While you're feeling as scrambled as the rest of us, you can still find the words and sources to articulate this horrendous moment in history, which is why I'm always eager to read your posts. What the actual fuck. I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm disgusted. Yesterday, I naively wondered if Biden would be the last male president of our lifetime and now here we are.
I knew trump would win, sadly. I live in a rural county, north of Gainesville, a blue dot. I see trump signs everywhere & “vote no on 4” signs. I just knew most of rural America was the same. & I had a feeling of dread that night. I didn’t even have any hope. Tho everyone I know closely that could vote, voted blue, I just knew. My distant cousins & acquaintances on Facebook were Trump crazy, & I just knew. I’ve been saddened since 2017. I’ve literally had nervous breakdowns numerous Xs since then, I think it’s related. I had another one in 2022, after roe vs Wade was reversed. I hate that guy. & Elon.
It’s been hard to eat & sleep for a week. It was from 2017-2021, too. Hell.
But I say F the DNC too! I’m so mad at them! Bernie won the primaries twice, & 2 Xs they LIED to our faces & shoved Hilary & Biden down our throats, even tho we wanted Bernie! So F them!! I’m so angry! I say we ALL abolish the liberal & conservative parties & start our own independent party of the working people! Maybe when things get bad enough.
What baffles me is that so many people would vote against their own interests.
If the election yesterday is any indicator, we have to recognize some facts: many Americans do not want a fair America. They want inequality. They want the haves/have nots (even if they're one of the have nots). They want some people to not have healthcare. They don’t mind America being a dirtier, meaner, and more dangerous place as long as they have cheap gas ⛽️ and few dollars more to buy some junk for their homes.
Many people voted against their interests the other day: many working class/middle class people voted for higher taxes, tariffs, and cuts to Medicare and SS while the rich become richer. They were hoodwinked by the rhetoric of safer borders, world peace, and a vibrant economy.
But let's also keep an eye on the future here: We are on the precipice of a worldwide conflict that could result in millions of casualties; we are in the midst of a mass migration of more than 250 million people moving north because of environmental conditions where they live; and we just elected a president who will only increase the disparity between the working/middle class and the wealthy.
I live in London (thank god) and a British gentleman yesterday described the US well: It’s the Russia of the west. 🇷🇺 🇺🇸
"It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere." — Voltaire
She's not voting for a rapist. Get it through your fucking skull, Trump is against ALL of our interests. But if you don't know that already it's not our fucking job to educate you.
Please tell me how I would persuade you when you didn't take the time to read her article in the first place. Genuinely, tell me. Because I can type something that would only be 1/50th as thoughtful as Katie wrote above and do my best to persuade you, but you could have just read her writing from the start. I'm asking you please be honest with yourself. You're here to gloat, you're not here to learn. And for that reason my only response to you is get fucked, get a life, go away, and stop trolling.
I think you're making an assumption that paying taxes is against our own interests. Many European and Scandinavian countries tax more than we do and they are happier overall. Katie actually covers this in her podcast. You should listen to it since you're so open to alternative views.
If paying out more money makes you happy, I'll take on the burden of all that money if anyone wants to send it somewhere and become happier.
But I agree, interests are more than financial. Paying more taxes is clearly against someone's financial interests. But there are non-financial interests as well. For working class people, Trump spoke to those non-financial interests. So even if voting for him wasn't in their financial interests, it was still in their interests.
I felt a little crazy myself. I feel the despair, a sense of complete and utter doom. But my work day continued as usual, like nothing momentous had happened. Thanks for reminding me I'm not alone in my feelings.
I see other comments discussing what Democrats offered in comparison and to that I say, does it make his words, actions, and behavior acceptable? In my mind, it's like an abused spouse saying "but they love me!" I don't think *anything* is worth the path he's leading us down. This feels like the majority of Americans are saying that respect, decency, honesty aren't important. That the ends always justify the means. That's not the kind of world I want to live in.
I watched Kamala's concession speech last night. It actually made me feel ever so slightly better. I realized I've been saying to myself "he'll do terrible things *if no one gets in his way*." So, we have to get in his way. And maybe we can stop the insanity before it's too late. Which feels like a tall order right now, but if I tell myself that story enough, maybe I'll believe it.
