Great, as always, Earl! I, too, do not trust my fellow humans, and am no longer the same person I was before that dreadful day, so I’m right there with ya!
I lost so much sleep between Nov 8, 2016 and Nov 10, 2020 (that was the day most news organizations named Biden the winner), that I’m sure it took years off my life.
I can’t understand why anyone would want that chaos again!
Remember this: There is nothing about the 2024 election that is "politics as usual". A Trump administration and Project 2025 would mean an end to American democracy. And THIS IS NOT HYPERBOLE. A vote for Harris and all Democrats on the ticket is a vote to save this country and our democracy. Period. There is no option.
Can't wait until Trump loses again in November. Can't wait to celebrate Harris/Walz victory wearing this "We the People means EVERYONE" tee on November 5 👇
Hopefully Jack Smith will put TRump in prison for a good long while for both the election fraud and interference and the stolen documents cases. TRump is a clear and present danger to our nation and needs to be held accountable.
I can no longer trust my country to do the right thing, and that is one helluva realization. That includes family members and longtime friends who I thought I knew well. I can’t explain why they chose a man who lies to them and promotes hatred and violence to be the President of the United States of America. He has sullied us all, staining every aspect of the trust he was given. Unbelievably, he may be re-elected by those who will show themselves to be fools, duped by a narcissist whose only concern is himself. He is a traitor, a false patriot, pseudo religious, a business failure, a convicted criminal who is above the Law, a fascist racist, a demeaning critic of military service who was Commander-in-Chief. We deserve better.
My realization was instant, like a light turned off in a room that I won’t enter again while it’s dark. No moral judgment or the like, but I can’t see myself ever trusting them again or believing that they will have changed.
I was curled up in tears on my bathroom floor, literally sobbing & screaming in disbelief. I have a knot in my stomach right now that never goes completely away & I’m terrified this will end up at the SC or Congress to decide. This MUST be a landslide & we immediately need to expand the SC if we can have any hope of a future, because these nazis will not stop at this election! Thank you for your beautiful writing, it really gives me hope.
A revelation in finding your Substack pub. I've more or less abandoned corporate media as a source for political coverage, as the phenomenon of "sane-washing" has engulfed mainstream "journalism", where tRump's twisted, cruel, and demented worldview is recast and reworked into something only just approaching rational thought. We as a country are massively ill-served by this perverted "journalism", and fortunately you and others provide a window into sanity.
I, like you pay very little attention to corporate media anymore. So I'm guessing I read this word on one of the many substacks I follow. I wish I could remember the journalists name so I can give him the credit. He called what papers like NYTs etc are doing to normalize trumps behavior sane-washing. I think it's pretty accurate.
Margret Sullivan, writing in The Guardian, uses it...Justin Rosario on Substack uses it...gaining in popularity, no small thanks to the risible coverage of tRump lunacies by the corporate media.
Journalist Aaron Rupar, who has coined the phrase 'sane-wash' to describe how reporters and pundits try to explain the meaning behind Trump's ramblings.
Nov 8, 2016 - I recoiled in horror in my living room in Portland, Oregon, Googled Moving to Canada while Michigan fell. I was particularly nervous because I'm Jewish and like other groups (Muslims, etc) my fears were not entirely unjustified (Charlottesville, etc). But enough of that. Dare I hope for the future? I do. That said, the pendulum swings of American politics do not make for calm nights and sound sleep. What I'm saying is, if you're nervous, it's because you're paying attention.
I received an email from the NYT’s yesterday announcing a bargain basement sale of subscriptions. And I laughed. They can’t give that rag away. You and journalists like you are making an impact here on Substack and other venues. Thank you for your service!
