Lately I have been thinking that while President Biden is still in office, a massive marketing campaign needs to take place. It needs to market what the Biden-Harris administration has accomplished. I say market because it needs to be exciting for people to hear and remember.
YES, Suzanne! I have thought of that many times. We hear about the Republicans taking credit for Biden's amazing accomplishments...that they voted against. It's very frustrating to see the Biden Administration just let it happen. If you want people to vote for the Democratic Party, people have to know what they've done to help the average American. If you want President Biden to publicize his accomplishments in a national campaign, email him at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Thanks for the link about how to contact President Biden, C C. I want to urge him to nominate as many judges as he possibly can while we still have the Senate to approve them, and also agency people with a term of years to serve. These actions seem to me even more important than messaging the accomplishments of his administration, which should also be done. Let's send LOTS of messages to Biden!! I hope he returns from South America ASAP and gets down to business here.
Some positive news from Marc Elias/Democracy Dockett in this morning’s email.
“How many judges get confirmed before January? Senate Democrats are confirming federal judges as a record pace. This is the single most important thing Democrats can do right now. If they keep on this pace, by the time Biden leaves office approximately 58% of all federal judges will have been nominated by Democratic presidents and Trump will start with the fewest vacancies. While most of the focus on the courts is on the U.S. Supreme Court, most cases never get to the high court. The lower courts will play a vital role in protecting democracy in the years ahead.”
There are 47 judicial nominees waiting for confirmation. The pressure points are Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin (Judiciary Committee Chair), and your Democratic Senator(s) if you're fortunate enough to have one.
There are already numbers of judicial and regulatory nominees awaiting confirmation by the Senate. Be sure to contact your senators and tell them to push through these nominees asap.
I am attending my Swing Left neighborhood meeting today- I will bring this up. Also, Thru our networks we must explain this as well as explain the election was FAR FROM a landslide- this myth must be dispelled. Democrats need to take pride in all that we accomplished and hunker down, learn the lessons from our failures and continue to DO THE WORK- in solidarity. 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
It's also important to establish a benchmark from which we will surely fall, and for the Biden Administration to take credit for things the incoming misadministration will benefit from. Of course, the incoming will shut down much of what the Biden Administration has started, so there's also an opportunity to inform the public about that.
I agree with Cynthia. Critically important to set the record straight and not let the Republicans...especially at the State level....take credit for the infrastructure projects, among other things. Biden and the Democrats need to draw a line in the sand defining the successes of the past 4 years: small business start-ups, employment, inflation, student loan forgiveness, etc!!
I was just listening to Pete Buttigieg being interviewed on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell from the Friday show (11/15) on exactly this point, with a special emphasis on the infrastructure projects being financed by Biden's Infrastructure Act. Those projects...and especially the 3rd tunnel under the Hudson River....will take years to build. And the danger is that people forget that it was Joe Biden who got the Act passed and financed. It's a terrific interview, not least because Buttigieg is just such a pleasure to listen to!! I highly recommend the interview!
Exactly what happened after the first Brexit vote. The most searched term in the UK was, “what is Brexit.” When the people who voted for him are harmed, they will still blame Biden for it. It’s a cult, and they’re brainwashed. The terrifying part is they’re taking us down with them. Because I’m at the point where if they were just harming themselves now, I’d say have at it, I’m done.
Same here. Unfortunately we are all on the Trumptanic, and they cheered for the iceberg. Hope they miss the lifeboats...and no floating doors for them, either!
Didn't I read an article about the spiking searches on Google the past two weeks that searchers were looking up "how to change my vote"? Oh yeah, and two other searches spiking: "what are tariffs?" & "when did Joe Biden drop out of the race?". Seems like the lo-info folks are experiencing a bit of buyer's remorse, maybe? Too bad they didn't think to check any of this BEFORE the election.
Maybe at least some of them are learning something that will lead to future changed behaviors. It’s up to us to help, as kindly and non-judgmentally as we can possibly manage, simultaneously doing what’s necessary for us to live to fight another day.
There was a great Jimmy Kimmel program within the last week in which they went to the streets on Wednesday, November 6th, to ask who people would vote for, whether they expected long lines at their polling place to be long that day (again, November 6th), etc. It would have been funny if it wasn't so sad.
I know! The "what happened" shock is out there. One of the biggest ideas is that Democrats just didn't show up to vote in the numbers needed. I worked on Nov 5 as an election judge, and at the end of the day we had two write ins. In Illinois we have a list of legal write ins. Three ballots in two precincts wrote in Donald Trump. He was not a legal write in so that vote for president was invalid. I wondered where the hell their brain was.
And benchmark should include the reduced costs and prices that would result from removing all of the Trump tariffs that Biden for unclear reasons left in place.
Suzanne, I completely agree with your idea. The Biden-Harris list of accomplishments in improving the lives of everyday Americans is impressive. But their messaging somehow always got lost in the latest hysterical outburst from Trump or the mainstream media's complicity in normalizing him, while denigrating Biden-Harris. The White House and Biden have feeds on X (Twitter) which showcase what they have achieved. For the past year, I've been re-posting them onto my personal account with some captioning. I encourage all of us who have social media accounts on whatever platform to do the same and share it with like minded friends, family, etc and ask them to do the same. That would create a strong historical record and God willing help some to recognize what they have rejected and potentially lost, by choosing to re-elect Trump.
A massive marketing campaign on a new platform built by the Democrats, that is not based in the US. It should be a democratic platform designed with democratic parties from countries around the world. A safe space for Democratic voices.
The messages where not getting to people this time around. That is why as Jeff Tiedrich says there were a lot of searches on how can I change my vote, on election day and up to a week after. I also read about people who have had buyers remorse because they did not understand what they were voting for.
Here is a link to Andrea Pitzer, expert on concentration camps and some 20th century governments from Andra Watkin's Substack. She is talking about what we will likely see happening and what we can do to be safe and resist.