Katie - I genuinely enjoy and value your writing, and I hope this was cathartic for you. Maybe I’m reading into this too much since this post could’ve been just a stream of consciousness, but you also need to consider what Dems were offering in relation to the truths you listed above. Clearly the offering of “I’m not trump” and essentially a continuation of the Biden years was not going to sit well with half the country. Dems are no longer the party of the middle or working class, Harris made gains among highly educated voters but trump gained in literally every other demographic. We need to find a different way to reach the other half of the country to understand what issues are truly hurting them, or else these results will continue (I use “we” as a registered independent who has never voted for Trump). My personal view is that things are never as bad as they seem, and they’re never as good as they seem, life is usually various shades of gray. I’m hoping these upcoming years won’t be as bad as you’re predicting, but only time will tell.
I think there's an entirely different essay I could write about how the Democratic party has failed us, but I wouldn't equate the two. I think many people are fed up with the status quo, which is a sentiment I understand and share — and I think Trump's rhetoric takes advantage of that. When people are expressing anger and frustration with "the economy" or "inflation," I think what they're really dissatisfied with is how American capitalism is going for them. And while neither party had any plans to change that, Trump's plan is decidedly worse.
I agree with you, Thomas. America is screwed up. It really started under Reagan and problems persist today. We simply don't have a country that works for everyone. But if you look at both plans, Harris's plan was definitely more broad that included tax cuts/services for the working class/middle class. It was a start. What many people chose the other day was vote against their own interests.
You are right: sometimes things are not as bad they seem, but we are on precipice here (see my comment above) and we definitely put the wrong person in charge. It's not the first time America has gone down the wrong road, but the consequences for the US and the world may be very high.
You are on fire between Substack, MWK, and Diabolical Lies and I am here for all of it! Thanks for putting words to how so many people feel. The indifference really is one of the biggest problems we face.
I’m in the UK and feel all of this. Our government, even now, has me with my head in my hands, but I feel for all of you who didn’t vote Trump and know the impact won’t be felt solely in America; it will echo all around the globe for years to come. A truly vile human being.
I know so little about politics in the UK (and the rest of Europe) but it's my understanding that the far-right is gaining power everywhere. It's scary.
It does feel like we’ve gone back to the 1930s and the rise of fascism. We all know the history, and I’m sure have all thought we would never see this again in our time. How wrong could we be; history repeating itself yet again.
I live in London, Andrea, and feel the same way! There's a ripple effect. I do think there's definitely a greater chance of war in Europe under the Trump Administration.
Your title reminds me of that George W Bush clip - fool me, can’t get fooled again. 💀 I love the song No Role Modelz where J. Cole samples it. I listened to that song in my despair today and I wondered if America might be the woman who is shallow and doesn’t want to be saved? I’m in basically the same mental space as you. And once again I’ve been turning to music to calm me down.
As a pragmatist and a physician, I sent a MyChart message to my Ob at 1 am that said I wanted an IUD. In the morning I texted my closest straight girlfriends to call their Obs if they want IUDs and talked to them about duration of effectiveness of different options. I’m very worried that even if they aren’t able to fully ban contraceptives, they can throttle access by making it completely out of pocket/not covered by insurance. At 8:30 I got a call from my Ob’s office saying they’d been swamped with requests and the soonest appointment was January 6th (irony).
Since then things have been coming to me in waves. Should I text my lesbian friends and talk to them about IUDs just in case (of rape, of Handmaid’s Tale badness)? Will I regret it if I don’t? Definitely had a horrible flash back to Rory Gilmore’s torture scenes in Handmaid’s Tale. I looked at jobs, tried to find something fully remote (couldn’t), looked at visa requirements for moving to Portugal regardless. Later I had the realization that this probably solidifies that my husband and I will be child free given my age and that I’m afraid to be pregnant in Trump’s America.
I don’t think there’s much to do besides grieve, check on our minoritized and female friends, get IUDs, keep resisting, keep deconstructing white womanhood/white feminism (which you and Caro are great at btw), and keep trying to be better allies as white women. And maybe keep working on a bail on America plan just in case? I’ve gotten involved with my local chapter of young democrats to try to push the party left from the bottom and I’m going to a children’s vigil for Gaza tomorrow. Might join DSA too.
