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Any suggestions as to how to emotionally prepare for the election?

For many Democrats, tomorrow represents the culmination of a four year effort to regain political control at the national level. While "winning" has always been the goal of an election, this year feels noticeably different as we, as a country, are more polarized than ever. Both sides have people convinced that their world view is the right one - fueled in part by a confirmation from their social network and consumed media (compare how few stories overlap on home page of [CNN.com] and [FoxNews.com] ).

However, one side will win, hopefully definitively, and the other will lose. With polarization, those on the losing side will fear the winners and winners will fear those on the losing side. Fear is one of the most dangerous emotions... as famously spoken by FDR, "we have nothing to fear but fear itself".

What advice do you have to emotionally prepare? What might you say to other Americans who voted for the other side in the case your side wins that would help bridge the divide?

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15

I am in the UK but I have been following this very closely. The saddest thing I came across was from a fellow AG member in Illinois. If I was to use a brief description I might say a nice old lady with cats. She has bought a gun for the 1st time in her life. She is that genuinely afraid of what might be in store win lose or draw. And that my American friends is what Trump has done to your land of the free.

273kelvin Level 8 Nov 2, 2020

You are dead wrong. The radical democrats have screwed up the country not Trump or the republicans. Hell that screwball Biden wants to confiscate guns and put an end to fracking which would shut down any new drilling and would be catastrophic for the US. If the radical democrats win it all we may have civil war.

@Trajan61 Rave on there Avon.

@Trajan61 So its all the Dems fault is it? Tell me who has been in the White House for the past 4 years? Tell me who has had control of the senate? Tell me where does the buck stop? The divisions in your country have been whipped up and used by Trump, just like he uses the Christians.
"If the radical democrats win it all we may have civil war." Doesn't that just sum up what he has done to your country? What you have just said is "If the people of my country do not vote the way we want. We will use force". Whatever happened to government by the people? It's like saying "have sex with me or I will rape you."
Oh and then we get the same old same old "The Democrats will take away your guns". Yeah "And I won`t come in your mouth". Eight years of Clinton, still got yer guns. Eight years of Obama, still got yer guns. Yet every election they tell you the same old lie and you end up with a mouth full of jizz.

NB. Biden said he will stop new fracking on federal land period. Not ban fracking completely.

@Trajan61 "So ... the election is today
Has anybody seen this COVID vaccine we were promised?
Today's the day. Right? Trump said we'd have a vaccine BEFORE THE ELECTION. He said it more than once. Many times. He berated Dr Fauci for saying it would be next year at the earliest.
Donald Trump promised you a vaccine by TODAY.
Has anybody seen it? Anybody had the vaccine?
Anybody?
Hello?
The military will be stopping by shortly with the vaccine, right? I mean, Trump gave America his word, right? He said he was mobilizing the military to deliver the vaccine. To you. Today.
So, where is it?
Where?
Nowhere, that's where. It doesn't exist. Fauci was right, Trump was wrong. Again.
Trump's promises are garbage.
His word means nothing.
He's a liar and a con artist and goddamn scumbag.
If you vote for him, so are you."

May in America can not see the forest for the trees. I am as stunned by some of my countrypeople as the rest of the world. Thanks for pointing out the obvious to a couple of the anti-dems 🙂.

@273kelvin You are totally out of touch with American politics! Why is it that most of the problems are in democrats controlled cities? And those same radical democrats want to run the whole country! If you had listened closely you would have heard that SOB Biden say he wanted to phase out oil and gas. And he also said he wanted to make Beto O Rourke his gun control czar. And he also said he wanted to have that radical piece of shit AOC on the environmental committee. He wants that sorry bitch Susan Rice as Secretary of State. He want to redo the idiotic Iran deal. And he wants to increase imigration. You need to concentrate on politics on your side of the Atlantic. You obviously know nothing of American politics!

@273kelvin And that crooked sob Biden never told a lie right? Trump has done far more good than most politicians have ever done. Had it not been for Covid he would have been a shoo in for re-election!

@Trajan61 Well I knew that oil and gas were subsidised, that puts me one up on you.
All 1st nations are in the process of phasing out fossil fuels. There is this thing called "global warming". Now you might try and deny the science like those pastors that pray away COVID but it`s here to stay and just like COVID, it's only getting worse. Perhaps if you had a leader that listens instead of putting his foot in his Twitter account. Or had people around him that don't believe in the exorcisms held in the oval office, you might get in line with the rest of civilization?
Most of your previous comment was ranting insults. oh, how familiar. "Had it not been for Covid he would have been a shoo in for re-election!" But it did happen and the politics of division has been found to be severely lacking. When you needed an FDR, JFK or Reagan what you got was a peacock who cared more about his Twitter and TV ratings than American lives.

