A salient reminder from Trump biographer Timothy O'Brien on why people like Trump have been part and parcel of American history for a very long time:

"They’ve secured their place because they’re also a reflection of the people they court."

#elections #hope #solidarity
/5

bloomberg.com/news/features/20…

Trumpism Has Deep Roots in American History, and It Will Outlast Trump

History holds clues for the country’s political future, regardless of who wins on Nov. 5.

^{Timothy L. O'Brien (Bloomberg)}

My experience living American history through half of one century now and over two decades of the next century tells me that one can never underestimate the depths of racism and misogyny in many Americans, particularly when they go to the polls and vote.

We shall see. And I do struggle to keep hope alive, since I firmly believe that to abdicate hope is to place myself in the hands of those who want to rob me of hope, and to dehumanize me.

#elections #hope #solidarity
/4

At the same time — and, admittedly, because I came of age in the American South watching my white fellow citizens fight tooth and nail to tear down any advance of democracy that made its way towards us in the 1950s and 1960s — I find it difficult to see unalloyed hope in our history. I know all too well that our history also shows our ability to choose darkness, to inaugurate Jim Crow for half a century.

The antithesis of solidarity….

#elections #hope #solidarity
/3

Other commentators including Steven Beschloss and Noah Berlatsky stress the importance of soldarity, regardless of how the elections turn out.

And, of course, this is right: if there is hope to be found in our history, that hope lies in our ability to reach across the many lines that divide us and seek the common good together. A democratic society that doesn't aim at that isn't worth its salt.

americaamerica.news/p/the-nece…

everythingishorrible.net/p/if-…

#elections #hope #solidarity
/2

If Trump Wins, We Will Need Solidarity, Not Blame

We need to be ready to help each other

^{Noah Berlatsky (Everything Is Horrible)}

I'm not a prognosticator. Anything but….

The previews of what will happen in tomorrow's US elections leave me cold. As a result, I feel there's little I'm inclined to share here today, from the many pieces I've read this morning.

I do note that both Heather Cox Richardson and Robert Reich point us towards our history for hope that we can overcome the current tide of fascism:

heathercoxrichardson.substack.…

robertreich.substack.com/p/we-…

#elections #hope #KamalaHarris #Trump
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We the People will succeed

A note of reassurance on election eve.

^{Robert Reich}