Khan

First off, I'm sorry to hear about your father, @Wendy. I think I understand how hard it must be for you, since I lost mine suddenly twelve years ago. It's been my experience that you never stop grieving the loss of a parent; you just learn how to navigate your days without them. Sending you and your loved ones all my love and prayers. Speaking of things that probably need to go, I've never understood the concept of "safe spaces" beyond those designed specifically for sexual and domestic abuse survivors. To me, it sounds too "EST," and I'm a liberal, lol. It's a cliche, because it's true: there IS no honor among thieves. And I'm glad to hear ratings for MSNBC and CNN have plummeted since the election! I, myself, have made a concerted effort to disengage from social media, save for Bluesky (which I'm still somewhat weary about, but we'll see). I know I'm just one person and the billionaires don't give a [!@#$%^&*], but I figured it was the least I could do for the America I still believe in, lol.

In my wildest dreams: the same-sex couple in bed, debating who's gonna get up that morning and fix breakfast for the kids.

That’s all it takes (and that’s what I meant). Just do the most you can, the best you can; and if enough of us do that, in time, it will make the difference.

Thank you, @Vee. I'll admit that I was wrong when I said we needed to concede to the GOP on reproductive rights. Doing so would be tantamount to admitting the GOP was right - which they are not. After everything that my family and I have been through since my father's death in 2012, now we have to witness our country being burned to the ground by a bunch of ignorant, mouth-breaking crackers, who don't know the first thing about Jesus or our government? I don't think so. Scarlett O'Hara might have been just a spoiled, white girl from the South, but that narcissistic heffa had a point: as God is my witness, they are not going to lick me. No, nor any of my folk. Which includes everyone in this miserable, godforsaken country that I'm forced to call home. So, I have made up my mind to fight. I don't know how - I'm gonna have to pray about that - but as God is my witness, I'm gonna find a place where I can do some good, do it, then find another place where I can do some good, and keep doing it either until I'm dead or those goddamned fascists have been stopped, whichever comes first. Because, if I can survive all that I have survived - death, divorce, bankruptcy, welfare, attempted suicide, loss of the house I lived most of my life in, not to mention all 12 seasons of "Two and a Half Men" - I can survive Donald [!@#$%^&*] Trump, too. And I will. And WE will. Even if I have to drag every last quitter and doomsayer back to the voting booths and campaign rallies and protest marches and wherever else myself, we are not. Giving. Up.

I'm sorry - you know how much I adore you, @marceline - but I just can't give into that way of thinking. Not yet. As demoralized as I feel right now, I have to believe that there's a chance (however small) of the pendulum swinging back eventually. Trumpism, IMO, is like any virus that invades the body. We thought we had caught the virus in time four years ago, when we elected Joe Biden. Now we're finding out that, in fact, we didn't catch it in time, so now we have to let it run its' course. And sure, when all is over and done with, America will not be the same. America wasn't the same after the last civil war either. There will be much, much work to do in the name of repairing this country and restoring its' status with the rest of the world; and it will take generations of brave, hard-working people to do it. But my point is that fascism can't last forever. It didn't last before, in Europe, and it won't last this time either. In the meantime - yes, presuming there IS an election in 2028 and thereafter - I think we'll need to adjust our expectations going forward of who will be desirable candidates for office. The door to another woman or person of color running for president has pretty much closed for this generation. If it happens again, it'll be after many of us have passed on. As well, the next several presidents we have will have to come from the Midwest, Great Plains and Southern regions. Resentment toward the east and west coasts will be with us for many years to come. I refuse to say that the Democratic Party will never get its' you-know-what together, figure out how to combat the massive misinformation complex that the Russians, in compliance with our own media, have built and regain power in the WH and in Congress. They'll figure it out, but I do believe that many of the progressive causes that we have been campaigning on - things like reproductive rights, civil rights, gay/trans rights, etc. - will need to take a back seat for now. (Take it from me, I live in Oklahoma, one of the most backward-thinking states in the nation. People from the heartland, who now have the rest of the country by its' balls, either don't understand such things as gay/trans rights or abortion rights, don't care much about 'em or believe they go against what's in the scriptures. The only way you can get through to these racist, sexist, homo- and transphobic a-holes and win them away from the Republicans is by talking about the economy. Period. A smart Democratic nominee will know how to do it. A REALLY smart Democratic nominee, supported by the right media ecosystem, will know how to convince Larry Joe and Etta Mae that allowing women to have abortions, gay people to marry and trans people to live as whatever gender they wish actually benefits their pocketbooks.) As I said several years ago, after the last time we THOUGHT we had bid goodbye to Donald Trump forever, what we'll experience in this country will be very akin to what happened between the end of the Lincoln administration and the start of Theodore Roosevelt's administration (or Franklin's, depending on how you view things). During that period, we lived through a series of administrations led by men who, for the most part, were very white, very bland and very forgettable. Men who didn't see it their business to be progressive so much as to keep the trains moving (much like Frank Valentini, lol). It was a very rough time for our country, to be sure, but it also was necessary in order to help us heal from what had been, up to that point, the darkest hour in our history. I said all that when Joe Biden was elected, and I believe it stands today.

