I have deep inner doubts that Trump won this election fairly. His repeated statement that "(he) and Mike Johnson have a little secret...that will make it unnecessary to vote again in the future" screams out at me for a serious investigation [FBI? DOJ?] Trump would follow this mention of a "secret" with the Speaker of the House with saying that he really won't even need our votes! Is no agency investigating this bald admission of wrong-doing? Judd, and team, can you find out if it IS being investigated?
Thank you for these rays of light, Judd. It is a different perspective as I try to think about how to move forward, and I will also say that because facts still matter, we need you more than ever!
Joyce, your opinion that "facts still matter" is a key reason that America gets Trump 2.0. His voters don't get facts, apparently don't want them and make the purveyors of disinformation fabulously wealthy in the bargain. America allowed the First Amendment to be weaponized and used against the republic. All the hand wringing about how we could possibly be in this situation: a woman of color candidate, the economy, rigged voting in swing states or inflation are specious. The underlying reason America is divided is because half of the voters live in an information and news world completely different from the other half. "A democratic republic requires a well-informed electorate," said James Madison. The word "requires" is the operative one. We no longer have a well-informed electorate and democracy dies on its own poison pill, the right to unregulated free speech regardless of content. This is too tragic to be labeled ironic.
When a national abortion ban becomes law, when the FDA no longer approves birth control medications, when IVF is outlawed, when national pregnancy registers are instituted, state protections vanish completely. When COVID vaccines are no longer available states will be powerless to provide them. When the Department of Education is eliminated, local school boards will become irrelevant. Stop blowing smoke; there is NOTHING good about 11/5/24. This is a mortal blow to this country. Trump will either not survive four years or he will resign and we will then have two full terms of Vance. If I were younger, I would absolutely be packing right now. Fascists will control the White House, both houses of Congress and SCOTUS. Game, set and match. We are witnessing nothing less than the death of the Great Experiment. Put your rose-colored glasses away and either find a bunker or get out of Dodge.
I can't help but agree with Mr. Dressler. I do not see any of these "wins" as significant. A national abortion ban overturns the will of voters in individual states so big whoop as to what the people want. Education in this country produced these results so anything that Trump/DeSantis does to education DOES NOT MATTER. So what if someone transgender won into a minority party congress? Is it that the person is transgender or highly qualified? Which is it? And two Black women? Wow, what progress. I mean aren't you tired of scraps?
I am not feeling optimistic because, as a historian, I look at the long view. We are idjits to think we are special. We being Americans. In fact, we are a spoiled, drunk/high, patriarchal, uniformed and misinformed country which is circling the drain. We will fail and 500 years from now, Trump et al will be a paragraph in ancient history of a country whose own pomposity brought it down.
Make that two of us. To Mr Dressler’s point though, don’t let age hold you back from moving out of the country so you stand a chance of enjoying your last few years. At age 77 last year I sold most everything I owned, packed up what was left into 24 plastic shipping crates and emigrated to Panamá, C.A. to be close to my son who had done the same thing four years ago. It’s like living in Florida seasonwise but the people are nice and my little bit of Spanish and a smile go a long way.
I wonder if the off the grid, homeschooling their kids or g.children, self sufficient people will be affected , what else would it take ,if not. Any ideas are welcomed.
Thank you. We have to deal with what is, not be destroyed by despair over setbacks no matter how bad. Seeing the places where democracy still works is important. This is not a time for attacking ourselves with recriminations.
I agree that the numbers don’t make sense. Cheating by people who clearly do it every chance they get is plausible.
I appreciate your silver lining outlook, but dictators don't follow the rules or recognize local elections. The will pass a law banning all abortions, which will negate state law. Funding for schools will crash when he strips them of funding. Millions will lose health care coverage when they repeal the ACA. Companies are already laying plans to raise prices to offset the expected taxes. They are promising to start deporting people on day one.
States rights only apply when the powers that be want them to. The confederacy has won a few battles but trump and co will win the war-this time for good. There will be no more states rights when their unitary fed takes command. Watch your local law enforcement too. Way too many sheriffs particularly will no longer be your “friendly sheriff”.
THIS. Honestly, I'm surprised that more states haven't followed the DeSantis doctrine: passing state laws overturning local ordinances. Even those that were put into law by voters (see Key West cruise regulations)
Kentucky did this on firearm regulation years ago. The state passed a law that says counties and other local governments may not pass more restrictive measures than state law. There are probably other similar laws on this and other subjects around the country. Even DeSantis and his doctrine are not too original.
