47 Comments

I've been waiting since at least the beginning of this century for the majority of American citizens to get back to recognizing government and governing as an asset and not a liability. I think we're finally getting there.

Was this midterm election the skunking we Dems were hoping for? Almost. A true skunking would have taken it all. There would have been no squeakers, no election night delays, no chance the GOP wouldn't get the message that their destructive reign is over and those who believe in good government have won.

Too many election deniers won. We're still biting our nails over which party will win both houses of Congress. And Texas and Florida are way too happy that their particular brands of authoritarianism will go on. (Beto should have won.)

But all of that said, hope is alive and well. We're energized. We're feeling comfortable with the Biden administration and, as a blue-collar Michigander, a true midwestern woman, and a union member, I'm not above gloating over our state once again turning bright, bright blue.

We can't stop now. The work has just begun. But it no longer feels like a lost cause.

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Best to you and your fellow Michiganders! Amazing work. So proud.

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Thank you! We'll take a moment to celebrate, then it's back to work.

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I have been waiting for over 6 years to feel a "glimmer of hope" after an election...I have lived through the assassination of the 60's, Watergate, the Vietnam War, 911, etc. and always had the hope and feeling that this country will do the right thing and pull itself together...we always have...this period has been the darkest...I have living in hope and have been dying in despair for 6 years...it looks to me that there is light at the end of the tunnel...I believe that there will always be a MAGA contingency, but it seems that conventional wisdom is that people are done with “crazy”...I am an Independent in a world of Red and all of my Republican friends have told me that they have had enough...there is hope here...the voter public and most of the civil part of the Republican party are finally standing up to the bully and have had enough...if the civil part of the Republicans can come to their senses and work together with the Democrats to secure our democracy, and come to the table and debate and compromise, we can have our country back...As for DeSantis, Florida is not a good representative of the entire country...he may have bullied the entire state but he is glass jawed, a poor speaker, and is afraid of authority...our best ally will be the former guy who will bury him right after he commits to running in 2024...

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The “wake-up call” for me…..is that (1) while the flowering of despotism, bigotry and racism may be muted for long periods, still (2) the roots run deep, and (3) the roots only need cultivation by dark forces to reassert and grow

A secondary wake-up for me….is that the US I’ve loved and puffed my chest about is—in fact—a warlike Colonial power not long removed from our own apartheid with sustained oppression

I was really naive enough to think that we had whipped racism and that civil rights through all quarters were now and forward for time unassailable

I’ll be 75 tomorrow

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I've feel exactly the same. I'm 62. I never in a million years thought we'd be living like this.

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I am both encouraged yet very concerned.

I'm encouraged that social tensions have eased. With the realization that the Red Wave did not materialize and has shown no signs of materializing four days since the Mid-Terms, MAGA's have lost their swagger, their arrogance, and their in-your-face attitudes. After years of high social tensions this is a huge and very welcome relief.

However, I am concerned that Trump hasn't been arrested. There have been three very obvious times when he should have been.

The first time was on the afternoon of Jan. 6. His arrest after attempting to lead an armed insurrection was not only warranted but required.

The second time was when the FBI searched his Mar-A-Lago home. Finding highly classified documents on the premises more than justified his immediate arrest.

The third and most recent time was the morning after the mid-terms on Nov. 9th.

Each time a window of opportunity opened up. But failures to arrest, hand wringing, pearl clutching and delays saw those first two windows close. Now, four days after the mid-terms, we are reading about discussions within the DOJ surrounding AG Garland about whether or not to arrest Trump are occurring. This window of opportunity is now beginning to close too. If this gets delayed for much longer the effort will become much harder than it has to be. And the outrage from his MAGA supporters will be much more intense. Add to that should Republicans gain a majority in the House they will block every effort to hold Trump accountable. We already know the legal drill. Arresting Trump just begins years of legal wrangling, delays, appeals and a general running out the clock. A weary nation suffering from ptsd from years of Trumpism is going to have to face all that. But it has to be done. And it has to be done now.

This is our last best opportunity to arrest Trump and begin the process of accountability. Should the DOJ fail this time then it will send a very clear message to those of us who support the Rule of Law and the concept that no one is above the law that there are indeed exceptions. This will erode those concepts among the law abiding. And I am concerned.

