I was a dem, who campaigned for Jill stein in 2016, was never anti trump but didn’t vote for him yet. Then tulsi in 2020, and I think I voted for a third party that year in protest lol. And now, voting tulsi, RFK, trump in that order. I respect them all, and I see trump getting more grounded with his new team and focus, and also, attempts on his life seemed to tame his ego a bit
First time voter here. I’m 30, college educated, and a mother of 2. I couldn’t bring myself to vote for Kamala. I want a woman president in the office but, definitely not her. A woman that cannot articulate where she stands on anything is not a woman I want in office. The fact that she said she wouldn’t have done ANYTHING differently these past 3 years was truly baffling. She puts all of the blame on Trump meanwhile she is sitting back watching Biden give out TRILLIONS of dollars to other countries while Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities. She has a plan to give Americans $25,000 for first time home buyers and wants to build 3 million new homes. How are we supposed to afford the homes that are available when they cost so much that the down payment will be significantly more than 25k? Are we supposed to wait with 25k in bank until these other 3 millions home become available? Where are these homes going to be available? None of what she says makes any sense. She spits out the same sentences time and time again. I’m tired of hearing her talk about how she grew up as a middle class kid in a nice neighborhood. Especially, when that reality and life is being robbed from my children. I do NOT favor Trump. RFKJ was going to be my vote. But, if Trump is the way to get RFK in to help this country then, I’m here for it.
One of the most un-biased reads on the election I've seen. I wish the average voter got more of this type of mindset in most media pieces. Can there be a "Neither/reform/do-over" option on the ballot this year? I would imagine it could win a few states.
This article is just what I’ve been trying to articulate this election season. I truly am at a loss this election. I was hopeful for an RFK ticket and MAYBE just maybe if Trump picked him for VP it would have swayed me but I just don’t think I can bring myself to vote for Trump. Yeah I know economy, blah blah blah, I want cheaper shit too, but I can’t rally around someone that openly bragged about “grabbing a woman whenever he wants”, elected 3 conservative justices that helped overturn Roe V Wade and surrounds himself with openly bigoted people all under the guise of patriotism. That said nothing about the left feels good to me right now. They are manipulating us in their own way too. Either way I feel like “normies” are screwed. Trump is just going to help his 1% friends and Kamala and the left will bail out the lower class at the expense of the middle class. There is never anyone looking out for the middle class and that is why we are all so angry !
If you vote for a dead guy or your husband or your bestie, you will have cheated. Your father, who taught you at a very early age, the importance of voting would be ashamed to see you literally throw your vote away. Why bother showing up? I suppose you could skip voting for a President and vote down-ballot.
You will have no one to blame but yourself if nothing goes your way.
Someone who claims to eat, breathe, and “work” in politics CANNOT skip out on an election.
Normie here too!! I have found such solace in your contributions to this crazy and exhausting election cycle. You have helped me feel seen and not alone in how these candidates make me feel. Thank you for putting it all out there on this platform, your podcast and 2way, and social media. We appreciate you! This was a great list and do important for voters to be aware of both sides, as you have done🙌🏻
Can’t wait to see what happens. I miss the 90s when people didn’t talk about politics, sex, and religion. As a conservative female in CA, I’ve landed in the Trump space (admittedly I think n he’s funny), but - voted for your dad in my first election I could vote! Fun fact: 3 days a week my senior year in HS, I drove to HQ in Crystal City and worked the war room as the only high schooler! 😝
I agree with a lot of what you said. However, I don’t actually think America is as divided as we think. Politically, yea, Americans are divided, but I still most Americans not engaged like we are look at most of us politicos as crazy. I’m a proud Harris supporter and proud centrist. My lifelong best friend is a Trump supporter and we have passionate debates about the topic but remain the best of friends.
I always go out of my way to remind people. As bad and chaotic of a person Trump is. Most people who support him or Harris are actually good people just doing what they think is right. Most Americans are good people overall.
One of the reasons I hope Harris wins is so that we can turn the page on the chaos. I respect your point of view Meghan, especially because it’s different than mine. Hopefully we can get back to a place where the temperature doesn’t feel so dang heavy.
