6 Comments

I've enjoyed and shared Gem State the past 6 months, but the wisdom and spirit of today's post has motivated me to become a PAID subscriber! Hooyah😇🇺🇲

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Thank you so much!

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DeSantis has a lot of time to run for President. Trump needs another term. He had 2020 stolen from him and the US voters. He is right, paper ballots and hand counts.

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I generally agree - the 2020 election and all the shenanigans that ensued really left a bad impression on a lot of people. Trump deserves a chance to right those wrongs, but he needs to present a compelling and positive vision for the future rather than dwell too much on the past.

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He has said what to do to get this country back. We must never forget what was done, the only way to keep it from happening again. 2022 has happened again and the proof is available for all to see. I worked this election, and the machines went down. Paper ballots and hand counts.

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Brian, your points are well taken, and your depth of historical and political knowledge always impresses me.

I hope Trump will hone his future messages more sharply than the ones he presented during last night's over-long speech. A bunch of avid Trump supporters who were watching the speech together simply gave up in disappointment and left early. The group thought Trump was repetitive, long-winded, unfocused, and looked a bit demoralized. Five or ten minutes were all he needed: He could have stated something like, "Things are terrible in America and around the world, I know how to fix them, I've fixed them before, and I'm back Baby to fix them again. Here's my top-5 list: [list here]."

Of course, Trump alone cannot undo all the harm that has been done, not only in the last few years, but in many decades of backroom-dealing and cheating that finally became obvious to those Americans paying attention. The simple answer is that no single person is the answer.

So many Americans are still oblivious to what's happening around them. Why? Many reasons, of course, but several biggies come to mind: People are unable to get good information; they are afraid or choose not to get good information; they are too busy with everyday life; they no longer care; they no longer think critically; they no longer act wisely.

Trump, DeSantis, or whomever is the next anointed "Golden One" cannot fix this broken system alone. We all need to fix it, abandon it, or create something new. Nibbling around the edges just won't work, in my opinion. I'd be thrilled to return to the days of following our US and State Constitutions, which are darn good documents for life in any age.

Of course, if we don't radically repair our elections to eliminate all financial and political influence and all cheating that matters, nothing any candidate or individual voter does will make a whit of difference. Few in power will want to fix the broken system that put them in power and rewards them richly.

Finally, unless and until American politicians and bureaucrats learn how to admit their mistakes (such as those disastrous decisions Trump made regarding COVID that continue to cost millions of people their lives and livelihoods), we can never move ahead. It's one thing to be larger than life; it's quite another to have a monstrous ego that blinds good judgment. Admitting and learning from one's mistakes are the only ways to avoid them in the future.

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