Young women will be very vulnerable now. We need to be taking action to protect them. Before DT comes into office, there will be a women's march on January 18. Might consider joining it as a show of strength. And, document is, because marching is one of the things that won'e be allowed at some point unless it is the people that DT and Putin support. Right I am trying to understand Musk's role in this. Both he and DT are clearly Putin's assets. However, if Putin the handler for both of them, or is Musk the handler of DT for VP?
I agree wholeheartedly- and I tried posting the Biden-Harris Record that I found to be very useful . I haven’t posted anything yet so I hope you can open the link.Look for my name- So much info- so many MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS!!
It is interesting to note that Heather Cox-Richardson has, if I’m correct, around 1,700,000 subscribers. She has regularly pointed to the successes of the Biden administration, always with good source cited. Perhaps it asks too much of the angry voting population to read the more lengthy reports. Bullet points, simple words?
Suzanne, I absolutely agree. Perhaps also billboards in high traffic areas where the Biden Harris administration has made a difference. This could include names of legislators who worked for projects that have served us.
I am off mainstream media, getting news from independent sources, with the one exception of Lawrence O’Donell on MSNBC. So far he has been a sane voice in that wilderness.
In my area in Southern California, wherever there's an improvement project there's a sign saying which ballot measure authorized it. The all say, "Your tax dollars at work." I don't know if the Administration has done something like this but I think it would help. Of course Bozo will probably take them down but maybe he won't find them all.
That’s great that something is mentioned. I feel that the message could be clearer though. I would be interested in hearing the message an expert would create.
For sure! Let’s all write The White House quickly and tell him what we think. Especially he needs to recap the amazing economy they have created! Trump will claim any success to his reelection!!!! Go on Joe Rogan and tell him all these things so the voters who apparently listen to his show for their news will understand what they just voted against!
Suzanne, I’d like to add a point here that we Dems need to figure out. I read a piece in the Chicago Tribune this morning by a J. Marcos Peterson going on about Democratic failure to continue “identity politics.” He claims to be a Latino (no reason not to believe him) who is fed up with the identity politics and failure (his words) to address higher prices.
Regardless of what the record shows we need to get more people in touch with what we see and are doing re: pocket book issues and immigration/border control. These topics are problematic whether we want to point to misinformation, lies, or blah, blah, blah.
We - elected members of Congress and our states - need to really confront these topics.
As a person of faith, I have been awakened by the grief, anger and sadness around the élection. I contribued time, money, wrote letters and postcards, and am looking to join or start a résistance group where I live. The wakeup call I got was around my addiction to the news screens and YT political commentaire. I realized that I was wasting precious time checking the news constantly. The same needs of humanity which were critical to be addressed before the élection are still in place today. I am called to use my energy to help my brothers and sisters in our human family as much as I can. So I am re-dedicated to using my time more efficiently to both résist against all things MAGA; and in a larger context, to continue to address the urgent humanitarian crises happening right now, in this country and around the world. I will resist...and will not let one sick man and has sick supporters get me down, or weaken my response to the Creator's call to réspond with love, clarity, and service to others.
"May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love" -Bruce Springsteen "Into The Fire" from the album "The Rising"
I am a person of a different sort of faith. I believe that we are all swinging on a pendulum. I believe that we are about to enter a dark age in America and we are being tested as a nation - as never before.
The beliefs and the impulses of the Confederacy with its racism, misogyny, bigotry and elitism never died. The north did not win the Civil War. It just wore the south down so it had to submit - briefly. What if Lincoln had lived to finish the mission?
The pendulum is swinging back for the Confederacy with all its fakery and fantasies of white male domination. What is Trump, but another plantation owner making up the rules as he goes along, punishing anyone who disagrees with him?
My hope is that the reaction to this dismantling of our nation's founding principles will be strong and effective. That the pendulum will swing back towards the rule of law, an honest interpretation of our Constitution and a return to civility and decency. I don't know how long it will take and how many will suffer and die to that end. But don't be shocked if the casualties exceed that of the Civil War. Oh, wait. That has already happened during Covid with a president who discouraged testing because "it would make his numbers look bad". He should have been deposed on that day!
No god or spiritual entity will do this for us. We, the people, must wipe away the madness, the hate, the intolerance and cruelty...yes the cruelty...riding on the coattails of RELIGIOUS leaders and those who follow them like hypnotized zombies.
One of the greatest disappointments of this era is the lack of participation and steadfast opposition to the indecency, corruption, intolerance and cruelty - the lack of a wall of meaningful unity by religious leaders who believe what they preach. I KNOW there are fine pastors and spiritual teachers who are disgusted by MAGA. But with a few exceptions, they have been silent.
Nothing I was taught in Sunday School is reflected in today's "Christianity". In fact, today's bible thumpers have more in common with the Nazis of WWII Germany or Stalin's battalions of thought patrollers. Their "faith" is hate.
So I love your comment, Robert. Because I know you are truly of good heart and understand the con that has been perpetrated on this nation. But please excuse some of us when we are repelled by the word "faith". It has been misappropriated, stolen, twisted and warped into a weapon of evil.
Yes, the Confederacy really only "lost" on the battlefield, but after the war continued their hateful race-based bigotry and cruelty to African Americans. And the older, oligarchic South spread their ideology very successfully into the younger American West, despite the best efforts of the Northern push for true democracy. A fascinating story. One of many very readable and excellent books on this topic is Heather Cox Richardson's 2020 publication: How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America. Well worth the study!
Robert, your message speaks to my heart and offers me hope that there are people who feel like you do and want to fight the ugliness of the MAGA movement with every ounce of strength you have. I can only aspire to have the same will and determination you possess. Thank you for your goodness and your inspiration!
Beautifully said, Robert. Thank you. I have written earlier in this space that my husband and I have struggled with the fact that mainstream churches, including ours, have played the both sides game these last several years. They have ceded the Christianity space to evangelical extremists. We have 50:years of friendships in our church. That is not easy to leave, but we are determining a path forward that includes more frequent workshop at other churches that, in our mind, are more loudly proclaiming what we believe is the Christian mission.
