24 Comments

The “rude awakening “, if it is realized by the majority that enabled a second infliction of Trump on us, will, indeed be horrific and disheartening. Responding in defense of our republic will involve a very concerted and concentrated effort, which is logistically difficult, at best. Fighting against an enemy that is not domestic is different than fighting for our collective sanity. Work! It’ll take a great force of dedicated people. Are we up to it, in spite of the contrary evidence of this election? I hope so, and I volunteer.

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Thank you Bo!

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Thanks for the commentary, brother. Sometimes words don’t adequately express what many of us feel. We are witnessing the rise for Germany, circa 33, in our country. It is asymmetrical warfare, as they control the media, the courts, congress and the WH. Trump is all but a dictator, having just told his own Senate that his team need not go through advise and consent. My guess is that by June he will tell the courts to go fuck themselves. Retribution is on the horizon. Not sure that I will see a democratic country in my life. Glad you and Cyndi were smart enough to leave.

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I'm not sure he needs to tell the courts -since they already cleared the path for him. While we have clearly lost for now, I cannot stop knowing what I'll be acquising to and leaving behind. I'm in it until my last breathe. I just need some backing. If some of the $16 billion being used for each election cycle went into progressive political infrastructure -this would not be a bloody tooth and nails fight in every cycle. People would look at Trickle-down economics and tell the MAGAfied-GOP to take their fraud-based crime syndicate elsewhere.

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So true, George. The Heritage Foundation took the jackpot with this election without being physically on the ballot.

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Thank you! Brilliant, George!

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George: I see Civic Works as a green shoot in the middle of this horrifying state of affairs. Keep writing and keeping us informed.

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Hoping the tree grows in Brooklyn and everywhere else.

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This is the first post I have read that gives me hope, as well as a direction to take. I have realized that I can make a real difference by recruiting young, intelligent people to run for office. I am making it my objective to plant the seed that will grow when the harm hits and is realized. The current D party is so out of touch with the reality of people's lives, new leadership, or a new party, is a must.

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Thank you Celeste. There must always be hope. There are great Democratic party elected members and candidates for office. The platform is solid as well. My biggest issue is the core apparatus -and continues to be. There were strategic errors, such as abandoning rural areas and focusing purely on electoral politics. This helped create the divide -certainly not to the extent the wealthy (and adversarial state actors like Putin) have through media ownership and GOP shills. The lack of coherent and aspirational messaging (although I applaud Kamala for providing some aspirational vision). If my foundational argument is that any meaningful democracy requires an educated, informed, and engaged society -it has to be one that at least attempts to educate all people regardless of the geography -and even if rejected. Leaving areas to allow the GOP to describe what a Democrat is, as a "tax and spend, open borders, give your paycheck away to 'Cadillac driving welfare queens'" has been a multigenerational failure that is not resolved by sending out more fundraising emails in the next election cycle.

The party's internal machine that continues to feed power hungry ego's instead of innovation and investment in a countervailing mechanism to all the Powell Memorandum has brought forth must be replaced. Otherwise we will continue to fight against a higher wealth-built wall that leads to adjudicated felons and a criminal organization stealing from all of us -regardless of who or where we are. The only winners are the Musk's, Thiel's, Mercer's, and Adelson's of the world.

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I'm so glad I found you, George. Your analysis is always so clear (your earlier mention of Lewis Powell was an eye opener), your suggestions for the future practical and pragmatic. Thank you.

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Thank you Jessica -and vice versa. I'm grateful for every person who finds my writing and work informative, likable, and sharable.

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I salute your hopes and high ideals. None of this matters if electronic voting is subverted by tech. I feel quite sure that many, many votes were changed through some means that we have not uncovered and, sadly, probably never will. I'm so sad.

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Thank you Arne. Although much of my early background was in mathematics and technology, I recognize there's an imperative for the security and integrity of the voting process (voting, vote tabulation, communication networks), there's also the need for voter privacy protection.

While I focus on the structures that cause the intent of a voter (or non-voter), and the outcomes of the vote -I've left the vital science of the actual vote process to more dedicated technologists, cybersecurity specialists, and mathematicians and others necessary to secure and validate that vital process.

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If only your concluding gracious paragraph could've been uttered by the narcissistic white hole who ran unsuccessfully and poisonously for President from the moment he lost both the popular and electrocal college votes in 2020...until November 2024. That our beyond hypocritical Body Politic could have chosen in such numbers this time around to vote for such a playground "crybaby" as Dump Truck Trump shows how much progress we've made in beating back our heretofore irrepressible machismo.

Tio Mitchito

Mitch Ritter\Paradigm Sifters, Code Shifters, PsalmSong Chasers

Lay-Low Studios, Ore-Wa (Refuge of Atonement Seekers)

Media Discussion List\Looksee

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Thank you for the continued fight! I like the point system for businesses.

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Thank you Carmen. While we may lack political power to drive important legislation forward for awhile, we can at least shift money into the sphere of people who embrace democracy, justice, equality, climate action, and fairness -until we are able to overcome the heavily corrupted political environment on the road ahead.

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My goodness, I just felt happy after reading this! Thank you. Let’s do it!

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Thank you Michelle! I hope we all feel even better after building the new infrastructure and rebuilding the guardrails of democracy!

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Thank you George for presenting more than a “pep talk” or “legal challenges” that we have been hearing from others stateside.

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I'm at your service George.

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Thank you Bob. Grateful.

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Wishing you the best of luck with 'alanova' George. It is a splendid idea. If I were still working or had not already given my grandchildren their inheritances I would have gladly invested. I hope when you plan you education, you consider Individualized Education, I still strongly believe each child should be entitled to be educated to the best of that child's abilities, interests, talents etc.

Thanks also for recognizing one of the greatest blots on a democratic society - lobbying.

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Thank you Fay! Grateful for your understanding of the concept and project.

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