Each Saturday my husband and I set up a votefromabroad.org table at the very busy and touristy open air market in the small French town where we live. Votefromabroad.org (VFA) is a Democrats Abroad (an official part of the Democratic Party) website. Registration is quick and easy. We have a HARRIS/WALZ sign on the wall above us, a large sign on the table with a Register-to-Vote verbiage and the votefromabroad.org QR code. We have an equally large sign in French asking if they know Americans to tell about votefromabroad.org. A small American flag and a small French flag stick up from the appropriate sign.
* Roughly 10% of adult Americans living abroad (about 6.5 million) voted in the 2020 election. Democrats Abroad is aiming to change that dramatically. Here is what happens at the market:
* The lady that owns the cafe where we have set up for months is greatly enthusiastic and supports our taking up one of her tables for the hours we are there.
* Each Saturday we have found several Americans who live abroad who are not registered and who take our VFA cards or bookmarks and promise to register.
* The passing French and European tourists give broad smiles, thumbs up, stop to talk about their incredulity that any Americans can support Trump, have their kids look at us, and take our pictures, especially since we started donning our Harris/Walz tee shirts. We’re another tourist attraction!
* We have encountered only one American (who said he never votes) who supported Trump. It is estimated that 80% of those living abroad are Democrats.
* Yesterday, October 12, for the first time, every American we talked to, some living overseas and some tourists, had emphatically told us they have already voted or, in the case of a couple tourists, will vote when they get home. All for Harris.
* We were especially gratified that two separate groups of students who walked by told us they have already voted from abroad! We need them!
* In 2020, approximately 18,000 overseas voters from Georgia and approximately 18,000 from Arizona gave Biden the margin of victory in those States. I hope our Get-Out-the-Vote efforts will massively improve on these numbers in every State of the Union!
* Members of Democrats Abroad around the world are phone banking, texting and postcard writing as well. Here in France we contacted 10,000 voters by phone or text and continue our outreach to Americans in other European countries. The enthusiasm is so palpable! We WILL make a difference in this election.
Your work is so inspirational, Paula! All I can say is a huge hooray for you in your determination to make sure Harris is our next president! Thank you for all you do!
My son and his family live in Japan, and he has already voted online. He doesn't understand why those who live here cannot do the same! Of course, in his case, I suppose his vote will be added to the Kansas tally--which won't help much. At least, he votes every election!
My cousins live in Israel and in 2016 their daughter in Florida found out who they were voting for and told them if they don't plan on living here she won't vote in their elections if they don't vote in ours. They all have duo citizenship.
Paula Matos, Your work is brilliant, generous and indeed inspirational. Mille mercies! For everything you are doing to support Harris/Walz and protect our precious democracy. This household wrote 30 Vote Forward letters for Democrats Abroad and zillions of postcards.
Your work should encourage more voters living overseas, than previously, to vote in this critical November 5th election.
C'est merveilleux! Si vous voulez dire, j'aimrais savoir le nom de ville ou vous habitais pour que je pourais voire ou c'est sure une carte. J'habitais a Paris 1965-'66 avec ma famille d'origin, quand j'avais douze ans.
I live in lovely Uzès near Avignon. All our French friends are SO supportive, and we had 22 Democrat ex-pats packed into our living room last Friday for our Salon Bleu, our monthly political discussion group. A couple weeks ago we addressed and sent out 500 postcards to Americans living in France! As far as we know, there is only one Republican couple in town, part-timers, and they sure as heck don’t campaign or wear MAGA tee shirts. They’re one step above lepers on the social acceptance scale IMHO.
French friends were supportive of my parents when we lived there--for opposing the Vietnam war. My mother also quickly made friends with taxicab drivers, who would open with criticism, only to find out that my mother was on their side! (I only found out fairly recently, long after my mother had departed, that her maternal uncle, Philip Hornbein, had run the Colorado Democratic Party for most of the first half of the 20th century.) My mother took each of us, independently, to the voting booth at a young age, to observe. I was 7, and my mother was voting for JFK that year, and I remember that expedition feeling like the sacred ritual that it was.
I don't think I've been to Uzes, but in May 1989 I rode my bicycle from Bergerac to Avignon, a mostly beautiful ride, except for Rodez and environs.
Beautiful town! I live in the countryside north of Voiron. I immediately registered to vote by mail (or fax) from my last Florida address. It’s SO easy! (I just hope the hurricanes don’t affect my “in the mail ballot”. I haven’t heard back yet that it has been received. 🤞🤞🤞)
The editors of The New Yorker wrote in their endorsement of Kamala Harris that "Close to ninety million women have registered to vote this November, and historical data show that women have favored Democrats over Republicans in every general election since 1992." Assuming those are new registrants, of course, if say 2/3 of them vote for Harris, and at least she gets the votes Joe got in 2020 (81 million) that would be a slam dunk. Most of them might not be in "swing" states but that is a heck of a lot of new voters. Hoping for signs to base hope on. My local PO told me that all the postcard stamps were sold out because there has been such a run on them in my state of NC. I'd say that's a good sign too.
You can order lots of choices of postal stamps on Amazon. I was surprised but like their choices. I tried to order TWICE on line from the USPS website and didn’t get either order, and the USPS customer service said I’d have to order again. Why would I do that? That’s when I tried Amazon.
Honestly, even then will it be over? The 2020 election never ended, and this one will be more so, I think, with many protests filed down-ballot in Congress and in states. MAGA has their formula. And, if Dems turn the House, will Mike Johnson step down? He consistently makes the "IF it is a free & fair election" noises, so who knows what tricks this "reverent" individual will play? I just fear maximal interference at every level this time.
"Close to ninety million women have registered to vote this November ... "
What does this mean? Are you saying there are 90 million "new" women who three months ago were not registered, but are now registered because Kamala Harris is the candidate? If so, I find this extremely difficult to accept.
No actual figures show the extent of new registrations. A super majority of unregistered people who trend Democratic are women. In a FT6 phone call last week, Jason Berlin estimated that 4.5 million new Democrats have been added in crucial districts since March.
IMHO it varies by state. E.G. abortion is on the ballot in AZ, FL, MO.
Abortion is on the ballot in Florida and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour will be here in 7 days to boost us in our GOTV efforts! 💃🏼🗳️
Speaking of women…helped ballot cure 📲for PA yesterday and a 91 year-old woman, in a wheelchair living in assisted living, was so concerned about having her voice heard.PA Dems will be finding a designated agent to assist.💙
Hooray for Taylor! I was so happy to read that she has donated $5M to hurricane relief - but not surprised. When I read she had become a billionaire, I was pleased. And how often can you say you're pleased someone is a billionaire?