We can do better. Certainly we can do better than what the Democratic platform offered this time around. The Colorado Democratic Party Platform only has 1 mention of childcare in 52 pages and it’s under reproductive rights as a way to “significantly reduce the need for abortion.” Definitely written by men. Hopefully I can advocate for some very MWK/Diabolical Lies informed additions to the young dems’ platform. Keep doing what you do. I think your content is super useful for women and leftists. ✊✊✊
you are in a much more productive and pragmatic headspace than I am. i'm glad there are people like you out there right now, because we need you. (1 mention of childcare in 52 pages as an abortion prevention technique? and this is the state where we're supposedly all libbing out in the mountains? we're doomed)
I appreciate you sharing words that I have been struggling to gather myself. Wednesday morning I listened to the NYT the Daily podcast and it added some insights to the side of - why the Dems lost - rather than how DT won. It was enlightening in many ways. As mentioned above, American’s are struggling. It appears Harris’ campaign wasn’t able to articulate how she could help them. But let us all not forget they’ve been telling us Biden is equipped to lead for years, and we certainly all saw with our own eyes that not to be true.
^ a jumble of words floating in my brain. Thank you, KGT
Thanks for sharing, Kathleen. Still trying to understand and articulate all the ways in which the Democratic party has screwed this up — the thing is, the fact that he won by 6 million votes makes me think this wasn't like a 'campaign rhetoric' issue as much as it is representative of where this country is culturally, and that's what freaks me out most
I've been where you are Katie, in 2016. It was long road to healing, but I'm a better citizen, and human, for going through the process. As always, will continue to read every word you write along the way.
becoming a better citizen and human is one of the only redeeming qualities I can see on the horizon of this. for some reason this feels different to me, and I hope I'm wrong.
That felt different. It seemed like a fluke, especially after Biden was elected. The morality of America seemed redeemable. But heads in the sand keeps the truth out of ears.
I wanted to add, I would really encourage you to listen to at least the first 16 minutes of the most recent Pod Save America episode for some good political analysis on why this happened.
Totally appreciate that perspective. I'll admit, I did often feel like a voice in the wilderness at that time, especially amongst friends/family/colleagues. But not a single thing that happened from 1.20.2017-1.20.2021 shocked me, because it was always so obvious from the beginning, especially if you were old enough to know pre-Apprentice Trump. Most of the things Katie highlighted in her piece were already established during his first campaign.
Back in those days, I ran fancy cocktail bars for bougie hotels. One of them was in D.C. I stood there in November 2016 and watched a group of wealthy white 1%ers loudly cheering "Trump, Trump, Trump..." during the middle of dinner service, grab their server in an unconsented embrace, and exclaim "we did it!" as the rest of us looked on in horror, anger and sorrow.
You're right that it felt different. It felt way, way, worse, and I think that's what's behind all of the repulsive "normalcy" we saw yesterday.
Huge huge fan of you but as a Cincinnatian myself, I have to point out that the national Democratic Party writing off Ohio (and well, Kentucky too, despite having a Democratic governor!) years ago does feel like low key abandonment and throwing us to the wolves. Even though Ohio has three major cities that consistently vote blue. I’m a socialist and always grit my teeth and vote a Democratic ticket because I’m all about harm reduction, and I think the worst mistake the national party has ever made was abandoning Howard Dean’s fifty state strategy. The DNC needs to do a ton of soul searching about how voters they have counted on for generations are answering the siren call of the alt right, and I fear that they will keep making the same mistakes over and over.
Thank you for articulating this so well. In my despair I get too angry to get the words out. I hope you do not delete, but I am planning to print this and save your linked sources to help me formulate my response to a person who thinks the outcome is “not that bad” or there are “shades of gray.” The man who was elected on Tuesday has no business being the leader of the free world - that’s an objective fact (and the understatement of the millennium). This will have generational impacts and not for the better. Anyone who defends their R vote or no vote by saying Harris didn’t have a plan, or is unqualified, etc etc is willfully uninformed, deeply selfish, and/or conciously/subconsciously misogynistic. I will not be convinced otherwise. My heart is broken, but I don’t want to be silent.
Sincerely, A woman from Cincinnati who was *not* doing well yesterday and also deeply mourning the loss of Senator Sherrod Brown.
