Nightshade

You say that as if we are a single, unified mind. We've been struggling with those topics ourselves of late. But I guarantee you blue America is quite progressive on human rights and women's rights. Unfortunately, the way power is distributed in this country, the red (rural and religious) parts are able to unbalance the system, stymie progress, and even win all branches of government from time to time.

I can't speak for every American in this forum, but I do think there is a feeling that we're all in a burning car heading for a cliff and no one knows what to do. That is certainly how I feel. I felt confident that after 4 years of the terrible "experiment" that was Trump, that he would be swept out in a landslide. Not so. He actually gained votes - and a lot. I think we are all at a loss of how to save our country. Maybe we will separate into two separate countries? All I know is that this path cannot be sustained. It's not going to end well for America.

The sad thing is America seems to vote with more of a "throw the bums out" mentality as a knee-jerk reaction not really considering the ramifications of going back to the horrible alternative. I guess we like learning the hard way. If the GOP wins in 2022 (midterms) and again in 2024, I think we may see a genuine attempt to establish a permanent, authoritarian regime under the guise of a faux democracy. The pendulum keeps swinging that way harder and harder.

It's quite astounding but most just move on to the next "prophecy." I am sure some of the QAnon followers get frustrated when these things don't come true (i.e. Trump being reinstated as President in August), but on the whole, they just move like mindless husks to the next proclamation. It's unnerving to think that 56% of Republicans believe QAnon is partially or completely true. That's not an insignificant number. Not to sound like an alarmist, but something like Nazi Germany could definitely happen in the U.S. if this continues abated. I actually have people in my own family now who believe the Democratic party is controlled by Satan and that they should prepare for war. It's like something out of the Twilight Zone.

I never cease to be amazed by the depths of stupidity in our country. It's like, "How much worse can it get?" I don't even want to find out.

The Afghani situation spanned 4 U.S. Presidents. Obviously, we cannot do effective nation building. As bad as I feel for the people there, I don't believe there is much that could be done unless we just stayed forever.

This is the legacy of FOX News and right wing talk radio. For two generations now, they have been poisoning the minds of about 40-45% of the population. And it works. Unfortunately, for those brainwashed by the "Democrats are the enemy" message, all their victories are Pyrrhic.

We have a pandemic raging across the planet. A major world democracy [U.S.] almost slipped into a dictatorship overnight. And the use of emojis warrants a full article?

I am not as worried about Nevada. I think most of what is left is mail-in and someone from the Nevada Democratic Party said that has heavily favored Biden thus far. If he wins Pennsylvania (also likely right now), he doesn't need Arizona. And some are saying Georgia isn't over yet either. I guess we will see. Fox News (of all places) seemed pretty confident about Arizona for Biden. They actually do have a good analytics team.

Oh totally. Don't get me wrong, the fact that Biden will be President (99% sure anyway), at least most of us can sleep at night. AND I am hopeful he will elevate promising Democrats into his cabinet and advisor positions (Buttigieg, Abrams, Castro, etc.). I am more excited about the doors he will open to the talent of the future.

The odds are very good that Biden cleans the table with the remaining outstanding vote (aside from North Carolina and possibly Georgia - although the trend lines look good). I am happy with that victory but it has come at a terrible cost, and the fact that Trump got millions of more votes over 2016 just shows you that 60 million American are completely ok with the last 4 years. This is no longer a minority party in the sense that close to half the voting public would probably support an authoritarian regime even if it was the Fourth Reich. This isn't going away. These people are furious and violent (not all 60 million, mind you), but enough of them to cause chaos in the future. America has a very long way to go, and it's like to result in a further weakening of the Union.