Means the women will control this years election. They’re sick of the men controlling - especially Republican men. Women have always been the smarter gender - starting in grade school.
I remember at my company in the 1990s allowed women to transfer to skilled jobs that had always been held by men. A foreman in charge of the men complained to me vociferously that he didn’t want women in his group. By one year later he flipped entirely saying the more women they can send him the better. Loved them because they were more skilled than the men and more disciplined, making his foreman job easier.
And unfortunately as late as 2010 ,when I retired, the discrimination by male supervisors against women was still prevalent. Even though women were routinely at the top of the production standings.
That is a direct quote from the October 7 issue of the lead editorial in The New Yorker. I agree it is misleading. But guessing it means that 90 mc women ARE registered to vote. Glad to see other data.
UNC Football - Wide Receiver, student coach, inspiration.
Tylee was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer,
Stage 4 large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma.
Even as he began treatment, he continued to attend practice, meetings and classes.
He received the Disney Spirit Award in December 2022 - "the most inspirational figure in college football."
He became an assistant coach and interned in the UNC basketball office.
He graduated with his Bachelor's Degree in 2024, and worked for his Master's degree which was awarded this week by the university.
Since his diagnosis in March 2022, Ty underwent several courses of chemotherapy, then immunotherapy, and ultimately a clinical trial where he was the first person to receive compassionate use of a drug yet to receive FDA approval.
Even as he dealt with his condition, he reached out to help others dealing with their own cancer diagnosis
He entered Hospice on Thursday, and transitioned on the day of the Cancer Awareness Game.
The Tylee Craft Nutrition Center is named in his honor.
Condolences to his mother, September Craft, and to all who love him.
Ty had multiple tattoos - one says "Let Your Faith Be Bigger Than Your Fear."
Beverly, thank you for sharing this beautiful tribute to a young life well lived and so inspirational. I will copy this and keep it where it can always encourage me when the going seems rough.
Thank you, Robert, for your steady hand❣️You have been my morning commute go to for a couple of years now. “We have every reason to hope, but no reason to be complacent.” My morning mantra:) I am a teacher and I am going to make my plan:) Thank you!
Robert, your steady hand and calm voice imparting words of wisdom, distilling the events of our fast moving world, are foundational for many of us. Thank you for staying the course, speaking directly to what matters and now encouraging us to focus on how we personally will commit to moving forward, as we are not going back.
Thank you, Robert. It is uncanny on how you know what to address. My biggest fear of late is a scenario where Kamala wins but then the MAGA forces try to pull an insurrection. Finally realizing don-old won’t be the outgoing president and Kamala will still be the Vice President. This gives me so much hope. I am not giving up on democracy and I firmly believe there are millions more like me.
Today I put stamps on hundreds of postcards so they are ready to be mailed at the appropriate time. I subscribed to Marc Elias at Democracy Docket.
Your picture provides solace each day. To see the magnificence of the nebula and surrounding stars puts things in perspective for me.
Things seem to be going so fast in this campaign. I suppose it’s because I’m old and time has a way of flying by me.
Thank you and your followers. I have learned so much.
Two things. The first is that Simon Rosenberg, the Hopium guy, as interviewed on Resolute Square on Tuesday, said they're finding that early voting is already super UP as compared with 2020, and btw, early voting in 2020 was also up. Very hopeful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSvH1Cg_X1w
Second: There's an important new, 18-min documentary, "E. Jean Carroll V. Donald J. Trump" by Brave New Films. They took what seems to be verbatim courtroom testimony, turned it into the script spoken by superb actresses, difficult watching at moments, triumphant at the end, very well-done, and worthy of forwarding to others pre-election. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STTDwCQ6Xt8&t=162s
(Thank you, Robert, for your inspired leadership... plus the photos of our universe!)
What continues to astound me is that a very short while ago - just few years ago - this scandal, this crime, this offense...or even a verified rumor of it... would have destroyed a politicians career forever.
Gary Hart was on a flight path to the presidency. A picture of a woman named Donna sitting on his lap as they partied on a boat called Monkey Business obliterated his chances. He withdrew in shame.
John Edwards was a leading contender for the Democratic nomination for president. It was revealed that he had cheated on his wife (just one wife!) and his chances evaporated.
Please help me understand how "Christians" have completely lost their previous moral high ground and now enthusiastically support a self admitted pussy grabber who cheated on all three of his wives, paid off porn stars and Playboy Bunnies, the object of accusations by at least 19 women who speak of his sexual assaults.
It is as if we were living in a really unbelievable novel - panned by critics as too fantastic.
Selective amnesia? So desperate for a "strong" man to "rescue" them from the philistines that they don't care what he does in real life? According to one analysis I read, it's people who are enchanted by his rhetoric and his "charisma" (REALLY???). I think even Cassie Hutchinson (sp?) said something about that when she was testifying about 1/6.
What kills me is their idea of who is a "strong man". To wit: A man who never served his country in any way. A man who's never done a day's real hard work in his life. A man who's been bankrupt at least 6 times, who's only successful business is the one handed to him by his father - everything else he's started - casinos, states, "university", steaks, wines, etc. - have failed. A man who spent his days and nights bringing attention to himself by going to nightclubs and hanging out with friends like Epstein with a new woman on his arm. A man who cheated on all his wives, who grabs women by the crotch, who pushes himself into the spotlight any way he can. A man who bows down to and says he loves dictators. That is their idea of a "strong man"? Are they so blind or pitiful that they've never actually seen a strong man in their lives? Or they think the ones on TV who lie, steal, kill, debase, etc. are examples of real men? If so, no wonder there are so many young men who can't find women willing to marry them. https://newrepublic.com/post/186974/stephen-miller-dating-tips-jesse-watters-fox
Very powerful, passionate expression of the hypocrisy and perversion that is bitterly and daily noted by anyone who has not yet become a "pod person" if you know the reference. I do feel as if we are living a version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as, with mouths agape & tasting our tears, we watch morality, empathy, insight, justice, and compassion evaporate. Even if we can hold the White House and one branch of Congress this time it is going to be an ongoing battle to maintain the humanity of this country. I don't think the pod people are coming back... But I will share this AZ voter interview as it is somewhat reassuring to see fellow citizens refusing to become pod people! I think this contingent of folks is where we can join hands and forces to push back against the MAGA tide.
Apparently those qualities are attractive to a certain segment of the population. Another segment is happy to ignore all of those qualities/actions/etc. that you mention, in their pursuit of power. It's disheartening & disgusting.
I find Trump to have negative charisma! He's like the old Jake LaMotta at the end of Raging Bull trying to be some kind of Catskills comedian. Pathetic. Except with Trump and MAGA there is so much danger. They think he's a smash. Bizarre.
