Mark Verlinde

High school alternative education teacher. Coach. Husband & Father. Open-minded. Spartan!

[Fred Guttenberg @fred_guttenberg]

Could not sleep last night. I woke up thinking about how this should have been Jaime's first time as a voter. I woke up thinking about what I lost because of failed policy for far too many years. I can say with certainty that Jaime would have loved voting for @KamalaHarris. The photo below is of our next President standing at the memorial at the school where Jaime was murdered and looking at Jaime's photo. Today I am hoping that this country turns out to vote for Jaime, and all victims of gun violence, and the chance to do more to prevent future gun violence so that other young people are free from gun violence and get to grow up to become first time voters. I am hoping that this country turns out and votes for those already injured by the draconian abortion laws and the chance to do more to protect health care and bodily autonomy for women. I am hoping that this country turns out in reaction to climate change and the epic disasters that we are now seeing and the hope to do more to reflect that reality that climate change is real. I am hoping that this country turns out to protect voting rights already under attack and the chance to do more to protect our rights to vote in this incredible Democracy. I am hoping that this country turns out and votes to send a message loudly and clearly that we want decency, civility, and honest debate and to make clear that we have had enough of the indecency and "alternative facts" that have affected our political discourse for far too long. I am hoping that this country turns out and votes to make clear that our Democracy is still worth defending and something that American voters can proudly stand and deliver the anthem for, and the rest of the world can look up to.

If you still have not voted, today is the day. Today is the day to vote for what you hope not to lose and also to vote for what you hope for in the future.

[Anthony Scaramucci @Scaramucci]

If a political candidate wants to declare victory before the polls close remember they are doing that to damage the country not to serve it.

[Timothy Snyder @TimothyDSnyder]

Just like four years ago, Trump wants to be president to avoid poverty and prison. Just like four years ago, it is utterly predictable that he will claim to have won if he loses, and try to take power regardless. And so just like four years ago, a vote for Trump is a vote for an authoritarian regime change in the United States.
https://t.co/GTrbnlUWme

[Pete Buttigieg @PeteButtigieg]

She’s talking about things like the cost of living, building housing, the child tax credit, the right to choose.

He’s talking about political violence—approvingly.

Only one candidate is fit to be President. