646 Comments

Aloha, happy holidays! Eight years or so ago, a low rumble began to gather momentum in the press and pseudo-press as reality (Trump elected President) emerged in stark contrast (opposition) to the majority of survey findings suggesting a much different outcome! Surveys trended toward Clinton as victor in the General Election. Reality, however, differed remarkably, empirically, trending to what surveys had indicated. What, who was to blame? Sampling bias? Validity issues? Reliability? Somehow the surveys were biased? Not well developed? Wait! Then = unreliable findings from surveys (Trump no way would be elected as President) Now = surveys good. Please explain why survey data THEN was faulty, but NOW data from surveys = Reality! I find myself in a confused state of mind. Please, help. Mahalo!

Expand full comment

The American people have chosen to suffer the evils of a second Donald Trump presidency, as modern life make those evils eminently sufferable, rather than take up arms against him, which it is their right and duty to do, on the same grounds and for the same reasons as stated in the Declaration of Independence that it was the right and the duty of the Colonies to take up arms against the would be tyrant George III in 1776 and on the same grounds and for the same reasons as stated in Lincoln’s message to Congress that it was the right and the duty of the Union to take up arms against the would be tyrant Confederate nation in 1861.

Expand full comment

You had me at Cletus. That was the name of a beloved parakeet I had as a child! 👍

Expand full comment

This American isn't pretending that all is well. The next year and 3 months are going to be a very bumpy ride for our country. I hope we can avoid violence from the MAGA cult - but I'm not confident. Buckle up!

Expand full comment

Orange's base is at about 35%+

Expand full comment

I’m not pretending. But, as a practical matter, there’s virtually nothing I can do.

Expand full comment

I had a HVAC contractor come to my house, and on his van was a bumper sticker: "Fuck Biden". If Trump is re-elected, he will make us less free to sport a corresponding "Fuck Trump" sticker, even down, I fear, to the level of local police.

Expand full comment

I've received a suggestion about what we can do: Have two McDonald's double cheeseburgers delivered daily to Mar-a-lago.

Expand full comment

Ever since trump landed on the political stage, I have wondered how so many people can support him. It boggles the mind. Why on earth would a woman support this man? Why on earth would honest people support him? Why would people who love this country and defend the Constitution support him? Too many people are choosing to rationalize his behavior. People who would discipline their children for lying and bullying otherwise defend him. I don't know if people are pretending it's normal, but they're certainly doing a heck of a lot of rationalizing to defend the indefensible.

Expand full comment

Again, this is the democrats bringing a gun to a knife fight. While Trump will use the justice department to go after his political enemies, Merrick Garland wasted two years going after those on the lower rungs before eventually appointing a special council. Is Garland & the Justice Dept. that incompetent that they couldn't get charges against Trump even though Jan 6th was on live TV?

The first chance that Trump would get to lock up Hunter Biden over Hunter's gun charge and his tax penalties (ironic, I know) he will immediately. Joe Biden won't even comment on the current cases against his 2024 challenger. The idea that Joe Biden is "weaponizing" the Justice Dept. is laughable. I wish that Joe Biden and his administration was more aggressive towards Trump and the fascist movement that he is quarterbacking. Sure, that responsibility should fall on Congress but we have seen twice that Republicans are too scared or too aligned to push back against Trump. Republican voters already think that Joe Biden is weaponizing the justice department. The rest of us would love to see Trump in jail for his multiple crimes before, during, and after his presidency.

Expand full comment

A vile and malignant strain of mischievous madness is afoot in our land. It being new and hence an unrecognizable form of decay, citizens are oblivious to it. They are too busy drinking from the Trump firehose of deceit. The rot has set in. Note the perverse operatic legal battles and indictments obscenely raging across four states. These symptoms confirm the tumor is successfully metastasizing. To deny, willfully or otherwise this glaring and omnipresent cancer on our nation is perhaps comparable only to Neville Chamberlain waving his signed letter from Adolph Hitler or George W. Bush ignoring the pre 9/11 intelligence data. The consequences will be dire.

Expand full comment

When Adolph overturned the Bundestag how big was his base? 20%? 35%? And the populace went along.

Expand full comment

Well here is a magazine that is trying to show people why they should care. If Trump Wins from the Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/01/donald-trump-second-term-policies/676176/

Expand full comment

You mention convincing others that Trump isn't the answer. I struggle with this myself. I served with a guy in the Army - to this day still one of my best friends. He has said that while he prefers DeSantis, if Trump is the Republican nominee, he will vote for Trump. We both took an oath to "...defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign, and domestic..." One that I feel was never relinquished. But there has been nothing I have been able to say or show that seems to even get him to consider an alternative.

Expand full comment

This would be an entirely different ballgame if someone like Michael Bloomberg offered himself as an alternative to DJT. Bloomberg has a track record of being able to work within rather than blowing up administrative systems. He has some global presence and would likely seek to solve national problems.

Expand full comment

I hear you, and JVL, Sarah, Bill, Charlie, Joe etc. Texts come weekly, sometimes twice a week to donate, and do when I can. When in a social group and I bring up any politics, shot down, they dont want to discuss. I can’t stand trump either never have, never would. Heard tonight Graham’s response to a Cheney interview…as far as I am concern he has his Lindsay sold his soul to the devil. At this point in this horrendous presidential election cycle (shouldn’t be 2 years long), Biden has to carry it. AnyONE with any brains has to know throwing a vote to anyone else is losing our democracy. There aren’t enough strong institutions to save this country should djt slime his way into the White House.

Expand full comment