Definitely we need to include the other 43 states in our Presidential campaigning. We are losing ground in both red and blue states, and it's a mistake to concentrate so much on swing states - short term versus long term thinking.
Abortion initiatives won in red states that Trump won; in Florida, the initiative got 57% of the vote, but the Republican legislature set a 60% minimum for passage. It appears that the majority of women supported the Vice President (this still needs to be confirmed by the data that will be released after the election), but it looks like the majority of white women did not support Harris.
Also 76 and hanging on for the first US woman prez. Now who knows. Makes the grieving even more poignant. For whatever reason, this time is not as bad as HRC loss. Couldnt get out of bed for a week. I feel badly because i knew KH was going to win everything, a blue tsunami, after i heard the iowa poll. And of course it was a red tide. That was totally shocking. Where were the Dem voters????
I think the data is showing that many women who voted for abortion access in their states, actually also voted for DT. Not sure whether that means these women didn't believe DT would institute a nationwide ban, didn't realize DT appointed the Supremes who overturned Dobbs, or.....pocketbk triumphed over women's rights?
Not sure whether that means these women didn't believe DT would institute a nationwide ban - Correct (or they figured that if it's protected in their states, it won't matter)
Didn't realize DT appointed the Supremes who overturned Dobbs - Correct
Or.....pocketbk triumphed over women's rights - Correct
It's all of the above. The GE electorate is almost never as informed/engaged as the mid-term electorate, on either side.
This is accurate for general elections, and something to keep a close eye on for mid-terms. Dan Pfieffer has an excellent Substack today on exactly this topic. He breaks down the numbers very well.
Many people (esp women) are cross-pressured on the economy and abortion. If the economy is good, abortion can be a strong driver. If it's not, abortion loses its salience. So, when the size of the electorate is expanded (107M in 2022 vs 150M in 2024), the economy overwhelms abortion. Plus, the mid-term electorate is generally much more highly politically engaged and can be motivated by a single issue like abortion (or gun rights) that they know the ins and outs of. The general election is made up of at least 1/3 of people who don't even know that Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts.
In short, it's what Nate Cohn said after analyzing 2022-- you probably shouldn't translate mid-term results to the general because it's a different electorate.
Hmm, from my perspective, that’s not very long. I was raised in a left-wing household, immersed in such activism all my life. I’ll be 85 years old in 5 days and, mentally preparing to resume engagement. I’m not giving up and I’m not going back!
Instead of politics, perhaps you could try doing some pro bono volunteer work in underprivileged communities. Case in point: I woke up this morning and the tears had mostly stopped and I realized I was kind of stuck inside my head with all these dark thoughts. I decided to do a volunteer stint at my local food pantry (about 40% Latino, 40% Black and 20% White). I got outside of my head for about 3 hours and I only had to run to the restroom once to cry (a big improvement over the past couple days). I realized as I was helping our guests that the Latinos (most of them undocumented and thus unable to vote) were probably terrified out of their minds with worry for what awaits them after January 20. I can't say I came up with any answers as I was helping our guests' my mind is tending towards direct action\civil disobedience after January 20 but it's hard to get a precise fix at this point on where the worst terror will be unleashed. (Maybe Aurora, CO where Trump has promised to start his mass deportation campaign on "Day One"?) At any rate, I found that for three hours I mostly didn't think about Trump and MAGA. Just give it a try; you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.
My beautiful( inside and out) niece does consulting and therapy as a social worker. Apparently, she has undergone extensive training on immigration and will be evaluating immigrant status for lawyers to try and prevent deportation and the breaking up of families. I am so blessed that she is my niece. Nothing bothered me more than family separation during Trump's administration.
One of the commenters on Nicole Wallace's show yesterday made the point that mass deportations ARE family separation. Since the coming one-party state and its spokespeople seem impervious to shame, citizen direct action\civil disobedience is going to be required this time around to stop or at least blunt family separations. At least this is where my thoughts are currently trending.
I encourage everyone to read Heather Cox Richardson's latest dated November 9 with the title November 8. Apparently, many who voted for Trump are now surprised what tariiffs will do to their pocketbooks and that some Hispanics who voted R are now surprised that their family members who are undocumented but had thought were on a path to citizenship will be deported. (She did not go into how much it will cost us for food if deportation happens!) She rightly put the blame on right-wing media as many of the comments on this site have deduced.
But there was also a cautionary tale she discusses and I hope you understand that we are on a volatile space in our history. Read it carefully.
For deportations, I would suggest tying them up in court which is what my niece wants to do. And if there is a paper trail with a psychological eval, in a few years they may be reunited with their families. This is going to be ugly, but many of the proposals once understood will make his voters realize they were scammed. And that won't be good for the Republican party.
Just sent my niece an email to ask if this is a nationwide attempt to get social workers trained. I know our state attorney general, who an hour ago was on Velshi's program on MSNBC is along with some other blue state AG's, been working for some time to erect a firewall to protect their citizens, particularly women and immigrants. Will post a link if there is one.
Very good idea. Thank you for giving back to your community, it is a powerful force for good. As you said, the folks you are helping are likely quite scared, your efforts help both them any you.
Such an excellent suggestion - getting positively involved in community volunteering is a great contribution and helps with our brain chemicals! Many people feel extremely vulnerable now - doing good as well as offering a welcoming smile shows our humanity.
I try to treat every guest exactly the same, learning their names (and saying them), asking them about their lives (given the limitations of my Spanish) and wishing them all a good weekend (and this week a "Happy Thanksgiving"). But it was the Latina Moms and Dads with their babies and little kids that I was feeling the most protective towards yesterday, knowing what's on the horizon.
100% - the best way to combat my naval-gazing is to care for those less fortunate than me who are in my community. There are SO many ways to serve when I would rather bury my nose in (one) of my computers. Those of us in positions of privilege are called to protect the vulnerable. Thick, close communities could never elect a man like Donald Trump.
The Democratic Party should invest massively in local news efforts like Courier News. Everyone here should subscribe to Deep State Radio and Courier News where invaluable information is shared.
In their desire to curry favor with the fascists in order to preserve access to the prerogatives of power and access to the powerful, the legacy media will downplay the horrors of the coming regime (if they cover them at all). Independent media like you propose will be indispensable in keeping the public informed for at least the next four years.
I feel you. Of course, that is exactly what they want to do to you. Wear you down. Accept it all as the new normal. Flood the zone with shit. I am taking at least a year off. I can’t follow all this with nothing that can be done at least until off-year elections (barely) and then by mid-terms. I’m going to keep paying for some because that would suck even more to cut off pay to people who are on our side. But I just can’t consume this when my nation just does not care enough enough to even try to stop it. So hopefully the pain is enough to energize people more next time— but not so great that more of the innocent get crushed by the wheels of autocracy. Sadly, I am not even sure if the crushing will make a difference since the electorate has the memory of a goldfish.
They're also being fed a steady diet of lies and distortions both from the MAGAt campaigns and the mass media. Even the local (non-Fox Noise) news is typically propaganda driven by Sinclair or Clear Channel . . . Seems the US govt. is truly for sale to the least principled.
Being in Ca, I didn't realize just how distorted the view was until I started seeing Cheetolini's ads on College Football games (and the despicable scumwad gov. of Tx even had a shameful add full of lies attacking Colin (pro-Cruz).
The sad part is that people fed a diet of lies believe they are acting in good faith. I'm not giving up, but it is important to take breaks. Even if you're not an "official activist," sometimes you can influence people one conversation at a time. I do think the human connection is critical. Screens have their uses but they can't replace human connection.
My mother and father were blacklisted in the 1950s and kept going even though financially hit hard with a large family to support. My brothers marched with Martin Luther King Jr and were shot at and had ribs broken. I think the lesson, though we tire, these are life-long movements. Though I don't think we have to go at the same pace all of the time or in the same way. We can pull back and observe. Read. Connect with like-minded people to discuss. It does not always have to be the hard work of campaigning. It can be a more enriching and supportive to be with others even online making observations together. Did you see the letter from the 95 year old to his younger gym friend?
Yes! My great uncle (who married me and my husband in 1998) was a Presbyterian minister heavily involved in the Civill Rights movement in the American South - he marched in support of MLK and faced violence because of it. He was an anomaly in my family. We must continue to connect and build thick communities.
