The election will have very real, harsh consequences. Now and in the months ahead, though, we will have the power to confront this moment and create a new future.
All is not lost. Ruben Gallego is beating Kari Lake for AZ US Senate. The normies won 2 of 3 open seats for Chandler Unified School District Governing Board so we still maintain a 3-2 majority over MAGA influence at the local school board level. 700,000 votes still are being counted in Maricopa County, so many local races are still undecided. We will never stop fighting for the common good and the disenfranchised.
For me, the election issue was simple: decency. We now know where half of our population stands on this issue. I grieve deeply the Pollyanna that has always been in me. I hope that she can return.
In "Look Back in Anger" Jimmy Porter was an Angry Young Man because he thought there weren't any "great, brave causes" anymore. I'm 71 and as I grew up everybody always wondered why nobody stopped Hitler in his tracks. Well, here we are, it's Groundhog Day with Nazis.
It does feel like Groundhog Day with Nazis. I've always wondered about all the people who stood by while the camps were being built in their backyard. Rather than focusing on the passive standbyers, I wish I had spent time learning more about all the people who resisted the Nazis and Fascists.
I recently watched Hitler and the Nazis on Netflix. It's a multi-part series by Joe Berlinger that depicts, in detail, how Hitler came to power. The similarities are eerily similar. While I hope 🤞 Trump isn't allowed to go as far as Nazi Germany, it seems like we've forgotten the lessons of those times. In fact, even Jews came out and voted for Trump! That is terrifying. My family is in the United States only because of the Armenian diaspora at the turn of the 20th century, and even my elderly Armenian relatives voted for Trump. They're flat out blaming immigrants. At last year's family Christmas party, I sat there stunned as I listed to their reasoning for voting for Trump. It's still baffling to me how people can't see this is history repeating itself, and the dangers of labeling groups of people "the enemy."
I hesitate to recommend it because it's a lousy show, but the Netflix series "Transatlantic" is mostly about Varian Fry, a genuine hero who did a great deal to save lives without ever firing a shot. And if you ever wished to live in a villa on the French Riviera with lots of artists, this show will tell you to be careful what you wish for. If you ever wanted to see Simon Tam from Firefly and Cher Horowitz from Clueless rescue people from Occupied France, this is your chance.
Ha ha, better leave the country before the nazi gets you! Of course you won’t because you know he’s not a nazi, just keep pretending, freedom fighters (aka pathetic losers)
I agree with Josh it is choice. A mindset. My job as an advocate has not changed. Fight for reproductive rights, LGBTQIA and trans rights. Etc. I’m not giving my power away. It belongs to me. Fight for freedom and justice. I stay IN THE MOMENT. DO NOT LET FEAR TAKE HOLD. I started leaving Plan C stickers in ladies bathrooms on my current road trip like I always do in my red abortion ban state. I felt better 💕 It will be hard but worth it.
It's a choice. I keep telling myself that, because even though I know it's true, I am finding it hard to believe. But it is a choice to hold on to hope. There are literally tens of millions of people in our corner, and they include some of the smartest, hardest-working, kindest, and most creative people in our country. None of us are alone, even if it feels like it.
Where there's life, there's hope. It sounds trite, yes of course, but we're still here and can make a difference in others' lives. And I live in a conservative area where the local and Congressional races went to Democrats, or liberal politicians if the race was nonpartisan. Yes, we have to work very hard for victories every election cycle, be they races for school district or what have you, but we're winning out here. So all is not lost.
I echo what an earlier commenter said, which is that I already had Trump fatigue and exhaustion from the hate. Now I just feel so pessimistic. Not sure how to feel hope. I feel like I don’t want to fight. I wish I wasn’t in this horrible country. That’s how I feel at the moment.
I’m not prepared for him to be a central figure in my life again for the next four years. So much stupidity, and this time is only going to be worse in so many ways
Could Biden choose to release all of Jack Smith's evidence to the public? So that even though he isn't charged the extent of Trump's crimes are laid bare before the people?
That's a huge part of why I feel so defeated. The Ds at the top have shown over and over that they will not take any risks for the good of the country.
I'm upset, depressed, and angry that so many more people supported Trump with their eyes wide open. This wasn't 2016. This was so much worse.
Harris did the usual and congratulated him personally for his victory per press reports. If I was running as mayor and lost to a convicted rapist, I would not do that.
Anyway, yes, we live on and do what we can. Get victories when we can. Including not letting the darkness overwhelm us, even when our fellow citizens, men and women, are welcoming the void.
I'm very disappointed in Harris. All the bravado in the campaign about what an awful person he is and then just a meek response. I'm desperate to be surprised by someone on the left.
Reading this was reassuring. Having to take time off to process this very real outcome is weighing on me but also remembering that we’ve feared worse and have come out on the other side is keeping me grounded in this moment.
