Democratic mistakes
Biden should not have shut down his campaign website. Rather than using it to raise money to feed to the media industry, they should have organized and listened, to develop new channels of communication with voters that were not dependent on journalism. Every time the Dems run a campaign, win or lose, they shut down their connection to the electorate. The voters' only role in the party was when they needed our money and our vote. We were not part of governing. Huge mistake. And I'm not just saying that now, I've said that about every Democratic campaign since Obama. This is probably the biggest single mistake the Dems keep making.
This is a very good point.
The post I quote down here comes from my notes’ feed in FeedLand. With FeedLand by @scripting.com or @davew@mastodon.social I can collect and share news and blogs feeds, and I can also comment on them. Those comments have their own feed which I have brought into the Sources section of Micro.blog too, so they automatically show up on my timeline. I like it so far.
Qatar suspends role as mediator between Israel and Hamas
Qatar has suspended its efforts as a mediator in negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release between Israel and Hamas, the Qatari foreign ministry said late Saturday.
The Gulf country would resume its work when Hamas and Israel “show their willingness” to negotiate, the ministry said in a statement on X.
politico.eu
I hate that these serious announcements are still done in X.
Just show that darn willingness to negotiate, both Hamas and Netanyahu.
Qatar suspends role as mediator between Israel and Hamas
Qatar has suspended its efforts as a mediator in negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release between Israel and Hamas, the Qatari foreign ministry said late Saturday.
The Gulf country would resume its work when Hamas and Israel “show their willingness” to negotiate, the ministry said in a statement on X.
I hate it that these type of serious announcements are still done in X.
Just show that darn willingness to negotiate, both Hamas and Netanyahu.
I keep finding great people
Whether I’m sitting down to share a meal with you or sitting down to read your words sent across space and time in a way that still astounds me, I’m thankful for and amazed by each connection.
Here’s one more connection, via FeedLand by Dave Winer, that I hope makes the way back to you. I loved your post, Annie.
We the people are people that believe Trump.
Oliver Hall for The Guardian:
This excerpt left me astonished. How on earth are there still people who think a woman could not run the country?
But gender did play a role. Time and again, voters, very often women themselves, told me that they just didn’t think that “America is ready for a female president”. People said they couldn’t “see her in the chair” and asked if I “really thought a woman could run the country”. One person memorably told me that she couldn’t vote for Harris because “you don’t see women building skyscrapers”. Sometimes, these people would be persuaded, but more often than not it was a red line. Many conversations would start with positive discussions on policy and then end on Harris and her gender. That is an extraordinary and uncomfortable truth.
And this is the hard truth we need to face and understand. We the people are people that believe Trump.
After all those conversations, I think the main reason that Harris and Walz lost this campaign is simple: Trump. Ultimately, he was simply too much of a pull again. Despite the gaffes, despite his views on women, despite his distaste for democracy and despite an insurrection, voters just didn’t care.
For reasons that I’m sure will be studied for decades, when he speaks, people listen. When he speaks, people believe him. After all those calls, I can be shocked at this result, but hardly surprised.
I’m so happy I built a page to share the feeds I read.
Find it here: My FeedLand
Thanks to .
🔗 Scripting News: Friday, November 8, 2024
BTW, there's a lot of talk about new ways to communicate that don't depend on silos that could be sold to billionaires. One way to do it is with my product FeedLand. It manages news streams for feeds you subscribe to. I think every publication should share news from feeds they depend on, experts they quote, other news sources they read. We can build our own networks this way. We've done it before and can do it again. The advantage of this approach is that it is truly decentralized and not at all complicated to use. Here's the news stream I provide for readers of my blog. It's the most popular feature on the site. With FeedLand you can create your own.
Daring Fireball: How It Went
🔗 Daring Fireball: How It Went
Given the circumstances when I went to bed Tuesday night, it was no surprise I was welling up with tears come the morning. But I’d never have expected they’d be tears of joy, with a sense of hope — however diminished — and abiding love in my heart.
As much as I get fed up sometimes with Gruber’s voice, this is a beautiful and emotional piece. It has reconciled me with the man, the son, the writer.