I remember participating in the First Moratorium March as a high school junior in 1969 to end the Viet Nam War. 1968 was a major year in world history with not just the Anti-War Movement, but also the Hispanic Farm Workers Movement, Civil Rights Movements, Women's Right's Movement, the Environmental Movement, and others that changed the political landscape dramatically. It gave us John Lewis, George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Barney Frank, Barack Obama and Joe Biden as national leaders with many thrilling Presidential victories to boot.
We've seen the emergence of the Gay Rights movement and the strengthening of the Womens Rights movement with all of our modern day Democratic Governors, Cabinet members, and Congressional representatives.
I am standing with you Jan. I'm a straight white female, but I stand as an ally. I have decided that my activist work will be around doing what I can to support and help your community in whatever way I can. (I intend to follow the guidance of humans who are actually IN your community, because Lord knows none of y'all need straight/white saviors ... even though many of us white folx seem to think we know how to do it best.)
What we have has been hard won on the backs of those who've gone before us. We can't give up at this juncture in time. We can't for the future of our children and country
Take care, Scott. I understand the feeling. Perhaps as time goes by you'll find a level that you're comfortable contributing, even it's not at the previous intensity.
I’ll be 58 next month. I’m tired right now as we all are.
WE self-governing free people are the ones who shape America’s future and that’s a battle that can never be ‘done.’ Illiberalism has long been with America.
Ruth, I hope you can look up from all the fearful possibilities and see that this was a very close election. There are millions and millions of caring, thoughtful, skilled people who will be working to mitigate the possible damage as much as possible. Also, try to focus on your own community and state. There are good people and good things happening there even by people we don't agree with. We don't know what will happen. There is long way to go with many twists and turns to come. Wishing you some peace and hope. I believe it's there.
Thank you for responding to Ruth in such a kind and understanding manner. We’re all scared. Again.
I’ve lost faith in so many things I relied on in my younger days (70 now). One thing I have had to relearn after each “incident” is that our safety and survival (oh, what a relief those 100 days of joy were) depends upon each of us picking up whomever is falling and lift them up. And let ourselves be lifted up.
Not to say that doing so solves the problems we must address. But… help each other along the way. Just as we helped voters update their registration, find their polling place, get a photo ID, cure their mail in ballot.
(I am not Pollyanna. I know that because I used to be.)
I am thrilled that here in CT we kept all our terrific Democratic Congressional candidates and even increased the large majorities in the state house. And yes, we voted for Harris/ Walz. Unfortunately, my town and county is red but I have found newcomers who are interested in joining the Democratic party in our town.How? I wrote those registering as Dems to stop at our table on voting day. 10% of them did. There might have been more interested, but had voted early. Outreach at the grassroots level is key and that begins now. (P.S. I doubt the Republicans knew about the postcarding!)
I’m 71. I retired from 42 years in healthcare in 2019. Never in my wildest imagination could I have predicted that 6 months later the entire planet would face a pandemic. Killing millions. No one knew if they’d be the next casualty. No one knew if we could get to the other side.
But we did.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined I’d be spending my retirement years focused on protecting our Constitution and democracy.
But here I am.
In everyone’s life there has likely been a time of great pain. The loss of a loved one, the breakup with a partner or loss of a job. Times when the world went on but theirs didn’t. Times when they didn’t know if they could get to another day.
But they did.
None of us know for certain what the future holds. We Democrats felt pretty certain we had this election won. We were wrong. In spite of our fears about fascism and Trump’s blustering about what he intends to do nothing has happened yet. We can feel pretty certain it won’t be good but we have no way of knowing just how bad it might get. To paraphrase Simon’s admonition: I refuse to surrender in advance.
Can we get to the other side?
I believe we will.
My plan is to stay engaged. Trust the voices I’ve found that will give me the news accurately and honestly.
Avoid corporate and print media and the news feed on my phone.
Continue to do things that bring me comfort and joy.
Be discerning about what I can and can’t control.
Have faith that if things go horribly wrong even Trump supporters will abandon ship.
Know that I’m not alone and that there are still good people in office (and out of office) who will continue to fight for freedom.
Remember we have midterms in 2 years and another opportunity to correct our course.
With every mountain I’ve faced in my life there were times I thought I’d never get to the other side.
I feel this too. Then I think of the civil right people who struggled with just getting the right to vote for 20+ years. Or resisting the draft during Vietnam for 10 years. In 1968 our best leaders were assassinated and replaced with Nixon and Reagan. It has been worse, but I do agree what is forming now could be even worse. It depends on how the nation responds. My hope is his overreach is so great that the citizens will quickly have buyers remorse.
"Let us not fall prey to what we fear, but rather live into the direction of hope," Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning: From Death Camp to Existentialism, 1946
Oh Ruth - hugs to you. Our hearts are broken. Find a way to connect, like this community, or church, or taking walks with a friend. Volunteer at a senior center or pet rescue. It doesn’t have to be anything political right now. Make cookies for a neighbor.
This is from a meeting with Heather Cox Richardson. I hope the link works! You want to skip to 1:15:30 It’s her answer to what if the worst happens Nov 5.
Please don't feel that way. Think of this as a place to build a stronger community of people, building a more civil society. That's exciting. This week has been exhausting for people who reject the politics of fear, hate, division, and greed. That's the good news. We should feel this way, but now we have to find ways to fight back. We will.
Dear Community: I am making an additional donation to Simon to say thank you. To show our collective love and appreciation, I invite all of us to do the same. And then post this invitation again on other threads to invite others. Let’s send Simon on a well deserved vacation.
Simon- thank you. I am in awe of your wisdom, your leadership and especially your hope.
I am grateful beyond measure for your guidance this week in particular.
Please take more time off. Take sabbath rest. Go down to zero per week for a few weeks. Spend time with your loved ones. Decompress.
I often feel responsible for the community I lead. I suspect I feel similarly to your sense of responsibility. If we don’t rest, we burn out.
Perhaps some guests who will lead the reinvention of the party will write a post. If that’s too much to organize, please just take time anyway.
We don’t want you to risk taking Coach Walz seriously when he said “we can sleep when we’re dead.”
Yes, to every one of Amy's words. Thank you Simon. And when you talk to the amazing, spectacular Kamala, please let her know how much we all appreciate all she's done and that we hope she is taking care of herself too.
This may sound mad and delusional right now, but I really hope she will continue to lead, and even run again. The headwinds were too strong this time, but that can change. Look at the other party: they stuck with their horrible loser candidate through every trouncing, every "this is the end, he can never come back". If they can do it with a moron and succeed, why can't we do it with the brightest, strongest candidate of our lifetimes and succeed too?
Like so many I was devasted at the results of Tuesday night. My bank account has been depleted, my tires have been worn down, my back is sore from canvassing, and my spirit ached. I told my husband first thing on Wednesday that I was going to take a break from politics and just focus on our friends and family till February…..And then three things happened:
1. I founded a debating society in my son's middle school and many of the kids' parents voted for Trump. I spend a lot of time talking to the kids about how to discern truth from fiction and how to verify sources. When I went in yesterday, one of the most conservative students asked if we were going to talk about the election. I responded that we weren’t because I was too upset about it to be a good leader. She looked at me and said, I’m sorry that you are sad but you should be happy to know that we can tell what the truth is you have taught us that.
2. When I got home my son (13) told me that I had to listen to VP Harris’ speech yesterday and that it was incredible. He asked me if we could go to our local Democrat Party meetings together from now on because he wants to learn how to fight against Trump.
3. My mother is a 75-year-old white woman living in Milwaukee by the lake. Today she told me about an encounter she had yesterday as she was walking home from church past an inner city school which is predominately African American. As she approached the school, she saw three kids fighting in the street — she said it was more goofing off than anything serious. One of the boys called out to her and said “he’s bullying me.” My mom responded by saying, I’m not sure about that but you all should probably get off the street so you don’t get hit. Another of the boys then said to her, “Who did you vote for.” My mom responded that she had voted for Harris. He responded by saying so you must be really sad today. My mom’s amazing response to this was:
“ I am disappointed, but I am not sad, because I know that one day I am going to be able to vote for one of you to be president. So I need you to study as hard as possible so that I can vote for you to be president before I die.”
One of the boys quickly responded, “We promise we will study hard.” All three boys then gave her a high five. As she passed them by, she heard them arguing about which of them would be president.
