It should never have been that squeaky close, but a win is a win and is to be celebrated.
I must say that I am disappointed that newly reelected Senator Warnock in his speech tonight did not also thank all the get out the vote groups like Red Wine & Blue; and Jessica Craven’s Chop Wood, Carry Water;…
It should never have been that squeaky close, but a win is a win and is to be celebrated.
I must say that I am disappointed that newly reelected Senator Warnock in his speech tonight did not also thank all the get out the vote groups like Red Wine & Blue; and Jessica Craven’s Chop Wood, Carry Water; and The Union, and Indivisible, and Substack authors like Robert Hubbell and you, Heather, who kept up our spirits and urged us to action.
I’m sure Senator Warnock didn’t intend to snub anyone who helped him win. He’s probably so exhausted from all the effort he kept his speech shorter than he wished. Please write to him and he’ll reply I’m sure.
It reminds me of when Oscar winners forget to thank their spouses! This is HUGE for Sen. Warnock and for the whole country. I'm sure he WAS exhausted, which makes the challenge of speaking on a national stage even more of a nearly "out of body" experience. I bet we will hear much from him in the near future about what this took and how we can replicate in other elections.
I may have already said this here, but I want to say it again....connecting with Heather, and Robert and Jessica's communities and doing whatever I could with post cards, phone calls and small amounts of cash that I could afford all made me feel like these victories from Nov 8 and last night were personal. I am now, and will be till my demise, an active, participating citizen of these United States!!! So thanks, everyone!!!
You are welcome, kdsherpa (BTW sherpa is one of my favorite words)! And it didn't really feel like work most of the time because I also got connected to "Markers for Democracy," a group of activists who've been writing post cards (with markers!) since 2016, who have a Slack account (I'm getting so technology-hip!) and meet several times during the week on Zoom - with special times like last night where some of us followed the returns together. I'm so grateful!
(My husband is actually a Sherpa, from Nepal. He grew up in the high Himalayas, and was later a Tibetan Buddhist monk for 17 years! So I like the word, "Sherpa", too! :-) )
It's Mim, and I am an avid reader of especially but not exclusively those three Substack authors. They, and Dan Rather, have kept our hopes and spirits up during these stressful months/years.
Apologies! My eyes shadowed the "m" and I thought it was an "i." Guess I'd better get some reading glasses!!
You said it perfectly "kept up our hopes and spirits." I haven't connected with Dan Rather but you inspire me to check. (no cable but I can check on youtube)
Not only Trump, not only Germany, but yesterday the president of Peru!
NYTimes: Peru’s President Tried to Dissolve Congress. By Day’s End, He Was Arrested.
LIMA, Peru — It was a day on which much of Peru was focused on Congress, where an impeachment vote was planned against the president on corruption charges.
But shortly before noon, the Peruvian leader addressed the country in a surprise televised address. He announced the dissolution of Congress and the installation of an emergency government, stunning political leaders across the spectrum, including his own allies, by effectively trying to carry out what was widely condemned as an attempted coup to cling to power.
I read his speech. Among his long list of thank-you’s he did not thank any volunteers but those in Georgia working directly for the Democratic Party—a very small percentage of us. It’s not a major issue—few politicians are nice people. I’ve worked very hard for him and will again if I have to. Because it’s important that the Democrats aren’t marginalized in the Senate. I still get to wish for better Democrats!
Well, I am not from GA; instead from TN (check out the Senators I have to live with). From my knothole, you Georgians have two of the finest young Senators that you could ever hope for. Not just that they are Democrats, but that they appear to be fine human beings. Pretty sure Senator Warnock (I like the sound of those words) is very thankful to all who contributed to his win, and he will make sure that is known. May Warnock and Ossoff continue to serve for many more years.
I strongly agree with everything you've said. Two fine senators and two FINE HUMAN BEINGS, and all the rest. Those who are disappointed (something I find hard to believe) should try to put themselves in the place of Senator Reverend Warnock over the last few months. It's had to have been absolutely grueling. If I were in his place, last night I would have wanted a good stiff bourbon and to get to bed.
I'm just incredibly happy that Warnock beat that no-good Walker.
Me too. I was exhausted writing 1,000 get-out-the-vote postcards between July and November. I can't imagine what the level of exhaustion of running a campaign must me.
Don’t count on any progress in Tennessee. It’s 80% white. Democrats can manage occasional victories in Georgia, in spite of vigorous vote suppression by Republicans, because Georgia is only 56% white.
Well - 77% anyway. Yeah Rex - Unfortunately I agree with your premise. TN is quite rural, and the big city suburbs are very conservative and white. I live in one, and the great majority of people I am acquainted with are anti-progressive, and hate Democrats. Quite a few states in the US are nearly irredeemable when it comes to progressive values, and TN is one of them. Never say never, I suppose, but I am not holding my breath. One must ask however why Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana have not become at least purple. They have black proportions even larger than Georgia. Is it the Stacey A. effect?
Mary, while I agree that he didn't articulate his gratitude for many of his supporters, please keep in mind that he didn't begin his career in politics. I believe that Warnock is a nice, decent person, and he'll do his best to reward our support by performing in the country's and our best interests.
Is that why you think I worked the last year of my life for Warnock and (Shapiro and Hassan and Mandala Barnes and Nina Turner) till 1 or 2 a.m. most nights, through lunch breaks and Thanksgivings and in parking lots on my phone, and gave up a sizeable chunk of my retirement nest egg--for a pat on the head? The nastiness of this thread is mindboggling. I do not like, as I said, any man who supports Trump's Title 42. What's your complaint?--you wanted him elected and I busted my ass to do it. I don't have to approve of his support of Trump policies against asylum seekers as well. Do you?
You took the words out of my mouth, Kristin. This was a nail-biter, which was something of a surprise to me. Considering the contrast between Warnock and Walker, it was beyond comprehension. No wonder that he didn't cover all his bases in one speech.
