I also did a lot of networking and speaking to people to help ensure the victory of Josh Stein, a good man, as Governor of North Carolina and to ensure the defeat of Mark Robinson and Michele Morrow. Both were defeated and can crawl back under the rock from whence they came. Amen.
I’ve taken a few steps toward acceptance. First, he won and the election deniers went quiet. We’ve been spared the violence and mayhem that would have been stoked if he lost. Secondly, I see no point feeling physically, emotionally or mentally defeated. It does not change anything and only makes me feel worse. I’ll process what happened and now that the electorate has spoken, they own the outcome now and in the years ahead.
I don’t have any willingness to consider historical notions or traditions. I feel the slate is wiped clean. I’ll live my life as I always have and vote as I always have, but America is only as great as its people. I don’t find them or the country great.
It strikes me that Diaper Donny had 4+ years to hammer in his lies. We need to take this opportunity to hammer in the truth, moral obligations as a community of people (all people), charity toward those in need, and the misogynist lies need to be confronted with fact. We have a mission and we need to take up the standard and hammer hard and frequently against trumpism.
Yes & it’s called brainwashing pure & simple, aided & abetted by the MSM and other nefarious forces. Unfortunately, it was bought, hook, line & sinker by a predisposed electorate. I’m not sure all the “hammering” as you suggest will get through at this point. We are truly a Nation in decline.
If you have the chance to address some brass tacks, survival issues, here are my top concerns. I am the mother of two African-American young adults, one of whom has serious health concerns. We have relied on the ACA, which has made excellent healthcare available for my daughter. How quickly do you think the new administration and Congress will dismantle the ACA, especially its protections for pre-existing conditions? Second, already my heart is in my throat when I think of my kids driving without me in the car. We already get pulled over when we are together and it is terrifying. How emboldened do you think law enforcement will become given the culture of the incoming administration? I am thinking specifically about what has happened with the police force in Israel under the right wing government there. Unfortunately, I cannot attend the live event tonight, so I am hoping, Steve, that you read these comments in advance of the talk.
Institutional racism, denied by Maga and its practitioners (some of whom are genuinely unaware of their subconscious racism), is a problem that can only be overcome by creating a truly accepting society, not just tolerant but accepting of our common humanity, one in which everyone is accorded treatment as an individual human. But first, we must acknowledge the evils of the past, from slavery to Jim Crow and its current manifestation as unfair treatment of people of color by law enforcement, courts, schools, and businesses. When a nation does wrong and refuses to acknowledge that wrong and its evil consequences, progress can not be made.
The 2026 election will be stolen the same way that the 2024 election was, just to prove to liberals and the "free" world that everyone else is a moron and America doesn't deserve democracy. Brighter minds than mine have pointed out signs but haven't yet figured out how it was done.
Steve, I like and respect your partner, so I will check in. But, since you asked yesterday what we think, may I share my mood and thoughts now.
I have voted in every election/primary - all my life. I will always vote, and I will always inform myself before voting. However, the problem with voting today is that finding objective information becomes harder and harder due to the lies and cowardly decision-making involved in the production of our News and the political productions themselves. Getting one’s ass out the door to cast a ballot seems to continue to sit low on the priority scale for too many Americans, even if it means saving our Democracy. Money corrupts and is forever getting in our way (even while the folks complain there is not enough of it in their own pockets). There is a growing unwillingness of citizens to make sacrifices of any kind for the overall good of the society we are a part of and benefit from. Feels less like "I will be at the barn-raiser his weekend" and more like, "I got mine, did you get yours"? (Yes, Virginia, there are benefits to living in this great nation and it will involve giving. It is not all a drag because the price of butter and gasoline has gone up.) Sadly, regardless of the razzle dazzle this year for Democracy to remain in tact, with the price tag of political productions rising (obscene amounts of money were raised and spent by Harris and Trump), and including all the A-List celebrity names involved on behalf of the Harris team, it turns out that the anticipated Election “blockbuster” the MSM promised us all was rejected by the public’s simple appetite for the return of their Reality Star. In entertainment parlance, Democracy “fizzled” as a script theme because apparently enough Americans were
concerned they did not have sufficient funds to fire up their gas grills. [Personally, I do not buy this argument, but it looks like the MSM is trying to take us back to the "It's the economy stupid" excuse.] Yes, we did manage to figure out how to count absentee ballots more quickly in 2024 and 2020. That is progress - maybe. But, is that due to an improved counting system or just less votes to count? Guess being concerned about the condition of Democracy in our nation to be taken as a first priority will just have to wait one more year for another drop in prices at the pump and the grocery store. I wonder, is that the "Dictator Year" Trump was referring to, or is that year two?