I'll never forget the night that Trump won the election, even though I knew about 6 months beforehand that he was going to. My mom and I were in Indian shores Florida visiting a friend of hers before she passed away. The day of the election I walked down the street to get a little exercise, and at the city hall where the voting was taking place there were two empty lots on either side of the building filled with big huge jacked up four-wheel drive trucks with men and Trump flags hanging off the side. Intimidating looking military assault style weapons on full display. People would drive into the parking lot, look at those guys and drive right back out. People weren't voting because of these guys. I was infuriated. That night, while we were watching the election on tv, I told my mom that I just had to go to bed, that I couldn't watch anymore of this disaster unfolding. The next morning I woke up to my mom crying at the kitchen table. I started crying with her. We both knew that the world was about to change and not for the better. I knew his presidency was going to be a nightmare, but I didn't expect it to be worse than I thought it would be. I tried to enjoy the rest of our time in Florida, but with all the hooting and hollering from TRump people, driving around honking their horns, it was a dismal. I have a lot more hope these days that, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will win this election. I don't have the sense of foreboding I had in 2016. I'm doing everything in my power to help get them elected. Phone banking is going well! So, hopefully we'll come full circle and be done with Trump once and for all. Well, at least not allowing him into the Oval Office. Enjoy your weekend. ...
I forgot to add that I drank a boatload of Crown Royal the eve of the election and I'm not a big drinker. So, I had a double hangover: one from the booze and one from knowing we were stuck with TRump for at least 4 years. Both things made me sick to my stomach. Thank you for your praise and I very much appreciate you too.
I’m sure you know that the choice is not linear. We live in a country where somehow the rigging or the electoral college has gone unchecked for (at least) 50 years and even now that we can all fucking see it happening in broad daylight we act like it’s just a matter of voting for the same choice. Wrong.
It is rigged so that even if democrats win federal elections they can never seem to get that filibuster proof majority. Even if there is a majority somehow it’s never quite large enough to get meaningful (or ANY) legislation passed because we have a political party 100 percent dedicated to power above country.
Someday Texas will turn blue and that will be the end of any Republican presidency and believe me, those fascists know it and are doing everything to stop it but it’s going to happen.
I feel the same way brother. Try as I might, the thought that America's orange narcissistic monster has even the slightest chance at the Oval Office keeps me feeling that dark clouds linger overhead; a dread that just doesn't go away. When the orange monster passes away I'll finally be able to breathe again.
Earl, your humanity and this community help keep me centered. I echo all the sentiments written here already and feel that if the worst happens on November 5th, and the people who play by the rules and uphold the virtue of these rules are blindsided again by the craven criminals on the other side, I will be able to come here and gain some strength from the lifeline of compassion you extend.
Thank you for saying that Earl. I lived a big life on a big stage like you did. We saw the cutting edge for decades and affected outcomes. We made real positive change in people’s lives. We actually saved lives. Not many people can say that. It is hard to get older and still feel vital that what we think can move the needle anymore. I hope you have your voice and platform until you are a very old man. Substack has given us a place to belong and feel heard. The anxiety I feel day to day past the election cannot be overstated.
I was on my way to work when I heard the news that trump was elected president. I had to pull over a cry. Later after a city council meeting, a male councilor said “How about that trump, he just says whatever comes out of his mouth”. We females found ourselves immediately crying. Four years of crying. I do not want to go through this again.
Thank you. I never thought of it this way until I read your post, but I remember that day as an unimaginable disaster and it was, in fact, the most stressful four years I have ever experienced. There is a Deja vu feeling now with the press coverage of the worst behavior ever as though it’s not fair to point out the obvious danger. When Republicans are warning us that the party is no longer a party but a cult, we need to listen. Thank you for the sake of our country..
I have been following you for awhile now and I must admit you have saved me from watching some of the most egregious “news” stories out there. I am so grateful. 😇
First of all, thank you for your service and your articles. I look forward everyday to reading them.
Where was I that horrible night? Home, in disbelief, unable to sleep. My 16 year had predicted TFG would win and I scoffed.
He based his prediction upon conversations with his classmates. Well they were only repeating their parent’s words, right?
Yes, America has yet to get it consistently right. One only has to look at the southern states policies.
The good news is that eventually Texas, and I hope I live long enough to see it, will turn blue and that will be the end of any future republican dictator wanna be. We just need to crush TFG and his enablers NOW.
I knew about 6 months before the election TRump would win and was in a total funk. I kept trying to convince people to vote for Hillary but many people just sat it out in 2016. In all honesty, I'm still angry with friends who didn't bother to vote.
I don't know (for sure) any Dumpty supporters. I know of one colleague who was a supporter before the last election, but I don't talk to him about politics. I mean, why?