Thank You, Mim and Mary for all you did to contribute to this watershed moment in our history!! We watched his entire speech, live. We heard him graciously recognize and thank everyone for their hard work. He seemed to be very much aware of why and how he was standing up there, victorious. We felt his sincere gratitude and appreciation to his many volunteers and hard workers. Kind of like an Oscar speech, you can't name every single person or group and every single thing they did in your thank you speech. Thank You, again!! The world is better tonight and we can sleep more peacefully. The trend is moving is a constructive direction.
My wife often warns me not to put people on pedestals. That I don't know them so should not make assumptions. But I have to tell you - I have watched Senator Warnock since he came on the scene during the 2020 campaign. He appears to have the right stuff and then some. I am not Christian (I was for half my life life until I turned more atheistic) - but Senator Warnock IMO is the embodiment of what Christians should be. Just a fine compassionate intelligent human being, who seems to have the skills to take that view he has and put it to work as a politician. Oh how I wish I had a Senator like that - instead I have to put up with Marsha Blackburn. The contrast is laughable if it weren't so sad.
Hearing the Rev. Sen. Warnock sermonize a bit during his acceptance speech was not at all disturbing to me, a non-religious person, because I know he speaks from his big heart and will now have at least six more years to be of service to the people of Georgia, for whom he ran for office in the first place.
Mim, now in proud GA: There were many catalysts, many contributors. With only five (5) days for Early [ & limited] Voting, the Warnock lawsuit to preserve SATURDAY early voting was very important as well. Good work to All.
I watched Herschel Walker. He was calm, humble, grateful, exhorted his fans to hold on to their dream, and always to respect our elected representatives. Then he said it all again, and left the stage.
He even mentioned that everyone needs to honor the Constitution... and elected officials. It was shockingly good. A normal concession speech in a not-normal time. Wow.
I feel badly for Walker, a bit anyway He got used and abused by the Republican Party and Trump. Thing is, he cast his lot for the wrong side and should have known that. He also should have seen the cynical racist corrupt reasons that he was tapped by the Q-publicans in the first place. He of all people should know the seriousness of the job of a US Senator, and that he was fundamentally unqualified to do the job. That his selection was nothing more than an envisioned formula to siphon off black vote in a still-conservative state, so that Warnock would lose.
Walker's concession speech was surprisingly good in that it makes the Trump wing look bad. His speeches in general got better as he got more used to speaking in front of crowds, but still not close to being good. Instead of crying about a stolen election, he said "no excuses" like a fine athlete would say (and he was if nothing else a fine athlete). And he gave reverence to the Constitution at a time when the presumptive leader of the Republican party has stated he would throw it all out the window in order to restore him to power. A big contrast to say a Kari Lake, or a Donald Trump. Maybe more Republican voters will take notice.
For all his faults, Walker took his loss like a good sport. Good sportsmanship went out the window when Trump came on the scene and revealed himself to be a prima donna and a crybaby with no class.
I have always thought it was appalling that Walker was even a candidate. The MAGA Republicans saw him as a token in a racist party, a useful idiot that could be manipulated into being a vote in the Senate for the most odious right wing legislation. Now perhaps Walker can get himself checked out for football-related brain injury and get on with his life. He has a lot of amends to make.
He must have finally realized he was just being used or he would not have said we must respect the Consitution or have been such a good losers. Maybe some level-headed advisors got to him rather than Trumpers. IMO, It is otherwise unbelievable that he said what he did!
Walker has a history of mental illness including violence against his spouses and children. He was never a suitable candidate for any political office.
I imagine that it is very possible that Herschel Walker is very relieved that he does not have to listen to his puppetmasters for the next SIX (thanks everyone) years.
He can get back to doing whatever he was not doing before.
Herschel's post win would have been much worse than just trying to do a job one is not qualified for (which, by the way, happens all the time in corporations, however, that is mostly white guys being incompetent so nobody writes about it until, like Kodak, the entire company goes under).
Herschel Walker would have spent every day being told what to do AND having to do it because of whatever money he took when his puppet masters showed up at his door with a bag of it.
One cannot really liken Walker's post win existence to slavery, since, it was a choice he made, however, in many ways it would have seemed like that after a few weeks of taking orders every morning form his puppet "master".
Not tokenism, because that suggests at least some ability to do the job.
His insertion into politics at all is an AFFRONT to the idea that one Black man is "the same" as any other,
and that the MAGA-extremists could pretend they were not racist by voting for him over the imminently more qualified Senator they took such delight in demonizing.
Yes, insofar as cold weather doesn't last long and is tolerable since there is practically never any ice or appreciable snow, and I have a home and garden that I love and a fenced yard for my little dogs. But I do miss Carnegie Hall and Broadway and the great energy of NYC, though I could not possibly live there again anymore. Plus, now I'm a Covid hermit and I couldn't take advantage of the cultural opportunities anymore.
Beautifully said. Every word. I'm saving that. It could go on a banner. Or a yard sign. I'd write democracy with a small "d", though - it may take a few more post-Trump years for them to start to get the idea. A few more Biden years would be good, but we may have to make the most of the next two.
Thank you Barbara! This is perfect. I would add as a sub-statement that being an active participant in the process (now we have post cards, phone calls, texts, door knocking as well as cash donations to choose from) makes every victory a personal one, and every defeat a motivation to keep working....in community!
Agreed. I've worked hard twice now getting out the vote and "chasing ballots" for Rev. Warnock, and contributed often to his campaigns and to RideShare2Vote to get people to the polls in a state where the number of polling places and drop boxes have been sharply reduced, and dates and times of early voting and dropbox accessibility in this runoff election seemed to change almost daily. (Today they decided to stop letting the disabled and the over-75 go to the head of the line after 4:30--and without alerting anyone!) But never a word of thanks to the volunteers who gave up their own work and leisure and nest eggs to get him elected. I'm not crazy about him for bigger reasons--he supports Trump's Title 42, e.g., which turns away asylum seekers at the border, against international law (and the Bible he preaches). But I'm very glad he won. With 51 Democrats we can get justices in place and issue subpoenas.