But-- I've been re-watching my recordings of the Jan6 Committee meetings and it is just astounding. Time fades all of the details, and there are SO MANY crimes in all the details. The post-election moves to lie about the election, the many failed court cases, the pressure on GA and on Mike Pence, the knowledge of weapons at the event on Jan6 --- it is all coming back out (and more) with the release of Jack Smith's brief, but just the original testimony is devastating to Trump. It is a filthy crime. All of the testimony is from Trump Republicans, too!! It was brilliantly conceived. It is hard to believe that "Democracy" issues do not poll at the top of voters' concerns. I'll pay more for groceries and gas to keep these jerks out of office!!!
I wish they would put together some reels with this and other footage of Trump and run it non-stop on MSNBC. Stephanie Ruhle has a nice feature called "This Week in the Trump Presidency" to answer if we were really better off ( I augmented a bit from other sources). For this week in October, in 2017 he threw rolls of paper towels at hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and declined to re-certify the Iran Nuclear Deal; in 2018, Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in and Trump dissembled about the disappearance of WAPO journalist Khashoggi; in 2019 testimony in first impeachment inquiry was under way and Trump moved to have the G7 meeting at his Doral Country Club; in 2020 Trump had Covid and paraded around the hospital grounds in triumph while still sick, while later that month he walked off the 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl (which he remains bitter about). These small reminders help to put things in perspective, but there are hundreds and hundreds of them, as every day was a tedious grind of incompetence, demagoguery, and crime. So much for charisma....
Harvey, this is a great review! Helpful. Some entities are including these things in their ads--Lincoln Project, for one. And their approach has been catching on with the Dems, thankfully.
Thanks Diane! It's important to have testimony about these memories. The recording of survivor testimony has been an important part of preserving history and establishing the veracity of history. We must remember. Trump and Vance truck with Holocaust deniers which is dangerous and in itself disqualifying - - in the real world. Lincoln Project has done heroic work to use history in creative, often witty Swiftian ways, to remind us of how ugly it was and would be again.
Harvey: Oh, I agree, he is repulsive - to me. And the amnesia of so many is scary. I think even many of us have forgotten lots of the terrible things he has done. As you say, hundreds and hundreds. Is there a link to This Week in the Trump Presidency? I just googled it, and didn't find one. Perhaps that would be a good thing to publicize on public media, etc.
There is a Trump Time-line on Wikipedia that goes week by week. Better though is the compilation by Amy Siskind found in her book The List which chronicles Year One. She continued the project on The Weekly List which was an archive and also a podcast. Unlike the Wikipedia list, she adds more Democracy-oriented detail and commentary. It's a remarkable project.
I found her page, thanks. I'm not sure I'm up to following her right now. I'm needing a little break, while getting ready to move house. But she looks really interesting.
His older women supporters remember the "crush" they had on him in the 80's and since they remember they are old themselves when they look in the mirror, they don't hold that against him. They don't care about politics, only he is a strong, rich man that says he'll protect them. They are as delusional as he is. Hopefully most will stay home and not vote.
Do those people feel nostalgic and youthful when they watch his lame disco dance twitches? I wish I could be 20 again, too, but I would not want to party with Trump and Epstein! Yuck! 🤮
Re: living in an unbelievable novel. The mini-series of Roth's novel, "The Plot to Destroy America" is devastating. And very timely! That orange inferno at the end was truly prophetic as we rolled towards 2020 and Jan6. I started to watch The Man in the High Castle and that is also a scary dystopian nightmare. And I bought Handmaid's Tale super-cheap on Prime (4.99 per season!) and that is queued up. I should read the texts but cinema will do for now :) You make an important point about the blurring of fiction and reality! I'll throw in one more "Trumpian" movie called RKO 281 with Liev Schreiber, James Cameron, John Malkovitch, Melanie Griffith, Roy Schneider ie a stellar cast. It's about the making of Citizen Kane but really so much more. It's kind of a modern David vs Goliath story, where one (puny) narcissist takes on another (a fading monarch) by using art/cinema to speak Truth to Power as we would say it today. It's about the struggle to speak freely, to dissent, to evolve in the face of suppression and oppression, and courage needed to sling that rock! Deeper than it looks! It's free on Internet Archive. org Enjoy!
Important points Bill. Where did the standards go? In 2012 the GOP put forth a new clown every week or two; in that space of time they would say or do something stupid or offensive that popped their balloon and they were gone. Gone. Herman Kane (sp?) was part of that parade, maybe Scott Walker, too - - Remember? Romney quietly sat back and let the competition self-implode, and then he emerged out of the rubble. But even for Romney remarks about "Binders of women" and "the 47%" did him in. There was a standard for shame, for idiocy, for intolerance that just evaporated by 2015. When Trump survived the "rapists & killers" remark I was surprised; but the next week I thought the McCain slur would do it, but like a cockroach he crawled on. Then mocking the disabled journalist didn't do it, nor did "shooting someone on 5th Ave" or "Russia if you're listening". Trump is definitely a symptom but the disease is much more widespread now. It's the party, the followers, the echo chamber of Fox and social media. There used to be a cost for stupidity and ugliness - - now it gets points and cheers! NOT going along with it gets you excommunicated! It's completely reversed! "We are through the looking glass, people! White is black, black is white. We have to start thinking on a whole other level" as Garrison /Costner opined in JFK. How /when did that happen? It's that shift in "the crowd response" that is the determining factor here. Indeed, A Face in the Crowd, the amazing Kazan movie, examines this. I think it's coming up soon on TCM and I encourage folks to watch it. But even Lonesome Rhodes is done in by one remark insulting his followers - - but Trump has gotten away with that, too! Is there anything that would knock Humpty Trumpty off his wall? Sigh... Despair... Hope...
Why are so many feeling so powerless and forgotten that they need to project this need for strength & recognition onto a faux icon, and in so doing, create their own community and nation that seemingly detests the very values they purport to cherish? Where Freedom is a zero-sum commodity that they must wrest away from reviled others to feel as if they have any at all? They are like dystopian Dead Heads showing up for all the hits - but what void is that filling? Is that something Dems have missed in all their fine intellectualized articles in The Atlantic? Is it a point of potential contact to reach these people? Or where we can maybe help others from going over the Authoritarian abyss with the Orange Piper?
When he didn't tumble from the first John McCain "he was no war hero" slander it was baffling. It just got worse from there. Now we have "eating pets" and "day of extreme violence". It never ends.
