The Washington Post editorial board today wrote that “the battle for democracy will be fought—and won” by “explaining to the world why freedom matters to everyone, every day.” So, on an evening when our power has finally been restored, but too late for me to do a deep dive on anything, let’s see what that might look like from today’s news:
We all need to have the courage shown by the citizens of Wayne County. We must stand up strong and fight for our democracy. And when I say fight, I do not mean the kind of battle that requires violence. I mean using our voices, writing letters, and voting.
“Hundreds—hundreds (!)—of citizens showed up to the meeting of the Wayne County Canvassing Board to remind them of their duty under the law to ensure their votes counted. Their voices mattered. Their votes mattered.”
This is an excellent post about the battle for democracy. I find that some of the best writing can be spontaneous and relatively unpolished, congratulations.
In my realm as a family doctor, working in parallel with public health, the battle for democracy and truth in medicine is just as critical.
For example, I wrote this post last night about the serious Covid, RSV, and flu situation in many of this country’s hospitals right now. Should Trump be elected, expect a chilling silence about all things public health that might slow down the American carnage economy, or be inconvenient truths:
I cross posted this on Daily Kos today. It was the number one trending story, so at least I helped get the word out among the progressive crowd while I have a voice not yet silenced…
Such a concise and strangely rousing report.The year we have anticipated with dread, loathing, vengeful hearts, and hope is almost here, and I find I am ready for it. For that, I must thank your faithfully accurate and inspiring essays, along with columns by several other writers whom you can probably name. Thank you, Heather!
“Well,” she wrote, “then something I’ll never forget happened.
“Hundreds—hundreds (!)—of citizens showed up to the meeting of the Wayne County Canvassing Board to remind them of their duty under the law to ensure their votes counted. Their voices mattered. Their votes mattered."
Sounds something like a Frank Capra movie, but was real democracy doing its thing. I had no idea.
I'm happy to hear, but somewhat surprised, that the WaPo editorial board is taking a stand. So many of their feature stories seem inclined to point harshly at Biden's weaknesses while giving his anti-democracy predecessor a pass. It is certainly in their best interest if they value press freedom.
By executive order, Biden should give Ukraine the frozen Russian assets and tell Mike (the dick in name and in temperament) Johnson and his miserable band of trump loving traitors to go you know what themselves.
The Democrats need to show up in hundreds - hundreds- like the citizens of Wayne County to assure that the rule of law prevails. Thank you, Heather, this gives me hope.
What is occurring in Hungary is chilling. I was born in Europe, and because of that I feel a certain kinship with other Europeans. It’s disconcerting to witness authoritarian beliefs and ideas taking hold. It’s so very easy to appeal to an “imagined past” when everything and everyone was good. Of course, that is the imagined past of ourselves as children, of old family photographs and magazines and children’s stories. Adulthood is something completely different, a time when we need to wrestle with contradictions and chaos. It can seem easier to have a father who will “take care of everything”, just as he did during our childhood. I know I don’t speak for every child, of course. (The ones who had to wrestle with contradictions and chaos from an early age.) But I think you will understand what I mean.
By reading the NYR and WaPo headlines and subheadlines for quite a while now, one would believe they are fully behind Trump and in no way suggest that the serious threat to our democracy is news, Project 2025 and Operation 47 be damned. It's time to pull the plug. Ad rates are controled by readership.Hit them where it hurts.
This December will be remembered as the month when the media, finally, got a clue that our democracy is under a withering, potentially fatal attack. It should never have taken this long. But the timid heads-in-the-sand looked around after much prodding and began reporting reality.
With this shamefully late pivot spread and intensify, as it must? I suspect it will. After all, journalism in all its wonderful and crappy forms is in Trump's crosshairs, too.
“To be honest it doesn’t seem that hard” (to identify the rep/Trump future chamber of horrors…says Heather and then she developed a description of Hungary’s total loss of democracy and my personal favorite a committee in Hungary that would most likely convict all of us….Heather’s readers myself included….) I think it’s going to be very hard …and boy does it need to be done!
You may want to check into recent news on efforts to undermine elections in Texas. Travis County (Austin, TX) has run primary elections jointly for the Democratic and Republican Parties. The Travis County Republican Party would not agree to a joint election until December 19--the primary is March 5 and early voting starts Feb. 20. The Travis County wanted hand written and hand counted ballots on a precinct by precinct basis. Travis County has had county-wide polling (if you are a Travis County voter) you can vote anywhere on Election Day. The concession that they got was hand-counted mail ballots. Gillespie County (Fredricksberg Texas) will have a completely paper and hand-counted election. There were at least 6 challenges against our November 2023 Constitutional Propositions Election that appear to be test challenges against voting procedures and voting machines in several counties. The challenges failed on procedural grounds but they learn by their mistakes--preparing for November 2024. (And then there is always Ken Paxton- Seattle Children's Hospital is suing him over his efforts to get the medical records of a trans child from Texas who was allegedly treated at Seattle Children's Hospital. )
I’m so very proud of Secretary, Benson, Governor Whitmer, and AG Nessel of my great state of Michigan.
