Good morning, America, how are ya?
I think a lot these days about the damage done over the last 10 years or so. I’m focused on RFK Jr. at the moment, but I could be thinking of any one of dozens of people. Bobby’s patron speaks of children being “injected with this giant needle,” a ridiculous lie that’s hardly ever refuted by a journalist. RFK Jr talks about “72 vaccines,” another lie. The standard childhood vaccine array today is aimed at 15 diseases, some given over time in multiple doses. I counted the number of doses on the Cleveland Clinic vaccination schedule, and it totaled 37. My child got every one of them, including HPV, which conservatives, with typical Christian charity, call the slut shot. Needless to say, she’s healthy, unless you consider choosing a career in rock music an illness, ha ha.
And yet. A friend has a mother with some fragile health conditions, and when he told her recently that he didn’t want to visit until he’d had a Covid shot, she expressed concern that he’d had “too many” of those. He obligingly sent her the story about the German man who deliberately got a Covid vaccine about every four days for more than two years, for a total of 217. He is fine. But this is what I think of as the damage.
Clearly we’ll never reach Bobby and his cohort on this issue, but their continual amplification of this lie is seeping into the consciousness of otherwise reasonable people, who just vaguely worry that he’s probably wrong, but maybe he’s right, or a little bit right, and let that keep them from stopping in at their local pharmacy for whatever they’re due for.
Me, I’ve gotten eight Covid shots. I figure I’ll be getting two a year until I die. Still a Novid here. (Now let’s cue the troll who always pops up and jeers at us. Mr. Coffee, or something.) Might still get it. But I won’t get it because I let some propagandist talk me out of a safe vaccine. I got flu and shingles shots on Friday, and my fucking arm is still hot and sore from the latter, but that’s normal and I remember people with shingles telling me they have never, ever suffered such pain. Seems a good trade-off.
Today is the election. Over the last four years, despite saying ridiculous bullshit like “if I lose, that means it’s rigged,” millions of Americans have bought in to the idea our elections are not secure. They hold up this or that case of shenanigans as proof, whereas anyone who’s paid attention knows that yes, election fraud is easy to commit, on a very small scale. I could have voted in Indiana and Michigan — hands up don’t shoot — for a couple years, but I didn’t. And if I had, it would have made a difference in any race with a one-vote margin. I could have collected Kate’s absentee ballot and deposited it in the drop box with mine and Alan’s, which would technically be ballot harvesting because we don’t live in the same household anymore. Perusing the Heritage Foundation’s database of election fraud, you can read about individual cases. There are 19 listed for Michigan. Here’s one for Brandon Hall, a bottom-tier GOP activist:
Brandon Hall was convicted of ten counts of ballot petition fraud stemming from the 2012 election. Chris Houghtaling, who sought to become a candidate for the Ottawa County District Court, hired Hall to acquire the necessary signatures for his candidacy; Houghtaling reportedly did not care whether the signatures were collected legally or illegally, and even assisted in Hall’s crime by providing him old 2010 petitions to copy. Hall, realizing he did not collect enough signatures, used a phone book to complete the rest. Hall’s friend, Zachary Savage, assisted with the fraud, but prosecutors granted him immunity in exchange for his testimony. Hall appealed his conviction, which was affirmed. He is awaiting sentencing.
(Hall is the genius who briefly worked for James Craig, a former Detroit police chief who ran unsuccessfully for governor, and was part of this fiasco.)
Here’s another, Nancy Williams:
Nancy Williams was charged by the state in Wayne County with 3 felony counts of forging a signature on an absentee ballot, 2 felony counts of election law forgery, 5 misdemeanor counts of false statements on applications for absentee ballots, and 7 misdemeanor counts of receiving a payment to influence vote after participating in an absentee ballot trafficking scheme involving elderly voters at a nursing care facility. She submitted voter registration and absentee ballot applications for 26 legally incapacitated residents under her care without their consent. Williams had the absentee ballots mailed directly to her. She pleaded guilty to 7 counts of receiving a payment to influence vote in exchange for dismissal of the other charges, was sentenced to one year of probation, fined $3,500, and assessed $1,096 in fees. Similar charges against Williams in Oakland County are still pending.