From these experiences, I take hope in the next generation. It is my job to fight as hard as I can to make sure that they can achieve their dreams — our dreams. I am not going to take three months off. My son and I are going to our local Democrat meeting together on Monday. All 18 students of my debate club just re-enrolled for next term, and I’ll keep on working with them to discern what truth is no matter what “fake news” they see. And my mom, well she will keep on inspiring all those around her.
So take time to mourn, but don’t lose faith, what we do does make a difference even when we lose. Be intentional in spreading hope around you. But above all else, don’t stop interacting with the next generation — engage them, prepare them, and instill in them the importance of fighting for our imperfect democracy,
As my veteran husband likes to say, “you need to regroup, reload and re-engage.”
Thanks! I think she is incredible as well! I think it is a great teaching moment to think about the difference between her response and if she had crossed the street to avoid the confrontation.
Thank you for sharing this. It stirs in me a glimmer of hope after starting to feel glum again this morning. (But if I may make a request: please add the final "ic" to Democrat when you're referring to the party itself. Repubs say "Democrat Party" as an insult.)
PeachBlossom, you are so right. They even get our side to say that. I voted "Democratic" because I'm in the Democratic Party. Pet peeve of mine for decades 😀
Hi Annie. To answer your question sincerely, it's because calling the Democratic Party the Democrat party is insulting. It's demeaning. It's an epithet. It's been an insult that has been around per the 1940's.
It's always a "hint" when you see someone using the argument like,"The Democrat Party needs to..." and you can tell right away they are not being sincere.
Political ads have been made that when they show the word Democrat they fade it out so that only the "rat" remains for a moment.
It's a childish insult and ALL Republicans use it without fail.
That's not to say this "gets under my skin" but to say "I see what they did there."
Elisabeth - could I post this to my friends in social media? It’s deeply inspiring and everyone could use some inspiration right now. If I can post should I do so keeping you anonymous or would you like credit? I won’t post anything til I hear from you. Thank you for this deeply uplifting message.
Feel free to repost it under my name. I am glad it helped. We are all struggling against that inner desire to hide under our covers. After my Wednesday and Thursday, I wanted to share my belief that if we hide from the world then they get to shape the story, if we engage in the world our voices somewhat mutes the power of hate.
After Hilary’s defeat we did just that. I became a political activist as a response to that 2016 election following the Women’s March. Four years later we ousted him after one term and now we need to oust MAGA in 2028!!! IMHO we need to plan continuously long term like the Heritage Group and Koch group and other groups who support the GOP to do and never allow our democracy work to go fallow.
We’ll be even stronger, more organized and more unified now and going forward. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thank you for these inspiring and thought-filled stories. I am 76 and looking for what I can do and when. Love the debating society, your mother’s smart, respectful interaction with boys, and your son’s hope.
This is what i do: hit “share” and copy the link. Then email that link to your own email address. Or hit “email” and mail it to yourself. When you get it, copy and paste the message onto whatever text document you use. Stick it a folder that you can label however you want. Mine is labelled “Inspiration”. Hope this helps.
I love this. Brought tears to my eyes. Nothing more beautiful than the human spirit. This inspires me to do whatever I can to make a positive difference in the lives of others and on behalf of the America I know and love.
YOu and your mom are both amazing! And you've probably lifted many of our spirits with these stories. All the best to both of you, and to the rest of your family!
Just a reminder to everyone: Where are you in this process?
The seven stages of grief are another popular model for explaining the many complicated experiences of loss. These seven stages include:
Shock and denial: This is a state of disbelief and numbed feelings.
Pain and guilt: You may feel that the loss is unbearable and that you’re making other people’s lives harder because of your feelings and needs.
Anger and bargaining: You may lash out, telling God or a higher power that you’ll do anything they ask if they’ll only grant you relief from these feelings or this situation.
Depression: This may be a period of isolation and loneliness during which you process and reflect on the loss.
The upward turn: At this point, the stages of grief, like anger and pain, have died down, and you’re left in a more calm and relaxed state.
Reconstruction and working through: You can begin to put pieces of your life back together and move forward.
Acceptance and hope: This is a very gradual acceptance of the new way of life and a feeling of possibility for the future.
I see that you aren't using Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's stages, but your model appears to have been heavily influenced by hers. Also, as a former cognitive psychologist, my training in this area was likely quite different from yours. That's the context for these observations:
Kübler-Ross developed her stages of grief to describing what the dying individual went through, not the bereaved. And five years after publishing the book that presented her model, she clarified that the stages aren't mutually exclusive (one may be simultaneously experiencing more than one); and they aren't linear. One doesn't progress through them in order, with no revisiting another stage.
Everyone's grief is different. The most important thing is to be kind to and gentle with yourself as you cope with it.
Thanks Jackie. Your last line is extremely important. Having suffered sharp loss as a child, being kind to myself was probably one of the hardest things to do. But it is essential not just to survival, but to live. You have to be kind to yourself to let light come in so you can then recharge, regroup, and fight on. Active work to stay in the game.
A thousand — no, a MILLION — thanks for this kind intervention and support right now. Your empathy and intuition sensed that we needed you right now. I really think you’ve saved some lives! You are a hero and I think you so much.
I believe I accidentally deleted my first response to this, but I want you to know from the bottom of my heart that your helpful, wise, timely post has helped me and many others. We are in a state of shock and grief, and this was exactly what I and many others needed right now. you didn’t have to take the time to come to our rescue, but you did. This was a loving offering on your part and I seriously can’t thank you enough. I printed it out and am sharing it with all of my grieving community. I wish I had the words to adequately thank you.
Definitely depression ( sadness/grief) and upward turn flipping back and forth!
Thank you for this. It’s very helpful.
Knowing how and that we got through this after the 2016 Clinton loss is helpful in rebalancing too but the disappointment this time hits unexpectedly and sharply: we did such great work! Thank goodness we have Hopium to read the inspiring stories being shared and ideas for healing through this difficult time. 🙏🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸
My resistance started immediately: I’ve left my large Harris & Walz 2024 fence banner up and I’m not sure when I’m taking it down! It comforts me and makes me smile when I see it as I drive up my driveway: such decent wonderful hardworking caring people. They are my heroes.
Simon, the following is an honest and sincere question--not meant as a criticism at all. I love what you:
QUESTION: over the final month or so before the election you talked extensively about red wave polls, and how they were showing Trump in a lead that you didn't think was real. At the time you were saying that they were doing this to make things look better for Trump so he would have a basis to contest a possible loss, and that they weren't reliable. But, now it appears they were correct and the more respected pollsters were wrong. My question is--have the red wave pollsters actually discovered a more reliable way to find and poll MAGA voters? What can we learn from them so that we can have the same insight that they have next time around?
My two cents: I think we need to consider the possibility that MAGA voters often lie to pollsters out of social desirability bias. One of the things they love about Trump is that he “tells it like is” because they’re afraid of “having their opinions” without him.
Yeah, but even Rump said on his interview with Joe Rogan that he thinks the vast wave of polls after the VP debate were very "pay for play" polling firms that yes favored him, but who knows if they were asking Dem & Independent voters aside from his Base questions about all the issues and who to pick.
Is it too early to ask what topic should be the first to get scrutiny? Factors regarding Democratic underperformance or factors relating to GOP/gains? Or are these really intertwined?
Total votes don't indicate GOP gains to me. Maybe if we take a view from 5000 ft above it all we'll see patterns we can't see when feeling the dismay in the midst of it. Maybe next week.
I think Dems just need to be better at selling our accomplishments. When we pass legislation, we need to make sure everyone knows it was us who did it. Enough being the better man, we need to put our names on things, we need to make it obvious who's looking out for the working man.
New Deal projects were pretty loud-and-proud about labeling themselves with plaques to let everyone know the PWA or the WPA or CCC had a hand in building the project.
The best example of that is the infrastructure act. When we built bridges, roads, etc., Republicans who voted no were there at the ribbon cutting, some actually claiming that they voted yes.
I'm taking the 3 day weekend off, then I'm getting to work on what I can do to fight back. I had a long talk with my son about the election; not the talk I wanted to have with him.
The fight will be hard, but we need to be realistic about it and be organized.
In this bleak hour, let us consider some positives. We would be remiss (and paralyzed) if we fail to do so.
