The truth is that he has to get others to execute his state of emergency. Most won’t violate the Constitution. Stop treating this guy like God. As long as we do that, we are hopeless.
Thank you so much Beth. I’ll be the first to admit he has given us all more than enough reason to worry, but I really believe we will be in a stronger position by then. He is already underwater in four major polls.
Thank you. I want to trust what you have written here, and it certainly gives me more hope. But we see daily violations of the Constitution and unbridled spinelessness in Congress. We know there has been election interference both within and from abroad. Legacy media are compromised. No he is not a king, but he has a court of sycophants and a cult of Kool Aid drinkers.
The fascist playbook of lies, intimidation and scapegoating is in full force. When he said there would be no need for further elections, he was promising there would be not opportunity for further elections. I don't trust there are enough checks and balances in a broken Constitution to restrain him from at least trying to usurp 2026 and 2028.
Why even believe he will leave office in 2028? I don't think either extreme of thinking is helpful. So I appreciate fully your explanations of the power of the states. I
DO BELIEVE in the power of the people Mark, and appreciate what you share. Thank you and look forward always to your posts and updates and optimism. We need this!
This is not going to continue unabated for 2- more months. Have you been watching the attacks on these Republican congressmen at town halls? It has been four weeks and people are already rebelling.
This is not going to continue unabated for 21 more months. Have you been watching the attacks on these Republican congressmen at town halls? It has been four weeks and people are already rebelling.
Thank you for leaving it. I too am concerned about the integrity of the voting machines. I hope the states will take action quickly to make hacking harder. There are ways to do that. My understanding is that states are bringing in hackers to try and harden the machines.
I agree. I know he thinks he is above the law (and in some cases and has gotten away with enough to really believe that). We don’t know what will be going on in 2026 but panicking over elections “probably not happening” feels like complying in advance. We know he’s already “joking” about a third term but as Americans we need to remember like Gov. Pritzker said, we don’t bend the knee to kings.
Also, we have 2 congressional special elections coming up in Florida that can give dems the majority in the house or potentially tie it up. And we have had special elections already where dems won in states trump won in November. This admin wants us to be hopeless and to give up. It’s okay to feel like it but we can’t just give up to them.
Brittany, I live in Florida (Miami area). And the special elections are in very red parts of the state. One of them is in the part of the state that repeatedly re-elected Gaetz. So I'd like to be hopeful, but I'm sort of not. The people in MTG's district haven't awakened from their stupor, and Ted Cruz got re-elected last year. Rick Scott got re-elected in Florida last year.
There are some shockingly stubborn and dimwitted people in this country.
Interesting perspective that fearing that the 2026 elections (or any thereafter) may be in jeopardy invokes hopelessness… Personally, that thought fires me up more to resist/fight everyday.
That isn’t how I meant it. I meant that some people have expressed the opinion that elections will be impossible. I’m for fighting now to prevent that happening. I’m as fired up as you are.
I’ll be perfectly honestly, I felt hopeless after the election. It took me awhile to process everything. My TikTok algorithm was a lot of “theres going to be no more elections. It’s over” and I had to start blocking content like that and seeking out more hopeful content.
I’m still seeing a lot of comments saying we’re not going to make it to 2026 but I have to scroll past them/block. I’m not feeding that anxiety anymore. I’m using my anxiety to move forward and make calls, attend protests and just generally speak up.
lol…okay, I guess I missed that it was a response to people saying the elections are “impossible.” Regardless, I like the new version and thank you for pointing out all the specific guard rails currently in place. I’m glad we all agree that we need to keep fighting to ensure they stay in place. I am hopeful!
It is very clear to me. As I said the elections are held by the 50 states. He cannot stop them from holding their elections. People seem to think this guy is a God. He is a chicken shit who repeatedly folds when the pressure is on. By then, his popularity will be in the toilet. Good luck getting away with martial law then.
Right? There are a couple of reasons I don’t like seeing pieces like this: the only absolute is that nothing is absolute. Also, it gives a (false) sense of security that may keep people from being more resistant if they think/believe something “cannot” happen, which makes it more possible to actually happen.