@273kelvin You never answered my question about why most of the unrest is in democrat governed areas. Your friend in Illinois who purchased the gun Is likely afraid of the drug gangs who are battling it out there. Illinois and especially Chicago has been run by liberal democrats for years and they have daily killing there because of gang violence largely a direct result of democrat government.
And oil and gas is going to be around for a long time yet as wind and solar power are unreliable and have to be backed up by something else like natural gas or nuclear as we don’t have affordable battery technology yet. Trump may be a little of a braggart but his foreign and domestic make a lot more sense than the democrats.

@Trajan61 Most of the unrest is in urban areas which tend to go Dem. I like the way you can project what someone you don't know is frightened of. Actually, it's the unrest and breakdown of society that tRump has instigated.
As for his foreign policy, I just watched Thatcher's former foreign secretary (hardly a libtard) say that he has given up the leadership of the free world just at a time when it was really needed.

@Trajan61 Watching the news and it looks closer than thought but a squeak in for Biden. What worries me is possible unrest from Trump's brownshirts if he lets them loose. Personally, I lean left but can see merits/demerits on both sides. The problems that you face how do you heal the rifts that he has widened. If Trump loses, where do the Republicans go without the personality cult?

@Trajan61 Of course oil and gas will be around but it is a weaning process. You have to move from one to another. The pace and scale of that are a matter of politics/economics. It depends on what you call a battery? Near me, in Wales, there is a small mountain with a reservoir at the top. Water is pumped up when electricity is cheap like at night and released when demand is high.

@273kelvin Biden has not won the election. Even if he manages to pull it out the republicans retain control of the senate and picked up 4 seats in the house.

@Trajan61 Well he has won the popular vote and although very close it looks like an electoral college win too. If one football team gets 39 points and the other 38, that's still a win.

@273kelvin The popular vote fortunately doesn’t determine the winner in the presidential election. It doesn’t look to good for Trump. Had it not been for the Covid epidemic Trump would have won easily. Even if Biden wins he won’t be president long as Camala will take over before long.

@Trajan61 If... if my aunt had balls she would be my uncle. If Hiter hadn't invaded Poland, Churchill would be a footnote. The thing is it did happen and just like G.W. with Katrina, Trump was found extremely wanting.
The obvious fact that so many citizens preferred to vote by mail rather than in person in a pandemic should have been something embraced by a good leader. Instead, we have had Trump calling into question your democracy for months before the election. Do you want to talk "if"? If Trump had taken COVID seriously? If he spent his energy on making sure the postal ballots were easy to use and all kosha. Instead, we have him whinging about cheating, his supporters trying to stop the count. When all I can see on the news is decent officials trying to do their job as well as they can. This does not reflect well on your nation.
As for Kamala (with a K), you could do worse and have done.

@273kelvin Only a socialist or communist would favour a crooked lying piece of crap like Biden over a strong president like Trump. I’m ready to cut loose from the radical democrats on the west coast and New York. I’m sick and tired of the radical left wing democrat party who seem to be intent on destroying this country!!

@273 In the 1930’s the Great Depression paved the way for the rise of Adolf Hitler. In 2020 it come down to the Covid epidemic paving the way for Biden-Harris and the radical left wing democrat party.

@Trajan61 If we look at Trump retrospectively (we might as well as it does look like he is going). We can argue the toss on his economic successes, (a rising market and a 2 trillion dollar deficit) but it's his negation of America's role in world politics and how your nation is viewed that I would like to examine. Yes, he can claim some success in N.Korea but he has not stopped them developing nukes, nor has he done so in Iran.
The west is in an ideological battle with its long time enemies China and Russia. We hold that our democratic systems and freedoms give our citizens the best opportunities for the pursuit of happiness. We form alliances with each other to defend those freedoms. He has to a large extent turned his back on those alliances. Okay, him wanting other NATO allies to pay their way was fair (The UK already did so) but he went a lot further than that. All he really seemed to care about was his re-election. If half the things George Conway has revealed about his geographic ineptitude are true, then it is no wonder that other NATO leaders were laughing behind his back.
So much for his foreign policy as such. He is not the 1st POTUS that sucked and unfortunately, I doubt he will be the last. But America is more on the world stage than just one administration's policies. It is quite literally "the leader of the free world" (or should be). It is Trump's insular perspective domestically that has had the most far-reaching consequences. The Chinese can say with some truth that "No, we have a much better system. Look at how we have tackled COVID, look at the riots in the US and look how embarrassing their election process is". In fact, Trumps Chinese nickname is (roughly translated) "Making China great". The divisions that he has fostered has done no good to your country. You can complain about libs and Dems all you want but they ARE a part of your country. Just as the cons and Reps are. Neither of them is going anywhere and to have them at each other's throats just shows you up as suckers and losers.