America just saw one of the most amazing campaigns of grass-roots work, with heavy involvement of pro-democracy groups and organizations, many of which arose organically. This network needs to be refashioned into a powerful, forward-looking alliance.
The Democratic Party should build on this strength and embrace a renewed 50-state strategy. And by that, I mean initially focusing strongly on local- and state-level elections. For starters, we must make sure that we no longer leave any race uncontested!
Let us remember that Democrats, despite the national catastrophe, did rather well in numerous important state and local races.
PS. We need to immediately make sure those groups do not remain so disheartened that they close shop. The way to do that is to bring them all together, with a seat at the Democratic Party table, and openly discuss how to best meet local- and state-level challenges. Concrete, practical discussions that do not degenerate into unfruitful ideological battles and devastating finger-pointing.
Apparently, many of them are already organizing. This call happened on Thursday...no idea how they pulled this together so fast, but very much worth a watch, and support: https://weareworthfightingfor.org/
PPS. Let us examine some recently-rejuvenated local and state Democratic parties and learn from "best practices". The young chair in North Carolina, Clayton Anderson, did a phenomenal job, as did Nikki Fried in Florida and Ben Wikler in Wisconsin.
If I recall correctly, in 2024, more than a thousand state-level legislative races lacked a Democratic candidate. This is intolerable! (Never mind that Republicans left even more such races unchallenged.) Florida Democrats showed us the way: this time they made sure there was a candidate in – I believe – every single race.
The issue for me in my depressed state is that there has never been a bigger better more across-aisle coalition in our HISTORY than one that has Dick Cheney and Bernie Sanders on the same team! And Kamala barely put a toe wrong! And Trump was a slobbering crude fool all over every stage. Eyes Wide Open! And STILL HE WON (and with fewer votes than he got in 2020)!!!!!!!
So I don't know how to move ahead (other than out of country).
I agree. The choice between good and evil, lies and truth, sanity and insanity could not have been starker. 4 years at least of total chaos, courts packed with right wing loonies, climate crisis worsened, alliances broken, Putin rampaging, and on and on. Sorry to be pessimistic but this election broke my faith in Americans to do the right thing.
Stop talking to them. They support mass deportations and reprisals against women and minorities of all kinds. It is finally time to stop being nice to them. I cut them off and unfriended the ones on social Messi’s who appeased Trump and in my extended husband’s family, we no longer speak to them
We lost and it sucks: I get it. But there are still 74 million plus who showed up and that’s not a tiny number! A lot of work to do but definitely not alone or as clueless as we were after the Women’s March. 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Yup! That's the sad (and disturbing) fact that will stick for awhile. The Policies WE PROMOTE are still better than their's, plus we know how to govern and work with the otherside, MAGA does not, too bad America didn't SEE THIS 2016-2020 & 2022-2024 under the USELESS, IDIOCRACY MAGA WORST HOUSE CONGRESS EVER.
I do not agree with focusing on polls. We need to focus on voter registration, especially among young people, and education in Civics on why this is so important. What happened to GOTV when we had such an incredible ground game and many surrogates, including Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, former National Defense and Security officials, Unions, the Obamas, celebrities. I also believe in reaching more states, specifically the fly over states of Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. Taking the weekend off. Thank you, as always for your information.
Yes. And we are proud of our Democracy, and proud the Democratic party has led us, with the 4 Freedoms, our excellent and smart economic policies including balancing the budget by Clinton and LBJ. We Care. With Medicare, health care, social security and more.
The articles turned out to be sort of prophetic, especially his references to how "lack of engagement" has "fractured key party base groups, like...HISPANICS & LATINOS" (emphasis mine).
He was also sending emails of warning to prominent establishment Democrats in the days and weeks leading up to this election. Particularly about the possible disillusionment of the progressive base. I wish they had listened to him. Frankly, even I should have paid closer attention to what he was saying. Sure, I agreed with him, and if I were running a campaign I would not have run it the way Plouffe & Co. did. That said, I did not see (or perhaps I did not want to imagine) just how far that problem could eat into VP Harris's numbers.
Thanks for the detail on the Dem underperformance, Simon.
I have been looking at the total votes 2016 2020 2024 and they show that Trump's support did not grow this year; in fact he got a million fewer votes than he got against Biden. But Biden's 81 million stayed home in droves! Harris got 69 million. That's how Trump won. Not because he won but because she lost. My conclusion is that a large swath of voters would rather die than vote for a woman.
Though it looks like there is also just a huge disengaged bunch of potential voters who don't even know when election day happens. So there's still a messaging/communication problem.
For now, I'm going to go back to bed and huddle under the covers for a few years.
Suze…I took a screen shot of your analysis. Thank you! I used to do an activity with writing students called the GIST. In the least amount of words, answer a question or sum up a piece of writing. In my mind, you nailed it. Your answer cuts out so much of the noise. Thank you! This is truly so helpful as I move forward. 😊💙
Messaging not, communication especially two-way yes. Perhaps disengaged because they no longer believe Dems are listening and trying to solve their problems. The obvious topic here is the economy - great on a macro data scale but not in your pocketbk at the store. Harris tried to address this and was slowly making progress but ran out of time.
Mmm, yes, a very few folks hand-picked for those responses and pretty (sadly) funny. Against that, one sees the long lines of students standing patiently on EDay, waiting for their chance to vote.
Also, not only is Harris a woman, but a brown woman. That too most likely contributed to her headwinds. Surprisingly, more even in brown (latino, asian, black) communities when you added in the female factor.
After Obama won, he was the party head and moved away from it. I don't know the strategic reasons but I remember the timing.
Definitely we need to include the other 43 states in our Presidential campaigning. We are losing ground in both red and blue states, and it's a mistake to concentrate so much on swing states - short term versus long term thinking.
Abortion initiatives won in red states that Trump won; in Florida, the initiative got 57% of the vote, but the Republican legislature set a 60% minimum for passage. It appears that the majority of women supported the Vice President (this still needs to be confirmed by the data that will be released after the election), but it looks like the majority of white women did not support Harris.
Also 76 and hanging on for the first US woman prez. Now who knows. Makes the grieving even more poignant. For whatever reason, this time is not as bad as HRC loss. Couldnt get out of bed for a week. I feel badly because i knew KH was going to win everything, a blue tsunami, after i heard the iowa poll. And of course it was a red tide. That was totally shocking. Where were the Dem voters????
I think the data is showing that many women who voted for abortion access in their states, actually also voted for DT. Not sure whether that means these women didn't believe DT would institute a nationwide ban, didn't realize DT appointed the Supremes who overturned Dobbs, or.....pocketbk triumphed over women's rights?
Not sure whether that means these women didn't believe DT would institute a nationwide ban - Correct (or they figured that if it's protected in their states, it won't matter)
Didn't realize DT appointed the Supremes who overturned Dobbs - Correct
Or.....pocketbk triumphed over women's rights - Correct
It's all of the above. The GE electorate is almost never as informed/engaged as the mid-term electorate, on either side.
This is accurate for general elections, and something to keep a close eye on for mid-terms. Dan Pfieffer has an excellent Substack today on exactly this topic. He breaks down the numbers very well.
Many people (esp women) are cross-pressured on the economy and abortion. If the economy is good, abortion can be a strong driver. If it's not, abortion loses its salience. So, when the size of the electorate is expanded (107M in 2022 vs 150M in 2024), the economy overwhelms abortion. Plus, the mid-term electorate is generally much more highly politically engaged and can be motivated by a single issue like abortion (or gun rights) that they know the ins and outs of. The general election is made up of at least 1/3 of people who don't even know that Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts.
In short, it's what Nate Cohn said after analyzing 2022-- you probably shouldn't translate mid-term results to the general because it's a different electorate.
This is not correct. This is a complicated issue we need to need work through and the notion that this issue isn't salient is absurd.
I've been fighting this battle since 1968. I'm done. Good luck to you all.
Hmm, from my perspective, that’s not very long. I was raised in a left-wing household, immersed in such activism all my life. I’ll be 85 years old in 5 days and, mentally preparing to resume engagement. I’m not giving up and I’m not going back!
I'm with you. 80-yr old.
Me too - another 80 yr old - all in and still going strong
WITH YOU!
I turned 77 the day after the election. Worst birthday of my life BUT I am still in and with the opposition.
