Midterms 2018--There Will be Checks and Balances

There was a blue wave, not a tsunami, but Dems, again, won the majority of American votes, this time by 9% points--which they had to to overcome the barriers to voting put up by the Republican machine.

Just watched Trump's press conference. Nothing new. Idiotic, nonsensical statements, very limited vocabulary, same stupid drivel, unhinged, egotistical megalomaniac ignoramus as usual. This is not just about the wrong policies and the wrong direction Trump and his party are inflicting on our country, but it's also about the kind of vile person he is and how unqualified. No serious company would hire this moron or have him speak for them. What an embarrassment. 

There was a big effort to register new voters and get out the vote by the Dems and progressives. It worked up to a point. It was probably a very high turnout for a midterm election, but still most Americans didn't vote! It's pathetic. And, it's also pathetic that we have to beg, entice, almost trick or treat people to vote. It should be a civic duty, a patriotic duty to vote. And, not just vote, but be informed about the important issues.

If you vote is counted, then it matters even if your political choice didn't prevail. We measure public opinion and commitment through voting. It matters because voter participation influences how we're being governed. Of course, elections have huge consequences, especially in a sharply divided country whereas the two parties represent vastly different policies--policies that directly affect the lives of our people, and not only.

 It's disheartening to see so much support for Trump--OK, the majority of Americans disapprove of him, but still there are too many who do like him. The change will take time and lots of effort. I think most people are misinformed about the issues; many are just very ignorant and/or don't have the ability to understand that they don't know enough and they don't know how to evaluate evidence.... 

This is not a snobbish comment. It's the Dunning-Krugger effect in play.  It takes a skill to understand what constitutes a fact and what a reliable source is, and how to arrive at a rational conclusion.  That's why it's very difficult, next to impossible, to have a conversation with anyone who doesn't understand this. In the absence of common facts, no rational conversation can take place!

At any rate, I'm looking forward to the next 2 years....