Well, I think Robert would appreciate sharing Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter which also just dropped, in case anyone missed it: Fascism as described by the U.S. government in 1945. “The people run democratic governments, but fascist governments run the people.” Share widely.
If we can get past this horror show we’re now living through, I would like to see this pamphlet become required reading in every high school History course. As the pamphlet says, fascism grows in “indifference and ignorance”.
If you think that’s bad, then you’d better read Jordan Zakarin’s “Progress Report,” todays edition entitled “Trump’s most dangerous coup is still unfolding”,
…and be worried as hell. The fascists, as the MSM watches and scoffs and ignores, are very close to being able to throw this election to the states, or worse, to the White/Clarence Thomas grievance Supreme Court. Hoping isn’t going to win this battle with evil, Robert…either an overwhelming Harris victory will, or we will be defenseless.
We will never be defenseless. Our reality is that however the November 5 election goes we are going to have to press forward to fight like hell! “We are not going back!”
I’m just curious. What will the rest of us do if they pull this off?
I remember reading a book called , “A Nation of Sheep”. It was long ago, so I don’t remember the author. So, I guess we just sit back and let minority take over?
I called the NYT’s yesterday to thank them for their support of Joe Biden, or lack of, during his administration. I canceled my subscription a year ago. I told them that a professor in a class called American Federal Government, the man from Texas, educated at Texas A&M, said it kills me to admit this but the NYT, is one of the finest newspapers in the country’. I wonder what he would say now. I told the gentleman on the phone, if he is elected, you will print what trump tells you to, that is if you are allowed to exist all all!
Yay! Glad you recorded the program since I missed most of it. Thanks Robert and Jay. I voted early in Maryland on Thursday. Long lines, and it went smoothly. In and out total 45 minutes. It was wonderful to see so many regular citizens helping in every capacity to make it a smooth and easy process. So proud of them and people like Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. You all are the best of us. I get teary eyed thinking about how lucky we are. Harris/Walz ~ Blue Wave #weareinthistogether
I live in Montgomery County, Maryland the county with the largest population in Maryland. There must have been 10-12 checking stations and people telling you which line to get in. Every step of the way, someone to help you through the process. There were around 8 electronic voting stations (I waited about 10 minutes) and I saw about 25 or more paper ballot stations where there was no waiting. I’m thinking 30 or more people helping just on this shift. This was one of 14 early voting centers in the county. We have a week long early voting period (including weekends), mail-in ballots, electronic voting and election day voting. Kudos to our county and our state.
The legislature solidified an early voting time frame beginning the third Thursday before and ending the Saturday before Election Day in 2001, and in 2007, lawmakers ruled that a person could both register and vote on the same day at an early voting site.
In the 2008 and 2012 general elections, roughly 56% of the state’s total ballots came from early voting. That number jumped to 62% in 2016 and 65% in the 2020 general election, according to the state Board of Elections.
I think we are lucky it got entrenched before the GOP went full bore into disenfranchising voters as the their only path to victory. But the state doesn't dictate how many early voting sites each county has to have - except in 2020 for Covid and the NC GOP was hot about that!!
The rural, mostly red counties tend to have fewer EV sites since they don't want to allocate the budget for more. Urban blue counties have many more EV sites with Mecklenburg Co. leading the pack with 33 sites - which is actually the same number as we had in 2020 during Covid. The Executive Director of the Mecklenburg Co. BoE is very pro "make it easy for everyone to vote" and our county board of commissioners is made up entirely of Democrats so they approved the budget to give the BoE what it asked for...
We are well behind where we were for absentee mail in ballots in 2020, but we are running ahead in terms of early in-person vs. 2020. Early voting was higher in 2020 for the first 2 days, but this year it has held up better throughout the rest of the EV period. (in the past, it picked back up in the last 2 -3 days of EV.
And so far (knock on wood) the only time it rained was after the polls had closed on Sauturday.
Fingers crossed that NC can vote Blue for Harris / Walz, Stein, and get rid of some of those pesky GOP Congresspeople. I hope our better angels in the US are watching over those that need it. I was corresponding with a German friend and I wrote maybe we have to burn everything down like you did to start over after WWII. He wrote back, except if you burn everything down, you'll take the rest of the world with you. The whole world is watching.
I did another shift of poll observing yesterday. It was relatively quiet -- except for the number of first time voters! (The poll workers always call out "First time voter" and everybody claps and cheers! This polling place had 6 check-in stations and at one point we had first time voters at 4 of them at the same time - all Gen Z! So I suspect a group of friends that went out to vote together 😊!
At the end of the shift, they total up how many registration forms, mail in ballots, etc. that were collected that day. There were 25 (!!) same day registrations at a not-that-busy polling place. It finally dawned on me - yesterday had been designated as Vote Early Day (https://voteearlyday.org/).
Love this. I hope people are understanding the signs that karma, greater power is giving us. I’ve been phone banking. Lots of hang ups, and a few heartfelt conversations that make it worthwhile.
Gen Z have never voted previously and therefore are probably considered "unlikely" and uncounted by the polls. FT 6 says it has generated 5 million new Democrats in the swing states.
2. Please repeatedly post "not suckers or losers" comments in social media. According to Facebook, there are 4 million veterans and active duty members on Facebook, as well as 12.5 million family members and 242 million friends with veterans or active duty members. Military sites, veterans' organizations, historical sites.
Vote vets has already flipped many 2016 and 2020 Trump voters.
3. It's up to people like you who are on social media.... when you comment you'll see what I mean. Many of the people involved are dependents, family members, friends and neighbors who are interested in the military and or national security and for whom this is news. Takes repetition and substantiation by people they trust.
I am a Vietnam combat veteran -- probably the lone survivor from my units. I have been a "veteran" since Jan 21, 1968. The grandchildren (or great-grandchildren) of my late colleagues want to hear from someone like you.