@Trajan61 Man if you think Biden is radical left then Gengis Khan was a liberal.

@273kelvin If Biden does by chance pull it out I hope the Republican Party investigates that crooked lying piece of crap Biden and his left wing running mate for the entire 4 years of his presidency just like the sore loser democrats did Trump!

@Trajan61 Trump has been the most corrupt POTUS since Harding. The stuff we know about now will seem like nothing compared to what will come out later. I suggest that you look at his Trump University scam. For which he has just been ordered to pay back $25,000,000. No really, just take an unbiased look at it. The people he conned were just like yourself. They were Trumpers who believed all he said and they got scammed. One guy spent $25,000 for his course. Trump said he would have himself and the best people teaching him how to become a real estate millionaire. What he got was an infomercial in an office with Trump cutouts and then he got told to study his local real estate market...period.

@Trajan61 I have to ask, just how much of his bs to you believe? To my mind, Trumpers are like that Peanuts cartoon where she always takes the ball away before he kicks it. You would think that eventually, he would get wise but he never does.

@273kelvin Trump has done away with stupid regulations laid down by that idiotic regulation nut Obama and the economy has done significantly better under Trump especially before Covid hit. Also Trump’s foreign policy was much better as he quickly moved to isolate Iran, the most dangerous country in the world by making alliances with Sunni countries who fear Iran and keep the Iranian terror machine which seeks to destabilized the Middle East in check. He also reaffirmed our support for our most reliable ally, Israeli. As a president he’s done a lot better job than that racist piece of crap Obama under whom the Black Lives Matters crap started which resulted in more racial unrest than this country has saw in decades. Not to mention these radical idiots who are tearing down monuments and attempting to erase this countries history as well as kneeling during the national anthem and disrespecting this countries flag. All of that crap started under Obama who likely set the stage for the downfall of this country.

@Trajan61 Another question; I have just watched on the news that armed Trump supporters are outside of counting places in Detriot and Arizona. Trump could very easily ask them to go home but he has not. Armed militia threatening your democratic process and he does zilch or worse zilch to stop it.
Does that not give you any pause for thought?

@Trajan61 I have worked in construction for over 40 years. In that time I have seen regulations get tougher, then relaxed, then get tougher and so on depending upon how quickly/cheaply the govt at the time wants things built. On one hand, tough regs cost money and slow things down so you loosen them and things go great... until you get a fire like Grenville and people die. You can remove EPA regs and the economy picks up until you get water like Flint Mi.
Atm the UK and USA are in trade talks. The USA wants to export food to us but cannot until we leave the EU. This is not because of trade tariffs. This is because your foods regs are a joke and don't measure to the EU requirements. You are allowed to have up to 9 rat hairs per kilo in pasta, chlorinated chicken and up to 5% puss in milk to name a few. Bon appetite.
Okay if you want to talk disrespect, you might wonder why I am so anti-Trump? After all, I live so far away and it should not bother me that much? So I will tell you. 3 years back Trump re-Tweeted a far-right racist organisations fake-news video that purported to show Muslim violence in the UK. The video itself was shown to be bogus, it came from Holland and the guy was not even Muslim. Did Trump retract his tweet? did he say sorry? Did he shite as like? He had his blond idiot Conway spew out lies and carried on to his next lie. So I tell you sunshine if you insult MY country you have me as a permanent enemy.
As for BLM you might want to look at why they are so pissed off instead of acting so butthurt. If you had to give YOUR kids a talk on how to stay alive if a cop stops you, then you might not call it crap.

@273kelvin If the election count was fair Trump needs to concede. But we need to make sure the crooked power hungry democrats aren’t cheating.
That doesn’t mean that I will support Biden or the democrats and if they get to radical I’m afraid there will be civil war. This country is deeply divided and it’s because of the radical democrat party! Where I live is a rural deeply red area and Trump won the election with over 75% of the vote in my county. In my voting place Trump got over 91% of the the vote. Before Obama became president the democrats were a majority party in this county. No more as the democrats radical policies has alienated a lot of people.
On the BLM issue the democrat party has pushed that on the people and created bad race relations. Yes we will always have bad police who mishandle situations but almost all the BLM incidents were caused by black criminals with prior records who were not cooperating with police.