I don’t see how working my ass off for him through 2 runoffs and contributing to his campaigns from my retirement nest egg constitutes “letting perfect be the enemy of the good”?
Write to him and let him know he dropped the ball. I’d also like to know why his stand on asylum seekers is what it is. Seems a smidge less than Biblical to me too. I’m from NC though and we’ve got representation issues here big time so I can’t say much.
Title 42 was also supported by the 2 Democratic Senators in AZ and Biden's administration.....in lieu of a better fix from Congress which we have been waiting for for decades.
Yep. Not that surprising as he kept Trump's going for 2 years. He wants to expand it to include blocking Nicaraguans, among other points. https://www.axios.com/2022/11/30/biden-title-42-immigration-news. Not saying I know how to deal with the needs of so many refugees from countries we destabilized with our century-long support of right-wing governments and coups, just that extending Title 42 doesn't strike me as the right answer.
We humans do so love to go to the absolute and the linear. "If he did this he's good, if he did that he's bad." We are all so imperfect and still some of us work toward improving the lot for all. Some of us volunteer to lead. Some of us volunteer to support - even with all of our imperfections. We are all in this together.
Well. Let's not get too negative about someone's perceived negativity. These Midterms have been excruciating. We were already worn out from the fight begun in 2016. I am going to chalk up the negativity in these comments and in the news as a people suffering from PTSD, political fatigue and just plain stress.
Did you spend weeks going without sleep and skipping meals to work for Senator Warnoff like I did? This last month and also in his last runoff election? If not, keep your snark to yourself.
Ask yourself if you did all that in order to receive his recognition as the first thing on Warnock’s mind last night or if you did it because it was what you thought was the right thing to do
My snark is toward the motivation and the disservice that comes from it
Look, I’ve got no dog in this brouhaha. I was responding to a campaign worker who felt slighted because they didn’t get thanked in Warnock’s acceptance speech. That’s all. As an outsider, I’m thrilled he won. I know how hard everyone worked to fight the right wing money machine that helped keep Walker viable. So let’s leave it there, ok?
"he (Warnock) supports Trump's Title 42, e.g., which turns away asylum seekers at the border, against international law (and the Bible he preaches). But I'm very glad he won."
The population of these United States currently stands at roughly 370 million or so (on the books at least).
The population of the rest of the world? Around 7.8 billion people.
Of that population, roughly 70% of the human population is greatly impoverished. In fact, the words "greatly impoverished" cannot communicate the dire straights those people currently live under and with.
Now, that is entirely a human disasater. No doubt.
But, let's say we, the USA, open our doors and let in, tomorrow, all of those folks (0.7 * 7.8 Billion)?
That means, tomorrow, we let in 5.46 BILLION people who have no education, no place to live, no relatives to help them be fed, no relatives to help them find a place to live.
That means, tomorrow, 5.46 Billion people would be at your doorstep asking for help, and, appropriately because, well, your kind heart brought them here.
Now, me? I think that yours and my standard of living, which is fantastically, amazingly high by world standards (basically only Canada is better), is not irrelevant as part of the discussion around "immigrants".
IF we let in 5.46 Billion poor people tomorrow, well, we get points for good hearts, no doubt.
But, your standard of living will decline precipitously. You will no longer have time to read HCR or money to give her. All of your time and money will be gone to cloth and feed all the people living here who cannot do that for themselves upon finding themselves here without language skills or any other skills. Yes, they have to live with you because there are just too many people to build houses and high rises for.
So, what is my point?? Warnock is thinking for himself, not feeling for himself or pandering to those who have not thought through clearly the consequences of massive immigration of poor people without skill, money, language or helpful relatives.
Please re-read the inscription on the Statue of Liberty!!
A friend of mine who is a native of El Salvador once emphatically said me “Do you think I WANTED to leave my country, my mother and all of my family?” Let that sink in regarding this absurd scenario!
YES!!! Same with most of us whose ancestors made that same desperate choice. NO ONE leaves everyone and everything they've known to come here because life was so great where they were.
Maybe not but between climate, wars and in many cases economic conditions usually caused by the first two issues have caused massive human movement from one affected area to another. It’s mostly happened away from us BUT we are seeing it here as well as conditions south of us deteriorate. So instead of squabbling and infighting trying to look important, why not work together to actually solve the problem as best we all can? The theory IMHO, is to follow the money. Who profits from the world being in disarray?
Immigration is a much more complex picture than the one you paint. And our leadership has let this issue languish, and kicked down the road repeatedly. What we haven't done as much about is all of the US policies that reverberate negatively in other countries that contribute to them being dangerous places. The high standard of living that some Americans enjoy, is partly the result of our exploitation of resources in other countries, leaving many people in dire straits. We have also contributed to the rise of the drug lords, with our draconian drug policies, designed more to punish than help. Those groups of thugs make life untenable for many who then come to our shores, pick our produce, clean our houses, work in our factories to provide us with the things that make our lives good all at low pay without benefits.
And that's all before we even talk about growing environmental issues driving more and more people to leave their homes and seek new lives elsewhere. The pressure is only going to increase.
5.46 billion? Not exactly. The issue is complex. Covid is no longer a reason to hold those seeking asylum on the Mexican doorstep to the US but there currently is nothing to take its place. Why can't Congress dig deep and come up with a reasonable fix for this issue? We have been waiting decades.
We cannot/do not even care for our own who are houseless. We need to get our act together and learn how to care for our own so that we can care for others.
SPW, there is absolutely NOTHING stopping all 5.46 billion people from showing up at the southern border tomorrow. Except for their own ability to get there.
Given Kemp and the Republican majority legislature's ongoing efforts to suppress voting, I'm not the least surprised that they decided to take away the front of the line option for the disabled and elderly folks.
The fact that these efforts are so clearly aimed at reducing the number of voters tells us everything we need to know about how much they support American democracy.
Dear Mim, give him time, he saved his people, his state, the Senate, the nation, the free world, you and me... pretty good for one night: CREDiT Black women, not white historians.
