As Dr. Richardson says in today's letter, "... it actually seems that the primary difference between the two camps is between those who are living in a fictional world, created by generations of right-wing media, and those who are living in the real world, the so-called “reality-based community.” In life, who we listen to is profoundly important. Our society really has to address the big business of media misinformation and lies put forward as truth. It is antithetical to democracy, not only because it obfuscates facts and choices, but because it makes consensus building and fruitful communication impossible.
Unfortunately, I personally think the media is less of a problem than people make it out to be in 2020. The bigger issue plaguing society right now seems to be SOCIAL Media, and the ability for people to spread whatever misinformation they want to a group of not very savvy individuals who believe everything they read on said platforms. They also have the ability to join up with likeminded individuals from hundreds and thousands of miles away (which was not really easily possible before about 12 years ago), which often times gives them the false idea that their totally baseless thoughts and beliefs have validity and truth to them. It is also teaching people to be less empathetic and more brazen, without any sort of physical social norms to keep them grounded as they hide behind their keyboards spewing anger and hate, with little care for anyone else.
Garin W and Cathy Learoyd, you both must have watched the documentary "The Social Dilemma". Tristan Harris was interviewed on Bill Maher last night. It is scary how effective those algorithms are. I have a dear friend who falls hook, line, and sinker for it. She goes on about Joe Biden having dementia. Don't get me started on the pedophile claims. One of the craziest things was Joe Biden saying he was running against Bush. She claims she saw the clip. I have my doubts. I looked it up. There is a clip, however according to fact checkers the clip was doctored. I tried to tell her that. No luck. There is a great movie about the investigation into the Challenger Disaster. William Hurt played Richard Feynman. Bruce Greenwood played General Donald Kutyna, another member of the Commission. Feynman and Kutyna were having a discussion about Feynman's work with the Manhattan Project. As I recall from the movie, Feynman calculated how much uranium would be required for the "A bomb". He indicated it was a bad use of science. A good use of science is finding out why the Challenger exploded. That said using Social Media to turn people against one another is a bad use of Social Media. Social Media has good uses. It is how I found about HCR. Definitively, a good use of Social Media. Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who cannot think critically and they fall for the "created narrative".
Sharon, No, I didn't see the documentary you mention. I'm a technologist with a lot of curiosity about how things work. I bought a copy of the Commission's reports on the Challenger Disaster. Incredible reading. All the data was there to show they should not have launched on that cold day and the engineers knew it but the management wouldn't listen. One piece of chilling piece of information was the fact that the pilot's oxygen had been turned on. That's the job of the crew member sitting behind him. That meant the crew cabin was intact and the crew conscious as it plummeted back to earth. For me, the answer to the gullibility of all these people is education and, yes, the ability to think critically. Education has been defunded over the years and we're paying for it now. Actually, long before the Challenger Disaster, I had a VIP tour of the training facility in Houston. I got to climb inside a mock up of the shuttle. It made quite an impression on me.
Cathy, I love Feynman. He got right to the heart of the matter of everything he did. If he was here now, he'd probably have started the government (and the rest of us) working on climate change in the 1990s.
Quite a mind! On climate change it is disheartening that so many greedy people want to keep making buggy whips and fracking that have a limited future instead of moving to sustainable energy that will create good jobs for the immediate future.
The FAANG group of businesses probably has enough money right now to start moving everything to fossil free. They could devote all the negative energy on their platforms to this!
That mock-up is the shuttle trainer that was used to train all of the astronauts. It's now in the Museum of Flight in Seattle, where visitors can climb inside it.
I'm glad visitors get to climb inside. I remember standing on the flight deck looking out the aft windows over the sixty foot long bay. There was also another mock up of the cockpit in the vertical launch position to practice egress in case of a fire on the launch pad for one thing. Must have been around 1984 or so. Also, rode the bull at "Gilley's" that trip.
Sharon, I have watched the Social Dilemma, and it is equally fascinating and horrifying.
Cathy, as a technologist, you probably won’t be surprised by any of it and probably know a lot of it (as I did, because I am tech nerd hahaha) but you would enjoy it. Definitely an important watch for anyone who uses social media.
I have not looked into the Challenger stuff at all, as it happened before I was born, but I just recently saw that Netflix released a Docuseries on it, so I will definitely watch that soon. Sounds very interesting!
Cathy Learoyd,. I am so jealous you got a VIP tour of the training facility in Houston. I visited the Johnson Space Center in the mid-1980s. It was an interesting tour. My grandmother took us to see Apollo 11 blast off. We toured the Kennedy Space Center a day or so before the blast off
My son-in-law has been urging our family to abandon Facebook. We no longer feel comfortable sharing many photos, particularly of our 4 year old granddaughters. We certainly don't get news from Facebook, unless it is off a verified and trusted source. We would all leave now, but it would spell the end of many friendships around the world for all of us, particularly with the pandemic. And Twitter. Yikes. I think with the election over I will be abandoning Twitter again. I would love to see a secure and trustworthy site for families and friends to share.
I have never been on Facebook and I never will be. If it were ever clean, or if a clean alternative ever appeared, that’s a different story. Facebook is dirty, it is not a good thing.
The book is called "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" Like other books by/about him, it is a collection of stories that he told to one of his friends/grad students, and written down for the rest of us to enjoy. It was published in 1988 just after he died. Thanks for the movie reference. BBC production is interesting to note.
A major part of the problem with Social Media is the algorithms aimed at making more profit for the people buying ads which has the effect of putting us in bubbles of like-minded people distorting our world perspective.
Alternate reality created by the press, the powers that be and moneyed interests has been a salient fixture of of the development of America. You can start with Columbus and the Spanish conquest or just go back to the myths told about of the original "pristine, empty environment, the colonists, Native Americans or the mountaineer trappers and then move on to the rational for the fight for independence, for the Civil War and the opening of the West without even entering the 20th C never mind the 21st C and Trumpspeak. Just take a look for a moment at the importance of the cowboy, the gunslinger and the covered wagon pioneers in developing the American culture of self reliance, hardy individualism, economic success and social climbing. The dime novels and speculative interests created the major part of the narrative on the basis of a practically total fantasy and it hasn't gone away even now. Many of these myths were devised to give a more advantageous view of what really happened, to hide embarassing parts of history and to make a lot of money. What Heather does and her colleagues do at all levels when political and ideological censureship allows it....teaching history as it really happened and interpreting today in real terms....is what needs to be massively multiplied to bring the American people of all persuasions to life in REALITY. This cannot be achieved without an understanding, comprehension and acceptance of the past.
I have been joking that we need to hire every available cult de-programmer and put them to work immediately. We have a lot of citizens who are “media illiterate,” gullible, without critical analytical skills. No one is born with these skills; they can be taught. This isn’t on Biden’s list of core projects, but if they/we don’t address this issue, I am not sure there can be success with the other items on their important agenda.
We didn't use to have to train people on this as people had a good general culture acquired through reading ...which was both encouraged and facilitated. And now...internet commentaries replace individual thought and knowledge. Our collective unconscious has been subcontracted to Google etc and is lost somewhere in the "cloud" .
Stuart: " Our collective unconscious has been subcontracted..." Great line! Walter Ong, a McCluhanite, argued that the very technology we are constructing is, in turn, constructing us.
Oh! That made me recall that Marhall McLuhan’s “Understanding Media” was required reading in the summer of 1965, just before my freshmen at college. Good read.
I used to discuss current events with someone who worked at my institution. When it became clear he was misinformed I asked where he got his news. He answered that he never watched or read news. All his information came from his church pastor and he didn't need to know anything else. That attitude horrifies me.