The constitution does not defend itself. Congress is not defending itself from the usurpation of its power of the purse. This essay is not helpful. No rules, traditions, standards, or laws are being respected by the fascist authoritarians. President Musk is destroying our country while further enriching himself. Trump is not in charge of anything other than using a sharpie to kill the country. Stop pretending we have any means short of revolution (or counterrevolution, to be clear.) What they are doing has already destroyed the USA and we are all pretending it has not.
I understand. And I don’t disagree with any of the factual points, but I’m not sold on the premise that this current framework and system are inevitable.
I can understand why. It looks from grim right now. My thinking is that by the time 21 months have passed, he will be in a much weakened position and less able to pull this off.
You are absolutely correct!! We’ve experienced this insanity more than 10 years!! Some of us even voted against it in November!! Others are learning the hard way and are apologizing for being duped!! Not again!! WE WANT OUR DEMOCRACY BACK!! WE HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT!! NOW!!! TOGETHER!!!
Ms Kay, you will think this is a fine point, but no one can buy an election. People can buy exposure (ads, yard signs, etc). The voters are under no obligation to vote according to what and how much they're exposed to.
Frankly, it doesn't do "us" (Substack readers, for example) much good to explain to each other how terrible things are, and are going to be. We're preaching to the choir. But as much as I sign petitions, and other such things, I actually hope things deteriorate noticeably in the next two years, so the people who allowed themselves to get duped will realize their exquisitely dumb mistake, and correct it in the midterms. To look at it one way, suppose we flip all of Congress. McConnell will likely be out by then, but he's already said he won't run again. And he voted against confirming ONE of Donnie's Cabinet nominees. If Donnie gets impeached and convicted, the armed forces aren't going to protect him, and let him stay in office. Sure, we'll then be stuck with JD, but he, too, will know "the party/[Party] is over."
I like to remain hopeful and pieces like this help but I’ve watched over and over again how this mteflon felon gives us all the middle finger and says I effing dare you to defy me!!
This does NOT address or resolve the concern that during the 2020 post-election attempted coup, Trump-supporting bad actors illegally gained access to voting machines and copied software.
I am not and have not ever been one to engage in conspiracy theories, but the question of whether the 2024 election was or may have been affected and influenced digitally is still not factually resolved to my satisfaction. Neither does there seem to be adequate assurance that the 2026 midterms will be secure in that sense.
Yes, I have read articles on this subject and followed up to find counter-claims of them being conspiracy-theory-based, but a nagging concern remains. The assertion that the voting machine software is inviolable rings hollow while we have an unelected band of super-hackers attached to POTUS and roaming freely through the most secure and sensitive digital information system in the world.
I invite any direction to better fact-based information sources to counter this concern than I have found to this point. My go-to sources are as center-of-the-road as possible, and high-reliability as available as well.
Some of the things you mention are sourced in the following newsletter posting.
"In 2022, records, video camera footage, and deposition testimony produced in a civil case in Georgia disclosed that its voting system, used statewide, had been breached over multiple days by operatives hired by attorneys for Donald Trump.
The evidence showed that the operatives made copies of the software that runs all of the equipment in Georgia, and certain other states, and shared it with other Trump allies and operatives. Subsequent court filings and public records requests revealed that the breaches in Georgia were part of a larger effort to take copies of voting system software from systems in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Arizona, and to share the software in the operatives’ network. According to testimony and declarations by some of the technicians who have obtained copies of the software, they have had access for more than three years to the software for the central servers, tabulators, and highly restricted election databases of both Election Systems & Software (ES&S), and Dominion Voting Systems, the two largest voting system vendors, constituting the most severe election security breach publicly known. Combined, their equipment counts nearly 70% of all votes nationwide."
The details you reference are the things that make law-abiding US citizens concerned for the validity and security of our MOST essential right, as Americans.
We all need to stay informed, connected to legitimate, factual data, and committed to the integrity of our nation.
Our borough (about 100,000 population) completely abandoned voting machines and reverted to paper ballots only... Pain in the neck for election volunteers like myself. Can't imagine the logistics for high-density population areas.