When you post on say a FB history site, you may start a conversation with potential voters who may flip on this basis.... I'm getting a number of positive comments.
4. Mark Cuban reports that Polish Americans for Harris is out and about in Pittsburgh. It started in Pittsburgh....
Don’t forget the more than 700 former National Security and Defense officials who are supporting VP Harris, as reported September 24 in various media reports. Governor Walz at a rally on Thursday in Wilmington NC clearly stated there were Veterans out canvassing and phone banking for VP Harris. Yesterday I stumbled upon this news: Veterans phone banking for VP Harris in Michigan https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/26/michigan-veterans-harris-phone-bank?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Vote Vets is highly organized. Has phone banks. Seeks more testimonials. Highly effective. https://votevets.org/
IMHO the message "not suckers or losers" on say a history site, reaches vets, their relatives, friends and people who mistakenly thought that because Trump was commander in chief on Nov 5, 2020, he was entitled to the benefit of the doubt. But his conduct Jan 6, 2021 and following flips them.
Daniel, I admire all you are doing to reach people and encouraging others to do the same. You are making a huge difference and it will pay off. Thank you for your passion and your persistence.
Daniel- Thanks for keeping the focus on what we’re doing and what others are doing. That’s our mission now. As I heard from a recent campaign event at Gloria Steinem’s home, “You can’t wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time.” True indeed. Thanks for being a great example of this.
Reminding her readers of the clear, devastating and at least in 2016 (to those who didn't want to see the clear signs) somewhat clairvoyant characterization of trump in WaPo's endorsements in 2016 and 2020 Mary Trump in her last substack letter drives home the depravity of this year's decision to kiss the felon's ring in a show of anticipatory obedience.
And she writes "the choice is between a fairly centrist Democrat and a full-blown fascist...That seems like a pretty obvious choice, doesn’t it?" Oh well, the question mark lingers – and will linger until Nov 5, or perhaps a bit longer. A friend in California today quoted an old Swiss aphorism Nur die dümmsten Kälber wählen ihre Schlächter selber – Only the dumbest calves choose their own butchers (sorry, the translation doesn't rhyme as nicely as in German, but you get the gist). A Swiss voter is said to have written this cheeky remark on his ballot paper in an election in 1874. So it is actually the 150th anniversary of this observation.
Very a propos. I never heard that expression, but I will remember it!
One of my activities this election cycle has been to take shifts handing out "blue ballots" (i.e., Democratic voter guides) at the early voting site a few miles from my house. I offer then to everyone who isn't decked out in full Trump regalia, even if I am pretty sure they are Trump supporters.
Most of the people who turn down my offer are polite, but a few of them are either horrified or contemptuous. Those are mostly seniors (or those approaching senior status) who may not need their social security to buy groceries (since this is a fairly affluent area) but would be in a world of hurt if the GOP guts the ACA and Medicare. Also, some younger to middle aged white women and even a couple of black men.
My internal reaction has been "What the heck are you thinking?!?"
Do those seniors count as uninformed voters? I canvassed to Democratic leaning homes in suburban St. Paul yesterday. With one exception, the voters I interacted with were voting Blue. The exception was an “undecided” (though highly suspected she was for Trump) elderly woman whose top priority was the economy. My explanation of the impact of the candidates’ economic platforms landed flat. I left knowing she’d be voting against her own best interests.
Lanette, thank you for canvassing in suburban St.Paul - I live in a blue neighborhood in Eagan. It is beyond frustrating to converse with folks like the undecided voter you spoke with here. My immediate neighbor is caring for her very frail husband who has a host of problems including COPD. The husband just retired at 73, and his wife now worries about money incessantly and rails about the costs of medications. And they will vote on election day for Donald Trump. Mind boggling!
I long ago gave up on explaining how Trump would shred Social Security and Medicare, and just offer occasional respite care so she can run errands. I know what it’s like to care for a dying husband by yourself and feel sad about how tough their lives have become. I’ve been there. It ain’t fun.
Fortunately, they are in the minority here. Angie Craig’s district is still purple but lots of us understand the assignment and are working on it. Thank you for canvassing! Let’s do this!
The problem is that, in their own little bubble, many Republicans have never heard the news that, Trump is going to cut Social Security and Medicare or that he's going to try to gut the ACA or that Roe v. Wade has been turned over. Without this info, they think that Trump is AOK.
Nancy, I have repeatedly shown both of my neighbors the facts including what economists have said about Trump bankrupting SS within 6 years if reelected. They just dismiss it out of hand. Neither one has a college degree and they absolutely do not trust “experts.”
It has less to do with what media these particular people consume, and much more to do with needing someone to blame for how their lives didn’t turn out right; that they “didn’t get theirs.” It is the classic idea that there has to be an “other” causing their problems. Their sense of entitlement is gobsmacking. The other obvious factor in their choice is that they are both racist as hell. A woman of color as President? Not for those two. Oddly, they are both kind and caring to me. As Tim Walz would say, these people are just weird.
Nancy Ray, I think you are on to something. We all wonder how Trump voters can possibly vote so blatantly against their own interests. I think you're correct, they literally never heard the news! We fail to appreciate just to what degree Fox and Fox clones have created a 100% alternative universe of seeming facts, that deliberately expunge anything crazy Trump says, and create consistent, integrated stories about how evil Democrats are--immigrant mobs in the streets, millions of immigrants voting, Joe Biden being demented, Kamala Harris in control of the government and doing nameless evil. There are no facts there, just beautifully integrated, well-presented fake stories that over time take on the appearance of factual reality to these people who never look at or talk to another source. In my rural area, there are roadside signs that claim Kamala Harris is running on a platform that is pro-crime, pro-high taxes, and pro-open borders. It resonates with what people are seeing on Fox, so they believe it and vote for Trump. Many Republicans have "never heard the news."
