janea4old

Excerpts from Kamala's speech today (sections bolded by me) So let me say, my heart is full today. My heart is full today. Full of gratitude. For the trust you have placed in me. Full of love for our country. And full of resolve. The outcome of this election is not what we wanted. Not what we fought for. Not what we voted for. But hear me when I say, hear me when I say. The light of America's promise will always burn bright, as long as we never give up, and as long as we keep fighting. Now, I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it. But we must accept the results of this election. Earlier today I spoke with President-Elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition. And that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power. A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it. At the same time, in our nation we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States. And loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up. will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions and aspirations, where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do. We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence. And America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld. And we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts, and in the public square. And we will also wage it in quieter ways. In how we live our lives. By treating one another with kindness and respect, by looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbor. By always using our strength to lift people up, to fight for the dignity that all people deserve. The fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like I always say, we like hard work. Hard work is good work. Hard work can be joyful work. And the fight for our country is always worth it. It is always worth it. To the young people who are watching, it is ok to feel sad and disappointed. But please know it's going to be ok. On the campaign I would often say, when we fight, we win. But here's the thing, here's the thing. Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn't mean we won't win. That doesn't mean we won't win. The important thing is don't ever give up. Don't ever give up. Don't ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. You have power. And don't you ever listen when anyone tells you something isn't possible because it has never been done before. You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world. And so to everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize, and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together. Look, many of you know I started out as a prosecutor, and throughout my career I saw people at some of the worst times in their lives. People who had suffered great harm and great pain. And yet found within themselves the strength and the courage and the resolve to take the stand, to take a stand. To fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others. So let their courage be our inspiration. Let their determination be our charge. And I'll close with this. There's an adage an historian once called a law of history – true of every society across the ages. The adage is: only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time. But for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here's the thing. America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars. The light, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service. And may that work guide us even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.

Kamala concession speech Wednesday afternoon with ASL. I set it up to start a little after 24 minutes into the youtube, as the beginning is blank waiting time.

Update: https://radio.wpsu.org/2024-11-06/unofficial-results-pennsylvania-state-senate-house Centre County election workers had to re-scan 13,000 mail-in ballots this morning, after last night's bomb threat forced staff at the Willowbank Building to evacuate for an hour. Officials say they tried to scan the mail-in ballot data several times throughout the night, but dealt with a software issue. Watchers from both parties were in the room for the re-scanning process. Centre County election officials have yet to release those counts, which could affect the results in the state House 82nd district race between incumbent Democrat Paul Takac and Republican challenger Therese Hollen, which has not yet been called.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCCGkv2xT4g/ berniceaking If I could embrace each of you who is facing being more vulnerable with less rights, I would. These words from my father encourage me to look up and to keep fighting for freedom, democracy, and a world where injustice ceases and love prevails. Maybe you’ll find them helpful and a source of hope. #WeShallOvercome #GodIsWithUs #MLK

Let America Be America Again by poet Langston Hughes Written in 1935; first published in Esquire in 1936. published again in 1938 in "A New Song", a pamphlet of poems, chants, ballads and songs published by the International Workers Order. Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free. (America never was America to me.) Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed— Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above. (It never was America to me.) O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe. (There’s never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”) Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars? I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek— And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak. I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one’s own greed! I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil. I am the worker sold to the machine. I am the Negro, servant to you all. I am the people, humble, hungry, mean— Hungry yet today despite the dream. Beaten yet today—O, Pioneers! I am the man who never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years. Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned That’s made America the land it has become. O, I’m the man who sailed those early seas In search of what I meant to be my home— For I’m the one who left dark Ireland’s shore, And Poland’s plain, and England’s grassy lea, And torn from Black Africa’s strand I came To build a “homeland of the free.” The free? Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we’ve dreamed And all the songs we’ve sung And all the hopes we’ve held And all the flags we’ve hung, The millions who have nothing for our pay— Except the dream that’s almost dead today. O, let America be America again— The land that never has been yet— And yet must be—the land where every man is free. The land that’s mine—the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME— Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again. Sure, call me any ugly name you choose— The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives, We must take back our land again, America! O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath— America will be! Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain— All, all the stretch of these great green states— And make America again!

