It was an expansive, cross class, diverse coalition that re-elected Senator Rapheal Warnock last night. There should be no confusion about that. But pride of place in this coalition belongs to the African American people. What they contributed in the form of spirit, determination, organization, acumen, and voter turnout deserves a special place in the annals of the country’s political life, not to mention any election assessment.

While millions were repelled by Trump’s declaration that the Constitution should be terminated, one audience that wasn’t was the most extreme pole of the MAGA base. It was a red meat offering to this motley lot — right wing extremists, racists, and fascists — who gather around this pole and constitute a clear and present danger to the democratic fabric, norms, and rights of our state and society.

While Trump is their leader, he is also increasingly dependent on this faction of his base if he hopes to win the nomination and then the presidency again. It obvious to him that many at the top levels of the Republican Party desire an alternative to him in the next presidential elections. In their calculus Trump is a “loser” who will bring down the whole party.

Thus don’t expect Trump to rain in his rhetoric. If anything it will become more inflamatory, ominous, and dangerous as the country moves into the new year.

Live in the present, but “don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.” Christine McVie, song writer, singer, and long marcher! Rest in peace and music.

First Thanksgiving without my oldest brother Bill, about as generous of spirit and modest as they come. He’s on the “Night Shift” now. Miss you, brother! Wish I could pick up the phone, hear you voice on the other end, and do what we loved to do —- talk politics.

In thinking about the present clashes between Chinese security forces and protesting Chinese people, it is useful to remember that at the time of the Soviet implosion and since then, China’s President Xi Jinping has insisted that the cardinal mistake of then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was his promotion of glasnost and encourgement of popular democracy. In contrast, Xi, drawing from his study of Soviet experience, drew the opposite lesson, that is, the main political imperative of the CPC is to consolidate the party’s supremacy and control over every area of life.

Needless to say, this mindset and policy has lead to the constriction of democracy, democratic rights, and public discussion, as we are seeing once again in the streets of Shanghai and other cities in China.

China can claim many successes, some historic in nature, but the development of socialist democracy – broad scale participation in every aspect of life and determination of public policy, not least in the workplace – isn’t one of them. And without that, socialism becomes hollow and a caricature of itself.