@Trajan61 "Crooked, power-hungry" really after the way the Rep shoved through their religious nutcase SCOTUS? mmmm, Still so many of my questions left unanswered, How much of Trumps bs do you believe? Armed militia outside polling stations - no problem with that?
Hey its the nature of democracy. I happen to live in a very left city. You might not think it but I`m considered quite conservative by my friends. Yet we have BoJo and the Torys bumbling the COVID response (he is worse than Trump 47,250 dead with approx 1/5 of the US population). So on top of the understandable resistance to masks etc. We have an absolute distrust of the govt and its figures too.

@273kelvin Barrett replace a left wing nut job who wanted to impose a radical democrat agenda on the us and was a firm believer in legislating from the bench.

@Trajan61 You wanna talk nut jobs? Check out the religious cult Barrat belongs to. And she was pushed in there despite what all the Repubs said was wrong in 2016. The thing is now the gloves are off and "can do it" has replaced "should do it" so you all lose.
[apnews.com]

@Trajan61 Okay do you believe Trumps whining about election fraud?
Bear in mind this is the man who said;
We are gonna build a wall and Mexico is going to pay for it.
I will release my tax returns if I am elected.
Crooked Hillary will be locked up (31 hours of testimony and no charges)
COVID will disappear by April. It will be like a miracle.
There will be a vaccine ready before election day. The military will deliver it

So I re-ask the question. How much of his bs do YOU believe?

@Trajan61 I am sorry if this has gotten a bit antagonistic but to my mind, this is not left vs right. This is personality cult vs reasonable discussion.
We can both agree that God and religion is bs. There is no evidence for and lots of evidence against, so we reject it like reasonable people. So when faced with a pathological liar we... a, Fact-check everything they say? b, Take everything on faith like a good believer?
All I ask is that you use your natural scepticism you apply to religion to what has become a political (and for some Trumpers religious) cult.

@273kelvin Trump is windy as hell but he’s a far better president than Obama was or than Biden will be if he’s elected.

@273kelvin And you don’t think Biden is a crook and a pathological liar?

@273kelvin I’ll take a religious nutcase over a left wing crooked nutcase.

@Trajan61 See here is what all cult members do. When put on the spot about your leaders lies and ineptitude, you deflect it away by saying "well the world is bad and he is better". It is the politics of division, tribalism and sectarianism. Just like religion

@273kelvin You and I are done as it’s obvious you only see things from the perspective of the left and definitely don’t understand American politics.

@Trajan61 Well you really don't do listening very well. Like I have stated it is not a case of left vs right. (Trump was a Democrat for many years). It is a case of a personality cult. Most people think of dictators such a Mussolini, Stalin, Mao, Castro or Hitler but you do have democratically elected cults. Thatcher, Berlusconi, Chavez and Trump fall into this category. They all develop hardcore blinkered support that is totally uncritical. To emphasize my point please take a look at your head of state atm. Just how "statesmanlike" is he behaving?

@Trajan61 I think that this is a time for pragmatic politics. For magnanimity, in triumph and conciliation in defeat. The politics of division may feel great when spouted from a podium and chants of "Lock them up" can move a mob but they have no place in dealing with the immense problems that the US (and the rest of the world) has now.
You say that I know nothing of US politics. Yet I do know that Biden has a reputation as a bipartisan senator. I also know that most of the senate work is not done on the floor or in committees but in the corridors and private offices. If you take an unbiased look at his work with Mitch McConnell with Obamacare. (Yeah you don't like it but I'm talking about the means, not the end) A certain amount of optimism is called for. It is a universal political truth that things only happen when people of different views but with common aims get together to make it happen.
There will be some very difficult times ahead. Trump's willful denial of COVID has to lead to his followers taking their cue from him. * For the time being (Georgia runoffs notwithstanding), the GOP will control the senate. But even without that impasse, both parties will have to work together to turn the country around. I truly believe that Biden may be the best guy to achieve that. Either way, he is the only captain you have.

@273kelvin Biden is corrupt, crooked politician and represents the Washington establishment. He believe’s in gun control and wants to appoint liberal left wing judges to the courts who will legislate from the bench and do not recognize the 2nd amendment which is just dead wrong. He says AOC who wants to ban cows and airplanes will be on his environmental committee. As a life long cattleman why would I support an idiot like that? Biden has very little support in rural America. Hell in my home town where I vote Trump won 546 to 47 and in my home state of Oklahoma Trump carried all 77 counties with a 2 to 1 margin. Since the democrat party started becoming radicalized under Obama who was also very racist and greatly increased racial tensions the democrats have lost thousands of seats in state legislators across the country and republicans control the overwhelming majority of them.