I love your attitude and I agree. I'm not going back either.
Thank you for all you've done, Scott. Take good care.
Thank you very much.
I know how you feel, but we need you, and I know that you will realize that we can’t do it without you.
This is what they want you to do: give up. Please don't.
Giving up cannot be an option. Take a break and then come back. We need you.
Instead of politics, perhaps you could try doing some pro bono volunteer work in underprivileged communities. Case in point: I woke up this morning and the tears had mostly stopped and I realized I was kind of stuck inside my head with all these dark thoughts. I decided to do a volunteer stint at my local food pantry (about 40% Latino, 40% Black and 20% White). I got outside of my head for about 3 hours and I only had to run to the restroom once to cry (a big improvement over the past couple days). I realized as I was helping our guests that the Latinos (most of them undocumented and thus unable to vote) were probably terrified out of their minds with worry for what awaits them after January 20. I can't say I came up with any answers as I was helping our guests' my mind is tending towards direct action\civil disobedience after January 20 but it's hard to get a precise fix at this point on where the worst terror will be unleashed. (Maybe Aurora, CO where Trump has promised to start his mass deportation campaign on "Day One"?) At any rate, I found that for three hours I mostly didn't think about Trump and MAGA. Just give it a try; you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.
My beautiful( inside and out) niece does consulting and therapy as a social worker. Apparently, she has undergone extensive training on immigration and will be evaluating immigrant status for lawyers to try and prevent deportation and the breaking up of families. I am so blessed that she is my niece. Nothing bothered me more than family separation during Trump's administration.
One of the commenters on Nicole Wallace's show yesterday made the point that mass deportations ARE family separation. Since the coming one-party state and its spokespeople seem impervious to shame, citizen direct action\civil disobedience is going to be required this time around to stop or at least blunt family separations. At least this is where my thoughts are currently trending.
I encourage everyone to read Heather Cox Richardson's latest dated November 9 with the title November 8. Apparently, many who voted for Trump are now surprised what tariiffs will do to their pocketbooks and that some Hispanics who voted R are now surprised that their family members who are undocumented but had thought were on a path to citizenship will be deported. (She did not go into how much it will cost us for food if deportation happens!) She rightly put the blame on right-wing media as many of the comments on this site have deduced.
But there was also a cautionary tale she discusses and I hope you understand that we are on a volatile space in our history. Read it carefully.
For deportations, I would suggest tying them up in court which is what my niece wants to do. And if there is a paper trail with a psychological eval, in a few years they may be reunited with their families. This is going to be ugly, but many of the proposals once understood will make his voters realize they were scammed. And that won't be good for the Republican party.
Yes, use the classic Trumpian tactic, tie the administration up in court forever.
Just sent my niece an email to ask if this is a nationwide attempt to get social workers trained. I know our state attorney general, who an hour ago was on Velshi's program on MSNBC is along with some other blue state AG's, been working for some time to erect a firewall to protect their citizens, particularly women and immigrants. Will post a link if there is one.
Very good idea. Thank you for giving back to your community, it is a powerful force for good. As you said, the folks you are helping are likely quite scared, your efforts help both them any you.
Thank you.
That is the irony, I suppose. In helping these hungry and frightened folks, I was helping myself at least for a few short hours.
Such an excellent suggestion - getting positively involved in community volunteering is a great contribution and helps with our brain chemicals! Many people feel extremely vulnerable now - doing good as well as offering a welcoming smile shows our humanity.
I try to treat every guest exactly the same, learning their names (and saying them), asking them about their lives (given the limitations of my Spanish) and wishing them all a good weekend (and this week a "Happy Thanksgiving"). But it was the Latina Moms and Dads with their babies and little kids that I was feeling the most protective towards yesterday, knowing what's on the horizon.
100% - the best way to combat my naval-gazing is to care for those less fortunate than me who are in my community. There are SO many ways to serve when I would rather bury my nose in (one) of my computers. Those of us in positions of privilege are called to protect the vulnerable. Thick, close communities could never elect a man like Donald Trump.
The Democratic Party should invest massively in local news efforts like Courier News. Everyone here should subscribe to Deep State Radio and Courier News where invaluable information is shared.
In their desire to curry favor with the fascists in order to preserve access to the prerogatives of power and access to the powerful, the legacy media will downplay the horrors of the coming regime (if they cover them at all). Independent media like you propose will be indispensable in keeping the public informed for at least the next four years.
I feel you. Of course, that is exactly what they want to do to you. Wear you down. Accept it all as the new normal. Flood the zone with shit. I am taking at least a year off. I can’t follow all this with nothing that can be done at least until off-year elections (barely) and then by mid-terms. I’m going to keep paying for some because that would suck even more to cut off pay to people who are on our side. But I just can’t consume this when my nation just does not care enough enough to even try to stop it. So hopefully the pain is enough to energize people more next time— but not so great that more of the innocent get crushed by the wheels of autocracy. Sadly, I am not even sure if the crushing will make a difference since the electorate has the memory of a goldfish.
They're also being fed a steady diet of lies and distortions both from the MAGAt campaigns and the mass media. Even the local (non-Fox Noise) news is typically propaganda driven by Sinclair or Clear Channel . . . Seems the US govt. is truly for sale to the least principled.
Being in Ca, I didn't realize just how distorted the view was until I started seeing Cheetolini's ads on College Football games (and the despicable scumwad gov. of Tx even had a shameful add full of lies attacking Colin (pro-Cruz).
The sad part is that people fed a diet of lies believe they are acting in good faith. I'm not giving up, but it is important to take breaks. Even if you're not an "official activist," sometimes you can influence people one conversation at a time. I do think the human connection is critical. Screens have their uses but they can't replace human connection.
My mother and father were blacklisted in the 1950s and kept going even though financially hit hard with a large family to support. My brothers marched with Martin Luther King Jr and were shot at and had ribs broken. I think the lesson, though we tire, these are life-long movements. Though I don't think we have to go at the same pace all of the time or in the same way. We can pull back and observe. Read. Connect with like-minded people to discuss. It does not always have to be the hard work of campaigning. It can be a more enriching and supportive to be with others even online making observations together. Did you see the letter from the 95 year old to his younger gym friend?
I didn't see that, but it sounds like something I'd like to see.
Yes! My great uncle (who married me and my husband in 1998) was a Presbyterian minister heavily involved in the Civill Rights movement in the American South - he marched in support of MLK and faced violence because of it. He was an anomaly in my family. We must continue to connect and build thick communities.
I remember participating in the First Moratorium March as a high school junior in 1969 to end the Viet Nam War. 1968 was a major year in world history with not just the Anti-War Movement, but also the Hispanic Farm Workers Movement, Civil Rights Movements, Women's Right's Movement, the Environmental Movement, and others that changed the political landscape dramatically. It gave us John Lewis, George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Barney Frank, Barack Obama and Joe Biden as national leaders with many thrilling Presidential victories to boot.
We've seen the emergence of the Gay Rights movement and the strengthening of the Womens Rights movement with all of our modern day Democratic Governors, Cabinet members, and Congressional representatives.
Not a bad 60 years of work!
Me too -- but I can't opt out. they are coming for the queers like me.
I’m a straight white male and I’m not giving up either. Attacking anyone’s rights is attacking all of our rights.
Exactly. We're all in this together.
I am standing with you Jan. I'm a straight white female, but I stand as an ally. I have decided that my activist work will be around doing what I can to support and help your community in whatever way I can. (I intend to follow the guidance of humans who are actually IN your community, because Lord knows none of y'all need straight/white saviors ... even though many of us white folx seem to think we know how to do it best.)
What we have has been hard won on the backs of those who've gone before us. We can't give up at this juncture in time. We can't for the future of our children and country
Take care, Scott. I understand the feeling. Perhaps as time goes by you'll find a level that you're comfortable contributing, even it's not at the previous intensity.
I’ll be 58 next month. I’m tired right now as we all are.
WE self-governing free people are the ones who shape America’s future and that’s a battle that can never be ‘done.’ Illiberalism has long been with America.
Scott, I understand. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. And know that the fight continues.
I'm frightened on what's to come. I'm just...my life is over.
Ruth, I hope you can look up from all the fearful possibilities and see that this was a very close election. There are millions and millions of caring, thoughtful, skilled people who will be working to mitigate the possible damage as much as possible. Also, try to focus on your own community and state. There are good people and good things happening there even by people we don't agree with. We don't know what will happen. There is long way to go with many twists and turns to come. Wishing you some peace and hope. I believe it's there.
