Nov.29

electoral-vote.com

Dem 47

   

GOP 53

What I'm Thankful For: (Some) Happy Days Still Lie Ahead

Yesterday, we asked readers to send in some thoughts about what they're thankful for this year. We got more than enough to be able to share some of them:

• R.R. in Pasadena, CA: I'm thankful to have my wife and toddler daughter in my life, and am spending the day with them, making dinner, watching a movie, and playing games and reading with my daughter. It's a lot better to focus on that right now, to remember what's good about life and what's worth fighting for... soon enough I'll see what it's going to take to protect them from the oncoming turbulence and get through it to a hopefully better future.
  
  
• S.S. in Toronto, ON, Canada (but born and raised in Pennsylvania): Four things:
  
  
  1. All of the horrible things that have happened and are happening are very clearly demonstrating exactly what needs to be fixed. For example, the Supreme Court, various "guardrails," maybe the Constitution, gerrymandering, maybe the filibuster. Perhaps we needed to have all those things demonstrated very clearly before we could agree to take action.
     
     
  2. We still have a Constitution and lots of laws and procedures already in place that will make it difficult for the new government to make speedy changes.
     
     
  3. Most Americans are good people, and a slim majority voted for a candidate not named Trump. We have learned that education is needed, as well as the ability and willingness to really listen to what people think they need and what their fears are.
     
     
  4. There are a few adults in the Republican party who may just do the right thing from time to time.
  
  
• B.C. in Phoenix, AZ: Even though this past election was ruled by misinformation, I think we can always be thankful that Abraham Lincoln has always been proven correct: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."
  
  
• K.H. in the BioPark Botanic Garden, Albuquerque, NM: On this post-election Thanksgiving, we can still be thankful for the natural world. Despite continued environmental degradation, an ongoing sixth mass extinction, and the expectation of further insults from 45/47, we can find places of beauty and wonder. I am thankful that whether 1.5°C or 3°C, 280 ppm or 480 ppm CO2, life will find a way, with or without humankind. I am thankful that I can volunteer as a docent in my local botanical garden, where I can help visitors understand and appreciate the wonder of our natural world, where I can help them understand the need for saving it.
  
  
• R.P. in Kāneʻohe, HI: I am thankful that Donald Trump is not intellectually capable of achieving everything (or even most of) what he wants to do, and that he's not 20 (or even 10, or even 5) years younger. I am thankful that his ego is so fragile and his commitment to himself is so strong that he will not cultivate (or tolerate) a clear successor to the MAGA throne. I am thankful that the sycophant swamp that surrounds him is composed of people who are each committed to the notion that the needs of the one (i.e., themselves) outweigh the needs of the many—so that when Dear Leader shuffles off this mortal coil, there will be nothing but chaotic in-fighting among them to claim said throne (precisely the opposite of what happened when every single wannabe Democratic presidential contender fell on their sword immediately after Joe Biden withdrew and supported Kamala Harris). Speaking of mortal coils, I'm thankful that Donald Trump's eating habits and lifestyle are, shall we say, not conducive to longevity. I am thankful that the political party with which my personal philosophies currently most closely align continues to act like the grown-ups in the room, as I think that's the winning strategy for the long term (though I do wish they'd follow the advice of Jon Stewart).
  
  Most of all, I am thankful for my belief that the night is always darkest before the dawn. This belief is the life raft I cling to during this dark and gloomy storm we're currently in (which did not begin with the recent election, but started brewing back around the time Newt Gingrich became Speaker of the House). As I slip into a food coma this evening after feasting with my like-minded family and friends, I will take some small comfort in knowing that, despite the terrible outcome of the recent election, this, too, shall pass.
  
  
• L.C. in Lake Spivey, GA: The U.S. House of Representatives can soon be modeled on the game of GO—basically, who can block who. For this gridlock, I am thankful.
  
  
• J.C. in Thủ Dầu Một, Bình Dương, Vietnam: I'm in Vietnam, where at least I know I'm free...
  
  
• A.M. in Toronto, ON, Canada: I live in Canada!
  
  
• A.D. in Gaithersburg, MD: Personally, I'm thankful that I live in a blue state.
  
  
• A.G. in Scranton, PA: For four walls and a roof, a few real friends, two dogs, a head still held high and my shoulders that still roll back, and (as a voter in a swing state, a swing Senate state, in a swing district) no more fu**ing wall-to-wall ads with scary, brown people raping my daughter and "genetic males wrestling with our girls" from three different, angry racist di**heads.
  
  For soup kitchen workers and ER room nurses.
  
  For PTSD counselors who grew up to find that patient who needed them from the moment she first knew of him, watching the news in September as a new 5th grade girl, doodling her name and her crush's name in initials in her notebook.
  
  For our own, Second Amendment options if they come for brown, gay, trans, or Jewish neighbors.
  
  That SCOTUS didn't steal this one, we lost it on our own by siding with people who take their balls and stay home with them rather than having balls and voting with them.
  
  For old trackmarks and no new ones.
  
  
• L.S. in Queens, NY:
  
  
  
  
• K.H. in Scotch Plains, NJ: To be honest, one of the things I'm most thankful for is Wikipedia. After seeing so many Internet sites start off well and useful and functioning and then slowly go down the drain, Wikipedia's continuing reliability is so reassuring especially in these days and times, particularly how bull**it is so often swiftly erased thanks to the many editors. The site certainly has flaws and I won't deny that, but it's without a doubt one of the crowning achievements of the Internet.
  
  On more personal notes, I'm also thankful for my iPod Classic, which I've had for 9 years, and Jeopardy!
  
  
• D.S. in Lakewood, OH: Knock out the obvious: I am thankful for (V) and (Z), who put together a quality site with educational posts almost every day. The value of their devotion to their readers is priceless. Thanks to everyone on the staff, doing all that work behind the scenes, even the mathematician and dachshunds. Thanks also to the many readers who have also become contributors and frequent commenters!
  
  I am thankful the Republicans have control of all three branches of government. I want to see how their policies play out, in extremis. I am thankful for all the guardrails in our democracy, the people and the policies—we are about to test many of them to their breaking point.
  
  
• A.T., L.R. and R.R. in Union City, CA: Thank you, (V) and (Z), for remaining calm and insightful all year long. Thank you for sharing your sense of perspective and of history. Thank you for writing pieces the whole family can share and discuss. We appreciate you.
  
  
• A.R. in Los Angeles, CA: There is, indeed, so much to be thankful for. Besides family, friends, and good health, I'm grateful for a like-minded community that advocates for democracy and a functioning government that works for ordinary people. And for Electoral-Vote.com, Chris and Andy, who work tirelessly to keep us informed!
  
  And then there's this, from evolutionary biologist Herman Puntzer, that I found especially comforting at a time when finding common political ground is challenging:

  No other ape shares like we do. It's anomalous in the natural world. But we do it every day. And whenever there's a big moment to celebrate, we do it by sharing food. So Thanksgiving is, in my mind, the ultimate human-evolution holiday. You've got hunted meat. You've got gathered plant foods. You've got language happening. You've got tools. You share this bounty with your extended family and friends, your kin group. What other celebration puts human evolution on display like that? So, of course, we should be aware of the health aspects. But let's not lose sight of the fact that, in humans, food is a social bond, and especially on Thanksgiving. Maybe give yourself one day to focus on that aspect and not worry too much about the calories. It's okay, honestly, to just enjoy the pie.

  I hope everyone enjoyed the pie!

Thanks to everyone for their contributions—and we hope everyone enjoyed the pie, too! (Z)