@Trajan61 And so it goes on. Tell me just how well is the politics of division working out for your country?

@273kelvin When Obama became president that division became way worse. Have you ever ask yourself the question about why there is rioting and burning when the left loses but when the conservative lose everything is a pretty quite.

@Trajan61 Maybe time will tell which of us has the better assessment of Trump and Biden. I think you might guess my view of Trump. Biden appears to me to be a career public servant in the mould of Bush Snr. Like Bush, he seems to be a people person.
So let us look at how the next 2 months play out. If you are right then Trump in addition to his election court cases will continue to do COVID briefings and work tirelessly tackling the crisis. He will work for the good of the country and try to ensure a smooth transition. He will campaign in Georgia for his party in the senate runoffs. Biden will be gathering his cronies and set out a socialist agenda.
If I am right Trump will not do any more COVID briefings. His press conferences will consist of ranting about cheating Dems with no or very little press questions. The rest of the time will be spent either in the WH tweeting about Cheating Dems or on the golf course. He will not work on the transition and mostly sulk. He also won't attend the inauguration. Although he may do Georgia it will be about him and not the GOP senators. Biden will assemble his COVID team 1st. My bet is he will place a fired Fauci in charge. He will do COVID briefings and try to work as much as he can with governors of both parties. Either Cuomo or Warren will be attorney general.
Watch this space.

@273kelvin Let’s see if Biden tries to reimpose some of the looney regulations imposed by Obama or goes back to the idiotic Iran deal which angered the Sunni nations in the Middle East and caused more turmoil. Trumps domestic and foreign policies were far better than anything the democrats ever did.

@Trajan61 Try telling that to the Kurds and most of Europe for that matter.
At least we can both agree on one part of Trump's team we can glad of not seeing any more of.

@Trajan61 I thought you might like this funny British slant on your election.

@Trajan61 "Trumps domestic and foreign policies were far better than anything the democrats ever did."
[theguardian.com]
Trump is playing golf rather than attend the G20 COVID summit. Does that sound like a great POTUS to you?
If this was just a question of left vs right then you might have some valid points but its not. This is personality cult vs consensus politics.
I have to ask whether you give any credence to all these voter fraud allegations. So far Trump's team are 2 out of 32. He is using 2nd rate lawyers to file bogus claims that are nearly all thrown out of court within minutes. Meanwhile, he has a defence fund asking for donations. The thing is that if you read the small print, any contributions under $8,000 go directly to his campaign fund and RNC. Since these lawsuits only cost around $5,000 a pop. He is fleecing his base and pissing in the well.
Just how great do you think America is looking to the rest of the world right now?

@273kelvin I guess you think the looney deal Obama made with Iran was a good deal. How about blocking the oil pipelines so his buddy Warren Buffet could use his railroad to haul the oil. Not to mention all the idiotic regulations Obama imposed. Hell Trump has been busy making deals with the Sunni Arabs to contain Iran but the left wing main stream media refuses to give him any credit for that. And they wouldn’t even talk about all the crooked deals Biden and his son Hunter have been doing. Hell the democrats want to phase out the US oil industry so we’ll be dependent on foreign oil and and it will likely be a lot higher. There was definitely a lot of irregularities going on during the 2020 US presidential election and an investigation into that is fully justified. The democrats have been trying to overthrow Trump ever since he was elected in 2016. Can’t say I blame the man for being pissed off.