L, I don't know if this helps--I suspect it doesn't--but those kids Muck has with him aren't super hackers. They don't understand COBOL, the language a lot of the government systems use. They didn't understand the meaning of "1875" (which even though I used to be a COBOL programmer, I don't understand either--I suspect it's specific to the Social Security system). These systems are complex and necessitate an understanding of what's being done, how the data is defined and flows, and all sorts of things you can't figure out in a couple of hours. So I can't see them hacking voting machines.
Think about the voting machines though. Every state and locality has its own ballot. The issues are all different. How can you go in and hack these systems without knowing exactly how they differ and without messing up Republican votes as well as others? I'm not saying it's impossible but according to my techie husband, the machines aren't networked. No network, no hacking.
Note that there have been attempts to tamper with the voting process, but they've been foiled (as far as we know.) Here is a non-federal organization that's concerned with preserving election security: https://www.nass.org/initiatives/securing-elections.
I am feeling a little rattled trying to figure this out but I do feel that there are a lot of safeguards.
Funny you should mention COBOL. In the late 1970s I learned some elementary programming in high school, using BASIC and RadioShack TRS80 computers. (Yep, I'm a dinosaur) I learned the term COBOL from my older cousin who was in college. THAT's how ancient COBOL is 🤣. How ironic, that the thing most likely to protect us is that our critical infrastructure is using language on par with hieroglyphics to the current wunderkind... Whew 😅. We have some time on our side...
If you think you're a dinosaur... ha ha! In the late 1970s I was working in an IT department. My first experience with programming was with PL/1, which I took as a prerequisite for getting into library school. I never did learn BASIC. But after working with Wang word processors and learning their macro language, I graduated to hardcore COBOL, which I learned on the job. I took a couple of classes in assembly language and job control language, but essentially I learned by doing. I should have kept at it but I left the field or I could probably make a mint using my old skills. Oh well.
Everything you wrote is true. That will not stop Trump from trying to prevent the mid-terms from happening. It remains to be seen whether the states and the courts will stand up to him. In the MAGA-controlled states, the fix will be in.
Ya he isn't allowed to do a lot of things. Most of what he does is unconstitutional and illegal and yet here we are. The elections may very well take place but he has been installed 2x illegitimately, and has tampered with machines and suppression. So what is being done to ensure legitimate elections without foreign interference and Elonia 's magic twinks? And what is being done to make sure if they lose they will adhere to the vote. What is being done?
You are spot on, Mark. The 2026 elections are very important, as are the 2025 elections. The majority party almost always loses seats in the mid-term elections. Trump’s approval rating is now only 46% and sinking weekly as the Musk Administration wields its sword. I suspect that the House and possibly the Senate will turn Blue in 2026.
That is so kind of you Linda. I’m a bit too old to attract the kids. More important, my wife will be very displeased with me. I thought of it seriously some years back, but the fundraising was so unappealing that I backed out. I think I can do more good than on the outside.
I’m to old too. But I do find you one of the best here on sub-stack. Appreciate your efforts. I truly wish the young would get more involved before it’s too late.
I have reasons to disagree with some of your premises and would redirect your focuses towards more fundamental & foundational matters, namely those things that undergird and support The Vote.
Just this one line
"Security Measures: States protect critical infrastructure like voting machines and voter registration systems. Officials receive security briefings from federal agencies such as DHS and the FBI to address potential threats."
is already weakened by recent-past and current actions and realities.
I will in fact post an essay tomorrow night that focuses specifically on the quoted text.
In the meantime consider the following and ask yourself if you lived in one of the affected areas named below how confident would you be that your vote was not able to be compromised?
"In 2022, records, video camera footage, and deposition testimony produced in a civil case in Georgia disclosed that its voting system, used statewide, had been breached over multiple days by operatives hired by attorneys for Donald Trump.
The evidence showed that the operatives made copies of the software that runs all of the equipment in Georgia, and certain other states, and shared it with other Trump allies and operatives. Subsequent court filings and public records requests revealed that the breaches in Georgia were part of a larger effort to take copies of voting system software from systems in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Arizona, and to share the software in the operatives’ network. According to testimony and declarations by some of the technicians who have obtained copies of the software, they have had access for more than three years to the software for the central servers, tabulators, and highly restricted election databases of both Election Systems & Software (ES&S), and Dominion Voting Systems, the two largest voting system vendors, constituting the most severe election security breach publicly known. Combined, their equipment counts nearly 70% of all votes nationwide."