My feelings (that likely will be unpopular with most). The political metric is not economic, it is social. The democratic party refuses to accept this, that is why they lost. In addition to fighting the GOP fascist take over we must push the democratic part to center left .......or we will never regain power & save America. Fareed Zacharia (CNN) recently published a piece last week that talked about this
I don't know where an AMA question goes...but, isn't it weird PA was called so early? and that there are ~19 million less DEM votes than 2020? After all those crowds and momentum? And, late breakers to Harris in the days before? It just seems incongruous!
My question is about the things Trump was saying before the election that “you won’t have to vote in this election” and the little “ secret with Mike Johnson”. What did they know before the election that would inspire those comments?
Many of us have been asking this and many other questions in the last few days.
What the actual F**k happened?
I don’t know, I’m just an old ex-sales guy sitting in my cottage on the edge of Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest. Smack in the middle of one of the most liberal areas on the planet.
But my scientific wild ass guess is that the American peoples’ apathy towards anything that doesn’t have to do directly with what they are going to have for dinner this evening and or who their favorite NFL team lost to last weekend…
Combined with the attraction to the fear, anger and retribution that Trump is offering, that gives them a sense of power over an increasingly out of control world, has something to do with it.
But I also think we should not lose sight of the powerful but in many ways shadowy and unseen forces that many people don’t talk about, that is the Christian Nationalist movement.
This relatively small (from a national perspective) but growing, far right group of religious zealots uses the Christian faith as a front for a craven lust for power and wealth.
They put an emphasis on a singular national identity defined by Christian beliefs.
Their ideology and Neo Fascist, Authoritarian views have slowly but relentlessly infected millions of our fellow citizens with their ideas and attitudes.
Many don’t even realize they’ve been influenced.
This is a group of very smart, well funded, highly motivated people who, in many cases, are openly in opposition to Democracy.
They view Donald Trump, despite his obvious lack of Christian values and morals, as a vessel or tool to forward their belief that America should be a Christian Nation and that Authoritarianism and Fascism are a perfectly viable alternative to the (in their view) left leaning precepts of a free Democracy.
Many Christain Nationalists have drawn comparisons between Donald Trump and King Cyrus of Persia from the Bible. King Cyrus is noted for his decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple after years of exile.
They see Trump as a figure who has championed Christian interests and supported policies that align with their beliefs, likening his actions to Cyrus's role in restoring Israel.
The comparison underscores a perception of Trump as a leader who, despite personal flaws, is viewed as a divinely chosen instrument for the advancement of Christian values in America.
Donald Trump is a Problem!
But he is not the only problem. He’s simply a useful idiot for the far right.
The real problem is the apathy to and or acceptance of Facism and Authoritarianism by large swaths of the electorate in America.
These attitudes have been, in large part, fomented by the Christian Nationalist movement .
I recently rewatched The documentary "Bad Faith" that first aired on Amazon Prime Video on June 10, 2021. It is particularly chilling in light of the recent election results.
If for some reason Donald Trump was no longer in the picture. Another far right leader, hand picked and brought forward by the Christian Nationalists would rise to the surface.
Be it JD Vance or someone else. The Authoritarian World view would be the same.
So, what is the way forward?