Let's imagine that this "other" carries in it some truths important for Progressives to recognize and open to. Yes, given the well funded conservative talk radio/Fox News inundation with its propagandized often largely fictional "news", millions of people have been more or less captured by its narratives. Still, that suggests citizen vulnerability. A population largely, generally "happy" is, I suspect, unlikely to be vulnerable to BS that's targeted to vulnerabilities. We all want connection. We all want agency. We all want respect. We all want decent paying jobs. And some kind of "meaning". Think of our history the past 40 years. When has there been an event in which the "government (Republican or Democrat) demonstrated that it had your back in times of massive social trouble. BP & Exxon oil spills, New Orleans ravaged by Katrina, 2008 Wall Street crash, the poisoning of Flint's children and adults, the illegal Iraq War? The Opiod Epidemic. Where and when were the People treated decently and with respect? Who was "indulged" by the governmental stance/position in each of these cases? Where was the overwhelming uproar by the citizenry in witnessing our People getting the short shrift, the neglect in spite of these governments receiving our tax dollars (except those by blood sucking corporations paying zero in taxes). We need to drop a tendency to broad brush the "other" and penetrate deeper into how they came to vote as they did.
I fear that just as the far right has turned the word liberalism into something negative, it will also turn the phrase "reality-based community" into something Trump supporters will be afraid of. Maybe we need some T-shirts that say "Reality. It's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Or perhaps just, "GET REAL!"
We have a truly fundamental problem here, in that people are too-ready to eat mental garbage.
If I say in public, with witnesses present, that John Smith, that fellow right over there sitting on that park bench, is a (Communist Spy/Cannibal Pedophile/Space Alien Synthetic Human), and that we should all get together and kill him, and and John Smith comes to harm at our hands, there are a number of laws that might be used to prosecute me. Slander, incitement to riot, collusion, conspiracy....
If I say that "there are" (Communist Spies/etc.) and describe them in specific terms that look a whole lot like John Smith, and he comes to harm, there are probably some laws that cover the matter, depending on how specific the description was, and if it crossed the line on various racial/ethnic minorities.
If I get on television and tell a hundred million people that there are (Communist Spies/etc.) and describe them in general terms that resemble a whole lot of John Smiths, and some of them come to harm, there just might be some laws that cover this: hate crimes, perhaps. There might not. I don't know.
If I get on television and tell a hundred million people that there are (Communist Spies/etc.) without describing anything specific that would single out John Smith as one of them, and people who believe me decide for themselves that John Smith is one of them and he comes to harm, THEY get prosecuted, and I can't be touched by law. I'm protected by the First Amendment.
Now, I COULD be shut down by the television broadcaster. Just like I can -- in fact -- be fired by my corporate employer for making racist remarks in the workplace. They are quite clear about that.
But if my name is Alex Jones, or Rush Limbaugh, or Steve Bannon, or Tucker Carlson, my employer IS the broadcaster, the broadcaster isn't going to shut me down, because I have a "following," and they can sell the eyeballs of that following to advertisers. My demented talk represents big profits for them. No one -- no one -- in this chain cares about John Smith, who is now dead.
It's one of the fundamental flaws in unrestrained capitalism.
If I am a funeral home director, my bottom line benefits from dead bodies. It is in my economic self-interest to go out and make sure there are more dead bodies. It's not in my general interest, however, to go out and make sure there are more dead bodies, because murder is a crime, and it's hard to run a business from a jail cell.
It is in Rush Limbaugh's economic interest to promote madness and hate. Right now, there doesn't appear to be anything to counterbalance this.
Without doubt, every day between now and mid-January, 2021, will present significant challenges. None should be minimized.
I would, however, like to maximize the importance of two!
On January 5, 2021, there will be two run-off election contests that will take place for the TWO U.S. Senate seats in Georgia.
One contest juxtaposes Republican incumbent David Perdue with progressive Democratic Party challenger Jon Ossoff.
The other contest juxtaposes Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler with progressive Democratic Party challenger Raphael Warnock.
Both Democratic Party progressives have strong records and deserve big support!
How important are these two January 5 contests?
Currently, it appears that the Republican Party hold 50 seats in the U.S. Senate, while the Democratic Party holds 48. Given this configuration, Senate Majority Leader will be able to throttle all progressive legislation promoted by a Biden administration in the same way that McConnell strangled most progressive legislation proposed by the Obama administration.
Alternatively, if the two Democratic Party Senatorial candidates in Georgia win, the power balance in the U.S. Senate could dramatically and progressively shift. Each party would hold fifty seats. But when the two parties deadlock at 50 votes each, who settles that deadlock???
Spoiler alert: Vice President Kamala Harris!!!
Critical Involvement For All of Us between now and Jan. 5: Work for the victories of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock!!!
Thank you. This is where I’m turning my “Citizen Campaign Volunteer” efforts. I’d like to nominate Stacey Abrams for Empress of the Universe. Supported her gubernatorial campaign, admired her in facing loss with activist action, and have listened to her over the years with only increasing admiration. She has proven the value of grassroots organizing. Her contribution helped elect the first female VP Kamala Harris. My God, that makes me so HAPPY. Thank you, Stacey. I’m with you all the way. Whatever you want. ❤️🤍💙
It will be impossible to even begin to unify the nation when so many are actively, and effectively, working against that end. Besides the talk radio/disinformation industrial
complex, Congressional Republicans have no intention of acknowledging the will of the majority of voters. Their primary goal, as with Obama, will be to make Biden fail. To me, that is the very definition of treason, and that is the very definition of Mitch McConnell.
The people who most toss around the term “patriot” are the least worthy to wear it.
I never understood why when the news came out that McConnell had vowed on election night not to let Obama get anything done, why was he not held on charges of treason, or the very least, breaking his oath of office.
That had all the hallmarks of a really bad fall. My mother at his age would bruise that bad. It was how we found out she was falling & needed a walker.
I wonder just how much hassle McConnell &, apparently Graham, can cause with Biden's selecting a cabinet. CAN they prevent him from putting the people in place that NEED to be there? I admit I am VERY ignorant as to what can & cant be done, but I never realized (or paid attention) to how the cabinet is put in place!
And if all else fails, he can appoint in rotation. Have a pair of people for each cabinet position so they can work in concert. When one is the acting member the other is there as an advisor, constantly involved so as to be always in the loop. When the time is up for the acting the other slides into the role. And on and on. The transitions back and forth would be seamless and could continue legally as long as necessary. As they say: 2 can play this game.
Morning, all!! kim @kimflum on Twitter commented: "I was so disappointed Tuesday night that it was not a landslide. And then I realized: If you took out all the voter suppression, disinformation, breaking the Postal Service, and other miscellaneous villainy and cheating, it is a landslide."
While the relevance of DT is receding in my mind, it is being replaced with relief that JB is starting to fill the void of leadership after four very long years. Even so, the question now becomes will we become a united country again when we see the Democrats beginning to break into the progressive far left versus the moderates and when we see the Republicans being stoked by the right wing promoting the conspiracy theory that the election is illegitimate. Both Parties now must now decide who they are. For the moment, my focus will be on the two Georgia Senate run-off elections and supporting Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock. The goal is to get the other dangerous authoritarian, Senator McConnell, out of the role of Majority Leader.
Heather thanks for the summation. As we all wait for the gavel to come down on Trumps Presidency, I am curious as to why this election has not been called. My take is, as the votes continue to be counted on Bidens side, they are building the case for Trump to resolve to the fact he lost and close the book on this to prevent him from more frivolous lawsuits. Are they really just catering to a frail ego of an old man? I feel this process of sheltering him from the truth is doing no one any favors. The blazing irony of not wanting to hurt the feelings of the man who endorsed separating children from families, constant disrespect of the military and lack of action in a free fall pandemic is rich. Will he freak out and become, if its even possible, more irrational, ofcourse he will. He needs to be removed now, not wait for January. We need to just rip the God damn bandaid off. I want so badly to be able to tell him to his face, buckle up buttercup, you lost, move on . This Nation needs to heal, starting today.