We all need to have the courage shown by the citizens of Wayne County. We must stand up strong and fight for our democracy. And when I say fight, I do not mean the kind of battle that requires violence. I mean using our voices, writing letters, and voting.
“Hundreds—hundreds (!)—of citizens showed up to the meeting of the Wayne County Canvassing Board to remind them of their duty under the law to ensure their votes counted. Their voices mattered. Their votes mattered.”
This is an excellent post about the battle for democracy. I find that some of the best writing can be spontaneous and relatively unpolished, congratulations.
In my realm as a family doctor, working in parallel with public health, the battle for democracy and truth in medicine is just as critical.
For example, I wrote this post last night about the serious Covid, RSV, and flu situation in many of this country’s hospitals right now. Should Trump be elected, expect a chilling silence about all things public health that might slow down the American carnage economy, or be inconvenient truths:
https://mccormickmd.substack.com/p/covid-its-on-again
I cross posted this on Daily Kos today. It was the number one trending story, so at least I helped get the word out among the progressive crowd while I have a voice not yet silenced…
Thank you for this clarion cry to rally for what democracy means for all and to get that message to All! As Heather says, it shouldn’t be that hard!
Michigan needs to bring charges against Trump and McDaniels!
Such a concise and strangely rousing report.The year we have anticipated with dread, loathing, vengeful hearts, and hope is almost here, and I find I am ready for it. For that, I must thank your faithfully accurate and inspiring essays, along with columns by several other writers whom you can probably name. Thank you, Heather!
“Well,” she wrote, “then something I’ll never forget happened.
“Hundreds—hundreds (!)—of citizens showed up to the meeting of the Wayne County Canvassing Board to remind them of their duty under the law to ensure their votes counted. Their voices mattered. Their votes mattered."
Sounds something like a Frank Capra movie, but was real democracy doing its thing. I had no idea.
I'm happy to hear, but somewhat surprised, that the WaPo editorial board is taking a stand. So many of their feature stories seem inclined to point harshly at Biden's weaknesses while giving his anti-democracy predecessor a pass. It is certainly in their best interest if they value press freedom.
By executive order, Biden should give Ukraine the frozen Russian assets and tell Mike (the dick in name and in temperament) Johnson and his miserable band of trump loving traitors to go you know what themselves.
The Democrats need to show up in hundreds - hundreds- like the citizens of Wayne County to assure that the rule of law prevails. Thank you, Heather, this gives me hope.
Thou cannot serve the US Constitution and Orbán.
Thou cannot serve the Democracy and Trump.
What is occurring in Hungary is chilling. I was born in Europe, and because of that I feel a certain kinship with other Europeans. It’s disconcerting to witness authoritarian beliefs and ideas taking hold. It’s so very easy to appeal to an “imagined past” when everything and everyone was good. Of course, that is the imagined past of ourselves as children, of old family photographs and magazines and children’s stories. Adulthood is something completely different, a time when we need to wrestle with contradictions and chaos. It can seem easier to have a father who will “take care of everything”, just as he did during our childhood. I know I don’t speak for every child, of course. (The ones who had to wrestle with contradictions and chaos from an early age.) But I think you will understand what I mean.
By reading the NYR and WaPo headlines and subheadlines for quite a while now, one would believe they are fully behind Trump and in no way suggest that the serious threat to our democracy is news, Project 2025 and Operation 47 be damned. It's time to pull the plug. Ad rates are controled by readership.Hit them where it hurts.
This December will be remembered as the month when the media, finally, got a clue that our democracy is under a withering, potentially fatal attack. It should never have taken this long. But the timid heads-in-the-sand looked around after much prodding and began reporting reality.
With this shamefully late pivot spread and intensify, as it must? I suspect it will. After all, journalism in all its wonderful and crappy forms is in Trump's crosshairs, too.
“To be honest it doesn’t seem that hard” (to identify the rep/Trump future chamber of horrors…says Heather and then she developed a description of Hungary’s total loss of democracy and my personal favorite a committee in Hungary that would most likely convict all of us….Heather’s readers myself included….) I think it’s going to be very hard …and boy does it need to be done!
You may want to check into recent news on efforts to undermine elections in Texas. Travis County (Austin, TX) has run primary elections jointly for the Democratic and Republican Parties. The Travis County Republican Party would not agree to a joint election until December 19--the primary is March 5 and early voting starts Feb. 20. The Travis County wanted hand written and hand counted ballots on a precinct by precinct basis. Travis County has had county-wide polling (if you are a Travis County voter) you can vote anywhere on Election Day. The concession that they got was hand-counted mail ballots. Gillespie County (Fredricksberg Texas) will have a completely paper and hand-counted election. There were at least 6 challenges against our November 2023 Constitutional Propositions Election that appear to be test challenges against voting procedures and voting machines in several counties. The challenges failed on procedural grounds but they learn by their mistakes--preparing for November 2024. (And then there is always Ken Paxton- Seattle Children's Hospital is suing him over his efforts to get the medical records of a trans child from Texas who was allegedly treated at Seattle Children's Hospital. )