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DOJ isn't going to arrest orangehead. That duty falls to Georgia. And at this point Biden is to blame. Garland was never going to do anything and I think Biden knew it. He still thinks Tip and Ron are going to have a beer and solve all our problems.

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I think you're wrong. Biden gave up on trying to get the Republicans to heal; now he's into getting them to heel.

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I hope so.

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Garland will arrest and prosecute the orange monster. First, he had to wait until the elections were over so as not to be blamed for influencing the elections. Second, he has to make an air-tight case against him (if you're going to shoot the king, you'd best not miss), and third, he's never lost a case. He got a conviction for the Oklahoma bomber, but it took two years. Have patience.

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Garland’s original sin remains his initial inclination to sweep as much Trump Stuff as possible under the rug, let statutes of limitations on Trump’s crimes run, and let state-level prosecutors take the lead on plain-as-day federal offenses like Trump’s call to Brad Raffensperger. Those were wasted opportunities; they also wasted time. There's no law that says you only get one chance. Garland could charge a new crime every few weeks were he so inclined. I wish I could see it but I can't. It's already too late in the game.

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I am encouraged by the voter turnout especially by young people. If this continues and progresses into an even more informed electorate I will be happy. After having endured nearly four years of crazy incompetence it’s nice to finally see glimmers of hope amongst those who think a chaotic crazy non democratic government was the way to go waning. Thank God for Joe Biden and all he has accomplished to bring back “normalcy”. He has really been a GREAT president! May his next two years be the blessing this country needs and deserves.

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Having just turned 78 and seeing the old age of our Democratic leaders, I feared for our country. But seeing the turnout of the Gen Z voters gives me peace that we'll be in good hands in the future.

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As a lifelong Democrat, I was afraid my fellow Democrats would be too distracted to pull this off. I was wrong. We must stick together. This is an unhinged Republican Party and they’re just now realizing they can’t succeed on the current path. Huge problems confront the world. We need as many helpful allies as possible. I’m feeling better and stronger and able to help where I can.

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I’m encouraged that so many showed up to vote, whether early, by mail, or on Election Day. Trump’s grip on the American psyche has been weakened.

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I am encouraged by the broad base of support for reason and democracy. The cultural issues will work themselves out as long as the fundamental principles remain intact.

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That the American electorate, for the most part, did not buy in to the maggat et al lies; NO big red tsunami. Unfortunately, some did, buy in, but We will just have to keep telling truths,. If enough do and the DOJ does their job,, maybe demented donny will continue to have his temper tantrums and everyone will finally recognize he is NOT fit to be POTUS and never was.

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The possible return of sanity? GenZer's are now the adults in the room and are steering this country in a more humane direction.

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I have watched with horror these last 6 years as Trump unleashed what was bubbling beneath the surface. Shocked to see the depths of bigotry, racism, misogyny, xenophobia in this country and angered by it as well…but my sight line, while focused on the vile spewing hatred that is TFG, Republican anti democratic posturing goes back to the brutish abhorrent behavior of Newt Gingrich, who is one person at the origin of this descent from our democratic principle. So while TFG allowed the worst of our citizenry to reveal themselves, and simultaneously show what Republican leadership is truly about, perhaps we can be grateful our eyes are wide open at long last. In PA we worked liked crazed bastards to prevent MastriaNO and OZ from wielding any power. Our GOTV was strong and unrelenting and the youth vote stepped up …way up to protect the democracy from the imbeciles trying to decimate this republic. The big lesson may be don’t piss off the women, don’t threaten our families, don’t bully our communities. We will rise up with a power you have not seen before to protect our girls, our sons, our homes.

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Steven, again, spot on article. What encourages me the most? The CIVILITY!

Voters and news reporters weren’t vitriolic or stirring the pot; the thinking/actions of determined, committed voters ; and estimated 27% of young voters (estimated second only to the midterm 30 years ago) who showed us our future leaders and wheelchair pushers thinking/commitment . Our democracy is becoming its highest self again.

Wendy Stebbins

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I’m encouraged that election deniers were defeated, that young people turned out and voted for democrats - more following behind them, that “democracy won” and maybe the country is finally tired of the craziness of the past few years. That being said, we must not get complacent. There are still extremist groups, Christian nationalists & Mike Flynn who are still very active. We must remain vigilant. But I’m very hopeful and relieved with the election results and feel that the country is headed in the right direction.