Great read. I Voted early for Trump! Previously, I have voted consistently blue, voted for Obama and Hillary. While I did NOT initially want Trump to run again, I voted for him because of RFK. I have too many concerns with Kamala Harris. Praying Trump & RFK can Make America Healthy & Great Again! 🇺🇸❤️
Same. I never in a million years would have expected to be voting for Trump, but my family and I have seen how authoritarian and corrupt the Democratic party and the media have become and can no longer support them in any way, until they lose the woke and crazy. Perhaps that will never happen. His alliance with RFK Jr has helped to sway me.
I do hope VP Kamala wins this election. If she is not up to the tasks, we vote her out in 4 years. W/ Mr. Trump, there is no guarantee what he is going to do because of all the things he has been saying. And we have enough of uncertainty as it is now. He is old, so I do hope VP Kamala will pardon him where she can and move forward if she wins. And I do hope qualified republicans will run on the next election. No election denier or enabler please. Decent ones who truly love politics would be great.
Your mom is beautiful, and elegant. Your dad was a decent politician.
well I keep catching snippets of you and I wasn't sure where you stood. I'm pleased that you are being fair and realistic. thank god. i can't stand jessica reed kraus romanticizing trump and using music that these musicians would never give their approval to romanticize and masculinize trump. it's all baloney. trump wants to stay out of court. he's a puppet willing to do whatever project 2025 wants. he cares nothing for people except his own. he lies he doesn't deliver, thank god. when he was president it was dark. He has helped create this darkness and anyone who votes for him is ignorant. Kamala Harris will try and do all the right things as biden did and it's never perfect but it is not easy to govern america.
Is she romanticizing Trump? Or is she offering a different perspective from the one that is frequently pushed on us? Maybe it seems like she’s romanticizing him because she’s actually humanizing him? I can understand how that would be uncomfortable considering mainstream media wants to push him as the next Hitler. (Which so insulting and inaccurate and diminishes the horror that my ancestors faced during the holocaust.)
I do find it interesting that you can give Kamala grace for her lack of leadership at the border, the fact that she cannot articulate an actual plan for America, and the fact that as VP she has watched Biden give TRILLIONS over to Ukraine. Oh, and when she was asked if she would have done anything differently these past 3 years she said “no.” Why didn’t she fight for women’s rights these last 3 years? Why didn’t she fight for women who are in abortion banned states? Why hasn’t she fought to bring down inflation? Why did she over see the biggest immigration crisis and do nothing about it? Why didn’t she fight to stop Biden from giving trillions to Ukraine?
I think if people are going to be so critical of Trump then, they should be just as critical of Kamala.
Because you know, not everyone or every candidate is “perfect.”
You should read up on how Kamala has championed women's rights over the last 3.5 years with the limited power that comes with a VP role. And she has laid out her positions on policy but adding to Meghan's point, could add details about funding and specifics on how and when she would plan to implement them. I do think it's sad that clearly someone is instructing her not to stand against Biden - I think she could easily be "safe" and even better off saying they have learned a lot and she does have an evolved vision for the future.
I will also say, as a fellow Jew, the reality is though calling Trump the next Hitler is extreme and I wouldn't necessarily phrase it that way, the behavior patterns and similarities in leadership are worth examining. (To be clear, I am referring solely to campaigning and leadership, not anti-semitism). My husband has studied closely the world War histories, relationships across world leaders over the last century as well as the position of American leadership in these foreign conflicts - he observed the similarities in Hitler's rise to power long before media started pushing it out en masse. He and I have also talked about the reality of how that exact history plus the cold war and to now - with Putin's rise to power and leadership - has led to Ukraine and the concerning future we are heading towards with Putin on the move (or attempting to be on the move). I am all for challenging the amount of money we are spending but there is a clear impact on our future here in the states, and even an immediate threat, with Putin attempting to make the moves he's making in Europe.