Absolutely right about FBI and HHS. I had a brain spritz there, Robert. The And there is no denying that some nasty things happened. I’m just not wiling to say we will never have fair elections again. Trump is sinking with every outrageous move he makes. To expect the situation to be this bad 21 months from now to me is expect that Trump will be this strong them. I don’t believe he will be. Call me Pollyanna but I think he has already seen his best days. If this keeps up he will lose legislators in swing districts and states. I’m not willing to concede an inch to either Trump or Musk.
The JAGs at all branches of the military are being fired. They are the arbiters of illegal military orders. Replace them with yes men and Trump controls the military - Judges can’t call them in to enforce rulings or laws.
But Trump can call them in to quell riots or civil unrest.
This is all designed to ferment revolt so he can cancel 26 Midterms and 28 Presidential elections.
The truth is that he has to get others to execute his state of emergency. Most won’t violate the Constitution. Stop treating this guy like God. As long as we do that, we are hopeless.
Thank you so much Beth. I’ll be the first to admit he has given us all more than enough reason to worry, but I really believe we will be in a stronger position by then. He is already underwater in four major polls.
Why would he care about polls anymore? He's the King.
He is not a king. He is a phony chicken shit who folds when challenged, like other bullies. And he is obsessed with polls.
Sorry, I should have put /S. I don't think he's a king but he thinks he is, apparently.
That he does!
Thank you. I want to trust what you have written here, and it certainly gives me more hope. But we see daily violations of the Constitution and unbridled spinelessness in Congress. We know there has been election interference both within and from abroad. Legacy media are compromised. No he is not a king, but he has a court of sycophants and a cult of Kool Aid drinkers.
The fascist playbook of lies, intimidation and scapegoating is in full force. When he said there would be no need for further elections, he was promising there would be not opportunity for further elections. I don't trust there are enough checks and balances in a broken Constitution to restrain him from at least trying to usurp 2026 and 2028.
Why even believe he will leave office in 2028? I don't think either extreme of thinking is helpful. So I appreciate fully your explanations of the power of the states. I
DO BELIEVE in the power of the people Mark, and appreciate what you share. Thank you and look forward always to your posts and updates and optimism. We need this!
This is not going to continue unabated for 2- more months. Have you been watching the attacks on these Republican congressmen at town halls? It has been four weeks and people are already rebelling.
This is not going to continue unabated for 21 more months. Have you been watching the attacks on these Republican congressmen at town halls? It has been four weeks and people are already rebelling.
Thank you for leaving it. I too am concerned about the integrity of the voting machines. I hope the states will take action quickly to make hacking harder. There are ways to do that. My understanding is that states are bringing in hackers to try and harden the machines.
I’m concerned that a lot of people have given up already. If this persists it will be fatal to any attempt to clean these people out once and for all.
See my comment above on the democratic secretaries of state in some of the red states.
I agree. I know he thinks he is above the law (and in some cases and has gotten away with enough to really believe that). We don’t know what will be going on in 2026 but panicking over elections “probably not happening” feels like complying in advance. We know he’s already “joking” about a third term but as Americans we need to remember like Gov. Pritzker said, we don’t bend the knee to kings.
Also, we have 2 congressional special elections coming up in Florida that can give dems the majority in the house or potentially tie it up. And we have had special elections already where dems won in states trump won in November. This admin wants us to be hopeless and to give up. It’s okay to feel like it but we can’t just give up to them.
Thanks for that Brittany. I completely agree.
You’re welcome, Mark! Have a great day!
Brittany, I live in Florida (Miami area). And the special elections are in very red parts of the state. One of them is in the part of the state that repeatedly re-elected Gaetz. So I'd like to be hopeful, but I'm sort of not. The people in MTG's district haven't awakened from their stupor, and Ted Cruz got re-elected last year. Rick Scott got re-elected in Florida last year.
There are some shockingly stubborn and dimwitted people in this country.
Interesting perspective that fearing that the 2026 elections (or any thereafter) may be in jeopardy invokes hopelessness… Personally, that thought fires me up more to resist/fight everyday.