Either they see the fascist clown for what it is or they don't, after 9 years which seem like decades, now.
Same with my older brother, who is a rancher in northern California. Last time I was over at their house, I saw that they had a McCain-Pailin thank-you letter for their donation stuck on their refrigerator door- so that ended any political discussions with him then and forever.
Greg is a vet; was a D.I. at Fort Lewis during Vietnam, so I don't know how this Arlington Cemetary debacle has gone over at their house. It's gone over badly in mine.
Oh I know TFG supporters. I live in a Red upper middle class suburb. What’s shocking is that the vast majority of my neighbors are college graduates. 95% of our children here go on to college. They KNOW better. These aren’t uneducated, blindly following, ignorant rubes.
They’re just dyed in the wool, doesn’t matter how many crimes TFG has committed, republicans.
I try very hard to avoid them. They’re clearly without ethics or morals.
I never stopped being angry at them! It has ruined friendships that I've had for life. I don't know what happened to my friends. There weren't many of my friends who were TRump supporters, but they're out of my life now, unfortunately. 😞
I’m sorry for that Megan. I am fortunate that a dozen of my friends and most of my family feel as I do.
There are the few that support TFG and quite frankly I limit my contact with them. I stay off FB and Instagram. I don’t want to hear it from friends who’ve revealed what they clearly are. I just cannot respect them anymore.
I am an admirer of Bernie Sanders; he's one of the best-focused Senators we've ever had. He knows and cares what's important to normal people.
But his run in 2016 probably was the tipping point for Hillary's loss, and those who voted for Bernie in '16 will always have that responsibility on their shoulders whether they admit it or not.
From one Navy vet to another, I'm onboard, so to speak. Keep up the great journalism you're doing and screw the NYT's and WAPO. I dropped them both back in March.
Great, as always, Earl! I, too, do not trust my fellow humans, and am no longer the same person I was before that dreadful day, so I’m right there with ya!
Thank you for everything! 💙
Thanks for your friendship and readership, Kelly.
Me too!
I lost so much sleep between Nov 8, 2016 and Nov 10, 2020 (that was the day most news organizations named Biden the winner), that I’m sure it took years off my life.
I can’t understand why anyone would want that chaos again!
Remember this: There is nothing about the 2024 election that is "politics as usual". A Trump administration and Project 2025 would mean an end to American democracy. And THIS IS NOT HYPERBOLE. A vote for Harris and all Democrats on the ticket is a vote to save this country and our democracy. Period. There is no option.
Can't wait until Trump loses again in November. Can't wait to celebrate Harris/Walz victory wearing this "We the People means EVERYONE" tee on November 5 👇
https://libtees-2.creator-spring.com/listing/wtpmelb
Can't wait because after that it is over for him. He won't make it to another 4 years to run again.
Hopefully start to heal as a nation as Trump and his cult further fades into oblivion. 🙏
Hopefully Jack Smith will put TRump in prison for a good long while for both the election fraud and interference and the stolen documents cases. TRump is a clear and present danger to our nation and needs to be held accountable.
Along with quite a few other individuals.
Absolutely. The complicit Republicans in Congress, for sure.
Aileen Cannon and the Sleazy Six justices on the high court need to be in cells alongside CFDT.
The Trump years aged me. Mirror don't lie.
I can no longer trust my country to do the right thing, and that is one helluva realization. That includes family members and longtime friends who I thought I knew well. I can’t explain why they chose a man who lies to them and promotes hatred and violence to be the President of the United States of America. He has sullied us all, staining every aspect of the trust he was given. Unbelievably, he may be re-elected by those who will show themselves to be fools, duped by a narcissist whose only concern is himself. He is a traitor, a false patriot, pseudo religious, a business failure, a convicted criminal who is above the Law, a fascist racist, a demeaning critic of military service who was Commander-in-Chief. We deserve better.
Same with me regarding family and friends. Never in my wildest dreams I thought politics would be the deal breaker on relationships. 😥
My realization was instant, like a light turned off in a room that I won’t enter again while it’s dark. No moral judgment or the like, but I can’t see myself ever trusting them again or believing that they will have changed.