Katie, your words are a gift. You’re not alone in your disillusionment and disappointment. It’s truly a sickening feeling knowing there is not just one thing we can point at that would make anyone else who isn’t a rich white man be disqualified for the role of POTUS but MOUNTAINS of evidence illuminating that his character, competence, and criminal record make him unfit for the job.
I’m still trying to understand why so many people flipped red, and look forward to listening to your thoughts on this!
Thank you for reinforcing what I already feel - I wrote a post about Black women being overqualified and how this election is triggering for us, even though I live in the UK. I kept seeing people analyse her campaign and all the things she did wrong and I would understand that more if she was running against a "moderate" seemingly competent Republican, but she was running against someone so deeply dangerous and mediocre that it is mind boggling that we are talking about this as if it was a normal choice. None of this is normal.
But he did promise grand and fabulous things - mass deportation! This country has millions of people who are here illegally and subject to deportation, and they need to be removed. They have no right to be here and do not belong here.
Defending our borders and our boundaries as a country against those who would violate our immigration laws is worth any cost!
Thank you for writing this. I totally agree and spent most of yesterday sobbing over the top of my four month old daughter’s head. I am shocked, and feel so dumb — like I really believed in the goodness within people and thought for SURE most people would reject such a hateful, ignorant, uneducated person who has promised to do so many dangerous and terrifying things. I feel so naive.
I have a year old daughter, and I told her yesterday morning that this wasn't the end. That we wouldn't stop fighting until she had the same rights as her great grandmother had. I am terrified, but this is not the world I will let my daughter inherit. Nor my son.
While you're feeling as scrambled as the rest of us, you can still find the words and sources to articulate this horrendous moment in history, which is why I'm always eager to read your posts. What the actual fuck. I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm disgusted. Yesterday, I naively wondered if Biden would be the last male president of our lifetime and now here we are.
I know. I share your feelings of naivete. I feel like a fool for indulging even cautious optimism.
I knew trump would win, sadly. I live in a rural county, north of Gainesville, a blue dot. I see trump signs everywhere & “vote no on 4” signs. I just knew most of rural America was the same. & I had a feeling of dread that night. I didn’t even have any hope. Tho everyone I know closely that could vote, voted blue, I just knew. My distant cousins & acquaintances on Facebook were Trump crazy, & I just knew. I’ve been saddened since 2017. I’ve literally had nervous breakdowns numerous Xs since then, I think it’s related. I had another one in 2022, after roe vs Wade was reversed. I hate that guy. & Elon.
It’s been hard to eat & sleep for a week. It was from 2017-2021, too. Hell.
But I say F the DNC too! I’m so mad at them! Bernie won the primaries twice, & 2 Xs they LIED to our faces & shoved Hilary & Biden down our throats, even tho we wanted Bernie! So F them!! I’m so angry! I say we ALL abolish the liberal & conservative parties & start our own independent party of the working people! Maybe when things get bad enough.
Thanks Katie! Needed to hear the voice of sanity!
What baffles me is that so many people would vote against their own interests.
If the election yesterday is any indicator, we have to recognize some facts: many Americans do not want a fair America. They want inequality. They want the haves/have nots (even if they're one of the have nots). They want some people to not have healthcare. They don’t mind America being a dirtier, meaner, and more dangerous place as long as they have cheap gas ⛽️ and few dollars more to buy some junk for their homes.
Many people voted against their interests the other day: many working class/middle class people voted for higher taxes, tariffs, and cuts to Medicare and SS while the rich become richer. They were hoodwinked by the rhetoric of safer borders, world peace, and a vibrant economy.
But let's also keep an eye on the future here: We are on the precipice of a worldwide conflict that could result in millions of casualties; we are in the midst of a mass migration of more than 250 million people moving north because of environmental conditions where they live; and we just elected a president who will only increase the disparity between the working/middle class and the wealthy.
I live in London (thank god) and a British gentleman yesterday described the US well: It’s the Russia of the west. 🇷🇺 🇺🇸
"It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere." — Voltaire
"On the precipice" is EXACTLY how this feels. Calling America the Russia of the west certainly hits. God, I feel like I'm drowning in dread.
So... did you vote against your own interests, since Kamala would have taxed you more?
Stupid fucking ignorant comment. Gtfo of here.
Why?