That isn’t how I meant it. I meant that some people have expressed the opinion that elections will be impossible. I’m for fighting now to prevent that happening. I’m as fired up as you are.
I’ll be perfectly honestly, I felt hopeless after the election. It took me awhile to process everything. My TikTok algorithm was a lot of “theres going to be no more elections. It’s over” and I had to start blocking content like that and seeking out more hopeful content.
I’m still seeing a lot of comments saying we’re not going to make it to 2026 but I have to scroll past them/block. I’m not feeding that anxiety anymore. I’m using my anxiety to move forward and make calls, attend protests and just generally speak up.
lol…okay, I guess I missed that it was a response to people saying the elections are “impossible.” Regardless, I like the new version and thank you for pointing out all the specific guard rails currently in place. I’m glad we all agree that we need to keep fighting to ensure they stay in place. I am hopeful!
He is violating the constitution every single day I am not sure why that is not clear to you.
It is very clear to me. As I said the elections are held by the 50 states. He cannot stop them from holding their elections. People seem to think this guy is a God. He is a chicken shit who repeatedly folds when the pressure is on. By then, his popularity will be in the toilet. Good luck getting away with martial law then.
Right? There are a couple of reasons I don’t like seeing pieces like this: the only absolute is that nothing is absolute. Also, it gives a (false) sense of security that may keep people from being more resistant if they think/believe something “cannot” happen, which makes it more possible to actually happen.
That was not the intention. It was to make it clear that there are limits. We should fight him for a million reasons, not just this one.
The constitution does not defend itself. Congress is not defending itself from the usurpation of its power of the purse. This essay is not helpful. No rules, traditions, standards, or laws are being respected by the fascist authoritarians. President Musk is destroying our country while further enriching himself. Trump is not in charge of anything other than using a sharpie to kill the country. Stop pretending we have any means short of revolution (or counterrevolution, to be clear.) What they are doing has already destroyed the USA and we are all pretending it has not.
If the is not helpful, skip it. A lot of people disagree with you.
I understand. And I don’t disagree with any of the factual points, but I’m not sold on the premise that this current framework and system are inevitable.
I can understand why. It looks from grim right now. My thinking is that by the time 21 months have passed, he will be in a much weakened position and less able to pull this off.
You are absolutely correct!! We’ve experienced this insanity more than 10 years!! Some of us even voted against it in November!! Others are learning the hard way and are apologizing for being duped!! Not again!! WE WANT OUR DEMOCRACY BACK!! WE HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT!! NOW!!! TOGETHER!!!
Exactly! He can't stop elections, but he can buy them, like he just did!
Ms Kay, you will think this is a fine point, but no one can buy an election. People can buy exposure (ads, yard signs, etc). The voters are under no obligation to vote according to what and how much they're exposed to.
Frankly, it doesn't do "us" (Substack readers, for example) much good to explain to each other how terrible things are, and are going to be. We're preaching to the choir. But as much as I sign petitions, and other such things, I actually hope things deteriorate noticeably in the next two years, so the people who allowed themselves to get duped will realize their exquisitely dumb mistake, and correct it in the midterms. To look at it one way, suppose we flip all of Congress. McConnell will likely be out by then, but he's already said he won't run again. And he voted against confirming ONE of Donnie's Cabinet nominees. If Donnie gets impeached and convicted, the armed forces aren't going to protect him, and let him stay in office. Sure, we'll then be stuck with JD, but he, too, will know "the party/[Party] is over."
I like to remain hopeful and pieces like this help but I’ve watched over and over again how this mteflon felon gives us all the middle finger and says I effing dare you to defy me!!
Everyone saying he cannot stop elections is being sadly naive.
All valid and reassuring points...BUT.
This does NOT address or resolve the concern that during the 2020 post-election attempted coup, Trump-supporting bad actors illegally gained access to voting machines and copied software.
I am not and have not ever been one to engage in conspiracy theories, but the question of whether the 2024 election was or may have been affected and influenced digitally is still not factually resolved to my satisfaction. Neither does there seem to be adequate assurance that the 2026 midterms will be secure in that sense.
