The Week Ahead

by Joyce Vance

November 10, 2024 Read on Substack

This is a tough one to write.

My top-line thought for the week ahead: Don’t give up!

If you want to plan a protest, plan it. If you want to knit in public at a lecture, do it. Don’t let anyone else make the rules for you. You get to set your own vision for what it means to be persistently pro-democracy as we prepare to face what’s ahead.

For me, it means resisting the language of division that brought us here and working to maintain the big tent that helped us win the fight for four more years of democracy in 2020. People are down right now; none of us are at our best. So, give people a lot of space and understanding. But don’t be afraid to act on your own or enlist like-minded friends to come along with your plans. Don’t let anyone tell you that your way of expressing your love for country and Constitution isn’t the right way. There is a lot of that going around, as many people with good intentions are struggling.

If you’re looking for inspiration and have the concentration for a longer piece, read the words of Czech leader Václav Havel, who wrote The Power of the Powerless in 1978, ten years after the Soviet Union crushed Prague Spring. Havel explored the idea that individuals who might normally be seen as powerless can make common cause in dissidence against a repressive political structure. The Czechs did not have the centuries-long history of democracy like we do, nor did they have a Constitution in place that guaranteed rights like our does. Still, Havel pointed the way for them to resist a totalitarian system. Although the story of our coming struggle is likely to be very different from theirs, you may still take heart reading Havel, knowing that his people struggled free from a dictatorial regime and created a republic.

The outcome of this election has been incredibly hard to come to terms with. In my heart, I feared Donald Trump would win—I live in a state where many people support him and their numbers were strong—but I hoped and even dared to believe it wouldn’t happen. And of course, I was wrong.

We are in for tough times, and they will not be times to give up in. Lawyers are already preparing to do important work. They have the experience of 2016 to guide them. Project 2025 and Trump’s Agenda 47 vision are dark. But they are not self-executing; they will have to do the work to put them in place, and we need to be there every step of the way, pushing back. Never underestimate the value of the public voice.

But do take time to refresh your understanding of the policies this administration has rallied around in advance. I have not forgotten that in early July, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts commented that the coming revolution could be “bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

This interview with States United CEO Joanna Lydgate is an overview of Project 2025
This piece touches on climate and science
This piece talks about the impact of mass deportations
This piece linked Trump to Project 2025 after he disclaimed knowledge of it
This is an index of the columns I wrote about Project 2025 prior to last July

We have a long history and tradition of democracy in this country. We have local governments and organizations where we can run for office and use our power to make things better, even if Trump is trying to make them worse at the national level. We are still a constitutional democracy, and if we want to keep the Republic, we are going to have to fight to hold onto as many of our norms as we can.

But not all this week.

This week we are going to have to endure the winding down of the criminal cases against Donald Trump. That’s a gut punch for those of us who believed that accountability was possible and that Donald Trump wasn’t above the law.

Tuesday in Manhattan, Judge Juan Merchan is expected to rule on whether the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision impacts Trump’s conviction in the New York case. If the convictions survive, and they should, or at least some of them, expect a rocket of an appellate case going off, as Trump tries to avoid being sentenced later this month. He may succeed given the politics of the moment, but legally, there is no reason he can’t be sentenced, although, and I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, I expect that even if he receives a custodial sentence, he will not serve it because of the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. It’s an entirely unsatisfactory conclusion to one of the worst-ever violations of American democratic principles.

I don’t expect normal times ahead. I believe Trump when he tells us who he is. I believe MAGA when they tell us who they are. This wasn’t just a campaign where the winner takes office and we all move on happily together, shoring up our disappointment. We have to be prepared for that reality, and not get sucked into a “business as usual” version of what Trump’s time in office will look like.

We haven’t begun to fight yet, but as we get over the shock of the election, we can begin to get ready. As President Biden says, you can’t love your country only when you win. I’d add to that, you can’t be willing to fight for democracy only when it’s easy.

