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Post-Election Fears & Anxieties


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I don't drink - lost my taste for alcohol about 10 years ago after.  Probably one of the mysterious results of TBI.  It had been years, probably decades, since I had a good long night of drinking followed by the ultimate hangover.

I feel like I've got a hangover and no matter what, the nausea and headache just aren't going away.  In fact, they are getting worse each day.

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Although a lot of good things happened to me in my personal life this year, I have to say watching John Oliver explode a giant lit up 2016 and seeing so many people say fuck 2016 on his show last night gave me an immense sense of pleasure.

I also like the idea of writing a note saying "this is not normal". The people saying give him a chance are pissing me off, so I enjoyed John's attitude about all of this.

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Look, I don't want to sound like an asshole, but people need to get right with things quickly & get ready to fight.  Grieving is totally understandable, but let's not crawl into dark corners, waiting for 2020.  That's what these reactionary, RWNJ want us to do.  Volunteer for local causes you believe in; if you can afford it, donate to various groups like the ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, etc, etc.; try to get your friends/family/neighbors to care about not only the 2018 mid-term elections, but also state & local elections, which, in a huge swath of the country, the Koch brothers' $$$ has pushed a right wing agenda, resulting in not only regressive voter registration laws, but also racist districting/gerrymandering ( an issue Obama will be tackling when he leaves office).

The racist trolls on social media making fun of Liberals expressing grief....that should motivate all of us to snap out of it & get to work.  And I say this as someone who is a registered Independent, so it's not about partisanship for me.  It's about what is right, and Donald effing Trump & his troll army (including the human trash in his likely administration) aren't on the right side of history.

Edited by Duke Silver
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49 minutes ago, stillshimpy said:

"Hipsters for Sisters" which is apparently a belt bag that is like a forward facing fanny-pack.  The co-founders of the company said "We're on a mission to free women from their baggage" (as they not so discreetly eyed my ginormous purse with disapproval)

WTF, they are judging women for purse size? Now? (Ever?)

really-seth-and-amy.jpeg

 

I have a physical this week and am afraid she's going to write down "high blood pressure, high pulse, can't talk without sobbing...." I think she will understand my excuses for why that's not normal for me, but I don't really know because it's a new doctor for me. And that last one (sobbing) is not true all the time, but when you're in a gown about to put your feet in stirrups, it's hard not to think about women's health being at risk.

Edited by dcalley
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I've talked to a few people who want to fight anxiety by making donations. I've recommended the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, but I'm not sure the best environmentalist ones (Greenpeace?) or if there are others for LGBT rights and immigration, and anti-war (we'll get there soon enough). Also gun control. And making subscriptions to -real- newspapers. It's shocking to realize that 42% got their news about the election from FB and only 2-10% from a legitimate newspaper. (Not sure how many rely on television, radio, etc.)

Any suggestions?

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I think people will get on that train Duke Silver but some just need more time that's all. You offered  great suggestions for concrete steps to take. 

Just know that those of us up North care and also share many of your fears. What happens down there affects us up here as well as others the world over. Not everyone is celebrating. Angela Merkel's face says it all!

Please take care shimpy! ??

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Yes, clearly we've missed that balancing perspective of white supremacy in the White House.

I wish the NYT wouldn't spotlight these comments. It just normalizes the whole thing and makes it even worse.

36 minutes ago, stillshimpy said:

However, I refuse to let Trump be the actual death of me.  Or at least that is the theory.

I hear you. I think of it sort of like terrorism. I'm afraid of what could happen next year (or these days, walking down the street), and I could give in to that fear, but then they win. And they didn't even really win this time, only on a technicality (law, rules, technicalities, whatever), so I can't let them win in my personal day-to-day life. It doesn't work 100% of the time and every time something new and horrible comes out in the news, I'm back in that place of fear for a little bit, but I think that's normal until you've finished processing. It's normal to be afraid when these very not normal things are happening, and I refuse to normalize this type of hatred.

I could never have written that 5 days ago, when I was completely broken and trying to figure out if we could even safely live in this country anymore. I'm not sure I could have even written it 3 days ago. I don't disagree, @Duke Silver, that people need to get ready to fight. I just think, depending on the person, it'll take some people longer than others, just like any other type of grief or mourning. I don't think anyone here is waiting for 2020. But 6 days in, I'm going to let people keep grieving if they need to. People need to make sure they are healed and actually ready to go, because it's going to be a long fight.