Honestly I don’t know.
I’m hoping that some of you on this forum can offer suggestions.
The only thing I can offer is that although it’s going to be ugly and a complete shit show for the next four years…
It’s not over.
We must not acquiesce to Authoritarian policies and do everything we can to block and prevent him from implementing his plan.
We must prepare NOW to make sure (Assuming he has not died of old age) That he is not reelected in 2028.
I believe we must also inform and educate those that voted for him this time about the disastrous policies he is intending to introduce and make sure they don’t repeat the mistake.
How exactly to do these things is the key question before us.
I share your concerns about the ACA- I question if he will worry about replacing it with anything else before cutting it. Pre-existing condition protections would affect so many people that I question whether that will go away immediately, but who really knows.
After being a follower for a long time I would like to get on. But I also think people should realize as a result of this election that people don’t like to be lectured. So more of that will not be helpful. It’s time for all the experts to take a step back and also listen.
Moderate Democrats are a group that has largely been ignored. Many of us in the middle who are traditional democrats who believe in public education and prioritize safety/protecting kids from gun violence were forgotten during the Obama era because Obama supported charter education. That drove a major wedge forming a new line of quasi institution progressives, resulting in the further undermining of our public school system.
Dems were always protectors of public education and it was the Obama administration that changed it and made the party more about elites and a more-culturally progressive narrative; rather than focusing on the bridges and support systems that used to bind us. (Hillary Clinton was a staunch supporter of public education.)
This played into GOP hands like a gift from the heavens because Dems abandoned a large part of their identity when they turned their back on public education.
Much like immigration, the party has been beholden to the left and have still never begun to have a conversation about charters vs public education which is arguably the most widespread kitchen-table issue ever to exist when you think about it. But as someone who has followed this the topic I can tell you it has been almost entirely avoided for the last five presidential elections.
This inability to have a conversation as a result of the far left has extended also to immigration in much the same way: Dems can’t admit it’s an issue and that their should be laws in place for fear they will be labeled a bigot.
Now that moderate Dems are the standard bearers for democracy (seeing as so many on the far left decided to sit out this election), maybe it’s time for those with soap boxes to think about that and instead of lecturing respond to their questions.
How did Biden and Harris desert public education? What did you want them to address specifically?
In Ohio I know most decisions about charter schools, along with public schools, are made at the state level. It's been my perception that GOP champions both charter and private schools more than Dems. (I was Repub until early 2016, probably still pretty centrist/variable.)
Border encounters this month were about 50k, which is lower than 70k when Trump left office. Everyone knows Biden waited too long to control that by executive order, probably because he came from the Senate and knew legislative approaches would be more lasting. It was inarguably part of Dems' downfall, but both Dems & GOP certainly tried to get a more conservative law passed than anything Trump had tried- then Rs killed it themselves at his request. Trump's proposed deportations will be super expensive and impact business more than most realize. I first remember hearing how complicated the immigration issue is when it came up during the GWB years- it ended up being something that some industries couldn't really do without. My imagination won't let me dwell on what solutions Trump might implement for that.
It all comes down to the media and Putin’s control over seemingly most of it. Not that it is all Russian propaganda but the entities that are negatively influenced by the propaganda: corps like CNN who didn’t fight against but instead just played into. Their inaction and failure to dig deeper to unearth details about why things were happening helped to facilitate.
“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor.” Elie Weisel
The lefts’ insistent on a purist culture has made it near impossible to ask questions without being reprimanded. And as a result the the so-called fair and balanced corporate media chose to both sides everything; thereby avoiding confrontation which would inevitably cost them a large swath of their viewership.
Why?
Because they are a business so they need to turn a profit. Also because the left has demanded it.
I also did a lot of networking and speaking to people to help ensure the victory of Josh Stein, a good man, as Governor of North Carolina and to ensure the defeat of Mark Robinson and Michele Morrow. Both were defeated and can crawl back under the rock from whence they came. Amen.
