Wages : Trump/GOP = Taking it all away!" Simple and direct reminder of what was at stake.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Rick Scott is being pushed by the trump inner circle as Majority Leader in the Senate. He is a poster boy for everything that has gone wrong in the last decades. He built the largest for-profit health care company in the country (what possibly could go wrong with "for-profit" and "health care?") in the 90's and pleaded the 5th 75 times when his company came under investigation. Being the US, nobody was held accountable, the company ended up paying a record of more than 2 billion to settle the fraud claims.
Scott then went on to be elected Governor in Florida (where else, one might ask). And now perhaps on his way to succeed the turtle. A true partner in crime.
This Floridian is calling Rick Scott’s office today. I may be “standing alone with a candle”….but I’m not going to let this country change me.
Thank you Kathy
And Senator Scott has offered the most egregious suck-up-style 'premature obedience' to Trump in his disgusting agreement to a Senate recess so Trump can make "recess appointments". Scott is giving away any power the Senate has to keep Trump even loosely in bounds...Trump is no doubt basking in the widespread bum-kissing that is occurring in his minions as they jockey for favor. Do those fools need reminding that sooner or later Trump will throw each and every one of them under the bus?
Actually Scott did not build HCA here in Nashville. The Frist Family did. He was CEO during the time that HCA bilked tens of millions out of Medicare. When discovered, HCA had to repay millions back to Medicare. Scott was dismissed from HCA with a golden parachute and fled to Florida.
I knew Scott walked away from that HCA mess with a bulging pocket leaving the HCA to pay 1.7 BILLION in repayments and fines. And, yeah I remember reading that he was CEO and yes, took the 5th Amendment an astonishing number of times. He is a slimy scumbag but I guess Florida is the place for him. I'm sorry for blue Floridians.
The fact that Florida Seniors voted for him multiple times tells you everything you need to understand about the American electorate. Super disappointing.
I am working at just reading the headlines. Barely. No tv news; no radio; I read HCR and you....but sometimes just one third at a time...and hours later a little more. Rebecca Solnit pieces I do read and may go to her books. This is so damn hard. My life’s work is in pediatrics primarily with families who struggled. Can we really go this far backwards? The basic rules of decency are gone? There is no accountabiity and there are no facts. I will keep showing up after I stop weeping in the garden. I have wonderful faily, community and friends. But. Hard. Really hard.
Shall we all meet 'in the garden,' Carole? I will meet you there.
YES, Let's meet in the Garden, something for Everyone....a meditation, a tipple, a singsong, a time of listening to the birds, a dance time, a time for Holding Hands, a time of Commitment to Resistance a la Robert.....
Hugs Carole
A bit off the subject, but I am very tired of all the talk of what Democrats “did wrong” that led to a Trump win. Especially disappointing was Bernie Sanders saying Democrats have abandoned the working class, which in my opinion is rubbish. I was set to explain why, then came across this article that explains better than I could.
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/biden-harris-working-class-vote-trump-election-rcna179186
You can ignore all the included video clips. Just check out the article. The biggest problem that I can see is that Democrats need to figure out how to “speak louder” than Republicans on social media and the likes of Fox “News”. Speaking about the truth and facts is up against the emotions of anger and resentment. And yes, we need to stay hopeful, focused, & united in order to win future elections, from local to national, and to prevent Trump from doing his worst.
Thank you for the article. Good summary of the Biden Harris successes for the middle and working classes.
That is a great article! It doesn't mention disinformation, but this is where the Russian and conservative lies and "political technology" fueled the disinformation campaign. The fact that Biden undid ONE THIRD of the wage growth inequality that has happened since 1980 in just 4 years should have been touted as a major accomplishment. Instead, MSM focused on how he spoke and questioned his competence, and people believed that the economy was bad.
And if I hear one more "yah but" regarding wage growth - claiming that it didn't affect some people and using that to discredit the whole thing (without any specifics like people, market segments, etc) - I'm going to scream.
In pulling Biden down, the MSM exalted style over substance.
— so many swell-headed mediocrities.