She's not voting for a rapist. Get it through your fucking skull, Trump is against ALL of our interests. But if you don't know that already it's not our fucking job to educate you.
And this is why you lose elections... it is your job to persuade those of us who disagree with you. If you want to win.
A majority of Americans voted for Trump because we believe he best represents our interests.
Please tell me how I would persuade you when you didn't take the time to read her article in the first place. Genuinely, tell me. Because I can type something that would only be 1/50th as thoughtful as Katie wrote above and do my best to persuade you, but you could have just read her writing from the start. I'm asking you please be honest with yourself. You're here to gloat, you're not here to learn. And for that reason my only response to you is get fucked, get a life, go away, and stop trolling.
I think you're making an assumption that paying taxes is against our own interests. Many European and Scandinavian countries tax more than we do and they are happier overall. Katie actually covers this in her podcast. You should listen to it since you're so open to alternative views.
If paying out more money makes you happy, I'll take on the burden of all that money if anyone wants to send it somewhere and become happier.
But I agree, interests are more than financial. Paying more taxes is clearly against someone's financial interests. But there are non-financial interests as well. For working class people, Trump spoke to those non-financial interests. So even if voting for him wasn't in their financial interests, it was still in their interests.
I felt a little crazy myself. I feel the despair, a sense of complete and utter doom. But my work day continued as usual, like nothing momentous had happened. Thanks for reminding me I'm not alone in my feelings.
I see other comments discussing what Democrats offered in comparison and to that I say, does it make his words, actions, and behavior acceptable? In my mind, it's like an abused spouse saying "but they love me!" I don't think *anything* is worth the path he's leading us down. This feels like the majority of Americans are saying that respect, decency, honesty aren't important. That the ends always justify the means. That's not the kind of world I want to live in.
I watched Kamala's concession speech last night. It actually made me feel ever so slightly better. I realized I've been saying to myself "he'll do terrible things *if no one gets in his way*." So, we have to get in his way. And maybe we can stop the insanity before it's too late. Which feels like a tall order right now, but if I tell myself that story enough, maybe I'll believe it.
Sasha, this comment gave me marginally more hope, so thank you for this.
Katie - I genuinely enjoy and value your writing, and I hope this was cathartic for you. Maybe I’m reading into this too much since this post could’ve been just a stream of consciousness, but you also need to consider what Dems were offering in relation to the truths you listed above. Clearly the offering of “I’m not trump” and essentially a continuation of the Biden years was not going to sit well with half the country. Dems are no longer the party of the middle or working class, Harris made gains among highly educated voters but trump gained in literally every other demographic. We need to find a different way to reach the other half of the country to understand what issues are truly hurting them, or else these results will continue (I use “we” as a registered independent who has never voted for Trump). My personal view is that things are never as bad as they seem, and they’re never as good as they seem, life is usually various shades of gray. I’m hoping these upcoming years won’t be as bad as you’re predicting, but only time will tell.
I think there's an entirely different essay I could write about how the Democratic party has failed us, but I wouldn't equate the two. I think many people are fed up with the status quo, which is a sentiment I understand and share — and I think Trump's rhetoric takes advantage of that. When people are expressing anger and frustration with "the economy" or "inflation," I think what they're really dissatisfied with is how American capitalism is going for them. And while neither party had any plans to change that, Trump's plan is decidedly worse.
I agree with you, Thomas. America is screwed up. It really started under Reagan and problems persist today. We simply don't have a country that works for everyone. But if you look at both plans, Harris's plan was definitely more broad that included tax cuts/services for the working class/middle class. It was a start. What many people chose the other day was vote against their own interests.
You are right: sometimes things are not as bad they seem, but we are on precipice here (see my comment above) and we definitely put the wrong person in charge. It's not the first time America has gone down the wrong road, but the consequences for the US and the world may be very high.
You are on fire between Substack, MWK, and Diabolical Lies and I am here for all of it! Thanks for putting words to how so many people feel. The indifference really is one of the biggest problems we face.
thank you so much, bridget, for saying that — I think Caro and I are going to record something this AM and try to get it out soon
I’m in the UK and feel all of this. Our government, even now, has me with my head in my hands, but I feel for all of you who didn’t vote Trump and know the impact won’t be felt solely in America; it will echo all around the globe for years to come. A truly vile human being.