And that was despite all the voter suppression (Sen. Warnock mentioned) and we ALL know was a big player in this election. Yay, Georgia!!!! Thank YOU!!!
Georgia tried as hard as Texas to suppress votes, it takes Herculean efforts to overcome, the evil trio of Texas did it better. Sorry, Beto. Don’t give up, you are needed.
Texas has a reconstruction constitution that makes many of its public offices elected positions, and this can confuse voters. Nonetheless, Greg Abbott has been able to accumulate much power in his position as governor, and he has more power than most governors of Texas have had historically. For the sake of Texans, I wish Abbott would deign to use his power to weatherize the power grid, but I am not holding my breath waiting for this to happen.
Yes, but the truly alarming part is the number of Americans who support them. It’s not the candidates who are scary. It’s the magats. If the candidates were the problem, there would be an easy solution.
I do a tiny bit of work for, and donating to, DFA and Warnock’s election, and what it means to the Country and Georgia, is all the thanks I need. Many hands make the load light.
Those of us involved with these groups knew the work we did to re-elect him. As I tell those who do not have time to volunteer, just telling the reason you are voting Democratic in a respectful, civil tone to co-workers, family, neighbors and friends does a lot to plant the seed that the Democratic Party is working for the average man. Word of mouth endorsement is gold to candidates.
It takes a village...Senator Warnock's support was countrywide, funds, postcards, speeches. Georgians turned out in droves, despite limited days to vote. It could have been otherwise - CSPAN radio yesterday morning asked for call-ins about which candidate should win. Gobsmacking, from the sublime to the ridiculous 'why ain't the press talking about the time he ran over his wife's foot?' So many people rightly targeted and decried the Republican strategy of choosing puppets who only know to read the script they are handed.
I sent money from Illinois and asked my very wealthy Governor to do so as well. I am thrilled and thank you for your work on the ground! I think everyone in the country who is sane appreciates your work!
Not wanting to throw rain on your parade of enthusiasm, this "win" was by a photo-finish. It is not a mandate; it is marginal. All true and well-meaning patriots -- Democrat, Republican and Independent -- must "muscle up" for 2024. "A win is a win" for now. This country cannot afford any slippage.
However, the fact that so many Georgians voted for Walker does not speak well for them. I wonder how many were enthusiastically supporting him or whether they were basically holding their noses. Or were they assuming he would be the puppet of the White Supremacists running the party? Who knows, and now, who cares?
'Who can know what the win would be if efforts to remove people from the rolls were not so widespread in Georgia."
voter suppression isn't even hidden in some of these states... including GA. the fact that Warnock won at all by any margin means the efforts to accomplish that victory were huge.
Mim you are in GA; my understanding is Warnock's magrin approached 100,000 votes under conditions of multiple tactics to suppress 'early voting' (just 5 days. & just plain voting at anytime. This is the first "Midterm" that any President has held the Senate since FDR. Meanwhile more NARA classified documents have neen located near Trump's Florida home: Indictments on several fronts are coming.
We, the People of Georgia, have spoken.
It should never have been that squeaky close, but a win is a win and is to be celebrated.
I must say that I am disappointed that newly reelected Senator Warnock in his speech tonight did not also thank all the get out the vote groups like Red Wine & Blue; and Jessica Craven’s Chop Wood, Carry Water; and The Union, and Indivisible, and Substack authors like Robert Hubbell and you, Heather, who kept up our spirits and urged us to action.
I’m sure Senator Warnock didn’t intend to snub anyone who helped him win. He’s probably so exhausted from all the effort he kept his speech shorter than he wished. Please write to him and he’ll reply I’m sure.
It reminds me of when Oscar winners forget to thank their spouses! This is HUGE for Sen. Warnock and for the whole country. I'm sure he WAS exhausted, which makes the challenge of speaking on a national stage even more of a nearly "out of body" experience. I bet we will hear much from him in the near future about what this took and how we can replicate in other elections.
I may have already said this here, but I want to say it again....connecting with Heather, and Robert and Jessica's communities and doing whatever I could with post cards, phone calls and small amounts of cash that I could afford all made me feel like these victories from Nov 8 and last night were personal. I am now, and will be till my demise, an active, participating citizen of these United States!!! So thanks, everyone!!!
Thank you so much for all of your hard work on the behalf of ALL of us!!
You are welcome, kdsherpa (BTW sherpa is one of my favorite words)! And it didn't really feel like work most of the time because I also got connected to "Markers for Democracy," a group of activists who've been writing post cards (with markers!) since 2016, who have a Slack account (I'm getting so technology-hip!) and meet several times during the week on Zoom - with special times like last night where some of us followed the returns together. I'm so grateful!
(My husband is actually a Sherpa, from Nepal. He grew up in the high Himalayas, and was later a Tibetan Buddhist monk for 17 years! So I like the word, "Sherpa", too! :-) )
How fun to have that sweet community, Chaplain Terry!! Sounds like you are all indeed way techie these days!
I'm glad you're a part of the Heather/Robert/Jessica communities, Chaplain Terry.
Thanks, Mimi, me too! And you?
It's Mim, and I am an avid reader of especially but not exclusively those three Substack authors. They, and Dan Rather, have kept our hopes and spirits up during these stressful months/years.
Apologies! My eyes shadowed the "m" and I thought it was an "i." Guess I'd better get some reading glasses!!
You said it perfectly "kept up our hopes and spirits." I haven't connected with Dan Rather but you inspire me to check. (no cable but I can check on youtube)
Not only Trump, not only Germany, but yesterday the president of Peru!
NYTimes: Peru’s President Tried to Dissolve Congress. By Day’s End, He Was Arrested.
LIMA, Peru — It was a day on which much of Peru was focused on Congress, where an impeachment vote was planned against the president on corruption charges.
But shortly before noon, the Peruvian leader addressed the country in a surprise televised address. He announced the dissolution of Congress and the installation of an emergency government, stunning political leaders across the spectrum, including his own allies, by effectively trying to carry out what was widely condemned as an attempted coup to cling to power.