I’m not suggesting it will happen in your lifetime or mine. But I do believe the odds of a gay man becoming president before a woman becomes president are better rather than vice versa. (If that makes any sense, lol).

No way am I ever putting up another Black person to be the Democratic nominee in this country. I might feel differently down the road, but right now, I feel like my people have been thrown to the wolves enough. And I still think a gay man stands a better chance of becoming president than a woman. (Pete Buttigieg, come on down!)

That part. The fact is that there was only one person in this country who could have beaten Donald Trump. He did it once, and I believe he could have done it again, internal polling be damned. And until someone with real knowledge (and not just some dissatisfied social media user) presents me with undeniable, stone cold proof that says otherwise, I will never stop believing that Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and other top Democrats are the reason why we are where we are now. (Seriously, Hunter, I'm available anytime you decide to get even with those mofos!) This is why I insist that Democrats back away from abortion and yield to the GOP on this issue. I agree with @janea4old: people in this country have a very un-Christian definition of Christianity. But the truth remains: even the majority of white women in this country believe in the so-called sanctity of human life above all else; and no argument that pro-choice advocates could make will penetrate that kind of thinking, ever.

What IS the answer? Because, at the moment, the answer eludes me. I realize this will be a very unpopular opinion, but I think that if the Democrats have any hopes of moving forward, one thing they will have to do is to concede to the GOP and evangelical Christians on the issue of abortion. Forcing a woman to carry a baby to term regardless of circumstances is vile, but I think it's time we face facts. Evangelicals have waited 50 years to see Roe undone. Christian ideology is too ingrained in our culture. We, as a country, will never reach a point where we can strike the right compromise between pro-choice and anti-. At best, the Democrats can push for legislation that protects the mother in cases where carrying the child will pose a detriment to her health or the baby's; and yes, we MUST insist that the government does whatever it needs to do in order to ensure that both the mothers and their unwanted children have access to the best possible resources. (You wanted these babies to be born, we could say, it's your responsibility now as Christians to see to it that they thrive). But campaigning on a woman's right to choose...? That, I'm sorry to say, is a war we just can't win.

At best, I think CBS will offload the show to BET and replace it with "Wake Up America with Megyn & Candace." Regardless, however, I think its' days on CBS as it is are numbered already.

I, too, have deactivated all my social media accounts and plan to switch over to Bluesky. I've also decided not to renew my Amazon Prime membership and, in the future, if and when I need to order anything online, I'll do so by other means. I can't do anything that enables men like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos anymore. I just can't.

It's heartbreaking to watch all these joyous moments unfolding BTS, knowing that, within the next five years, BTG either will be history, or be just another, lily-white soap opera with the Black characters either sidelined or off the canvas entirely. (Don't look at me like I'm talking foolishness. You see what's happening with this country and you know what that means for shows like BTG.)

