Hey, all you dear people worried about the outcome of this USA election season, listen up: (from Paul's 2nd letter to Corinthians chapter 5) 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
I am genuinely hurting and believe we lost big today. I am feeling quite betrayed, bitter and angry. I’m terrified for my wife and children, all my friends, and all women. There are no safeguards and it’s incredibly hard not to feel angry and venomous when after everything Trump did, he was still rewarded.
This isn’t okay and will never be okay. I don’t want to hear from people “oh you’re white, this won’t affect you”, to which I say (as a loving husband to my wife of Puerto Rican/Mexican descent and our children) you guys are absolutely wrong. Considering Trump has no real distinction between legal and illegal citizens, I’m terrified for my family and genuinely feel our rights are at risk. I will never stop fighting for them
This is not my expertise, but as an economist who has looked into voting systems a bit, I do concur with the expert quoted there that RCV's "effectiveness at moderating elections and providing more choice are often overstated." Score/range voting (in which you "rate" candidates rather than rank them, with the highest total score winning) is both easier to understand and---partly for that reason---more robust in certain ways. The simplest form is approval voting: https://electionscience.org/library/score-voting/education/approval-voting-vs-rcv
This comes from someone more conservative than your median reader, but who has never pulled the level for a Republican presidential candidate.
Catholic voters need to demand more of Democrats. It is fine to oppose the badness of Trump and his party, and to decide that there are fewer foreseeable negative consequences of voting for Harris. But whenever we decide to go forward with remote material cooperation with evil, we can't just wash our hands of the consequences. We put them in motion; we must mitigate them. We should never feel great about unleashing those consequences.
What I have seen -- from people whom you know -- is enthusiastic support for Harris and the Democrats, as if they weren't lusty advocates for endless war, dehumanizing usury-soaked Neoliberal capitalism, the treatment of migrants as voters and cheap work-widgets, the anti-anthropology of gender ideology and its associated mutilation of children, the elevation of abortion to a satanic sacrament, the relentless pr0nification of all media, and the framework of human rights as arising from utilitarian harm principles. Catholics who find the Democrats to be the superior choice cast their ballots and then do nothing - literally nothing at all - to demand that the Democrats move more in the direction of the Church. Sorry, the Democrats are better on immigration and the social safety net, but they're positively wretched on so much else. And there is not a word of protest. My goodness, at least make a minor show of holding your nose while you vote for women whose eyes light up with delight when they talk about abortion.
Immediately after Dobbs, I observed Catholics - again, people you know - reveal that they had been using Roe as an excuse. Once it was gone, they took positions against any and all legal barriers to abortion. They weren't merely opposing harsh punishment for mothers, or contending that the laws as written would not be effective. They adopted arguments indistinguishable from the vile Catholics for a Free Choice. There has been no - and I mean no - effort to confront the Democrats and demand that maybe they not allow abortion in the ninth month of pregnancy. Their demand is always that conservative Catholics repudiate Trump; it's never that the Democrats change a blessed thing. The Democrats have left-leaning Catholics' votes locked down.
You should lament that Harris is the only way to stop Trump. Lament! Otherwise asking conservative Catholics to repudiate Trump will continue to be seen as the posturing of someone who's a Democrat first, Catholic second. And from there you can't ask Catholic Republicans to put the Church before the party.
Interesting thoughts, and I'm always glad to there are still Republicans out there holding the fort. Even as somebody a little more left leaning, I WANT there to be a healthy Republican party and contrast. The Democrats' worst impulses need to be checked as well.
But I find that my thoughts are almost a mirror of yours. I want Catholics to demand more from the Republicans, but at least in my circles, all the Catholics I know are either Republicans (who no longer seem to bother with the pretense of opposing Trump's and his base's more vile tendencies) or people who did vote Democrat but DO still protest quite heavily against abortion and other dehumanization, and absolutely held their nose. So, I guess I'm in the opposite circles in some ways because I see protest against these things for sure. I've voted Democrat in the past (and did so this time) but I also try to stay involved/supportive of a lot of local, grassroots pro-life charities as I believe that is where I can have the most influence.
I do lament that Harris is the only way to stop Trump because I do see that hurtling towards its own disaster. But even more I lament that Trump was apparently the only way to stop Harriss. But unfortunately, I suppose we reward both extremes, but this post (and your comment) are also a good reminder not to assume everybody is on board with those extremes.
For my part I'm trying consciously to remember that not everybody is my enemy (and not everybody considers me their enemy), although I recognize it's a little easier for me as somebody not as like to be directly impacted.
"It is not strength that overcomes darkness, but light. Armies may rise, hearts may fail, yet still light endures, and is mightier than strength. For in its presence all darkness must flee.”
This is very well put. Thank you, Steven. I’m going to save it for future reference, since it can be applied so universally in times when things don’t go the way we want. I will only add, being a Catholic myself:
* Pray always that His will be done in our lives.
* Receive the sacraments often. The Eucharist and Reconciliation provide SO much grace!