Here’s my guess as to why it has not been called, by state:
Georgia- It’s close and unlikely to get less close. It will be getting a recount.
Pennsylvania- I have heard speculation that the networks are waiting for Biden’s lead to get over 0.5%, which I think is Pennsylvania’s cut-off for an automatic recount. Biden is now at 0.43%, so hopefully this will happen today.
Arizona- mail ballots were counted first, so Biden had an early, large lead, causing Fox and the AP to call it, but as the rest of the ballots have come in, Biden’s lead has decreased. It still looks like Biden will win here, but I think the early call of Arizona is looking more shaky than it originally was.
Nevada- Nevada should have been called by now. Biden has a clear lead, and the remaining votes that need to be counted are mostly from Clark count, which is democratic. However, Nevada plus Arizona is enough to put Biden at precisely 270 electoral votes, so if a network has already called Arizona, calling Nevada will effectively mean calling the election as a whole, and they are not ready to do that with Arizona still feeling shaky. So they are putting off calling Nevada.
My guess is that when Biden gets a lead of 0.5% in Pennsylvania, the networks will call both Pennsylvania and Nevada, side-stepping the whole question of Arizona.
Yes, I, too, believe that the these states have not called for either candidate because they want to be absolutely clear that all votes have been counted properly. And, let's hope that Biden hits the magical 0.5% today!
I agree with your very detailed account. Thank you for getting into the mathematical weeds. I can’t help thinking that this refusal to call is putting more poll workers in danger by keeping the spotlight on their job. Alas. ❤️🤍💙
The indepth reporting and watching the process has been good for me. In elections past when races were called early in the process it almost seemed disrespectful. I also learned what a patchwork of election law exists around the country. For many across the country it seems to be disenfranchised and a real moving target.
How long does it take Oregon to count it's ballots?
I think around 80% of registered voted although I would have to check the exact percentage. We are mail in, so the percentages were pretty high even before Nov. 3. We did put ours in an inside drop box for the first time and we could see when our ballot was ready for counting. Two groups today in Salem on opposite sides. The city has warned businesses and people downtown. I hope nothing happens. Citizens are automatically registered when they visit the DMV and have the option to opt out.
My hope is that DT will tweet something heinous enough on Twitter that they will ban him forever. And that could silence him quite a bit for the next couple of months.
I believe the states are trying to be as accurate as possible so there are no questions about the results. But I am concerned that the linger it takes the more trouble DJT can cause. HOPE 💙🇺🇸
"Tonight, with Harris beside him, Biden spoke to the nation. He acknowledged it is frustrating not to have a declared winner in the election, but urged people to be patient as election workers count every ballot: a process at the center of our democracy." HCR
For the first time in 4 years, I heard the voice of reason, sanity, maturity, and leadership tonight. Biden's words spoke to me, reassured me, and gave me hope. That he and Kamala are already deeply involved in what should be done about Covid and other pressing issues revealed a trait of leadership which we have lacked in this administration.
Amid the fears and trepidations of 45's threats, may the Force be with us, with Biden and Harris, with our beloved country and every beautifully singular and diverse citizen.
And I am very thankful that Biden and Harris stepped up to do this Herculean task. It may take them 4 years. We must continue to do our part - even if it is not listening to the noise or to continue to correct the lies where we can.
Just read your LinkedIn profile. Did sense the coach in you when I answered with my MBTI in one reply. My corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation, used Myers-Briggs extensively. As a Group Engineering Manager I could morph easily into management mode ENTJ from my engineering mode INTP.
So, if all these Political Leaders are light-weights and not serving their constituents, is there a world leader that you think is doing a commendable job leading their country.? How would you increase the well-being of all individuals in one's country and the world? I keep looking for a "visionary" because the future is going to be so different than what we have today. Lots of things to weigh in preparing and forming our future of well-being for all.
Cathy, you are quite right to look for the visionary....but one that has a vision for the people and the nation and not just for the nation and him/herself. Such larger than life leaders are very thin on the ground these days. I feel in many advanced countries those contending for high office are interesting only in extending and furthering their personal career as politics has become much of that...just a job with very significant priviledges.....but oh dear, aren't they boring and useless Once they get there, they are not too sure what to do with it and are certainly not equiped to rise to the challenges that face them in a way that would necessarily benefit the people. I saw an excellent, french mini-series on De Gaulle last week and it underlined very clearly what we no longer have.....true tough, visionary, pragmatic and humane leadership for the people capable of changing the world as we know it in ways that do not resemble Trump in any way, shape or form.
How to change the world to improve the welfare of the people is far too big a question . Many books have been written and still not enough published to answer the question. My thoughts.....my mind almost goes blank wondering which subject to hit first, which is the key log to break the damn and where is the "clé de voute" (Top-center stone sealing in place a free standing arch).
I now content myself just taking each day as it comes and making sure my life is thereby following the ever-existing piece of string that I vaguely perceive laid out before me, stepping through the new doors as they open on my road and and helping those around me who ask to do likewise. .......and when asked what I think about what's going on, be it political, historical, economic or psycholgical, or whatever else comes to mind concerning the workings of the world, humanity and the senses, I answer and listen to what comes back. ( I am Scorpion with ascendant Gemini as my wife keeps pointing out to me.....quite normal in astrological terms, if that should mean anything to you). That in itself, if everybody did it, would massively improve our collective wellfare and wellbeing. Our children and their children will have to figure out the rest.
The MBTI is important to me as I was quite involved in both its use as a professional and in the management and promotion of the instruement throughout the world, including the training of people to use it properly and defending it against improper use and often useless academic criticism. The MBTI talks to people and allows them to recognize how they function and develop over the years. It doesn't help you discover everything about yourself but it helps you improve life. It is also extremely useful in groups of people evolving or working together as it encourages both a certain maturity in oneself and a much better understanding of the other. Not bad in life, business or indeed elsewhere and communication between all these spheres. Finally, it is not rare for the "P" to be able to function as a "J" in business as elsewhere as the world is really organized for the "J" and thus the "Ps" have little choice but to adapt and learn. The "J", however, has very significant difficulty functioning as a "P". Life can be tough on the "J" too despite society's preferences ....thank goodness for small mercies!
Stuart, thank you for your thoughtful reply. Loved your analogy of needing to find the keystone, clé de voute. I'm an online course junky and was a mentor for The Age of Cathedrals course taught by Yale Professor Howard Bloch, Sterling Professor of French. It felt so good to get out of this century for brief respites and enter the 12th century. In my semi-retirement here in rural Texas, I keep my 3D mind busy with a home design business. So the architecture of the cathedrals was so fascinating -- that they built those structures without a measuring tape and just pure geometry. The drawings of the Master Mason were scaled to the site by using two compasses - a small one and then a larger waist high one. Ten turns on the small compass, then take that distance and go 15 turns with the larger compass at the site and you have scaled the drawing by 150 times.
One time we had a MBTI session with my boss and his staff. There were only two P's in the group and the facilitator had the two of us carry on a conversation in front of the rest of the group. It was fascinating to see how our language and perspective were very different from the J's. For me there is no problem too big to try to tackle. That's what M.I.T. alums are expected to do and the mission of M.I.T. At Digital we knew we were changing the world and we did. Making the Internet democratic and accessible to all, for one, - net neutrality.
I'm a third generation Taurus on my father's side. And, if you like numerology I'm a perfect square - 2 squared + 5 squared = 7 squared. That's month - day - year format.
So, the keystone I'm exploring is having our governments measure all policies and legislation with a Well-Being Index like Great Britain is doing rather than or at least equal to GNP.
So, including historical figures who would be on your most admired list? De Gaulle? Gandhi? Mandela? I wish more politicians turned into statesmen like LBJ did in the 60s. But, that seems quite rare because of the legalized corruption of our "representatives" by big money.
