I managed to find good news for my friends in 10 states

Above are the states aside form Oregon where I have old friends who I keep in touch with.

In following the election results this year unexpectedly I ended up anxiously watching the returns from my newly adopted home state of Oregon since the race for governor was a nail-biter with the right-wing candidate having a good chance of winning. Thank goodness she didn't so I will have Tina Kotek as my governor for the next four years.

I also paid particular attention to the elections in the 10 states where friends live. 

Having lived in Michigan since college until we moved to Massachusetts I have lots of friends there. It was a relief to learn that not only did Gov. Whitmer win but so did all the Democratic statewide candidates. 

Then moving to the other state where I have the most old friends, Massachusetts, despite the misleading headline, this tells the story: 

Maura Healey wins Massachusetts governor's race, NBC News projects, as the first lesbian elected to lead a state

In fact this is literally correct since this election was called before the Oregon governor election was called on Wednesday, but Tina Kotek is also a lesbian.

One of my late wife and my closest friends lives is in Georgia. The good news from there is that Herschel Walker didn't win, but the final chapter will be written when he competes in a runoff with Sen. Warnock. Unfortunately Stacey Abrams lost the race for governor to Brian Kemp.

My best friend from high school and my first wife lives in California. The good news from California is that it is solidly blue thanks to the fact that most Republicans live in the less populated eastern parts of the state.

The race for mayor of Los Angeles is supposed to be non-partisan but it pits Rick Caruso and Karen Bass against each other because  incumbent Mayor Eric Garcetti could not run for re-election due to term limits. "The New York Times' Jennifer Medina wrote that the race “has focused on voters’ worries about public safety and homelessness in the nation’s second-largest city” and could “become a test of whether voters this year favor an experienced politician who has spent nearly two decades in government or an outsider running on his business credentials." 

My impression is that billionaire Caruso is much further to the right than Karen Bass who was chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

 This is what Axios has to say about this election: 

Why it matters: A first place showing for Caruso would send shockwaves across the Democratic Party and provide another data point that midterm voters in deep-blue places are fed up.

• But even a second-place finish would almost certainly keep him in play for November. With a dozen names on the ballot and some polling putting Bass, 68, a Black woman, and Caruso, 63, neck and neck, neither has an easy path to clear the 50% needed to avoid a runoff.
• Some Democrats have even privately fretted that Caruso could win outright before anyone figures out what's happening. He has spent some $37.5 million of his own money. Bass‘ campaign has raised $3.5 million and received $1.1 million in matching contributions.

I have one old friend and a niece who lives in Washington. I don't know about local races there but the good news is that Democrat Patty Murray won 57% to 47% against her Republican opponent. The winners of House races will likely reflect the eastern red sections of the state where I expect there will be GOP winners.

I could even find one piece of good news from Florida where my dear toddler girlfriend lives.

Florida Democrat Maxwell Alejandro Frost made history after he became the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress. 25-year-old Frost won his race for Florida’s District 10 with a sweeping vote, pulling in 59% of the vote from his Republican opponent Calvin Wimpish, who only gained 40% of votes from Floridians. Frost will now succeed outgoing Democratic Rep. Val Demings. Of course Demings lost to Marco Rubio who won 58% of the statewide vote to Demings’ 41%.

I also found a smidgen of good news where my childhood best friend, the son of my mother's best friend, currently lives. He lives n the liberal enclave of Sun Valley, Idaho. Of course Idaho is deeply red, but Republican incumbent Gov. Brad Little won easily over his Democratic challenger. What is significant is that he survived a GOP primary challenge from his Trump-backed lieutenant governor, Janice McGeachin.

I have two newly minted friends who live in Missouri. One of them is apolitical and I assume the other favors Democrats. I am not sure how they feel about the results from their state but while a Republican won the US Senate race of their two members of the US House the results were split with Democrat Cori Bush beating her Republican opponent Andrew Jones 72.82% to $24.38%. I think both of them are pleased  that voters approved recreational marijuana 53.11% to 46.89%.

One of my late wife's best friend from childhood lives in Maine where the important race was for governor. There Democrat Janet Mills will remain in office, beating GOP challenger Paul LePage. This is how The Guardian described LePage: 

Paul LePage: is Maine ready to welcome back the ‘Trump before Trump’?

In Virginia, while there were no major races for Governor or Senate, one House race made the national news where Abigail Spanberger won reelection in what is being called a bellwether Virginia district.