You inspire me to share my belief in a power greater than humankind. This power has created a finely tuned and amazingly balanced order of creation where all things animate and inanimate are connected. This gives me the perspective to recognize America just happens to be one of many nations and empires that have risen over time and will surely fail as history has taught us. I say we base our resistance on a set of core values and then imagine the best path for realizing them. We must ask tough questions of whether America as we know it today is any longer capable of executing those values. Will elections in 2026 and 2028 restore those values in such a way the MAGA cult is reduced to an impotent fringe no longer capable of undermining our hard fought victories? Civil disobedience and service are vital but should we not imagine a completely new way forward using the Declaration of Independence as our guidestar and not a deeply flawed constitution?
A letter I just sent to Schumer's office, having gotten nowhere with phone calls last week:
Dear Leader Schumer:
I write today because it feels as if too many of the elected federal Democrats have just given up. All of us who worked so hard out here are terrified, of course, sifting through our fears, reconstituting our hopes. We are turning to bright minds like Robert Hubbell and Heather Cox Richardson and Simon Rosenberg and Jessica Craven and Jay Kuo to see us through. We are grateful every time someone like AOC speaks, and through her speaking, leads.
But in the senate chambers, everything appears to be eerily quiet. The Democratic senators seem to be doing ... nothing ... while the clock ticks and ticks. When I call I'm told by those who answer the phones that they are seeing no real appetite or energy for action. That everyone (some version of this) has gone home for the weekend.
This leaves all of us who spent so much money and time and hope and commitment on this election beyond flabbergasted, all of us who are pierced and sleepless even more devastated. Show the world who Dems still are. Get those federal judgeships done. Hold hearings that expose and shame those building the new "future." Release the reports that can be released. Protect the people Trump plans to go after. Have Biden sign what he can sign into law. Talk to reasonable Rs about blocking shameful appointments.
Talk to us!
Communicate, we are out here shouting. Stand tall. Be proud of what a Democrat still is. Brand our brand more precisely. Show the rest of us how you plan to fight what is to come. Do not cower. Do not cede. Do not allow authoritarianism to stand.
There's only so much we depleted citizen volunteers can do out here. We can't do much at all if so many of those we elected, those whose salaries we pay, are missing in action when we need them the most.
Please use your remaining power to make this difference?
Please bring your leadership skills to the fore, take action, give us a reason to hope. At the moment, we are mostly relying on one another.
With sincerity and hope,
Beth NOTE ADDED LATER: I should have said that Elizabeth Warren is doing great work. She is what we need times every single D. (Bernie's finger pointing is not helping.)
Excellent, Beth! We need you up on Capitol Hill. They should be working for US! We clearly see the attacks the recently elected future-dictator plans to inflict on us and the world!
We need us all up there. I feel like we are doing far more than most of our elected officials right now. And that ... saddens and angers and frightens me. I also wrote to Biden and to Harris, to AOC to thank her and am now writing to Elizabeth Warren.
Thank you, Beth! I want President Biden to ram through as many judgeships as possible. The Republicans through Thune will start on January 22, 2025. Judge Cannon here in Florida was appointed by Trump. The documents case will disappear along with those classified documents. Thank you also to Indivisible for concrete suggestions from their beginning. My focus here in Orange County ( blue island) is to keep the local leaders we just elected.
And ironically, Cannon was appointed by Trump during his lame duck session. And look how that bit us in the butt. The Dems MUST confirm every possible judge they can before January.
We are all doing everything we can. In whatever ways we can do it. We need our elected, paid-for leaders to do far more than they have done. Show some spine, to begin with. ERGgghhhhh.
Thank you Robert. I am so appreciative of all the effort you put in to keeping us well informed and grounded. I'm less anxious as the days move forward and ready to do my part, whatever that is, to resist and endure. You were the only one who told us that democracy would not die if he got back into the white house. I think I got so scared by the pervasive message that losing this election was tantamount to giving up on all we stand for, I thought this was the end. Thank you for reminding us we are not powerless. It's still a depressing thought that instead of working on high speed rail and health care for all, we'll be putting that energy into keeping our government from killing us, but that's where we are. I am so grateful to have this community. I will do all I can to take care of it.
Not a single Trump voter knows about the cancer moonshot. They could’ve made ads that were shown constantly on television during the entire administration… That’s what is needed going forward.
The Indivisible webinar last week was excellent. It provided tools for us to channel our grief into meaningful action. So for me less depression and more energized commitment. Just what I needed. Also I have decided to channel my spending away from businesses that supported MAGA to those that didn’t. I did see a list but haven’t vetted it yet. That would be a good thing to post but it must be accurate.
Thank you for leading the way on kindness. I’m so distraught over the election, yet I can’t just throw away my daily joy because of the Giant Cheeto and his crazy behavior. I absolutely love your nebulae photos. They definitely send the message of the value of perspective straight home. Bless you.
With so much chaos in just ten days since the election, it is going to be tough making it to inauguration day when the real fun begins. Can we really survive this? My hope is there, but it is flickering.
Agreed, and I will be there, but that doesn't make what is happening right now less terrifying. I was hoping that we would have a month of calm before the insanity.
Thank you, Robert, for opening up the comment section so we can feel part of a community and are able to share our thoughts and concerns. I woke up in the middle of the night full of anxiety and grief.
I am still anxious but feel less alone. Reaching out with kindness and compassion while also figuring out how to resist what's coming are my goals. I've canceled WaPo and NYT and no longer watch TV "news" and punditry. So I am relying on you, Heather, Rachel, and other Substackers for information and inspiration.
Given that the Republican Senators chose Sen. Thune and rejected MAGA Sen. Rick Scott as the replacement for Mitch McConnell, is there any hope that there may be a handful of Republicans willing to stand up to Trump on Cabinet appts. like Gaetz, Gabbard and Kennedy?
As of this moment in US history, you have asked the most important question we can ask.
Will Thune and a few Republican Senators stand up for sanity, integrity and ask for competent nominees?