Exodus from twitter: Aaron Rupar @atrupar Noticing an absolutely huge and perhaps unprecedented exodus from this platform today. I'm down more than 10,000 followers. And while I'm not above a bad tweet or two, I don't think it's anything I posted. Nov 6, 2024 https://x.com/atrupar/status/1854209611491893349

via Zeke Miller of the AP: Vice President Kamala Harris called President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday to congratulate him on his election victory, a senior Harris aide said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the call. The aide said Harris discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power with Trump ahead of her planned concession speech Wednesday afternoon.

https://x.com/atrupar/status/1854015371579097198 Here is Aaron Rupar's full essay: https://www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-beats-harris-2024 Rupar says: "the sun will rise again and the fight for justice and inclusion will continue. This is a crisis, but it isn’t the end of history. We have plenty of allies to help us through, and it’ll be important to maintain a sense of solidarity with marginalized communities that wind up in Trump’s crosshair"

Aaron Rupar @atrupar Noticing an absolutely huge and perhaps unprecedented exodus from this platform today. I'm down more than 10,000 followers. And while I'm not above a bad tweet or two, I don't think it's anything I posted. Nov 6, 2024 https://x.com/atrupar/status/1854209611491893349

Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver a speech today Wednesday Nov. 6 at 4 p.m. EST. Harris will speak at Howard University, her alma mater in Washington DC, where her supporters watched returns Tuesday night before being sent home after midnight. Concession speech apparently.?

I doubt this will affect the presidential results in Pennsylvania, but it might affect local/state and congressional results? Centre County ’s unofficial election results are delayed after the county’s election software failed to correctly transfer the data from mail-in ballots on Election Day. via the Centre Daily Times, for Centre County, Pennsylvania (home of Penn State University) https://www.centredaily.com/news/politics-government/election/article295130864.html This came from a release from the Centre County board of commissioners: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25274305-11624-centre-county-elections-update In a release Wednesday morning, the county said about 13,000 vote-by-mail ballots will need to be rescanned, a process that will begin Wednesday morning. The county made “several attempts” Tuesday night and into early Wednesday to transfer the scanned mail-in ballot data into the county’s election software, the release states, but it didn’t work. “Centre County elections staff will start scanning these ballots this morning. We will continue re-scanning these ballots until complete. Re-scanning efforts will take place in the Willowbank Building in Bellefonte,” the release states. “Watchers from both major parties will be present in the room throughout the re-scanning process, even before re-scanning begins.” It wasn’t until 12:30 a.m. Wednesday that the county issued a release stating that although all ballots (including mail-in ballots) had been scanned, it was having issues with mail-in ballot data. The county said it was working with the ballot scanner vendor to export the election results. “Centre County’s Election team and IT team have identified that the data are successfully being exported from the mail-in ballot scanners, but that the data is not being recognized when uploaded to the elections software,” the previous release stated. Around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, the county said tabulation of mail-in ballots was complete but the results couldn’t be placed into a report form. One Centre County race, House District 82, has not been called. Incumbent Democrat Paul Takac has a narrow lead over Republican Therese Hollen, with 88% of votes counted. The AP called the race for House District 77 around 9:45 a.m. Wednesday with Democrat Rep. Scott Conklin leading Republican challenger Marie Librizzi with 76% of votes counted. Other races in Pennsylvania, including the key Senate race between Sen. Bob Casey and Dave McCormick, are also not called as of early Wednesday morning. Some races were called earlier on Election Night, however, including 15th Congressional District and Senate District 25.

hugs to you and all who need hugs

(tweeted in response to the election results) Edit, never mind, she deleted her tweet