We definitely deserve better! 💙💙💙
I was curled up in tears on my bathroom floor, literally sobbing & screaming in disbelief. I have a knot in my stomach right now that never goes completely away & I’m terrified this will end up at the SC or Congress to decide. This MUST be a landslide & we immediately need to expand the SC if we can have any hope of a future, because these nazis will not stop at this election! Thank you for your beautiful writing, it really gives me hope.
Thanks so much, Sue. Too kind.
And you are 100 percent correct on this bought-off SC -- EXPAND IT AND TERM-LIMIT IT.
Internet hugs to you, you and Earl are not alone.
A revelation in finding your Substack pub. I've more or less abandoned corporate media as a source for political coverage, as the phenomenon of "sane-washing" has engulfed mainstream "journalism", where tRump's twisted, cruel, and demented worldview is recast and reworked into something only just approaching rational thought. We as a country are massively ill-served by this perverted "journalism", and fortunately you and others provide a window into sanity.
Keep up the stellar work!
Damn, that's kind, Lance.
Thank you.
That’s not just kind, it’s TRUE‼️ We Will Not Go Back‼️
Same
@Lance: WELL STATED‼️👏💯🇺🇸 We will not go back‼️
I, like you pay very little attention to corporate media anymore. So I'm guessing I read this word on one of the many substacks I follow. I wish I could remember the journalists name so I can give him the credit. He called what papers like NYTs etc are doing to normalize trumps behavior sane-washing. I think it's pretty accurate.
Margret Sullivan, writing in The Guardian, uses it...Justin Rosario on Substack uses it...gaining in popularity, no small thanks to the risible coverage of tRump lunacies by the corporate media.
Journalist Aaron Rupar, who has coined the phrase 'sane-wash' to describe how reporters and pundits try to explain the meaning behind Trump's ramblings.
Thank you
Here's Aaron's latest:
https://substack.com/@aaronrupar/note/c-68163978?r=1pdf3&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
I believe it originally was coined by the excellent Parker Malloy.
Well said ! Bravo
Nov 8, 2016 - I recoiled in horror in my living room in Portland, Oregon, Googled Moving to Canada while Michigan fell. I was particularly nervous because I'm Jewish and like other groups (Muslims, etc) my fears were not entirely unjustified (Charlottesville, etc). But enough of that. Dare I hope for the future? I do. That said, the pendulum swings of American politics do not make for calm nights and sound sleep. What I'm saying is, if you're nervous, it's because you're paying attention.
On my best days, I realize that we weren't NEAR woke enough in 2016.
We see them now ...
I received an email from the NYT’s yesterday announcing a bargain basement sale of subscriptions. And I laughed. They can’t give that rag away. You and journalists like you are making an impact here on Substack and other venues. Thank you for your service!
Thanks for your kind words and support, Tam!
The Wapo, too! They’re both getting desperate! It’s wonderful. They deserve to be dumped in the trash heap of history.
Me too! The NYT keeps hounding me to resubscribe. I finally marked their emails as spam, so hopefully I won't receive them anymore.
Yes WAPO keeps trying to get my business back.
Hah
Same
After they hired a Murdoch criminal from his tabloids in the UK, expect no journalistic integrity as long as he is at the helm of WaPo.
THIS ALL DAY ‼️🎯💯‼️
I'll never forget the night that Trump won the election, even though I knew about 6 months beforehand that he was going to. My mom and I were in Indian shores Florida visiting a friend of hers before she passed away. The day of the election I walked down the street to get a little exercise, and at the city hall where the voting was taking place there were two empty lots on either side of the building filled with big huge jacked up four-wheel drive trucks with men and Trump flags hanging off the side. Intimidating looking military assault style weapons on full display. People would drive into the parking lot, look at those guys and drive right back out. People weren't voting because of these guys. I was infuriated. That night, while we were watching the election on tv, I told my mom that I just had to go to bed, that I couldn't watch anymore of this disaster unfolding. The next morning I woke up to my mom crying at the kitchen table. I started crying with her. We both knew that the world was about to change and not for the better. I knew his presidency was going to be a nightmare, but I didn't expect it to be worse than I thought it would be. I tried to enjoy the rest of our time in Florida, but with all the hooting and hollering from TRump people, driving around honking their horns, it was a dismal. I have a lot more hope these days that, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will win this election. I don't have the sense of foreboding I had in 2016. I'm doing everything in my power to help get them elected. Phone banking is going well! So, hopefully we'll come full circle and be done with Trump once and for all. Well, at least not allowing him into the Oval Office. Enjoy your weekend. ...