In a similar but different vein: Try reading “How the Good Guys Finally Won”, by Jimmy Breslin. It’s a tale of how Tip O’Neill, much mocked (like Biden) slowly but finally undid Richard Nixon politically at a time when Nixon seemed invulnerable. A fun read with, perhaps a strong implied message against despair.
Democrats clearly need to spend more time on Twitter and Joe Rogan. I don't think creating new spaces is the answer, we have to work where the people are. Even if I hate it. AOC was on Instagram yesterday and was asking people who voted for her and Trump why they voted that way, and outside of a clear populist / anti-establishment vibe people have. It is clear that some Americans are just holding multiple conflicting opinions and generally not well informed on policy over anything that isn't surface level.
Such good news that the ballot curing efforts are having positive results. Thank you all! I am annoyed that the mainstream press is analyzing the results when the votes have not all been counted, by a large amount. It is unlikely but I would love to see the House go to the Democrats.
Thank you for your insights and sparing us from listening to MAGA news- it is incredible how exactly they are following Tim Snyder & Ruth Ben-Giat fascistic playbooks. The comet picture is so beautiful and appropriate distraction from the news!
Just about the right amount. I have refrained form watching, listening to any media for the last week. Tonight I watched Tom Hanon(?) say he wouldn't separate families in the deportation process. He'd just deport them all! Just the picture of Millers smug face ended up in my Turing off the "news". I will be relying on you, Heather and Joyce for a bit more.
It's worth keeping in mind that of the almost 150 million votes cast for President, Trump only edged out Harris by about 3.3 million. And, appallingly, other candidates (Stein, RFK, Oliver, etc) altogether gathered about 2 million votes. Keep in mind, despite all the doom scrolling in the media that Trump barely was the winner. He's a long way from being able to legitimately claim he won in a landslide - though he'll claim it anyway and Fox, McConnell, Vance, and Johnson will all swear it's a "Mandate" and a "New way forward". yada yada.
Forget about whether Trumpsters claim that they won by this or that amount. They won’t really care, because they care only about wielding power for their objectives.
Has the popular vote count been completed?
All but complete on the national level. Some congressional races yet to be finalized.
Thanks. It will be pretty interesting!
This is chilling. I have forwarded Today's Edition to friends a bezillion times since I've been a subscriber. I tried to forward today's piece, "Resistance affirms our character and our conscience," as well. Believe it or not, Xfinity REFUSED to forward it!! I got this message from Xfinity: "Your message was believed to contain questionable content, and therefore as not delivered to the intended recipients." I am stunned and feel that this is a very bad indication of things to come. Already the horrible results from last Tuesday's election are bearing ugly fruit. Censorship! Yes, I will contact Xfinity at the number they provided, but meanwhile I'm suffering from a sense of forboding.
Hi, thanks for your comment. I don’t think there’s anything nefarious going on in the situation you describe. My newsletter is somewhat unusual in the number of third-party links that are included in the text. That is a classic sign of spamming. many email platforms have algorithms that look for significant number of links to determine whether something is spam. And then when you add on top of that, my astronomy photos, it seems all the more suspect. I would take Xfinity at its word that it was an unintentional block that can be remedied.
Very concerning indeed. Please keep us posted on their reaction or explanation. Beware the beginnings.
Hello, Stefan,
I contacted Xfinity and spoke with a person on the Customer Security Assurance Team, named Richard. He informed me that he has made a report to escalate my report. He was able to confirm that I have forwarded Today's Edition many times in the past, and he says he has made a change that should prevent this from happening again. I hope that he is correct, although it is very interesting that the word "resistance" seems to have triggered Xfinity's refusal to forward Robert's excellent piece this morning. I hope that this truly is the end of it. I think we all need to be vigilant about things like this.
I hope someone else can confirm or correct this. I forwarded a link without difficulty (different internet provider).
Melany, this is truly horrifying.
As an 83 year old grandmother from Southern CA, how do I resist? I’m not understanding the concept. I need concrete examples.
Elaine: Glad you asked! I'm one year ahead of you in the same part of the world.
First, I stay informed (as you are doing through this newsletter, and others).