Thank you, I hadn't seen this. Wow! An epidemic of would-be despots!
Earlier to day, when I read about this, I was chilled thinking, "That could have been us."
Wow! That's something I wasn't aware of. I'm grateful he was arrested.
Couldn't agree more, well said!
I agree with you whole-heartedly!
I read his speech. Among his long list of thank-you’s he did not thank any volunteers but those in Georgia working directly for the Democratic Party—a very small percentage of us. It’s not a major issue—few politicians are nice people. I’ve worked very hard for him and will again if I have to. Because it’s important that the Democrats aren’t marginalized in the Senate. I still get to wish for better Democrats!
Well, I am not from GA; instead from TN (check out the Senators I have to live with). From my knothole, you Georgians have two of the finest young Senators that you could ever hope for. Not just that they are Democrats, but that they appear to be fine human beings. Pretty sure Senator Warnock (I like the sound of those words) is very thankful to all who contributed to his win, and he will make sure that is known. May Warnock and Ossoff continue to serve for many more years.
I strongly agree with everything you've said. Two fine senators and two FINE HUMAN BEINGS, and all the rest. Those who are disappointed (something I find hard to believe) should try to put themselves in the place of Senator Reverend Warnock over the last few months. It's had to have been absolutely grueling. If I were in his place, last night I would have wanted a good stiff bourbon and to get to bed.
I'm just incredibly happy that Warnock beat that no-good Walker.
Me too. I was exhausted writing 1,000 get-out-the-vote postcards between July and November. I can't imagine what the level of exhaustion of running a campaign must me.
I wish I could give you most of my likes. You earned them.
agreed!
and hang in there in Tennessee,
truth is going to be more attractive than what the opposition has been offering
and more people are going to come around.
Don’t count on any progress in Tennessee. It’s 80% white. Democrats can manage occasional victories in Georgia, in spite of vigorous vote suppression by Republicans, because Georgia is only 56% white.
Well - 77% anyway. Yeah Rex - Unfortunately I agree with your premise. TN is quite rural, and the big city suburbs are very conservative and white. I live in one, and the great majority of people I am acquainted with are anti-progressive, and hate Democrats. Quite a few states in the US are nearly irredeemable when it comes to progressive values, and TN is one of them. Never say never, I suppose, but I am not holding my breath. One must ask however why Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana have not become at least purple. They have black proportions even larger than Georgia. Is it the Stacey A. effect?
Mary, while I agree that he didn't articulate his gratitude for many of his supporters, please keep in mind that he didn't begin his career in politics. I believe that Warnock is a nice, decent person, and he'll do his best to reward our support by performing in the country's and our best interests.
and did we really put our shoulders to the wheel in hopes of getting a pat on the head??
Is that why you think I worked the last year of my life for Warnock and (Shapiro and Hassan and Mandala Barnes and Nina Turner) till 1 or 2 a.m. most nights, through lunch breaks and Thanksgivings and in parking lots on my phone, and gave up a sizeable chunk of my retirement nest egg--for a pat on the head? The nastiness of this thread is mindboggling. I do not like, as I said, any man who supports Trump's Title 42. What's your complaint?--you wanted him elected and I busted my ass to do it. I don't have to approve of his support of Trump policies against asylum seekers as well. Do you?
Good point!
And lets all push to make those elected the better Democrats we deserve!
Hear hear!
You took the words out of my mouth, Kristin. This was a nail-biter, which was something of a surprise to me. Considering the contrast between Warnock and Walker, it was beyond comprehension. No wonder that he didn't cover all his bases in one speech.
I will, Kristin.
Thank You, Mim and Mary for all you did to contribute to this watershed moment in our history!! We watched his entire speech, live. We heard him graciously recognize and thank everyone for their hard work. He seemed to be very much aware of why and how he was standing up there, victorious. We felt his sincere gratitude and appreciation to his many volunteers and hard workers. Kind of like an Oscar speech, you can't name every single person or group and every single thing they did in your thank you speech. Thank You, again!! The world is better tonight and we can sleep more peacefully. The trend is moving is a constructive direction.
My wife often warns me not to put people on pedestals. That I don't know them so should not make assumptions. But I have to tell you - I have watched Senator Warnock since he came on the scene during the 2020 campaign. He appears to have the right stuff and then some. I am not Christian (I was for half my life life until I turned more atheistic) - but Senator Warnock IMO is the embodiment of what Christians should be. Just a fine compassionate intelligent human being, who seems to have the skills to take that view he has and put it to work as a politician. Oh how I wish I had a Senator like that - instead I have to put up with Marsha Blackburn. The contrast is laughable if it weren't so sad.
Hearing the Rev. Sen. Warnock sermonize a bit during his acceptance speech was not at all disturbing to me, a non-religious person, because I know he speaks from his big heart and will now have at least six more years to be of service to the people of Georgia, for whom he ran for office in the first place.
Despite vicious Voter Suppression tactics, Senator Warnock & Georgians will prevail by nearly 100,000 votes!
I love that we both thought of the Oscar speeches!!!
:-)
Mim, now in proud GA: There were many catalysts, many contributors. With only five (5) days for Early [ & limited] Voting, the Warnock lawsuit to preserve SATURDAY early voting was very important as well. Good work to All.
I watched Herschel Walker. He was calm, humble, grateful, exhorted his fans to hold on to their dream, and always to respect our elected representatives. Then he said it all again, and left the stage.
He even mentioned that everyone needs to honor the Constitution... and elected officials. It was shockingly good. A normal concession speech in a not-normal time. Wow.
I feel badly for Walker, a bit anyway He got used and abused by the Republican Party and Trump. Thing is, he cast his lot for the wrong side and should have known that. He also should have seen the cynical racist corrupt reasons that he was tapped by the Q-publicans in the first place. He of all people should know the seriousness of the job of a US Senator, and that he was fundamentally unqualified to do the job. That his selection was nothing more than an envisioned formula to siphon off black vote in a still-conservative state, so that Warnock would lose.