It’s not just that Trump will not face criminal liability … it’s that he will be celebrated for it. He brings back the right’s desire for chaos, and codifies it. Racism, misogyny, bigotry—all are acceptable now. A Supreme Court Chief Justice is free again to ignore precedence and award avarice. All gains from the Sixties and Seventies rescinded … except for Loving v. Virginia. And perhaps Roberts can keep his kingdom free of women and blackguards (Thomas, at four million, is now an unnecessary expense).
What troubles me is to wonder how many deaths and imprisonments the American people will tolerate. Please stay safe. The truth is the only thing that can ever set us free, which means they're going to have to come for the journalists sooner or later.
My TV was on all night. I awoke to the terrible news. I thought my head would explode. I had already been picturing this beautiful LGBTQ COMMUNITY in San Diego becoming destroyed like the cities in Ukraine and Gaza. I had already considered how much personal loss I would suffer simply because I'm old, gay, and a Vietnam Veteran.
I've rarely allowed anyone to drive me to hatred. Trump managed to bring me there the first time I read anything about him. Before he first ran for the White House I had read the September 1996 Vanity Fair article entitled "After the Gold Rush" which was pretty much a History of Donald's life. Mainly that he was a bully even in his younger years.
An interview with first wife Ivana had her revealing that Donald slept with a book of Hitler's speeches locked in a drawer by his bedside. When Trump learned about her telling he asked his attorney if he should be worried about that. His attorney told him no.
The article is available online just by Googling the title. His history up until this moment is filled with how much he's put himself first and wouldn't pay his bills to the point American banks refused to loan him money and he went to Germany and borrowed from the Deutsch Bank.
That Donald Trump won this election with such a large number with all that is known about his criminal side makes me regret not having gone to my father's homeland, Canada, when I was drafted and sent to Vietnam.
To calm myself today I went to FB and watched some great comedy there. It was a good idea. I spent a few hours laughing and busied myself in the kitchen as another distraction. It only helps until I'm not busy.
Trump's voters, according to Today Show morning hosts, were mostly younger men who had no college education. The hosts seemed to be fighting their pleasure knowing that the way they gave Donald so much air time had a lot to do with his win.
Everyone would be wise to get their news on PBS stations.
All is not lost. Ruben Gallego is beating Kari Lake for AZ US Senate. The normies won 2 of 3 open seats for Chandler Unified School District Governing Board so we still maintain a 3-2 majority over MAGA influence at the local school board level. 700,000 votes still are being counted in Maricopa County, so many local races are still undecided. We will never stop fighting for the common good and the disenfranchised.
I already had trump fatigue. I'm angry and exhausted.
For me, the election issue was simple: decency. We now know where half of our population stands on this issue. I grieve deeply the Pollyanna that has always been in me. I hope that she can return.
In "Look Back in Anger" Jimmy Porter was an Angry Young Man because he thought there weren't any "great, brave causes" anymore. I'm 71 and as I grew up everybody always wondered why nobody stopped Hitler in his tracks. Well, here we are, it's Groundhog Day with Nazis.
It does feel like Groundhog Day with Nazis. I've always wondered about all the people who stood by while the camps were being built in their backyard. Rather than focusing on the passive standbyers, I wish I had spent time learning more about all the people who resisted the Nazis and Fascists.
I recently watched Hitler and the Nazis on Netflix. It's a multi-part series by Joe Berlinger that depicts, in detail, how Hitler came to power. The similarities are eerily similar. While I hope 🤞 Trump isn't allowed to go as far as Nazi Germany, it seems like we've forgotten the lessons of those times. In fact, even Jews came out and voted for Trump! That is terrifying. My family is in the United States only because of the Armenian diaspora at the turn of the 20th century, and even my elderly Armenian relatives voted for Trump. They're flat out blaming immigrants. At last year's family Christmas party, I sat there stunned as I listed to their reasoning for voting for Trump. It's still baffling to me how people can't see this is history repeating itself, and the dangers of labeling groups of people "the enemy."
I hesitate to recommend it because it's a lousy show, but the Netflix series "Transatlantic" is mostly about Varian Fry, a genuine hero who did a great deal to save lives without ever firing a shot. And if you ever wished to live in a villa on the French Riviera with lots of artists, this show will tell you to be careful what you wish for. If you ever wanted to see Simon Tam from Firefly and Cher Horowitz from Clueless rescue people from Occupied France, this is your chance.
Ha ha, better leave the country before the nazi gets you! Of course you won’t because you know he’s not a nazi, just keep pretending, freedom fighters (aka pathetic losers)
How do we not lose hope, when it seems like there's none?
I agree with Josh it is choice. A mindset. My job as an advocate has not changed. Fight for reproductive rights, LGBTQIA and trans rights. Etc. I’m not giving my power away. It belongs to me. Fight for freedom and justice. I stay IN THE MOMENT. DO NOT LET FEAR TAKE HOLD. I started leaving Plan C stickers in ladies bathrooms on my current road trip like I always do in my red abortion ban state. I felt better 💕 It will be hard but worth it.
