[Closed] Georgia Senate Race January 5

The beauty of yesterday's election was that racism worked against racists for once. The runoff/50%+1 laws were originally made to prevent minorities from winning by adding a stopgap in an election they could possibly win. That law allowed Ossoff, a Jewish man, to take a seat that Purdue, a good ol boy, had won in the general election. Knowing that just made yesterday so much more special for me.

America the Bluetiful.  

Now that we are going to blue for at least 2 years, we need to focus on both ridding the country of far right extremist rule, and building a new moral and responsible conservative party. I know you guys are very strong progressives, and I am as well on most things, but if there isn't a counterbalace, the left can go off the rails in the future just as easily as the right did. 

@mas1581 I feel this hard.  

As a country, no matter who is in charge, we are not our best when we're locked in perpetual gridlock, nor are we our best when only one side is blazing the path.  Think about something like Medicare for all - It would be wonderful - a game changer -- but we're also late to the game - the discussion on cost is often something we jump to the conclusion of vilifying opponents of it on.  It's a valid concern.  So let's do what we've done countless times in our history and recognize a problem, recognize we need a solution, and work together to find the palatable option for the good of the many.

No one can say the palatable option for the good of the many is what we have right now - at least, no one can say it with a straight face.  Even the lobbyists responsible for the public opinion on public insurance have come out and said they lied and they were wrong.

That will NOT be happening in the first 100 days. ??  I would also like to see the Democrats play a little harder ball, but not to the point of becoming what we just got rid of.  History is a better judge of whether the moral high ground was the right path to take than the people who are living that history - and while it resulted in losses and some dark years, I still relish that we're not the nasty we fought against.

Lets put the Q-Anons out to pasture and welcome and work with the ones who either never lost sight of what was happening to their party, or the ones who started down a path they turned back from toward the light.

@jeanne-mayell

Wow Jeanne - you rock! So proud of you! ? ? ? 

Ossoff has been declared the winner! Democrats now control both Senate and House, and the Presidency. 

We will rebuild what is asunder, I have no doubt. 

Congratulations from the UK on victory of the Senate.

Although I am watching from afar, I feel  both the drama and victory feels very close to home.

Here's hoping for more positive victories for 2021!

❤️

Today was a really low day in our nation's history but it was also the death knell of far right extremism and Trumpism. No one can continue to be complicit without risk of legal retribution anymore. No senator or representative can indirectly support this any longer. Today clearly defined sides-either with Trump and anarchy or against it. There is no longer any gray area political slugs can hide in. 

Also Garland is going to be on the warpath as AG cleaning up this mess. He wont carry any ill will from the SC debacle, but he will do his job correctly and independantly. Mitch's political career is over. He might last a little while as minority leader but he wont stay long without any real power. Biden will not have any obstruction to his moves to protect against this happening again. It will be seen as the day that changed the US for the better.

@mas1581 Trump's presidency was a sign of change the US needed to change for the better. I feel that COVID was the nail in the coffin for people to stand up to the government. Why am I getting that Biden's presidency will have positive effects for the US and the world?

Posted by: @mas1581

I know you guys are very strong progressives, and I am as well on most things, but if there isn't a counterbalace, the left can go off the rails in the future just as easily as the right did.

Mas, there is no chance of the left going off the rails in the USA.  All my life i hear people talk about the "pendulum" that swings back and forth, between the right and left.   Unfortunately, the American pendulum appears to be broken- it never actually swings to the left.  After years of right-wing oppression, it may swing timidly to the middle, only to meet a swift and ugly backlash to the right again.  The middle only *seems* to be leftish in comparison.

@unk-p It wasn't enough for me to just "like" that post...I had to come on and tell you that not only do I completely agree with you, I have seen (in my now 55 years) far too many instances of this exact thing occurring.

@unk-p

I have to fully disagree.

Who wouldve thought during the Reagan administration that the right would be running up the deficit, having military funding bills vetoed, and be storming the capitol wearing "Id rather be Russian than a Democrat" shirts?

Who wouldve thought in the 50s that Democrats would be the party of equality and the Republicans would be the party of racism?