But the legislature cannot overrule the state constitution. The KY legislature had tried several times to implement ‘choice’ for education using tax dollars in different ways only for the laws to be struck down.
Only the legislature can put an amendment on the ballot. They did and it lost, almost 2:1. That required the rural areas - their base - to oppose it.
If I were a Blue State Governor that could trace a contiguous Blue State path to Canada, I would consider seceding from the US, if the states between me and Canada would too, and consider joining Canada if they will have us. The West Coast would have an easier time. The East Coast would not.
Judd et al: The small rays of sunshine are good but not good enough. Trump will what he can to negate these victories. Rs took the Senate back and that means more corrupt judges will be appointed. The House is too close to call right now but that means Ds are in peril of not having any control or say in what happens in the next 2 years & possibly longer. States have rights, NOW. Trump will try to change that. We are headed for a dark place. No amount of light can keep those facts at bay. I fear for Kamala, Joe & all the Rs that supported them. Trump is a storm and his supporters will not be stopped.
Yes a few rays of sunshine so not a total eclipse but let’s not delude ourselves as to where this country is going in the macro. It’s making an epochal hard right turn that will last well into the next generation. Project 2025 will enshrine their extremist ideology in govt policies and legislation. The SCOTUS will rubber stamp the agenda and scuttle all challenges. We are the minority now and will remain so.
I cancelled my LA Times and Washington Post subscriptions, but I'll keep getting my news from Popular Information and several other Substacks that I subscribe to during these dark times.
Thank you for this Judd. This is a hard loss for sure. But I am an American, and I always plan to be an American, so I am looking to the future. As hard as it seems now, we will regroup, strategize, and press on. I feel fortunate to have media sources such as Popular Information to give us the unvarnished truth and keep us informed. I am going to focus on what is good in the world and wait to see what happens before I react. That is the best I can do.
Thank you for bringing these important changes to light. To see it in writing gives me a much appreciated lift! And despite the bad election outcome for democracy, there is still goodness in the land. Thank you for bringing it to us.
Needed this! It has taken decades of concerted effort by the Christian nationalists and monied interests of the republican party to achieve this level of power, they started at the local levels. We must as well, it will be a long slog, we must be vigilant and united.
Trump won the popular vote, showing that Dems have an existential problem: expand to include racists and misogynists or die. Apparently a majority of American are happier hating each other than working together.
Thank you PI for your reporting and ray of hope. Good luck to us all!
Don't negate the impact of the incredible disinformation campaign (heard that Twitter/X lost thousands of accounts right after the election and the assumption is they were bots that are no longer needed).
Also, Trump may have won the popular vote (maybe?) but won fewer votes than Biden did in 2020. Did you see less voter turnout? It seemed very robust to me. Was there cheating? We will not behave like Trump et al did, but could be good to know if we can find out in a practical way. And while we certainly have far too many racists and misogynists, maybe it's fewer than we think.
Feel like I'm grasping at straws, but let's see what happens. We can't give in to hate.
Thank you Judd. I know Substack writer, Jess Piper, worked like crazy to inform people about the importance of safe abortion access. I am thrilled to hear this! And I forgot to even look at some of the down ballot issues because I haven’t turned on the tv or looked at much online news for fear of having to see the monstrous Felon/Rapist image.
Unfortunately, many of those that passed the abortion ban did get reelected, at least in my district. It will not surprise me one bit that early next year I am reading about the move to again undo what the voters passed because "voters did not understand what they were voting for, they made a mistake, and it must be corrected". I understand that it was an amendment to the state constitution, but they will try and try and try to reverse it. It is what they do.
Thank you, Judd, for any good news!
I have deep inner doubts that Trump won this election fairly. His repeated statement that "(he) and Mike Johnson have a little secret...that will make it unnecessary to vote again in the future" screams out at me for a serious investigation [FBI? DOJ?] Trump would follow this mention of a "secret" with the Speaker of the House with saying that he really won't even need our votes! Is no agency investigating this bald admission of wrong-doing? Judd, and team, can you find out if it IS being investigated?
It does seem odd in light of all the down ballot Dem and progressive policy wins that voters would go this way.
Valerie, agreed on the doubts!