Walker's concession speech was surprisingly good in that it makes the Trump wing look bad. His speeches in general got better as he got more used to speaking in front of crowds, but still not close to being good. Instead of crying about a stolen election, he said "no excuses" like a fine athlete would say (and he was if nothing else a fine athlete). And he gave reverence to the Constitution at a time when the presumptive leader of the Republican party has stated he would throw it all out the window in order to restore him to power. A big contrast to say a Kari Lake, or a Donald Trump. Maybe more Republican voters will take notice.
For all his faults, Walker took his loss like a good sport. Good sportsmanship went out the window when Trump came on the scene and revealed himself to be a prima donna and a crybaby with no class.
I have always thought it was appalling that Walker was even a candidate. The MAGA Republicans saw him as a token in a racist party, a useful idiot that could be manipulated into being a vote in the Senate for the most odious right wing legislation. Now perhaps Walker can get himself checked out for football-related brain injury and get on with his life. He has a lot of amends to make.
He must have finally realized he was just being used or he would not have said we must respect the Consitution or have been such a good losers. Maybe some level-headed advisors got to him rather than Trumpers. IMO, It is otherwise unbelievable that he said what he did!
Given his professional life, the concern about CTE is very much warranted.
Walker has a history of mental illness including violence against his spouses and children. He was never a suitable candidate for any political office.
Hopefully, those who voted for him heard his speech and will heed his words!
Damn, chump probably spit in his diet Coke
And then drank it.
Get that DNA if he did not.
What a hoot!
LOL!!!
YEP!!! :D
LOL, Jeri!
LOL!!!
I imagine that it is very possible that Herschel Walker is very relieved that he does not have to listen to his puppetmasters for the next SIX (thanks everyone) years.
He can get back to doing whatever he was not doing before.
He can go back to his home in Texas.
Six. Senators serve for six years.
Rest for 4 years, run for the next two
Let's hope he seeks help for his problems. They are severe. The GOP leadership sunk to a new low using Walker. Beyond shameful.
SIX years!!!
If I had awakened to that news, my faith in humanity would likely have ended (but the fight would have intensified)
Yes, and he did it well.
The only time he has left a positive impression on me.
He was probably secretly relieved to have escaped getting a job for which he is manifestly unqualified.
Herschel's post win would have been much worse than just trying to do a job one is not qualified for (which, by the way, happens all the time in corporations, however, that is mostly white guys being incompetent so nobody writes about it until, like Kodak, the entire company goes under).
Herschel Walker would have spent every day being told what to do AND having to do it because of whatever money he took when his puppet masters showed up at his door with a bag of it.
One cannot really liken Walker's post win existence to slavery, since, it was a choice he made, however, in many ways it would have seemed like that after a few weeks of taking orders every morning form his puppet "master".
It was called tokenism by black commenters.
Definitely a less inflammatory term Barbara.
However, it is somewhat an oblique derivative of the more accurate language:
Beholden to his Puppet Master. Like, for example, Kavanaugh is "beholden to his Puppet Masters at the Federalist Society".
Tokenism or Puppet Master.
You pick.
:-)
Not tokenism, because that suggests at least some ability to do the job.
His insertion into politics at all is an AFFRONT to the idea that one Black man is "the same" as any other,
and that the MAGA-extremists could pretend they were not racist by voting for him over the imminently more qualified Senator they took such delight in demonizing.
I just watched it, too. Thankfully he was gracious and did not contest the hard-fought and closely-won result.
Which he easily could have done, going all "Hari Kari" on us!
Like Georgia?
Yes, insofar as cold weather doesn't last long and is tolerable since there is practically never any ice or appreciable snow, and I have a home and garden that I love and a fenced yard for my little dogs. But I do miss Carnegie Hall and Broadway and the great energy of NYC, though I could not possibly live there again anymore. Plus, now I'm a Covid hermit and I couldn't take advantage of the cultural opportunities anymore.
can so relate, Mim!!
I'm sorry, sometimes I find these threads confusing when we get past one or two replies! Was "Like Georgia?" for me? thank you!
Yes, the threading is not clear. Wish they would fix it.
I know, right? It was almost shocking. As though he got it that he didn't have to pretend to want to be a senator any more.
I was watching MSNBC, and they blew it, switching to Walker only as he was leaving the microphone.
I got so tired of the chattering laughing magpies of MSNBC, all talking over one another, that we switched to CNN.
There was more chattering laughter than usual.
Celebratory bottle off-camera?
Elections are not about each of us. They are about all of us. Politics is exhausting. The reward is living in a Democracy.
Beautifully said. Every word. I'm saving that. It could go on a banner. Or a yard sign. I'd write democracy with a small "d", though - it may take a few more post-Trump years for them to start to get the idea. A few more Biden years would be good, but we may have to make the most of the next two.
People do not realize the rareness of a peaceful transfer of power.
That is a huge part of what American democracy gets right.
At least, it was.
The maxim about eternal vigilance as the price of freedom applies to politics too, and you’re correct about the reward.
I’ll share your words … powerful, honest, clear. Thank you!
Thank you Barbara! This is perfect. I would add as a sub-statement that being an active participant in the process (now we have post cards, phone calls, texts, door knocking as well as cash donations to choose from) makes every victory a personal one, and every defeat a motivation to keep working....in community!
Agreed. I've worked hard twice now getting out the vote and "chasing ballots" for Rev. Warnock, and contributed often to his campaigns and to RideShare2Vote to get people to the polls in a state where the number of polling places and drop boxes have been sharply reduced, and dates and times of early voting and dropbox accessibility in this runoff election seemed to change almost daily. (Today they decided to stop letting the disabled and the over-75 go to the head of the line after 4:30--and without alerting anyone!) But never a word of thanks to the volunteers who gave up their own work and leisure and nest eggs to get him elected. I'm not crazy about him for bigger reasons--he supports Trump's Title 42, e.g., which turns away asylum seekers at the border, against international law (and the Bible he preaches). But I'm very glad he won. With 51 Democrats we can get justices in place and issue subpoenas.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Dems are good at that
I don’t see how working my ass off for him through 2 runoffs and contributing to his campaigns from my retirement nest egg constitutes “letting perfect be the enemy of the good”?