It is good to remember the "bad guys" did not win every election.
I’ve taken a few steps toward acceptance. First, he won and the election deniers went quiet. We’ve been spared the violence and mayhem that would have been stoked if he lost. Secondly, I see no point feeling physically, emotionally or mentally defeated. It does not change anything and only makes me feel worse. I’ll process what happened and now that the electorate has spoken, they own the outcome now and in the years ahead.
I don’t have any willingness to consider historical notions or traditions. I feel the slate is wiped clean. I’ll live my life as I always have and vote as I always have, but America is only as great as its people. I don’t find them or the country great.
It strikes me that Diaper Donny had 4+ years to hammer in his lies. We need to take this opportunity to hammer in the truth, moral obligations as a community of people (all people), charity toward those in need, and the misogynist lies need to be confronted with fact. We have a mission and we need to take up the standard and hammer hard and frequently against trumpism.
Yes & it’s called brainwashing pure & simple, aided & abetted by the MSM and other nefarious forces. Unfortunately, it was bought, hook, line & sinker by a predisposed electorate. I’m not sure all the “hammering” as you suggest will get through at this point. We are truly a Nation in decline.
If you have the chance to address some brass tacks, survival issues, here are my top concerns. I am the mother of two African-American young adults, one of whom has serious health concerns. We have relied on the ACA, which has made excellent healthcare available for my daughter. How quickly do you think the new administration and Congress will dismantle the ACA, especially its protections for pre-existing conditions? Second, already my heart is in my throat when I think of my kids driving without me in the car. We already get pulled over when we are together and it is terrifying. How emboldened do you think law enforcement will become given the culture of the incoming administration? I am thinking specifically about what has happened with the police force in Israel under the right wing government there. Unfortunately, I cannot attend the live event tonight, so I am hoping, Steve, that you read these comments in advance of the talk.
Institutional racism, denied by Maga and its practitioners (some of whom are genuinely unaware of their subconscious racism), is a problem that can only be overcome by creating a truly accepting society, not just tolerant but accepting of our common humanity, one in which everyone is accorded treatment as an individual human. But first, we must acknowledge the evils of the past, from slavery to Jim Crow and its current manifestation as unfair treatment of people of color by law enforcement, courts, schools, and businesses. When a nation does wrong and refuses to acknowledge that wrong and its evil consequences, progress can not be made.
The 2026 election will be stolen the same way that the 2024 election was, just to prove to liberals and the "free" world that everyone else is a moron and America doesn't deserve democracy. Brighter minds than mine have pointed out signs but haven't yet figured out how it was done.
Steve, I like and respect your partner, so I will check in. But, since you asked yesterday what we think, may I share my mood and thoughts now.
I have voted in every election/primary - all my life. I will always vote, and I will always inform myself before voting. However, the problem with voting today is that finding objective information becomes harder and harder due to the lies and cowardly decision-making involved in the production of our News and the political productions themselves. Getting one’s ass out the door to cast a ballot seems to continue to sit low on the priority scale for too many Americans, even if it means saving our Democracy. Money corrupts and is forever getting in our way (even while the folks complain there is not enough of it in their own pockets). There is a growing unwillingness of citizens to make sacrifices of any kind for the overall good of the society we are a part of and benefit from. Feels less like "I will be at the barn-raiser his weekend" and more like, "I got mine, did you get yours"? (Yes, Virginia, there are benefits to living in this great nation and it will involve giving. It is not all a drag because the price of butter and gasoline has gone up.) Sadly, regardless of the razzle dazzle this year for Democracy to remain in tact, with the price tag of political productions rising (obscene amounts of money were raised and spent by Harris and Trump), and including all the A-List celebrity names involved on behalf of the Harris team, it turns out that the anticipated Election “blockbuster” the MSM promised us all was rejected by the public’s simple appetite for the return of their Reality Star. In entertainment parlance, Democracy “fizzled” as a script theme because apparently enough Americans were
concerned they did not have sufficient funds to fire up their gas grills. [Personally, I do not buy this argument, but it looks like the MSM is trying to take us back to the "It's the economy stupid" excuse.] Yes, we did manage to figure out how to count absentee ballots more quickly in 2024 and 2020. That is progress - maybe. But, is that due to an improved counting system or just less votes to count? Guess being concerned about the condition of Democracy in our nation to be taken as a first priority will just have to wait one more year for another drop in prices at the pump and the grocery store. I wonder, is that the "Dictator Year" Trump was referring to, or is that year two?
