Thank you for the vote of confidence in the outcome of this exceedingly momentous and historic election.
I also hold hope for a Kamala Harris victory. It will always be unfathomable to me than any reasonable voter can compare the two candidates and choose Trump.
My vote was cast a couple weeks ago and my support has been constant. I await the future of my country with a hopeful heart and holding my breath.
"Even more remarkable is the lack of current media attention for this aspect of Trump's reign. It says something about the volume of his horrific behavior, and it illustrates how the media is always jumping on his latest scandal."
Or take his mishandling of the pandemic. When he left office, every day some 3000 American were dying, many because of his denial of science and bad policy decissions. So many lives lost. A 9/11 count every single day. And the media and voters seem to have forgotten about it. Trump's ratings are now higher than they have ever been during any day of his presidency; it's a clear proof that the voters forgot how bad it was.
I saw that interview with a Trump supporter who was asked if astronauts have visited the moon, and she said she didn’t believe anything anymore. So the asked if the earth was round or flat. Utter confusion.
Every presidential election I have voted in since 1960 has been a turning point. Some have turned right, some have turned left and some that returned the incumbent to remain in office, also turned to pay attention and address some pressing concerns. We saw what can happen when things turn inward rather than outward and selfish, self-aggrandizement and greed turn people off. Now we're about to bear witness to another turn. Let's hope it is one that serves people's needs and not one that turns people against people.
This particular piece was a wonderful history lesson‼️
Alex, you tied together so many events of subversion, but the one that hit me was
the “swamp of Trumpism”.
After spending election eve listening to a WOMAN campaigning to be the next president of the United States in only the 107 days she was allotted until 05 November, I am optimistic!
I hope she has succeeded in taking the country on a new path and that the more than 30,000 lies are the legacy of a narcissistic vile
man who should never have been in the White House to begin with…
I think a new chapter for your book is going to be written tomorrow😊
I also hope for a new, positve chapter. I feel rather confident that she will win, far too confident if I realistically compare my feelings with the polls. My esteem for Americans is just too high to accept that they will throw their future away by voting for a man who at a brief glance looks like them but after a second look doens't share any of the values I found when traveling in true Trump-land areas of the US. I found kind people, ready to help each other, believing that hard honest work will bring benefits to you and your family. I met conservative, christian people who took the time to listen to each other and felt a co-ownership of other peoples challenges. They saw I was not from there and stopped to ask if I needed any help. If those voters are later today in the voting booth and take a moment to think who they really are, and whom they would like to see when they are standing with a broken car next to the highway, they will realize you're far better off when Kamala Harris passes by and stops to offer help than a fat guy in a darkened limouse racing by without even noticing you.
Democracy relies on trust; fascism relies on terror. The turning point for America has come and gone and now the world waits. Terror is a heartbeat away. The cacophony in our ears the last 10 years tells us up is down, right is wrong and good is evil; a constant noise, a chaos likened to no other; an unnerving attack on our senses; peace has been relegated to the sidelines. This demagogue and his ilk have tried to suck the air out of Democracy and the media continue to cater to him.
On the ground in battleground Arizona, we wait while iron fences & armed swat teams guard our polling places. We wait while Trump signs all over my quiet neighborhood say: Kamala=Crime, Trump=Safety. We wait while the Latino Community I serve, who has been called garbage, is afraid; terror is at their doorstep. There is nothing worse than not being able to assure them they are safe; Democracy will hold. We wait and we take walks, and we text each other and we hope. We are "nauseously optimistic."
I agree with you, Alex, I believe hope will prevail and Democracy will live. The desert sunsets renew that promise for me every evening: love is a living thing. And as Dylan writes "Ring them bells St. Peter where the four winds blow; ring them bells with an iron hand so the people will know oh, it's rush hour now on the wheel and the plow and the sun is going down upon the sacred cow."
Raising awareness is what I try to do here on Substack; I ring them bells about the beauty at stake and the mechanisms that fail to protect us against a steady deterioration of our living conditions. It is election day, and the mountains are filled with more lost sheep than ever. Blind and deaf, they follow the wrong herdsman. Innocence died the day polling stations in the Grand Canyon Stated became look-alikes of Fort Knox.