This is so true. In May, while I was on a multi-state road trip that was ending up at a family wedding, I made a quick stop in Wisconsin to spend an hour with an older cousin of my mother-in-law who has always been very cordial to me. I was literally driving within a mile of where she lives, so I thought I'd stop and catch up on family news and book talk. I will probably never see her again. But it was right after the 34 guilty verdicts, and SHE brought up politics assuming we would be aligned. I just couldn't smile and pretend. And she apparently couldn't let it go. She and her second husband, who I had never met, were both bringing up the secret suitcases and flashdrives. Still. After the Georgia women won their defamation case and all that stuff was debunked. And he said he didn't understand why there were votes still being counted for days afterward. "That can't be right." I took a deep breath and explained that states have various laws about when counting can begin, and mail-ins might be last, and overseas votes still have to be counted. They literally don't hear the truth and four years later are spewing the same conspiracy stuff that has long been disproven. A church friend, who is the sweetest person, looked me in the face and said Biden was the dictator, not Trump, when I declined to go to a film that came from the far right. I never even knew what her politics were until that day, but then I knew exactly what channel is on at her house.
By now many can't be saved. Some have voted already. I was president of an organization and chair of another filled with high ranking veterans who owed their jobs to VA points and most, even some appointed used to be Republicans. Trump tried to do us in.... That includes our staff, many who also were veterans, th3eir friends and families....
I have been a "veteran" since Jan, 1968. I'm pretty sure that I am the lone survivor from my units. The people you can influence include the grandkids and even great grandkids of some of my late colleagues.
I've also run into the issue with elderly women within my own family of thinking, "women shouldn't be president, it's a man's job." I was shocked to say the least. But at 94yo it's a generational thing. She despises Trump though so we'll see, if she even votes.
Thanks so much, Stefan, for including this Swiss aphorism! I'm a 2nd generation Swiss-American and will be forwarding this to every Swiss-American I know, including extended family members in CA.
This is the real lay of the land when it comes to where Jeff Bezos makes money. I'm hoping President Harris will unplug our country from the weirdo billionaires. Really mostly the other one, but this one too:
Per Siva Vaidhyanathan
More than 7500 government offices and agencies run on Amazon Web Services — including the Federal Reserve and the CIA. Most of the private Internet does as well. It’s how Amazon makes a profit. Nothing else Amazon does makes money. So if you think your Prime cancellation matters to Amazon or Bezos, well, sorry.
In addition, Bezos owns the second-largest private space/rocket company (after Musk). So he’s much more interested in those defense and intelligence contracts that Musk might lose by being so close to Putin and otherwise wacky.
I don’t agree with WaPo not endorsing a candidate and I am not sure how,much that matters because most of the contributing correspondents have endorsed Harris. None of us knows why Bezos made that decision but he has the right to do that and the conjecture around his motives and business reasons are not based on any facts. What is most interesting is the fact WaPo published both correspondence and readers push back and dissatisfaction with the decision.
The Editorial Board has endorsed dozens of candidates not in the presidential race. The Post Editorial Board had prepared an endorsement of Harris. But when it comes to endorsing Kamala Harris, the Publisher (a Bezos employee) says "It's too partisan to issue endorsements, voters should decide for themselves."
There is only one reasonable interpretation of those facts: The owner of the Post did not want to endorse Harris. No need to scrutinize his motives for failing to do so.
Agree but as long as the contributing correspondents have a voice which is why I read the paper then I feel protected. Newspaper endorsements I don’t think matter as much.
Kathleen, thank you for this post. It always serves us to follow the money, and this is so illuminating on where Bezos really makes his money, specifically government contracts—hence his self-interest in preserving them in the event of a Trump administration. It stuck with me, and I found it applicable to commenters today on HCR’s Letter that we should not stop mail order through Amazon.
Although we could argue that this is delusional short term thinking since captains of industry are not protected under autocrats or fascists. The regime appropriates profit centers, as done by Hitler, Mussolini, Putin, and Orban. Just a few weeks ago, another Russian oligarch “mysteriously” fell out of a high rise window.
Robert, this may have come up before, but the Philadelphia Inquirer has been courageous in its endorsements and its ongoing occasional series on why DJT is unfit to be president. Perhaps the fact that it is owned by the non-profit Lenfast Institute, rather than some billionaire, accounts for this matter. In setting up ownership, te Lenfast Institute wanted "to ensure that the Inquirer would become a self-governing, for-profit public benefit corporation."
I just subscribed to the Philadelphia Inquirer after reading your rave and discovering from your post that it's owned by a non-profit organization. Let's replace the NYT, the WaPo and the LATimes with the Philadelphia Inquirer! Everybody, cancel your subscriptions to the above three sell-out newspapers with a strong letter condemning them, and telling them you are now subscribing to the Philadelphia Inquirer for the reason that it's the free press and is not owned by lying, amoral, un-American billionaires who unethically swerve the U.S. news to feather their own crap-filled unsavory nests. It's one more little thing you can DO in the next few weeks to strengthen our democracy!
Today's issue features an excellent endorsement of Harris by the editorial board, a column by Will Bunch about billionaires trying to buy the PA Senate seat for Dave McCormick, and Trudy Rubin's incisive analysis of DJT's "dance with dictators."
I am a Chicagoan canvassing in SW Michigan this week-end. Yesterday there were 10 volunteers in a town (Niles) which has never mounted a canvass because it is a fairly red and low turnout population. The canvass was organized by an amazing 24 year old, Chockwe Pitchford, who I became aware of when he ran for state rep at age 21! He lost but the democratic party reached out to him to suggest he build on the infrastructure he created with his campaign. He is now a county commissioner and is also running his own organization called Berrien Forward. This made me think that Robert and readers of this newsletter should create some way to discover and support these incredible local leaders. As for our canvassing, I think we made some headway but honestly it is hard to judge. The ground game is intense here in Michigan. And for those who know Michigan, Fred Upton, the very popular retired Republican US Congressman from SW Michigan just endorsed Kamala!