Today's Democratic party isn't going off the rails, but we don't know what tomorrow's will bring. If there is no counterbalance, by nature the unbalanced side will become corrupted. All it takes is a "progressive" charismatic leader with devious intentions to send it railing out of control and usually the people supporting it realize their mistake too late. This isn't a dig at the left at all. Its human nature and history. Absolute power corrupts absolutely no matter how hard we try to keep it from happening. By not having a moral and responsible conservative party to balance progressivism, progressivism will become corrupt.

@tgraf66 and @unk-p, ditto for me.  I've lived through the most liberal times in this country, and, and, well, it never got very liberal. The pendulum can only swing so far here. 

The most radical thing I've seen in my lifetime was that in the early 1970's the minimum wage was high enough that if you had a full time job at minimum wage you could afford a shared apartment with someone in a major metropolitan area. 

The minimum wage was the highest it's been in 48 years in 1972.  And even in 1972, the country still wasn't providing enough for its citizens, such as free higher education and health care.  These are benefits most industrialized countries offer. 

That commie, leftist scare comes from the ultra right. 

I don't know what is meant by "very strong progressives."  I want to see one payor health care and free higher education and an adequate minimum wage. That puts us on par with Canada, Denmark, German, Swiss. and several other countries. 

Watching my friends denounce the violence while claiming they are apolitical, or worse, spout outrageous debunked lies that I don't want to spotlight, double and tripling down on Hatred, are wrong. Also on the wrong side of History, friends not calling out people who STILL rationalize and enable, as they claim it's just another "option"  for them, you know blindly following Conspiracy Theory and offering seditious support for domestic terrorists, and not actually the pathway to Madness. Oh and it's not T supporters?? C'mon! There are not two sides, or fine people on both sides. There is the wrong side, who I hope are shunned, jailed, rejected, and made example of, and the light of this World.

It is not like me to scold anyone. But it has to be said.  The bigger picture is that these apathetic responses to a Constitutional 5 Alarm Fire are also contributing factors to the larger problem of dysfunctional  programming. I am not feeling that I will try to understand and send light to the worst offenders or the more garden variety T supporter acting as if it is a calmly rational choice to lock goose step with these haters. NO, let G-d and the angels do that. Let them find the light, while mine is flame colored in my absolute fury. I don't wish these people death or injury, but I also will not stoop to us being the same species. They are broken and sadistic, and I in this moment have lost the thread of loving all versions of people. I am physically ill, for the last 5 years now, and am angrier than I have ever been I think in my entire life.

We have a lot of work ahead of us to deal with and heal the wounds of mental illness, and call out those that refuse to see. 

This is like not teaching your child not to tantrum , and is as bad as not calling 911 when you see mortal danger. We are not loving these people with our leniency or politeness.  I remember a parent allowing their toddler to bang her head on the ground during a tantrum. Just trying to insert her hand between her child's skull and the hard tile floor. Um, no. Concussions and brain damage in small children can actually become deadly. If she had been my child I would have responded with energy,  picking her up and putting her on a bed, at the very least. We don't help anyone by seeking their souls while they self inflict wounds, and then turn their anger outward and hurt others. We must respond to the warped reality and collectively quash it by being stern, forceful, focused, and yes, angry. Then we can channel that collective outrage into political reform efforts.

This is the least charitable I have ever felt. They need to be repudiated and shunned . Taking away Trump's digital platform is a great first step. Take away everything, including his shoelaces and his belt as he enters the correctional facility. 

@ghandigirl. I am feeling very much the same.  There is a point when people are not savable anymore.  it's just too far gone.  I am distancing from those people.  Let them self destruct on their own.    I care more about sending positivity to those who can do something to fix this.  And at this point I am sending light to them.  Pence, the cabinet, congress, ....protection for Biden and harris.  But for my own sanity, I cant confront those who have lost their minds.  Let them sink.

Posted by: @tgraf66

I don't expect a final result until next week at the earliest.  I'm pretty sure this will be a re-hash of the national election with claims of conspiracies/fraud, multiple demands for recounts, demands for investigations, lawsuits, etc.

There are times when I'm very happy to be wrong...this is one of those times. ?