For me, I like the Native American philosophy that one's wealth is measured by one's generosity. And, in that, I feel a very strong sense of destiny that is linked to the Oglala Lakota but still trying to figure out what that might be but feel everything I've been doing in life is somehow preparing me for it.
In the mean time, I'll keep looking for the "visionary" we need. May you have a peaceful day.
Yes, the work will begin! Under clear and thoughtful policy that hopefully will bring our America together. Especially our underserved, disenfranchised Americans of color. I hope my precious 2 little biracial grandsons will have a chance to make a good life for themselves here in OUR United States. I'm ready for the hard work ahead. Especially when it comes to healing our divisions and just being kind and decent to each other again. I said in a prior post...you are all 'wicked smart' people and have been the best traveling companions one could ever ask for. Blessings to all of you and to our indefatigable Dr. Richardson for her tireless work guiding us through living history.
And BBC and the AP. Yes, Honk! Honk! Honk! And KAMALA is the next Vice President of the United States. Can't wait to see the celebration this evening. So relieved.
Tonight I'll raise a glass to you all for the mutual community spirit, enrichment and support given to us all in the last month. A particular toast will be on our lips to Heather and her indispensable clarity and lucidity making a way through the fog guided by the light that she has always seen and to which she has guided us all.
Crowd at Black Lives Matter Plaza is growing exponentially with happy people. It is so loud they are drowning out the reporters trying to report the news of the new President-Elect Biden! Estimated size is 700 people right at Lafayette Square, but folks keep streaming in from every corner.
Trump finally brought a bigger crowd to DC than Obama did.
When Harry Cohn, the Monster of Columbia Studios, died, the event saw one of the biggest crowds in Hollywood history. When Ava Gardner commented on this to Frank Sinatra, he replied, "Give the people what they want...."
“It’s time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home. I honest-to-God believe that the vast majority of Americans are done with the chaos, the corruption, the failure, the irresponsibility, the indifference to American lives, the indifference to America’s dignity.” - Joe Biden
Early this afternoon I was sitting on the front lawn of my son’s home in West Philly, enjoying time with my 2 grandchildren. I learned the Pennsylvania had been called for Biden in typical West Philly fashion — by the cars with Biden/Harris campaign signs driving through the neighborhood honking their horns. No TV newscast, no radio broadcast, no internet post, not even a “we interrupt this broadcast with the following breaking news.” Instantly and wordlessly, everyone in West Philly knew that Pennsylvania had been called for Joe Biden.
My 8 yr-old heard a "WHOOHOO!" outside, and immediately I knew. Soon there followed more cheering, pot banging and morning fireworks in our neighborhood! (in Portland, OR)
Has anyone else noticed, but finally, in Joe Biden, America has our sorely needed ‘Functional Adult’.
At his visionary speech last night, he basically stated, ‘While we may disagree, we do not need to be enemies’. To state this, he has lived this.
I feel that at long last, America has a true ‘elder’ to lead us. A man who has long grieved and long loved, who sees in every one of his own reflection (his deep sou). We finally have a politician who understands the pain America faces, and deals with his own pain and loss. Well, imho, I see many elders in black America, born through the mere struggle of existence in this society. So many leaders in the civil rights struggle, epitomized by the recently departed Lowry, Vivian and Lewis.
Truly, can you think of another white American male, in public life, who the entire nation can see as the father and grandfather that we all wished for? Yes, Anthony Fauci. Who else?
I know America is divided, but this man, Joe Biden, gets it. He sees our division, and knows there is much more in life than our political differences. He has lived through decades of differences, and has many deep friendships with his ‘adversaries.’ I think of his relationship with the late John McCain as an example.
This man, Joe Biden, is the perfect person for this time in America, and in the world. imho, the father and grandfather that we all hoped for.
I thank you for honoring the man who has "lived". And, he's a man who uses his own life experiences to understand the suffering that this country is experiencing now. I hope his life experience will help him to lead us out of the darkness of our pain and loss.
May you live in interesting times—a Chinese curse. 4 years of the cursed 🤡 is hopefully over in January. I am looking forward to seeing and hearing adult behavior from people who are serious about public service.
Now we know how the Munchkins felt in Munchkinland when Dorothy and her house liberated them! NOW the work begins trying to heal the divisions. Also, in Georgia we know now that for the next 2 months WE are going to be the centre of the American political universe for deciding those last 2 Senate seats on January 5th. There is no understating the importance of these seats...it could mean the Senate ending up 48-52, or 49-51, or 50-50 with VP Harris being the deciding vote. My guess is that Stacey Abrams--who we owe a LOT to for helping turn GA blue!--will be diligently working to get all the voters who voted for Biden out to do it one more time, especially with one of the candidates being Black. But, for now, PARTYYYYYYY!! Wine in the fridge for later...
Hi Bruce, I've complimented you on your writing before. Being in Georgia you might have some access to Stacey Abrams. Is she aware of HCR's Letters? There are probably many readers of these letters who would like to help in the runoff election. Could you offer some leadership in connecting the Fair Fight group with the HCR group? It is that important.
THANKS, Burt! I can't say that I have any more access to Abrams than anyone else might. Abrams is a highly intelligent, educated woman and I'm pretty sure she also has a very keen awareness of history. I'm hearing from friends on Facebook too wanting to know what they might be able to do to help. I can't say much specifically at this point, but I'm sure over the next few days and weeks more specific things will become apparent. Right off the top of my head, I don't know specific links and such. Once I find them out I will certainly not hesitate to pass them along on here. We HAVE to keep this momentum going. Georgians are ready!!
As Dr. Richardson says in today's letter, "... it actually seems that the primary difference between the two camps is between those who are living in a fictional world, created by generations of right-wing media, and those who are living in the real world, the so-called “reality-based community.” In life, who we listen to is profoundly important. Our society really has to address the big business of media misinformation and lies put forward as truth. It is antithetical to democracy, not only because it obfuscates facts and choices, but because it makes consensus building and fruitful communication impossible.
Unfortunately, I personally think the media is less of a problem than people make it out to be in 2020. The bigger issue plaguing society right now seems to be SOCIAL Media, and the ability for people to spread whatever misinformation they want to a group of not very savvy individuals who believe everything they read on said platforms. They also have the ability to join up with likeminded individuals from hundreds and thousands of miles away (which was not really easily possible before about 12 years ago), which often times gives them the false idea that their totally baseless thoughts and beliefs have validity and truth to them. It is also teaching people to be less empathetic and more brazen, without any sort of physical social norms to keep them grounded as they hide behind their keyboards spewing anger and hate, with little care for anyone else.
Garin W and Cathy Learoyd, you both must have watched the documentary "The Social Dilemma". Tristan Harris was interviewed on Bill Maher last night. It is scary how effective those algorithms are. I have a dear friend who falls hook, line, and sinker for it. She goes on about Joe Biden having dementia. Don't get me started on the pedophile claims. One of the craziest things was Joe Biden saying he was running against Bush. She claims she saw the clip. I have my doubts. I looked it up. There is a clip, however according to fact checkers the clip was doctored. I tried to tell her that. No luck. There is a great movie about the investigation into the Challenger Disaster. William Hurt played Richard Feynman. Bruce Greenwood played General Donald Kutyna, another member of the Commission. Feynman and Kutyna were having a discussion about Feynman's work with the Manhattan Project. As I recall from the movie, Feynman calculated how much uranium would be required for the "A bomb". He indicated it was a bad use of science. A good use of science is finding out why the Challenger exploded. That said using Social Media to turn people against one another is a bad use of Social Media. Social Media has good uses. It is how I found about HCR. Definitively, a good use of Social Media. Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who cannot think critically and they fall for the "created narrative".