Then, I stay in contact with positive, hopeful people who buoy my spirits. I stay involved in various organizations that promote activism, such as my church. Others join League of Women Voters, etc.
Look for and be open for opportunities to write letters to your representatives at the national, state, and local levels. Support ones who fight for democracy and the rights of all with donations of as much as you can afford, even if it doesn't seem to be enough to make a difference; it will energize you by making you part of the whole effort.
Take care of yourself, mentally, emotionally and physically so that when called on for a specific action (marching, attending a meeting, even writing postcards from home) you'll be ready.
And, as Timothy Snyder advises, don't obey in advance.
Stay strong in heart and mind!
MaryB, thanks!!! Great advice, which I had also been looking for.
Thank you for these good ideas on how to resist Mary B
We seniors can donate a few $ to the organizations that will fight back, like the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Democracy Docket to help Marc Elias, subscribe to a few Substack newsletters.
Here's a full-page ad the American Civil Liberties Union took out in the New York Times. Maybe, Elaine, you can join the ACLU or donate to them. I will bet you can get information from their sites/newsletters about how to resist. They called it "Donald Trump, we have a message for you":
Dear President-elect Trump:
In case you had any doubt, we are the American Civil Liberties Union. And we're not moving to Canada.
So, rest assured that when you target immigrants, dissidents, and your political opponents – we will challenge you in the courts, at state legislatures, and in the streets.
Surely, you remember the landmark lawsuits we won against you on family separation, the U.S. Census, and immigrants' rights – some of which were decided by judges you appointed.
During your last presidency, we brought 434 legal actions, including 250 lawsuits against your administration's anti-civil liberties agenda.
We also mobilized the power of our more than 1 million card-carrying members into the streets, at airports, and in state capitals.
We've developed a comprehensive roadmap to defend our rights beginning on day one. We're not new to this.
At the ACLU, we play the long game. We've been around for 105 years and seen 19 presidents come and go.
That's why any attempt to roll back the nation's civil liberties on our watch will be hard fought and met with the full power of our resistance.
Steadfast and determined to make ours a more perfect union, we remain,
The ACLU
Just watched movie "Caesar Chavez " - very inspirational; and interesting what he does to organize and resist to successfully help the farmworkers seeking social justice. Persons like Chavez, Harriet Tubman, MLK can provide ideas on what one person can do.
An interesting contrast to today is demonstrated in the 2014 documentary "Jimmy Carter, the rock and roll president". Music it seems shows more about politics of an era than may be appreciated. Anyway, Carter is a thoroughly honorable, consistent, and decent man. I hope we get back to that situation. In watching it, it was thought provoking to reminisce, and contrast to the present.
Hello, Ellen. In addition to the wonderful suggestions here, you might try connecting with Third Act,Bill McKibben’s activist group for people over 60. ❤️ https://thirdact.org
Thank you as always, Robert. I know you are busy, and I hope you are taking care of yourself. If you have 20 minutes to spare, I can’t recommend this from Rabbi Sharon Brous enough. It really helped move this moment from a political perspective to one of social justice for me. Thank you again. https://youtu.be/bamMqPmks_M?si=vh5TPiRjETfV_Yeq
I will check it out!
Thank you. I just listened to this. “A dream deferred is not a dream that has died “. An amazing sermon
I’m very grateful to Robert and Jill. My only media is Substack. I do not watch TV. I have not read NY Times or WaPo in months and cancelled my subscriptions. I will receive Jennifer Rubin’s subscriber only emails until May 2025 when my WaPo subscription expires. I also donate to Voting Rights attorney Marc Elias and his Democracy Docket newsletter. (www.elias.law) He has a podcast also, Defending Democracy. I will pass on information if appropriate. We need to regroup and develop strategies. We all need time for rest and recovery. We have holidays ahead. I will have more information and ideas later in the week. I’m only reading Today’s Edition from Robert the rest of the week. I’m too burned out and exhausted.
