Presidential Race
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a concession speech this afternoon at Howard University: ~~~
At 4:10 pm ET Wednesday: Harris 226; Trump 292.
The New York Times liveblog of developments is here.
Shane Goldmacher & Lisa Lerer of the New York Times:Trump 's "win ushers in an era of uncertainty for the nation.... To roughly half the country, Mr. Trump's rise portends a dark turn for American democracy, whose future will now depend on a man who has openly talked about undermining the rule of law. Mr. Trump helped inspire an assault on the Capitol in 2021, has threatened to imprison political adversaries and was denounced as a fascist by former aides. But for his supporters, Mr. Trump's provocations became selling points rather than pitfalls.... Republicans also picked up at least three Senate seats, in Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, to give the party a majority in the Senate. Control of the House of Representatives was still too close to call.... His election raises questions about the future of N.A.T.O. and the American backing of Ukraine; Mr. Trump has long spoken glowingly about President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia." ~~~
~~~ Marie: This much is true: the POTUS* will no longer be A/K/A "the leader of the free world," because the U.S. will no longer be a part of what most people think of as "the free world"; that is, this country will no longer be a version of a liberal democracy.
Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: "Donald Trump told Americans exactly what he planned to do. He would use military force against his political opponents. He would fire thousands of career public servants. He would deport millions of immigrants in military-style roundups. He would crush the independence of the Department of Justice, use government to push public health conspiracies and abandon America's allies abroad. He would turn the government into a tool of his own grievances, a way to punish his critics and richly reward his supporters. He would be a 'dictator' -- if only on Day 1. And, when asked to give him the power to do all of that, the voters said yes. This was a conquering of the nation not by force but with a permission slip. Now, America stands on the precipice of an authoritarian style of governance never before seen in its 248-year history." Read on.
New York Times Editors: "Over the next four years, Americans must be cleareyed about the threat to the nation and its laws that will come from its 47th president and be prepared to exercise their rights in defense of the country and the people, laws, institutions and values that have kept it strong.... Americans should now be wary of an incoming Trump administration that is likely to put a top priority on amassing unchecked power and punishing its perceived enemies, both of which Mr. Trump has repeatedly vowed to do. All Americans, regardless of their party or politics, should insist that the fundamental pillars of the nation's democracy -- including constitutional checks and balances, fair-minded federal prosecutors and judges, an impartial election system and basic civil rights -- be preserved against an assault that he has already begun and has said he would continue."
This election was a CAT scan on the American people, and ... what it revealed, at least in part, is a frightening affinity for a man of borderless corruption. Donald Trump is no longer an aberration; he is normative. -- Peter H. Wehner, a former strategic adviser to President George W. Bush ~~~
~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "No longer can the political establishment write off Mr. Trump as a temporary break from the long march of progress, a fluke who somehow sneaked into the White House in a quirky, one-off Electoral College win eight years ago. With his comeback victory to reclaim the presidency, Mr. Trump has now established himself as a transformational force reshaping the United States in his own image.... Mr. Trump's testosterone-driven campaign capitalized on resistance to electing the first woman president.... For the first time in history, Americans have elected a convicted criminal as president. They handed power back to a leader who tried to overturn a previous election, called for the 'termination' of the Constitution to reclaim his office, aspired to be a dictator on Day 1 and vowed to exact 'retribution' against his adversaries." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Baker goes on to complain that Biden & Harris "failed to unite the country." Oh, boo-hoo-hoo. I suppose one could argue that their sales pitch was wanting, but they more-or-less delivered on what they promised, and very few politicians do that. We live in a country full of whiney-babies who not only think they deserve to have riches bestowed upon them but also have no idea what government policies might help them get those riches. For all but those in the top one percent, it sure isn't Donald Trump who will feather their nests. Trump is through with the sheeples.
David Gilmour of Mediaite: “CNN contributor David Axelrod called on analysts to remain 'clear-eyed' about 'racism' and 'sexism' as one reason for Vice President Kamala Harris's defeat to ... Donald Trump in the presidential election.... 'There were appeals to racism in this campaign, and there is racial bias in this country and there is sexism in this country, and anybody who thinks that that did not in any way impact on the outcome of this race is wrong.'"
Trump declared victory.