Now I am going to send this to the friends referenced here to see if they have anything to add from their home states elections.

Worst case Senate and House go Gop. but assume it is just the House.

Worst case Senate and House go GOP, but let's assume it is just the House. Here's what I think we should expect.

By Hal Brown

If the new House Speaker, who (hate to remind you) would be next in line for the presidency after Vice President Harris, is Kevin McCarthy as seems likely, can't control his caucus expect two years of gridlock as far as legislation and a revenge chaos clown show.

There will be a clamor among the Trumpainiacs like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Goetz to impeach Biden. They may have lost gun-totting Lauren Boebert who was armed and demented. (MSNBC has yet to call the election.)

Greene and Boebert, two classy women... remember this: 

Most of the lunacy won't be on the floor of the House  itself. It will occur in committee hearing rooms where we will see, unless Kevin McCarthy can control the maniacs, efforts to impeach President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary of Homeland SecurityAlejandro Mayorkas. The only cabinet secretary to ever be impeached was under President Ulysses S. Grant. This was William W. Belknap. He was impeached on March 2, 1876, for his role in the trader post scandal.

Of course there will be a major committee  investigation into Hunter Biden although even Trump pretty much gave up trying to demonize him since attacks against him didn't turn out to be a rally crowd pleaser, and they will cheer him for just about anyone he attacks.. 

In a day or two when the final results are in, unless the Democrats hold onto control of the house in which case expect a plethora of lawsuits from losing Republicans all or most of which would be denied in court. It is possible a judge could stay the results of a crucial election for short period of time.

I wouldn't be surprised if Democrats boycott all of these revenge impeachments hearings. The results will all be predetermined and nothing but a chance for the GOP loonies to showboat for Fox News which I doubt would bother giving them extensive live coverage if only because the only breaks for advertisers are during recesses. That is unless the chair decides to cut a deal with Fox and break for commercials every 10 minutes. 

Once the House impeaches, as we all have learned, the determination as to whether or not to remove someone from office goes to the Senate for trial. Since a supermajority would be needed for conviction even if the GOP had a majority of a few votes there's no way any of these people would be convicted so I can't see the Democrats presenting an extensive defense, or even a defense at all.

If they did put together a defense team composed only of members of The Squad I thought this would stick it to the Republicans. While having AOC in the hallowed hall addressing them would really burn their butts, but she's isn't an attorney. The Squad member who is a lawyer is Rashida Tlaib who ironically went to Thomas Cooley School of Law, which is the same law school Michael Cohen went to.

No matter who controls the Senate, if the GOP controls the House and it becomes useless for working on a legislative agenda this would provide plenty of time for Democrats to muster their resources to assure that all of them get reelected. 

They can focus on constituent services, fund raising, planning strategy for the next election, and in districts where they might face major opposition making sure voters understand why they should be reelected.

A few representatives from safe districts where another Democrat would easily win if they didn't run and who would make good presidential, vice presidential, governor, or Senate candidates down the road could also work to elevate their national profiles.

The Democrats have a deep bench of such candidates  but some have negatives that might make a national run difficult, in part because Trump demonized them.  Anyone on the January 6th Committee would probably be ruled out. Others who weren't on the J6 Committee. There are lots to chose from. Katie Porter comes to mind as a standout. She could turn out to be a formidable candidate for national office.

Trump want's to imprison journalists if he's reelected. Would I make the cut?

This is a photograph taken of Freud, and some of his earliest followers.

Reading "Trump is hoping to jail ‘significant numbers of reporters’ in a second term: report" by Bob Brigham in RawStory I thought about whether I might end up on his radar. After all, he may go after anyone who criticized him publicly and while I am a mere blogger, not really a journalist, I am also among many mental health professional who wrote about why his personalty disorders made him dangerous and unfit to be president.

Trump might be vaguely aware that a very large group of mental health professionals called him dangerous, or more likely he's oblivious to this but some of his zealous minions might inform him, therefore in addition to putting journalists in prison he might want to round them up too. 

If he managed to lock up a significant number this would severely exacerbate the mental health crisis as therapists would be even harder to find than they now are.

One of the terms frequently used to describe Trump was malignant narcissist so his gestapo might get to web searching who wrote about him having this disorder.

If his lackeys Googled Trump malignant narcissist they'd have to go to page three to find something I wrote. Find me they would. Who is the guy they might say, never heard of him but what they hell let's show that nobody no matter how obscure they are can escape our reach.