Thank you for responding to Ruth in such a kind and understanding manner. We’re all scared. Again.
I’ve lost faith in so many things I relied on in my younger days (70 now). One thing I have had to relearn after each “incident” is that our safety and survival (oh, what a relief those 100 days of joy were) depends upon each of us picking up whomever is falling and lift them up. And let ourselves be lifted up.
Not to say that doing so solves the problems we must address. But… help each other along the way. Just as we helped voters update their registration, find their polling place, get a photo ID, cure their mail in ballot.
(I am not Pollyanna. I know that because I used to be.)
Thank you, Bonny. 💙
I am thrilled that here in CT we kept all our terrific Democratic Congressional candidates and even increased the large majorities in the state house. And yes, we voted for Harris/ Walz. Unfortunately, my town and county is red but I have found newcomers who are interested in joining the Democratic party in our town.How? I wrote those registering as Dems to stop at our table on voting day. 10% of them did. There might have been more interested, but had voted early. Outreach at the grassroots level is key and that begins now. (P.S. I doubt the Republicans knew about the postcarding!)
I understand how you feel but that feeling will pass. We need to keep looking forward.
This item in Scientific American on election grief was shared with me today. Maybe it will help you a bit or at least give you a place to start from: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/election-grief-is-real-heres-how-to-cope/
Very helpful article, thanks for the link!
Ruth,
I’m 71. I retired from 42 years in healthcare in 2019. Never in my wildest imagination could I have predicted that 6 months later the entire planet would face a pandemic. Killing millions. No one knew if they’d be the next casualty. No one knew if we could get to the other side.
But we did.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined I’d be spending my retirement years focused on protecting our Constitution and democracy.
But here I am.
In everyone’s life there has likely been a time of great pain. The loss of a loved one, the breakup with a partner or loss of a job. Times when the world went on but theirs didn’t. Times when they didn’t know if they could get to another day.
But they did.
None of us know for certain what the future holds. We Democrats felt pretty certain we had this election won. We were wrong. In spite of our fears about fascism and Trump’s blustering about what he intends to do nothing has happened yet. We can feel pretty certain it won’t be good but we have no way of knowing just how bad it might get. To paraphrase Simon’s admonition: I refuse to surrender in advance.
Can we get to the other side?
I believe we will.
My plan is to stay engaged. Trust the voices I’ve found that will give me the news accurately and honestly.
Avoid corporate and print media and the news feed on my phone.
Continue to do things that bring me comfort and joy.
Be discerning about what I can and can’t control.
Have faith that if things go horribly wrong even Trump supporters will abandon ship.
Know that I’m not alone and that there are still good people in office (and out of office) who will continue to fight for freedom.
Remember we have midterms in 2 years and another opportunity to correct our course.
With every mountain I’ve faced in my life there were times I thought I’d never get to the other side.
But I did.
Will you get to the other side?
I believe you will.
This is very helpful and appreciated, thank you!
Thank you, I am honored to be in this group with you and share your feelings and age range as well.
Well said. Thank you.
Thank YOU. Every evening I feel like I just lost a loved one. This evening your post brought so much clarity to my thoughts and feelings.
I feel this too. Then I think of the civil right people who struggled with just getting the right to vote for 20+ years. Or resisting the draft during Vietnam for 10 years. In 1968 our best leaders were assassinated and replaced with Nixon and Reagan. It has been worse, but I do agree what is forming now could be even worse. It depends on how the nation responds. My hope is his overreach is so great that the citizens will quickly have buyers remorse.
"Let us not fall prey to what we fear, but rather live into the direction of hope," Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning: From Death Camp to Existentialism, 1946
You are valued and respected. xoxo
Oh Ruth - hugs to you. Our hearts are broken. Find a way to connect, like this community, or church, or taking walks with a friend. Volunteer at a senior center or pet rescue. It doesn’t have to be anything political right now. Make cookies for a neighbor.
https://www.youtube.com/live/sfl3wjzHibA?si=5TczbAR3nq8GTW6j
This is from a meeting with Heather Cox Richardson. I hope the link works! You want to skip to 1:15:30 It’s her answer to what if the worst happens Nov 5.
Hang in there Ruth. Call for help.
Please don't feel that way. Think of this as a place to build a stronger community of people, building a more civil society. That's exciting. This week has been exhausting for people who reject the politics of fear, hate, division, and greed. That's the good news. We should feel this way, but now we have to find ways to fight back. We will.
Dear Community: I am making an additional donation to Simon to say thank you. To show our collective love and appreciation, I invite all of us to do the same. And then post this invitation again on other threads to invite others. Let’s send Simon on a well deserved vacation.
Simon- thank you. I am in awe of your wisdom, your leadership and especially your hope.
I am grateful beyond measure for your guidance this week in particular.
Please take more time off. Take sabbath rest. Go down to zero per week for a few weeks. Spend time with your loved ones. Decompress.
I often feel responsible for the community I lead. I suspect I feel similarly to your sense of responsibility. If we don’t rest, we burn out.
Perhaps some guests who will lead the reinvention of the party will write a post. If that’s too much to organize, please just take time anyway.
We don’t want you to risk taking Coach Walz seriously when he said “we can sleep when we’re dead.”
Hugs
Yes, to every one of Amy's words. Thank you Simon. And when you talk to the amazing, spectacular Kamala, please let her know how much we all appreciate all she's done and that we hope she is taking care of herself too.
Yes!!!! Simon, be sure to extend our gratitude & appreciation.
This may sound mad and delusional right now, but I really hope she will continue to lead, and even run again. The headwinds were too strong this time, but that can change. Look at the other party: they stuck with their horrible loser candidate through every trouncing, every "this is the end, he can never come back". If they can do it with a moron and succeed, why can't we do it with the brightest, strongest candidate of our lifetimes and succeed too?
Let's give Simon our thank you gifts by giving gift subscriptions to others. It's a perfect way to say thank you, isn't it?
Should we set a goal?
Indeed. Thank you Simon, not only for the work you continue to do, but for the inspiring, supportive community you've built.
What’s the process to get you elected to Dem Party Chair?
Either Simon or Ben Wikler, Chairman of Wisconsin Dems.
Like so many I was devasted at the results of Tuesday night. My bank account has been depleted, my tires have been worn down, my back is sore from canvassing, and my spirit ached. I told my husband first thing on Wednesday that I was going to take a break from politics and just focus on our friends and family till February…..And then three things happened:
1. I founded a debating society in my son's middle school and many of the kids' parents voted for Trump. I spend a lot of time talking to the kids about how to discern truth from fiction and how to verify sources. When I went in yesterday, one of the most conservative students asked if we were going to talk about the election. I responded that we weren’t because I was too upset about it to be a good leader. She looked at me and said, I’m sorry that you are sad but you should be happy to know that we can tell what the truth is you have taught us that.
2. When I got home my son (13) told me that I had to listen to VP Harris’ speech yesterday and that it was incredible. He asked me if we could go to our local Democrat Party meetings together from now on because he wants to learn how to fight against Trump.
3. My mother is a 75-year-old white woman living in Milwaukee by the lake. Today she told me about an encounter she had yesterday as she was walking home from church past an inner city school which is predominately African American. As she approached the school, she saw three kids fighting in the street — she said it was more goofing off than anything serious. One of the boys called out to her and said “he’s bullying me.” My mom responded by saying, I’m not sure about that but you all should probably get off the street so you don’t get hit. Another of the boys then said to her, “Who did you vote for.” My mom responded that she had voted for Harris. He responded by saying so you must be really sad today. My mom’s amazing response to this was:
“ I am disappointed, but I am not sad, because I know that one day I am going to be able to vote for one of you to be president. So I need you to study as hard as possible so that I can vote for you to be president before I die.”
One of the boys quickly responded, “We promise we will study hard.” All three boys then gave her a high five. As she passed them by, she heard them arguing about which of them would be president.
From these experiences, I take hope in the next generation. It is my job to fight as hard as I can to make sure that they can achieve their dreams — our dreams. I am not going to take three months off. My son and I are going to our local Democrat meeting together on Monday. All 18 students of my debate club just re-enrolled for next term, and I’ll keep on working with them to discern what truth is no matter what “fake news” they see. And my mom, well she will keep on inspiring all those around her.
