203 Comments

First of all, thank you, Jessica, for your work. Obviously you are very much needed going forward.

Secondly, I was in so much shock and pain after the election that my body shut down for the rest of the week! I was frozen, speechless.

Worked on 4 campaigns: Harris, the DCCC (this I believe paid off), Gabe Vasquez here in NM, and a state house candidate, Pamelya Herndon. Both Vasquez and Herndon won and New Mexico is still blue.

I always suspected a trump victory and would ask fellow Dems “What if we lose, is there a Plan B?” to which the response was “Oh we CAN’T LOSE!!!” and that was that.

Democrats live in a fantasy world about how life SHOULD be, just like for years I lived in a fantasy world about how a male partner SHOULD be.

There is a lot of self-criticism among Democrats, and I disagree with most of it. The main criticism I have is that the Democratic Party leadership should have pressured Joe Biden to step down in 2023 to give his successor adequate time to launch a thorough campaign.

I took a year off of life to volunteer on this election and feel I did my best. That goes for all other volunteers. There are no grass roots or volunteers (other than rally attendees) on the right, just billionaire donors.

We on the left are doing everything correctly for a civilized democratic society.

Forces beyond our control are in play, namely MONEY IN POLITICS AND RELIGION IN POLITICS.

Until money and religion (both Catholic and evangelical) are decoupled from politics, we will continue with backwards U.S. patriarchy.

Perhaps young straight American women refusing heterosexual relationships and marriage to their straight male contemporaries may shift the power balance between the genders over the long term (this will take several generations of a critical mass of women refusing relationships with men) but it’s a long shot and highly unlikely as many women will continue to marry and reproduce—hopefully fewer and fewer—until more democratic conditions exist for women.

Expand full comment
Nov 11Edited

I think the whole 'trad wife' phenomenon was worrisome from the start. Created to counteract the abortion movement. Almost intentionally started in order to glamorize staying at home - aimed at young women/girls... 'You too can be an influencer! Be cute, and cook & clean with a baby on the hip!" Not that there's anything wrong with staying home with the kids. I did it for a long time myself. And I also think there was targeting by the Right towards suburban moms. Intended to make Kamala seem like a threat to their way of life/image, to motherhood. Like they weren't valued or important. Which made for backlash against powerful women. Or stepmoms. Or childless cat ladies! Republicans needed to siphon away the female vote, and it worked. That's my take anyway.

Expand full comment

I’ve observed that many white women gain status, even if it’s in their own minds, from marriage and having children. Choices for other women are not an option and are perceived as threats. The result is seen as voting against their own interests. However, it’s self preservation. That’s why they don’t ‘like’ powerful women. Will they be expected to be like them?

Expand full comment

But didn't Kamala lose the youth vote? A lot of young women voted for him or stayed home, looks like, no?

Expand full comment

We middle aged women stand with young women. Feminists united!

Expand full comment

No doubt you’re correct. I fear a coming wave of violence—physical, emotional, social and economic—that this election portends.

That said, I would really like to hear from Gen X and millennial suburban women in swing states and elsewhere WTF they were and are thinking.

Expand full comment

I don't think these people were going to help us with repro rights and freedom.

Tweet seen:

Zach W. Lambert

@ZachWLambert

I’m listening to Republican strategist Sarah Longwell on NPR talking about public opinion of Trump’s tyrannical posture and she just said:

“When I ask voters in focus groups if they think Donald Trump is an authoritarian, the #1 response by far is, ‘what’s an authoritarian?’”

Expand full comment

I suspect instructions on "how to do a menstrual extraction" will come in handy soon, with the pending authoritarian theocracy, and the inevitable push to intercept soon to be illicit (per enforcement of the Comstock Act &/or revocation of chemical abortion by Trump's FDA) mife/miso pills being sent via the mail.

This article explains how to do a menstrual extraction: https://we.riseup.net/gynepunklab/how-to-do-a-menstrual-extract

Stock up on supplies *now*, while orders are not being scrutinized.

Download *now*, since I predict an effort to make all such links inaccessible in the US.

Expand full comment

Thank you for sharing this information. It brings me comfort that currently it is readily available.

Expand full comment

Just this morning on the way to school, my 13-year-old daughter asked if I'd heard of the 4B movement. I responded like a mature, thoughtful, well-informed mom: "Why yes, I have! What do you think about it?" But my thought bubble was like: "OMG, let's fucking go!!!"

Expand full comment

WOMEN’S MARCH 2, January 18. BE THERE!

Expand full comment

I think you are wrong, Jessica. Plenty of women voted for the orange fuck. They are women that our society has ingrained, from the moment of birth, with hate for all women and themselves. American women as a whole hate themselves. Hate for female is a cornerstone of American society. I am thoroughly convinced that a woman cannot be elected president of the US. Stop being shocked the orange fuck gets another 4 years in our heads. He is America. He is the TV president that Americans deserve. Maybe not you or me individually, but the basement of humanity which is what most of the US population is. They got their TV-Apprentice president. And what's next? One of his sons? Donny, Jr.? America is all in on the orange fuck and his dynasty. It wont be just another 4 years.

Expand full comment

White hot, fulminating rage is the appropriate response to this self-inflicted catastrophe. As a loving husband, father and grandfather that is what I feel. We must find ways to preserve our best selves and channel our outrage into meaningful action. We will over time discover ways to do that.Meanwhile, the phony facade of "exceptional Americans" has been ripped off. Zero tolerance for misogynistic fascists. Knowing the reality of the country we live in is the painful first step.

Expand full comment

Thank you. The young men are definitely threatened by women in positions of power and, with power, unapologetic independence. I'm also hearing from some liberal, younger white men in my family (Bernie bros, but they don't like that term, and I have been trained by the Patriarchy to be courteous to a fault) that this election was NOT about Harris being a Black woman. Oh no, it was about how "horrible a candidate she was." Give me a break, dudes. This country hates strong women from the top of the ticket down to the voters.

Expand full comment

Harris was the most flawless candidate of my lifetime, and I'm 74. She was unapologetic about her capabilities and experience. At the same time, she exhibited what are considered the hallmarks of female qualities: empathy, warmth, nurturing that informed her policies and moral compass. As perfect as a candidate that we've ever seen. And as great a POTUS.

Expand full comment

Take away #1 = A woman cannot win the presidency in the US

Expand full comment

Why is it that we could see it and not the trump voter (rhetorical Q)?

https://x.com/RachelBitecofer/status/1854909413070717015/photo/1

Expand full comment

Is anyone gathering in one place all the stories about lives changed due to abortion bans. The more of these verified will give fodder for the next round of voting.

Expand full comment

In my in-law family text on Wednesday, two female 🍊voters lamented the dangerous pregnancies happening in ‘other states’ and hoped something would be done. I pointed out that there was a candidate who ran on that issue and would have enacted national protection. I was ostracized in the group text 🙃

Expand full comment

So my point is that I am not sure more stories get to the heart of the issue but it’s worthwhile to try.

Expand full comment

I was just talking to my landscaper who is from Honduras. He talked about a Honduras woman living here not getting the care and dying of pregnancy. He confirmed that KH being a woman was a problem for many of his cohorts (he is a good guy unlike them). trump line about why the VP had not done more in her 3+ years resonated with them apparently. Again, it all comes back to not understanding how things work here, not understanding the constitution and the modern state, being victims of propaganda. Poor guy, I think i just gave him an earful but asked him to push back when people rationalize their trump vote.

Expand full comment