Yes, I've said this before; and yes, I'll say this again: the Democratic Party will never nominate another woman to be president. If we ever get a female president, she will be a Republican or Independent. As Ken Corday would say, "Bank on it." At the moment, I don't know what to do next. Part of me doesn't want to stop fighting or give into despair, and part of me thinks - as @Vee thinks - that if this is what Americans want they can have it. I mean, here we were, all jazzed about Gen Z coming in this election and wiping the floor with Donald Trump, and what do they do? They break FOR him. As did the Latinos and other minorities, save for Black and Jewish women. It's sheer madness...and yet another sign that this country is just not a place for people like me to be seen or heard and never will be. Fortunately, I was born and raised in a state that has been deeply conservative since the dinosaurs, so, in a way, I've been conditioned for this moment. I'm just sorry that the rest of the country will now know what it feels like to live in Oklahoma. Same here. I, too, knew what you meant, @Vee. And I'm not watching Biden's speech either. I will never forget what was done to Joe Biden, nor will I ever forgive those who were responsible. (If you're reading this, Hunter Biden, just know that I'm with you if and when you feel like getting some payback.)

I'm very glad that I let my monthly Amazon Prime membership lapse.

With elevator music!

Over and over again, we have tried to make White America see and hear us. 2024 might be the moment when we, as people of color, decide we're through with that [!@#$%^&*]. We'll go where we CAN be seen AND heard; and in the meantime, we'll wait while you tear everything down and then beg us to save your sorry butts one more time. (If I were you, my brothers and sisters, when the call does come, I'd put them on a very long hold, lol).

I agree. VP Harris and Gov. Walz ran the very best campaign they could. It isn't their fault that Americans are just too afraid to progress.

You don't have to delve specifically into politics to explore what it means to be "of color" in America, especially after last night. BTG provides an opportunity to start or add to that discussion. And that's all I choose to say about that, lol.

We can talk all day long about building a better future for our children and grandchildren. At the end of the day, however, most people view the future as somebody else's problem. They cannot and will not look past their own suffering. That is what the GOP has always counted on, and that is what has brought us to today. Oh, God. Another four years of listening to my mom watch YouTube videos and believe all the right-wing propaganda they spew. My heart literally can't take it.

I decided it was time and deactivated most of my social accounts today, save for Facebook. I'm keeping my FB account, because that's how I stay in touch with my former classmates.

I'm presuming that the situation in Gaza had much to do with Kamala Harris underperforming (compared to Joe Biden) among young voters. Young voters likely wanted her to condemn Israel outright and back Palestine...which only goes to show that young people have much to learn when it comes to Israel and Palestine. But OLDER voters shifting toward Democrats? So, we're making headway with Meemaw and Boompaw, but now we're losing Brayden and Heavenleigh. Good grief, lol.

Well, @marceline was right: we need to get ready for President Vance. Because, while Donald Trump can outrun a great many things, including the law, he cannot outrun death (no matter how many randos try and pick him off). And believe you me, that man is on borrowed time.

I wonder about that myself. As long as Sheila Duckworth remains involved, I think the show will be okay. But, if CBS somehow pushes her out or marginalizes her...well, my joke about Michele Val Jean being locked out of the studio like Bridget Dobson just might become a reality, lol.

I had said that I would consider relocating to MN if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz were to lose the election. Who knows, I said, it might be kinda fun to live out my fantasies of living like Mary Richards. Well....

Just some random thoughts: Obviously, it goes without saying, last night did not turn out the way we had hoped. I know I'm not happy to see Donald Trump back in the WH. I'm not SURPRISED, but I'm not happy either. I think this is the moment when we need to accept, however reluctantly, that this is who we are and always will be. We keep hoping and praying for our so-called better angels to intervene, but now is the time to admit that those better angels just aren't there. It's one thing for Donald Trump to win the electoral vote again, but to win the popular vote as well this time, and perform better than expected in certain categories? Again, folks, this is who we are, and this is what we always will be. I'm sure many will pick apart Kamala Harris' campaign in the days and weeks ahead and determine where she went wrong, but you can include me out of those conversations. I think Kamala Harris (and Tim Walz) ran a great campaign. Ultimately, though, there isn't any one thing that she could've said or not said, done or not done, to change one indisputable fact: she's Black, and a woman, and that's a combination that the majority of this country simply doesn't want in its' leaders. Mark my words: the Democratic Party will NEVER nominate another woman for president. Not as long as there still is a Democratic Party. If a woman ever becomes president - and that's a big if at the moment - she will be a Republican or an Independent. You'll see a gay man become president before you see a woman become one. (Again, mark my words). It might be a hard truth for many to accept, but I think we'll have to accept it if we have any hopes of retaining whatever remains of our sanity.