Yes, I have read articles on this subject and followed up to find counter-claims of them being conspiracy-theory-based, but a nagging concern remains. The assertion that the voting machine software is inviolable rings hollow while we have an unelected band of super-hackers attached to POTUS and roaming freely through the most secure and sensitive digital information system in the world.
I invite any direction to better fact-based information sources to counter this concern than I have found to this point. My go-to sources are as center-of-the-road as possible, and high-reliability as available as well.
Thank you for reading this lengthy comment.
Thank you for leaving it.
Some of the things you mention are sourced in the following newsletter posting.
"In 2022, records, video camera footage, and deposition testimony produced in a civil case in Georgia disclosed that its voting system, used statewide, had been breached over multiple days by operatives hired by attorneys for Donald Trump.
The evidence showed that the operatives made copies of the software that runs all of the equipment in Georgia, and certain other states, and shared it with other Trump allies and operatives. Subsequent court filings and public records requests revealed that the breaches in Georgia were part of a larger effort to take copies of voting system software from systems in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Arizona, and to share the software in the operatives’ network. According to testimony and declarations by some of the technicians who have obtained copies of the software, they have had access for more than three years to the software for the central servers, tabulators, and highly restricted election databases of both Election Systems & Software (ES&S), and Dominion Voting Systems, the two largest voting system vendors, constituting the most severe election security breach publicly known. Combined, their equipment counts nearly 70% of all votes nationwide."
https://robertjrei.substack.com/p/election-security-investigation
The details you reference are the things that make law-abiding US citizens concerned for the validity and security of our MOST essential right, as Americans.
We all need to stay informed, connected to legitimate, factual data, and committed to the integrity of our nation.
Our borough (about 100,000 population) completely abandoned voting machines and reverted to paper ballots only... Pain in the neck for election volunteers like myself. Can't imagine the logistics for high-density population areas.
exactly. they are using super-hackers and AI and this is what is deeply concerning. this is not a human government ...
Check out Greg Palast's work and see what you think.
Thanks... Greg's writing looks promising
I agree.
L, I don't know if this helps--I suspect it doesn't--but those kids Muck has with him aren't super hackers. They don't understand COBOL, the language a lot of the government systems use. They didn't understand the meaning of "1875" (which even though I used to be a COBOL programmer, I don't understand either--I suspect it's specific to the Social Security system). These systems are complex and necessitate an understanding of what's being done, how the data is defined and flows, and all sorts of things you can't figure out in a couple of hours. So I can't see them hacking voting machines.
Think about the voting machines though. Every state and locality has its own ballot. The issues are all different. How can you go in and hack these systems without knowing exactly how they differ and without messing up Republican votes as well as others? I'm not saying it's impossible but according to my techie husband, the machines aren't networked. No network, no hacking.
Now THAT's reassuring... Specifics about how and why, not just "what if". Thank you Paula B.!
Very helpful Paula. I’m glad you’re familiar with this.
I hope so. I could be wrong but I don't think I am.
Here's an article that includes the following:
"The machines used to scan ballots at a voting precinct are incapable of having any Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, radio or network connection at all, according to Trowbridge." https://abcnews.go.com/US/election-fact-check-voting-machines-work-hard-hack/story?id=114902274
Note that there have been attempts to tamper with the voting process, but they've been foiled (as far as we know.) Here is a non-federal organization that's concerned with preserving election security: https://www.nass.org/initiatives/securing-elections.
I am feeling a little rattled trying to figure this out but I do feel that there are a lot of safeguards.
Thanks... Factual, verifiable info is what will keep me sane for the next few years. You hang in there too.
Always happy to help! Thank you. 😀
Funny you should mention COBOL. In the late 1970s I learned some elementary programming in high school, using BASIC and RadioShack TRS80 computers. (Yep, I'm a dinosaur) I learned the term COBOL from my older cousin who was in college. THAT's how ancient COBOL is 🤣. How ironic, that the thing most likely to protect us is that our critical infrastructure is using language on par with hieroglyphics to the current wunderkind... Whew 😅. We have some time on our side...