* Remember that faith precedes understanding. So never stop beseeching the Lord for increased faith, along with wisdom, guidance, mercy, forgiveness, and understanding.
* We are to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. Therefore we must demonstrate and live out what we believe, especially toward those who disagree with us. For what does it profit a person who loves only those who love them? Do not tax collectors and sinners do the same?
* Love your enemies; pray for those who persecute you.
* Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. Let us strive for this virtue and pray that both sides respect each other, our laws, and our system of government.
* Lastly, pray. Pray for President-elect Trump. Pray for those who are afraid. Pray for those who are angry. Pray for those who would use this as an excuse to burn down our cities. Pray for those who would use this as an excuse to harass, prosecute, cancel, or persecute those they disagree with, on either side. Pray for unity. Pray that we come out of this stronger, as a nation and as a people.
Wise and humble words, Deacon Greydanus. It's what everybody in this country needs to hear now, no matter who they are. Let us pray for Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Tim Walz, and all the other politicians. Whether we like them or not, they are still our brothers and sisters too. Most of all, let's pray for all the people of our nation.
Trump got almost 47% in New Jersey. That is an astonishing number. This and similar numbers are largely down to a big shift of Latino voters into the Trump column. Also a big shift with Native Americans and a smaller shift with African Americans and Arab and Asian Americans. The 2024 Trump coalition is the most racially, ethnically and religiously diverse Republican coalition on record.
We have to ask ourselves why this happened and what lessons can be learned from it.
“In this world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” I always can find great comfort and encouragement, because I know Who wins. But I believe much tribulation lies ahead. I could lose Social Security, or have it reduced. Same with Medicare. But that is nothing compared to the grief I feel for the environment, for its continued degradation, and what that will mean for future generations, and for the poorest people in our world, who always suffer the most. I’m grieving for those who will likely lose their health insurance, for immigrants, for Ukrainians, for all our allies, for the whole world. 😢
Bernie Sanders had a great reflection yesterday that anyone who identifies as a democrat should read, “The Democratic Party used to ask themselves, what can we do for working people? We don’t do that anymore”. The party has become the Hall monitors, the nudges. People won’t tell you why their leaving, they just leave, even to go to a party run by a felon, because at least he wants them there
Hey, all you dear people worried about the outcome of this USA election season, listen up: (from Paul's 2nd letter to Corinthians chapter 5) 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
So happy to have found a Catholic compatriot. Your words express what my heart feels. May God continue to bless you.
I am genuinely hurting and believe we lost big today. I am feeling quite betrayed, bitter and angry. I’m terrified for my wife and children, all my friends, and all women. There are no safeguards and it’s incredibly hard not to feel angry and venomous when after everything Trump did, he was still rewarded.
This isn’t okay and will never be okay. I don’t want to hear from people “oh you’re white, this won’t affect you”, to which I say (as a loving husband to my wife of Puerto Rican/Mexican descent and our children) you guys are absolutely wrong. Considering Trump has no real distinction between legal and illegal citizens, I’m terrified for my family and genuinely feel our rights are at risk. I will never stop fighting for them
America seriously needs to be a multi-party system
Ranked-choice voting can make space for that.
Ranked choice failed in CO, which is deep blue
What? How did that happen?
https://www.cpr.org/2024/11/06/ranked-choice-rejected-nationwide/
This is not my expertise, but as an economist who has looked into voting systems a bit, I do concur with the expert quoted there that RCV's "effectiveness at moderating elections and providing more choice are often overstated." Score/range voting (in which you "rate" candidates rather than rank them, with the highest total score winning) is both easier to understand and---partly for that reason---more robust in certain ways. The simplest form is approval voting: https://electionscience.org/library/score-voting/education/approval-voting-vs-rcv
How did anything happen lolsob
This comes from someone more conservative than your median reader, but who has never pulled the level for a Republican presidential candidate.
Catholic voters need to demand more of Democrats. It is fine to oppose the badness of Trump and his party, and to decide that there are fewer foreseeable negative consequences of voting for Harris. But whenever we decide to go forward with remote material cooperation with evil, we can't just wash our hands of the consequences. We put them in motion; we must mitigate them. We should never feel great about unleashing those consequences.
What I have seen -- from people whom you know -- is enthusiastic support for Harris and the Democrats, as if they weren't lusty advocates for endless war, dehumanizing usury-soaked Neoliberal capitalism, the treatment of migrants as voters and cheap work-widgets, the anti-anthropology of gender ideology and its associated mutilation of children, the elevation of abortion to a satanic sacrament, the relentless pr0nification of all media, and the framework of human rights as arising from utilitarian harm principles. Catholics who find the Democrats to be the superior choice cast their ballots and then do nothing - literally nothing at all - to demand that the Democrats move more in the direction of the Church. Sorry, the Democrats are better on immigration and the social safety net, but they're positively wretched on so much else. And there is not a word of protest. My goodness, at least make a minor show of holding your nose while you vote for women whose eyes light up with delight when they talk about abortion.