Sharon, No, I didn't see the documentary you mention. I'm a technologist with a lot of curiosity about how things work. I bought a copy of the Commission's reports on the Challenger Disaster. Incredible reading. All the data was there to show they should not have launched on that cold day and the engineers knew it but the management wouldn't listen. One piece of chilling piece of information was the fact that the pilot's oxygen had been turned on. That's the job of the crew member sitting behind him. That meant the crew cabin was intact and the crew conscious as it plummeted back to earth. For me, the answer to the gullibility of all these people is education and, yes, the ability to think critically. Education has been defunded over the years and we're paying for it now. Actually, long before the Challenger Disaster, I had a VIP tour of the training facility in Houston. I got to climb inside a mock up of the shuttle. It made quite an impression on me.
Cathy, I love Feynman. He got right to the heart of the matter of everything he did. If he was here now, he'd probably have started the government (and the rest of us) working on climate change in the 1990s.
Quite a mind! On climate change it is disheartening that so many greedy people want to keep making buggy whips and fracking that have a limited future instead of moving to sustainable energy that will create good jobs for the immediate future.
The FAANG group of businesses probably has enough money right now to start moving everything to fossil free. They could devote all the negative energy on their platforms to this!
That mock-up is the shuttle trainer that was used to train all of the astronauts. It's now in the Museum of Flight in Seattle, where visitors can climb inside it.
I'm glad visitors get to climb inside. I remember standing on the flight deck looking out the aft windows over the sixty foot long bay. There was also another mock up of the cockpit in the vertical launch position to practice egress in case of a fire on the launch pad for one thing. Must have been around 1984 or so. Also, rode the bull at "Gilley's" that trip.
Sharon, I have watched the Social Dilemma, and it is equally fascinating and horrifying.
Cathy, as a technologist, you probably won’t be surprised by any of it and probably know a lot of it (as I did, because I am tech nerd hahaha) but you would enjoy it. Definitely an important watch for anyone who uses social media.
I have not looked into the Challenger stuff at all, as it happened before I was born, but I just recently saw that Netflix released a Docuseries on it, so I will definitely watch that soon. Sounds very interesting!
Garmin W, the Netflix docuseries on Challenger is great too.
Cathy Learoyd,. I am so jealous you got a VIP tour of the training facility in Houston. I visited the Johnson Space Center in the mid-1980s. It was an interesting tour. My grandmother took us to see Apollo 11 blast off. We toured the Kennedy Space Center a day or so before the blast off
My son-in-law has been urging our family to abandon Facebook. We no longer feel comfortable sharing many photos, particularly of our 4 year old granddaughters. We certainly don't get news from Facebook, unless it is off a verified and trusted source. We would all leave now, but it would spell the end of many friendships around the world for all of us, particularly with the pandemic. And Twitter. Yikes. I think with the election over I will be abandoning Twitter again. I would love to see a secure and trustworthy site for families and friends to share.
Look into MeWe
I have never been on Facebook and I never will be. If it were ever clean, or if a clean alternative ever appeared, that’s a different story. Facebook is dirty, it is not a good thing.
I just finished reading Feynma's account of working on the Challenger disaster, but have never heard of that movie. What is it called?
Robin Jett, I want to read that book. The movie is called "The Challenger Disaster". It was produced by the BBC. I found the movie on Amazon Prime.
The book is called "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" Like other books by/about him, it is a collection of stories that he told to one of his friends/grad students, and written down for the rest of us to enjoy. It was published in 1988 just after he died. Thanks for the movie reference. BBC production is interesting to note.
I wasn't aware of the movie either. Just found the trailer on Youtube. The title is "The Challenger Disaster" appropriately...
Thanks.
Interesting Sharon, it is unfortunate social media has been used to divide and keep communities far apart. Thanks, Don
Yes, D Munson, I agree it is unfortunate social media has been used to divide
A major part of the problem with Social Media is the algorithms aimed at making more profit for the people buying ads which has the effect of putting us in bubbles of like-minded people distorting our world perspective.
So true.
Alternate reality created by the press, the powers that be and moneyed interests has been a salient fixture of of the development of America. You can start with Columbus and the Spanish conquest or just go back to the myths told about of the original "pristine, empty environment, the colonists, Native Americans or the mountaineer trappers and then move on to the rational for the fight for independence, for the Civil War and the opening of the West without even entering the 20th C never mind the 21st C and Trumpspeak. Just take a look for a moment at the importance of the cowboy, the gunslinger and the covered wagon pioneers in developing the American culture of self reliance, hardy individualism, economic success and social climbing. The dime novels and speculative interests created the major part of the narrative on the basis of a practically total fantasy and it hasn't gone away even now. Many of these myths were devised to give a more advantageous view of what really happened, to hide embarassing parts of history and to make a lot of money. What Heather does and her colleagues do at all levels when political and ideological censureship allows it....teaching history as it really happened and interpreting today in real terms....is what needs to be massively multiplied to bring the American people of all persuasions to life in REALITY. This cannot be achieved without an understanding, comprehension and acceptance of the past.
I have been joking that we need to hire every available cult de-programmer and put them to work immediately. We have a lot of citizens who are “media illiterate,” gullible, without critical analytical skills. No one is born with these skills; they can be taught. This isn’t on Biden’s list of core projects, but if they/we don’t address this issue, I am not sure there can be success with the other items on their important agenda.
We didn't use to have to train people on this as people had a good general culture acquired through reading ...which was both encouraged and facilitated. And now...internet commentaries replace individual thought and knowledge. Our collective unconscious has been subcontracted to Google etc and is lost somewhere in the "cloud" .
Stuart: " Our collective unconscious has been subcontracted..." Great line! Walter Ong, a McCluhanite, argued that the very technology we are constructing is, in turn, constructing us.
Oh! That made me recall that Marhall McLuhan’s “Understanding Media” was required reading in the summer of 1965, just before my freshmen at college. Good read.
I’ve been saying all along that the most important course that should be taught in school is deductive reasoning. Without that, nothing else matters.
I used to discuss current events with someone who worked at my institution. When it became clear he was misinformed I asked where he got his news. He answered that he never watched or read news. All his information came from his church pastor and he didn't need to know anything else. That attitude horrifies me.
Let's imagine that this "other" carries in it some truths important for Progressives to recognize and open to. Yes, given the well funded conservative talk radio/Fox News inundation with its propagandized often largely fictional "news", millions of people have been more or less captured by its narratives. Still, that suggests citizen vulnerability. A population largely, generally "happy" is, I suspect, unlikely to be vulnerable to BS that's targeted to vulnerabilities. We all want connection. We all want agency. We all want respect. We all want decent paying jobs. And some kind of "meaning". Think of our history the past 40 years. When has there been an event in which the "government (Republican or Democrat) demonstrated that it had your back in times of massive social trouble. BP & Exxon oil spills, New Orleans ravaged by Katrina, 2008 Wall Street crash, the poisoning of Flint's children and adults, the illegal Iraq War? The Opiod Epidemic. Where and when were the People treated decently and with respect? Who was "indulged" by the governmental stance/position in each of these cases? Where was the overwhelming uproar by the citizenry in witnessing our People getting the short shrift, the neglect in spite of these governments receiving our tax dollars (except those by blood sucking corporations paying zero in taxes). We need to drop a tendency to broad brush the "other" and penetrate deeper into how they came to vote as they did.
I fear that just as the far right has turned the word liberalism into something negative, it will also turn the phrase "reality-based community" into something Trump supporters will be afraid of. Maybe we need some T-shirts that say "Reality. It's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Or perhaps just, "GET REAL!"
The right turned on the word “liberal” in the 80s, under Reagan and his communications strategist, Grover Norquist.
otoh, we liberals do not have the clear language for a ‘liberal government’ that assures ‘liberty and justice for all'
I love "Reality-Based Community"
Or maybe: “Reality, it’s not all that bad.”
There are several VERY good ideas for t shirts from various commenters on this blog! Or maybe plaques to hand on the wall??
This is Heather at her most cutting. :)
We have a truly fundamental problem here, in that people are too-ready to eat mental garbage.