Write to him and let him know he dropped the ball. I’d also like to know why his stand on asylum seekers is what it is. Seems a smidge less than Biblical to me too. I’m from NC though and we’ve got representation issues here big time so I can’t say much.
Title 42 was also supported by the 2 Democratic Senators in AZ and Biden's administration.....in lieu of a better fix from Congress which we have been waiting for for decades.
And now President Biden has come up with an even worse version to replace it.
What??
Yep. Not that surprising as he kept Trump's going for 2 years. He wants to expand it to include blocking Nicaraguans, among other points. https://www.axios.com/2022/11/30/biden-title-42-immigration-news. Not saying I know how to deal with the needs of so many refugees from countries we destabilized with our century-long support of right-wing governments and coups, just that extending Title 42 doesn't strike me as the right answer.
How did he drop the ball? He worked literally for years to win.
OMG !!! Here we go again, huh? The negatives from Democrats are just bubbling to the surface immediately
I read Warnock’s bio after Sandy Lewis suggested it
Warnock’s been working towards meaningful change his whole life, but lordy lordy, someone didn’t get thanked, someone else’s ox is still gored
Do we just naturally do this?
We humans do so love to go to the absolute and the linear. "If he did this he's good, if he did that he's bad." We are all so imperfect and still some of us work toward improving the lot for all. Some of us volunteer to lead. Some of us volunteer to support - even with all of our imperfections. We are all in this together.
Well. Let's not get too negative about someone's perceived negativity. These Midterms have been excruciating. We were already worn out from the fight begun in 2016. I am going to chalk up the negativity in these comments and in the news as a people suffering from PTSD, political fatigue and just plain stress.
We all sure could use a Holiday break.
Did you spend weeks going without sleep and skipping meals to work for Senator Warnoff like I did? This last month and also in his last runoff election? If not, keep your snark to yourself.
Stop please. Everyone is exhausted. These midterms were brutal.
I have never seen so much negativity in Dr. Richardson's comment section. It's disheartening.
Ask yourself if you did all that in order to receive his recognition as the first thing on Warnock’s mind last night or if you did it because it was what you thought was the right thing to do
My snark is toward the motivation and the disservice that comes from it
Look, I’ve got no dog in this brouhaha. I was responding to a campaign worker who felt slighted because they didn’t get thanked in Warnock’s acceptance speech. That’s all. As an outsider, I’m thrilled he won. I know how hard everyone worked to fight the right wing money machine that helped keep Walker viable. So let’s leave it there, ok?
You do realize that if you comment you stand the chance of someone responding. All you had to do was "leave it there."
That track runs both ways, yes?
Mary Baine:
"he (Warnock) supports Trump's Title 42, e.g., which turns away asylum seekers at the border, against international law (and the Bible he preaches). But I'm very glad he won."
The population of these United States currently stands at roughly 370 million or so (on the books at least).
The population of the rest of the world? Around 7.8 billion people.
Of that population, roughly 70% of the human population is greatly impoverished. In fact, the words "greatly impoverished" cannot communicate the dire straights those people currently live under and with.
Now, that is entirely a human disasater. No doubt.
But, let's say we, the USA, open our doors and let in, tomorrow, all of those folks (0.7 * 7.8 Billion)?
That means, tomorrow, we let in 5.46 BILLION people who have no education, no place to live, no relatives to help them be fed, no relatives to help them find a place to live.
That means, tomorrow, 5.46 Billion people would be at your doorstep asking for help, and, appropriately because, well, your kind heart brought them here.
Now, me? I think that yours and my standard of living, which is fantastically, amazingly high by world standards (basically only Canada is better), is not irrelevant as part of the discussion around "immigrants".
IF we let in 5.46 Billion poor people tomorrow, well, we get points for good hearts, no doubt.
But, your standard of living will decline precipitously. You will no longer have time to read HCR or money to give her. All of your time and money will be gone to cloth and feed all the people living here who cannot do that for themselves upon finding themselves here without language skills or any other skills. Yes, they have to live with you because there are just too many people to build houses and high rises for.
So, what is my point?? Warnock is thinking for himself, not feeling for himself or pandering to those who have not thought through clearly the consequences of massive immigration of poor people without skill, money, language or helpful relatives.
Please re-read the inscription on the Statue of Liberty!!
A friend of mine who is a native of El Salvador once emphatically said me “Do you think I WANTED to leave my country, my mother and all of my family?” Let that sink in regarding this absurd scenario!
YES!!! Same with most of us whose ancestors made that same desperate choice. NO ONE leaves everyone and everything they've known to come here because life was so great where they were.
Those who believe in American exceptionalism are delusional! Thanks for your comment!
I openly admit humans have created dire straights with overpopulation.
But. Moving from one country to another is not a viable solution.
Maybe not but between climate, wars and in many cases economic conditions usually caused by the first two issues have caused massive human movement from one affected area to another. It’s mostly happened away from us BUT we are seeing it here as well as conditions south of us deteriorate. So instead of squabbling and infighting trying to look important, why not work together to actually solve the problem as best we all can? The theory IMHO, is to follow the money. Who profits from the world being in disarray?
Work together as countries? As people? Compromise? Consider others needs?
Intersting thought.
:-)
well... what else are they supposed to do?
Immigration is a much more complex picture than the one you paint. And our leadership has let this issue languish, and kicked down the road repeatedly. What we haven't done as much about is all of the US policies that reverberate negatively in other countries that contribute to them being dangerous places. The high standard of living that some Americans enjoy, is partly the result of our exploitation of resources in other countries, leaving many people in dire straits. We have also contributed to the rise of the drug lords, with our draconian drug policies, designed more to punish than help. Those groups of thugs make life untenable for many who then come to our shores, pick our produce, clean our houses, work in our factories to provide us with the things that make our lives good all at low pay without benefits.