Will Thune and Co. consider their legacies and reputations - from a history book perspective? Or will they crumble in obedience to Putin's asset - just to keep their careers alive for a little longer? Will they have the courage to stand for decency in the face of enormous pressure from the Orange Menace?
I estimate that 80% voted for Trump in 2016. Many of my colleagues had been high ranking military judges.... Some were personal friends of several Republican seantors who would not come to the rescue. E.G. Mc Connell. Some had relatives in Congress.
We worked for Elaine Chao for 8 years during GWB. She was in Trump's cabinet. We thought she was our friend.
We need to be done worrying about why and how the Democrats lost the election. It's time to fight. I live in Vermont, where voters defeated Trump soundly (2 to 1, Harris vs. Trump) and where we have three excellent and effective members of Congress, Becca Balint, Peter Welch, and Bernie Sanders. I know they'll fight against Trump's attempts to shove through unqualified, malignant people as cabinet members and department heads. But I also think it's important to let our reps know that we stand squarely behind their efforts to do so.
Wherever you live, whether in a blue or a red state, please send letters to your representative and senators. We just have to keep resisting. There's no other choice. I also included in my letter to our reps a link to Timothy Snyder's recent excellent Substack post "Decapitation Strike: Preserving America from Trump's Appointments."
As someone who worked very hard on voter registration, door knocking, co-authoring a site on Project 2025 and more, I decided I had given my all and left the U.S. on Election Day. I made a conscious choice to be present to the experiences in Portugal and Spain and not let the political pundits mess with my brain. There is so much to be gained by learning about other cultures ( and foods!). I am, I know, privileged to have been able to take this time to step away from the chaos. I encourage all who can, to find some time & some way that nourishes your spirit. We all need food for this journey.
Lots of recent discussion about voters being uninformed, uneducated, etc. I recommend Heather Cox Richardson’s letter today. She closes with this Thomas Jefferson quote, which seems quite timely.
“In 1786, Jefferson wrote to a colleague about public education: ‘No other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom, and happiness…. Preach, my dear Sir, a crusade against ignorance; establish and improve the law for educating the common people. Let our countrymen know that the people alone can protect us against [the evils of ‘kings, nobles and priests’], and that the tax which will be paid for this purpose is not more than the thousandth part of what will be paid to kings, priests and nobles who will rise up among us if we leave the people in ignorance.’”
Need to discover how to use media better. If Joe Rogan podcast reaches 2 million, that more than equals knocking on that many doors, and provides more time to get your message out there. Harris apparently declined. With astute preparation, this and other venues may have made a dent.
I personally enjoyed and was inspired by the rallies. But, in addition, to seek more ways to inform and persuade. (How many people did Elon Musk get to with his tweets? Millions.)
We need to support alternative media so there will be more of it, but that isn't going to solve the lies coming from right wing media. Today I heard someone from Politifact say that fact checking doesn't work for conservatives. They don't care.
I think media alternatives for the future are critical. We need to increase Dem social media presence to counter the overwhelming firehouse of fake news coming from Trump, Musk, Joe Rogan and of course Putin and China. I'm thinking we lost the election because of these sources. Bluesky is coming on strong as an alternative to X Substack is growing as a fantastic information source and is so critical as we've seen legacy media fail by normalizing Trump, focusing on recycled polls to maximize clicks etc.
And, Can't we come up with an alternative to Tic Talk? We (some tech company to be precise) should design one and compete. That's where the young people are and their tasts can switch quickly.
I heard that she agreed to one hour, but they wanted three. Harris was able to hold her own in 30 minutes with Fox, but three hours of attacks is too much to ask. Besides that, I don't think a Joe Rogan interview was going to win over voters.
Lately I have been thinking that while President Biden is still in office, a massive marketing campaign needs to take place. It needs to market what the Biden-Harris administration has accomplished. I say market because it needs to be exciting for people to hear and remember.
YES, Suzanne! I have thought of that many times. We hear about the Republicans taking credit for Biden's amazing accomplishments...that they voted against. It's very frustrating to see the Biden Administration just let it happen. If you want people to vote for the Democratic Party, people have to know what they've done to help the average American. If you want President Biden to publicize his accomplishments in a national campaign, email him at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Thanks for the link about how to contact President Biden, C C. I want to urge him to nominate as many judges as he possibly can while we still have the Senate to approve them, and also agency people with a term of years to serve. These actions seem to me even more important than messaging the accomplishments of his administration, which should also be done. Let's send LOTS of messages to Biden!! I hope he returns from South America ASAP and gets down to business here.
Some positive news from Marc Elias/Democracy Dockett in this morning’s email.
“How many judges get confirmed before January? Senate Democrats are confirming federal judges as a record pace. This is the single most important thing Democrats can do right now. If they keep on this pace, by the time Biden leaves office approximately 58% of all federal judges will have been nominated by Democratic presidents and Trump will start with the fewest vacancies. While most of the focus on the courts is on the U.S. Supreme Court, most cases never get to the high court. The lower courts will play a vital role in protecting democracy in the years ahead.”
Thank you, Kathy. that is really wonderful news!
There are 47 judicial nominees waiting for confirmation. The pressure points are Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin (Judiciary Committee Chair), and your Democratic Senator(s) if you're fortunate enough to have one.
Thanks Dave, we now have our marching orders. I’ll start with my own Senators - Bennett & Hickenlooper. Then reach out to Schumer & Durbin
There are already numbers of judicial and regulatory nominees awaiting confirmation by the Senate. Be sure to contact your senators and tell them to push through these nominees asap.
I am encouraged that they are appointing judges right now as a top priotity.
I am attending my Swing Left neighborhood meeting today- I will bring this up. Also, Thru our networks we must explain this as well as explain the election was FAR FROM a landslide- this myth must be dispelled. Democrats need to take pride in all that we accomplished and hunker down, learn the lessons from our failures and continue to DO THE WORK- in solidarity. 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Great idea. I sent me message and encouraged my network to do the same.