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WTF, they are judging women for purse size? Now? (Ever?)

Well, apparently they believe that carrying purses on your shoulder is very, very bad for you.   I didn't actually inquire as to why because they seemed like nice people and I was so amused by the look of horror on their faces while contemplating my very substantial purse.  Hey, people were giving out free samples like mad, I'm so incredibly grateful that I had the Muggle Equivalent of Hermione's magic purse.    

I did go to their website and discovered that apparently,  their little thought bubbles were likely reading, "Look at that woman being worn by her purse"  as witnessed by the About Us section on their website.    Again, though, to each their own and truthfully they were cute.  Tiny, but cute.  

Please take care shimpy!

Thank you, I will and you too, PatsyandEddie :)  

Yes, clearly we've missed that balancing perspective of white supremacy in the White House.

I wish the NYT wouldn't spotlight these comments. It just normalizes the whole thing and makes it even worse.

I don't mind them spotlighting them, it's the failure to soundly condemn that worries me, you know?  

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25 minutes ago, Padma said:

 

I've talked to a few people who want to fight anxiety by making donations. I've recommended the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, but I'm not sure the best environmentalist ones (Greenpeace?) or if there are others for LGBT rights and immigration, and anti-war (we'll get there soon enough). Also gun control. And making subscriptions to -real- newspapers. It's shocking to realize that 42% got their news about the election from FB and only 2-10% from a legitimate newspaper. (Not sure how many rely on television, radio, etc.)

 

I'd recommend Greenpeace, Nature Conservancy, Ocean Conservancy or World Wildlife Fund. Also, anything local such as a shelter or zoo or conservatory or even a local natural park or preserve.  There are also tons of organizations devoted to specific areas (black rhinos in Africa, sloths in Costa Rica), etc. There are varying degrees of administrative hang ups and nobody does conservation perfectly, but all of those should be ones you can research and see which ones you'd think your money will do your heart and the world the best. 

I'm more a fan of Lambda Legal than I am Human Rights Campaign, but I don't think gay rights would have advanced much without the corporate clout of the HRC. And there are many, smaller organizations for specific issues such as homeless gay use, education, and safe sex promotion. 

That's a great idea about subscribing to real newspapers. I think I may up our subscription to our local paper from Sundays to daily. And I"m also going to make a point of supporting more of our small local papers. And our library.

I have noted in my calendar the next dates of our Congress woman's "public roundtable," the city council meeting, and the next DFL local chapter meeting. I'm going to all of them. 

There's a "one million women" march planned for the day after Thing's inauguration. If I don't go to DC, I'm going to find whatever is happening locally and be there. But I really want to go to DC. I did to protest Bush's "election" and now that just feels so naive....

Edited by potatoradio
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1 minute ago, potatoradio said:

[snip]

There's "one million women" march planned for the day after Thing's inauguration. If I don't go to DC, I'm going to find whatever is happening locally and be there. But I really want to go to DC. I did to protest Bush's "election" and now that just feels so naive....

IKR???  By last Wednesday, I was actually looking back at 2012, almost wishing Romney would've won, so we wouldn't have Trump now.  To be clear, I voted for Obama enthusiastically in both '08 & '12, but I was at the depths of my rationalizing.  I've since snapped out of it; just being honest about where I was emotionally right after things became official.

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2 hours ago, ruby24 said:

I think we should all call our representatives and senators to urge them to speak out against the appointment of a Neo-Nazi in the White House. I've already called mine.

I'm not real optimistic that my Republican representative would pretend to care. And Rubio the lickspittle? Feh. I did write a letter to our Democratic Senator; that way I have a copy. Political offices always send some kind of form letter in return so at least I know mine was received.

John Oliver recommended donations to: Planned Parenthood, Center for Reproductive Rights, Natural Resources Defense Council, International Refugee Assistance Project, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, The Trevor Project, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Edited by lordonia
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The appt. of Bannon has helped me to cement some resolve. I need to do more. Watching teevee isn't helping and new announcements are starting to make me more angry. While I can't say I'm snapping out of it I am getting some ducks in a row.

Phone calls to legislators count. And they're easy! You usually just get the gatekeeper who is mainly logging fors and againsts. It's pretty easy to work from a script, of sorts, starting with, "My name is ----, I live ---- and I'm a constituent of ---- and I vote. I would like to let her/him know that I am against/for ----. I appreciate your taking the time to talk to me and listen to me. Thank you."

