Saturday November 7, 2026; 1:15 PM EST
This is so heartening. America never disappeared, it just was asleep, lulled into naivete by the dashing figure Trump cast on his TV show, and he said some of the right things in his 2016 campaign. Truthful things people had never heard from a candidate and wanted to hear and wanted to believe something would be done to make it better. I got this perspective listening to Dave Chappelle explain it. And Trump helped us buy straight talk from candidates. We're getting it now from the new crop of inspiring senators and governors. Remarkable times we live in, such highs and lows. #- People from NY, such as myself, saw right through him. A typical bully -- we knew these people in grade school. There are people in my freaking family who are like Trump on a personality level. They push people around, but if you stand your ground they fade away.#
- Well now we've gotten together -- that's all we ever had to do -- work with each other -- and remember the greatness of the country that gave a home to us or our ancestors. We have not only got a big heart but we're also collectively smart enough to know that we always need to be growing, and for that we need fresh new citizens from around the world to keep things interesting. #
- I grew up in Flushing, NY -- part of NYC -- which was a sleepy Queens neighborhood made up of mostly Catholic and Jewish families when I was a child. Over the years, it became more Chinese and Korean. And it now has one of the best bagel places in the city. Everything is more alive there now. Main Street is both familiar and foreign. #
- (Utopia Bagels, on Utopia Parkway, technically in Whitestone.)#
- My mother, a refugee from the German Nazis as a child, didn't like that the neighborhood was changing, but I think it's fine, it's what makes the US and NY in particular so great. And while I still love a NYC diner breakfast or deli lunch, the Chinese and Korean food in Flushing is world-renowned and very tasty. #
- It still freaks me out that Flushing is famous for something so totally un-Flushing! #
- This election was like the 2008 election on steroids. We saw the election of Obama as a turning point. It was, but after his term was over, we snapped back to our slavery roots in reaction. This year, we re-asserted our love of country, not wanting to deprive the US of the fresh inspiration of immigrants of all races and genders, faiths, and and beliefs both religious and political. And once we, collectively, saw the aftermath of our turn toward fascism said, passionately -- no way, not here. The US is a melting pot. And we're good at it. #
- No one knew until Tuesday whether the old America of our parents and grandparents was still here, thankfully it is. #
- Now we have to continue to work together, to acknowledge our differences but also celebrate what we agree on. We are a democracy. We elect leaders but it is our country. The Trumps are still struggling with that, but don't ever forget it. This is the country that works, going through a really rough period.#