You don’t win elections with 26 votes, at least not important ones. You win with thousands, hundreds of thousands. And that requires a conspiracy so vast it would collapse in hours.
But that’s where we are today. I hope we take a step back, but I expect bad things will happen between now and next January 20. We just don’t know what kind of bad things, and they’ll be different for everyone.
Be at peace, all. I’m working overnight tonight as a Dem challenger (observer) in Macomb County, where the city clerk has opted NOT to take advantage of eight days of pre-processing of absentee ballots, for unclear reasons. What that means is, I go to work at midnight and get off Whenever. So expect me Whenever, and play nice in the comments.
Jeff Borden said on November 5, 2024 at 9:42 am
We’re going to learn if we’re THAT country with this election. I hope we learn we’re not despite the millions of MAGA cultists.
But tRump has done immense damage to our country and the effects will linger like a deep bruise or a scar. It will take some time to heal.
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Icarus said on November 5, 2024 at 10:03 am
I just came here to remind everyone that Brian Stouder may owe us an icy-cold Pepsi. Though I’m hoping we owe him instead.
Although since Biden is now out of the picture, doesn’t he technically owe us? We need a ruling from the Commarazzi.
http://nancynall.com/2024/07/14/even-more-doomed/#comment-923933
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brian stouder said on November 5, 2024 at 10:47 am
Indeed!
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Julie Robinson said on November 5, 2024 at 12:32 pm
We opened at 7, and people started waiting 6:15. Have had long lines all day for our long ballot, finally at noon it slowed so I’m grabbing a little lunch. No big issues, just people waiting.
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diane said on November 5, 2024 at 1:15 pm
I will be showing up and my County Clerk & Recorder’s office at 6:00 pm to work 6-midnight. I signed up for that shift because so many of my fellow Dem workers here are even older than me and don’t like to drive at night. Now I’m starting to think that wasn’t such a bright idea. I start to fade by 10 these days and any energy reserves are already starting to be stretched just by the anxiety of the day. And I will be somewhat siloed from the national info. But I have plans with a friend to hopefully celebrate tomorrow. This way at least I can humor my superstitious self and not chill the nice champagne until tomorrow so I don’t jinx anything by prematurely chilling it.
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Heather said on November 5, 2024 at 1:19 pm
One of the longest lines I’ve seen at my polling place in almost 20 years of voting there. There was a gentleman there yelling at the Republican election judge and getting angry about some issue with his registration. I think there were some mental health issues involved, but he was a big guy and pretty intimidating. Anyway, other than that, all good and I went and got some doughnuts as a treat. Now we wait. I’m looking at hotels for a trip to Hawaii in January and thinking about getting a foot massage later.
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Dexter Friend said on November 5, 2024 at 1:54 pm
I guess many geezers are thinking a couple Covid19 shots are enough, or they don’t give a damn anymore. I got the senior (stronger) flu shot + Covid19 shot last month at the V.A. I don’t understand people like my old army buddy in Connecticut who says he is immune to flu and Covid19 and needs no shots anymore. I mention him because he went on and on in his self-published memoir how he always was stellar in science in school and now his readings reflect his scientific bent. Oh well. And I convinced none of my friends and family members who think Trump is the answer… to take a good long look and maybe vote for Kamala Harris . Nope. I am scared right now that SCOTUS will declare Trump the winner sometime around December 15. Please tell me I am a crazed paranoiac. Those seven deadly states…landslide either way or a Trump court appointed maniac Trump. Oh for a true divine intervention: RIG IT LORD, RIG IT !!
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Little Bird said on November 5, 2024 at 2:10 pm
Some of my friends left voting until today, and one of them told me that there was only one person in line ahead of him. He also said that because it was SO cold this morning that there were no people with signs hanging around the driveway to the polling place, which he appreciated.
I always hate when I have to run that gamut when I walk to that particular polling place. They aren’t allowed within x number of feet from the doors, but they do gather at the driveway entrance to the school.