@Trajan61 Firstly, like so many Americans you tend to think only in terms of the US of A. That Iran deal was made with the co-operation of many other countries including mine. It was an attempt to halt Iran's nuclear program which continued unabated since Trump rejected it.
Secondly, I am not about to fall into the Trumpist gambit of "What about the other guy?" This is about as useful as exclaiming to a cop that pulls you over for a DUI "Why arent you after all those paedos rapists? Why aren't you going after them?" Suffice to say that all of Trump's allegations have ended up turning out as baseless. The man had the DOJ so under his thumb that they ended up fighting a sexual assault case for him in NY. Yet with all this investigative power at his disposal, no evidence of any wrongdoing from Biden has been submitted to the court and his case against Hillary was also found to be baseless. The man is a pathological liar. Just google "How tall is Trump?". Now to my mind if a guy cannot even tell the truth about something like that,? Then I would fact-check every word that comes out of his mouth.
All that is not relevant to the present situation that the USA finds itself in. You state; "There was definitely a lot of irregularities going on during the 2020 US presidential election and an investigation into that is fully justified." What gave you that idea? Because Trump said so? How about the guys who were charged with looking after the election? The dept of homeland security? They said "It was the most secure in American history" * After that Trump fired Kemp the guy in charge. So what motivation did Kemp have to lie? He could have said "we don't know yet" or "maybe?" and kept his job but he didn't. So, on one hand, we have the word of a guy that lies about his height and on the other a man who put his job on the line and got fired. Okay, let's look at how Trump's legal team have been doing when all these cases of fraud came to court. So far they are 2 for 33 and those 2 wins have been very minor ones. But this is Trump's business MO. If he owed money that he didn't want to pay? He would bombard creditors with lawsuit after lawsuit until it was cheaper for them to give up on payment.
You might want to think of Trump as the greatest thing since sliced bread but many others would severely disagree with you. At the time of the polls, America had 230,000 COVID deaths, the highest of any other nation. Trump is on record about knowing how bad it was going to get, yet he lied to you saying "It will all be over by April...You see it will disappear like a miracle". When all the scientists were saying "avoid large gatherings" Trump was holding superspreader events and made mask-wearing a political statement. The guy turned the White House into a COVID hot-spot and contracted COVID himself. Trump looked and sounded like every abusive bully that people might have had in their lives on the 1st debate. He has told over 2,000 lies and disinformation in his time in office. His tax returns, which he did not publish as promised, show that he paid only 750 bucks for 2 years. With all that, do you really think that Biden needed to cheat?
All this would be conjecture apart from the terrible situation the US is in atm. Like it or not Biden will be your next POTUS. Yet Trumps petulant refusal to concede is causing real damage to the transition of power and puts the US in danger should any real urgent situation arise. Say for example Iran decided to launch a pre-emptive strike against Israel right now? The joint chiefs of staff all concur that the intelligence is sound and that the US must take out Iran's bases immediately. The order goes down the chain of command to the commander on the ground. Unfortunately, he is well aware of the political situation in Washington and that Trump is doing everything to cling onto power so he hesitates.
Alrighty, let's not go hypothetical and look at Trumps legacy vis-a-vie elections. For years now he has been calling into question the process itself. Never mind that he has had 4 years to fix whatever he thought was wrong. He has left many Americans distrustful about democracy itself. That my friend is a very dangerous road to travel.

@273kelvin The democrats are driving this country toward civil war!

@Trajan61 The democratic candidate won the election. Who is calling for people to stand back and stand by?

@Trajan61 Update on my previous comment. Trump's legal team are now 1 for 35. One of their wins got overturned on appeal

12

Unfortunately, the way to emotionally prepare for this election (IMO) was to have emotionally prepared to face reality, long before this election started. If a person hasn’t done that, it’s probably too late now.

Life doesn’t promise us we’ll get our way, or that it will be fair, or that “it will work out in the end.” When we set up Win/Lose contests, SOMEbody is gonna lose.

Emotional discipline is not H.sapiens’ strong suit. In order to avoid being overwhelmed by our emotions, we have to take up a mental discipline and practice it for years or decades to see any practical results.

My advice to people who are EITHER dismayed OR overjoyed by the election results is to take up a mental/emotional discipline practice... twenty years ago.

The only thing I know of that might help bridge the divide is for people to develop a habit of seeking consonance in all things.

Fighting and destruction and displaying animal instincts is easy. Rising above our animal nature requires sustained effort.

Peace.

skado Level 9 Nov 2, 2020

You sound like a guru. I wish I had this discipline of which you speak.

@Zoltans_Queen
Now that’s a job I wouldn’t want, but you can do it for yourself. You already have the necessary prerequisite - curiosity.

@skado

Gotta start somewhere.

@Zoltans_Queen
That’s right. And it doesn’t have to be a chore. Best to approach it playfully, as an adventure.

10

I think the best way to stay calm is to realize that this election isn't as important as everyone is making it out to be.

Regardless of who wins, we will have an irrational for profit health care system, the war on drugs will continue, the prison population will continue growing, we will continue polluting and being the biggest contributer to climate change, American imperialism will continue it's exploitative practices overseas, students will continue drowning in debt, the homeless population will probably increase, the police will continue murdering unarmed people, American laborers will continue working the longest hours in the developed world while enjoying the most meager benefits and wages, whistle blowers will continue to be persecuted rather than honored, the military industrial complex will continue producing weapons and selling them to brutal foreign regimes, and the corporate owners of this country will continue calling the shots behind the scenes via the use of bribes to political officials.

I just hope one of them wins decisively enough to avoid conflict.