I couldn't figure out how the access the live program with Jay Kuo, so I am very happy you posted the recording. I will watch it while finishing up my last batch of Vote Forward letters.
Great convo with Jay Kuo ! Grateful you mentioned supporting Democracy Dockett/Marc Elias. He,along with you and Jay ,help keep me sane.Jay also keeps me laughing with his weekly Sat. posts.🤣 Humor is much needed now that he mentioned I’m suspect to voter fraud with my Hispanic surname…sigh.
“Join Democracy Docket for a free, live event featuring actress and producer Eva Longoria in conversation with voting rights leader Stacey Abrams, Voto Latino president María Teresa Kumar and Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias. They’ll kick off the final week before Election Day with an exciting discussion answering two key questions: what could happen between now and the election and what should we expect to happen after? Secure your spot for this star-studded panel today!”
Good heavens! The nyt has grown the vestige of a spine at the last possible moment. What a great piece of hard-hitting, factual, persuasive writing. This is the free press style of news reporting that I grew up with and haven't seen in a long, long time. I wonder if it's a one-time thing, or if it will continue. Thank you, Stefan, for sharing. Reading it was like plunging into the cold, salty Atlantic on a hot July day! Invigorating and exhilarating.
I know, I know, don’t listen to the polls, but this one will lift our spirits:
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump among likely voters nationally, 51% to 47%, “with some pro-Harris groups showing a bit more propensity to vote.”
Key takeaway: “Compared with earlier this month, Harris has regained a more customary Democratic advantage among Hispanic people and widened her advantage among suburban women, while remaining strong in core groups including Black people.”
JJC, thanks for sharing this poll. And let's remember, offshore betting organizations are playing games with our polls and skewing them significantly. Yet another reason not to believe them. Another factor that I haven't seen any poll take into consideration is the radical departure Harris' campaign has taken from how other presidential campaigns in the past have campaigned--on social media, with social influencers like Taylor Swift, with the newly-important substack influencers and other non-traditional communications channels. No one has ever campaigned like this before, because these channels were never so available and widely influential before. How can polls possibly account for this? Not to mention the unprecedented GOTV effort, the passion of young women to vote for Harris because of abortion, the legions of defecting Republicans, etc. These factors are new, unprecedented, and unpolled! Don't despair. Keep working. Another few days to go.
Yes, I agree. The defections too must happen in those swing states, and I don't believe the polls are accounting for the huge ground game that grassroots organizations are doing. I mean if Liz Cheney says Kamala will win, who am I to argue.
What an interesting conversation with Jay Kuo! I am going to follow him now. And no need to excuse your English major: you did a master class in helping this historian finally understand polling! Thank you.
Jeff Bezos blocking the WAPO ED Bd endorsement of Kamala is outrageous. Likewise the LA times. It is clear both the Billionaire owners fear trump. We cancelled our WAPO subscription. I urge others to do the same witn both news services. Speaking of Billionaires, they are mostly very quiet even is they support Harris. The outstanding exception is a very outspoken Mark Cuban.
The Bezos incident is now uncovered in detail by today's Bulwark, and is worse than I imagined. Read the article please.
ON FRIDAY, after the Washington Post’s publisher announced that the paper was suddenly abandoning the practice of the editorial page endorsing presidential candidates, news leaked that—on the very same day—Donald Trump met with executives from Blue Origin--the rocket company own by Bezos, who owns WAPO and is still the majority owner of Amazon. As pointed out, if he angers Trump, who doesnot follow the Rule of Law or any ethical standards--retaliation by Trump is nearly assured. If he disappoints Harris, since she follows the law and ethical standards--there will be no consequences to Bezos or his companies. This is a way that Oligarchs are made under a facist government. This is deeply concerning.
Well, I think Robert would appreciate sharing Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter which also just dropped, in case anyone missed it: Fascism as described by the U.S. government in 1945. “The people run democratic governments, but fascist governments run the people.” Share widely.
https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/october-26-2024?r=6pp8t&utm_medium=ios
🇺🇸
If we can get past this horror show we’re now living through, I would like to see this pamphlet become required reading in every high school History course. As the pamphlet says, fascism grows in “indifference and ignorance”.
I agree. Its an excellent summary of fascism - and description of what's going on before our eyes.
Thank you for sharing this, Ellie. Chilling.
I just finished it and was planning to post what you just did. It is stunning and terrifying.
If you think that’s bad, then you’d better read Jordan Zakarin’s “Progress Report,” todays edition entitled “Trump’s most dangerous coup is still unfolding”,
…and be worried as hell. The fascists, as the MSM watches and scoffs and ignores, are very close to being able to throw this election to the states, or worse, to the White/Clarence Thomas grievance Supreme Court. Hoping isn’t going to win this battle with evil, Robert…either an overwhelming Harris victory will, or we will be defenseless.
We will never be defenseless. Our reality is that however the November 5 election goes we are going to have to press forward to fight like hell! “We are not going back!”
I’m just curious. What will the rest of us do if they pull this off?
I remember reading a book called , “A Nation of Sheep”. It was long ago, so I don’t remember the author. So, I guess we just sit back and let minority take over?
I called the NYT’s yesterday to thank them for their support of Joe Biden, or lack of, during his administration. I canceled my subscription a year ago. I told them that a professor in a class called American Federal Government, the man from Texas, educated at Texas A&M, said it kills me to admit this but the NYT, is one of the finest newspapers in the country’. I wonder what he would say now. I told the gentleman on the phone, if he is elected, you will print what trump tells you to, that is if you are allowed to exist all all!
