This is the most succinctly written statement of what has happened to Americans critical thinking regarding our values and the American dream. Citizens United changed everything. Both parties are complicit. I look forward to the rest of the series and hope many others do too.
My god, I love this. I have been posting on the ignorance of the average American voter since the 2016 debacle. On top of the voter ignorance though is both voter apathy and just plain laziness. Or maybe it's that too many have just given up because they feel it just doesn't matter.
I applaud what you have written here and am going share and share some more.
When you look at Trump 101 it was much different. Donald Trump is a puppet and pulling the strings are a group of racist, corrupt, white supremacy, women hating, Nazi, cheap billionaires that want every penny of federal taxes in their pockets. Sorry it's not Donald Trump's plan. He's collecting billions of dollars for taking the blame, because his intelligence is equal to a snail.
Great Article so true, I am 69 now when I was 26 years old in 1986 I quit my job and took off to Europe by myself for 2 months traveled by train to many different country's. This was a big
eye opener for me, what I learned was many Europeans that I met on the
Train and elsewhere were very educated and new more about American History and Culture
than a lot of Americans including myself at the time. This too me explains something of the education level in America you were talking about. I also spent time in East Berlin when the Wall was still up, this was something I will never forget, the people looked very depressed with guards
at every corner, not what we want in this country. I could also tell of the easy going nature
of people compared to the competitive and greed here in this country.
Itβs a two party system here in the US. And the two parties are Republicans gone mad (gone MAGA) and Democrats. Thatβs it. It may change someday in the future but for now, itβs all weβve got. If a third party enters the race, we run the risk that none of them get to 270 in the electoral college. The vote goes to the House and the states. There are more Red states than Blue. MAGA wins again. There are two schools of thought on how we are in this mess right now. One is that Trump/Musk cheated. (I believe that one.) The other is voter apathyβ¦not enough people voted and so Trump won. Soβ¦now to my point. Our only hope of getting out of this mess is if Dems win. So bashing Dems publicly sends out a message that - what did you say? - that Dems are a mess? Others see that and maybe they agree. And they stay home again in 2026 and 2028. We need everyone we possibly can get to vote for Dems if we have an ice cubeβs chance in hell of getting this country away from JD Vance, Stephen Miller, Vought, Peter Thiel, and others. There is a theory out there that Trump was *placed* in the WH because powerful people around the globe want to cover up their part in the Epstein sex trafficking. If thatβs true, and even if itβs not, there are very powerful people running this country right now and theyβre not going to give up what theyβve got without a serious fight. Dem bashing doesnβt help. In fact, it hinders us greatly. Iβm asking you this nicely. Please, please, please get behind Democrats as if your life depended upon it. Because it literally does. Everyone has to stop saying that the Dems are a mess or whatever else theyβre saying. Get behind Democrats and help save our democracy. If youβre not part of the solution, youβre part of the problem. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
While red states currently outnumber blue, that isnβt an automatic win for republicans. The most populous states are mostly blue; furthermore, republicans depend heavily on states with very low populations such as South Dakota for senate control (and even that often swings to democrats).
Iβm not sure if you understand how a contingent vote works. So I asked Google AI to better explain it to you.
Q: If none of the candidates in a presidential election get to 270 electoral college votes, the vote gets sent to the House for one delegate from each state to vote for a candidate. There are more red states than blue. do Republicans win?
A: Yes, based on the current composition of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans would be likely to win a contingent election for president.
How the Process Works
If no presidential candidate reaches 270 electoral votes, the election is decided by a "contingent election" in the House of Representatives, as outlined by the 12th Amendment.
One Vote Per State: Each state delegation casts a single, combined vote, regardless of its population or the number of representatives it has.
Majority Required: A candidate needs to secure the votes of at least 26 state delegations (a majority of the 50 states) to win the presidency.
Incoming Congress Votes: The vote is conducted by the newly elected House of Representatives that takes office in January, just before the inauguration.
Senate Decides VP: The Senate, voting individually, selects the Vice President from the top two candidates, requiring a simple majority of 51 votes.
Current Political Landscape (as of late 2025)
The current political breakdown of state delegations in the House favors the Republican party:
Republican majority: Republicans control the majority of representatives in approximately 30 state delegations.
Democratic majority: Democrats control the majority in approximately 18 state delegations.
Tied delegations: Two states (Colorado and Minnesota) are evenly split, meaning they may not be able to cast a vote unless a majority is reached within their delegation (or a member casts a blank ballot/abstains).
Because Republicans currently have a solid majority of state delegations (30 is more than the 26 needed to win), their candidate would very likely be elected president in a contingent election scenario.