I’m a temporary worker at the Milwaukee election commission and I’m processing absentee ballots. The amount of checking and rechecking of return envelopes for signatures, witnesses, addresses, etc. is astounding. I’ve also been trained to work the tabulator machines when it comes to actually counting ballots on Election Day. Again, the system of checks and rechecks is amazing. People don’t understand all that goes into the actual counting of votes. I have worked one other presidential election and the recount that occurred here in 2020. Many, many “observers” were bussed in but few were actually trained in the process here. They were trained (and had notebooks with “scripts”) to object to parts of the process, without knowing what the process actually is. If people really knew how the process actually works, there would be much less accusation of fraud. DEMOCRACY WORKS when the citizenry work it!!!!
Yesterday I worked a phone bank for just one hour and made 42 calls to people who had ordered absentee ballots and I was following up to make sure they were received and completed. While I left quite a few voice mails, I did speak in person to a number of lovely people. It’s easy folks!
Robert re Mecklenberg Cty NC: after your last announcement, I raised about $15k. How is the fundraising going and volunteers? I plan to phone bank. Thanks for providing such a great vehicle and all of your inspirational efforts
Nate Cohn twisted facts into foolishness in his article about black and Hispanic voters favoring Trump. What a lot of hogwash. Every ethnicity has it uninformed and ignorant people, but to raise the alarm about these few in the face of strong majorities favoring Harris is typical New York Times false equivalency bias.
If, heaven forbid, the Orange Menace returns to office and ushers in a fascist state, you have to wonder what the headlines will be. "Trump keeps election promises," "A new look for the DOJ" -??
If it's the NYTimes, though, they'll make it sound more innocuous (unless MAGA appropriates the paper and makes it a party organ). "Alligators for southern border moat were hand-raised by 4H Clubs in Florida." "Former Dem politicians headed to penal colony in Utqiagvik, Alaska, take comfort in numbers." "Moms who lost ACA health insurance says it will help them be more self-reliant."
"Puerto Rican Woman Who Caught Paper Towel Roll Tossed By Trump Had Gotten Work Permit at Bounty Factory in Mehoopany, PA -- Now Being Deported"
"Trump Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tucker Carlson, Kyle Rittenhouse, Maria Bartiromo, John Voight, Jesse Watters, Jeanine Pirro, Steve Bannon and Other 'Great Patriots' "
"MSNBC Hosts Undergo Waterboarding Conversion to MAGA Worldview, Express Tearful Gratitude for Opportunity"
"SCOTUS Agrees 6-0 that 22nd Amendment is 'Not Originalist' in Nature; Door Open for 3rd Trump Term in 2029"
"Pregnant Women To Be Housed in Baby Farms at Week 6; Grateful to Be Relieved of Work Burden until 72-Hours Post-Birth"
"Trump Declares Himself Honorary MIT Professor-- Just Like His Uncle Was"
"Parts of Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama Underwater: Democrat Scientists Blamed for Failure to Warn Country About Climate Change"
"Golf Named as America's Pastime; All Other Sports Shuttered"
"Hunting in Local Zoos Now Legal; Don Jr Named as Wild Game Czar"
"Thomas, Alito Announce Retirement; Matthew Kacsmaryk, Aileen Cannon Nominated as Replacements -- Senate Confirmation To Be Bypassed"
"All US Airports, NASA Bases, Train Stations, Bus Terminals Renamed for Trump; Gold-Plated Signage Ordered"
"US Students Not Allowed to Progress in Reading Beyond 4th Grade Level; Thinking Considered Too Stressful"
"Original 2016-2017 MAGA Hats Fetch Record Prices at Auction"
Paula, I love your story. And thank you for your work. Robert, I have printed out your bullet points from yesterday and am distributing the pdf to friends and family. Grounded optimism is the key and you help us all maintain it. Forward!
I have read some interesting articles about what Harris needs to do in the final 4 weeks of the election process especially since early voting starts everywhere. I believe Harris needs to shift her focus more toward Trump being unfit to hold the office , his declining cognitive abilities and a stark reminder of what a Trump presidency was really like with the closing line “ we can’t go back”. We need to remind voters what Trump and his administration did to citizens of this country, immigrants, farmers, union workers, people of color and of course woman’s reproductive freedoms. Who benefited from the Trump presidency? Young voters who are voting for the first time probably don’t really remember the Trump presidency and we need to remind them and we also need to remind voters of the many people who died unnecessarily from Trump’s incompetent handling of COVID and the missing children from a cruel immigration policy. We can never ever forget and we need to remind everyone of exactly what a Trump presidency will look like.
Trump is reminding us all by himself -- disaster craziness table for millions? Kamala is doing everything you note and more. It's up to us voters, now, to SHOW UP for democracy. Phone banking coming right up ... 3 more weeks to go.
Each Saturday my husband and I set up a votefromabroad.org table at the very busy and touristy open air market in the small French town where we live. Votefromabroad.org (VFA) is a Democrats Abroad (an official part of the Democratic Party) website. Registration is quick and easy. We have a HARRIS/WALZ sign on the wall above us, a large sign on the table with a Register-to-Vote verbiage and the votefromabroad.org QR code. We have an equally large sign in French asking if they know Americans to tell about votefromabroad.org. A small American flag and a small French flag stick up from the appropriate sign.
* Roughly 10% of adult Americans living abroad (about 6.5 million) voted in the 2020 election. Democrats Abroad is aiming to change that dramatically. Here is what happens at the market:
* The lady that owns the cafe where we have set up for months is greatly enthusiastic and supports our taking up one of her tables for the hours we are there.
* Each Saturday we have found several Americans who live abroad who are not registered and who take our VFA cards or bookmarks and promise to register.
* The passing French and European tourists give broad smiles, thumbs up, stop to talk about their incredulity that any Americans can support Trump, have their kids look at us, and take our pictures, especially since we started donning our Harris/Walz tee shirts. We’re another tourist attraction!
* We have encountered only one American (who said he never votes) who supported Trump. It is estimated that 80% of those living abroad are Democrats.
* Yesterday, October 12, for the first time, every American we talked to, some living overseas and some tourists, had emphatically told us they have already voted or, in the case of a couple tourists, will vote when they get home. All for Harris.
* We were especially gratified that two separate groups of students who walked by told us they have already voted from abroad! We need them!
* In 2020, approximately 18,000 overseas voters from Georgia and approximately 18,000 from Arizona gave Biden the margin of victory in those States. I hope our Get-Out-the-Vote efforts will massively improve on these numbers in every State of the Union!
* Members of Democrats Abroad around the world are phone banking, texting and postcard writing as well. Here in France we contacted 10,000 voters by phone or text and continue our outreach to Americans in other European countries. The enthusiasm is so palpable! We WILL make a difference in this election.
Your work is so inspirational, Paula! All I can say is a huge hooray for you in your determination to make sure Harris is our next president! Thank you for all you do!
Thanks for the work and telling us about it. Hopeful!
Merici! Merci!
Vous est tres remarquable.
Bravo a toi!
