#us politics 2024

[the-anxious-acrobat]

living is resistance. please stay alive, and keep fighting, and don’t give up. I know how much everyone is suffering and the atrocities they have to face as a result of the elections. but please push forward. you have to keep going and not give up. one day things may turn around and there will be a chance of safety and happiness again. hold on for the hope of that future, because it will be worth it. if you give up then you won’t see it. I love you and I care about you more than you could know, and I don’t have enough words to express how distraught I am at everything that has happened and everything that you’re going through and the endless horrors. but please keep fighting, and keep resisting, and surviving, because you deserve better and you should fight for what you deserve even though it seems impossible and it’s so fucking difficult.

[lovelystargirll]

Backpack decor be like

[moontyger]

Trump has changed what it means to be evangelical

After evangelicals embraced Trump, something odd happened. As other Christian denominations hemorrhaged members, evangelicals saw their ranks grow; from 2016 to 2020, their share of the White adult population increased to 29 percent, from 25 percent, according to the Pew Research Center. The catch was many of these new evangelicals didn’t go to church. They became evangelicals because of what it meant politically, most of all because it was a way to signal support for Donald Trump. Among White Trump supporters who were not evangelicals in 2016, 16 percent began to identify as evangelical by 2020, suggesting again that politics rather than religion was the driving factor.

The idea of evangelicals who don’t go to church was once unusual. Now, it is surprisingly common. In 2008, only 16 percent of evangelicals said they never or seldom attended church. By 2020, 27 percent did.

Evangelicalism, in short, has become about shared political convictions. In one survey of Christian attitudes, for example, 43 percent of evangelicals said they did not believe in the divinity of Christ. But it gets even more bizarre. According to the 2022 Cooperative Election Study, 14 percent of Muslims (and 12 percent of Hindus and 5 percent of Jews) described themselves as “born-again” or evangelical Christians. This is not a joke.

If we look more closely at the numbers, what’s happening becomes clearer — and it’s fascinating. About three times more Republican Muslims and Republican Jews identify as “evangelical” than their Democratic counterparts, according to an analysis of the data by political scientist Ryan Burge. In an America that is rapidly secularizing — in just two decades, church membership has plummeted to under 50 percent, from about 70 percent — partisan commitments are replacing religious affiliation as people’s overarching source of identity.

[seriouslycromulent]

Today We Cry, Tomorrow We Rise - SARN Minis #56

Today We Cry, Tomorrow We Rise - SARN Minis #56 Transcript

Hi, I'm Sharon Hurley Hall. Welcome to the SARN podcast. I'm publishing on a different day and making this episode open to all.

I woke in the early hours of November 6th 2024 with a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. A feeling I hadn't had since the twin blows of Brexit and the election of the orange one in 2016.

When I checked the news it was to see the headline I hoped I'd never see again.

Despite his many character deficiencies, criminal convictions and dystopian plans for the future, tens of millions of Americans had once again elected the orange one to the White House.

And even more than before, they knew - know - exactly what they voted for. I mean, there is a whole plan - Project 2025 - for how he and his party plan to unravel the freedoms we previously took for granted. He's also stated pretty clearly his intention to retain power at all costs.

This vote is not an anomaly. It is not a surprise. We hoped it would be different but we were never sure. It was always too close to call. It shouldn't have been, but it was.

Even more than in 2016, the future looks uncertain and terrifying. Some people have made their exit plans, though not everyone has that privilege.

I weep for my American friends - the Black people and people of the global majority, for the trans folx, LGBTQ+ folx, Disabled folx, for the immigrants who contribute so much to the country, for all those whose rights will be taken away by Project 2025.

I weep for all of us, because tens of millions decided to ignore humanity and decency and because this election result could easily bolster the rising tide of far right sentiment worldwide. That's been happening since the last time he was elected.

I don't know how long the mourning period will last. It was weeks the last time. Even though I don't live in the USA, I feared for my family and friends who do. That fear is exacerbated now.

Yet, more than ever, those of us who care about equality have work to do. Despite the bone deep weariness so many of us feel, and a context that's only going to become more challenging, it's imperative to shine a light on what's happening and to keep up the pressure where we can.

We always talk about listening to Black women. Here are two whose words can serve to inspire us:

First, Toni Morrison:

“There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal. I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge—even wisdom.”

And then Maya Angelou:

“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise.”

We cannot afford to give up, even if we don't personally benefit from our activism. My ancestors would expect no less than for me to keep fighting for equality for all.

I hope their words will inspire you, as they do me.

So yes, let's cry today. Let's take time to heal. Let's ensure our safety. And then let's go, because no matter how it feels today, this isn't over, and we have work to do.

Thanks for listening, and I'll catch you on the next episode. Leave a comment

-- Sharon

[atypicalsapphic]

some post-election thoughts

Well, it's official. The United States has a red Senate, a red House, a red Supreme Court, and a red President. If you think the overturning of Roe v. Wade was bad, buckle in for the next 4 years.

I am not surprised. Yes, the polls were in Kamala's favour. Yes, she got most of the major endorsements, and she won the debate. But everything was in Hillary's favour in 2016, and we all know how that turned out. The thing is, Kamala had it even better than Hillary. No Benghazi-like scandals or e-mail controversies, no formerly impeached husband. She even made it a point to steer clear from the "first female president" campaign message that Hillary has proved does not work. She had no reason to lose last night, but as we know, the U.S. presidential elections are completely unpredictable and the results are often non-sensical.