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Deborah Beckett said on November 5, 2024 at 2:32 pm
Rain predicted in Chicago, I did some errands today, didn’t walk by any polling places so I don’t know if there were lines or not. I voted weeks ago and so did my husband. Rain in Chicago is no big deal because it’s not in a swing state and it’s predominately blue but the weather app on my phone shows rain in Milwaukee and into Michigan so that’s not good. Hopefully most of the Democrats in those places voted early or by mail.
Nothing to do now but wait. I suppose you can still drive folks to the polls who need that, maybe provide umbrellas or ponchos for people in line in the rain, things like that. I know some places don’t allow you to give food or water to waiters which is dumb and cruel.
We’ve gotta get rid of the electoral college eventually to make it more fair.
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Brandon said on November 5, 2024 at 3:04 pm
R.I.P. Quincy Jones. Among his many accomplishments was the founding of Vibe magazine.
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Sherri said on November 5, 2024 at 4:46 pm
What to remember about all politicians:
“ It comes down to the way that you think of what politics is. For the most part, it is wrong to think of elections as contests between “good” and “bad” candidates. With few exceptions, it is more accurate to divide most politicians into two broad categories: Enemies, and Cowards. The enemies are those politicians who are legitimately opposed to your policy goals. The cowards are those politicians who may agree with your policy goals, but will sell you out if they must in order to protect their own interests. Embrace the idea that we are simply pushing to elect the cowards, rather than the enemies. Why? Because the true work of political action is not to identify idealized superheroes to run for office. It is, instead, to create the conditions in the world that make it safe for the cowards to vote the right way. ”
https://open.substack.com/pub/howthingswork/p/how-to-think-about-politics-without
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Ann said on November 5, 2024 at 5:23 pm
A friend who’s an election official up here in Marquette reported that she had early voters who didn’t want to use the felt tip pen she provided. They’d “heard” that if you use the felt tip pen it will switch your vote. And this is pretty bright blue Marquette. She told them they were 100% free to use their own ballpoints.
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Dorothy said on November 5, 2024 at 8:30 pm
I survived!! But damn am I beat. Julie how you holding up? Who else worked the polls today?
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Julie Robinson said on November 5, 2024 at 8:49 pm
Tired and happy about engaged voters.
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Heather said on November 5, 2024 at 10:57 pm
I’m not feeling great about things right now. Trying not to despair.
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kayak woman said on November 5, 2024 at 11:43 pm
I am not an anti vaxxer but I only got one covid vax, the J&J way back when (2021). I was planning to get a booster the next year but my loverly spouse brought the virus home before I got around to it. I did not get sick (omicron, I think). Two symptoms: mild cough and extreme annoyance at the person who infected me. So I have never gotten any other jabs. I am a full-time telecommuter and don’t frequent crowded indoor places and can easily isolate if I do contract covid or any respiratory disease so I don’t infect others.
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kayak woman said on November 5, 2024 at 11:49 pm
Ann, I actually always wonder if I can use a felt tip. It doesn’t seem to be clear on the ballot instructions but I may not be reading carefully. Blue Bubble Ann Arbor here but at my vacation property near Sault Ste. Siberia probably not so much.
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Sherri said on November 6, 2024 at 12:30 am
I obviously overestimated Americans, again.
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Suzanne said on November 6, 2024 at 1:25 am
I type this in the middle of the night (thanks for waking me up, bladder) while reading about the impending death of the American Experiment. It lived a short life compared to other empires but it appears that the death rattle has commenced. Sadly, it likely will not rest in peace.
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Mark P said on November 6, 2024 at 1:48 am
For a large part of the country, the things we thought were disqualifying are actually considered positive attributes. I’ve been saying this for a long time, and now it seems absolutely true: whom the gods would destroy they first make mad.
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alex said on November 6, 2024 at 3:15 am
Awoke at around 3 AM to see Trump’s victory speech and I’m … fucking wrecked.
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Colleen said on November 6, 2024 at 4:21 am
If I wasn’t on antidepressants, I fear I would be sobbing uncontrollably.