Most definitely elections were more trustworthy back then. And I believe that Biden won because so many of us voted by mail and, as a result, Republicans couldnβt cheat. I realize that a contingent vote is incredibly rare. But I still say we have to get behind Democrats to ensure that we take our country back.
... When? When I and my enthusiastic cyberpunk nerd friends gave EVERYBODY a megaphone. :/ Including Trump, who uses it daily to actively get everybody angry and tied up in reacting, and "flooding the zone with shit", hacking American anger. Just like bin Ladin did.
We're sorry, we knew it was a gamble. But I think we'll get through it and the next step is digital democracy, keeping the debate collected and possible to participate better in. Its already working in Estonia, South Korea and Taiwan. Check out pol.is, the debate tool , hacked in Seattle. :)
Also, we thought that Facebooks monopoly would be regulated pretty quick. But now weve waiting 10 years on it. :P We can only suppose its a too important American asset for global surveillance and immersive propaganda. Both for the CIA and for anyone with a heap of money, wanting to use the actual Joseph Goebbels tools for subverting the publics image of reality. :/ This has to go. Shut of FB one week before the next election! It was that Bannon used to get Trump elected the second time, the first time he had to hack in through Cambrige Analytica. We saw that guy going straight for the money, and knew he was a black hat hacker mind. :/
And this, regulating facebook and X/twitter is also what makes them want to tear EU down. We are the only ones who see the power in this and that cant be allowed. Even though we WILL be assailed about free speach. We will have to learn from our best old philosophers to defend against this.
Ah, yeah, its the dynamic component that does it, again! That is what is so impossible in locked debates, the educated debate "what things ARE", and the others are more looking at "how things move". If you COMBINE the two you have something kickass. Put them against each others and people just get their asses kicked by each others, eternally. :/
How did we get here β¦ in this place where intellect , inquisitive questioning , science , and linear reasoning have become β woke thinking β . Higher education is no longer the objective β¦. Making the most money and buying crap seems to be our focus . Consumerism is toxic .
Think tanks are NOT reaching the masses β¦ and sadly / scientists and researchers , analysts and social scientists are fleeing our most prestigious institutionsβ¦. Because the funding and focus have been dismissed β¦ and shunned by this fascist regime. Why ? Because stupid people vote for stupid candidates - instead of working harder to learn and understand β¦ they blame β others β for stealing their opportunities for success β . Hate mongers thrive in stupidity.
We must focus on Education to dig ourselves out of this madness. From headstart to high school β¦ reading , comprehension, critical thinking and analysis and compassion ( as taught in schools in Finland ) β¦. If we do not do this soon and with great commitmentβ¦ we are doomed to be ruled over by self serving tyrants β¦.
High level Russian disinformation efforts and brainwashing efforts have succeeded in helping destroy America from within. They have nearly conquered us without firing a shot.
Itβs not just Russian disinformation β¦.. more damaging are the lies , propaganda and simple false information being spread from within β¦. Fox, politicians and Internet media have poisoned us all β¦. But thatβs where critical thinking is required .
And truth is that while you have already created an audience you are unwilling to acknowledge that the only solution to the decades of issues in America is an outdated constitution, and that only citizens can fix it. But for that to happen citizens need to hear, read, and be presented with truthful facts, not lies, or comments of how bad it is, because at the end of the our only savior is levels of a Direct Democracy, but no one that has a big platform is willing to engage. It is our only solution.
The photo seems quite representative of MAGAts⦠the excessive adornment [double dog collars, fingerless gloves, chest straps] looks like it came straight out of a Walmart shoppers video.
Your final comments have gotten to the ground level. The dumbing down of our society for social control has been criminal⦠leading directly to the class war between Maga and Woke. Hatred that hides the jealousy and misery of one towards another. The other at a loss when it comes to bridges across rivers of hatred.
Results of US presidential election using google and census.gov and American presidency project.ucsb.edu. Result was 77/236 = 33%. Rounding error applies.
This is the most succinctly written statement of what has happened to Americans critical thinking regarding our values and the American dream. Citizens United changed everything. Both parties are complicit. I look forward to the rest of the series and hope many others do too.
Thatβs very kind Barbara - Martin
π π π° π² πΊ π³ πΎ πΊ . π² πΆ πΌ
THANK YOU!
My god, I love this. I have been posting on the ignorance of the average American voter since the 2016 debacle. On top of the voter ignorance though is both voter apathy and just plain laziness. Or maybe it's that too many have just given up because they feel it just doesn't matter.
I applaud what you have written here and am going share and share some more.
Thank you.