Comme il l'a dit
My son and his family live in Japan, and he has already voted online. He doesn't understand why those who live here cannot do the same! Of course, in his case, I suppose his vote will be added to the Kansas tally--which won't help much. At least, he votes every election!
My cousins live in Israel and in 2016 their daughter in Florida found out who they were voting for and told them if they don't plan on living here she won't vote in their elections if they don't vote in ours. They all have duo citizenship.
Interesting. Good trade! How many fewer R votes?
Thank you for all your work!
Paula Matos, Your work is brilliant, generous and indeed inspirational. Mille mercies! For everything you are doing to support Harris/Walz and protect our precious democracy. This household wrote 30 Vote Forward letters for Democrats Abroad and zillions of postcards.
Your work should encourage more voters living overseas, than previously, to vote in this critical November 5th election.
Thank yoi!!
That's French for 'you'. 🥰
😍
Wonderful!!! I wrote letters for votefwd.org when their campaign was live for voters abroad.
So happy to hear about your amazing efforts over there! a million thanks! Merci beaucoup!
C'est merveilleux! Si vous voulez dire, j'aimrais savoir le nom de ville ou vous habitais pour que je pourais voire ou c'est sure une carte. J'habitais a Paris 1965-'66 avec ma famille d'origin, quand j'avais douze ans.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/driving/a-60s-summer-in-paris-leads-to-a-search-for-a-good-peugeot-404/
Ignore the title—should have been “In Search of Lost Time… With Apologies to Proust”
I live in lovely Uzès near Avignon. All our French friends are SO supportive, and we had 22 Democrat ex-pats packed into our living room last Friday for our Salon Bleu, our monthly political discussion group. A couple weeks ago we addressed and sent out 500 postcards to Americans living in France! As far as we know, there is only one Republican couple in town, part-timers, and they sure as heck don’t campaign or wear MAGA tee shirts. They’re one step above lepers on the social acceptance scale IMHO.
French friends were supportive of my parents when we lived there--for opposing the Vietnam war. My mother also quickly made friends with taxicab drivers, who would open with criticism, only to find out that my mother was on their side! (I only found out fairly recently, long after my mother had departed, that her maternal uncle, Philip Hornbein, had run the Colorado Democratic Party for most of the first half of the 20th century.) My mother took each of us, independently, to the voting booth at a young age, to observe. I was 7, and my mother was voting for JFK that year, and I remember that expedition feeling like the sacred ritual that it was.
I don't think I've been to Uzes, but in May 1989 I rode my bicycle from Bergerac to Avignon, a mostly beautiful ride, except for Rodez and environs.
Beautiful town! I live in the countryside north of Voiron. I immediately registered to vote by mail (or fax) from my last Florida address. It’s SO easy! (I just hope the hurricanes don’t affect my “in the mail ballot”. I haven’t heard back yet that it has been received. 🤞🤞🤞)
Thank you so much for your work! Very inspirational!
The editors of The New Yorker wrote in their endorsement of Kamala Harris that "Close to ninety million women have registered to vote this November, and historical data show that women have favored Democrats over Republicans in every general election since 1992." Assuming those are new registrants, of course, if say 2/3 of them vote for Harris, and at least she gets the votes Joe got in 2020 (81 million) that would be a slam dunk. Most of them might not be in "swing" states but that is a heck of a lot of new voters. Hoping for signs to base hope on. My local PO told me that all the postcard stamps were sold out because there has been such a run on them in my state of NC. I'd say that's a good sign too.
Postcard stamps are a hot item everywhere. I've been ordering from USPS.com because both of my local post offices sell out as soon as they come in.
I went to my PO in Carslbad, CA and they were out of postcard stamps. I was able to get cute little school bus stamps and use 2 per card!
You can order lots of choices of postal stamps on Amazon. I was surprised but like their choices. I tried to order TWICE on line from the USPS website and didn’t get either order, and the USPS customer service said I’d have to order again. Why would I do that? That’s when I tried Amazon.
Amazon marks up prices on stamps! Best order from usps.
Also watch out for stamps from other sources that aren’t genuine.
Same here in Michigan. We ended up buying first-class stamps for our 500 postcards -- definitely worth the premium!!
Vote BLUE full ballot
It ain’t over till the election is certified.
Actually, it ain't over until Harris & Walz are sworn in.
Honestly, even then will it be over? The 2020 election never ended, and this one will be more so, I think, with many protests filed down-ballot in Congress and in states. MAGA has their formula. And, if Dems turn the House, will Mike Johnson step down? He consistently makes the "IF it is a free & fair election" noises, so who knows what tricks this "reverent" individual will play? I just fear maximal interference at every level this time.
"Close to ninety million women have registered to vote this November ... "
What does this mean? Are you saying there are 90 million "new" women who three months ago were not registered, but are now registered because Kamala Harris is the candidate? If so, I find this extremely difficult to accept.
Perhaps clarify your comment for all of us.
This is what I found when I looked it up.
https://www.effectv.com/insights/blog/reaching-women-voters-2024-election/
So, it means the total number of women registered to vote, of that some are new registrants. Here are the numbers by state.
https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/number-of-individuals-who-voted-in-thousands-and-individuals-who-voted-as-a-share-of-the-voter-population-by-sex/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D
Then I found this by the League of Women Voters. Which also shows states with women governors.
https://www.lwv.org/blog/report-women-voters-numbers
No actual figures show the extent of new registrations. A super majority of unregistered people who trend Democratic are women. In a FT6 phone call last week, Jason Berlin estimated that 4.5 million new Democrats have been added in crucial districts since March.
IMHO it varies by state. E.G. abortion is on the ballot in AZ, FL, MO.
Abortion is on the ballot in Florida and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour will be here in 7 days to boost us in our GOTV efforts! 💃🏼🗳️
Speaking of women…helped ballot cure 📲for PA yesterday and a 91 year-old woman, in a wheelchair living in assisted living, was so concerned about having her voice heard.PA Dems will be finding a designated agent to assist.💙
Hooray for Taylor! I was so happy to read that she has donated $5M to hurricane relief - but not surprised. When I read she had become a billionaire, I was pleased. And how often can you say you're pleased someone is a billionaire?
Means the women will control this years election. They’re sick of the men controlling - especially Republican men. Women have always been the smarter gender - starting in grade school.
I remember at my company in the 1990s allowed women to transfer to skilled jobs that had always been held by men. A foreman in charge of the men complained to me vociferously that he didn’t want women in his group. By one year later he flipped entirely saying the more women they can send him the better. Loved them because they were more skilled than the men and more disciplined, making his foreman job easier.
And unfortunately as late as 2010 ,when I retired, the discrimination by male supervisors against women was still prevalent. Even though women were routinely at the top of the production standings.