It's a choice. I keep telling myself that, because even though I know it's true, I am finding it hard to believe. But it is a choice to hold on to hope. There are literally tens of millions of people in our corner, and they include some of the smartest, hardest-working, kindest, and most creative people in our country. None of us are alone, even if it feels like it.
Where there's life, there's hope. It sounds trite, yes of course, but we're still here and can make a difference in others' lives. And I live in a conservative area where the local and Congressional races went to Democrats, or liberal politicians if the race was nonpartisan. Yes, we have to work very hard for victories every election cycle, be they races for school district or what have you, but we're winning out here. So all is not lost.
MI though Dems lost the State House, did pick up a liberal seat in the MI Supreme Court, now 5-2. So for at least 2 years MI has a silver lining.
I echo what an earlier commenter said, which is that I already had Trump fatigue and exhaustion from the hate. Now I just feel so pessimistic. Not sure how to feel hope. I feel like I don’t want to fight. I wish I wasn’t in this horrible country. That’s how I feel at the moment.
I’m not prepared for him to be a central figure in my life again for the next four years. So much stupidity, and this time is only going to be worse in so many ways
Could Biden choose to release all of Jack Smith's evidence to the public? So that even though he isn't charged the extent of Trump's crimes are laid bare before the people?
He won't. The Democrats have chosen time and time again to enable Trump. Do not place any hope in them.
That's a huge part of why I feel so defeated. The Ds at the top have shown over and over that they will not take any risks for the good of the country.
I'm upset, depressed, and angry that so many more people supported Trump with their eyes wide open. This wasn't 2016. This was so much worse.
Harris did the usual and congratulated him personally for his victory per press reports. If I was running as mayor and lost to a convicted rapist, I would not do that.
Anyway, yes, we live on and do what we can. Get victories when we can. Including not letting the darkness overwhelm us, even when our fellow citizens, men and women, are welcoming the void.
I'm very disappointed in Harris. All the bravado in the campaign about what an awful person he is and then just a meek response. I'm desperate to be surprised by someone on the left.
Thank you for this ❤️
Reading this was reassuring. Having to take time off to process this very real outcome is weighing on me but also remembering that we’ve feared worse and have come out on the other side is keeping me grounded in this moment.
It’s not just that Trump will not face criminal liability … it’s that he will be celebrated for it. He brings back the right’s desire for chaos, and codifies it. Racism, misogyny, bigotry—all are acceptable now. A Supreme Court Chief Justice is free again to ignore precedence and award avarice. All gains from the Sixties and Seventies rescinded … except for Loving v. Virginia. And perhaps Roberts can keep his kingdom free of women and blackguards (Thomas, at four million, is now an unnecessary expense).
Roberts is not a person of integrity. One is, or one isn’t. It is not quantifiable.
Thank you. I am not going anywhere and I am not giving up.
What troubles me is to wonder how many deaths and imprisonments the American people will tolerate. Please stay safe. The truth is the only thing that can ever set us free, which means they're going to have to come for the journalists sooner or later.
My TV was on all night. I awoke to the terrible news. I thought my head would explode. I had already been picturing this beautiful LGBTQ COMMUNITY in San Diego becoming destroyed like the cities in Ukraine and Gaza. I had already considered how much personal loss I would suffer simply because I'm old, gay, and a Vietnam Veteran.
I've rarely allowed anyone to drive me to hatred. Trump managed to bring me there the first time I read anything about him. Before he first ran for the White House I had read the September 1996 Vanity Fair article entitled "After the Gold Rush" which was pretty much a History of Donald's life. Mainly that he was a bully even in his younger years.
An interview with first wife Ivana had her revealing that Donald slept with a book of Hitler's speeches locked in a drawer by his bedside. When Trump learned about her telling he asked his attorney if he should be worried about that. His attorney told him no.
The article is available online just by Googling the title. His history up until this moment is filled with how much he's put himself first and wouldn't pay his bills to the point American banks refused to loan him money and he went to Germany and borrowed from the Deutsch Bank.
That Donald Trump won this election with such a large number with all that is known about his criminal side makes me regret not having gone to my father's homeland, Canada, when I was drafted and sent to Vietnam.
To calm myself today I went to FB and watched some great comedy there. It was a good idea. I spent a few hours laughing and busied myself in the kitchen as another distraction. It only helps until I'm not busy.
Trump's voters, according to Today Show morning hosts, were mostly younger men who had no college education. The hosts seemed to be fighting their pleasure knowing that the way they gave Donald so much air time had a lot to do with his win.
Everyone would be wise to get their news on PBS stations.
Thank you for reading.
Richard La France
🙏 thank you for inspiring hope! Perseverance and patience of course too. Thank you! Your subscription so important to me. Thank you