I know so little about politics in the UK (and the rest of Europe) but it's my understanding that the far-right is gaining power everywhere. It's scary.
It does feel like we’ve gone back to the 1930s and the rise of fascism. We all know the history, and I’m sure have all thought we would never see this again in our time. How wrong could we be; history repeating itself yet again.
I live in London, Andrea, and feel the same way! There's a ripple effect. I do think there's definitely a greater chance of war in Europe under the Trump Administration.
Your title reminds me of that George W Bush clip - fool me, can’t get fooled again. 💀 I love the song No Role Modelz where J. Cole samples it. I listened to that song in my despair today and I wondered if America might be the woman who is shallow and doesn’t want to be saved? I’m in basically the same mental space as you. And once again I’ve been turning to music to calm me down.
As a pragmatist and a physician, I sent a MyChart message to my Ob at 1 am that said I wanted an IUD. In the morning I texted my closest straight girlfriends to call their Obs if they want IUDs and talked to them about duration of effectiveness of different options. I’m very worried that even if they aren’t able to fully ban contraceptives, they can throttle access by making it completely out of pocket/not covered by insurance. At 8:30 I got a call from my Ob’s office saying they’d been swamped with requests and the soonest appointment was January 6th (irony).
Since then things have been coming to me in waves. Should I text my lesbian friends and talk to them about IUDs just in case (of rape, of Handmaid’s Tale badness)? Will I regret it if I don’t? Definitely had a horrible flash back to Rory Gilmore’s torture scenes in Handmaid’s Tale. I looked at jobs, tried to find something fully remote (couldn’t), looked at visa requirements for moving to Portugal regardless. Later I had the realization that this probably solidifies that my husband and I will be child free given my age and that I’m afraid to be pregnant in Trump’s America.
I don’t think there’s much to do besides grieve, check on our minoritized and female friends, get IUDs, keep resisting, keep deconstructing white womanhood/white feminism (which you and Caro are great at btw), and keep trying to be better allies as white women. And maybe keep working on a bail on America plan just in case? I’ve gotten involved with my local chapter of young democrats to try to push the party left from the bottom and I’m going to a children’s vigil for Gaza tomorrow. Might join DSA too.
We can do better. Certainly we can do better than what the Democratic platform offered this time around. The Colorado Democratic Party Platform only has 1 mention of childcare in 52 pages and it’s under reproductive rights as a way to “significantly reduce the need for abortion.” Definitely written by men. Hopefully I can advocate for some very MWK/Diabolical Lies informed additions to the young dems’ platform. Keep doing what you do. I think your content is super useful for women and leftists. ✊✊✊
you are in a much more productive and pragmatic headspace than I am. i'm glad there are people like you out there right now, because we need you. (1 mention of childcare in 52 pages as an abortion prevention technique? and this is the state where we're supposedly all libbing out in the mountains? we're doomed)
I appreciate you sharing words that I have been struggling to gather myself. Wednesday morning I listened to the NYT the Daily podcast and it added some insights to the side of - why the Dems lost - rather than how DT won. It was enlightening in many ways. As mentioned above, American’s are struggling. It appears Harris’ campaign wasn’t able to articulate how she could help them. But let us all not forget they’ve been telling us Biden is equipped to lead for years, and we certainly all saw with our own eyes that not to be true.
^ a jumble of words floating in my brain. Thank you, KGT
Thanks for sharing, Kathleen. Still trying to understand and articulate all the ways in which the Democratic party has screwed this up — the thing is, the fact that he won by 6 million votes makes me think this wasn't like a 'campaign rhetoric' issue as much as it is representative of where this country is culturally, and that's what freaks me out most
Perfectly said. Thank you.
I've been where you are Katie, in 2016. It was long road to healing, but I'm a better citizen, and human, for going through the process. As always, will continue to read every word you write along the way.
becoming a better citizen and human is one of the only redeeming qualities I can see on the horizon of this. for some reason this feels different to me, and I hope I'm wrong.
That felt different. It seemed like a fluke, especially after Biden was elected. The morality of America seemed redeemable. But heads in the sand keeps the truth out of ears.