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Jim said on November 6, 2024 at 4:31 am
If Trump wins, America will become a Dictatorship – and he will do whatever he wants .
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ROGirl said on November 6, 2024 at 4:31 am
What’s wrong with people? This country is so fucked
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Dorothy said on November 6, 2024 at 5:28 am
If I allow myself to cry I fear I would never stop.
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Joe Kobiela said on November 6, 2024 at 5:40 am
Up early to run and I don’t know what it is but the air seems fresher, sky seems clearer, moon brighter, everything just seems better.
Pilot Joe
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David C said on November 6, 2024 at 5:46 am
As bad as it’s going to be, and it’s going to be pretty bad, it’s going to be worse for Ukraine, the Baltics, Poland, or any country that was part of the Russian Empire. China will take Taiwan. NATO will have to carry on without us and with us as an ally of Putin. It’s the end of the world as we know it and I don’t feel fine.
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Deborah said on November 6, 2024 at 6:59 am
Nothing left to say. This is who we are.
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Dave said on November 6, 2024 at 7:34 am
Don’t expect it to stay that way for long, Joe, since he doesn’t have any concerns about the environment.
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Peter said on November 6, 2024 at 8:10 am
I can just imagine the post mortems on this one. Oh, it’s her fault that she didn’t condemn Israel more; oh, she should have talked more about issues; oh, she was so negative.
I’ve been so mad that publications and the media have, by and large, turned cowardly, but I thought about it some more: What more could they have said? What more could they have done? I think many Americans took a long, hard look at Project 2025, at reproductive rights, at Ukraine and Israel, and were perfectly fine with it, and no amount of pointing out the obvious would have changed their minds.
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FDChief said on November 6, 2024 at 8:31 am
Well, at least there’s no kidding ourselves anymore. This IS who “We the People” are.
What’s infuriating is that these GOP nitwits will trash the economy, wreck the post-WW2 alliance system, make the US public in general poorer and sicker…and for what? To hand Elmo a couple more billion? To arrest the drywall crew sheetrocking the house down the street? Just in case the cutie in the corner booth is a trans woman in a cocktail frock?
This is the stupidest timeline.
If these people had genuine concerns it’d be disgusting but at least be understandable.
But this is committing political suicide for 79% of the US public based on a bag of nonsense.
I’m unhappy about but understand the concept of being conquered by evil men.
But how the everlovin’ fuck do you choose to be ruled by idiots who have been telling you for months all the idiotic things they will do?
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Jeff Borden said on November 6, 2024 at 8:31 am
We are THAT country. We deserve everything tRump does to us. It’s the rest of the world for which I mourn. Putin and Xi have carte blanche to do whatever they want.
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alex said on November 6, 2024 at 9:28 am
If I’m feeling any relief at all this morning, it’s that I no longer have the compulsion to search frantically for shreds of hope in the news. In fact, I’m going to cut news consumption altogether as my doctor recommended months ago. If the world’s going to hell, I don’t want to know about it.
That doesn’t mean I won’t remain civically engaged in the resistance.
I can’t beat up on Kamala. She gave it her best shot at saving us from what would have been our destiny anyway.
This morning I woke up thinking that Citizen Trump is still Citizen Trump until January 20 and Judge Engoron’s sentencing date is only a few weeks away. So maybe there’s hope of throwing his goddamn ass in jail, even though I’m not seeing the idea being entertained anywhere. But then I haven’t really read my newspapers today and probably won’t bother in the days to come.
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brian stouder said on November 6, 2024 at 9:32 am
This is a very turbulent turn of events. I genuinely thought and believed that DJT had no chance of being re-hired. Truly. And yet, here we are.
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Heather said on November 6, 2024 at 9:44 am
Indeed, enjoy that fresh air while you can, Joe.
I guess this really was the Last Good Year.
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Icarus said on November 6, 2024 at 10:01 am
The United States of America
March 9, 1789 – November 5, 2024
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ROGirl said on November 6, 2024 at 10:01 am
I don’t know when I’ll be able to look at/consume any media again. But this morning I bought a huge jar of honey from someone at work who keeps bees.