Yer a warrior, Meg. I really appreciate you.
I forgot to add that I drank a boatload of Crown Royal the eve of the election and I'm not a big drinker. So, I had a double hangover: one from the booze and one from knowing we were stuck with TRump for at least 4 years. Both things made me sick to my stomach. Thank you for your praise and I very much appreciate you too.
I think a lot of people consumed a large quantity of alcohol that night! And then we cried for days.
Megan, that sounds like a war zone experience (yes I’ve had that experience).
Voter intimidation is Tyranny!
So many of us have suffered sleepless nights in the worry for our country . We carry the legacy of our heroes, their dreams, their passions.
We carry our own dreams of a more moral existence.
Bless the good work of All of us,
and thank you D. Earl for this ST community & your exceptional week of keeping us informed .
I’m sure you know that the choice is not linear. We live in a country where somehow the rigging or the electoral college has gone unchecked for (at least) 50 years and even now that we can all fucking see it happening in broad daylight we act like it’s just a matter of voting for the same choice. Wrong.
It is rigged so that even if democrats win federal elections they can never seem to get that filibuster proof majority. Even if there is a majority somehow it’s never quite large enough to get meaningful (or ANY) legislation passed because we have a political party 100 percent dedicated to power above country.
Someday Texas will turn blue and that will be the end of any Republican presidency and believe me, those fascists know it and are doing everything to stop it but it’s going to happen.
I hope I live to see it.
God, me too, Lynn.
Tejas, where Democratic hopes go to die...[sigh]
Thanks, Earl — great piece to start off my morning substack reading! When we fight, we win — let’s do this!!
@D. Earl Stephens
Dear Earl,
I feel the same way brother. Try as I might, the thought that America's orange narcissistic monster has even the slightest chance at the Oval Office keeps me feeling that dark clouds linger overhead; a dread that just doesn't go away. When the orange monster passes away I'll finally be able to breathe again.
It’s the most decent thing he’ll ever do …
It is the only way he actually could make America great again!
I couldn't agree more ! It can't come soon enough.
Earl, your humanity and this community help keep me centered. I echo all the sentiments written here already and feel that if the worst happens on November 5th, and the people who play by the rules and uphold the virtue of these rules are blindsided again by the craven criminals on the other side, I will be able to come here and gain some strength from the lifeline of compassion you extend.
This door is always wide open, Madeline, and you are welcome anytime.
That’s reassuring, Earl…thank you so much. I hope you have someone to talk to as well.
Thank you Earl. I am right here with you. I am a nervous wreck.
Glad to have you by my side, Mary. You've been a friend through all of this.
Thank you for saying that Earl. I lived a big life on a big stage like you did. We saw the cutting edge for decades and affected outcomes. We made real positive change in people’s lives. We actually saved lives. Not many people can say that. It is hard to get older and still feel vital that what we think can move the needle anymore. I hope you have your voice and platform until you are a very old man. Substack has given us a place to belong and feel heard. The anxiety I feel day to day past the election cannot be overstated.
Me too! Especially when I drive through parts of Ohio seeing TFG signs and no Harris or Brown (our Senator) signs.
I was on my way to work when I heard the news that trump was elected president. I had to pull over a cry. Later after a city council meeting, a male councilor said “How about that trump, he just says whatever comes out of his mouth”. We females found ourselves immediately crying. Four years of crying. I do not want to go through this again.
WE AREN'T GOING BACK.
❤️
Thank you. I never thought of it this way until I read your post, but I remember that day as an unimaginable disaster and it was, in fact, the most stressful four years I have ever experienced. There is a Deja vu feeling now with the press coverage of the worst behavior ever as though it’s not fair to point out the obvious danger. When Republicans are warning us that the party is no longer a party but a cult, we need to listen. Thank you for the sake of our country..