All of that, plus natural selection will continue doing what it does so well, and it will be as important as a hiccup.

10

Everyone needs to remember, no matter who wins, it will be okay in the long run. You're not going to die. Your party will win again some day (unless you're part of a third party like many of us).. Just don't panic, and for crying out loud, don't go out and vandalize or attack people physically..

8

Most democrats have taken advantage of early drinking
[newyorker.com]

UrsiMajor Level 8 Nov 2, 2020

LOL, they probably started that the very same day tRump got elected.

8

I have no advice. What I know is that everything should have been bipartisan rather than the hate that I see. Any POTUS that is truly president of us all would have worked toward that goal rather than making it worse for 4 years. The Trump ego makes him his own worst enemy. Seeing and hearing him on any issue also makes him mine. If he goes I will be glad. If he stays I will again try to ignore him for 4 more years. There is no reason for either side to become involved in violence. The problem is, some are encouraging it. You can hardly say that the Proud Boys are radical left. In fact, I see no BS coming out of the left.

My best hope here is that the Senate may get enough Democrats if Trump gets re-elected. Would we then have a lame duck Trump? If Trump loses by a landslide I will say "it could not have happened to a nicer man."

DenoPenno Level 9 Nov 2, 2020
8

Depends on the outcome, might need to take a break from social media for awhile. Whoever loses is going to accuse the other side of cheating, so with that in mind hope there will be an easy and surefire way of proving that no cheating occured in which to calm people down on that much.

The problem with this lies in the fact that our society more or less has convinced everyone that they must take a side (as in strictly Democrat or Republican), instead of focusing on who would be the best candidate for President (including all third party candidates). These days it's all about what side you're on. As for what to say to those who voted for the candidate who lost, should I get into any deep conversations with them think I might simply avoid the topic of politics for awhile. I do not see any sense in gloating over my candidate winning (should mine win). Our politics have become truly screwed-up, sure doesn't feel like the "United" States.

The democrats have become very radical and left wing Spike. Trump is by no means perfect and his boasting and brashness turns some people off but he’s been a good president and has undone a lot of the idiotic looney crap that Obama did.

8

My plan is to utilize large doses of alcohol to get through this nerve wracking election and the rest of this insane year.

My drug of choice is weed. However, I might have to switch from sativa to indica.

8

In the end I'll go on with my life. I hope the Trump victory won't negatively impact my coming retirement. I will need Social Security and Medicare as I can apply for Medicare in a year and a half. I don't fear that if by some miracle Biden can take office, the suburbs will not disappear. Police funding won't go away. We won't become Venezuela. These are lies. Unfortunately the American people will believe this and vote in Trump.

barjoe Level 9 Nov 2, 2020
8

I don't doubt that you are correct about the "both sides fear" but just to be clear...
GOPers fear losing their money and guns whereas Dems fear losing their life.

45's regime has, through their ignorance and inactions, killed thousands upon thousands of people, stolen children from illegally deported parents they most likely will never find, forced women to bear children against their will, harmed untold LGBTQ people and people of color and financially destroyed millions of families... not really the same, not equal.

After the 2016 disappointment I have tried to stay in my mental middle ground but I do feel hopeful because of all the early voting. I think this favors the Dems in a big way. I plan to watch the election with plenty of tequila and chocolate, either for celebration or consolation.

Leelu Level 7 Nov 2, 2020

Interesting points. Do you think that these fears are equally valid? For example, do you think you may be able to convince a losing GOPer that Biden is not coming for their money and guns? Perhaps it would be equally difficult to convince a losing Dem that their life is not at risk?

Hmmm, tequila and chocolate. I might have to try that!

7

I believe you are correct about the electorate being more polarized than at any previous time in our history. In my view, the internet, social media, and cable TV are the driving force behind this phenomena.

These sources fuel the flames of confirmation bias and foments an unhealthy divide that pits us against one another like never before.

Too many of us regard a person with a different opinion to be an enemy to be attacked and vanquished by any means fair or fowl. Civil discussion of the merits of differing approaches to problems become rare.

Character assassination and ad hominems are no substitute for reasoned analysis and only serve to impede solutions.

I don’t know how long it will be before a winner of this election will be declared. When it is finally done I hope we can all get back to our lives in a meaningful and productive way.

Most of all, I hope broken friendships will be restored.

dumasarok Level 7 Nov 2, 2020

The right is killing people, threatening to kill people, hurting people, intentionally trying to intimidate people, trying to keep people from voting, disenfranchising people and excluding groups of people from equal rights.

These are things that decent people will never agree to allow them to do. Never.