If I say in public, with witnesses present, that John Smith, that fellow right over there sitting on that park bench, is a (Communist Spy/Cannibal Pedophile/Space Alien Synthetic Human), and that we should all get together and kill him, and and John Smith comes to harm at our hands, there are a number of laws that might be used to prosecute me. Slander, incitement to riot, collusion, conspiracy....
If I say that "there are" (Communist Spies/etc.) and describe them in specific terms that look a whole lot like John Smith, and he comes to harm, there are probably some laws that cover the matter, depending on how specific the description was, and if it crossed the line on various racial/ethnic minorities.
If I get on television and tell a hundred million people that there are (Communist Spies/etc.) and describe them in general terms that resemble a whole lot of John Smiths, and some of them come to harm, there just might be some laws that cover this: hate crimes, perhaps. There might not. I don't know.
If I get on television and tell a hundred million people that there are (Communist Spies/etc.) without describing anything specific that would single out John Smith as one of them, and people who believe me decide for themselves that John Smith is one of them and he comes to harm, THEY get prosecuted, and I can't be touched by law. I'm protected by the First Amendment.
Now, I COULD be shut down by the television broadcaster. Just like I can -- in fact -- be fired by my corporate employer for making racist remarks in the workplace. They are quite clear about that.
But if my name is Alex Jones, or Rush Limbaugh, or Steve Bannon, or Tucker Carlson, my employer IS the broadcaster, the broadcaster isn't going to shut me down, because I have a "following," and they can sell the eyeballs of that following to advertisers. My demented talk represents big profits for them. No one -- no one -- in this chain cares about John Smith, who is now dead.
It's one of the fundamental flaws in unrestrained capitalism.
If I am a funeral home director, my bottom line benefits from dead bodies. It is in my economic self-interest to go out and make sure there are more dead bodies. It's not in my general interest, however, to go out and make sure there are more dead bodies, because murder is a crime, and it's hard to run a business from a jail cell.
It is in Rush Limbaugh's economic interest to promote madness and hate. Right now, there doesn't appear to be anything to counterbalance this.
There needs to be.
Heather,
Great column!
Without doubt, every day between now and mid-January, 2021, will present significant challenges. None should be minimized.
I would, however, like to maximize the importance of two!
On January 5, 2021, there will be two run-off election contests that will take place for the TWO U.S. Senate seats in Georgia.
One contest juxtaposes Republican incumbent David Perdue with progressive Democratic Party challenger Jon Ossoff.
The other contest juxtaposes Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler with progressive Democratic Party challenger Raphael Warnock.
Both Democratic Party progressives have strong records and deserve big support!
How important are these two January 5 contests?
Currently, it appears that the Republican Party hold 50 seats in the U.S. Senate, while the Democratic Party holds 48. Given this configuration, Senate Majority Leader will be able to throttle all progressive legislation promoted by a Biden administration in the same way that McConnell strangled most progressive legislation proposed by the Obama administration.
Alternatively, if the two Democratic Party Senatorial candidates in Georgia win, the power balance in the U.S. Senate could dramatically and progressively shift. Each party would hold fifty seats. But when the two parties deadlock at 50 votes each, who settles that deadlock???
Spoiler alert: Vice President Kamala Harris!!!
Critical Involvement For All of Us between now and Jan. 5: Work for the victories of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock!!!
Thank you. This is where I’m turning my “Citizen Campaign Volunteer” efforts. I’d like to nominate Stacey Abrams for Empress of the Universe. Supported her gubernatorial campaign, admired her in facing loss with activist action, and have listened to her over the years with only increasing admiration. She has proven the value of grassroots organizing. Her contribution helped elect the first female VP Kamala Harris. My God, that makes me so HAPPY. Thank you, Stacey. I’m with you all the way. Whatever you want. ❤️🤍💙
She is a wonderful human being. I second your nomination.
Those who want to flip the Senate by getting Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock elected might consider supporting them via these organizations:
https://warnockforgeorgia.com/take-action/
https://electjon.com/
https://fairfight.com/join-our-fight/ [This is the organization founded by Stacey Abrams.]
https://www.gapostcard.org/
https://www.georgiademocrat.org/
https://www.theyseeblue.com/georgia
https://newgeorgiaproject.org/
There is also this new Facebook group that you can join:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ossoffwarnock
We intend to donate very soon.
Thanks, Michele.
That's a fantastic list of sites, Mim. Thank you, and I'll donate when I'm able to do so.
Thank you, Laureen.
YES! YES! The Donald ought to appreciate this cliffhanger at the end of the final season of his fictional-based show, the "The Twitathon."
Perfect title/name for the past 4 years! Twitathon!!!
Yes: Biden is hamstrung without Dem control--however shaky--of the Senate.
It will be impossible to even begin to unify the nation when so many are actively, and effectively, working against that end. Besides the talk radio/disinformation industrial
complex, Congressional Republicans have no intention of acknowledging the will of the majority of voters. Their primary goal, as with Obama, will be to make Biden fail. To me, that is the very definition of treason, and that is the very definition of Mitch McConnell.
The people who most toss around the term “patriot” are the least worthy to wear it.
I never understood why when the news came out that McConnell had vowed on election night not to let Obama get anything done, why was he not held on charges of treason, or the very least, breaking his oath of office.
How are McConnell's actions not Obstruction?
Exactly. He has held this country hostage since 2008.
Can you imagine a life dedicated to destroying anyone who does not have your belief system? The man must be dark and rotten inside.
Still wondering what that dark arm & cyanotic lips were about. Dark & Rotten showing on the surface?
That had all the hallmarks of a really bad fall. My mother at his age would bruise that bad. It was how we found out she was falling & needed a walker.
?
I wonder just how much hassle McConnell &, apparently Graham, can cause with Biden's selecting a cabinet. CAN they prevent him from putting the people in place that NEED to be there? I admit I am VERY ignorant as to what can & cant be done, but I never realized (or paid attention) to how the cabinet is put in place!
He can do as tRump did and appoint temporary folks. We only need to wait until after the Georgia senate run off elections.
And if all else fails, he can appoint in rotation. Have a pair of people for each cabinet position so they can work in concert. When one is the acting member the other is there as an advisor, constantly involved so as to be always in the loop. When the time is up for the acting the other slides into the role. And on and on. The transitions back and forth would be seamless and could continue legally as long as necessary. As they say: 2 can play this game.
Well, THAT sounds like a pretty good idea! Wouldnt that frost the Repbs !
Maggie, Cabinet positions are approved by the Senate. Yeah, that has "problem" written all over it as far as I'm concerned.
Morning, all!! kim @kimflum on Twitter commented: "I was so disappointed Tuesday night that it was not a landslide. And then I realized: If you took out all the voter suppression, disinformation, breaking the Postal Service, and other miscellaneous villainy and cheating, it is a landslide."
While the relevance of DT is receding in my mind, it is being replaced with relief that JB is starting to fill the void of leadership after four very long years. Even so, the question now becomes will we become a united country again when we see the Democrats beginning to break into the progressive far left versus the moderates and when we see the Republicans being stoked by the right wing promoting the conspiracy theory that the election is illegitimate. Both Parties now must now decide who they are. For the moment, my focus will be on the two Georgia Senate run-off elections and supporting Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock. The goal is to get the other dangerous authoritarian, Senator McConnell, out of the role of Majority Leader.
Cathy Learoyd, I agree! We need to get Ossoff and Warnock in the Senate, because getting rid of Mitch would be huge!
Heather thanks for the summation. As we all wait for the gavel to come down on Trumps Presidency, I am curious as to why this election has not been called. My take is, as the votes continue to be counted on Bidens side, they are building the case for Trump to resolve to the fact he lost and close the book on this to prevent him from more frivolous lawsuits. Are they really just catering to a frail ego of an old man? I feel this process of sheltering him from the truth is doing no one any favors. The blazing irony of not wanting to hurt the feelings of the man who endorsed separating children from families, constant disrespect of the military and lack of action in a free fall pandemic is rich. Will he freak out and become, if its even possible, more irrational, ofcourse he will. He needs to be removed now, not wait for January. We need to just rip the God damn bandaid off. I want so badly to be able to tell him to his face, buckle up buttercup, you lost, move on . This Nation needs to heal, starting today.
