Election Day
First commentaries: Letters from an American 11:18 p.m; Civil Discourse, 11:19 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
The contents of this post were written before polls opened on Nov. 5. A post on the results will follow within a couple of weeks, likely before Thanksgiving. I’d invite anyone to include their own observations in the followup.
I have no idea what the results will be. The general theme has become quite clear over time: one philosophy is oriented to the past; the other to the challenges and promise of a better future. (I’m from the past, and cast my ballot for the future.).
About all I’ll say, going into tomorrow, is that I’ve never seen such a stark contrast in vision; one looks back; the other looks ahead.
The photos below represent my visioning going in.
On the good old days side: a few days ago a relative sent a picture of the last remnant of a blacksmith shop in a tiny North Dakota town. Blacksmith was an absolutely essential rural business.
All that was left of the shop, opened over 100 years earlier, was what you see in the second photo. Indeed, most of these small towns have barely survived. I know. I came from them. The shop itself (first photo) came with the founding of the town about 1905, and is shown in 2010, over 100 years later. Such is how life goes. The persons who worked in this blacksmith shop had a hand in building a future unknown to them at the time. They are all gone.
Blacksmith shop Berlin ND Sep 2010
Remains of the blacksmith shop pictured above, October 2024
We know what was.
The future, of course, is ahead.
120 years ago, the people who worked in and were customers at the blacksmith shop could hardly imagine our world of 2024. Similarly, we now have to image 120 years from now…. We, especially the youth, have no choice but to look, and live, forward.
I choose to symbolize the future through a new book I just learned about two weeks ago at the annual breakfast of Fresh Energy, an organization you should know about.
The cover of this new and hopeful book, by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, just published in September, is below. PBS interview with the author is here. The book is readily available and well worth your time. It speaks to the younger generation which will inherit what we leave behind.
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I have done three other posts in the last few days if you wish. The Great Depression begins; Watching Congress October 31, 2000; and Community.
COMMENTS (more at end);
from Jim: Good one, Dick! Best wishes in the aftermath.
from Ruth: Very disappointed that Trump was elected President and Republicans got the Senate. Very depressing for the world and allies like Canada. Very bad for Ukraine.
from Joan: I’m sickened and so disheartened by the results, I can’t believe it.
As I said prior to the election, if Trump wins that means among other things that many people prefer an authoritarian type of government rather than democracy. But wait, has trump told us for months that the election would be stolen again and there would be a blood bath if he lost. Does that mean with his easy win last night that he stole the election?
Trump won! Greatest political comeback in American political history! Won senate, control of house, and the popular vote! Spares Americans having to watch amateurs Harris and Walz fumbling to lead us. Progress on several major problems (border, drilling for oil, dealing with criminal illegals, etc) will be made quite quickly via executive orders. Likely to bring more Americans together to work together, care for each other, and collectively work to improve the economy and daily lives. Will immediately strengthen how our USA is seen and respected by other countries. God bless President Trump. Time to team up with him and genuinely “make America great again!”
I have no problem with differences of opinion. I find most incongruous your sentence that begins “Likely…” We have been divided into two tribes, and the one tribe is totally win-lose, and at that only for the chief winner who has vowed retribution against his enemies. Win-lose always has a dismal end – think Nazi Germany and herr Hitler. We shall see. (The first very brief comment at the end of the post is from a distinguished professor who happens to be Canadian.)
A happy moment for Republicans, of course. We will see how it all plays out. I find Mr. Trump pretty scary. Many of the things he has said are nasty and outrageous. I fear for my country.
Huh???? Au contraire Mark Langemo! Not the way I see the future of the U.S. under t-p’s -‘leadership’? We shall see-