We’re in this together,

Joyce

This Was A MASSIVE Part Of Trump’s Victory

Please watch this. This is Vaush. He points out that of the top left wing streamers. Streamers make an hour to 3 hour content on schedule. A lot of them clip their streams to smaller 10 minute clips or so that they can post. Of the top ten who many are right wing media? 9. Yes 9 out of 10 most popular streamers on social media which includes YouTube, Twitch, other smaller streaming services. The amount of money pumped into the right wing media is incredible as I have been saying. Look at the graph of incomes. The one that was leftist was Hessian and he doesn’t lean towards either democrats or republicans. He once worked for TYT and left to make millions streaming. This is about 20 minutes long but it describes the cumulative power of everyone left of center right now is drowned out (tRumped) by 5 to 10 Nazis from the right. If we want to win we must reach people where they are, and to do that we must be on the media they us. Much more covered in the video. Hugs

History Will Not Forget

Let’s talk about Trump’s Social Security plans….

We can only hope the divisions and internal infighting will delay the worst of the things the most maga want to do including tRump. Remember the republicans in congress and in the states still have to be voted in. Call your local offices even if they are republicans, tell them you are a voter, be polite and to the point. You disagree and why. They are worried about their job and even in deep red districts republicans won’t be happy if their incomes and funds are cut or shit interferes with their families. Sadly a lot of people who voted for tRump thinking he did not mean them or their families will find out he did, just as the people deported last time whose family members voted for tRump. Hugs.

Let’s talk about Trump vs Democratic Governors….

Important info for fighting back. As I said the other day, tie everything up in the courts until we can win the Senate back. And we will. As crazy as tRump is / will try to be, we will win in 2026. Hugs

Let’s talk about blame and takeaways from 2024….

Yes, Yes, Yes. Belle is saying what I am hearing everywhere. Information did not reach the voters it needed to. Voters concerned and worried about costs to them voted for a man who promised tariffs, something that is designed to raise prices. We need to find a way to get the information to the people who vote. Take it from Belle. Hugs

Let’s talk about finding out fast, tariffs, and Trump….

Surviving Trump: A guide for Trans and LGBTQ youth. #lgbtqia

As I mentioned I spend all day listening to podcasts on one device or the other. Here is some of what I hear

This short clip is great. The point she makes is the same one I made about the Democratic Party sliding right to get dissatisfied republican voters. Her point, we should have paid more attention to the people who left the Democratic Party than those who were never tRumpers or left the republican party due to tRump. Again it is the party of the working person not the party of republican lite. Hugs

While I find it easier to follow Sam’s reasoning on some issues, while he is out on funeral leave after his mother died, I am glad it is Emma explaining this. Listen to what tRump was saying about women. He wanted to see Harris in a ring getting beaten by Mike Tyson. He said he would protect women if they liked it or not. So she says two themes, I say three. She says fear stoking by bashing immigrants and misogyny. I say it was them plus racism. The first thing he said about her was she changed to being black for advantage, then started calling a black woman retarded. But if you remember the things he said about women in the 2016 election about Clinton and the grab them by the pussy tape. Sad that so many of our fellow people have these feelings in 2024. Hugs.

in this video both Matts are upset with the culture of democrats in office refusing to do what is needed instead patting each other on the back as infallible. Trump attacked both democrats and republicans who did not follow the ideas he pushed. Ideas that he felt people wanted, and it became true the more he said it. Even when they failed to actually help the lower incomes and did increase greatly the incomes of the upper incomes / very wealthy. They mention that again in 2023 the mean average income was lower than in 2019. Lower incomes are still losing and have been since the 1980s. While harder to listen too it is all about the conditions on the ground vs words used by democrat candidates. Brandon talks about the influencers on podcasts / social media. Matt Bender continues that conservation. Hugs

This video is about Joe Biden and him staying in until the last minute. How there was no primary and no time for Harris to introduce herself to the public. How Biden did not promote her publicly until he dropped out. How Biden kept her sidelines because her age made him look older by comparison. How the democrats need to do more to run to their extremer base like the republicans do. Hugs

In video Emma points out that the covid recovery plan of massive help for the lower incomes made the Biden administration very popular, but when that changed in 2022 for a more austerity program pushed by bipartisan republicans and Manchin / Sinema … or should I say by the republicans and Biden’s need for the feeling of bipartisanship. Once people realized again they wouldn’t be getting the help promised them by the democrats they again felt the democrats left them behind. The lower incomes feel betrayed by the democratic party and they feel used. Paid attention to only every four years and promised table scraps so the democratic candidate can keep the corporate dollars flowing. Hugs

My thoughts after the election 11 7 2024

I talk about why I think Harris lost the election. What people heard and understood. Mistakes made from hiring people who keep running old playbooks to who was listened to on the ground. This is one of many videos I hope to make on this subject.