Marie: I turned 80 years old Monday. In all those 80 years, this is the first time I ever felt I lived in a country where I was not welcome and where, in fact, I do not belong. And now, where I do not want to live. The structure is in place to dismantle a form of government that was hanging by a thread, a thread that has now broken.
P.S. I have to be away most of the day Wednesday. It's hard to say when we'll find out which party controls the House.
As sun-up approaches, it looks like today will be a sunny day here in southern New Hampshire. By avoiding the news, I can pretend nothing is different today. I have to get my vehicles serviced & inspected. After that, I can go shopping if I want to. The stores will be open and the prices will be about the same as they were yesterday. The same people who go to work, whether it's to a factory or an office in a New York City skyscraper or even to a brutalist government building in the Washington, D.C. area. For now. The changes will come in mostly small increments, and perhaps in a few noticeable ones. But they will come. Now is the time to start thinking about what may happen and how you will react.
~~~~~~~~~~
Israel/Palestine, et al. Josef Federman of the AP: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defense minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region. The move sparked protests across the country, including a mass gathering that paralyzed central Tel Aviv. Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival before taking the step as the world's attention was focused on the U.S. presidential election. Netanyahu cited 'significant gaps' and a 'crisis of trust' in his Tuesday evening announcement as he replaced Gallant with a longtime loyalist." ~~~
~~~ Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "By dismissing his defense minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has consolidated his hold over his coalition by removing his main internal critic, making it easier for him to set wartime policy in the short term. But the move also comes with long-term risks. By firing a popular rival who had opposed some of his most divisive policies, Mr. Netanyahu has fueled criticism that he thinks his personal survival is more important than the national interest. The departing minister, Yoav Gallant, had broken with Mr. Netanyahu by pressing for a cease-fire with Hamas, saying it was the only way to free dozens of Israeli hostages held by the group in Gaza. On the domestic front, Mr. Gallant had pushed to scrap an exemption from military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews, a measure that risked collapsing Mr. Netanyahu's government because it angered its ultra-Orthodox members."
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Reader Comments (25)
I am in Austria. I was here for the 2016 election. Got an email from my sister in MN, how can this be? How can so many people be so STUPID. I feel sick.
The entire western world is feeling sick right now. Ukraine, bye bye. NATO, nice to have known you. Abortion will be a crime in the entire country. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN???? The SENATE???
Goodbye America. It was a nice little experiment that was going well right up until the end.
Dear Marie,
I share your despair and wish I could assuage it some way. Your work has been so valuable and is greatly appreciated I am so grateful for all you do. Wishing you a Happy 80th Birthday! Hope you were able to celebrate or soon will be feeling and seeing good days again. Sending you much love and best wishes.
Hi Marie,
Happy belated birthday wishes. I woke up this morning feeling dread and now I know why. I am sick about this election. Frustrated. Close to tears. We're going to go backwards.
Marie,
It can’t be much of a happy day for you, for any of us, but Happy Birthday nonetheless. You’ve provided a home for all of us for many years now. We’ll all need each other moving forward, even as the country we love moves backward.
Avoiding the news is paramount. For about the next four years.
Someone, I think it was Plato, but I can’t remember exactly, my brain is turned to mush, said a people get the government they deserve. But we don’t deserve THIS.
Evil triumphant. Ignorance, hatred…all the rest of it…
Jesus.
All of you, take it one step at a time. I think…well, I don’t really know what to think. Maybe later.
My own belated Happy Birthday wishes to you, Marie.
'Tis as I feared. Saw the disaster coming last night and went to bed. Woke up to a beautiful morning here in my corner of Washington State, a Blue enclave where sanity seems to have again prevailed. Would it were so for the rest of the country.
For me, the most disturbing number is the popular vote. Was prepared to blame the result I feared on the Founders' foolish Electoral College, but this time the people did it to themselves. A majority of four or so million more wanted this result? I can't wrap my head, certainly not my heart, around it.
Sure, I can reason about what happened and probably will, ascribing the results to the standard villains of misplaced anger and fear, but reason this morning is not very satisfying. For anyone who values sanity and sense, reason goes nowhere.
Which is exactly where I am. A member of a minority in a country that is drifting away from me.