Here’s my guess as to why it has not been called, by state:
Georgia- It’s close and unlikely to get less close. It will be getting a recount.
Pennsylvania- I have heard speculation that the networks are waiting for Biden’s lead to get over 0.5%, which I think is Pennsylvania’s cut-off for an automatic recount. Biden is now at 0.43%, so hopefully this will happen today.
Arizona- mail ballots were counted first, so Biden had an early, large lead, causing Fox and the AP to call it, but as the rest of the ballots have come in, Biden’s lead has decreased. It still looks like Biden will win here, but I think the early call of Arizona is looking more shaky than it originally was.
Nevada- Nevada should have been called by now. Biden has a clear lead, and the remaining votes that need to be counted are mostly from Clark count, which is democratic. However, Nevada plus Arizona is enough to put Biden at precisely 270 electoral votes, so if a network has already called Arizona, calling Nevada will effectively mean calling the election as a whole, and they are not ready to do that with Arizona still feeling shaky. So they are putting off calling Nevada.
My guess is that when Biden gets a lead of 0.5% in Pennsylvania, the networks will call both Pennsylvania and Nevada, side-stepping the whole question of Arizona.
Yes, I, too, believe that the these states have not called for either candidate because they want to be absolutely clear that all votes have been counted properly. And, let's hope that Biden hits the magical 0.5% today!
I agree with your very detailed account. Thank you for getting into the mathematical weeds. I can’t help thinking that this refusal to call is putting more poll workers in danger by keeping the spotlight on their job. Alas. ❤️🤍💙
penn's at +.5 and it was called...excellent analysis.
The indepth reporting and watching the process has been good for me. In elections past when races were called early in the process it almost seemed disrespectful. I also learned what a patchwork of election law exists around the country. For many across the country it seems to be disenfranchised and a real moving target.
How long does it take Oregon to count it's ballots?
Not long and we had results almost immediately for most races and measures.
Do you know the % of eligible people who are registered? who vote?
I think around 80% of registered voted although I would have to check the exact percentage. We are mail in, so the percentages were pretty high even before Nov. 3. We did put ours in an inside drop box for the first time and we could see when our ballot was ready for counting. Two groups today in Salem on opposite sides. The city has warned businesses and people downtown. I hope nothing happens. Citizens are automatically registered when they visit the DMV and have the option to opt out.
My hope is that DT will tweet something heinous enough on Twitter that they will ban him forever. And that could silence him quite a bit for the next couple of months.
Robin, I agree. I hope he pulls a Steve Bannon.
My fervent prayer.
Nooo, The only way we know about his insidious actions is through Twitter. He runs off at the mouth there.
Elaine, good point.
I hate to agree with you, but...
I believe the states are trying to be as accurate as possible so there are no questions about the results. But I am concerned that the linger it takes the more trouble DJT can cause. HOPE 💙🇺🇸
"Tonight, with Harris beside him, Biden spoke to the nation. He acknowledged it is frustrating not to have a declared winner in the election, but urged people to be patient as election workers count every ballot: a process at the center of our democracy." HCR
For the first time in 4 years, I heard the voice of reason, sanity, maturity, and leadership tonight. Biden's words spoke to me, reassured me, and gave me hope. That he and Kamala are already deeply involved in what should be done about Covid and other pressing issues revealed a trait of leadership which we have lacked in this administration.
Amid the fears and trepidations of 45's threats, may the Force be with us, with Biden and Harris, with our beloved country and every beautifully singular and diverse citizen.
And I am very thankful that Biden and Harris stepped up to do this Herculean task. It may take them 4 years. We must continue to do our part - even if it is not listening to the noise or to continue to correct the lies where we can.
Hear, Hear
CNN JUST PROJECTED BIDEN TO BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!!...with winning PENN.....AT LAST...I CAN"T WAIT till TRUMP IS GONE!!!!!
Woohooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! The country has erupted in joy and relief that finally it’s been called: Joe Biden President-Elect!
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
The President of France Marcon just tweaked "Welcome back America"
oops. That's Macron
Currently commonly referred to as micron in France where people are getting more than a little tired of him too.
Just read your LinkedIn profile. Did sense the coach in you when I answered with my MBTI in one reply. My corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation, used Myers-Briggs extensively. As a Group Engineering Manager I could morph easily into management mode ENTJ from my engineering mode INTP.
So, if all these Political Leaders are light-weights and not serving their constituents, is there a world leader that you think is doing a commendable job leading their country.? How would you increase the well-being of all individuals in one's country and the world? I keep looking for a "visionary" because the future is going to be so different than what we have today. Lots of things to weigh in preparing and forming our future of well-being for all.
Cathy, you are quite right to look for the visionary....but one that has a vision for the people and the nation and not just for the nation and him/herself. Such larger than life leaders are very thin on the ground these days. I feel in many advanced countries those contending for high office are interesting only in extending and furthering their personal career as politics has become much of that...just a job with very significant priviledges.....but oh dear, aren't they boring and useless Once they get there, they are not too sure what to do with it and are certainly not equiped to rise to the challenges that face them in a way that would necessarily benefit the people. I saw an excellent, french mini-series on De Gaulle last week and it underlined very clearly what we no longer have.....true tough, visionary, pragmatic and humane leadership for the people capable of changing the world as we know it in ways that do not resemble Trump in any way, shape or form.
How to change the world to improve the welfare of the people is far too big a question . Many books have been written and still not enough published to answer the question. My thoughts.....my mind almost goes blank wondering which subject to hit first, which is the key log to break the damn and where is the "clé de voute" (Top-center stone sealing in place a free standing arch).
I now content myself just taking each day as it comes and making sure my life is thereby following the ever-existing piece of string that I vaguely perceive laid out before me, stepping through the new doors as they open on my road and and helping those around me who ask to do likewise. .......and when asked what I think about what's going on, be it political, historical, economic or psycholgical, or whatever else comes to mind concerning the workings of the world, humanity and the senses, I answer and listen to what comes back. ( I am Scorpion with ascendant Gemini as my wife keeps pointing out to me.....quite normal in astrological terms, if that should mean anything to you). That in itself, if everybody did it, would massively improve our collective wellfare and wellbeing. Our children and their children will have to figure out the rest.
The MBTI is important to me as I was quite involved in both its use as a professional and in the management and promotion of the instruement throughout the world, including the training of people to use it properly and defending it against improper use and often useless academic criticism. The MBTI talks to people and allows them to recognize how they function and develop over the years. It doesn't help you discover everything about yourself but it helps you improve life. It is also extremely useful in groups of people evolving or working together as it encourages both a certain maturity in oneself and a much better understanding of the other. Not bad in life, business or indeed elsewhere and communication between all these spheres. Finally, it is not rare for the "P" to be able to function as a "J" in business as elsewhere as the world is really organized for the "J" and thus the "Ps" have little choice but to adapt and learn. The "J", however, has very significant difficulty functioning as a "P". Life can be tough on the "J" too despite society's preferences ....thank goodness for small mercies!
Stuart, thank you for your thoughtful reply. Loved your analogy of needing to find the keystone, clé de voute. I'm an online course junky and was a mentor for The Age of Cathedrals course taught by Yale Professor Howard Bloch, Sterling Professor of French. It felt so good to get out of this century for brief respites and enter the 12th century. In my semi-retirement here in rural Texas, I keep my 3D mind busy with a home design business. So the architecture of the cathedrals was so fascinating -- that they built those structures without a measuring tape and just pure geometry. The drawings of the Master Mason were scaled to the site by using two compasses - a small one and then a larger waist high one. Ten turns on the small compass, then take that distance and go 15 turns with the larger compass at the site and you have scaled the drawing by 150 times.