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FDChief said on November 6, 2024 at 10:06 am
So. Anyone want to take the under on “lunatic shit the Trump Administration will do”?
Remove the Civil Service provision from federal hiring to Make The Spoils System Great Again?
Tariffs?
Repeal the Income Tax Amendment? (forget the wild notion of a pre-Reagan top marginal rate, you Commies!)
I’m not talking about the bog-standard GOP sex objects; tax and regulatory slashing, mass deportation, persecution of everyone non-cis-het in every form: that’s all a given.
Nope. I’m talking the real looney tunes shit. Banning vaccines, as in, polio, mumps, rubella? Requiring women of childbearing age to report their ovulation cycles? Banning porn (sorry dudebros!)?
There’s so MUCH Republican idiocracy it’s hard to rule any of this out. But any guesses on what otherwise-unthinkable shit they’re gonna come up with?
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Little Bird said on November 6, 2024 at 10:36 am
I can’t stop crying.
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brian stouder said on November 6, 2024 at 10:39 am
My son reminded us of the following George Carlin line – Think about how stupid the average person is…..then realize that half of ‘em are stupider than that.
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ROGirl said on November 6, 2024 at 10:43 am
“If they get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.” Thomas Pynchon
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Mark P said on November 6, 2024 at 10:55 am
We have to face the fact that most Americans who bothered to vote actually want Trump in the White House. I don’t think Joe K is stupid, or that most of the rest of the Trump voters are stupid. I think they saw what Trump is, they heard what he plans to do, they believe it, and that’s what they want. They want the US to be a pile of shit that they will wallow in, and want the rest of us to wallow in it, too. They want chaos and destruction here and around the world. At this point I refuse to believe that they aren’t aware of the fact that they will be the ones wallowing in the shit while the wealthy take their limos and private planes between vacation homes in Aspen and their hundredth story offices so they don’t soil their expensive shoes. At least the blacks and the gays will be deeper in the shit than they are. And the Joe K’s of the country will be happy with the crumbs thrown their way by the Musks of the country.
Are they evil? I don’t know.
But evil is as evil does.
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Dexter Friend said on November 6, 2024 at 11:37 am
Harris ran the perfect campaign but even the main focus on abortion could not create a sea-change tall enough to get the needed voters. In the end, the record stock market closing highs did not filter down to paychecks enough to let voters say the economy is just great. Every rural county went for the rapist 34 times convicted felon who now must end the Ukraine war in 24 hours or be forced to answer. He’ll be responsible for massive deadly measles, mumps, Covid19, flu outbreaks as Kennedy shuts down all vaccines. Tomatoes will rot in fields, who will harvest the southern border agricultural fields that feed us? All the workers will be in kamps or deported forever.
Are we fucked? Right straight up the goddam ass.
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Sherri said on November 6, 2024 at 11:50 am
The only mistake Harris made was not to be born a white man.
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Mark P said on November 6, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Sherri, I am forced to believe that you are right. There has never been a clearer difference between two candidates than in this election, and we chose the one who is worse in every possible way.
And, by the way, if you believe Trump will do what he says he will do, everyone should make all their major purchases right now, things like TVs, appliances, even cars. If you know how to can fruits and vegetables, do it now. If you plan to buy a house, do it now.
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tajalli said on November 6, 2024 at 12:27 pm
Taking the disappointment and starting the Swedish Death Cleaning of the calistoga wagon of my life. Looking for ways to create a sustainable level of income and keep focused on environmental and social restoration, being a decent person in the moment, regardless.
That’s it.
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Jason T. said on November 6, 2024 at 12:40 pm
I’ve been saying for a while the United States has late-stage Soviet Union energy right now. The system is broken and isn’t working for the average person.
The average American works too hard for too little, and keeps watching the people at the top getting richer and richer, and they get madder and madder. This was a “throw the bums out” election.
An institutionalist — like Gorbachev or Biden — tries to shore up the existing institutions by tinkering with them at the edges. But what’s needed are sweeping changes.