Yay! Glad you recorded the program since I missed most of it. Thanks Robert and Jay. I voted early in Maryland on Thursday. Long lines, and it went smoothly. In and out total 45 minutes. It was wonderful to see so many regular citizens helping in every capacity to make it a smooth and easy process. So proud of them and people like Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. You all are the best of us. I get teary eyed thinking about how lucky we are. Harris/Walz ~ Blue Wave #weareinthistogether
My brother lives in MD and he voted too with a wait of about 30 minutes. He's in the southern (non-urban) part of Anne Arundel county.
I live in Montgomery County, Maryland the county with the largest population in Maryland. There must have been 10-12 checking stations and people telling you which line to get in. Every step of the way, someone to help you through the process. There were around 8 electronic voting stations (I waited about 10 minutes) and I saw about 25 or more paper ballot stations where there was no waiting. I’m thinking 30 or more people helping just on this shift. This was one of 14 early voting centers in the county. We have a week long early voting period (including weekends), mail-in ballots, electronic voting and election day voting. Kudos to our county and our state.
I grew up next door, in Prince Georges County, MD.
NC was an early adopter of in-person early voting. I found the following online in this article (https://carolinapublicpress.org/56769/early-voting-in-north-carolina-how-it-started-who-uses-it-and-how-to-do-it-in-2022):
The legislature solidified an early voting time frame beginning the third Thursday before and ending the Saturday before Election Day in 2001, and in 2007, lawmakers ruled that a person could both register and vote on the same day at an early voting site.
In the 2008 and 2012 general elections, roughly 56% of the state’s total ballots came from early voting. That number jumped to 62% in 2016 and 65% in the 2020 general election, according to the state Board of Elections.
I think we are lucky it got entrenched before the GOP went full bore into disenfranchising voters as the their only path to victory. But the state doesn't dictate how many early voting sites each county has to have - except in 2020 for Covid and the NC GOP was hot about that!!
The rural, mostly red counties tend to have fewer EV sites since they don't want to allocate the budget for more. Urban blue counties have many more EV sites with Mecklenburg Co. leading the pack with 33 sites - which is actually the same number as we had in 2020 during Covid. The Executive Director of the Mecklenburg Co. BoE is very pro "make it easy for everyone to vote" and our county board of commissioners is made up entirely of Democrats so they approved the budget to give the BoE what it asked for...
We are well behind where we were for absentee mail in ballots in 2020, but we are running ahead in terms of early in-person vs. 2020. Early voting was higher in 2020 for the first 2 days, but this year it has held up better throughout the rest of the EV period. (in the past, it picked back up in the last 2 -3 days of EV.
And so far (knock on wood) the only time it rained was after the polls had closed on Sauturday.
Fingers crossed that NC can vote Blue for Harris / Walz, Stein, and get rid of some of those pesky GOP Congresspeople. I hope our better angels in the US are watching over those that need it. I was corresponding with a German friend and I wrote maybe we have to burn everything down like you did to start over after WWII. He wrote back, except if you burn everything down, you'll take the rest of the world with you. The whole world is watching.
I did another shift of poll observing yesterday. It was relatively quiet -- except for the number of first time voters! (The poll workers always call out "First time voter" and everybody claps and cheers! This polling place had 6 check-in stations and at one point we had first time voters at 4 of them at the same time - all Gen Z! So I suspect a group of friends that went out to vote together 😊!
At the end of the shift, they total up how many registration forms, mail in ballots, etc. that were collected that day. There were 25 (!!) same day registrations at a not-that-busy polling place. It finally dawned on me - yesterday had been designated as Vote Early Day (https://voteearlyday.org/).
Love this. I hope people are understanding the signs that karma, greater power is giving us. I’ve been phone banking. Lots of hang ups, and a few heartfelt conversations that make it worthwhile.
Gen Z have never voted previously and therefore are probably considered "unlikely" and uncounted by the polls. FT 6 says it has generated 5 million new Democrats in the swing states.
FT 6 texted to 1,210,938 unregistered folk in MI yesterday. BYOB is still registering new Democrats in MI, NC, WI and MT. https://www.fieldteam6.org/free-byop-textbanks
REPRISE:
1. Uncle Sam needs you! https://www.mobilize.us/ (And me.)
2. Please repeatedly post "not suckers or losers" comments in social media. According to Facebook, there are 4 million veterans and active duty members on Facebook, as well as 12.5 million family members and 242 million friends with veterans or active duty members. Military sites, veterans' organizations, historical sites.
Vote vets has already flipped many 2016 and 2020 Trump voters.
3. It's up to people like you who are on social media.... when you comment you'll see what I mean. Many of the people involved are dependents, family members, friends and neighbors who are interested in the military and or national security and for whom this is news. Takes repetition and substantiation by people they trust.
I am a Vietnam combat veteran -- probably the lone survivor from my units. I have been a "veteran" since Jan 21, 1968. The grandchildren (or great-grandchildren) of my late colleagues want to hear from someone like you.
When you post on say a FB history site, you may start a conversation with potential voters who may flip on this basis.... I'm getting a number of positive comments.
4. Mark Cuban reports that Polish Americans for Harris is out and about in Pittsburgh. It started in Pittsburgh....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yeb08cbUswk
Don’t forget the more than 700 former National Security and Defense officials who are supporting VP Harris, as reported September 24 in various media reports. Governor Walz at a rally on Thursday in Wilmington NC clearly stated there were Veterans out canvassing and phone banking for VP Harris. Yesterday I stumbled upon this news: Veterans phone banking for VP Harris in Michigan https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/26/michigan-veterans-harris-phone-bank?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Thanks.