Cheers Bill
When you look at Trump 101 it was much different. Donald Trump is a puppet and pulling the strings are a group of racist, corrupt, white supremacy, women hating, Nazi, cheap billionaires that want every penny of federal taxes in their pockets. Sorry it's not Donald Trump's plan. He's collecting billions of dollars for taking the blame, because his intelligence is equal to a snail.
I think you misinterpreted the intent. He is one man that is the shop front for a policy agenda.
I have written a number of articles about the power behind the throne and even made a short film about it.
https://youtu.be/8tDRc37bCT8?si=RQRaGiQWIupV0tPP
Great Article so true, I am 69 now when I was 26 years old in 1986 I quit my job and took off to Europe by myself for 2 months traveled by train to many different country's. This was a big
eye opener for me, what I learned was many Europeans that I met on the
Train and elsewhere were very educated and new more about American History and Culture
than a lot of Americans including myself at the time. This too me explains something of the education level in America you were talking about. I also spent time in East Berlin when the Wall was still up, this was something I will never forget, the people looked very depressed with guards
at every corner, not what we want in this country. I could also tell of the easy going nature
of people compared to the competitive and greed here in this country.
It wonβt be the DNC leading the change. Weβre in a mess. Keep up the good work.
Itβs a two party system here in the US. And the two parties are Republicans gone mad (gone MAGA) and Democrats. Thatβs it. It may change someday in the future but for now, itβs all weβve got. If a third party enters the race, we run the risk that none of them get to 270 in the electoral college. The vote goes to the House and the states. There are more Red states than Blue. MAGA wins again. There are two schools of thought on how we are in this mess right now. One is that Trump/Musk cheated. (I believe that one.) The other is voter apathyβ¦not enough people voted and so Trump won. Soβ¦now to my point. Our only hope of getting out of this mess is if Dems win. So bashing Dems publicly sends out a message that - what did you say? - that Dems are a mess? Others see that and maybe they agree. And they stay home again in 2026 and 2028. We need everyone we possibly can get to vote for Dems if we have an ice cubeβs chance in hell of getting this country away from JD Vance, Stephen Miller, Vought, Peter Thiel, and others. There is a theory out there that Trump was *placed* in the WH because powerful people around the globe want to cover up their part in the Epstein sex trafficking. If thatβs true, and even if itβs not, there are very powerful people running this country right now and theyβre not going to give up what theyβve got without a serious fight. Dem bashing doesnβt help. In fact, it hinders us greatly. Iβm asking you this nicely. Please, please, please get behind Democrats as if your life depended upon it. Because it literally does. Everyone has to stop saying that the Dems are a mess or whatever else theyβre saying. Get behind Democrats and help save our democracy. If youβre not part of the solution, youβre part of the problem. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
While red states currently outnumber blue, that isnβt an automatic win for republicans. The most populous states are mostly blue; furthermore, republicans depend heavily on states with very low populations such as South Dakota for senate control (and even that often swings to democrats).
Iβm not sure if you understand how a contingent vote works. So I asked Google AI to better explain it to you.
Q: If none of the candidates in a presidential election get to 270 electoral college votes, the vote gets sent to the House for one delegate from each state to vote for a candidate. There are more red states than blue. do Republicans win?
A: Yes, based on the current composition of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans would be likely to win a contingent election for president.
How the Process Works
If no presidential candidate reaches 270 electoral votes, the election is decided by a "contingent election" in the House of Representatives, as outlined by the 12th Amendment.
One Vote Per State: Each state delegation casts a single, combined vote, regardless of its population or the number of representatives it has.
Majority Required: A candidate needs to secure the votes of at least 26 state delegations (a majority of the 50 states) to win the presidency.
Incoming Congress Votes: The vote is conducted by the newly elected House of Representatives that takes office in January, just before the inauguration.
Senate Decides VP: The Senate, voting individually, selects the Vice President from the top two candidates, requiring a simple majority of 51 votes.
Current Political Landscape (as of late 2025)
The current political breakdown of state delegations in the House favors the Republican party:
Republican majority: Republicans control the majority of representatives in approximately 30 state delegations.
Democratic majority: Democrats control the majority in approximately 18 state delegations.
Tied delegations: Two states (Colorado and Minnesota) are evenly split, meaning they may not be able to cast a vote unless a majority is reached within their delegation (or a member casts a blank ballot/abstains).
Because Republicans currently have a solid majority of state delegations (30 is more than the 26 needed to win), their candidate would very likely be elected president in a contingent election scenario.
Speaking of Google AI, I googled "when is the last time that a contingent vote decided a USA presidential election".
The answer: 1825. That's before mechanical lever voting machines were invented and distributed, making elections far more trustworthy.