Trump is promising sweeping changes. As with Putin*, I think the cure is going to be worse than the disease.
Setting aside his awful social and immigration policies, the corruption is going to be mind-blowing. They’re going to loot everything they can carry.
* I know Yeltsin was in between.
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Jason T. said on November 6, 2024 at 12:49 pm
Will Bunch sums it up well, as he often does:
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Deborah said on November 6, 2024 at 1:35 pm
Jason T, if this was a throw the bums out election, the constituency certainly did the opposite, the billionaire oligarch bums are completely in now, and the “cure” is going to be way, way worse than the disease. All I can say now, is they (us) will find out soon enough.
I took an 8 mile walk this morning. I wish I could cry, I can’t even fathom hate and disgust for Trump from the bottom of my heart. But the thing I can’t stomach right now is the American electorate, they wanted this outcome, this is who we are as a country sadly. We democratically fell for the biggest grift there ever was in our history, how stupid can we get collectively? I will be the outcast and I will revel in that status.
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FDChief said on November 6, 2024 at 2:06 pm
The insoluble problems with the “throw the bums out” theory are: Occupy Wall Street and Bernie Sanders.
If the “bums out” crowd really wanted that they had the perfect opportunity; turn out massively to support Occupy, register Democrat and nominate, then elect Sanders.
Remind me, how’d that go..?
I’ll buy the “people are pissed” argument. But it you’re pissed that the middle class is being crushed, but you’re NOT pissed at the GOP for leading the crushing?
You have no business operating heavy machinery, because you’re fucking baked.
Electing Tubby to “throw the bums out” is electing Goebbels to throw out the Nazis. There’s no rationalizing that level of stupidity.
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Sherri said on November 6, 2024 at 2:10 pm
Before I met my husband, I dated a lot of guys in science and tech. Almost all of them before my husband had to tear me down in order to build themselves up; they could not deal with me as someone as smart as they were. I’ve encountered a lot of men like that; they think it’s cool that I’m smart, as long as they can also think they’re smarter than I am. When I puncture that illusion, intentionally or not, they have to tear me down some way.
That’s how I feel about Trump voters. They can only feel good about themselves if they have someone else to feel better than, so they need women and people of color and gays and trans people to stay in their place and stop getting ahead of them. It’s not fair, in their mind. They’re working hard, those other people must be getting ahead because the government is giving my tax dollars to them. Trump will make sure they’re on top.
I pity their cramped view of the world, the zero sum thinking that says they can only win if others lose. They go to their churches and believe they are Christians, yet understand nothing of the Gospel, rather thinking it’s just a magic talisman that protects them if they say the right things.
Unfortunately, their selfishness is going to hurt a lot of people who don’t deserve it, so our work is to do what we can to mitigate that harm.
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Jason T. said on November 6, 2024 at 2:51 pm
FDChief @ 50: “Electing Tubby to ‘throw the bums out’ is electing Goebbels to throw out the Nazis. There’s no rationalizing that level of stupidity.”
Well. One of the trending searches on Google this week was “Did Joe Biden drop out?”
I have read elsewhere that at least some people think Joe Biden was president in 2020, and blame him for the pandemic response; when pollsters asked “Who was president in 2020?” a not-small number of people said “Joe Biden.”
As Mencken said, “No one in this world … has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people.”
They’re mad at someone, they want to take it out on someone, but they don’t know who to blame. It’s logical to conclude they’re going to take it out on the party that’s in charge: “Throw those bums out.”
Two years ago, Pennsylvania elected a Democratic governor by 15 points; yesterday, the same electorate threw out every Democratic row officer and the Republicans swept statewide offices.
I agree with you, it’s dumb, but don’t over-estimate the voters. Most people are not paying attention to politics as closely as the readers of NN.c. They’re reacting to their gut or what their friends said or what they saw on TV or social media.
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Little Bird said on November 6, 2024 at 2:59 pm
I learned a fascinating fact today. Plan B pills have a shelf life of four years. The shelf at Walgreens, CVS, or even your shelf. I get the feeling that they won’t be available in a few months. We all know someone who might need it.
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