That is a direct quote from the October 7 issue of the lead editorial in The New Yorker. I agree it is misleading. But guessing it means that 90 mc women ARE registered to vote. Glad to see other data.
Today I pay tribute to Tylee Craft.
#13
UNC Football - Wide Receiver, student coach, inspiration.
Tylee was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer,
Stage 4 large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma.
Even as he began treatment, he continued to attend practice, meetings and classes.
He received the Disney Spirit Award in December 2022 - "the most inspirational figure in college football."
He became an assistant coach and interned in the UNC basketball office.
He graduated with his Bachelor's Degree in 2024, and worked for his Master's degree which was awarded this week by the university.
Since his diagnosis in March 2022, Ty underwent several courses of chemotherapy, then immunotherapy, and ultimately a clinical trial where he was the first person to receive compassionate use of a drug yet to receive FDA approval.
Even as he dealt with his condition, he reached out to help others dealing with their own cancer diagnosis
He entered Hospice on Thursday, and transitioned on the day of the Cancer Awareness Game.
The Tylee Craft Nutrition Center is named in his honor.
Condolences to his mother, September Craft, and to all who love him.
Ty had multiple tattoos - one says "Let Your Faith Be Bigger Than Your Fear."
I'm so sorry. He was only 23, so so young. His receiver teammates will be taking turns wearing his number 13 jersey in the remainder of the games.
https://northcarolina.rivals.com/news/tylee-craft-passes-away
Beverly, thank you for sharing this beautiful tribute to a young life well lived and so inspirational. I will copy this and keep it where it can always encourage me when the going seems rough.
That is inspirational, Beverly!
🙏❣️🙏❣️🙏 Thank you for sharing this 💔 Condolences 🙏
Thank you, Robert, for your steady hand❣️You have been my morning commute go to for a couple of years now. “We have every reason to hope, but no reason to be complacent.” My morning mantra:) I am a teacher and I am going to make my plan:) Thank you!
Robert, your steady hand and calm voice imparting words of wisdom, distilling the events of our fast moving world, are foundational for many of us. Thank you for staying the course, speaking directly to what matters and now encouraging us to focus on how we personally will commit to moving forward, as we are not going back.
Thank you, Robert. It is uncanny on how you know what to address. My biggest fear of late is a scenario where Kamala wins but then the MAGA forces try to pull an insurrection. Finally realizing don-old won’t be the outgoing president and Kamala will still be the Vice President. This gives me so much hope. I am not giving up on democracy and I firmly believe there are millions more like me.
Today I put stamps on hundreds of postcards so they are ready to be mailed at the appropriate time. I subscribed to Marc Elias at Democracy Docket.
Your picture provides solace each day. To see the magnificence of the nebula and surrounding stars puts things in perspective for me.
Things seem to be going so fast in this campaign. I suppose it’s because I’m old and time has a way of flying by me.
Thank you and your followers. I have learned so much.
Ooooh, quite an animated conversation going on in the Fire Nebula! Quite like Ours!
We Honour the Hubbell Nebula of Calm, Truth, and Steadiness ☆
Two things. The first is that Simon Rosenberg, the Hopium guy, as interviewed on Resolute Square on Tuesday, said they're finding that early voting is already super UP as compared with 2020, and btw, early voting in 2020 was also up. Very hopeful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSvH1Cg_X1w
Second: There's an important new, 18-min documentary, "E. Jean Carroll V. Donald J. Trump" by Brave New Films. They took what seems to be verbatim courtroom testimony, turned it into the script spoken by superb actresses, difficult watching at moments, triumphant at the end, very well-done, and worthy of forwarding to others pre-election. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STTDwCQ6Xt8&t=162s
(Thank you, Robert, for your inspired leadership... plus the photos of our universe!)
Watched it. Powerful stuff. Chilling.
What continues to astound me is that a very short while ago - just few years ago - this scandal, this crime, this offense...or even a verified rumor of it... would have destroyed a politicians career forever.
Gary Hart was on a flight path to the presidency. A picture of a woman named Donna sitting on his lap as they partied on a boat called Monkey Business obliterated his chances. He withdrew in shame.
John Edwards was a leading contender for the Democratic nomination for president. It was revealed that he had cheated on his wife (just one wife!) and his chances evaporated.
Please help me understand how "Christians" have completely lost their previous moral high ground and now enthusiastically support a self admitted pussy grabber who cheated on all three of his wives, paid off porn stars and Playboy Bunnies, the object of accusations by at least 19 women who speak of his sexual assaults.
It is as if we were living in a really unbelievable novel - panned by critics as too fantastic.
Selective amnesia? So desperate for a "strong" man to "rescue" them from the philistines that they don't care what he does in real life? According to one analysis I read, it's people who are enchanted by his rhetoric and his "charisma" (REALLY???). I think even Cassie Hutchinson (sp?) said something about that when she was testifying about 1/6.
What kills me is their idea of who is a "strong man". To wit: A man who never served his country in any way. A man who's never done a day's real hard work in his life. A man who's been bankrupt at least 6 times, who's only successful business is the one handed to him by his father - everything else he's started - casinos, states, "university", steaks, wines, etc. - have failed. A man who spent his days and nights bringing attention to himself by going to nightclubs and hanging out with friends like Epstein with a new woman on his arm. A man who cheated on all his wives, who grabs women by the crotch, who pushes himself into the spotlight any way he can. A man who bows down to and says he loves dictators. That is their idea of a "strong man"? Are they so blind or pitiful that they've never actually seen a strong man in their lives? Or they think the ones on TV who lie, steal, kill, debase, etc. are examples of real men? If so, no wonder there are so many young men who can't find women willing to marry them. https://newrepublic.com/post/186974/stephen-miller-dating-tips-jesse-watters-fox
Very powerful, passionate expression of the hypocrisy and perversion that is bitterly and daily noted by anyone who has not yet become a "pod person" if you know the reference. I do feel as if we are living a version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as, with mouths agape & tasting our tears, we watch morality, empathy, insight, justice, and compassion evaporate. Even if we can hold the White House and one branch of Congress this time it is going to be an ongoing battle to maintain the humanity of this country. I don't think the pod people are coming back... But I will share this AZ voter interview as it is somewhat reassuring to see fellow citizens refusing to become pod people! I think this contingent of folks is where we can join hands and forces to push back against the MAGA tide.
https://youtu.be/FfB-f_O6XYM?si=tG5aegC-A9AQossn
Apparently those qualities are attractive to a certain segment of the population. Another segment is happy to ignore all of those qualities/actions/etc. that you mention, in their pursuit of power. It's disheartening & disgusting.