Do hope this is not my last presidential election. I still want to stick around and see how it all turns out, but curiosity aside, I'm not looking forward to the next few years. Even if the Dems take the House, they won't be pretty.
My best to all here.
Because I live on the shores of Lake Kalamazoo, now my
petition to have the name changed to Lake Kamalazoo
was for naught.
At 6:52 AM this morning I received a text from my Republican friend/neighbor that read, “we’re so fucked”. That about says it all.
Thank you to Marie and all the commenters here that help keep me relatively sane in this madness.
@Ken Winkes: I agree with you about the popular vote, but it will be days before we find out what the California vote was. On top of that, Lawrence O'Donnell pointed out something last night I hadn't thought of: the biggest voter suppression engine in the U.S. is the Electoral College. How many millions of people don't vote because they live in non-competitive states and they figure their vote doesn't "count"?Would two million more Democrats vote in California and New York if the president* were elected by popular vote? -- as s/he is in every other quasi-democratic nation. Maybe so.
Birthday wishes to Marie.
I am still processing, as we all are. I recall one bright spot back in 2016 was that our former governor Maggie Hassan beat Kelly Ayotte for the US Senate. Now Ayotte will be our new governor. And so the wheel turns...
Politicians and pundits, even comedians, trot out the old "This is not who we are" after some tragic event--usually, these days, a mass shooting. I always roll my eyes and mutter that this is obviously who we are. Not all of us, of course, but much too many of us. Whether *rump got the majority popular vote or not, in three presidential elections, millions upon millions of our fellow Americans have supported him. Even knowing exactly who is. Even knowing he is showing signs of probable cognitive decline this time around.
Yes, processing is going to take quite a while.
How long will it will take for voter remorse to set in, as surely it will? As I wonder how to tune out the world for the next four years,
David Frum, in The Atlantic, urges otherwise
Trump Won. Now What?
"Many of those shattered by this result will be tempted to withdraw into passivity—or recoil into performative radicalism. Reject both."
Happy Birthday, Marie.
Happy 80th.
Remember ... the day you were born there were millions still fighting a war that was essentially already won by "the good guys" but in which millions would still die because the worst of humanity (Nazis; Tojo-ists) could not admit being "wrong." Within two months of your birth, US soldiers went through hell in the Low Countries and Germany's borderland. Fortunately, the Wehrmacht's hell was worse than the US Army's.
Before your first birthday, all of those sacrifices of years had ended the most destructive war ever.
Later on, you learned about most of those events, but if you were like the rest of us (I'm a little over three years younger) when you were a kid they were like episodes from adventure books and movies. Until you were older and had time to study, you didn't really know how absolutely horrible the world was. After historians could access ex-Soviet records, we learned things had been even worse than we thought.
I try to think that no matter how horrible DiJiT II will be, it can't be worse, and we can get through four years of crap. We've done it before. But I know that it COULD be worse than the times in which you were born, and I now know that Americans now take for granted the blessings we have, and have no clue about the possible downsides of what they have just chosen.
Even so. Happy birthday and thanks for all that you do for your conversationalists here.
Marie-- You are a beacon of light. I understand your despair, as of course I and your loyalists share it. I guess the anger of half of us won out, even if we know they listened to and believed lies. Yes, we have been here before, from Reagan on, but the world is so different now. I don't think the people voting R even remember yesterday, let alone the war years and the 80s through now. (Bad analogy-- of course they remember yesterday, like we all do--). I am really angry at Latinos etc right now, for coming here, enjoying their lives here, and voting for a crazy, ignorant felon. And the poor "misunderstood" men who hate women, and the garden-variety pundits, to whom this is all entertainment. I will always be a liberal, am 79 turning 80 in May, and am not sure where to go or what to do now. It will take a long time to not be furious. But one thing is for sure, and that is, Reality Chex has been a lifeline, and we are all grateful to one woman, a one-woman band, really, and so: Happy Birthday to you, Marie. You're the best.
And thanks to this community.
Happy Birthday Marie.
