Jan. 3, 2025
Suggestion: Print the photo (note pdf link) and keep as a ready reference. Add contact information for all your elected representatives, local, state, national. Use it often.
This post has been long planned, but is being written in the shadow of the terror in New Orleans at the beginning of New Years Day, 2025. This, and the sad but expected death of a personal hero of mine, President Jimmy Carter death on December 29, are much in my thoughts now. But life goes on, and we have much to learn from past, and much to prepare for in the future.
The U.S. Presidential Election Results are as of December 11, 2024, the day of required reporting of the election results to the United States (Certificates of Ascertainment). January 3, the new Congress will be sworn in must elect a speaker and very shortly thereafter begins the formal process leading to inauguration on January 20, 2025. (Other 2024 Election Key Dates are here.) The remainder of this month is immensely consequential. Make a point of following the news.
Pdf of the above: Nov. 5 2024 Presidential Election Results.
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My comments on this are very brief: Every one of the approximately 240,000,000 who could vote on November 5, 2024, including those who did not vote at all, had a role in the results of the election. There is no do over for four years, and no modification for two.
I was one of the voters. So were you, regardless of for whom or even if you voted.
Not represented are over 70,000,000 American citizens who were not old enough to vote on Nov. 5 – not yet 18. They are the ones who will be most affected by our decision on who voters selected as leaders at all levels in all places.
I was one of the 75 million who voted for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz (that’s why I list them first). I am aware that my cohort of 75 million has great diversity and immense potential power, but only if we individually acknowledge our own responsibility to work where we live, and to work together. Living together in any community is never easy – even people of seemingly like minds disagree. But the alternative to constructive work together is disaster.
I have and will continue to follow politics carefully. I urge you to do the same, and to act wherever you are every day.
There are a great number of issues in this complicated society, and there are hundreds of legislators all over the country, some of whom representyhou. You and I and all of us are the ones who ultimately make the difference. Think of the difference each one of us could make if each of us reached one other person. Do something constructive, every day, where you live.
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President Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn.
Events following President Carter’s death will be announced at the Carter Center website, here.
Here’s a recent post (October 1) I wrote which included a personal section on Jimmy Carter. You’ll find it near the end of the post. Scroll down.
Within that post is a link to Jimmy Carterr’s autobiography which he published at age 90, “A Full Life”. I read the book this past summer. It is well worth your time. I have huge respect for President Carter and his lifetime work in multiple arenas, including President of the United States.
UPCOMING: My next scheduled post is January 5, focus: January 6, 2021. CHECK BACK.
POSTNOTE: I learned of the Las Vegas incident after beginning this post and am following it closely, but have no comments to add to the conversation.
COMMENTS (more at the end)
The popular vote results as well as the Electoral College votes clearly indicated that too many voters want to have an authoritarian government in charge rather than a democratic government in place. Further, they openly rejected the Democratic Party on the basis that it has become or at least they perceive it that is the party only of gay and transgender rights, issues that most people do not give a darn about. The Democrats are perceived (incorrectly in my view) that they are no longer the party of the working, middle classes, something that has easily been exploited by the MAGA folks. Those concerns and issues mean little if anything to the voters facing real bread and butter issues The Democrats will have a hard time winning at the national level if they cannot change that perception in the future. The 2026 elections will tell us whether after all of the damage the man child who would be king will have done whether that is really what the voters wanted when they voted for him.
I respectfully disagree. You and I are longtime Democrats and friends, and cross swords frequently on this kind of issue, which is a strength of our party, in my opinion.
Dec. 23, I responded to a comment from a cousin in Montreal which basically speaks to your issue from my perspective, though the conversation emphasized the romance with Elon Musk. Let’s start with this, and later perhaps more on a side conversation.
My cousin: “It’s difficult for me to comprehend how the American working class could idolize Musk.” And I responded, ‘off the cuff’
“At least for the moment we have the secret ballot in the U.S. and no one has to be honest about how or if they voted. What we do note is the actual vote, which I’ll post sometime the week between Christmas and New Year [posted Jan. 3].
There are infinite variables in how/why people voted like they do. My relative who’s strong Democrat who “doesn’t want a woman president” is first. He may have not voted at all.
Then there’s the Jews who didn’t vote because Biden/Democrats weren’t strong enough about supporting Israel; and the Palestinians who didn’t vote for the opposite reason (which made more sense). And those who voted for Jill Stein, et al; and the peaceniks who were anti-financing Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself against Russia.
Of course, there are the legions of evangelicals and conservative Catholics who are convinced that Trump will eliminate abortion forever, and give them a free pass to heaven….
Shall I continue? The next year will be the referendum on whether the U.S. as an idea will survive. For me, the most important day will be the first day of the Trump regime, where he has said he will be dictator for that one day….”
I agree, Dick, that we are both longtime Democrats and friends, however, a standby what I said just as the 2024 election results confirmed. That is, too many voters have made it clear that they prefer an authoritarian type of government rather than a democracy with a “king” who will care about the meat and potato issues that actually affect where they and not some dumb bottom esoteric issues like gay and transgender rights as the MAGA folks so easily have painted as the face of our great party. The Democratic Party is a large tent to which everyone is welcome to reside under if they agree with some basic policy tenets or perspectives…We sure as heck do not need to get so far into the identity politics aka DEI B.S. that our opponents can so easily paint as only being concerned about. Most voters do not give a flying piece of feces about such issues, and we have to accept and recognize that if we expect to win big elections in the future! I do hope that the 2026 elections will tell us that the MAGA crap is being rejected but I am not at all certain that will be the case.