Thanks for the kind words and your readership, Marjorielin. (I LOVE your name, btw)
I have been following you for awhile now and I must admit you have saved me from watching some of the most egregious “news” stories out there. I am so grateful. 😇
Really glad to help!
The choice again is stark Here is my poem another reminder
If you want a president who lies and is cruel
Who grifts for your money and plays you for fools
Who thinks he is hot and is God’s gift to women
Then vote for delusional Trump # 47
If you want a leader who steals and who cheats
Who takes documents & thinks that it’s neat
who calls soldiers both suckers and fools
Then Trump is your man with 2000 mules
If you want a commander in chief who respects your daughters and mothers rights
Then Project 2025 will shut out the lights
If you want a dictator right outa the gate
Then vote for Donald hurry don’t wait
If u want a man to hand Ukraine to Putin
Then Trump is your man as sure as shootin
And to disregard the Constitution and also the DOJ
Then here you go Trump take it away
He will also destroy the Department of Education
And will decide if you need information
What a fine man on that we can all agree
Behind bars in prison a sight we long to see
You've done it again, Eni!!!!
This should be shared everywhere! It’s great!
I love this! Well done!
First of all, thank you for your service and your articles. I look forward everyday to reading them.
Where was I that horrible night? Home, in disbelief, unable to sleep. My 16 year had predicted TFG would win and I scoffed.
He based his prediction upon conversations with his classmates. Well they were only repeating their parent’s words, right?
Yes, America has yet to get it consistently right. One only has to look at the southern states policies.
The good news is that eventually Texas, and I hope I live long enough to see it, will turn blue and that will be the end of any future republican dictator wanna be. We just need to crush TFG and his enablers NOW.
Thanks, Lynn!
I was one of those who admittedly missed it. I had a higher opinion of America then.
I knew about 6 months before the election TRump would win and was in a total funk. I kept trying to convince people to vote for Hillary but many people just sat it out in 2016. In all honesty, I'm still angry with friends who didn't bother to vote.
I’m still angry at folks I know who STILL support TFG. After everything!
I do my best to avoid them now.
I don't know (for sure) any Dumpty supporters. I know of one colleague who was a supporter before the last election, but I don't talk to him about politics. I mean, why?
Either they see the fascist clown for what it is or they don't, after 9 years which seem like decades, now.
Same with my older brother, who is a rancher in northern California. Last time I was over at their house, I saw that they had a McCain-Pailin thank-you letter for their donation stuck on their refrigerator door- so that ended any political discussions with him then and forever.
Greg is a vet; was a D.I. at Fort Lewis during Vietnam, so I don't know how this Arlington Cemetary debacle has gone over at their house. It's gone over badly in mine.
Oh I know TFG supporters. I live in a Red upper middle class suburb. What’s shocking is that the vast majority of my neighbors are college graduates. 95% of our children here go on to college. They KNOW better. These aren’t uneducated, blindly following, ignorant rubes.
They’re just dyed in the wool, doesn’t matter how many crimes TFG has committed, republicans.
I try very hard to avoid them. They’re clearly without ethics or morals.
You've summed it up perfectly: "without ethics or morals".....
To think that a convicted felon is allowed to run for President, an adjudicated rapist, and his supporters are just fine with that? It's disgusting.
I never stopped being angry at them! It has ruined friendships that I've had for life. I don't know what happened to my friends. There weren't many of my friends who were TRump supporters, but they're out of my life now, unfortunately. 😞
I’m sorry for that Megan. I am fortunate that a dozen of my friends and most of my family feel as I do.
There are the few that support TFG and quite frankly I limit my contact with them. I stay off FB and Instagram. I don’t want to hear it from friends who’ve revealed what they clearly are. I just cannot respect them anymore.
I am an admirer of Bernie Sanders; he's one of the best-focused Senators we've ever had. He knows and cares what's important to normal people.
But his run in 2016 probably was the tipping point for Hillary's loss, and those who voted for Bernie in '16 will always have that responsibility on their shoulders whether they admit it or not.
JAMES COMEY
I have nothing but contempt and endless obscenities for that self serving cretin. 🤬🤬🤬
From one Navy vet to another, I'm onboard, so to speak. Keep up the great journalism you're doing and screw the NYT's and WAPO. I dropped them both back in March.
Right on, shipmate!