Ditto from me - TY JUDD for only the only journalists doing actual research with facts & truth.
Election deniers pop up in Democrat land like mushrooms in the damp decaying forest of their political party.
I agree. I remember this being said and we need to find out what they meant. Were they able to change votes and get away with it?
Thank you for these rays of light, Judd. It is a different perspective as I try to think about how to move forward, and I will also say that because facts still matter, we need you more than ever!
Joyce, your opinion that "facts still matter" is a key reason that America gets Trump 2.0. His voters don't get facts, apparently don't want them and make the purveyors of disinformation fabulously wealthy in the bargain. America allowed the First Amendment to be weaponized and used against the republic. All the hand wringing about how we could possibly be in this situation: a woman of color candidate, the economy, rigged voting in swing states or inflation are specious. The underlying reason America is divided is because half of the voters live in an information and news world completely different from the other half. "A democratic republic requires a well-informed electorate," said James Madison. The word "requires" is the operative one. We no longer have a well-informed electorate and democracy dies on its own poison pill, the right to unregulated free speech regardless of content. This is too tragic to be labeled ironic.
When a national abortion ban becomes law, when the FDA no longer approves birth control medications, when IVF is outlawed, when national pregnancy registers are instituted, state protections vanish completely. When COVID vaccines are no longer available states will be powerless to provide them. When the Department of Education is eliminated, local school boards will become irrelevant. Stop blowing smoke; there is NOTHING good about 11/5/24. This is a mortal blow to this country. Trump will either not survive four years or he will resign and we will then have two full terms of Vance. If I were younger, I would absolutely be packing right now. Fascists will control the White House, both houses of Congress and SCOTUS. Game, set and match. We are witnessing nothing less than the death of the Great Experiment. Put your rose-colored glasses away and either find a bunker or get out of Dodge.
I can't help but agree with Mr. Dressler. I do not see any of these "wins" as significant. A national abortion ban overturns the will of voters in individual states so big whoop as to what the people want. Education in this country produced these results so anything that Trump/DeSantis does to education DOES NOT MATTER. So what if someone transgender won into a minority party congress? Is it that the person is transgender or highly qualified? Which is it? And two Black women? Wow, what progress. I mean aren't you tired of scraps?
I am not feeling optimistic because, as a historian, I look at the long view. We are idjits to think we are special. We being Americans. In fact, we are a spoiled, drunk/high, patriarchal, uniformed and misinformed country which is circling the drain. We will fail and 500 years from now, Trump et al will be a paragraph in ancient history of a country whose own pomposity brought it down.
Make that two of us. To Mr Dressler’s point though, don’t let age hold you back from moving out of the country so you stand a chance of enjoying your last few years. At age 77 last year I sold most everything I owned, packed up what was left into 24 plastic shipping crates and emigrated to Panamá, C.A. to be close to my son who had done the same thing four years ago. It’s like living in Florida seasonwise but the people are nice and my little bit of Spanish and a smile go a long way.
I wonder if the off the grid, homeschooling their kids or g.children, self sufficient people will be affected , what else would it take ,if not. Any ideas are welcomed.
They voted for trump.
🤣 well this one didn’t
Thank you. We have to deal with what is, not be destroyed by despair over setbacks no matter how bad. Seeing the places where democracy still works is important. This is not a time for attacking ourselves with recriminations.
I agree that the numbers don’t make sense. Cheating by people who clearly do it every chance they get is plausible.
I appreciate your silver lining outlook, but dictators don't follow the rules or recognize local elections. The will pass a law banning all abortions, which will negate state law. Funding for schools will crash when he strips them of funding. Millions will lose health care coverage when they repeal the ACA. Companies are already laying plans to raise prices to offset the expected taxes. They are promising to start deporting people on day one.
But, but … state’s rights! 🙄
States rights only apply when the powers that be want them to. The confederacy has won a few battles but trump and co will win the war-this time for good. There will be no more states rights when their unitary fed takes command. Watch your local law enforcement too. Way too many sheriffs particularly will no longer be your “friendly sheriff”.
THIS. Honestly, I'm surprised that more states haven't followed the DeSantis doctrine: passing state laws overturning local ordinances. Even those that were put into law by voters (see Key West cruise regulations)
Kentucky did this on firearm regulation years ago. The state passed a law that says counties and other local governments may not pass more restrictive measures than state law. There are probably other similar laws on this and other subjects around the country. Even DeSantis and his doctrine are not too original.