It's also important to establish a benchmark from which we will surely fall, and for the Biden Administration to take credit for things the incoming misadministration will benefit from. Of course, the incoming will shut down much of what the Biden Administration has started, so there's also an opportunity to inform the public about that.
I’m not sure the audience who needs to hear this message will listen because they already made their choice.
Talking about keeping the historical record accurate for the future.
I agree with Cynthia. Critically important to set the record straight and not let the Republicans...especially at the State level....take credit for the infrastructure projects, among other things. Biden and the Democrats need to draw a line in the sand defining the successes of the past 4 years: small business start-ups, employment, inflation, student loan forgiveness, etc!!
I was just listening to Pete Buttigieg being interviewed on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell from the Friday show (11/15) on exactly this point, with a special emphasis on the infrastructure projects being financed by Biden's Infrastructure Act. Those projects...and especially the 3rd tunnel under the Hudson River....will take years to build. And the danger is that people forget that it was Joe Biden who got the Act passed and financed. It's a terrific interview, not least because Buttigieg is just such a pleasure to listen to!! I highly recommend the interview!
Exactly what happened after the first Brexit vote. The most searched term in the UK was, “what is Brexit.” When the people who voted for him are harmed, they will still blame Biden for it. It’s a cult, and they’re brainwashed. The terrifying part is they’re taking us down with them. Because I’m at the point where if they were just harming themselves now, I’d say have at it, I’m done.
Same here. Unfortunately we are all on the Trumptanic, and they cheered for the iceberg. Hope they miss the lifeboats...and no floating doors for them, either!
Didn't I read an article about the spiking searches on Google the past two weeks that searchers were looking up "how to change my vote"? Oh yeah, and two other searches spiking: "what are tariffs?" & "when did Joe Biden drop out of the race?". Seems like the lo-info folks are experiencing a bit of buyer's remorse, maybe? Too bad they didn't think to check any of this BEFORE the election.
Maybe at least some of them are learning something that will lead to future changed behaviors. It’s up to us to help, as kindly and non-judgmentally as we can possibly manage, simultaneously doing what’s necessary for us to live to fight another day.
There was a great Jimmy Kimmel program within the last week in which they went to the streets on Wednesday, November 6th, to ask who people would vote for, whether they expected long lines at their polling place to be long that day (again, November 6th), etc. It would have been funny if it wasn't so sad.
I know it was meant for us to laugh, but the sadness was overwhelming for me.
OK, so please take my advice in the comments earlier today. Skip all the political stuff for now, and plan your 2025 vacation fun!
I know! The "what happened" shock is out there. One of the biggest ideas is that Democrats just didn't show up to vote in the numbers needed. I worked on Nov 5 as an election judge, and at the end of the day we had two write ins. In Illinois we have a list of legal write ins. Three ballots in two precincts wrote in Donald Trump. He was not a legal write in so that vote for president was invalid. I wondered where the hell their brain was.
T L: Yes, you did. It's crazy making.
If even one does it’s worth your time.
It needs to be on record!!
Stephen, you are probably right but as with Jack Smith cases, we must get it on the record so history and the Trump team cannot bury the facts.
The Mueller report was on the record and a lot that has done. Frankly none of these guys care what history has to say because they won’t be here.
Bob, on FB I've been seeing posts showing what things cost on average, right now, in the USA, so that people will have a benchmark down the road.
And benchmark should include the reduced costs and prices that would result from removing all of the Trump tariffs that Biden for unclear reasons left in place.
Suzanne, I completely agree with your idea. The Biden-Harris list of accomplishments in improving the lives of everyday Americans is impressive. But their messaging somehow always got lost in the latest hysterical outburst from Trump or the mainstream media's complicity in normalizing him, while denigrating Biden-Harris. The White House and Biden have feeds on X (Twitter) which showcase what they have achieved. For the past year, I've been re-posting them onto my personal account with some captioning. I encourage all of us who have social media accounts on whatever platform to do the same and share it with like minded friends, family, etc and ask them to do the same. That would create a strong historical record and God willing help some to recognize what they have rejected and potentially lost, by choosing to re-elect Trump.
Great idea, Pat - especially about asking friends to "share" - my FB friends already get it, but some of them have friends who do not.
A massive marketing campaign on a new platform built by the Democrats, that is not based in the US. It should be a democratic platform designed with democratic parties from countries around the world. A safe space for Democratic voices.
The messages where not getting to people this time around. That is why as Jeff Tiedrich says there were a lot of searches on how can I change my vote, on election day and up to a week after. I also read about people who have had buyers remorse because they did not understand what they were voting for.
Here is a link to Andrea Pitzer, expert on concentration camps and some 20th century governments from Andra Watkin's Substack. She is talking about what we will likely see happening and what we can do to be safe and resist.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-151702504
Young women will be very vulnerable now. We need to be taking action to protect them. Before DT comes into office, there will be a women's march on January 18. Might consider joining it as a show of strength. And, document is, because marching is one of the things that won'e be allowed at some point unless it is the people that DT and Putin support. Right I am trying to understand Musk's role in this. Both he and DT are clearly Putin's assets. However, if Putin the handler for both of them, or is Musk the handler of DT for VP?
Wow, thank you for the link to Andrea Pitzer! I hope everyone here reads her work!
Me too. For people who have not read Project 2025, it will be particularly helpful.
Andrea Pitzer's talk is outstanding. I've posted it on my Facebook page. Thanks, Linda.
I agree wholeheartedly- and I tried posting the Biden-Harris Record that I found to be very useful . I haven’t posted anything yet so I hope you can open the link.Look for my name- So much info- so many MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS!!
Sheila Levine
It is interesting to note that Heather Cox-Richardson has, if I’m correct, around 1,700,000 subscribers. She has regularly pointed to the successes of the Biden administration, always with good source cited. Perhaps it asks too much of the angry voting population to read the more lengthy reports. Bullet points, simple words?
Where can I find this list of the Biden-Harris record of accomplishments?