Resisting every way possible. Among my ways, I will be sending a new email to the New York Times everyday. In time I'll do the same to other legacy media. At the same time, I continue to get some of the news from Democracy Now. Their approach, being more global, gives me hope for a global resistance. But that will only happen when we begin to see that there is a world outside the USA.
Here is what I sent to the NYT.
Your one-sided, all Republican planning for the fascist regime that is coming about, makes it seem that there is no resistance to the egregious unconstitutional plans put forward by the Trump administration. As a newspaper the New York Times continues it's irresponsible coverage of a phenomenon without any curiosity about how many millions of people are already resisting and taking action against the racist and sexist Trump regime. Be more curious and you will do better journalism. What I see here in "the morning" feels like a one-sided cadre of old news. Be serious and do a thorough job.
You have my admiration and respect! Keep up the good work!
Respectfully I want to explain why I am not comfortable with the term resistance. I believe that term implies that we are less than equal citizens. It conjures visions of underground movements in totalitarian countries, and I believe it cedes power to the opposition that they do not possess. You have rightfully cautioned us to not give them power they do not have. It implies that our democracy is already gone. It also implies that we are the “other.” It implies that we are far fewer in number than they are, and we are not. I strongly urge you to adopt the term opposition. It describes an equal party that is powerful enough to counteract the evil of those that barely won a majority in this election.
Thanks. Use whatever words you want. But the notion that we will have equal power is simply wrong. Trump’s first wish was for Senate Republicans to stop operating as a check on presidential appointment power. Rick Scott said, “Yes, Sir! How high? “. And I don’t understand how anyone can think that women have equal rights in today’s America. Or Black voters, whose votes are diminished through racial gerrymandering, to which John Roberts said, “Racism? I don’t see any racism in America.” And remember that time when the Supreme Court said Trump was immune from the criminal law? The guardrails are off. We are the guardrails. That is why we are the resistance.
As you said, "opposition" implies equal entities. To me, that normalizes the maga party and its felonious leader. They are NOT an equal and legitimate opposition. They are in power thru cheating and lies. I believe I am RESISTING an evil force.
How about using resistance/opposition together like this?
How 'bout "opposistance?"
You have such a way with words 😉
Or “Oppression Resister Persisters”
Your words make me think of an ostrich with their head in the sand.
Believe me I am well aware of the horror and peril of this moment. I have been physically ill most of this week. As I said before, I feel that labeling ourselves as the resistance makes us look weaker. You are free to disagree, but do not assume that you have any idea about how I am feeling about what is happening to our country.
Hopehappens, I appreciate your sanguine mindset, but I don't agree. A number of my friends think it's a temporary setback and business as usual will resume soon. I wish I agreed, but I don't. Everything is different now. We ARE less than equal citizens, in these fascists' minds.
Please know that I am absolutely NOT sanguine about the situation we are in. Nor do I think that there will be anything normal in the coming years. Our democracy is hanging by a thread and may not survive this horror. My thought is that if we label ourselves as the resistance that reduces the statue we are entitled to as citizens of this country. I am well aware of their fascist views and actions. I just think that we should continue to fight from as powerful a position as possible. And labels can matter.
Are there any thinking Republican senators who will resist Trump's assault on our country? Is it possible that Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins and a few others will balk? Why not leave the party altogether? That could change the game.
Is that possible?
Also, the Democratic senators are strong and a good bunch. Ruben Gallego for one. We can hope they will fight back.
As a Maine resident who has been disappointed over and over with Collins' statements and actions, I have no illusions about her willingness to stand up for what's right. She will not.
Lisa Murkowski might offer resistance but don't depend on Susie "he's learned his lesson" Collins. Susie is firmly in the pocket of Leonard Leo and is no leader; In any case, Collins is a follower and certainly won't buck the party.
No there aren't any thinking GOP Senators. They all fell in line behind Trump. Susan Collins is a joke. She's always "concerned", or troubled, but ends up giving Trump her vote.
Susan Collins again will make a show of wringing her hands, sucking in the MSM with her show of moral agony … and then she’ll cave in to the bad guys.
I’m beginning to thing she’s a con artist.
Thank you, Robert, for hanging in there with us and for us!