But the legislature cannot overrule the state constitution. The KY legislature had tried several times to implement ‘choice’ for education using tax dollars in different ways only for the laws to be struck down.
Only the legislature can put an amendment on the ballot. They did and it lost, almost 2:1. That required the rural areas - their base - to oppose it.
If I were a Blue State Governor that could trace a contiguous Blue State path to Canada, I would consider seceding from the US, if the states between me and Canada would too, and consider joining Canada if they will have us. The West Coast would have an easier time. The East Coast would not.
https://ballotpedia.org/Partisan_composition_of_governors
Not saying it should happen, just that it is time to think ouside the box. https://www.thetoptens.com/states-provinces/u-s-states-should-join-canada/
Would love your statistical analysis of that.
I live in MN & I approve this message
Not Alberta province—they have their own trumper
Interesting Linda…🤔
I’ve always felt that this country is too big. And that we should secede. Becoming Canadian is a good thing.
This is far enough outside the box to be on another planet.
Judd et al: The small rays of sunshine are good but not good enough. Trump will what he can to negate these victories. Rs took the Senate back and that means more corrupt judges will be appointed. The House is too close to call right now but that means Ds are in peril of not having any control or say in what happens in the next 2 years & possibly longer. States have rights, NOW. Trump will try to change that. We are headed for a dark place. No amount of light can keep those facts at bay. I fear for Kamala, Joe & all the Rs that supported them. Trump is a storm and his supporters will not be stopped.
Yes a few rays of sunshine so not a total eclipse but let’s not delude ourselves as to where this country is going in the macro. It’s making an epochal hard right turn that will last well into the next generation. Project 2025 will enshrine their extremist ideology in govt policies and legislation. The SCOTUS will rubber stamp the agenda and scuttle all challenges. We are the minority now and will remain so.
I cancelled my LA Times and Washington Post subscriptions, but I'll keep getting my news from Popular Information and several other Substacks that I subscribe to during these dark times.
Thanks.
Thank you for giving us some very good news at this difficult time, Judd.
ThankYou for reminding us a small victories. It’s not nothing.
Thank you for this Judd. This is a hard loss for sure. But I am an American, and I always plan to be an American, so I am looking to the future. As hard as it seems now, we will regroup, strategize, and press on. I feel fortunate to have media sources such as Popular Information to give us the unvarnished truth and keep us informed. I am going to focus on what is good in the world and wait to see what happens before I react. That is the best I can do.
Thank you for bringing these important changes to light. To see it in writing gives me a much appreciated lift! And despite the bad election outcome for democracy, there is still goodness in the land. Thank you for bringing it to us.
Needed this! It has taken decades of concerted effort by the Christian nationalists and monied interests of the republican party to achieve this level of power, they started at the local levels. We must as well, it will be a long slog, we must be vigilant and united.
Trump won the popular vote, showing that Dems have an existential problem: expand to include racists and misogynists or die. Apparently a majority of American are happier hating each other than working together.
Thank you PI for your reporting and ray of hope. Good luck to us all!
Don't negate the impact of the incredible disinformation campaign (heard that Twitter/X lost thousands of accounts right after the election and the assumption is they were bots that are no longer needed).
Also, Trump may have won the popular vote (maybe?) but won fewer votes than Biden did in 2020. Did you see less voter turnout? It seemed very robust to me. Was there cheating? We will not behave like Trump et al did, but could be good to know if we can find out in a practical way. And while we certainly have far too many racists and misogynists, maybe it's fewer than we think.
Feel like I'm grasping at straws, but let's see what happens. We can't give in to hate.
Thank you, Judd. I really needed some positive news today. Please keep up your good work.
Janis Bouchard
Thank you Judd. I know Substack writer, Jess Piper, worked like crazy to inform people about the importance of safe abortion access. I am thrilled to hear this! And I forgot to even look at some of the down ballot issues because I haven’t turned on the tv or looked at much online news for fear of having to see the monstrous Felon/Rapist image.
Unfortunately, many of those that passed the abortion ban did get reelected, at least in my district. It will not surprise me one bit that early next year I am reading about the move to again undo what the voters passed because "voters did not understand what they were voting for, they made a mistake, and it must be corrected". I understand that it was an amendment to the state constitution, but they will try and try and try to reverse it. It is what they do.