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I was pleased to see the success of Democrats in Arizona and also the success of Republicans that are not followers of the Big Lie. I believe that Georgia’s governor and sec. of state race were important to show that candidates can push back against Trump and the attempt to erode confidence in our democracy. Absolutely saddened by my home state of Florida. Disturbing to see elected officials who engaged in culture wars win and those who focused on issues of homeowners insurance and transportation issues lose elections. A little angry about local and state elections. However, I am hopeful that the tide is changing and that the belief in democracy, leaders with integrity, and a government focused on improving society will prevail!

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I am encouraged to feel hopeful by knowing I am not alone in wanting goodness and truth to prevail.

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Red Tsunami, Red tide, Red wave, Read wrong!! I'm so encouraged that so many true AMERICANS saw fit to reject the lies. There seems to be a modicum of Trump fatigue...may that sentiment continue to grow. Thank you Mr. Beschloss.

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Yes, in our little purple piece of the planet it is more like an ouchie than the predicted bloodbath. However any sized wound has the potential for infection so we must remain vigilant and practice good hygiene. Kind regards to all.

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It would seem that more Americans than I thought realized the importance of this election and, as Liz Cheney said, decided to be a part of team normal. My earlier belief that our country, as we knew and loved it, was “finished”, may have been a bit premature. Ann perhaps, I dare say, wrong.

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The center held and the center won by and large. There is a lot of learning that needs to happen. The question is will those who need to learn by open to it? It will be a long process.

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I'm encouraged most by the many people who voted for Democracy and against tyranny! Thank you Steven for your informative and encouraging newsletter, and for the community here. BEST to you!

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An Athens, GA activist + voter. A Blue County in my purple state. Encourages me: take a breath on my take. I am disheartened that all my Democrat state-wide candidates lot. Burt Jones, A Fake Elector, won the Lt Governor race. Not-An-Election-Hero Brad Raffensperger re-elected to GA Sec of State. Please get better informed about Mr. Raffensperger. He did the minimum; he did not commit treason. He and Gov. Kemp and the GA trifecta Georgia Assembly passed comprehensive voter suppression SB202 in winter 2021. Now we have to re-elect Sen. Warnock in a runoff, an election system designed decades ago upon racist grounds, to keep African-American candidates from winning state-wide elections. So we have the entirely unqualified African American candidate, Walker, in a runoff against a competent, effective African American incumbent senator. I have canvassed low-propensity voters every weekend in Athens-Clarke County, GA since June. Somebody, please talk to us real Georgia Democrats about our experiences since January 5, 2021. Quite a different story from the national take on my state. Even the Atlanta press does not get it. I live in a county that had been gerrymandered into three GA House districts since 2010 census. We got further cracked in 2022 into four GA House Districts. Plus the Republican GA House and GA Senate people, partnering with local wealthy realtors and car dealers engineered a gerrymandering of our county commission districts on January 6, 2022. I have voted every single election since 1972. Encouraged most? PA, Michigan. Dismayed by my GA, is the most polite word I can share with you today, Mr. Beschloss. Thanks for asking.

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I don't see the midterms as a win, just better than we hoped for because the majority of Americans are idiots. I was expecting a blue blowout, not this crap. I am tired.

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Me too. I am flabbergasted that 60 million women didn't vote out all Republicans for the next two decades.

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I did my part lol.

Maybe I'll feel better about it in a week.

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Hey, it's not a loss either. There is hope here, but you have to agree that many of the lies are finally losing to the truth. It is so much easier to sustain the truth than lies, and so many are finally figuring this out. It's slow because there is too much ignorance in this country, and I am not talking about illiteracy (although I believe we would be surprised if anyone ever did a study (if that would even be possible) of the number of functionally illiterate as a great portion of our majority caused by the continuous underfunding of our education systems, especially in the south who deny slavery, that the south lost the Civil War, and are blatantly white supremacists. I live here (East Tennessee), and I see it every day. Often very frustrating.

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We, as Democrats, must never let up! What concerns and frightens me now is the horrifying rise of hate speech & political violence since the 2016 election: the vicious attack on Paul Pelosi, Jan 6, the Charlottesville attack by a white supremacist, threats by trump himself, and a long list of other attacks on our Democracy.