Hello, FeedLand world. This looks really interesting for following and sharing news feeds.
November 4th, 2024. We were so young and full of hope.
Oh dear FSM do I hate the bro culture. It makes me puke.
ChatGPT on the US election results and prospects
Here’s the article that ChatGPT wrote, entirely on its own, with this prompt:
Write an article with my thoughts on the results of the US Presidential election. What my hopes and my fears are. How Trump won by a landslide and how Kamala Harris performed below my expectations. The article must have four paragraphs, 8 lines per paragraph, and it must be written in English.
Here is a draft of the article following your guidelines:
The 2024 U.S. presidential election ended in a decisive victory for Donald Trump, a result that many anticipated but that still shook the political landscape. Trump’s sweeping win reflects a shift in voter sentiment, driven perhaps by economic anxieties, skepticism of establishment policies, and a desire for what supporters call “strong leadership.” Many believed that Trump would resonate with working-class voters frustrated by economic stagnation and social division. As Trump now prepares for his second term, his landslide win signals the public’s faith in his bold promises, though his approach will likely be as polarizing as ever.
On the other side, Kamala Harris, who many hoped would bring a fresh perspective, fell short of expectations in both her campaign strategy and voter appeal. Her performance, particularly among key demographic groups that had supported the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020, was underwhelming. Voter turnout among younger and minority voters didn’t reach the levels needed, partly due to Harris’s inability to fully energize these groups. Her policy proposals, though bold, often failed to resonate in the way that her supporters anticipated, raising questions about the effectiveness of her messaging and overall campaign direction.
Looking ahead, my hope is that Trump’s presidency will prioritize addressing the pressing issues that Americans face daily: economic uncertainty, social division, and an increasing distrust in institutions. A landslide victory provides a mandate, and it’s crucial that Trump’s administration uses this moment not for divisive rhetoric, but for practical solutions that could help unify the nation. There’s potential here for Trump to pivot toward broader appeal and show he can deliver on promises without alienating diverse communities, but this will require a disciplined, thoughtful approach.
Yet, my fears lie in the likelihood that Trump may double down on some of the most contentious aspects of his previous term. A landslide win could embolden his approach to bypass collaboration and compromise, deepening the existing political rifts. I fear that, instead of fostering unity, Trump’s approach could lead to greater polarization and even starker division. As Harris’s defeat reveals the challenges faced by Democrats in bridging those same divides, the country may be at risk of entering an era defined by extremes, rather than productive, inclusive governance.
It does not express my views, I’m much more pesimistic than what the text shows, but I must admit that it’s quite well written bull crap. What do you think?
Today I only want to see and listen to nice things. Manu Chao live.
«Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.» Sir Winston Churchill.
When we give it all, and we lose, we keep on walking.
As I’m starting the day at work, this is not looking good, guys. I have emails to answer and tasks to clean up. I’ll check up in an hour, let’s hope Harris catches up. But it does not look good.
Tomorrow I’ll wake up at 5:15, as I do daily. It’ll be 11:15pm Eastern if I’m not mistaken. I really hope I wake up to good news.
Quincy Jones (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024). Thank you for so much joy. Sid tibi terra levis.
Have I ever told you I was an exchange student in Lancaster, PA, back in 1990-91. My American family were Jim, Patty, Mary and Jay. My American Dad just called me and we talked for 20 minutes. Very few things make me so happy. Thanks, Jim.
🔗
I'd love to live in a world where relationships were easy for me. I can come across as personable and friendly, and there is a large part of me that truly is that way, but it takes so much effort. I make the effort because I enjoy the rewards and reactions I get from being that person, but my god, it takes so much energy and concentration. Left to my own devices and true nature, I'd silently do my own thing, content to be left alone most of the time.
This is so me. Exactly me. I couldn’t have described my own feeling better.
I must admit I’m nervous about the US presidential election. Not for the turnout and the outcome, I feel confident Harris is going to win the electoral college. I’m anxious for Trump’s, the GOP’s and their supporters' reaction. How long are they going to drag the battle for election denialism, is that going to spark any violent demonstrations, and will any of their legal actions meet a favorable SCOTUS.