I find Trump to have negative charisma! He's like the old Jake LaMotta at the end of Raging Bull trying to be some kind of Catskills comedian. Pathetic. Except with Trump and MAGA there is so much danger. They think he's a smash. Bizarre.
But-- I've been re-watching my recordings of the Jan6 Committee meetings and it is just astounding. Time fades all of the details, and there are SO MANY crimes in all the details. The post-election moves to lie about the election, the many failed court cases, the pressure on GA and on Mike Pence, the knowledge of weapons at the event on Jan6 --- it is all coming back out (and more) with the release of Jack Smith's brief, but just the original testimony is devastating to Trump. It is a filthy crime. All of the testimony is from Trump Republicans, too!! It was brilliantly conceived. It is hard to believe that "Democracy" issues do not poll at the top of voters' concerns. I'll pay more for groceries and gas to keep these jerks out of office!!!
I wish they would put together some reels with this and other footage of Trump and run it non-stop on MSNBC. Stephanie Ruhle has a nice feature called "This Week in the Trump Presidency" to answer if we were really better off ( I augmented a bit from other sources). For this week in October, in 2017 he threw rolls of paper towels at hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and declined to re-certify the Iran Nuclear Deal; in 2018, Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in and Trump dissembled about the disappearance of WAPO journalist Khashoggi; in 2019 testimony in first impeachment inquiry was under way and Trump moved to have the G7 meeting at his Doral Country Club; in 2020 Trump had Covid and paraded around the hospital grounds in triumph while still sick, while later that month he walked off the 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl (which he remains bitter about). These small reminders help to put things in perspective, but there are hundreds and hundreds of them, as every day was a tedious grind of incompetence, demagoguery, and crime. So much for charisma....
Harvey, this is a great review! Helpful. Some entities are including these things in their ads--Lincoln Project, for one. And their approach has been catching on with the Dems, thankfully.
Thanks Diane! It's important to have testimony about these memories. The recording of survivor testimony has been an important part of preserving history and establishing the veracity of history. We must remember. Trump and Vance truck with Holocaust deniers which is dangerous and in itself disqualifying - - in the real world. Lincoln Project has done heroic work to use history in creative, often witty Swiftian ways, to remind us of how ugly it was and would be again.
Harvey: Oh, I agree, he is repulsive - to me. And the amnesia of so many is scary. I think even many of us have forgotten lots of the terrible things he has done. As you say, hundreds and hundreds. Is there a link to This Week in the Trump Presidency? I just googled it, and didn't find one. Perhaps that would be a good thing to publicize on public media, etc.
There is a Trump Time-line on Wikipedia that goes week by week. Better though is the compilation by Amy Siskind found in her book The List which chronicles Year One. She continued the project on The Weekly List which was an archive and also a podcast. Unlike the Wikipedia list, she adds more Democracy-oriented detail and commentary. It's a remarkable project.
I found her page, thanks. I'm not sure I'm up to following her right now. I'm needing a little break, while getting ready to move house. But she looks really interesting.
I am not sure about how to access the material from Stephanie Ruhle. Maybe via MSNBC website?
His older women supporters remember the "crush" they had on him in the 80's and since they remember they are old themselves when they look in the mirror, they don't hold that against him. They don't care about politics, only he is a strong, rich man that says he'll protect them. They are as delusional as he is. Hopefully most will stay home and not vote.
Do those people feel nostalgic and youthful when they watch his lame disco dance twitches? I wish I could be 20 again, too, but I would not want to party with Trump and Epstein! Yuck! 🤮
Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous has become our tragic text... Where have you gone, Robin Leach? A nation turns it's lonely eyes to you...
Fingers are crossed.
Re: living in an unbelievable novel. The mini-series of Roth's novel, "The Plot to Destroy America" is devastating. And very timely! That orange inferno at the end was truly prophetic as we rolled towards 2020 and Jan6. I started to watch The Man in the High Castle and that is also a scary dystopian nightmare. And I bought Handmaid's Tale super-cheap on Prime (4.99 per season!) and that is queued up. I should read the texts but cinema will do for now :) You make an important point about the blurring of fiction and reality! I'll throw in one more "Trumpian" movie called RKO 281 with Liev Schreiber, James Cameron, John Malkovitch, Melanie Griffith, Roy Schneider ie a stellar cast. It's about the making of Citizen Kane but really so much more. It's kind of a modern David vs Goliath story, where one (puny) narcissist takes on another (a fading monarch) by using art/cinema to speak Truth to Power as we would say it today. It's about the struggle to speak freely, to dissent, to evolve in the face of suppression and oppression, and courage needed to sling that rock! Deeper than it looks! It's free on Internet Archive. org Enjoy!
Important points Bill. Where did the standards go? In 2012 the GOP put forth a new clown every week or two; in that space of time they would say or do something stupid or offensive that popped their balloon and they were gone. Gone. Herman Kane (sp?) was part of that parade, maybe Scott Walker, too - - Remember? Romney quietly sat back and let the competition self-implode, and then he emerged out of the rubble. But even for Romney remarks about "Binders of women" and "the 47%" did him in. There was a standard for shame, for idiocy, for intolerance that just evaporated by 2015. When Trump survived the "rapists & killers" remark I was surprised; but the next week I thought the McCain slur would do it, but like a cockroach he crawled on. Then mocking the disabled journalist didn't do it, nor did "shooting someone on 5th Ave" or "Russia if you're listening". Trump is definitely a symptom but the disease is much more widespread now. It's the party, the followers, the echo chamber of Fox and social media. There used to be a cost for stupidity and ugliness - - now it gets points and cheers! NOT going along with it gets you excommunicated! It's completely reversed! "We are through the looking glass, people! White is black, black is white. We have to start thinking on a whole other level" as Garrison /Costner opined in JFK. How /when did that happen? It's that shift in "the crowd response" that is the determining factor here. Indeed, A Face in the Crowd, the amazing Kazan movie, examines this. I think it's coming up soon on TCM and I encourage folks to watch it. But even Lonesome Rhodes is done in by one remark insulting his followers - - but Trump has gotten away with that, too! Is there anything that would knock Humpty Trumpty off his wall? Sigh... Despair... Hope...
Why are so many feeling so powerless and forgotten that they need to project this need for strength & recognition onto a faux icon, and in so doing, create their own community and nation that seemingly detests the very values they purport to cherish? Where Freedom is a zero-sum commodity that they must wrest away from reviled others to feel as if they have any at all? They are like dystopian Dead Heads showing up for all the hits - but what void is that filling? Is that something Dems have missed in all their fine intellectualized articles in The Atlantic? Is it a point of potential contact to reach these people? Or where we can maybe help others from going over the Authoritarian abyss with the Orange Piper?