Kamala's loss has hardened my belief that misogyny does indeed play a role in such elections. I did doubt this idea in 2016 due to the fact that the Clintons had too many skeletons in the closet for it to certain that her womanhood was such a major setback. But what did they have on Kamala? Nothing. Sure, she was a cop, and her stance on Palestine is appalling, but these are leftist concerns that do not hold for the average American voter. From the point of view of your typical centrist American, Kamala was the ideal candidate in every way. So why was Joe Biden, struggling with old age and an incredibly uninspiring campaign, able to beat Trump while Kamala wasn't?

American democracy is truly in shambles. How does a convicted felon, an impeached-twice former President, get re-elected? He has already pledged to pardon January 6th rioters and sack the prosecutor leading two criminal investigations against him. The only thing stopping him from abolishing term limits to make himself President for life is the fact that he would need 2/3rds of the Senate to agree.

That being said, I'm not a fan of the European exceptionalists who mock American voters for electing Trump. The rise of the far right is a worldwide trend which is just as evident in Europe, with the PVV's victory in the Netherlands, Meloni as the Prime Minister of Italy, and the European Parliament elections that were a big win for Europe's far right parties. Granted, these actors are not as extreme and criminal as Trump, and they are far less powerful on the global stage. But the far right voter is not an American phenomenon. The nationalist and anti-immigration sentiments that drive people to support fascists prosper beyond the borders of the United States. It is dangerous to assume otherwise.

[fruitbythefoot7]

jesus christ this is terrifying.

[setsu-nana]

Uh oh

[nicegirlslumbers]

Fellow American Latinos, I thought we knew better

Y'know, I thought it was just a few men and boys on social media typing their lives away for fellow male validation and to make a quick buck on X. But men really hate women. I know it's not "all" but with the recent election, I can't help but feel that way. It wasn't just white men, my blood voted for him. My blood who I thought had good morals and kept their heritage pride. But no. They decided to betray themselves, betray their wives, sisters, daughters, friends, coworkers, teachers, doctors, MOTHERS.

WEREN'T WE TAUGHT TO RESPECT OUR MOTHERS?? The ones who gave birth to you? THE ONES WHO'LL GIVE BIRTH TO OUR FUTURE? AND YOU'RE JUST GONNA TREAT THEM LIKE THAT?

"Your body, my choice" It shouldn't be your choice! It's a women's autonomy! Miscarriages happen even when they are not planned! Rape isn't consensual and neither is that fetus! Why can't they see that?

Are we that ashamed of our heritage and readily able to be manipulated by others that we vote like immoral and hypocritical folk? We need to have pride and love for our roots. Don't feel ashamed we aren't white but be proud that we have a rich, flourishing culture. Love the women around you! Love that God blessed us with the only ones who could produce life! Don't be manipulated into thinking we only need men in power! No, don't oppress OUR LADY LA GUADALUPE! Don't oppress your mothers, your sisters, your wives, your daughters, don't oppress women!

[inthecleaningcart22]

tbh as soon as im old enough to vote in my country, ill vote. i dont understand why others dont

[painandmovies]

Breaking news: Trump says the bullet pierced the upper part of his ear

Potential Lie 1: it was reportedly shrapnel or a shard of glass.

and suddenly he knows how 12 year old girls feel in Claire's when they miss the mark and cause you an infection 4 months down the line.

This 3-months from now little nick is not something to cry to the board about.

[pansexual-lilychen]

[moontyger]

Yes, all attacks on abortion rights are driven by a disdain for women. But what put Americans over the edge is the downright offensive and explicit misogyny it takes to enact a ban from 1864.

This is a law adopted before women had a right to vote, and in a time when the man leading the legislature had a penchant for marrying little girls—one 12-year-old, one 14-year-old, and one 15-year-old, to be exact. Can you imagine a starker reminder of what this issue is really about?

It’s like they’re rubbing our noses in it.

Gone is the pretense that Republicans want to pass abortion bans to protect women’s health, or that they’re enacting laws in service of some grand morality. With this ruling, the GOP made clear what their end goal is: forcing women back to a time when we weren’t full citizens, and when we could be married off as children to any 50-year-old lech who decided he wanted us.

To endure that insult, after two years of watching stories about little girls forced into childbirth and women mandated to deliver dead babies, is too much for anyone to take. Especially women.

And that’s the thing that Democrats would do well to remember as we close in on November: The danger abortion bans pose to women’s health and lives makes us afraid, but what makes us furious is the affront to our humanity.

It’s that anger that politicians campaigning on abortion rights need to tap into. The foremost feeling driving American women on abortion rights isn’t fear—it’s humiliation. It is demeaning, incredibly so, to watch as statehouses full of men decide that women were better off in a time when we had no choices, about anything.

If Democrats want to motivate women, they should talk less about how dangerous abortion bans are, and more about what that danger means: that to Republicans, our lives don’t matter. Instead of talking about how women are losing their rights, remind voters why that is: because Republicans don’t want women to have any.

[runephoenix6769]

To all Americans out there:

[luigicat117]

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[johnny-depp-is-loved]

Please, spread this for those who might need it right now

U.S. suicide hotline: call or text 988 (available 24 hours)

U.S. trans lifeline: (877) 565-8860 (when you call, you’ll speak to a trans/nonbinary peer operator. full anonymity and confidentiality)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) – provides 24/7 confidential support and referrals for individuals and families facing mental health and substance use disorders, including panic attacks and anxiety.

LGBT National Help Center: (888) 843-4564

Trevor Project: Call (866) 488-7386, text START to 678-678, or chat online.

Take care of yourself and each other. Please stay safe ♡