Here's one: https://www.aftvotes.org/biden-harris-accomplishments
Suzanne, I absolutely agree. Perhaps also billboards in high traffic areas where the Biden Harris administration has made a difference. This could include names of legislators who worked for projects that have served us.
They should have done that a long time ago
Shoulda, coulda, woulda, is history. Our plan going forward is essential, clear and actionable. Enough with the shoulda stuff.
A great idea! I did see Pete Buttigieg on Lawrence O’Donell last week talking about infrastructure. Excellent interview.
I am off mainstream media, getting news from independent sources, with the one exception of Lawrence O’Donell on MSNBC. So far he has been a sane voice in that wilderness.
Yes!!!
100% agree-I was just talking about this very thing!!
In my area in Southern California, wherever there's an improvement project there's a sign saying which ballot measure authorized it. The all say, "Your tax dollars at work." I don't know if the Administration has done something like this but I think it would help. Of course Bozo will probably take them down but maybe he won't find them all.
That’s great that something is mentioned. I feel that the message could be clearer though. I would be interested in hearing the message an expert would create.
For sure! Let’s all write The White House quickly and tell him what we think. Especially he needs to recap the amazing economy they have created! Trump will claim any success to his reelection!!!! Go on Joe Rogan and tell him all these things so the voters who apparently listen to his show for their news will understand what they just voted against!
Suzanne, I’d like to add a point here that we Dems need to figure out. I read a piece in the Chicago Tribune this morning by a J. Marcos Peterson going on about Democratic failure to continue “identity politics.” He claims to be a Latino (no reason not to believe him) who is fed up with the identity politics and failure (his words) to address higher prices.
Regardless of what the record shows we need to get more people in touch with what we see and are doing re: pocket book issues and immigration/border control. These topics are problematic whether we want to point to misinformation, lies, or blah, blah, blah.
We - elected members of Congress and our states - need to really confront these topics.
As a person of faith, I have been awakened by the grief, anger and sadness around the élection. I contribued time, money, wrote letters and postcards, and am looking to join or start a résistance group where I live. The wakeup call I got was around my addiction to the news screens and YT political commentaire. I realized that I was wasting precious time checking the news constantly. The same needs of humanity which were critical to be addressed before the élection are still in place today. I am called to use my energy to help my brothers and sisters in our human family as much as I can. So I am re-dedicated to using my time more efficiently to both résist against all things MAGA; and in a larger context, to continue to address the urgent humanitarian crises happening right now, in this country and around the world. I will resist...and will not let one sick man and has sick supporters get me down, or weaken my response to the Creator's call to réspond with love, clarity, and service to others.
"May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love" -Bruce Springsteen "Into The Fire" from the album "The Rising"
I am a person of a different sort of faith. I believe that we are all swinging on a pendulum. I believe that we are about to enter a dark age in America and we are being tested as a nation - as never before.
The beliefs and the impulses of the Confederacy with its racism, misogyny, bigotry and elitism never died. The north did not win the Civil War. It just wore the south down so it had to submit - briefly. What if Lincoln had lived to finish the mission?
The pendulum is swinging back for the Confederacy with all its fakery and fantasies of white male domination. What is Trump, but another plantation owner making up the rules as he goes along, punishing anyone who disagrees with him?
My hope is that the reaction to this dismantling of our nation's founding principles will be strong and effective. That the pendulum will swing back towards the rule of law, an honest interpretation of our Constitution and a return to civility and decency. I don't know how long it will take and how many will suffer and die to that end. But don't be shocked if the casualties exceed that of the Civil War. Oh, wait. That has already happened during Covid with a president who discouraged testing because "it would make his numbers look bad". He should have been deposed on that day!
No god or spiritual entity will do this for us. We, the people, must wipe away the madness, the hate, the intolerance and cruelty...yes the cruelty...riding on the coattails of RELIGIOUS leaders and those who follow them like hypnotized zombies.
One of the greatest disappointments of this era is the lack of participation and steadfast opposition to the indecency, corruption, intolerance and cruelty - the lack of a wall of meaningful unity by religious leaders who believe what they preach. I KNOW there are fine pastors and spiritual teachers who are disgusted by MAGA. But with a few exceptions, they have been silent.
Nothing I was taught in Sunday School is reflected in today's "Christianity". In fact, today's bible thumpers have more in common with the Nazis of WWII Germany or Stalin's battalions of thought patrollers. Their "faith" is hate.
So I love your comment, Robert. Because I know you are truly of good heart and understand the con that has been perpetrated on this nation. But please excuse some of us when we are repelled by the word "faith". It has been misappropriated, stolen, twisted and warped into a weapon of evil.
That being said, I'm with you, brother.
Yes, the Confederacy really only "lost" on the battlefield, but after the war continued their hateful race-based bigotry and cruelty to African Americans. And the older, oligarchic South spread their ideology very successfully into the younger American West, despite the best efforts of the Northern push for true democracy. A fascinating story. One of many very readable and excellent books on this topic is Heather Cox Richardson's 2020 publication: How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America. Well worth the study!
Nice sentiment, Robert. For those of us whose faith is not as strong, I would add, "We must take care, not advantage, of each other."
Robert, your message speaks to my heart and offers me hope that there are people who feel like you do and want to fight the ugliness of the MAGA movement with every ounce of strength you have. I can only aspire to have the same will and determination you possess. Thank you for your goodness and your inspiration!
Beautifully said, Robert. Thank you. I have written earlier in this space that my husband and I have struggled with the fact that mainstream churches, including ours, have played the both sides game these last several years. They have ceded the Christianity space to evangelical extremists. We have 50:years of friendships in our church. That is not easy to leave, but we are determining a path forward that includes more frequent workshop at other churches that, in our mind, are more loudly proclaiming what we believe is the Christian mission.
Robert, if you need help starting a resistance group, please visit indivisible.org for resources that will get you started.
Powerfully written. Let the resistance begin in earnest!