And that's all before we even talk about growing environmental issues driving more and more people to leave their homes and seek new lives elsewhere. The pressure is only going to increase.
5.46 billion? Not exactly. The issue is complex. Covid is no longer a reason to hold those seeking asylum on the Mexican doorstep to the US but there currently is nothing to take its place. Why can't Congress dig deep and come up with a reasonable fix for this issue? We have been waiting decades.
Kathy, I also think Congress can't. or more likely won't, fix immigration because they are too busy working to remain in power.
Why can’t Congress? Not enough votes. Thats why
We cannot/do not even care for our own who are houseless. We need to get our act together and learn how to care for our own so that we can care for others.
Ugh.
Indigestion bothering you?
No, Mike S's bizarro-world nasty paranoid comment about refugees and immigrants bothered me.
Ye gods! No one has said a word about allowing 5.46billion people into this country. Exaggerating your point as you have makes it lack credibility.
Wait.
SPW, there is absolutely NOTHING stopping all 5.46 billion people from showing up at the southern border tomorrow. Except for their own ability to get there.
Right?
Wrong.
Given Kemp and the Republican majority legislature's ongoing efforts to suppress voting, I'm not the least surprised that they decided to take away the front of the line option for the disabled and elderly folks.
The fact that these efforts are so clearly aimed at reducing the number of voters tells us everything we need to know about how much they support American democracy.
You thanked them, Mim, and we thank you, too! Carry on, with more victories ahead!
Dear Mim, give him time, he saved his people, his state, the Senate, the nation, the free world, you and me... pretty good for one night: CREDiT Black women, not white historians.
You suggested I read his bio. I did
I suggest that those here who haven’t might consider learning more about who he is
he's no angel... and who is?
So happy the people of Georgia bit back!
And that was despite all the voter suppression (Sen. Warnock mentioned) and we ALL know was a big player in this election. Yay, Georgia!!!! Thank YOU!!!
Georgia tried as hard as Texas to suppress votes, it takes Herculean efforts to overcome, the evil trio of Texas did it better. Sorry, Beto. Don’t give up, you are needed.
Right?!!? We know it is so. If Beto couldn't win... something is truly rotten here.
Texas has a reconstruction constitution that makes many of its public offices elected positions, and this can confuse voters. Nonetheless, Greg Abbott has been able to accumulate much power in his position as governor, and he has more power than most governors of Texas have had historically. For the sake of Texans, I wish Abbott would deign to use his power to weatherize the power grid, but I am not holding my breath waiting for this to happen.
Now…Greene has to go. The Atlantic had an article about her. Weird woman.
Weird? She's alarming.
She and Lauren Boebert are both alarming.
Yes, but the truly alarming part is the number of Americans who support them. It’s not the candidates who are scary. It’s the magats. If the candidates were the problem, there would be an easy solution.
those numbers may be waning, as the pink splash instead of red wave shows us
Thank you and the other voters who showed your confidence with Sen. Warnock. I also agree it shouldn’t have been that close.
I do a tiny bit of work for, and donating to, DFA and Warnock’s election, and what it means to the Country and Georgia, is all the thanks I need. Many hands make the load light.
I agree with Mim: thank you, Robin!
Thanks for being one of those hands, Robin.
Those of us involved with these groups knew the work we did to re-elect him. As I tell those who do not have time to volunteer, just telling the reason you are voting Democratic in a respectful, civil tone to co-workers, family, neighbors and friends does a lot to plant the seed that the Democratic Party is working for the average man. Word of mouth endorsement is gold to candidates.
Thank you, Sally. 💙
It takes a village...Senator Warnock's support was countrywide, funds, postcards, speeches. Georgians turned out in droves, despite limited days to vote. It could have been otherwise - CSPAN radio yesterday morning asked for call-ins about which candidate should win. Gobsmacking, from the sublime to the ridiculous 'why ain't the press talking about the time he ran over his wife's foot?' So many people rightly targeted and decried the Republican strategy of choosing puppets who only know to read the script they are handed.
I sent money from Illinois and asked my very wealthy Governor to do so as well. I am thrilled and thank you for your work on the ground! I think everyone in the country who is sane appreciates your work!
Thank you, Linda.
Nonsense. His speech was very good.
Not wanting to throw rain on your parade of enthusiasm, this "win" was by a photo-finish. It is not a mandate; it is marginal. All true and well-meaning patriots -- Democrat, Republican and Independent -- must "muscle up" for 2024. "A win is a win" for now. This country cannot afford any slippage.
Who can know what the win would be if efforts to remove people from the rolls were not so widespread in Georgia.
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2021/04/19/georgias-voter-suppression-bill-is-an-assault-on-our-democracy/
However, the fact that so many Georgians voted for Walker does not speak well for them. I wonder how many were enthusiastically supporting him or whether they were basically holding their noses. Or were they assuming he would be the puppet of the White Supremacists running the party? Who knows, and now, who cares?
We must still care. They are still there. We must continue to be ready to contest them as each election comes and get out the blue vote going forward.
'Who can know what the win would be if efforts to remove people from the rolls were not so widespread in Georgia."
voter suppression isn't even hidden in some of these states... including GA. the fact that Warnock won at all by any margin means the efforts to accomplish that victory were huge.
Yes.
Admittedly, Warnock did not win by a mandate, but the impact is substantial on how the Senate can operate now.
Mim you are in GA; my understanding is Warnock's magrin approached 100,000 votes under conditions of multiple tactics to suppress 'early voting' (just 5 days. & just plain voting at anytime. This is the first "Midterm" that any President has held the Senate since FDR. Meanwhile more NARA classified documents have neen located near Trump's Florida home: Indictments on several fronts are coming.
Thanks, Bryan.
Thanks everyone good for me to hear that level appellate advocacy again; very good to have good people to doing diligent work.
Predicated on the following: Manchin and Sinema stick with the Democrats; or, a few Republicans cross over.