Vote Vets is highly organized. Has phone banks. Seeks more testimonials. Highly effective. https://votevets.org/
IMHO the message "not suckers or losers" on say a history site, reaches vets, their relatives, friends and people who mistakenly thought that because Trump was commander in chief on Nov 5, 2020, he was entitled to the benefit of the doubt. But his conduct Jan 6, 2021 and following flips them.
Daniel, I admire all you are doing to reach people and encouraging others to do the same. You are making a huge difference and it will pay off. Thank you for your passion and your persistence.
Thank you! Great info on posting for vets on social media. I'll plan on doing that this week!
Daniel- Thanks for keeping the focus on what we’re doing and what others are doing. That’s our mission now. As I heard from a recent campaign event at Gloria Steinem’s home, “You can’t wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time.” True indeed. Thanks for being a great example of this.
Reminding her readers of the clear, devastating and at least in 2016 (to those who didn't want to see the clear signs) somewhat clairvoyant characterization of trump in WaPo's endorsements in 2016 and 2020 Mary Trump in her last substack letter drives home the depravity of this year's decision to kiss the felon's ring in a show of anticipatory obedience.
And she writes "the choice is between a fairly centrist Democrat and a full-blown fascist...That seems like a pretty obvious choice, doesn’t it?" Oh well, the question mark lingers – and will linger until Nov 5, or perhaps a bit longer. A friend in California today quoted an old Swiss aphorism Nur die dümmsten Kälber wählen ihre Schlächter selber – Only the dumbest calves choose their own butchers (sorry, the translation doesn't rhyme as nicely as in German, but you get the gist). A Swiss voter is said to have written this cheeky remark on his ballot paper in an election in 1874. So it is actually the 150th anniversary of this observation.
Let's hope it will be proven wrong.
Very a propos. I never heard that expression, but I will remember it!
One of my activities this election cycle has been to take shifts handing out "blue ballots" (i.e., Democratic voter guides) at the early voting site a few miles from my house. I offer then to everyone who isn't decked out in full Trump regalia, even if I am pretty sure they are Trump supporters.
Most of the people who turn down my offer are polite, but a few of them are either horrified or contemptuous. Those are mostly seniors (or those approaching senior status) who may not need their social security to buy groceries (since this is a fairly affluent area) but would be in a world of hurt if the GOP guts the ACA and Medicare. Also, some younger to middle aged white women and even a couple of black men.
My internal reaction has been "What the heck are you thinking?!?"
Do those seniors count as uninformed voters? I canvassed to Democratic leaning homes in suburban St. Paul yesterday. With one exception, the voters I interacted with were voting Blue. The exception was an “undecided” (though highly suspected she was for Trump) elderly woman whose top priority was the economy. My explanation of the impact of the candidates’ economic platforms landed flat. I left knowing she’d be voting against her own best interests.
Lanette, thank you for canvassing in suburban St.Paul - I live in a blue neighborhood in Eagan. It is beyond frustrating to converse with folks like the undecided voter you spoke with here. My immediate neighbor is caring for her very frail husband who has a host of problems including COPD. The husband just retired at 73, and his wife now worries about money incessantly and rails about the costs of medications. And they will vote on election day for Donald Trump. Mind boggling!
I long ago gave up on explaining how Trump would shred Social Security and Medicare, and just offer occasional respite care so she can run errands. I know what it’s like to care for a dying husband by yourself and feel sad about how tough their lives have become. I’ve been there. It ain’t fun.
Fortunately, they are in the minority here. Angie Craig’s district is still purple but lots of us understand the assignment and are working on it. Thank you for canvassing! Let’s do this!
The problem is that, in their own little bubble, many Republicans have never heard the news that, Trump is going to cut Social Security and Medicare or that he's going to try to gut the ACA or that Roe v. Wade has been turned over. Without this info, they think that Trump is AOK.
Nancy, I have repeatedly shown both of my neighbors the facts including what economists have said about Trump bankrupting SS within 6 years if reelected. They just dismiss it out of hand. Neither one has a college degree and they absolutely do not trust “experts.”
It has less to do with what media these particular people consume, and much more to do with needing someone to blame for how their lives didn’t turn out right; that they “didn’t get theirs.” It is the classic idea that there has to be an “other” causing their problems. Their sense of entitlement is gobsmacking. The other obvious factor in their choice is that they are both racist as hell. A woman of color as President? Not for those two. Oddly, they are both kind and caring to me. As Tim Walz would say, these people are just weird.
Nancy Ray, I think you are on to something. We all wonder how Trump voters can possibly vote so blatantly against their own interests. I think you're correct, they literally never heard the news! We fail to appreciate just to what degree Fox and Fox clones have created a 100% alternative universe of seeming facts, that deliberately expunge anything crazy Trump says, and create consistent, integrated stories about how evil Democrats are--immigrant mobs in the streets, millions of immigrants voting, Joe Biden being demented, Kamala Harris in control of the government and doing nameless evil. There are no facts there, just beautifully integrated, well-presented fake stories that over time take on the appearance of factual reality to these people who never look at or talk to another source. In my rural area, there are roadside signs that claim Kamala Harris is running on a platform that is pro-crime, pro-high taxes, and pro-open borders. It resonates with what people are seeing on Fox, so they believe it and vote for Trump. Many Republicans have "never heard the news."
This is so true. In May, while I was on a multi-state road trip that was ending up at a family wedding, I made a quick stop in Wisconsin to spend an hour with an older cousin of my mother-in-law who has always been very cordial to me. I was literally driving within a mile of where she lives, so I thought I'd stop and catch up on family news and book talk. I will probably never see her again. But it was right after the 34 guilty verdicts, and SHE brought up politics assuming we would be aligned. I just couldn't smile and pretend. And she apparently couldn't let it go. She and her second husband, who I had never met, were both bringing up the secret suitcases and flashdrives. Still. After the Georgia women won their defamation case and all that stuff was debunked. And he said he didn't understand why there were votes still being counted for days afterward. "That can't be right." I took a deep breath and explained that states have various laws about when counting can begin, and mail-ins might be last, and overseas votes still have to be counted. They literally don't hear the truth and four years later are spewing the same conspiracy stuff that has long been disproven. A church friend, who is the sweetest person, looked me in the face and said Biden was the dictator, not Trump, when I declined to go to a film that came from the far right. I never even knew what her politics were until that day, but then I knew exactly what channel is on at her house.