So take time to mourn, but don’t lose faith, what we do does make a difference even when we lose. Be intentional in spreading hope around you. But above all else, don’t stop interacting with the next generation — engage them, prepare them, and instill in them the importance of fighting for our imperfect democracy,
As my veteran husband likes to say, “you need to regroup, reload and re-engage.”
Thank you for this. Passing this along to my teacher sister and brother-in-law in red Indiana. Your mother is incredible!
Thanks! I think she is incredible as well! I think it is a great teaching moment to think about the difference between her response and if she had crossed the street to avoid the confrontation.
THANK YOU for this! I am inspired by your words and faith. I want to keep fighting too. I am almost 71 but our work is not done!
Thank you for sharing this. It stirs in me a glimmer of hope after starting to feel glum again this morning. (But if I may make a request: please add the final "ic" to Democrat when you're referring to the party itself. Repubs say "Democrat Party" as an insult.)
Sure😀
PeachBlossom, you are so right. They even get our side to say that. I voted "Democratic" because I'm in the Democratic Party. Pet peeve of mine for decades 😀
Really? Why let such a small thing get under your skin and become just another way of creating division? It doesn't make sense to me.
Hi Annie. To answer your question sincerely, it's because calling the Democratic Party the Democrat party is insulting. It's demeaning. It's an epithet. It's been an insult that has been around per the 1940's.
It's always a "hint" when you see someone using the argument like,"The Democrat Party needs to..." and you can tell right away they are not being sincere.
Political ads have been made that when they show the word Democrat they fade it out so that only the "rat" remains for a moment.
It's a childish insult and ALL Republicans use it without fail.
That's not to say this "gets under my skin" but to say "I see what they did there."
So, so inspiring. I take your experiences n truths to heart. Getting on znewsom’s Zoom today to protect our State!
Thank you!
You are amazing
Wow, I am so happy I have found this community filled with incredible people. Thank you. And thanks to your mom too. A big hug to your son.
Welcome Purobi!
So glad you’ve joined us on Hopium 🇺🇸
Elisabeth - could I post this to my friends in social media? It’s deeply inspiring and everyone could use some inspiration right now. If I can post should I do so keeping you anonymous or would you like credit? I won’t post anything til I hear from you. Thank you for this deeply uplifting message.
Feel free to repost it under my name. I am glad it helped. We are all struggling against that inner desire to hide under our covers. After my Wednesday and Thursday, I wanted to share my belief that if we hide from the world then they get to shape the story, if we engage in the world our voices somewhat mutes the power of hate.
Thanks Elisabeth,
I’m with your husband!🇺🇸
After Hilary’s defeat we did just that. I became a political activist as a response to that 2016 election following the Women’s March. Four years later we ousted him after one term and now we need to oust MAGA in 2028!!! IMHO we need to plan continuously long term like the Heritage Group and Koch group and other groups who support the GOP to do and never allow our democracy work to go fallow.
We’ll be even stronger, more organized and more unified now and going forward. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thank you for these inspiring and thought-filled stories. I am 76 and looking for what I can do and when. Love the debating society, your mother’s smart, respectful interaction with boys, and your son’s hope.
How can I copy this message to hang on my wall?
This is what i do: hit “share” and copy the link. Then email that link to your own email address. Or hit “email” and mail it to yourself. When you get it, copy and paste the message onto whatever text document you use. Stick it a folder that you can label however you want. Mine is labelled “Inspiration”. Hope this helps.
Thank you, Freda. Smart and easy! A twofer😊
I love this. Brought tears to my eyes. Nothing more beautiful than the human spirit. This inspires me to do whatever I can to make a positive difference in the lives of others and on behalf of the America I know and love.
YOu and your mom are both amazing! And you've probably lifted many of our spirits with these stories. All the best to both of you, and to the rest of your family!
Just a reminder to everyone: Where are you in this process?
The seven stages of grief are another popular model for explaining the many complicated experiences of loss. These seven stages include:
Shock and denial: This is a state of disbelief and numbed feelings.
Pain and guilt: You may feel that the loss is unbearable and that you’re making other people’s lives harder because of your feelings and needs.
Anger and bargaining: You may lash out, telling God or a higher power that you’ll do anything they ask if they’ll only grant you relief from these feelings or this situation.
Depression: This may be a period of isolation and loneliness during which you process and reflect on the loss.
The upward turn: At this point, the stages of grief, like anger and pain, have died down, and you’re left in a more calm and relaxed state.
Reconstruction and working through: You can begin to put pieces of your life back together and move forward.
Acceptance and hope: This is a very gradual acceptance of the new way of life and a feeling of possibility for the future.
https://www.healthline.com/health/stages-of-grief#7-stages
Rest, process, then let's get back to work!
I see that you aren't using Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's stages, but your model appears to have been heavily influenced by hers. Also, as a former cognitive psychologist, my training in this area was likely quite different from yours. That's the context for these observations:
Kübler-Ross developed her stages of grief to describing what the dying individual went through, not the bereaved. And five years after publishing the book that presented her model, she clarified that the stages aren't mutually exclusive (one may be simultaneously experiencing more than one); and they aren't linear. One doesn't progress through them in order, with no revisiting another stage.
Everyone's grief is different. The most important thing is to be kind to and gentle with yourself as you cope with it.
Thanks Jackie. Your last line is extremely important. Having suffered sharp loss as a child, being kind to myself was probably one of the hardest things to do. But it is essential not just to survival, but to live. You have to be kind to yourself to let light come in so you can then recharge, regroup, and fight on. Active work to stay in the game.
If people also look to Worden’s 4 tasks of grief it could be helpful for them as they process the election results.
Thank you, Nathaniel. I'm not familiar with it and am looking forward to learning.
Dr. Kolva,
A thousand — no, a MILLION — thanks for this kind intervention and support right now. Your empathy and intuition sensed that we needed you right now. I really think you’ve saved some lives! You are a hero and I think you so much.
Dear Dr. Kolva,
I believe I accidentally deleted my first response to this, but I want you to know from the bottom of my heart that your helpful, wise, timely post has helped me and many others. We are in a state of shock and grief, and this was exactly what I and many others needed right now. you didn’t have to take the time to come to our rescue, but you did. This was a loving offering on your part and I seriously can’t thank you enough. I printed it out and am sharing it with all of my grieving community. I wish I had the words to adequately thank you.
Definitely depression ( sadness/grief) and upward turn flipping back and forth!
Thank you for this. It’s very helpful.
Knowing how and that we got through this after the 2016 Clinton loss is helpful in rebalancing too but the disappointment this time hits unexpectedly and sharply: we did such great work! Thank goodness we have Hopium to read the inspiring stories being shared and ideas for healing through this difficult time. 🙏🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸
My resistance started immediately: I’ve left my large Harris & Walz 2024 fence banner up and I’m not sure when I’m taking it down! It comforts me and makes me smile when I see it as I drive up my driveway: such decent wonderful hardworking caring people. They are my heroes.
Simon, the following is an honest and sincere question--not meant as a criticism at all. I love what you:
QUESTION: over the final month or so before the election you talked extensively about red wave polls, and how they were showing Trump in a lead that you didn't think was real. At the time you were saying that they were doing this to make things look better for Trump so he would have a basis to contest a possible loss, and that they weren't reliable. But, now it appears they were correct and the more respected pollsters were wrong. My question is--have the red wave pollsters actually discovered a more reliable way to find and poll MAGA voters? What can we learn from them so that we can have the same insight that they have next time around?
My two cents: I think we need to consider the possibility that MAGA voters often lie to pollsters out of social desirability bias. One of the things they love about Trump is that he “tells it like is” because they’re afraid of “having their opinions” without him.
Yeah, but even Rump said on his interview with Joe Rogan that he thinks the vast wave of polls after the VP debate were very "pay for play" polling firms that yes favored him, but who knows if they were asking Dem & Independent voters aside from his Base questions about all the issues and who to pick.
A solid, independent poll here: https://sites.tufts.edu/cooperativeelectionstudy/2024/10/28/ces-estimates-on-the-2024-presidential-election/
Is it too early to ask what topic should be the first to get scrutiny? Factors regarding Democratic underperformance or factors relating to GOP/gains? Or are these really intertwined?