My feelings (that likely will be unpopular with most). The political metric is not economic, it is social. The democratic party refuses to accept this, that is why they lost. In addition to fighting the GOP fascist take over we must push the democratic part to center left .......or we will never regain power & save America. Fareed Zacharia (CNN) recently published a piece last week that talked about this
I don't know where an AMA question goes...but, isn't it weird PA was called so early? and that there are ~19 million less DEM votes than 2020? After all those crowds and momentum? And, late breakers to Harris in the days before? It just seems incongruous!
Reminder, CA is still counting. They take forever.
Hey steve I just upgraded to founding is it too late to join the ask me anything chat?
Just saw this talk tonight with mehdi and I have a book club, white poverty, in 5 minutes. Will this be recorded?Sure would love to see this!
Yes! Likely tomorrow.
My question is about the things Trump was saying before the election that “you won’t have to vote in this election” and the little “ secret with Mike Johnson”. What did they know before the election that would inspire those comments?
How did we get here?
Many of us have been asking this and many other questions in the last few days.
What the actual F**k happened?
I don’t know, I’m just an old ex-sales guy sitting in my cottage on the edge of Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest. Smack in the middle of one of the most liberal areas on the planet.
But my scientific wild ass guess is that the American peoples’ apathy towards anything that doesn’t have to do directly with what they are going to have for dinner this evening and or who their favorite NFL team lost to last weekend…
Combined with the attraction to the fear, anger and retribution that Trump is offering, that gives them a sense of power over an increasingly out of control world, has something to do with it.
But I also think we should not lose sight of the powerful but in many ways shadowy and unseen forces that many people don’t talk about, that is the Christian Nationalist movement.
This relatively small (from a national perspective) but growing, far right group of religious zealots uses the Christian faith as a front for a craven lust for power and wealth.
They put an emphasis on a singular national identity defined by Christian beliefs.
Their ideology and Neo Fascist, Authoritarian views have slowly but relentlessly infected millions of our fellow citizens with their ideas and attitudes.
Many don’t even realize they’ve been influenced.
This is a group of very smart, well funded, highly motivated people who, in many cases, are openly in opposition to Democracy.
They view Donald Trump, despite his obvious lack of Christian values and morals, as a vessel or tool to forward their belief that America should be a Christian Nation and that Authoritarianism and Fascism are a perfectly viable alternative to the (in their view) left leaning precepts of a free Democracy.
Many Christain Nationalists have drawn comparisons between Donald Trump and King Cyrus of Persia from the Bible. King Cyrus is noted for his decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple after years of exile.
They see Trump as a figure who has championed Christian interests and supported policies that align with their beliefs, likening his actions to Cyrus's role in restoring Israel.
The comparison underscores a perception of Trump as a leader who, despite personal flaws, is viewed as a divinely chosen instrument for the advancement of Christian values in America.
Donald Trump is a Problem!
But he is not the only problem. He’s simply a useful idiot for the far right.
The real problem is the apathy to and or acceptance of Facism and Authoritarianism by large swaths of the electorate in America.
These attitudes have been, in large part, fomented by the Christian Nationalist movement .
I recently rewatched The documentary "Bad Faith" that first aired on Amazon Prime Video on June 10, 2021. It is particularly chilling in light of the recent election results.
If for some reason Donald Trump was no longer in the picture. Another far right leader, hand picked and brought forward by the Christian Nationalists would rise to the surface.