And finally, inflation. VP's can't stop inflation and for the record even Presidents can't stop it but policy can sometimes influence supplier and consumer behavior in the private markets - that's the hope. I genuinely don't believe Trump's policies are going to solve the inflation problem and actually think some of his policies might make it worse in the short term. With immigration, I do believe the policies they were proposing were steps in the right direction but they failed to get it across the line and that's one of the examples I was hoping she would just clearly say where they learned and might even approach it differently going forward.
I'm an independent voter that leans left, but I just want to be able to vote for someone I’m genuinely excited about, rather than feeling stuck choosing between two bad options every presidential election. It’s frustrating to see such division and chaos in our political landscape. This election feels especially isolating, and it seems like many of us are searching for a candidate who truly represents our values. It would be refreshing to have candidates who inspire us instead of just heightening our anxiety about the future. I long for a choice that feels authentic and represents what many of us truly want.
I don’t follow you but I decided to read this article. Thank you for a mostly unbiased perspective. I don’t find Trump a perfect candidate, but I don’t think there is a perfect candidate anymore. We have made it so uncomfortable for people of quality to run. Who wants to be called a nasty name. We as women are wayyyyyy too emotional. This is why we can so easily get triggered by issues that should not trigger us. I don’t want to be singled out for ‘women’s issues’. I am an American first and a woman second. Stop dividing us by gender, class, race etc!!! This is why the entire MAGA movement speaks to many people. Can we just go back to a time when off color jokes were laughed at, when we could say Merry Christmas without someone being offended, when we didn’t have to put pronouns into our bio, etc! Can we just relax a little? I think that is why people are so ‘scared’, they don’t t know what’s coming. But one does know with Trump. He has been president before. As to all the ‘disorder’ that he causes, maybe if the elite media and other culture leaders would STOP overreacting (so they get more clinks) the general population would not be sooooo scared and frightened. Realize you ARE BEING MANIPULATED!
Did you re-read your sentence (quoted below) before hitting post? Did Ben? Or Miranda? Maybe Tulsi can help ya edit? You literally write that Roe was repealed and in the same breathe have the audacity to follow that real-life fact with the kind of inaccurate rudeness common among your man-bride's cohort. Common among all men's rights activists really, whether they're trans-activists or the forced-birth brigade. Dudes have been wilding-out at both ends of the political spectrum; I don't see a big difference among them. Repealing Roe took away rights liberationists secured for us all before either one of us were born. Fact.
Then you attach a poison-pill sentence fragment with the use of a single word: perceived. The assault on women's rights happened Meghan, the man you share a bed with celebrated that success at a gala event in Texas, irl, then as his wife you gaslight casual readers by calling the assault "perceived". My question is...are you this rude for real or are you simply reflecting the gaslighting to which you have constantly been subjected? I'm really asking. I have no idea. Idk you. I just know how to read & write a blog. —So do you.
"A lot of the momentum for Democrats was driven by pro-choice women angry about the repealing of Roe and the perceived assault on abortion rights."
I can’t wait for this election to be over but have some sincere dread and anxiety about how the losing side will handle their loss. It has been a very lonely election season as a conservative, pro-life mom.
I'm one of your liberal readers who stands by her "normie" friends. I agree with a lot of your points. For #1, the economy, I can't help but wrestle with this sentiment: The economy is doing better than it was when Biden took over, yet we're all still feeling the impact on our wallets. This sums up some of my thoughts...https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/31/business/economy/inflation-prices-economy.html
I also feel democrats are more solidly united around Kamala than republicans are around Trump. Trump has more allies and loyal supporters than I ever thought possible, but not all "normies" are standing with him. And I think the big hot button issues....like abortion rights, the economy, and I'll add gun control, will push the unaffiliated to Kamala.
All that said, as a young mother, I finally understand why we so desperately NEED a female president. If Nikki Haley had won the nomination, honestly, I would have had a hard time not voting for her. I want all female leadership in all areas of government and politics....and that is the hill I will die on.
Normie here. Voted for Trump for the first time ever and don’t love it but I love RFKJ and trust his opinion. Thank you for your article!