Most definitely elections were more trustworthy back then. And I believe that Biden won because so many of us voted by mail and, as a result, Republicans couldnβt cheat. I realize that a contingent vote is incredibly rare. But I still say we have to get behind Democrats to ensure that we take our country back.
Marvelous writing. Youβve captured the essence of our fellow stupid Americans and the consequences of their actions (votes).
Yes! Thank you. :)
... When? When I and my enthusiastic cyberpunk nerd friends gave EVERYBODY a megaphone. :/ Including Trump, who uses it daily to actively get everybody angry and tied up in reacting, and "flooding the zone with shit", hacking American anger. Just like bin Ladin did.
We're sorry, we knew it was a gamble. But I think we'll get through it and the next step is digital democracy, keeping the debate collected and possible to participate better in. Its already working in Estonia, South Korea and Taiwan. Check out pol.is, the debate tool , hacked in Seattle. :)
Also, we thought that Facebooks monopoly would be regulated pretty quick. But now weve waiting 10 years on it. :P We can only suppose its a too important American asset for global surveillance and immersive propaganda. Both for the CIA and for anyone with a heap of money, wanting to use the actual Joseph Goebbels tools for subverting the publics image of reality. :/ This has to go. Shut of FB one week before the next election! It was that Bannon used to get Trump elected the second time, the first time he had to hack in through Cambrige Analytica. We saw that guy going straight for the money, and knew he was a black hat hacker mind. :/
Yes I made a short film about it
https://youtu.be/8tDRc37bCT8?si=li0uSSEHNX6NIJTr
And this, regulating facebook and X/twitter is also what makes them want to tear EU down. We are the only ones who see the power in this and that cant be allowed. Even though we WILL be assailed about free speach. We will have to learn from our best old philosophers to defend against this.
... the trick of the Real Internet Enlightement will be to combine free speech with philosophy. "free and ever truer speech." :)
Ah, yeah, its the dynamic component that does it, again! That is what is so impossible in locked debates, the educated debate "what things ARE", and the others are more looking at "how things move". If you COMBINE the two you have something kickass. Put them against each others and people just get their asses kicked by each others, eternally. :/
How did we get here β¦ in this place where intellect , inquisitive questioning , science , and linear reasoning have become β woke thinking β . Higher education is no longer the objective β¦. Making the most money and buying crap seems to be our focus . Consumerism is toxic .
Think tanks are NOT reaching the masses β¦ and sadly / scientists and researchers , analysts and social scientists are fleeing our most prestigious institutionsβ¦. Because the funding and focus have been dismissed β¦ and shunned by this fascist regime. Why ? Because stupid people vote for stupid candidates - instead of working harder to learn and understand β¦ they blame β others β for stealing their opportunities for success β . Hate mongers thrive in stupidity.
We must focus on Education to dig ourselves out of this madness. From headstart to high school β¦ reading , comprehension, critical thinking and analysis and compassion ( as taught in schools in Finland ) β¦. If we do not do this soon and with great commitmentβ¦ we are doomed to be ruled over by self serving tyrants β¦.
High level Russian disinformation efforts and brainwashing efforts have succeeded in helping destroy America from within. They have nearly conquered us without firing a shot.
Itβs not just Russian disinformation β¦.. more damaging are the lies , propaganda and simple false information being spread from within β¦. Fox, politicians and Internet media have poisoned us all β¦. But thatβs where critical thinking is required .
Education Education Education
My blog is coming, I will provide an overview of the journey Americans must take to finally reach JUSTICE AND EQUALITY.
https://velascoedda.substack.com/p/the-people-vs-the-system
π π π° π² πΊ π³ πΎ πΊ . π² πΆ πΌ
And truth is that while you have already created an audience you are unwilling to acknowledge that the only solution to the decades of issues in America is an outdated constitution, and that only citizens can fix it. But for that to happen citizens need to hear, read, and be presented with truthful facts, not lies, or comments of how bad it is, because at the end of the our only savior is levels of a Direct Democracy, but no one that has a big platform is willing to engage. It is our only solution.
The photo seems quite representative of MAGAts⦠the excessive adornment [double dog collars, fingerless gloves, chest straps] looks like it came straight out of a Walmart shoppers video.
Your final comments have gotten to the ground level. The dumbing down of our society for social control has been criminal⦠leading directly to the class war between Maga and Woke. Hatred that hides the jealousy and misery of one towards another. The other at a loss when it comes to bridges across rivers of hatred.
Results of US presidential election using google and census.gov and American presidency project.ucsb.edu. Result was 77/236 = 33%. Rounding error applies.
236M number of citizens age 18 and older.
174M registered voters.
154M voting.
75M for Harris.
77M for DJT.
3M other.