I wanted to add, I would really encourage you to listen to at least the first 16 minutes of the most recent Pod Save America episode for some good political analysis on why this happened.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7IsKnBMavpqNsKoDWI1hjX?si=X66qRGIDQ8m6FxEDub2nTA
Ezra Klein did a great job contextualizing, as well:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Z1iZoNw3eMbAt11L0CBEz?si=gTyA4pAMTh65JAUQwAUq6A
Totally appreciate that perspective. I'll admit, I did often feel like a voice in the wilderness at that time, especially amongst friends/family/colleagues. But not a single thing that happened from 1.20.2017-1.20.2021 shocked me, because it was always so obvious from the beginning, especially if you were old enough to know pre-Apprentice Trump. Most of the things Katie highlighted in her piece were already established during his first campaign.
Back in those days, I ran fancy cocktail bars for bougie hotels. One of them was in D.C. I stood there in November 2016 and watched a group of wealthy white 1%ers loudly cheering "Trump, Trump, Trump..." during the middle of dinner service, grab their server in an unconsented embrace, and exclaim "we did it!" as the rest of us looked on in horror, anger and sorrow.
You're right that it felt different. It felt way, way, worse, and I think that's what's behind all of the repulsive "normalcy" we saw yesterday.
Huge huge fan of you but as a Cincinnatian myself, I have to point out that the national Democratic Party writing off Ohio (and well, Kentucky too, despite having a Democratic governor!) years ago does feel like low key abandonment and throwing us to the wolves. Even though Ohio has three major cities that consistently vote blue. I’m a socialist and always grit my teeth and vote a Democratic ticket because I’m all about harm reduction, and I think the worst mistake the national party has ever made was abandoning Howard Dean’s fifty state strategy. The DNC needs to do a ton of soul searching about how voters they have counted on for generations are answering the siren call of the alt right, and I fear that they will keep making the same mistakes over and over.
Thank you for articulating this so well. In my despair I get too angry to get the words out. I hope you do not delete, but I am planning to print this and save your linked sources to help me formulate my response to a person who thinks the outcome is “not that bad” or there are “shades of gray.” The man who was elected on Tuesday has no business being the leader of the free world - that’s an objective fact (and the understatement of the millennium). This will have generational impacts and not for the better. Anyone who defends their R vote or no vote by saying Harris didn’t have a plan, or is unqualified, etc etc is willfully uninformed, deeply selfish, and/or conciously/subconsciously misogynistic. I will not be convinced otherwise. My heart is broken, but I don’t want to be silent.
Sincerely, A woman from Cincinnati who was *not* doing well yesterday and also deeply mourning the loss of Senator Sherrod Brown.
Well said.
Katie, your words are a gift. You’re not alone in your disillusionment and disappointment. It’s truly a sickening feeling knowing there is not just one thing we can point at that would make anyone else who isn’t a rich white man be disqualified for the role of POTUS but MOUNTAINS of evidence illuminating that his character, competence, and criminal record make him unfit for the job.
I’m still trying to understand why so many people flipped red, and look forward to listening to your thoughts on this!
Thank you for reinforcing what I already feel - I wrote a post about Black women being overqualified and how this election is triggering for us, even though I live in the UK. I kept seeing people analyse her campaign and all the things she did wrong and I would understand that more if she was running against a "moderate" seemingly competent Republican, but she was running against someone so deeply dangerous and mediocre that it is mind boggling that we are talking about this as if it was a normal choice. None of this is normal.
But he did promise grand and fabulous things - mass deportation! This country has millions of people who are here illegally and subject to deportation, and they need to be removed. They have no right to be here and do not belong here.
Defending our borders and our boundaries as a country against those who would violate our immigration laws is worth any cost!
What gives you the right to be here?
Citizens have the right to be here.
You’re only a citizen because someone allowed your ancestors to come here but sure. Now you have the right to keep everyone else from coming here?
Yes, citizens have the right to control immigration into their country.
Thank you for writing this. I totally agree and spent most of yesterday sobbing over the top of my four month old daughter’s head. I am shocked, and feel so dumb — like I really believed in the goodness within people and thought for SURE most people would reject such a hateful, ignorant, uneducated person who has promised to do so many dangerous and terrifying things. I feel so naive.
I have a year old daughter, and I told her yesterday morning that this wasn't the end. That we wouldn't stop fighting until she had the same rights as her great grandmother had. I am terrified, but this is not the world I will let my daughter inherit. Nor my son.