Immediately after Dobbs, I observed Catholics - again, people you know - reveal that they had been using Roe as an excuse. Once it was gone, they took positions against any and all legal barriers to abortion. They weren't merely opposing harsh punishment for mothers, or contending that the laws as written would not be effective. They adopted arguments indistinguishable from the vile Catholics for a Free Choice. There has been no - and I mean no - effort to confront the Democrats and demand that maybe they not allow abortion in the ninth month of pregnancy. Their demand is always that conservative Catholics repudiate Trump; it's never that the Democrats change a blessed thing. The Democrats have left-leaning Catholics' votes locked down.
You should lament that Harris is the only way to stop Trump. Lament! Otherwise asking conservative Catholics to repudiate Trump will continue to be seen as the posturing of someone who's a Democrat first, Catholic second. And from there you can't ask Catholic Republicans to put the Church before the party.
Great reply!
Interesting thoughts, and I'm always glad to there are still Republicans out there holding the fort. Even as somebody a little more left leaning, I WANT there to be a healthy Republican party and contrast. The Democrats' worst impulses need to be checked as well.
But I find that my thoughts are almost a mirror of yours. I want Catholics to demand more from the Republicans, but at least in my circles, all the Catholics I know are either Republicans (who no longer seem to bother with the pretense of opposing Trump's and his base's more vile tendencies) or people who did vote Democrat but DO still protest quite heavily against abortion and other dehumanization, and absolutely held their nose. So, I guess I'm in the opposite circles in some ways because I see protest against these things for sure. I've voted Democrat in the past (and did so this time) but I also try to stay involved/supportive of a lot of local, grassroots pro-life charities as I believe that is where I can have the most influence.
I do lament that Harris is the only way to stop Trump because I do see that hurtling towards its own disaster. But even more I lament that Trump was apparently the only way to stop Harriss. But unfortunately, I suppose we reward both extremes, but this post (and your comment) are also a good reminder not to assume everybody is on board with those extremes.
For my part I'm trying consciously to remember that not everybody is my enemy (and not everybody considers me their enemy), although I recognize it's a little easier for me as somebody not as like to be directly impacted.
"It is not strength that overcomes darkness, but light. Armies may rise, hearts may fail, yet still light endures, and is mightier than strength. For in its presence all darkness must flee.”
"And the sun yet shines."
Thanks for such a caring, positive guide for moving forward.
You're a good egg.
In times like these we good eggs have to stick together.
This is very well put. Thank you, Steven. I’m going to save it for future reference, since it can be applied so universally in times when things don’t go the way we want. I will only add, being a Catholic myself:
* Pray always that His will be done in our lives.
* Receive the sacraments often. The Eucharist and Reconciliation provide SO much grace!
* Remember that faith precedes understanding. So never stop beseeching the Lord for increased faith, along with wisdom, guidance, mercy, forgiveness, and understanding.
* We are to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. Therefore we must demonstrate and live out what we believe, especially toward those who disagree with us. For what does it profit a person who loves only those who love them? Do not tax collectors and sinners do the same?
* Love your enemies; pray for those who persecute you.
* Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. Let us strive for this virtue and pray that both sides respect each other, our laws, and our system of government.
* Lastly, pray. Pray for President-elect Trump. Pray for those who are afraid. Pray for those who are angry. Pray for those who would use this as an excuse to burn down our cities. Pray for those who would use this as an excuse to harass, prosecute, cancel, or persecute those they disagree with, on either side. Pray for unity. Pray that we come out of this stronger, as a nation and as a people.
Thank you for those words, Steven!
Thank you, Steven. I needed this.
Wise and humble words, Deacon Greydanus. It's what everybody in this country needs to hear now, no matter who they are. Let us pray for Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Tim Walz, and all the other politicians. Whether we like them or not, they are still our brothers and sisters too. Most of all, let's pray for all the people of our nation.
Trump got almost 47% in New Jersey. That is an astonishing number. This and similar numbers are largely down to a big shift of Latino voters into the Trump column. Also a big shift with Native Americans and a smaller shift with African Americans and Arab and Asian Americans. The 2024 Trump coalition is the most racially, ethnically and religiously diverse Republican coalition on record.
We have to ask ourselves why this happened and what lessons can be learned from it.
“In this world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” I always can find great comfort and encouragement, because I know Who wins. But I believe much tribulation lies ahead. I could lose Social Security, or have it reduced. Same with Medicare. But that is nothing compared to the grief I feel for the environment, for its continued degradation, and what that will mean for future generations, and for the poorest people in our world, who always suffer the most. I’m grieving for those who will likely lose their health insurance, for immigrants, for Ukrainians, for all our allies, for the whole world. 😢
Bernie Sanders had a great reflection yesterday that anyone who identifies as a democrat should read, “The Democratic Party used to ask themselves, what can we do for working people? We don’t do that anymore”. The party has become the Hall monitors, the nudges. People won’t tell you why their leaving, they just leave, even to go to a party run by a felon, because at least he wants them there
💔