Total votes don't indicate GOP gains to me. Maybe if we take a view from 5000 ft above it all we'll see patterns we can't see when feeling the dismay in the midst of it. Maybe next week.
I think Dems just need to be better at selling our accomplishments. When we pass legislation, we need to make sure everyone knows it was us who did it. Enough being the better man, we need to put our names on things, we need to make it obvious who's looking out for the working man.
New Deal projects were pretty loud-and-proud about labeling themselves with plaques to let everyone know the PWA or the WPA or CCC had a hand in building the project.
The best example of that is the infrastructure act. When we built bridges, roads, etc., Republicans who voted no were there at the ribbon cutting, some actually claiming that they voted yes.
Good Meidas Touch interview from last night with Lakshya Jain (of Split Ticket) on surprising D downballot performance and big opportunities for 2026.
https://www.meidasplus.com/p/why-democrats-have-a-huge-opportunity?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=3078900&post_id=151359747&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1s18gf&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
I’ve really come to appreciate MeidasTouch in these past few days.
I'm taking the 3 day weekend off, then I'm getting to work on what I can do to fight back. I had a long talk with my son about the election; not the talk I wanted to have with him.
The fight will be hard, but we need to be realistic about it and be organized.
In this bleak hour, let us consider some positives. We would be remiss (and paralyzed) if we fail to do so.
America just saw one of the most amazing campaigns of grass-roots work, with heavy involvement of pro-democracy groups and organizations, many of which arose organically. This network needs to be refashioned into a powerful, forward-looking alliance.
The Democratic Party should build on this strength and embrace a renewed 50-state strategy. And by that, I mean initially focusing strongly on local- and state-level elections. For starters, we must make sure that we no longer leave any race uncontested!
Let us remember that Democrats, despite the national catastrophe, did rather well in numerous important state and local races.
PS. We need to immediately make sure those groups do not remain so disheartened that they close shop. The way to do that is to bring them all together, with a seat at the Democratic Party table, and openly discuss how to best meet local- and state-level challenges. Concrete, practical discussions that do not degenerate into unfruitful ideological battles and devastating finger-pointing.
Apparently, many of them are already organizing. This call happened on Thursday...no idea how they pulled this together so fast, but very much worth a watch, and support: https://weareworthfightingfor.org/
Thank you! Very glad to hear of this development. I do hope this is sufficiently ideologically diverse – but all organization is a positive right now.
PPS. Let us examine some recently-rejuvenated local and state Democratic parties and learn from "best practices". The young chair in North Carolina, Clayton Anderson, did a phenomenal job, as did Nikki Fried in Florida and Ben Wikler in Wisconsin.
If I recall correctly, in 2024, more than a thousand state-level legislative races lacked a Democratic candidate. This is intolerable! (Never mind that Republicans left even more such races unchallenged.) Florida Democrats showed us the way: this time they made sure there was a candidate in – I believe – every single race.
The issue for me in my depressed state is that there has never been a bigger better more across-aisle coalition in our HISTORY than one that has Dick Cheney and Bernie Sanders on the same team! And Kamala barely put a toe wrong! And Trump was a slobbering crude fool all over every stage. Eyes Wide Open! And STILL HE WON (and with fewer votes than he got in 2020)!!!!!!!
So I don't know how to move ahead (other than out of country).
I agree. The choice between good and evil, lies and truth, sanity and insanity could not have been starker. 4 years at least of total chaos, courts packed with right wing loonies, climate crisis worsened, alliances broken, Putin rampaging, and on and on. Sorry to be pessimistic but this election broke my faith in Americans to do the right thing.
Mine too. And it was pretty well dead in 2016.
I don't know how to talk to my friends who voted for Trump.
I feel like they betrayed their country. Why?
Unfortunately Fox is the channel in every place where there is a TV even in some professional offices. Pretty hard to combat all
those lies. How can the party
combat that?
Stop talking to them. They support mass deportations and reprisals against women and minorities of all kinds. It is finally time to stop being nice to them. I cut them off and unfriended the ones on social Messi’s who appeased Trump and in my extended husband’s family, we no longer speak to them
Media not Messi
Same
We lost and it sucks: I get it. But there are still 74 million plus who showed up and that’s not a tiny number! A lot of work to do but definitely not alone or as clueless as we were after the Women’s March. 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Yup! That's the sad (and disturbing) fact that will stick for awhile. The Policies WE PROMOTE are still better than their's, plus we know how to govern and work with the otherside, MAGA does not, too bad America didn't SEE THIS 2016-2020 & 2022-2024 under the USELESS, IDIOCRACY MAGA WORST HOUSE CONGRESS EVER.
I do not agree with focusing on polls. We need to focus on voter registration, especially among young people, and education in Civics on why this is so important. What happened to GOTV when we had such an incredible ground game and many surrogates, including Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, former National Defense and Security officials, Unions, the Obamas, celebrities. I also believe in reaching more states, specifically the fly over states of Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. Taking the weekend off. Thank you, as always for your information.
🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Yes. And we are proud of our Democracy, and proud the Democratic party has led us, with the 4 Freedoms, our excellent and smart economic policies including balancing the budget by Clinton and LBJ. We Care. With Medicare, health care, social security and more.
Funny enough, my brother was saying this 6 months ago: https://michaelsalzillo17.substack.com/p/what-we-mean-when-we-say-democrats.
"The Democratic Party should...embrace a renewed 50-state strategy."
Funny enough, my brother was saying this 6 months ago. Here is the link: https://michaelsalzillo17.substack.com/p/what-we-mean-when-we-say-democrats. He said it almost a year before the election too. Here are the links to that: https://michaelsalzillo17.substack.com/p/battlegrounds-for-2024-rural-america, https://michaelsalzillo17.substack.com/p/revisiting-rural-america, and https://michaelsalzillo17.substack.com/p/the-2024-formula-for-electoral-success.
The articles turned out to be sort of prophetic, especially his references to how "lack of engagement" has "fractured key party base groups, like...HISPANICS & LATINOS" (emphasis mine).
He was also sending emails of warning to prominent establishment Democrats in the days and weeks leading up to this election. Particularly about the possible disillusionment of the progressive base. I wish they had listened to him. Frankly, even I should have paid closer attention to what he was saying. Sure, I agreed with him, and if I were running a campaign I would not have run it the way Plouffe & Co. did. That said, I did not see (or perhaps I did not want to imagine) just how far that problem could eat into VP Harris's numbers.
But watch my brother. He knows his stuff.
Think we can use this place to coordinate our ground game like we have before in order to get started on countering gop bulls#÷×?
Yes - Somehow - Beginning Monday.
Parties not fielding candidates in statewide or local elections is usually highly correlated with partisan gerrymandering.
Thanks for the detail on the Dem underperformance, Simon.
I have been looking at the total votes 2016 2020 2024 and they show that Trump's support did not grow this year; in fact he got a million fewer votes than he got against Biden. But Biden's 81 million stayed home in droves! Harris got 69 million. That's how Trump won. Not because he won but because she lost. My conclusion is that a large swath of voters would rather die than vote for a woman.
Though it looks like there is also just a huge disengaged bunch of potential voters who don't even know when election day happens. So there's still a messaging/communication problem.
For now, I'm going to go back to bed and huddle under the covers for a few years.
thx
Suze…I took a screen shot of your analysis. Thank you! I used to do an activity with writing students called the GIST. In the least amount of words, answer a question or sum up a piece of writing. In my mind, you nailed it. Your answer cuts out so much of the noise. Thank you! This is truly so helpful as I move forward. 😊💙
Thank you so much.
Messaging not, communication especially two-way yes. Perhaps disengaged because they no longer believe Dems are listening and trying to solve their problems. The obvious topic here is the economy - great on a macro data scale but not in your pocketbk at the store. Harris tried to address this and was slowly making progress but ran out of time.
Well, the young folks Kimmel interviewed were all Harris fans; they just were apparently unaware they had missed election day.
Mmm, yes, a very few folks hand-picked for those responses and pretty (sadly) funny. Against that, one sees the long lines of students standing patiently on EDay, waiting for their chance to vote.
Also, not only is Harris a woman, but a brown woman. That too most likely contributed to her headwinds. Surprisingly, more even in brown (latino, asian, black) communities when you added in the female factor.