You inspire me to share my belief in a power greater than humankind. This power has created a finely tuned and amazingly balanced order of creation where all things animate and inanimate are connected. This gives me the perspective to recognize America just happens to be one of many nations and empires that have risen over time and will surely fail as history has taught us. I say we base our resistance on a set of core values and then imagine the best path for realizing them. We must ask tough questions of whether America as we know it today is any longer capable of executing those values. Will elections in 2026 and 2028 restore those values in such a way the MAGA cult is reduced to an impotent fringe no longer capable of undermining our hard fought victories? Civil disobedience and service are vital but should we not imagine a completely new way forward using the Declaration of Independence as our guidestar and not a deeply flawed constitution?
A letter I just sent to Schumer's office, having gotten nowhere with phone calls last week:
Dear Leader Schumer:
I write today because it feels as if too many of the elected federal Democrats have just given up. All of us who worked so hard out here are terrified, of course, sifting through our fears, reconstituting our hopes. We are turning to bright minds like Robert Hubbell and Heather Cox Richardson and Simon Rosenberg and Jessica Craven and Jay Kuo to see us through. We are grateful every time someone like AOC speaks, and through her speaking, leads.
But in the senate chambers, everything appears to be eerily quiet. The Democratic senators seem to be doing ... nothing ... while the clock ticks and ticks. When I call I'm told by those who answer the phones that they are seeing no real appetite or energy for action. That everyone (some version of this) has gone home for the weekend.
This leaves all of us who spent so much money and time and hope and commitment on this election beyond flabbergasted, all of us who are pierced and sleepless even more devastated. Show the world who Dems still are. Get those federal judgeships done. Hold hearings that expose and shame those building the new "future." Release the reports that can be released. Protect the people Trump plans to go after. Have Biden sign what he can sign into law. Talk to reasonable Rs about blocking shameful appointments.
Talk to us!
Communicate, we are out here shouting. Stand tall. Be proud of what a Democrat still is. Brand our brand more precisely. Show the rest of us how you plan to fight what is to come. Do not cower. Do not cede. Do not allow authoritarianism to stand.
There's only so much we depleted citizen volunteers can do out here. We can't do much at all if so many of those we elected, those whose salaries we pay, are missing in action when we need them the most.
Please use your remaining power to make this difference?
Please bring your leadership skills to the fore, take action, give us a reason to hope. At the moment, we are mostly relying on one another.
With sincerity and hope,
Beth NOTE ADDED LATER: I should have said that Elizabeth Warren is doing great work. She is what we need times every single D. (Bernie's finger pointing is not helping.)
Excellent, Beth! We need you up on Capitol Hill. They should be working for US! We clearly see the attacks the recently elected future-dictator plans to inflict on us and the world!
We need us all up there. I feel like we are doing far more than most of our elected officials right now. And that ... saddens and angers and frightens me. I also wrote to Biden and to Harris, to AOC to thank her and am now writing to Elizabeth Warren.
Thank you, Beth! I want President Biden to ram through as many judgeships as possible. The Republicans through Thune will start on January 22, 2025. Judge Cannon here in Florida was appointed by Trump. The documents case will disappear along with those classified documents. Thank you also to Indivisible for concrete suggestions from their beginning. My focus here in Orange County ( blue island) is to keep the local leaders we just elected.
Sarah
And ironically, Cannon was appointed by Trump during his lame duck session. And look how that bit us in the butt. The Dems MUST confirm every possible judge they can before January.
I know!!!!!
Thank you for doing that, Sarah!!
me, too!
Brava, Beth. Thank you.
We are all doing everything we can. In whatever ways we can do it. We need our elected, paid-for leaders to do far more than they have done. Show some spine, to begin with. ERGgghhhhh.
I was with you until your remark about Bernie. He is the most principled politician we have. I hope you will come to see how important he is.
Thank you Robert. I am so appreciative of all the effort you put in to keeping us well informed and grounded. I'm less anxious as the days move forward and ready to do my part, whatever that is, to resist and endure. You were the only one who told us that democracy would not die if he got back into the white house. I think I got so scared by the pervasive message that losing this election was tantamount to giving up on all we stand for, I thought this was the end. Thank you for reminding us we are not powerless. It's still a depressing thought that instead of working on high speed rail and health care for all, we'll be putting that energy into keeping our government from killing us, but that's where we are. I am so grateful to have this community. I will do all I can to take care of it.
Absolutely agreed , and we already have several who are looking at where to place our efforts to thwart carrot top's plans and protect our Democracy.
Indivisible is already very active at combating what is to come.
#1 Organize locally
#2 Focus on your elected federal representatives
#3 Don't give up, Show up!
We have 2 years to get ready for the midterms. They even have a guide, Indivisible.org/guide
Build community and find our local peeps through Indivisible and/or SwingLeft:
https://indivisible.org/ (find organizing call of 11/13/24 on YouTube)
https://swingleft.org/ (organizing call on Nov 19)
Today is the anniversary of President Biden re-initiating his Cancer Moonshot.
An Administration full of experts and qualified personnel, addressing real issues and needs, getting things done - in a bipartisan way when possible.
So now, instead of developing cures for cancer that will help humanity globally,
we have MAGA "grenades" being put over institutions in direct opposition to their missions.
So upset at those who voted to "go back" to a new depth of actual dark ages, and departures from science and reality.
Not what I expected to write about this morning, just what came out...
Not a single Trump voter knows about the cancer moonshot. They could’ve made ads that were shown constantly on television during the entire administration… That’s what is needed going forward.
The Indivisible webinar last week was excellent. It provided tools for us to channel our grief into meaningful action. So for me less depression and more energized commitment. Just what I needed. Also I have decided to channel my spending away from businesses that supported MAGA to those that didn’t. I did see a list but haven’t vetted it yet. That would be a good thing to post but it must be accurate.
Please post that after you've checked it for accuracy, Melvina. I'll join you!
Thank you for leading the way on kindness. I’m so distraught over the election, yet I can’t just throw away my daily joy because of the Giant Cheeto and his crazy behavior. I absolutely love your nebulae photos. They definitely send the message of the value of perspective straight home. Bless you.