I was a dem, who campaigned for Jill stein in 2016, was never anti trump but didn’t vote for him yet. Then tulsi in 2020, and I think I voted for a third party that year in protest lol. And now, voting tulsi, RFK, trump in that order. I respect them all, and I see trump getting more grounded with his new team and focus, and also, attempts on his life seemed to tame his ego a bit
Hi! Agree and I voted for the same order.
First time voter here. I’m 30, college educated, and a mother of 2. I couldn’t bring myself to vote for Kamala. I want a woman president in the office but, definitely not her. A woman that cannot articulate where she stands on anything is not a woman I want in office. The fact that she said she wouldn’t have done ANYTHING differently these past 3 years was truly baffling. She puts all of the blame on Trump meanwhile she is sitting back watching Biden give out TRILLIONS of dollars to other countries while Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities. She has a plan to give Americans $25,000 for first time home buyers and wants to build 3 million new homes. How are we supposed to afford the homes that are available when they cost so much that the down payment will be significantly more than 25k? Are we supposed to wait with 25k in bank until these other 3 millions home become available? Where are these homes going to be available? None of what she says makes any sense. She spits out the same sentences time and time again. I’m tired of hearing her talk about how she grew up as a middle class kid in a nice neighborhood. Especially, when that reality and life is being robbed from my children. I do NOT favor Trump. RFKJ was going to be my vote. But, if Trump is the way to get RFK in to help this country then, I’m here for it.
One of the most un-biased reads on the election I've seen. I wish the average voter got more of this type of mindset in most media pieces. Can there be a "Neither/reform/do-over" option on the ballot this year? I would imagine it could win a few states.
Not an option. You have two: Harris or Trump. Pick one.
This article is just what I’ve been trying to articulate this election season. I truly am at a loss this election. I was hopeful for an RFK ticket and MAYBE just maybe if Trump picked him for VP it would have swayed me but I just don’t think I can bring myself to vote for Trump. Yeah I know economy, blah blah blah, I want cheaper shit too, but I can’t rally around someone that openly bragged about “grabbing a woman whenever he wants”, elected 3 conservative justices that helped overturn Roe V Wade and surrounds himself with openly bigoted people all under the guise of patriotism. That said nothing about the left feels good to me right now. They are manipulating us in their own way too. Either way I feel like “normies” are screwed. Trump is just going to help his 1% friends and Kamala and the left will bail out the lower class at the expense of the middle class. There is never anyone looking out for the middle class and that is why we are all so angry !
So … you are voting for Trump - right?
If you vote for a dead guy or your husband or your bestie, you will have cheated. Your father, who taught you at a very early age, the importance of voting would be ashamed to see you literally throw your vote away. Why bother showing up? I suppose you could skip voting for a President and vote down-ballot.
You will have no one to blame but yourself if nothing goes your way.
Someone who claims to eat, breathe, and “work” in politics CANNOT skip out on an election.
Normie here too!! I have found such solace in your contributions to this crazy and exhausting election cycle. You have helped me feel seen and not alone in how these candidates make me feel. Thank you for putting it all out there on this platform, your podcast and 2way, and social media. We appreciate you! This was a great list and do important for voters to be aware of both sides, as you have done🙌🏻
Can’t wait to see what happens. I miss the 90s when people didn’t talk about politics, sex, and religion. As a conservative female in CA, I’ve landed in the Trump space (admittedly I think n he’s funny), but - voted for your dad in my first election I could vote! Fun fact: 3 days a week my senior year in HS, I drove to HQ in Crystal City and worked the war room as the only high schooler! 😝
and now you're just blowing it
The beauty of America is freedom speech. Happy you are exercising yours!
I agree with a lot of what you said. However, I don’t actually think America is as divided as we think. Politically, yea, Americans are divided, but I still most Americans not engaged like we are look at most of us politicos as crazy. I’m a proud Harris supporter and proud centrist. My lifelong best friend is a Trump supporter and we have passionate debates about the topic but remain the best of friends.
I always go out of my way to remind people. As bad and chaotic of a person Trump is. Most people who support him or Harris are actually good people just doing what they think is right. Most Americans are good people overall.