If you think you're a dinosaur... ha ha! In the late 1970s I was working in an IT department. My first experience with programming was with PL/1, which I took as a prerequisite for getting into library school. I never did learn BASIC. But after working with Wang word processors and learning their macro language, I graduated to hardcore COBOL, which I learned on the job. I took a couple of classes in assembly language and job control language, but essentially I learned by doing. I should have kept at it but I left the field or I could probably make a mint using my old skills. Oh well.
Everything you wrote is true. That will not stop Trump from trying to prevent the mid-terms from happening. It remains to be seen whether the states and the courts will stand up to him. In the MAGA-controlled states, the fix will be in.
This is assumes that we remain a constitutional republic. That likelihood diminishes every single day.
A fair concern. We’ll have to fight like hell in the meantime.
Ya he isn't allowed to do a lot of things. Most of what he does is unconstitutional and illegal and yet here we are. The elections may very well take place but he has been installed 2x illegitimately, and has tampered with machines and suppression. So what is being done to ensure legitimate elections without foreign interference and Elonia 's magic twinks? And what is being done to make sure if they lose they will adhere to the vote. What is being done?
this is the question.
Thank you my friend!
You are spot on, Mark. The 2026 elections are very important, as are the 2025 elections. The majority party almost always loses seats in the mid-term elections. Trump’s approval rating is now only 46% and sinking weekly as the Musk Administration wields its sword. I suspect that the House and possibly the Senate will turn Blue in 2026.
Keep up the stellar writing, my Friend.
I want you to run for office. What a blessing you could be for our country. The imposter there now knows nothing about history much less the law.
That is so kind of you Linda. I’m a bit too old to attract the kids. More important, my wife will be very displeased with me. I thought of it seriously some years back, but the fundraising was so unappealing that I backed out. I think I can do more good than on the outside.
I’m to old too. But I do find you one of the best here on sub-stack. Appreciate your efforts. I truly wish the young would get more involved before it’s too late.
embedded in we the people!
I have reasons to disagree with some of your premises and would redirect your focuses towards more fundamental & foundational matters, namely those things that undergird and support The Vote.
Just this one line
"Security Measures: States protect critical infrastructure like voting machines and voter registration systems. Officials receive security briefings from federal agencies such as DHS and the FBI to address potential threats."
is already weakened by recent-past and current actions and realities.
I will in fact post an essay tomorrow night that focuses specifically on the quoted text.
In the meantime consider the following and ask yourself if you lived in one of the affected areas named below how confident would you be that your vote was not able to be compromised?
"In 2022, records, video camera footage, and deposition testimony produced in a civil case in Georgia disclosed that its voting system, used statewide, had been breached over multiple days by operatives hired by attorneys for Donald Trump.
The evidence showed that the operatives made copies of the software that runs all of the equipment in Georgia, and certain other states, and shared it with other Trump allies and operatives. Subsequent court filings and public records requests revealed that the breaches in Georgia were part of a larger effort to take copies of voting system software from systems in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Arizona, and to share the software in the operatives’ network. According to testimony and declarations by some of the technicians who have obtained copies of the software, they have had access for more than three years to the software for the central servers, tabulators, and highly restricted election databases of both Election Systems & Software (ES&S), and Dominion Voting Systems, the two largest voting system vendors, constituting the most severe election security breach publicly known. Combined, their equipment counts nearly 70% of all votes nationwide."
https://robertjrei.substack.com/p/election-security-investigation
Absolutely right about FBI and HHS. I had a brain spritz there, Robert. The And there is no denying that some nasty things happened. I’m just not wiling to say we will never have fair elections again. Trump is sinking with every outrageous move he makes. To expect the situation to be this bad 21 months from now to me is expect that Trump will be this strong them. I don’t believe he will be. Call me Pollyanna but I think he has already seen his best days. If this keeps up he will lose legislators in swing districts and states. I’m not willing to concede an inch to either Trump or Musk.
The JAGs at all branches of the military are being fired. They are the arbiters of illegal military orders. Replace them with yes men and Trump controls the military - Judges can’t call them in to enforce rulings or laws.
But Trump can call them in to quell riots or civil unrest.
This is all designed to ferment revolt so he can cancel 26 Midterms and 28 Presidential elections.
Watch out - he is coming for you!