One small bright light for Minnesota is that they keep Tim Walz as governor. The rest of the country will suffer immeasurably with JDVance as VP. But at least Minnesota has hope.

from the AP election updates live blog Where were abortion restrictions upheld? In South Dakota, voters rejected a measure that would have permitted abortion in the first three months of pregnancy. In Nebraska, voters enshrined the state’s current 12-week ban in the constitution. In Florida, voters cast their ballots in favor of a measure that would have overturned the state’s ban on abortions after six weeks and would have allowed them up until viability. However, the measure did not reach the 60% threshold and failed. Where did voters solidify abortion access and reproductive rights? In Montana, where state courts have blocked lawmakers’ efforts to restrict abortion rights, voters wrote abortion protections into the state constitution, codifying the right to an abortion up to viability. Though there’s no defined time frame, doctors say viability is sometime after 21 weeks. The constitutional amendment is meant to safeguard against future efforts to restrict abortion rights. Colorado, Nevada and Maryland already had laws on the books protecting abortion access, but voters there backed measures to enshrine the right in their state constitutions. New York voters backed a reproductive rights measure that would bar unequal treatment based on “pregnancy outcomes” and “reproductive healthcare and autonomy,” along with sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin and disability. Where were abortion rights expanded? Missouri voters overturned one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans, backing a constitutional amendment that protects abortion rights at all stages until the fetus is considered viable — usually considered after 21 weeks, although there’s no exact time frame. Voters in Arizona, which had a ban on abortion after 15 weeks, backed a state constitutional amendment that will also protect the right to an abortion up to viability.

This affects everyone. I don't own a home, I don't take vacations. I barely survive as it is. If some (including myself) lose low-income healthcare, death will result. This is not an exaggeration.

AP has called New Mexico, Virginia, and Hawaii for Kamala Harris, plus part of Nebraska which splits its vote Per AP projections: 210 electoral votes for Kamala Harris 230 for tr*mp 98 not yet called _____________________________ 538 total (need 270 for majority) update on Senate: AP now calling 51 Republicans to win the Senate majority. Democrat Adam Schiff of California won the Senate seat that the late Dianne Feinstein had held. (As a congressman, he led the first impeachment trial of tr*mp)

azcentral.com (arizona newspaper) still has it tied at 49.7% tr*ump and 49.5% Harris. And Jill Stein at 0.4% So far, I'm seeing 50 Republicans in the Senate and 41 Democrats, with nine uncalled. If the Senate ends up 50/50, then the Senate is controlled by whichever party wins as President/Vice President. (as the VP casts the deciding vote in a tied Senate).

From the Phildelphia Inquirer, it looks like some regions of Pennsylvania went for Trump - but it's too close to call in Philadelphia, and that could make the difference? "election officials in the Philadelphia area were predicting they would finish counting votes by Wednesday evening at the latest even as they have hundreds of thousands more ballots to tally. Under state law most counties in the state will continue counting ballots overnight, not stopping the counting process until all votes have been counted (aside from provisional ballots and others that are voted on by county election boards days later)."

Voters in Missouri — the first state to make abortion illegal after Roe v. Wade — approved a constitutional amendment that protects abortion in state law. The citizen-led initiative petition will legalize abortion up to 24 weeks, handing Democrats a crucial win on a top campaign priority.

AP has called Oregon for Harris. AP has called North Carolina for tr*mp Per AP projections: 187 electoral votes for Kamala Harris 230 for tr*mp 121 not yet called _____________________________ 538 total (need 270 for majority) Fyi, North Carolina is still very close, so the AP felt a need to explain why it called North Carolina

Philadelphia Inquirer says Pennsylvania is too close to call.

AP has called Washington State and California for Harris. Per AP projections: 179 electoral votes for Kamala Harris 214 for tr*mp 145 not yet called _____________________________ 538 total (need 270 for majority)

Arizona is still very close. Each time I check, it's still nearly tied, sometimes slightly blue, sometimes slightly red. 49.5% and 49.7% varying.