One of the reasons I hope Harris wins is so that we can turn the page on the chaos. I respect your point of view Meghan, especially because it’s different than mine. Hopefully we can get back to a place where the temperature doesn’t feel so dang heavy.
Great read. I Voted early for Trump! Previously, I have voted consistently blue, voted for Obama and Hillary. While I did NOT initially want Trump to run again, I voted for him because of RFK. I have too many concerns with Kamala Harris. Praying Trump & RFK can Make America Healthy & Great Again! 🇺🇸❤️
Same. I never in a million years would have expected to be voting for Trump, but my family and I have seen how authoritarian and corrupt the Democratic party and the media have become and can no longer support them in any way, until they lose the woke and crazy. Perhaps that will never happen. His alliance with RFK Jr has helped to sway me.
Great article. Thank you, Meghan.
I do hope VP Kamala wins this election. If she is not up to the tasks, we vote her out in 4 years. W/ Mr. Trump, there is no guarantee what he is going to do because of all the things he has been saying. And we have enough of uncertainty as it is now. He is old, so I do hope VP Kamala will pardon him where she can and move forward if she wins. And I do hope qualified republicans will run on the next election. No election denier or enabler please. Decent ones who truly love politics would be great.
Your mom is beautiful, and elegant. Your dad was a decent politician.
Keep up the great work.
well I keep catching snippets of you and I wasn't sure where you stood. I'm pleased that you are being fair and realistic. thank god. i can't stand jessica reed kraus romanticizing trump and using music that these musicians would never give their approval to romanticize and masculinize trump. it's all baloney. trump wants to stay out of court. he's a puppet willing to do whatever project 2025 wants. he cares nothing for people except his own. he lies he doesn't deliver, thank god. when he was president it was dark. He has helped create this darkness and anyone who votes for him is ignorant. Kamala Harris will try and do all the right things as biden did and it's never perfect but it is not easy to govern america.
Is she romanticizing Trump? Or is she offering a different perspective from the one that is frequently pushed on us? Maybe it seems like she’s romanticizing him because she’s actually humanizing him? I can understand how that would be uncomfortable considering mainstream media wants to push him as the next Hitler. (Which so insulting and inaccurate and diminishes the horror that my ancestors faced during the holocaust.)
I do find it interesting that you can give Kamala grace for her lack of leadership at the border, the fact that she cannot articulate an actual plan for America, and the fact that as VP she has watched Biden give TRILLIONS over to Ukraine. Oh, and when she was asked if she would have done anything differently these past 3 years she said “no.” Why didn’t she fight for women’s rights these last 3 years? Why didn’t she fight for women who are in abortion banned states? Why hasn’t she fought to bring down inflation? Why did she over see the biggest immigration crisis and do nothing about it? Why didn’t she fight to stop Biden from giving trillions to Ukraine?
I think if people are going to be so critical of Trump then, they should be just as critical of Kamala.
Because you know, not everyone or every candidate is “perfect.”
You should read up on how Kamala has championed women's rights over the last 3.5 years with the limited power that comes with a VP role. And she has laid out her positions on policy but adding to Meghan's point, could add details about funding and specifics on how and when she would plan to implement them. I do think it's sad that clearly someone is instructing her not to stand against Biden - I think she could easily be "safe" and even better off saying they have learned a lot and she does have an evolved vision for the future.
I will also say, as a fellow Jew, the reality is though calling Trump the next Hitler is extreme and I wouldn't necessarily phrase it that way, the behavior patterns and similarities in leadership are worth examining. (To be clear, I am referring solely to campaigning and leadership, not anti-semitism). My husband has studied closely the world War histories, relationships across world leaders over the last century as well as the position of American leadership in these foreign conflicts - he observed the similarities in Hitler's rise to power long before media started pushing it out en masse. He and I have also talked about the reality of how that exact history plus the cold war and to now - with Putin's rise to power and leadership - has led to Ukraine and the concerning future we are heading towards with Putin on the move (or attempting to be on the move). I am all for challenging the amount of money we are spending but there is a clear impact on our future here in the states, and even an immediate threat, with Putin attempting to make the moves he's making in Europe.