With so much chaos in just ten days since the election, it is going to be tough making it to inauguration day when the real fun begins. Can we really survive this? My hope is there, but it is flickering.
Like Robert has pointed out, we have resistance infrastructure and popular engagement in place and growing since 2016.
Agreed, and I will be there, but that doesn't make what is happening right now less terrifying. I was hoping that we would have a month of calm before the insanity.
Thank you, Robert, for opening up the comment section so we can feel part of a community and are able to share our thoughts and concerns. I woke up in the middle of the night full of anxiety and grief.
I am still anxious but feel less alone. Reaching out with kindness and compassion while also figuring out how to resist what's coming are my goals. I've canceled WaPo and NYT and no longer watch TV "news" and punditry. So I am relying on you, Heather, Rachel, and other Substackers for information and inspiration.
I like saying “Bubble Nebula.” It makes me happy how beautiful and awe inspiring our universe is.
Very cool photo, Robert! Thank you for perspective❣️
often, I go to the Perspective photo before listening to the newsletter.
We are living in the upside down world.
Given that the Republican Senators chose Sen. Thune and rejected MAGA Sen. Rick Scott as the replacement for Mitch McConnell, is there any hope that there may be a handful of Republicans willing to stand up to Trump on Cabinet appts. like Gaetz, Gabbard and Kennedy?
As of this moment in US history, you have asked the most important question we can ask.
Will Thune and a few Republican Senators stand up for sanity, integrity and ask for competent nominees?
Will Thune and Co. consider their legacies and reputations - from a history book perspective? Or will they crumble in obedience to Putin's asset - just to keep their careers alive for a little longer? Will they have the courage to stand for decency in the face of enormous pressure from the Orange Menace?
Will they be heroes or puppets?
Two words - John Roberts - so that a no
Ans -- they are already compromised. This is deja vu. E.G. GWB, made 171 recess appointments (average of 21 per year)..
E.G. I worked for DOL when it was anti-labor. Imagine the general counsel of the NLRB who was anti-union. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33310.html#_Toc227635494
As president in 2017, the first group Trump attacked were my people. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/07/13/2018-15202/excepting-administrative-law-judges-from-the-competitive-service
I estimate that 80% voted for Trump in 2016. Many of my colleagues had been high ranking military judges.... Some were personal friends of several Republican seantors who would not come to the rescue. E.G. Mc Connell. Some had relatives in Congress.
We worked for Elaine Chao for 8 years during GWB. She was in Trump's cabinet. We thought she was our friend.
Scalia's son, Gino, was an interim appointment...he despised us..... https://ballotpedia.org/New_regulation_allows_U.S._Secretary_of_Labor_to_overturn_agency_appeal_decisions_(2020)
Beautiful picture! Love these shots of the universe!
We need to be done worrying about why and how the Democrats lost the election. It's time to fight. I live in Vermont, where voters defeated Trump soundly (2 to 1, Harris vs. Trump) and where we have three excellent and effective members of Congress, Becca Balint, Peter Welch, and Bernie Sanders. I know they'll fight against Trump's attempts to shove through unqualified, malignant people as cabinet members and department heads. But I also think it's important to let our reps know that we stand squarely behind their efforts to do so.
Wherever you live, whether in a blue or a red state, please send letters to your representative and senators. We just have to keep resisting. There's no other choice. I also included in my letter to our reps a link to Timothy Snyder's recent excellent Substack post "Decapitation Strike: Preserving America from Trump's Appointments."
As someone who worked very hard on voter registration, door knocking, co-authoring a site on Project 2025 and more, I decided I had given my all and left the U.S. on Election Day. I made a conscious choice to be present to the experiences in Portugal and Spain and not let the political pundits mess with my brain. There is so much to be gained by learning about other cultures ( and foods!). I am, I know, privileged to have been able to take this time to step away from the chaos. I encourage all who can, to find some time & some way that nourishes your spirit. We all need food for this journey.
Lots of recent discussion about voters being uninformed, uneducated, etc. I recommend Heather Cox Richardson’s letter today. She closes with this Thomas Jefferson quote, which seems quite timely.
“In 1786, Jefferson wrote to a colleague about public education: ‘No other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom, and happiness…. Preach, my dear Sir, a crusade against ignorance; establish and improve the law for educating the common people. Let our countrymen know that the people alone can protect us against [the evils of ‘kings, nobles and priests’], and that the tax which will be paid for this purpose is not more than the thousandth part of what will be paid to kings, priests and nobles who will rise up among us if we leave the people in ignorance.’”
Need to discover how to use media better. If Joe Rogan podcast reaches 2 million, that more than equals knocking on that many doors, and provides more time to get your message out there. Harris apparently declined. With astute preparation, this and other venues may have made a dent.
I personally enjoyed and was inspired by the rallies. But, in addition, to seek more ways to inform and persuade. (How many people did Elon Musk get to with his tweets? Millions.)
We need to support alternative media so there will be more of it, but that isn't going to solve the lies coming from right wing media. Today I heard someone from Politifact say that fact checking doesn't work for conservatives. They don't care.
I think media alternatives for the future are critical. We need to increase Dem social media presence to counter the overwhelming firehouse of fake news coming from Trump, Musk, Joe Rogan and of course Putin and China. I'm thinking we lost the election because of these sources. Bluesky is coming on strong as an alternative to X Substack is growing as a fantastic information source and is so critical as we've seen legacy media fail by normalizing Trump, focusing on recycled polls to maximize clicks etc.
And, Can't we come up with an alternative to Tic Talk? We (some tech company to be precise) should design one and compete. That's where the young people are and their tasts can switch quickly.
I wonder why she declined, there must have been a reason. I was excited when I heard she might go on rogan, then nothing…
I read somewhere that she didn't like his terms, and he wouldn't agree to hers, so she declined.
I heard that she agreed to one hour, but they wanted three. Harris was able to hold her own in 30 minutes with Fox, but three hours of attacks is too much to ask. Besides that, I don't think a Joe Rogan interview was going to win over voters.