Obama was elected to two terms as President. The next President, now referred to as a maga-fascist, spewed out so much hate against Blacks, Asians, the military and incited a massive amount of violence. It gives me anxiety attacks about the future. Why hasn’t he been indicted? And, Mandela Barnes, a young Black man from Milwaukee, was elected to a four year term as Wisconsin Lt. Governor but when he ran for US Senate he lost by a little over 26,000 votes - all because Ron Johnson spent huge amounts of money putting up extremely racist, untruthful ads.

All my family friends and I can do now is:

1. Constantly be aware of what is happening and speak up when necessary.

2. Volunteer on campaigns, ballot measures with texting, canvassing, even writing postcards through organizations such as postcards to voters.org. Donate if possible through @ActBlue. Follow Democracy Docket, the Elias Law Group that wins so many voter protection lawsuits.

Back to writing postcards to re-elect Senator Warnock in the Georgia run-off December 6!

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Here in NH, I heaved a huge sigh of relief that all our Democratic candidates won. BUT, and this is a big BUT, our state legislature remains staunchly Republican, including our governor. I still don't understand how people can vote blue for the Congress people, yet continue to vote red for everything else. In fact, the Dem wins weren't by large numbers - just enough to actually win. So on the one hand I'm encouraged (especially with the latest news from Arizona, and with Michigan going full-out blue), but on the other hand I'm still a bit discouraged that people aren't really using common sense for everything. Let's hope that in the next two years of Biden's presidency, so much gets accomplished (i..e, voting rights laws, the codification of Roe v Wade, expansion of Social Security & Medicare, climate legislation, just to name a few) that those holdouts will finally see the light and realize that only Democrats are willing to work FOR THE PEOPLE, as it always was and should always be.

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But I must add a caveat: Dems REALLY need to improve their messaging. SUBSTANTIALLY.

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For me it's the obvious effect of Dobbs. We should've leaned into that so hard the minute it was leaked. Not doing so cost us seats, especially in New York.

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Sunday Morning: I slept better last night than I have in a long time after I realized the Dems would keep the Senate. I really think it might be Morning in America again.

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I am heartened and grateful that the rest of the country is not like my home state of Florida. I feel as if my home has been taken over by nihilistic retirees (see The Villages) and brainwashed immigrants who view Dems as a cross between Fidel Castro and Nicolas Maduro when in fact Dems push policy and actions that help all immigrants. And these very same people will vote for Rick Scott who will take away all

The benefits we have have already paid for. To my fellow citizens in AZ, NV, GA, PA, WI, and other states who have rescued us, “Thank you!!!” And I apologize for the mess we are and hope to flip

The script in 2 years.

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I really hoped for more as we all did on this site, but what a slap in the face to Trumpty-Dumpty with no wall and a great fall. That's the New York Post's dubbing of him which is the best I have seen, after supporting him for all these years. And how about Fox News turning on the golden boy. Probably won't last long, but the greatest thing that may have (and I emphasize may) come out of all of this. I feel that Merritt Garland and the DOJ may now feel more comfortable moving on with indictments because apparently Republicans (not Trumplicans like the deniers that are still around) have finally seen that the Trumper is actually weak and can't seem to get out of his own way. Great big kudos to Arizona - they did it! Looking forward to a great 2023, but the House will be a cluster. No majority. If McCarthy is Speaker, it will be a clown show for two years, but they will not be able to make anything happen, and with a presidential election in 2024, but they will lose because they have no agenda. I cannot see DeSantis doing any better nationwide than Trump. Too much a bird-of-feather with Trump. By 2024, voters will be so very tired of the same ole rhetoric, that I believe there will truly be a huge blue tsunami. As I have said many times - I am an optimist.

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This was the "Not So Fast" election. An awakening, but far from a resolution.

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I have mixed emotions. I’m very relieved that Dems did as well as they did and that we didn’t see any substantial violence. I’m encouraged that more people than I thought have been paying attention to the political landscape and voted. I’m also struck by the number of Dem activists who organized their hearts out and turned out voters.

But, although the results so far are good, I was hoping for more of a mandate. The results of this election aren’t terribly different than the 2020 election. So there are still a substantial number of people voting-and I know this is a cliché-against their best interests.