Republicans want to sunset her Social Security and Medicare.
Some Republican goals seem only to be cruel with no substance. As Cheryl Johnson said "What the heck are they thinking?"
And if you try and tell them that, my guess is they will tell you that's "Fake News"
We have proof that it works. https://rvat.org/ https://www.tiktok.com/@timwalz/video/7426138396055129386
By now many can't be saved. Some have voted already. I was president of an organization and chair of another filled with high ranking veterans who owed their jobs to VA points and most, even some appointed used to be Republicans. Trump tried to do us in.... That includes our staff, many who also were veterans, th3eir friends and families....
Here's one of my former colleagues working on this. https://www.moedavis.com/
I am in a DNC veterans' discussion group. One of our members is Fred Wellman, who has the Vote Vets "not suckers or losers" bus. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTQ3zC1b1LEosLEocu9MXQ
I have been a "veteran" since Jan, 1968. I'm pretty sure that I am the lone survivor from my units. The people you can influence include the grandkids and even great grandkids of some of my late colleagues.
I've also run into the issue with elderly women within my own family of thinking, "women shouldn't be president, it's a man's job." I was shocked to say the least. But at 94yo it's a generational thing. She despises Trump though so we'll see, if she even votes.
Would it help to mention Golda Meir, who, as Prime Minister of Israel, was tougher than all the men around her in government and military?
Thanks so much, Stefan, for including this Swiss aphorism! I'm a 2nd generation Swiss-American and will be forwarding this to every Swiss-American I know, including extended family members in CA.
Hopp Schwiz🇨🇭
🌊🌊🌊🇺🇸
Rebecca Solnit
10/27/24
This is the real lay of the land when it comes to where Jeff Bezos makes money. I'm hoping President Harris will unplug our country from the weirdo billionaires. Really mostly the other one, but this one too:
Per Siva Vaidhyanathan
More than 7500 government offices and agencies run on Amazon Web Services — including the Federal Reserve and the CIA. Most of the private Internet does as well. It’s how Amazon makes a profit. Nothing else Amazon does makes money. So if you think your Prime cancellation matters to Amazon or Bezos, well, sorry.
In addition, Bezos owns the second-largest private space/rocket company (after Musk). So he’s much more interested in those defense and intelligence contracts that Musk might lose by being so close to Putin and otherwise wacky.
Canceling Amazon Prime is still a viable protest.
I did so with the happy thought of having done something.
I’m sure that Bezos figures that, in a little while, people will “get over” their rage and resubscribe to Amazon.
It may not affect Bezos' pocketbook, but it sure sends a message.
I don’t agree with WaPo not endorsing a candidate and I am not sure how,much that matters because most of the contributing correspondents have endorsed Harris. None of us knows why Bezos made that decision but he has the right to do that and the conjecture around his motives and business reasons are not based on any facts. What is most interesting is the fact WaPo published both correspondence and readers push back and dissatisfaction with the decision.
The Editorial Board has endorsed dozens of candidates not in the presidential race. The Post Editorial Board had prepared an endorsement of Harris. But when it comes to endorsing Kamala Harris, the Publisher (a Bezos employee) says "It's too partisan to issue endorsements, voters should decide for themselves."
There is only one reasonable interpretation of those facts: The owner of the Post did not want to endorse Harris. No need to scrutinize his motives for failing to do so.
PS This is where privatization gets you. People we never voted for end up owning America☺️
It is interesting that they decided to not endorse a candidate THIS year, isn’t it?
Agree but as long as the contributing correspondents have a voice which is why I read the paper then I feel protected. Newspaper endorsements I don’t think matter as much.
Kathleen, thank you for this post. It always serves us to follow the money, and this is so illuminating on where Bezos really makes his money, specifically government contracts—hence his self-interest in preserving them in the event of a Trump administration. It stuck with me, and I found it applicable to commenters today on HCR’s Letter that we should not stop mail order through Amazon.
Although we could argue that this is delusional short term thinking since captains of industry are not protected under autocrats or fascists. The regime appropriates profit centers, as done by Hitler, Mussolini, Putin, and Orban. Just a few weeks ago, another Russian oligarch “mysteriously” fell out of a high rise window.
Heather Cox Richardson is a treasure and this article is simple and brilliant. BTW, I cancelled Washington Post subscription.
Thank you for cancelling your WaPo subscription.
Robert, this may have come up before, but the Philadelphia Inquirer has been courageous in its endorsements and its ongoing occasional series on why DJT is unfit to be president. Perhaps the fact that it is owned by the non-profit Lenfast Institute, rather than some billionaire, accounts for this matter. In setting up ownership, te Lenfast Institute wanted "to ensure that the Inquirer would become a self-governing, for-profit public benefit corporation."
I subscribed to the Philadelphia Inquirer Friday after canceling WaPo! They were running a special - $1 for six months digital subscription.
I just subscribed to the Philadelphia Inquirer after reading your rave and discovering from your post that it's owned by a non-profit organization. Let's replace the NYT, the WaPo and the LATimes with the Philadelphia Inquirer! Everybody, cancel your subscriptions to the above three sell-out newspapers with a strong letter condemning them, and telling them you are now subscribing to the Philadelphia Inquirer for the reason that it's the free press and is not owned by lying, amoral, un-American billionaires who unethically swerve the U.S. news to feather their own crap-filled unsavory nests. It's one more little thing you can DO in the next few weeks to strengthen our democracy!