I admit that I am pretty impressed with myself even making it onto page three of that Internet search considering who else's articles and publications precedes mine. 

My story is third from the bottom shown above.

This is what I wrote. It clearly makes both Robert S. Becker, whose article gave me the idea for mine, and me candidates for Trump's new gulag or an expanded Guantanamo Bay although Becker is actually well known.

Only as an irate “F-ck You” does the mystery clear: why Trump fiddled for 187 minutes while the Capitol burned

 Below are excerpts from Robert S. Becker’s (profile) “Nation of Change” essay which I recommend reading in its entirety.

When months later no plausible, tactical or rational explanation appears (for doing nothing to call off the rioters), must we not look to psychological derangement? Here was one profoundly sick puppy without a clue what served (or demolished) his best interests. When reasons evaporate, look to irrationality, thus I invoke pathology. Trump’s mob fulfilled his life quest to bellow forth the loudest “F-ck you” to as many people as possible from the greatest podium imaginable. And he was protected (he falsely schemed) by delegating the onslaught to moronic minions. The rampage against the Capitol was, to use Trumpian diction, the “perfect” volcanic explosion to suit volcanic rage. Finally, he found sufficiently cruel, destructive punishment against all “enemies” who ever injured his majesty, declaring “you are not lovable, even a monster; you are not the invulnerable, unstoppable world leader you fantasize; and your electoral temper tantrums will crash and burn.” These are unendurable messages for a deeply scared narcissist.

Thanks to Trump’s transparent parade of clinical deviance, those paying attention comprehend the basic dynamics of the malignant narcissist. It’s not that complicated: the sickest narcissist insists on being a big shot, though feels wounded (whatever the cause) and unworthy (terrified he’s just an ordinary putz). As a result, he (or she) cannot confront his internal contradictions (never therapy), defaulting to denial and self-deception. Trapped in this doomed dynamic, the narcissist tries every which way to fill the emotional (love) void but mistakenly with material success, status, treasure or fame. What Jan. 6 exposed is the malicious narcissist at the end of his rope: every phony election maneuver, from November through January, blew up in his face, doubling down the agony.

Becker concludes: 

Trump aside – and so past his pull date he’s morphed into a political pestilence for both parties – there remains a glimmer of hope for past supporters willing to escape their fruitless messiah trip. True, loyalty to Trump after his execrable performances remain shocking to this day – as sobering as all those misguided, aggrieved 2016 citizens who judged this unqualified TV reality star/con artist a positive, constructive leader. Even take down the secular, urban, coastal elitists and the fabricated, demonic deep state. That turned out well – in fact, reinforcing establishment forces now pooling resources to put an end to the Trump terror.

Over time, multiple indictments and multiple trials, even a conviction or two, must occur before America can close out the terrible Trump treachery. How much resolution happens depends on how effectively current leaders, prosecutors and juries confirm for all time and for all who will listen who Trump was and what he remains. If not, the future is not just darker than we imagine, but darker than we can imagine.

Once again we see that Trump’s behavior is easily understood, and is predictable, based on an understanding of the psychopathology of malignant narcissism. (See Unpacking Malignant Narcissism) 

A few readers of some of my diaries about Trump’s malignant narcissism have commented basically “so what, there’s no need for a diagnosis, he’s just pure evil, what are we going to do about him?” The answer I keep giving is that by understanding the dynamics of Trump’s we can predict what he will do, or try to do, and we can best develop ways to counter it.

We have already seen his rage directed at anyone or any entity he feels slighted or attacked by. We have seen him support lunatic fringe GOP candidates in some primaries who, if they win, stand little chance against their Democratic opponents. The enraged malignant narcissist often does irrational and self-defeating things.

These manifestations of a wounded ego, and indeed Trump as Becker puts it in his article, is a “profoundly sick puppy”, serve to vent some of his frustrations but they are not well thought out and many may be self-defeating. Consider most recently his trying to sue CNN over using the term “The Big Lie.” There’s no way this will accrue to his benefit, let alone end up in a legal win, but it will keep The Big Lie in the news.

His threat against CNN or something like it was predictable by understanding Trump’s malignant narcissism. 

Trump will always be Trump. He is the ultimate narcissist and I rather doubt he allows himself to consider the possibility that someone he probably considers a wimp (this man)...

can ever bring him down. He will never change his core self, and if anything will be his undoing this will be it.