Very basic but if you have a bill number, or be as specific about your concern as possible, it's a big help. 

If it's a concern that is something that is affecting you personally let that be known and say you would like to speak to ---- and they sometimes do call back. But have a very specific concern.

It's gonna be a slog but it will be worth it.

I kinda' feel like this little guy but I know I'll get to that window!

 

 

giphy.gif

Edited by NewDigs
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I've accepted what's happened and that we all need to fight, but man, when I'm alone in my bed or driving to work, the waves of depression and terror come rolling in. And now Orange and his deplorables are embarking on a large scale spree of gaslighting. For example:

- there aren't that many hate crimes out there. You libs are exaggerating!

- Orange never said racist or sexist things. You libs take everything out of context.

- Orange won the popular vote. Mandate!

- Paid protestors! Libs are staging hate crimes to make us look bad.

- Calling us racist because we want to deport *insert racial slur here* is the real racism. Calling us sexist because we don't care if you lose your reproductive rights is the real bigotry. 

America is about to marinate in a toxic stew of lies even worse than before.

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Everyone if you want to call your elected officials to voice your concerns call their local offices in the states/districts not DC. They have to answer the phone, listen and pass the information along. DC can turn their phones off and send it to voice mail. Also, tweets and emails aren't as effective.

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If you're buying something from Amazon anyway, start at https://smile.amazon.com/. This will result in a donation of 0.5% of eligible purchases. It is not much ($1 if you spend $200), but if you're already buying something, go ahead. Donating directly to orgs is best, though.

You can make donations to WWF (and others) through Coinstar machines. I have a lot of coins around the house (thanks, husband). I usually get no-fee gift certificates, but I will start donating. https://www.coinstar.com/charitypartners

The Southern Poverty Law Center's donation page

A List of Pro-Women, Pro-Immigrant, Pro-Earth, Anti-Bigotry Organizations That Need Your Support

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7 minutes ago, twoods said:

Just donated to Planned Parenthood in honor of Mike Pence. My anxiety has gone down in hope that the bigot's office is flooded with letters from Planned Parenthood. Screw you asshole!

My girlfriend did the same yesterday.  I have already given to NAACP Legal Defense Fund & the ACLU the past few days.  Thanks to Lillybee above, I'll be giving to Southern Poverty Legal Center when I get home.

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The announcement just now on CNN that Trump wants top security clearance for his children and for his son in law doesn't help reduce my anxiety and fear. I thought their interests were to run the 500 businesses that he has. If that's not a conflict of interest and a violation of the Hatch Act, I don't know what is.

Edited by HumblePi
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If Omarosa becomes a "thing" again, I move we nickname her "Aunt Ruckus."

I don't really have a go-to cause. I was thinking of giving money to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, in case YKW starts thinking of bringing back the Comics Code. I am intent on continuing to read Champions from Marvel, with art from Mexico's Humberto Ramos.

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18 hours ago, crayon78 said:

It looks like the Pence one might not be true. See here: http://www.snopes.com/mike-pence-allowing-rape-victims-to-have-abortions-will-lead-to-women-trying-to-get-raped/

But what does it say about him that it sounds so real that I believed he might have actually said it?

I'm not sure what he thinks she can be sued for. Sending an email? He's a doctor of education, and these are the types of emails he sends? Sigh. I don't want to think about how he might be treating some of his students in Texas if he signs his emails, "Deplorably yours."

Eek, sorry. I'm one of the dummies John Oliver complained about! :-( It does sound real, though.

This is spot on. https://twitter.com/GeorgeTakei/status/798255233268846593

Edited by VMepicgrl
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I'm pretty sure the Southern Poverty Legal Center site might be crashing from all the dedicated souls out there trying to get some money into the till.  To which I say? Splendid.  I am happy to patiently wait out the delay.   I think I might have accidentally donated twice.   Next up was The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) because I have an answer to Hasan's heartbreak on the Daily Show: don't worry, for everyone that doesn't care, others are going to make sure they care even more.   

Later I think I'll hit Planned Parenthood in the name that great Roe Vs. Wade supporter,  1642's finest fucktard:  Mike Pence. 

Quote

Eek, sorry. I'm one of the dummies John Oliver complained about! :-( It does sound real, though.

Dude, just don't even sweat it.  I swear to gods, incidentals, dust-motes and every manner of elf nothing seems too outrageously backward for the Misogyny Brothers.  