When he didn't tumble from the first John McCain "he was no war hero" slander it was baffling. It just got worse from there. Now we have "eating pets" and "day of extreme violence". It never ends.
Thanks for the link to E. Jean Carroll's documentary! She's one courageous lady.
Love that Simon Rosenberg signs off with, “We have every reason to hope, but no reason to be complacent.”
? I think Simon uses, “I would much rather be us than them!”
That’s Robert’s line!
I’m a temporary worker at the Milwaukee election commission and I’m processing absentee ballots. The amount of checking and rechecking of return envelopes for signatures, witnesses, addresses, etc. is astounding. I’ve also been trained to work the tabulator machines when it comes to actually counting ballots on Election Day. Again, the system of checks and rechecks is amazing. People don’t understand all that goes into the actual counting of votes. I have worked one other presidential election and the recount that occurred here in 2020. Many, many “observers” were bussed in but few were actually trained in the process here. They were trained (and had notebooks with “scripts”) to object to parts of the process, without knowing what the process actually is. If people really knew how the process actually works, there would be much less accusation of fraud. DEMOCRACY WORKS when the citizenry work it!!!!
Thanks, Grace!
I worry about the people with "scripts".... Is anyone checking the checkers?
A note to say I appreciate the astronomical photographs among other elements in the column. A touch of sane perspective! Thanks, Mark Rose
Yesterday I worked a phone bank for just one hour and made 42 calls to people who had ordered absentee ballots and I was following up to make sure they were received and completed. While I left quite a few voice mails, I did speak in person to a number of lovely people. It’s easy folks!
Robert re Mecklenberg Cty NC: after your last announcement, I raised about $15k. How is the fundraising going and volunteers? I plan to phone bank. Thanks for providing such a great vehicle and all of your inspirational efforts
Over 200 volunteers, and over $300,000 raised. Thanks for doing your part!
Thank you from a Durham, NC voter!
Nate Cohn twisted facts into foolishness in his article about black and Hispanic voters favoring Trump. What a lot of hogwash. Every ethnicity has it uninformed and ignorant people, but to raise the alarm about these few in the face of strong majorities favoring Harris is typical New York Times false equivalency bias.
NY Times has declined a long, long way....
If you aren't following Margaret Sullivan yet, you might want to check out her critique this morning of two absurdly juxtaposed NYTimes headlines. https://open.substack.com/pub/margaretsullivan/p/about-those-new-york-times-headlines?r=8fcly&utm_medium=ios
If, heaven forbid, the Orange Menace returns to office and ushers in a fascist state, you have to wonder what the headlines will be. "Trump keeps election promises," "A new look for the DOJ" -??
"Millions of Illegals Rounded Up in Camps"
"Electrified Moat and Fences Installed Along Southern Border; Alligators Coming next week"
"MSNBC, CNN, Mother Jones, Atlantic Monthly Journalists Jailed -- Finally!"
"Biden, Harris, Clinton, Jack Smith, Garland, and Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson arrested, held without bail"
"Supreme Court Ends Affordable Care Act in 6--0 vote"
"Trump Signs National Abortion Ban -- NO EXCEPTIONS"
"New Medicare and Social Security Cuts Approved"
"Department of Education, EPA, Department of Interior Gutted/Neutered"
"Trump Bust Ordered for Mt. Rushmore"
If it's the NYTimes, though, they'll make it sound more innocuous (unless MAGA appropriates the paper and makes it a party organ). "Alligators for southern border moat were hand-raised by 4H Clubs in Florida." "Former Dem politicians headed to penal colony in Utqiagvik, Alaska, take comfort in numbers." "Moms who lost ACA health insurance says it will help them be more self-reliant."
4-H Club alligators 🤣
That's wicked funny Linda!
It strikes me this could spark a trend of MAGA/ Orwellian headlines!
I was hoping people would come up with more of their own! 😁
Me, too!!
"Puerto Rican Woman Who Caught Paper Towel Roll Tossed By Trump Had Gotten Work Permit at Bounty Factory in Mehoopany, PA -- Now Being Deported"
"Trump Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tucker Carlson, Kyle Rittenhouse, Maria Bartiromo, John Voight, Jesse Watters, Jeanine Pirro, Steve Bannon and Other 'Great Patriots' "
"MSNBC Hosts Undergo Waterboarding Conversion to MAGA Worldview, Express Tearful Gratitude for Opportunity"
"SCOTUS Agrees 6-0 that 22nd Amendment is 'Not Originalist' in Nature; Door Open for 3rd Trump Term in 2029"
"Pregnant Women To Be Housed in Baby Farms at Week 6; Grateful to Be Relieved of Work Burden until 72-Hours Post-Birth"
"Trump Declares Himself Honorary MIT Professor-- Just Like His Uncle Was"
"Parts of Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama Underwater: Democrat Scientists Blamed for Failure to Warn Country About Climate Change"
"Golf Named as America's Pastime; All Other Sports Shuttered"
"Hunting in Local Zoos Now Legal; Don Jr Named as Wild Game Czar"
"Thomas, Alito Announce Retirement; Matthew Kacsmaryk, Aileen Cannon Nominated as Replacements -- Senate Confirmation To Be Bypassed"
"All US Airports, NASA Bases, Train Stations, Bus Terminals Renamed for Trump; Gold-Plated Signage Ordered"
"US Students Not Allowed to Progress in Reading Beyond 4th Grade Level; Thinking Considered Too Stressful"
"Original 2016-2017 MAGA Hats Fetch Record Prices at Auction"
Part Onion, Part 1984, Part Handmaid's Tale
Some of them are too close to the truth!
Paula, I love your story. And thank you for your work. Robert, I have printed out your bullet points from yesterday and am distributing the pdf to friends and family. Grounded optimism is the key and you help us all maintain it. Forward!
I have read some interesting articles about what Harris needs to do in the final 4 weeks of the election process especially since early voting starts everywhere. I believe Harris needs to shift her focus more toward Trump being unfit to hold the office , his declining cognitive abilities and a stark reminder of what a Trump presidency was really like with the closing line “ we can’t go back”. We need to remind voters what Trump and his administration did to citizens of this country, immigrants, farmers, union workers, people of color and of course woman’s reproductive freedoms. Who benefited from the Trump presidency? Young voters who are voting for the first time probably don’t really remember the Trump presidency and we need to remind them and we also need to remind voters of the many people who died unnecessarily from Trump’s incompetent handling of COVID and the missing children from a cruel immigration policy. We can never ever forget and we need to remind everyone of exactly what a Trump presidency will look like.
Trump is reminding us all by himself -- disaster craziness table for millions? Kamala is doing everything you note and more. It's up to us voters, now, to SHOW UP for democracy. Phone banking coming right up ... 3 more weeks to go.
Thanks for your help 💙