Today's issue features an excellent endorsement of Harris by the editorial board, a column by Will Bunch about billionaires trying to buy the PA Senate seat for Dave McCormick, and Trudy Rubin's incisive analysis of DJT's "dance with dictators."
I should point out that I got the spelling wrong--it is the Lenfest Institute.
I am a Chicagoan canvassing in SW Michigan this week-end. Yesterday there were 10 volunteers in a town (Niles) which has never mounted a canvass because it is a fairly red and low turnout population. The canvass was organized by an amazing 24 year old, Chockwe Pitchford, who I became aware of when he ran for state rep at age 21! He lost but the democratic party reached out to him to suggest he build on the infrastructure he created with his campaign. He is now a county commissioner and is also running his own organization called Berrien Forward. This made me think that Robert and readers of this newsletter should create some way to discover and support these incredible local leaders. As for our canvassing, I think we made some headway but honestly it is hard to judge. The ground game is intense here in Michigan. And for those who know Michigan, Fred Upton, the very popular retired Republican US Congressman from SW Michigan just endorsed Kamala!
I couldn't figure out how the access the live program with Jay Kuo, so I am very happy you posted the recording. I will watch it while finishing up my last batch of Vote Forward letters.
Great convo with Jay Kuo ! Grateful you mentioned supporting Democracy Dockett/Marc Elias. He,along with you and Jay ,help keep me sane.Jay also keeps me laughing with his weekly Sat. posts.🤣 Humor is much needed now that he mentioned I’m suspect to voter fraud with my Hispanic surname…sigh.
“Join Democracy Docket for a free, live event featuring actress and producer Eva Longoria in conversation with voting rights leader Stacey Abrams, Voto Latino president María Teresa Kumar and Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias. They’ll kick off the final week before Election Day with an exciting discussion answering two key questions: what could happen between now and the election and what should we expect to happen after? Secure your spot for this star-studded panel today!”
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6017298775870/WN_4NLCO3-ySQeavGfKODetgw?utm_source=Democracy+Docket+Newsletters&utm_campaign=61cca04ad3-20241025_10.28and10.29EventsReminder_LF&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-e646f11c14-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=61cca04ad3&os=ipad#/registration
This was a calming and informative podcast. Thank you both. Now I am going back to my post card writing with vigor.
For those who are nervous, I saw these figures on Political Wire this morning:
Trump’s ceiling
2016. 46.1%
2020. 48.6%
2020 average (per 538) 46.6%
We can beat that
Just got this. Share!
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/10/25/opinion/what-trump-says.html?unlocked_article_code=1.VU4.Owo7.l9v3hI5NVDet&smid=url-share
thanks for the unlocked article. i have run out this month!
Stefan Schülter, Thank you for sharing this article. I agree that it is a must-read-and-share!
Good heavens! The nyt has grown the vestige of a spine at the last possible moment. What a great piece of hard-hitting, factual, persuasive writing. This is the free press style of news reporting that I grew up with and haven't seen in a long, long time. I wonder if it's a one-time thing, or if it will continue. Thank you, Stefan, for sharing. Reading it was like plunging into the cold, salty Atlantic on a hot July day! Invigorating and exhilarating.
I know, I know, don’t listen to the polls, but this one will lift our spirits:
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump among likely voters nationally, 51% to 47%, “with some pro-Harris groups showing a bit more propensity to vote.”
Key takeaway: “Compared with earlier this month, Harris has regained a more customary Democratic advantage among Hispanic people and widened her advantage among suburban women, while remaining strong in core groups including Black people.”
JJC, thanks for sharing this poll. And let's remember, offshore betting organizations are playing games with our polls and skewing them significantly. Yet another reason not to believe them. Another factor that I haven't seen any poll take into consideration is the radical departure Harris' campaign has taken from how other presidential campaigns in the past have campaigned--on social media, with social influencers like Taylor Swift, with the newly-important substack influencers and other non-traditional communications channels. No one has ever campaigned like this before, because these channels were never so available and widely influential before. How can polls possibly account for this? Not to mention the unprecedented GOTV effort, the passion of young women to vote for Harris because of abortion, the legions of defecting Republicans, etc. These factors are new, unprecedented, and unpolled! Don't despair. Keep working. Another few days to go.
Yes, I agree. The defections too must happen in those swing states, and I don't believe the polls are accounting for the huge ground game that grassroots organizations are doing. I mean if Liz Cheney says Kamala will win, who am I to argue.
What an interesting conversation with Jay Kuo! I am going to follow him now. And no need to excuse your English major: you did a master class in helping this historian finally understand polling! Thank you.
Jeff Bezos blocking the WAPO ED Bd endorsement of Kamala is outrageous. Likewise the LA times. It is clear both the Billionaire owners fear trump. We cancelled our WAPO subscription. I urge others to do the same witn both news services. Speaking of Billionaires, they are mostly very quiet even is they support Harris. The outstanding exception is a very outspoken Mark Cuban.
The Bezos incident is now uncovered in detail by today's Bulwark, and is worse than I imagined. Read the article please.
ON FRIDAY, after the Washington Post’s publisher announced that the paper was suddenly abandoning the practice of the editorial page endorsing presidential candidates, news leaked that—on the very same day—Donald Trump met with executives from Blue Origin--the rocket company own by Bezos, who owns WAPO and is still the majority owner of Amazon. As pointed out, if he angers Trump, who doesnot follow the Rule of Law or any ethical standards--retaliation by Trump is nearly assured. If he disappoints Harris, since she follows the law and ethical standards--there will be no consequences to Bezos or his companies. This is a way that Oligarchs are made under a facist government. This is deeply concerning.
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bezos-trump-and-the-failure-of-democracy?r=1mr44p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web