Thank you Alex for the historical perspective and your interest from elsewhere, although the impact of this election will be felt the world over. Sharon, your comments in the fray of the storm are on target and tell the story in your home
state. The silence in SC is deafening. But we are typically red and I can only hope my efforts have moved the needle toward the freedom we have and want. The future is so very foggy tonight. I am completely gobsmacked that a conman and grifter amassed such an ignorant yet loyal cult; how could this be? Media failure. Interference from Russian operatives? Apathy, ??? I have more questions than answers to be sure. I do see a mass dissatisfaction in the American electorate from many disturbing diverging points of view and an unwillingness to come together to solve our problems. So very sad as I wait for the blue wave we desperately seek but know not what is truly on the horizon. Peace to everyone tonight. You my tribe are here; I have no other. Bless you one and all! ❤️🇺🇸💙🕊️🌎
The answer is long and complex, but at least part of it is education. When local communities pay for education fees, the rich kids get the best education, and the poorer communities get the worst. In most of the EU, it is the other way around. In my country, classes with a significant percentage of recently arrived kids, often in the poorer neighborhoods, get extra teachers to improve chances, stimulate integration, and create a more equal society. Not that we don't have our challenges, and not that we all vote for sensible politicians, but it reduces the polarization and the lack of understanding between social groups.
Not going to lie, I’m on tenterhooks waiting to see how tomorrow turns out. In my heart I believe women will carry the election and bring home victory. Though even if Harris wins, there will be another violent reaction as we saw before. Trump brought an evil darkness to this country.
It will be engraved in our memories if Trump wins, in that sense I was right in saying a fork in the road; a Trump reign will be dramatic and will set the US on the wrong course for decades to come. If Kamala Harris wins it is as relevant for history as any presidential election, and even more than that since she will be the first female president, and a woman of color. But policy-wise, the shift will not be so dramatic. So instead of a fork in the road, it's more like either taking or avoiding a sharp turn to the right.
Thank you for the vote of confidence in the outcome of this exceedingly momentous and historic election.
I also hold hope for a Kamala Harris victory. It will always be unfathomable to me than any reasonable voter can compare the two candidates and choose Trump.
My vote was cast a couple weeks ago and my support has been constant. I await the future of my country with a hopeful heart and holding my breath.
Here in Europe it is November 5 already. We'll all be watching whom you will choose for.
"Even more remarkable is the lack of current media attention for this aspect of Trump's reign. It says something about the volume of his horrific behavior, and it illustrates how the media is always jumping on his latest scandal."
It is this I find maddening.
Or take his mishandling of the pandemic. When he left office, every day some 3000 American were dying, many because of his denial of science and bad policy decissions. So many lives lost. A 9/11 count every single day. And the media and voters seem to have forgotten about it. Trump's ratings are now higher than they have ever been during any day of his presidency; it's a clear proof that the voters forgot how bad it was.
I encounter people who believe the pandemic never happened. And vaccines are used to control us.
I saw that interview with a Trump supporter who was asked if astronauts have visited the moon, and she said she didn’t believe anything anymore. So the asked if the earth was round or flat. Utter confusion.
This is another great example of your analysis supported by historical events.
I really hope for a refreshing new feminine US vote leading Europeans and all towards fairness and positive visions.
Every presidential election I have voted in since 1960 has been a turning point. Some have turned right, some have turned left and some that returned the incumbent to remain in office, also turned to pay attention and address some pressing concerns. We saw what can happen when things turn inward rather than outward and selfish, self-aggrandizement and greed turn people off. Now we're about to bear witness to another turn. Let's hope it is one that serves people's needs and not one that turns people against people.
Thank you, Gary, I hope so too. The world watches.
This particular piece was a wonderful history lesson‼️
Alex, you tied together so many events of subversion, but the one that hit me was
the “swamp of Trumpism”.
After spending election eve listening to a WOMAN campaigning to be the next president of the United States in only the 107 days she was allotted until 05 November, I am optimistic!
I hope she has succeeded in taking the country on a new path and that the more than 30,000 lies are the legacy of a narcissistic vile
man who should never have been in the White House to begin with…
I think a new chapter for your book is going to be written tomorrow😊
I also hope for a new, positve chapter. I feel rather confident that she will win, far too confident if I realistically compare my feelings with the polls. My esteem for Americans is just too high to accept that they will throw their future away by voting for a man who at a brief glance looks like them but after a second look doens't share any of the values I found when traveling in true Trump-land areas of the US. I found kind people, ready to help each other, believing that hard honest work will bring benefits to you and your family. I met conservative, christian people who took the time to listen to each other and felt a co-ownership of other peoples challenges. They saw I was not from there and stopped to ask if I needed any help. If those voters are later today in the voting booth and take a moment to think who they really are, and whom they would like to see when they are standing with a broken car next to the highway, they will realize you're far better off when Kamala Harris passes by and stops to offer help than a fat guy in a darkened limouse racing by without even noticing you.