One time we had a MBTI session with my boss and his staff. There were only two P's in the group and the facilitator had the two of us carry on a conversation in front of the rest of the group. It was fascinating to see how our language and perspective were very different from the J's. For me there is no problem too big to try to tackle. That's what M.I.T. alums are expected to do and the mission of M.I.T. At Digital we knew we were changing the world and we did. Making the Internet democratic and accessible to all, for one, - net neutrality.
I'm a third generation Taurus on my father's side. And, if you like numerology I'm a perfect square - 2 squared + 5 squared = 7 squared. That's month - day - year format.
So, the keystone I'm exploring is having our governments measure all policies and legislation with a Well-Being Index like Great Britain is doing rather than or at least equal to GNP.
So, including historical figures who would be on your most admired list? De Gaulle? Gandhi? Mandela? I wish more politicians turned into statesmen like LBJ did in the 60s. But, that seems quite rare because of the legalized corruption of our "representatives" by big money.
For me, I like the Native American philosophy that one's wealth is measured by one's generosity. And, in that, I feel a very strong sense of destiny that is linked to the Oglala Lakota but still trying to figure out what that might be but feel everything I've been doing in life is somehow preparing me for it.
In the mean time, I'll keep looking for the "visionary" we need. May you have a peaceful day.
Paris church bells ringing in celebration of Biden victory!
https://twitter.com/aliaena/status/1325121977917403139?s=21
And now the work begins.
That's correct - Now we have to secure two Senate seats in Georgia!
Yes, the work will begin! Under clear and thoughtful policy that hopefully will bring our America together. Especially our underserved, disenfranchised Americans of color. I hope my precious 2 little biracial grandsons will have a chance to make a good life for themselves here in OUR United States. I'm ready for the hard work ahead. Especially when it comes to healing our divisions and just being kind and decent to each other again. I said in a prior post...you are all 'wicked smart' people and have been the best traveling companions one could ever ask for. Blessings to all of you and to our indefatigable Dr. Richardson for her tireless work guiding us through living history.
And BBC and the AP. Yes, Honk! Honk! Honk! And KAMALA is the next Vice President of the United States. Can't wait to see the celebration this evening. So relieved.
Martha Donovan Opdahljust now
HONK! HONK! HONK!
And the NYT!!!
Finally!
Watching NBC News now!!
Tonight I'll raise a glass to you all for the mutual community spirit, enrichment and support given to us all in the last month. A particular toast will be on our lips to Heather and her indispensable clarity and lucidity making a way through the fog guided by the light that she has always seen and to which she has guided us all.
Well said. Cheers to you and everyone in this community. 🍻
Cheers, Stuart! 🥂
I shall miss Kimberly G, who made the only truthful statement at the Republican National Convention, "THE BEST IS YET TO COME!!!!"
True, this, Steven!
That was the best of the whole R convention - low bar, but very laughable!
Oh lordy...Evita. I still laugh thinking about that one.
Crowd at Black Lives Matter Plaza is growing exponentially with happy people. It is so loud they are drowning out the reporters trying to report the news of the new President-Elect Biden! Estimated size is 700 people right at Lafayette Square, but folks keep streaming in from every corner.
I hope they are all safe! Boy that has to really tick old Buttercup off!
Trump finally brought a bigger crowd to DC than Obama did.
When Harry Cohn, the Monster of Columbia Studios, died, the event saw one of the biggest crowds in Hollywood history. When Ava Gardner commented on this to Frank Sinatra, he replied, "Give the people what they want...."
“It’s time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home. I honest-to-God believe that the vast majority of Americans are done with the chaos, the corruption, the failure, the irresponsibility, the indifference to American lives, the indifference to America’s dignity.” - Joe Biden
Early this afternoon I was sitting on the front lawn of my son’s home in West Philly, enjoying time with my 2 grandchildren. I learned the Pennsylvania had been called for Biden in typical West Philly fashion — by the cars with Biden/Harris campaign signs driving through the neighborhood honking their horns. No TV newscast, no radio broadcast, no internet post, not even a “we interrupt this broadcast with the following breaking news.” Instantly and wordlessly, everyone in West Philly knew that Pennsylvania had been called for Joe Biden.
Great point! I, too, learned the news by the joyfully loud clamoring of my neighbors! No electronics were needed!
Love this, Fran!!
Cheering from all over the neighborhood alerted me,too, that there must be big news. :D
My 8 yr-old heard a "WHOOHOO!" outside, and immediately I knew. Soon there followed more cheering, pot banging and morning fireworks in our neighborhood! (in Portland, OR)
I heard the honking of horns in Burlington, VT and found out that way! LOL!
Has anyone else noticed, but finally, in Joe Biden, America has our sorely needed ‘Functional Adult’.
At his visionary speech last night, he basically stated, ‘While we may disagree, we do not need to be enemies’. To state this, he has lived this.
I feel that at long last, America has a true ‘elder’ to lead us. A man who has long grieved and long loved, who sees in every one of his own reflection (his deep sou). We finally have a politician who understands the pain America faces, and deals with his own pain and loss. Well, imho, I see many elders in black America, born through the mere struggle of existence in this society. So many leaders in the civil rights struggle, epitomized by the recently departed Lowry, Vivian and Lewis.
Truly, can you think of another white American male, in public life, who the entire nation can see as the father and grandfather that we all wished for? Yes, Anthony Fauci. Who else?
I know America is divided, but this man, Joe Biden, gets it. He sees our division, and knows there is much more in life than our political differences. He has lived through decades of differences, and has many deep friendships with his ‘adversaries.’ I think of his relationship with the late John McCain as an example.
This man, Joe Biden, is the perfect person for this time in America, and in the world. imho, the father and grandfather that we all hoped for.
I thank you for honoring the man who has "lived". And, he's a man who uses his own life experiences to understand the suffering that this country is experiencing now. I hope his life experience will help him to lead us out of the darkness of our pain and loss.
May you live in interesting times—a Chinese curse. 4 years of the cursed 🤡 is hopefully over in January. I am looking forward to seeing and hearing adult behavior from people who are serious about public service.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast...... (Alexander Pope quote)
Now we know how the Munchkins felt in Munchkinland when Dorothy and her house liberated them! NOW the work begins trying to heal the divisions. Also, in Georgia we know now that for the next 2 months WE are going to be the centre of the American political universe for deciding those last 2 Senate seats on January 5th. There is no understating the importance of these seats...it could mean the Senate ending up 48-52, or 49-51, or 50-50 with VP Harris being the deciding vote. My guess is that Stacey Abrams--who we owe a LOT to for helping turn GA blue!--will be diligently working to get all the voters who voted for Biden out to do it one more time, especially with one of the candidates being Black. But, for now, PARTYYYYYYY!! Wine in the fridge for later...
Hi Bruce, I've complimented you on your writing before. Being in Georgia you might have some access to Stacey Abrams. Is she aware of HCR's Letters? There are probably many readers of these letters who would like to help in the runoff election. Could you offer some leadership in connecting the Fair Fight group with the HCR group? It is that important.
THANKS, Burt! I can't say that I have any more access to Abrams than anyone else might. Abrams is a highly intelligent, educated woman and I'm pretty sure she also has a very keen awareness of history. I'm hearing from friends on Facebook too wanting to know what they might be able to do to help. I can't say much specifically at this point, but I'm sure over the next few days and weeks more specific things will become apparent. Right off the top of my head, I don't know specific links and such. Once I find them out I will certainly not hesitate to pass them along on here. We HAVE to keep this momentum going. Georgians are ready!!
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Our whole country needs to keep up the momentum and support Jon Ossoff's and Rev. Raphael Warnock's campaigns. Donations and writing postcards.
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