Edited by stillshimpy
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We tend to think of this president in terms of what's happening right here to us in this country and tend to forget that there are things that are even more important than domestic issues. When you have been leading the world for 70 years, you cannot expect the world to lead itself. So, the USA has to continue to do that.

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I am absolutely willing for any kind of divine, alien or magical creature to take me up on this (yo, Satan, if you exist, probably one of the only times you could get me to sign something so listen up):  I would gladly give ten years from my lifespan as a donation to Ruth Bader Ginsburg with the proviso that she retain all of her own mental acuity.  We need you, do not leave us.  Ever, if at all possible, but more importantly not any time soon.  

Also, anyone who has the mother of all  Omega 13 (plus, like, a week) so that we could undo a single mistake?   I have kidney you're welcome to as well as any other sundry body parts if you'll just let the United States borrow that sucker.   Knowledge retention setting a must in all transactions. 

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On 11/13/2016 at 3:07 PM, NinjaPenguins said:

I wonder if Dubya is out there somewhere, painting a picture of his feet, carefully consuming a pretzel, and trying not to weep with gratitude that he will no longer be the biggest stain on American politics. 

I think it's the pretzel part that sealed the deal, but this made me laugh out loud.

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I've talked to a few people who want to fight anxiety by making donations. I've recommended the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, but I'm not sure the best environmentalist ones (Greenpeace?)

The Sierra Club just launched an emergency campaign (and there's a dollar-for-dollar match going on); the executive director said in an email:

I'm sure you heard it this weekend: we need to wait and see what Trump does.

I'm here to say it. He has made his agenda crystal clear. There is no wait and see.

We cannot wait and see how many gallons of oil spill in the Arctic Ocean.

We cannot wait and see how many kids develop asthma from new coal plants.

We cannot wait and see what happens when more people drink water contaminated by lead.

We cannot wait and see how many endangered species go extinct from the impacts of expanded drilling and mining on public lands.

We cannot wait and see how much temperatures rise from pulling out of the Paris Climate Deal.

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28 minutes ago, HumblePi said:

We tend to think of this president in terms of what's happening right here to us in this country and tend to forget that there are things that are even more important than domestic issues. When you have been leading the world for 70 years, you cannot expect the world to lead itself. So, the USA has to continue to do that.

I posted a Reuters tweet upthread about the shit Merkel will be facing, by herself, w/ Trump in charge in the U.S.  There's a lot of scary stuff going on, while anti-globalists hide their heads in the sand.  I am so damn worried by Trump's "philosophy" given John %$#$ Bolton appears to be the favorite for Sec of State.  That dude's answer to everything is "bomb them!!"  Trump is anti-NATO, anti-globalism, anti-free trade, yet isn't anti-interventionist when it comes to using military force obviously.  America won't be leading anything other than illiteracy among 1st world countries by the end of the Trump/Pence Presidency

Edited by Duke Silver
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13 minutes ago, dcalley said:

Look at the way she stands up at the end. Determined, strong, confident.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg better live to be 110 because she's the only staunch liberal on the Supreme Court. And, if she dies, we better go find those two guys from Weekend at Bernie's. We can't afford to lose her.RUTH.jpg

5 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

I posted a Reuters tweet upthread about the shit Merkel will be facing, by herself, w/ Trump in charge in the U.S.  There's a lot of scary stuff going on, while anti-globalists hide their heads in the sand.  I am so damn worried by Trump's "philosophy" given John %$#$ Bolton appears to be the favorite for Sec of State.  That dude's answer to everything is "bomb them!!"  Trump is anti-NATO, anti-globalism, anti-free trade, yet isn't anti-interventionist when it comes to using military force obviously.  America won't be leading anything other than illiteracy among 1st world countries by the end of the Trump/Pence Presidency

Angela Merkel is all that stands between Russia and the free world.

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I've seen some people on Twitter call the whole safety-pin thing "the real-life equivalent of signing an online petition" and then some Oranganistas saying they would wear one "to fool people into asking for help and then blammo," not that I took that threat even remotely seriously because there's no way they'd want to be mistaken for someone with compassion. So, I would like to offer some anecdotal evidence of my own.

I'm in a red state and, currently, in a hotel that's mostly staffed by black women and that has a lot of guests with darker skin tones and/or non-American accents. I've been wearing a safety pin for a few days. The old white Jimmy Johns sandwich delivery man gave me quite the stinkeye along with my sandwich, and on four separate occasions in the elevator someone has pointedly looked at my shoulder and then looked me in the face, smiled, and said something cheerfully conversational like "nice night isn't it!" And I know they were all looking at the pin because I'm a woman; I have had years and years of experience of someone looking at me somewhere other than in the eye.