And an unfortunate tip of the cap to Putin and Murdoch for unleashing so much of the awful and stupid in America. Harris ran a brilliant campaign trying to help America move forward into the 21st century. Tragically too many of our fellow citizens wanted four more years of the racism, sexism, ignorance and violence of the Trump era. It breaks my brain trying to understand the appeal of the loud mouthed loser. Hopefully we will find many heroes over these next four years who will help to blunt the worst of the Republican plans and give us a chance to reemerge on the other side as the country that so many of us want and believe us to be capable of becoming.
I asked at the post office this morning when the new
trump stamps will be available.
They told me that it will be 20 years after his death, so
come back in 20 years and hopefully we'll have them.
Welcome to the 80s, MB. I'm finding out that even with Ronnie RayGun they were more fun the first time.
@Bobby Lee: Oh, we're going way back before the 1980s. In the 1980s, Democrats had control of the Senate half of the time and of the House all of the time; the President was kind of a doofus and had a lot of bad ideas, but he was a pleasant person (I have first-hand knowledge of that) and was able to compromise with a quasi-liberal Congress; Congress was slowly liberalizing civil rights and environmental laws; the Supreme Court believe the President was not above the law, it was going along with Congress's liberal-ish agenda, and Roe v Wade was in full force.
Was everything rosy? It was not. But it was nothing like what Americans are about to experience.
Marie:
I turned 80 on October 16 and my thought on the day after Election Day was that we are faced with a real threat of sharply reducing or repealing major elements of the New Deal. This has been a right wing goal for decades, but now may be realized. Looking back on my life and that of my children, I can see how the policies of the New Deal, the Fair Deal and its successors made the American economy, our middle class, and hope for the poor. It is beyond sad to think about its demise.
I've decided to drop subscriptions to the big national media providers this morning. Examples being the NYT and WaPo. Not to punish them - since my subscription means nothing to them - but because it's crystal clear that their reporting is junk.
Yeah, some authors are very good, but in general the editorial direction is too even handed. By that, I mean that they will only say two bad things about someone if they can say two bad things about the other. It isn't proportional to the content itself, but is instead based on column inches of coverage.
I should've learned based on Judith Miller's WMD NYT debacle. Even if she had good intent, her editors should've demanded more concrete confirmation of what she was saying. Instead, they actively promoted the lies. They were willingly played, and in turn we were played. I think a lot of the country also was willing in that.
I know this is preaching to the choir here, but I think that my dollars would be better saved to cover what is likely to happen to the economy when the oligarchs start collecting their due.
The future seems pretty depressing right now. I hope I am wrong about that.
Fiona Hill. This piece helped me zoom out a bit & find a clearer perspective. Didn't assuage my fears, but I don't expect that anytime soon.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/10/28/fiona-hill-explains-trump-musk-putin-00185820
Charlie Warzel, in The Atlantic from Monday:
Musk’s Twitter Is the Blueprint for a MAGA Government
"Their (republican lawmakers) silence on Musk’s clear bias coupled with their admiration for his activism suggest that what they really value is the way that Musk was able to seize a popular communication platform and turn it into something that they can control and wield against their political enemies.
This idea is not dissimilar from the vision articulated by the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, the conservative policy proposal to reshape the federal government in a second Trump administration."
He goes on to list some of the Project 2025 "radical, and unpopular set of policy proposals" such as the cutting of safety net programs like Harvey mentioned.
A belated Happy Birthday, and a Thank You for coming back each day with a fresh page presenting a cross section of what passes for current journalism. I am having a hard time understanding how so many of my fellow citizens could vote away their freedom and self-interest.
Biden and Harris didn't unite the country? When an entire party and "news" apparatus is screaming discord, and the mainstream media is busy both-sides-ing everything, it's kinda hard to unite people who have been taught to hate and distrust you.
No argument about going back further than the 1980s. Where we're heading is a nation where Boss Tweed would feel right at home. Thomas Nast would have had a blast with Trump.
I probably should have used the line about "it was a lot more fun being 20 in the 70s than 70 in the 20s."
Whatever, growing old ain't for sissies.
Happy Birthday Marie,
I'm old enough to remember this site from way back, but not old enough to collect what might pass for social security in 5 years.
I'm mad, dammit. I've seen a few Maga comments on the tubes crowing a bit. Trump was persecuted? Not on this planet.
Collective amnesia of his first term. I don't think the nation survives this, given the SCOTUS anointed T** king, but I wish all the RC folks to be well and take care.