Who swung left, who swung right?

If the votes for various groups in 2026 are compared to their voting behavior in 2024, we see some interesting swings.  In some cases the swing was dramatic  For example, men under thirty were 38% more likely to vote Democratic in 26 than in 24; women under 30 were 28% more like to vote Democratic.  The swing for young women from 24 to 26 was less than for men because more young women were already voting Democratic in the 24 election.  

Here is a quick rundown of some of the groups who moved more toward the Democrats this Tuesday compared to their vote in 2024:

Asians

Hispanics 

Black men

Black women (who in 2024 were already voting Democratic by over 90% and still voted 3% more on Tuesday)

Older voters

Voters without college degrees

White voters

White voters without college degrees

Groups that swung more toward the Republicans:

I couldn’t find any listed, but maybe Tech Bros?

Plant New Forests

Space X and Tesla are looking at a merger.  This possibility may now be investigated; the Democrats control Congress.  Starlink, which was denied to Ukraine for a time, will probably be looked at as well.

And Musk, who spent about $224 million trying to influence Texas elections, lost bigly.  Remember that Musk moved the headquarters for both SpaceX and Tesla to Texas after claiming that California had become too liberal.

Senator Edward J. Markey (D, Mass) posted on X.  “They are going to need to plant new forests for all the subpoenas we’ll be printing.”  He was talking about upcoming hearings on tech executives.  I love that he posted that on X.

Info for this post was taken in part fromRyan Mac and Jack Ewing, “After Opening His Wallet Against Texas Democrats, Musk Could Now Face Greater Scrutiny,” New York Times, (Nov. 5, 2026), p. B-3. 

Thought from the PA 7th District

Sure, sex is great, but have you ever voted a Republican out of office?

Excerpt from "Potluck at the Wilmot Flat Baptist Church" by Jane Kenyon

On the way home we pass the white clapboard faces of the

library and town hall, luminous in the moonlight, and I

remember the first time I ever voted–in a township hall

in Michigan.

That same wonderful smell of coffee was in the air, and I 

found myself among people trying to live ordered lives....

And again I am struck with love for the Republic.

My wish for tomorrow

I’m hoping the Dems take the Senate by such a margin that the Party can toss Fetterman out.  He’ll be out in two years, but I don’t want to wait that long.

Structural reforms needed

The Constitution only has 27 amendments, and ten of those are the Bill of Rights.  That means in 250 years we really only have had 17, and that includes Prohibition followed by cancelling Prohibition, so you could say really 15.  That’s roughly about one every 17 years.  Maybe not enough.

We really need some reforms by way of amendments.  Passing laws simply won’t do it, since we now have precedent for a President to ignore laws and a Supreme Court that ruled the President has almost unlimited immunity.

Here’s a partial list of potential amendments that would help fix sone of the weaknesses of this so-called democracy.

Term limits for Supreme Court justices.  (There are other ways to fix the Court; that’s just one suggestion.)

Limit the Presidential pardon power.

Limit Presidential immunity.

Take the Justice Department out of the Executive Branch.

Specify that Independent Regulatory Agencies are truly independent.  We’d have to figure out how that can be done.

Limit campaign contributions.  Again, there are different ways to reform that mess, but we need to get on it.

Dump the electoral college.  That will be a hard one, since it gives extra power to low population states.

I believe there are more, but at least that’s a start.  

Circadian rhythm disorder

That’s what you will be feeling tomorrow morning, and it can mess up both your mental and physical health.  People who study this find all kinds of problems result from the time change.  Evidently our minds and bodies are tied into a rhythm of daylight and night-time darkness.  

A plurality of people in the U.S. want to have year round daylight saving time, but the experts who study this find that to be the worst of three alternatives.  They say if we plan to adopt one year-round time setting, it should be “standard time.”  The second best option is what we are doing now–daylight savings time in the lighter months; standard in the winter.  The worst option with the most harmful physical and mental problems would be year-round daylight savings time.

By the way, the CIA is aware of what light and dark can do.  One of the ways it tortured prisoners after 911 was to put them into cells with a bright light that was never turned off.

My own problem is not knowing which way to set the clocks.  People tell me, “fall back.”  I occasionally fall, but I always fall forward.  I don’t think I’ve fallen backwards in my entire life.  My solution to this uncertainty is to wake up on Sunday morning and turn on my computer.  It lists the time in the upper right-hand corner.