Be it JD Vance or someone else. The Authoritarian World view would be the same.
So, what is the way forward?
Honestly I don’t know.
I’m hoping that some of you on this forum can offer suggestions.
The only thing I can offer is that although it’s going to be ugly and a complete shit show for the next four years…
It’s not over.
We must not acquiesce to Authoritarian policies and do everything we can to block and prevent him from implementing his plan.
We must prepare NOW to make sure (Assuming he has not died of old age) That he is not reelected in 2028.
I believe we must also inform and educate those that voted for him this time about the disastrous policies he is intending to introduce and make sure they don’t repeat the mistake.
How exactly to do these things is the key question before us.
Anybody have ideas?
I share your concerns about the ACA- I question if he will worry about replacing it with anything else before cutting it. Pre-existing condition protections would affect so many people that I question whether that will go away immediately, but who really knows.
After being a follower for a long time I would like to get on. But I also think people should realize as a result of this election that people don’t like to be lectured. So more of that will not be helpful. It’s time for all the experts to take a step back and also listen.
Moderate Democrats are a group that has largely been ignored. Many of us in the middle who are traditional democrats who believe in public education and prioritize safety/protecting kids from gun violence were forgotten during the Obama era because Obama supported charter education. That drove a major wedge forming a new line of quasi institution progressives, resulting in the further undermining of our public school system.
Dems were always protectors of public education and it was the Obama administration that changed it and made the party more about elites and a more-culturally progressive narrative; rather than focusing on the bridges and support systems that used to bind us. (Hillary Clinton was a staunch supporter of public education.)
This played into GOP hands like a gift from the heavens because Dems abandoned a large part of their identity when they turned their back on public education.
Much like immigration, the party has been beholden to the left and have still never begun to have a conversation about charters vs public education which is arguably the most widespread kitchen-table issue ever to exist when you think about it. But as someone who has followed this the topic I can tell you it has been almost entirely avoided for the last five presidential elections.
This inability to have a conversation as a result of the far left has extended also to immigration in much the same way: Dems can’t admit it’s an issue and that their should be laws in place for fear they will be labeled a bigot.
Now that moderate Dems are the standard bearers for democracy (seeing as so many on the far left decided to sit out this election), maybe it’s time for those with soap boxes to think about that and instead of lecturing respond to their questions.
Thank you for reading ✌🏻
How did Biden and Harris desert public education? What did you want them to address specifically?
In Ohio I know most decisions about charter schools, along with public schools, are made at the state level. It's been my perception that GOP champions both charter and private schools more than Dems. (I was Repub until early 2016, probably still pretty centrist/variable.)
Border encounters this month were about 50k, which is lower than 70k when Trump left office. Everyone knows Biden waited too long to control that by executive order, probably because he came from the Senate and knew legislative approaches would be more lasting. It was inarguably part of Dems' downfall, but both Dems & GOP certainly tried to get a more conservative law passed than anything Trump had tried- then Rs killed it themselves at his request. Trump's proposed deportations will be super expensive and impact business more than most realize. I first remember hearing how complicated the immigration issue is when it came up during the GWB years- it ended up being something that some industries couldn't really do without. My imagination won't let me dwell on what solutions Trump might implement for that.
Will you please ditch this leftist apologist for Islamism who could not even endorse Kamala Harris?
It all comes down to the media and Putin’s control over seemingly most of it. Not that it is all Russian propaganda but the entities that are negatively influenced by the propaganda: corps like CNN who didn’t fight against but instead just played into. Their inaction and failure to dig deeper to unearth details about why things were happening helped to facilitate.
“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor.” Elie Weisel
The lefts’ insistent on a purist culture has made it near impossible to ask questions without being reprimanded. And as a result the the so-called fair and balanced corporate media chose to both sides everything; thereby avoiding confrontation which would inevitably cost them a large swath of their viewership.
Why?
Because they are a business so they need to turn a profit. Also because the left has demanded it.