@Thirst2learn Prove it.

@Thirst2learn Typical coming from her...

@Thirst2learn No video of any guy getting murdered there.

@Thirst2learn Prove it.

@Thirst2learn The uneducated and clueless laugh at everything...

7

Just keeping in mind that every election is between a giant douche and a turd sandwich (thank you southpark) is generally enough for me. And like test anxiety, it's best to stop studying by 8pm the night before because you know what you know, and the rest is about remaining calm (and not forgetting your towel, thank you Mr. Addams).

Also, re-reading Plato's allegory of the cave isn't a bad move either.

Always have your towel. 🙂

6

The majority of people will continue with their lives as usual and wait for the next election no matter which side wins or loses. The danger is the fringe elements, the extremist members of the losing side that might do something stupid. The problem is that for the first time, we have a leader that is giving his extreme followers an indication that it is ok to cause chaos and not accept the result of a free election. That is not a leader that America needs. This happens in third world countries, and countries where the losing party usually start a war and kill and incarcerate the opposition or poison them. This has never happened in this country, and that is why America was regarded with such high esteem by people in other countries. A model for other countries to follow. That is why a lot of people dreamed of coming to America. This country was founded by immigrants with a dream of something better than what they left behind. One of those things is the fear of reprisal for having a different idea, and supporting a different candidate. I hope that people recognize and remember who and what actually makes this country great. Not fear, not racism, not a leader who lies and doesn't respect the rule of law.

noworry28 Level 8 Nov 3, 2020

Very well said! You notice admin isnt responding?

Yet trumpty, in a power grab, is trying to change all that. He needs to be soundly defeated, then punished for the damage he has done

6

As certain as I am that Biden will win (I was always unsure about Hillary) I'm concerned about what may happen before all the votes are in.

freeofgod Level 8 Nov 2, 2020

I think that is the fear of many people. What will trump do to our Country between now and January 20th should he lose????

6

Hope for the best for the entire Country, but be prepared for disappointment if your candidate does not Prevail.

6

Polarization is a product of the demonization of groups of marginalized people by a Party to wedge voters away from the Party that supports them. We accept it as some natural byproduct of politics, but it is in fact concocted for nefarious purposes. The weaker Party (Democrats) join Republicans in lock step to demonize many of the same groups to establish some bizarre Centrist cred.

That said, I have no need to gird myself against the outcome of the executive office winner. I’m focused on local offices, the results of which determine my focus for the next couple of years.

Bobbyzen Level 8 Nov 2, 2020
5

First, do the right and vote with your brain and not your heart or feet,
Second, my advise here, DO NOT vote for "King of Fools and Clowns UNLESS you want another 4 years of his idiotic antics, etc, etc.

Triphid Level 9 Nov 2, 2020
5

I'm frightened a bit. I lost friends in '16 because I voted for a friend, Gary Johnson, instead of either of two highly flawed candidates. This year emotions seem to be running stronger yet. Fingers crossed.

jeshuey Level 8 Nov 2, 2020

Yes, the mass purging of friends who support "the other side" these last few years portends to dangerous times ahead. It's an honor to have friends who disagree politically as they have the potential to make one a better person.

4

I'm not a democrat.. I'm a a female centrist. How do you prepare for another four years of trump? What policies of his do you support?

3

I think Biden will likely win, but that begs the question that causes anxiety in me: What stunts/damage will Trump cause in the two months before he leaves office. Miscreant that he is, I cannot envision him not doing damage to the country before he leaves especially in regard to the fact that he has issued more executive orders than any president since Jimmy Carter. A graceful exit is not in his sociopath psyche. In short, I will be anxious until after the Biden January inauguration.

dahermit Level 7 Nov 3, 2020

Without the Senate we are still screwed even if Trump doesn't throw a monkey wrench into our election process.

3

Well, the good news is that there won't be any reason for political TV or Internet ads after tomorrow -- just a lot of news noise for or against the legal games supporting the various machinations supporting or denying the election results -- however spinnable they turn out.
I hope the news noise will be more substantive and more interesting than the ads.

RichCC Level 8 Nov 2, 2020
3

#1...be gracious winners...

3

We're getting screwed either way .

Cast1es Level 9 Nov 2, 2020
3

Eat light and sleep on time. No matter who gets elected, I know I am going to puke.

St-Sinner Level 9 Nov 2, 2020
2

The trump side has descended into such a deep hole of cognitive dissonance that they may never emerge. They have doubled-down on their bets repeatedly, until everything they possess is riding on this. I hope they turn their anger inward instead of turning it on us.

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