And finally, inflation. VP's can't stop inflation and for the record even Presidents can't stop it but policy can sometimes influence supplier and consumer behavior in the private markets - that's the hope. I genuinely don't believe Trump's policies are going to solve the inflation problem and actually think some of his policies might make it worse in the short term. With immigration, I do believe the policies they were proposing were steps in the right direction but they failed to get it across the line and that's one of the examples I was hoping she would just clearly say where they learned and might even approach it differently going forward.
I'm an independent voter that leans left, but I just want to be able to vote for someone I’m genuinely excited about, rather than feeling stuck choosing between two bad options every presidential election. It’s frustrating to see such division and chaos in our political landscape. This election feels especially isolating, and it seems like many of us are searching for a candidate who truly represents our values. It would be refreshing to have candidates who inspire us instead of just heightening our anxiety about the future. I long for a choice that feels authentic and represents what many of us truly want.
I don’t follow you but I decided to read this article. Thank you for a mostly unbiased perspective. I don’t find Trump a perfect candidate, but I don’t think there is a perfect candidate anymore. We have made it so uncomfortable for people of quality to run. Who wants to be called a nasty name. We as women are wayyyyyy too emotional. This is why we can so easily get triggered by issues that should not trigger us. I don’t want to be singled out for ‘women’s issues’. I am an American first and a woman second. Stop dividing us by gender, class, race etc!!! This is why the entire MAGA movement speaks to many people. Can we just go back to a time when off color jokes were laughed at, when we could say Merry Christmas without someone being offended, when we didn’t have to put pronouns into our bio, etc! Can we just relax a little? I think that is why people are so ‘scared’, they don’t t know what’s coming. But one does know with Trump. He has been president before. As to all the ‘disorder’ that he causes, maybe if the elite media and other culture leaders would STOP overreacting (so they get more clinks) the general population would not be sooooo scared and frightened. Realize you ARE BEING MANIPULATED!
Did you re-read your sentence (quoted below) before hitting post? Did Ben? Or Miranda? Maybe Tulsi can help ya edit? You literally write that Roe was repealed and in the same breathe have the audacity to follow that real-life fact with the kind of inaccurate rudeness common among your man-bride's cohort. Common among all men's rights activists really, whether they're trans-activists or the forced-birth brigade. Dudes have been wilding-out at both ends of the political spectrum; I don't see a big difference among them. Repealing Roe took away rights liberationists secured for us all before either one of us were born. Fact.
Then you attach a poison-pill sentence fragment with the use of a single word: perceived. The assault on women's rights happened Meghan, the man you share a bed with celebrated that success at a gala event in Texas, irl, then as his wife you gaslight casual readers by calling the assault "perceived". My question is...are you this rude for real or are you simply reflecting the gaslighting to which you have constantly been subjected? I'm really asking. I have no idea. Idk you. I just know how to read & write a blog. —So do you.
"A lot of the momentum for Democrats was driven by pro-choice women angry about the repealing of Roe and the perceived assault on abortion rights."
I can’t wait for this election to be over but have some sincere dread and anxiety about how the losing side will handle their loss. It has been a very lonely election season as a conservative, pro-life mom.
I'm one of your liberal readers who stands by her "normie" friends. I agree with a lot of your points. For #1, the economy, I can't help but wrestle with this sentiment: The economy is doing better than it was when Biden took over, yet we're all still feeling the impact on our wallets. This sums up some of my thoughts...https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/31/business/economy/inflation-prices-economy.html
I also feel democrats are more solidly united around Kamala than republicans are around Trump. Trump has more allies and loyal supporters than I ever thought possible, but not all "normies" are standing with him. And I think the big hot button issues....like abortion rights, the economy, and I'll add gun control, will push the unaffiliated to Kamala.
All that said, as a young mother, I finally understand why we so desperately NEED a female president. If Nikki Haley had won the nomination, honestly, I would have had a hard time not voting for her. I want all female leadership in all areas of government and politics....and that is the hill I will die on.