So I will continue to wear it, even though the original Twitter account was trying to turn it into some damn Unity thing the last time I looked (NO UNITY, NO NORMALIZING HIM), because I would like people to know that I'm not going to menace them. If any Oranganistas take up with me I'll just ask them in German if they speak German until they give up and go away. If they menace me, I will be delighted to pepper-spray the crap out of them and then call the police, but I don't intend to engage them otherwise because I could not possibly care less what they have to say or what their reasons are or how they feel about anything. Could. Not. Care. Less.

Anyway. Someone upthread said they felt like they had fallen into an alternate timeline - that is a great description for how I feel. Like I was watching some time travel sci-fi show and suddenly I realized I was actually the character, not the viewer. (Someone on Twitter: "I'm convinced that this is the result of the Krenim trying to fix the timeline.")

I expect that in the future, a lot of sci-fi novels and TV shows will center around this election.

Edited by random chance
typo
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A few days ago, I said in an email that I need some mad scientist to create a programmable clone of Ruth Bader Ginsburg so that if she dies we can hide that fact and just send in the clone, and my friend wrote back that if she dies we'd need to Weekend at Bernie's her so I can ghost-write her opinions.  So I'm sending her that manipulated screen-cap, thank you!

Edited by Bastet
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Subway Sticky Notes Aim to Uplift New Yorkers Post-Election

I know that no Trump would ever lower themselves and take public transportation to see this but I am enjoying all the hate he's getting in NY overall. From the protest in front of his building to the press to the governor writing an OpEd in the paper to hate for him popping up everywhere. I have seen nothing supporting him. I'm sure he'll say its not true because he has lots of twitter followers or some crap but you know it has to bother him. NY is "his" city and the people hate him.

My local paper (Newsday) is reporting that Planned Parenthood has received over 80,000 donations since the election and many in Mike Pence's name. Their site requires a subscription so I can't post the link but I'm sure there's similar articles everywhere.

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5 minutes ago, random chance said:

I've been wearing a safety pin for a few days.

I forgot to share my experience. Sorry for the forthcoming profanity. Saturday night I went to a performance, and afterward there was an informal demonstration (look at this thing, this is how it works, not a political demonstration), so people formed a semicircle around, waiting for it to begin. By chance I was in the front. A crowd gathered behind the initial arc of people. A man pushed his way in front and stood in front of me with his body pressing up against mine so he could take photos with his cell phone (he was too close so was leaning back). I could not move backwards because of the people behind me. I asked him--twice--if he could take a step forward and he acted like I was a crazy bitch and like he was doing me a big fucking favor by "letting" me stand in front, which I didn't even ask for. I had no claim to the front row, only to my personal space. I saw a couple notice this and kind of gave a sad smile to the woman because I detected sympathy on her face and I know that most women have dealt with a man like that before. A few moments passed, and she leaned over and said, "I like your pin. I forgot to put mine on tonight." I said thank you and smiled.

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20 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

For those who don't know, McMullin is the 3rd Party candidate who was on the ballot in Utah.  There was some pre-election day buzz that he might win that state, but that ended up being far from the truth.  

Oh, and of course I expect no GOP leaders to condemn anything Trump does.  Those cowards let that clown car roll on, unimpeded.  They've convinced themselves that Trump discovered the electoral secret sauce, so no, they won't oppose him anytime soon.  I wish Paul Ryan especially would STFU & stop w/ his blatant over-reaching....a President who won the electoral college but not the popular vote cannot claim some sort of sweeping mandate.  FFS.

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41 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

a President who won the electoral college but not the popular vote cannot claim some sort of sweeping mandate.  FFS.

Right? The most he can legitimately claim is "The majority of you don't actually like him but because you clustered together  geographically -- no doubt for safety -- there's a sweeping mandate about level of fuckeditude you are likely to experience because proximity canceled out preference, ain't that awesome fucking sauce?"  Other than that, that self-serving, spineless Ayn Rand fluffer can just about kiss my dog's butt.  

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When I sign petitions through the white house, it always makes me confirm my signature. Maybe when you vote, you should have to do some sort of confirmation later or get like a "receipt" thanking you for voting for _______________. So we can make sure Russians didn't change our votes. 

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