I wish there was a study that could explain why so many voters believe extremist lies. I know from common sense that as we age many of us are more easily frightened. And I know republicans use those fears to convince voters to vote for republicans, but normal people should be outraged by the nastiness, the bullying, the threats & the condoning of violence by people in Congress who call themselves republicans.

There’ve been times when it seemed like republican candidates were engaged in a contest to see who could come up with the looniest claims about democrats. It seemed the more ludicrous their assertions were, the more likely their supporters were to accept them. But even if I’m wrong about that, there are plenty of unhinged people who will believe the nastiest lies and are motivated to act on them.

The obvious illustration of it is Paul Pelosi’s recent encounter with a lunatic who broke into the Pelosi’s home in the middle of the night. But instead of condemning it, prominent republicans made bad jokes about it. It’s as if Donald Trump’s mental pathology is a virus that infected almost everyone he regularly had contact with. Maybe we should call it trickle-down narcissism. Would that we could invent a vaccine for it.

There’s a relatively easy way to get rid of the animosity, friction & outrageous claims we’ve encountered in the political landscape: Remove the incentive—money. All of it is being driven by money called ‘campaign donations’ which means campaign donations are sanctioned bribes.

We pay outrageous amounts of money for prescriptions that cost only a few dollars to make. Congress hasn’t done anything about it because republicans won’t jeopardize the huge campaign donations from the pharma industry. Many republicans still say climate change is a hoax when they know full well it isn’t. But they won’t say it because they won’t jeopardize big campaign donations from the oil & gas industry. Republicans have lied for years, even decades, maintaining that we can’t afford medicare for all or universal healthcare. I know for a fact that America CAN afford it but repubs won’t jeopardize the big campaign donations from the healthcare insurance industry. In other words, republicans no longer work for their constituents, they work for corporations and lie to their constituents about why these problems “can’t” be fixed.

If we ever get Dem control of both the Senate and the House and have a Dem President at the same time, we must pass legislation that makes ALL campaign donations illegal and allows only the use of public money for campaigning. If we don’t do that, our American democracy won’t survive.

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WHAT MAKES ANYONE BELIEVE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL RACE WAS LEGIT?

Presidential race 2016, Trump won the electoral college and lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton, but how did he win it?

What makes anyone believe after the 2020 attempt to overturn the legitimate election of Joe Biden, the assault on our Capitol, an attempted coup, a violent insurrection where people died, with fake electors, the big lie, and the findings of the Jan/ 6th Congressional investigation, what makes anyone think 2016 was legit ?

During the 2016 campaign The National Enquirer used CIA model of media psyops, "psychological warfare operations". Media manipulations similar to what were used to destabilize socialist govts., and military interventions that violently overthrew democratically elected president Salvatore Allende in Chile 1973, destabilized the Socialist Prime Minister of Jamaica Michael Manley and attempted to destroy the Sandanista revolution in Nicaragua.

Please read Dr. Fred Landis 1982 article on CIA Psychological Warfare "psyops" in Chile, Nicaragua and Jamaica,

Science for the People January/February 1982 vol.14 #1,

cause they're DOING IT TO US!

See attached National Enquirer cover disparaging Hillary Clinton with disturbing negative headlines in "not so subliminal collage" to effect the 2016 vote for president in our country!!

Science for the People

https://scienceforthepeople.org]

Science for the People January/February 1982 vol.14 #1

Science for the People

SCIENCEFORTHEPEOPLE.ORG

Science for the People

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What encourages me most is that the cult of Trump seems to be fracturing. I think several wake-up calls have contributed to this, but I think the largest was SCOTUS overturning Roe. THAT got people's attention.

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Americans have short attention spans, so it stands to reason that there is a belief that trump has had his 15 minutes going on 7 years of fame and time to move on. However, there can be no complacency or pats on the back as long as Gosar got 71% of the votes, Greene-65.9%, Gaetz-67.83%, Johnson-50.5% ,Boebert and Wa;lker (both so ignorant) are in tied races. Not to mention the whole state of Florida where 845 people move to every day and all the other Republicans not so famous , got reelected.Studies show that half of Americans have IQs below the average of 98.Everything leads back to providing better education, better teachers, old time school, you might say. Back to the 3 Rs, history, civics, memorization,parental encouragement, and even the old pounding erasers out back at the end of the day. Chalk boards were great. Even Katie Porter uses the comparable white board and makes her information clearly evident.

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