I loved ‘the fat guy in the darkened limousine’…♥️
Democracy relies on trust; fascism relies on terror. The turning point for America has come and gone and now the world waits. Terror is a heartbeat away. The cacophony in our ears the last 10 years tells us up is down, right is wrong and good is evil; a constant noise, a chaos likened to no other; an unnerving attack on our senses; peace has been relegated to the sidelines. This demagogue and his ilk have tried to suck the air out of Democracy and the media continue to cater to him.
On the ground in battleground Arizona, we wait while iron fences & armed swat teams guard our polling places. We wait while Trump signs all over my quiet neighborhood say: Kamala=Crime, Trump=Safety. We wait while the Latino Community I serve, who has been called garbage, is afraid; terror is at their doorstep. There is nothing worse than not being able to assure them they are safe; Democracy will hold. We wait and we take walks, and we text each other and we hope. We are "nauseously optimistic."
I agree with you, Alex, I believe hope will prevail and Democracy will live. The desert sunsets renew that promise for me every evening: love is a living thing. And as Dylan writes "Ring them bells St. Peter where the four winds blow; ring them bells with an iron hand so the people will know oh, it's rush hour now on the wheel and the plow and the sun is going down upon the sacred cow."
Muchisimas gracias.
Raising awareness is what I try to do here on Substack; I ring them bells about the beauty at stake and the mechanisms that fail to protect us against a steady deterioration of our living conditions. It is election day, and the mountains are filled with more lost sheep than ever. Blind and deaf, they follow the wrong herdsman. Innocence died the day polling stations in the Grand Canyon Stated became look-alikes of Fort Knox.
Just wow. I quote lyrics I like and you explain why. Keep ringing them bells; there is nothing more important than a reasoned voice of wisdom.
We both grew up with the same music 🎶
Thank you Alex for the historical perspective and your interest from elsewhere, although the impact of this election will be felt the world over. Sharon, your comments in the fray of the storm are on target and tell the story in your home
state. The silence in SC is deafening. But we are typically red and I can only hope my efforts have moved the needle toward the freedom we have and want. The future is so very foggy tonight. I am completely gobsmacked that a conman and grifter amassed such an ignorant yet loyal cult; how could this be? Media failure. Interference from Russian operatives? Apathy, ??? I have more questions than answers to be sure. I do see a mass dissatisfaction in the American electorate from many disturbing diverging points of view and an unwillingness to come together to solve our problems. So very sad as I wait for the blue wave we desperately seek but know not what is truly on the horizon. Peace to everyone tonight. You my tribe are here; I have no other. Bless you one and all! ❤️🇺🇸💙🕊️🌎
The answer is long and complex, but at least part of it is education. When local communities pay for education fees, the rich kids get the best education, and the poorer communities get the worst. In most of the EU, it is the other way around. In my country, classes with a significant percentage of recently arrived kids, often in the poorer neighborhoods, get extra teachers to improve chances, stimulate integration, and create a more equal society. Not that we don't have our challenges, and not that we all vote for sensible politicians, but it reduces the polarization and the lack of understanding between social groups.
Your country seems to have a logical approach; thank you! 😊
Not going to lie, I’m on tenterhooks waiting to see how tomorrow turns out. In my heart I believe women will carry the election and bring home victory. Though even if Harris wins, there will be another violent reaction as we saw before. Trump brought an evil darkness to this country.
Love the article. Thank you.
But if she wins, the rule of law will still be in effect. There may be threats, violence, or other disruptions, but the US can handle that.
It is a very interesting analysis of the political events that have marked the past!
The consequences of today's vote on the World will be decisive for our future, our hopes...🙏
This is a historic vote and an election campaign probably unprecedented.
All this will surely remain engraved in our memories regardless of the result...
It will be engraved in our memories if Trump wins, in that sense I was right in saying a fork in the road; a Trump reign will be dramatic and will set the US on the wrong course for decades to come. If Kamala Harris wins it is as relevant for history as any presidential election, and even more than that since she will be the first female president, and a woman of color. But policy-wise, the shift will not be so dramatic. So instead of a fork in the road, it's more like either taking or avoiding a sharp turn to the right.
P.S. I misquoted you: I should have called it “the swamp of Trumpian
politics”. My apologies …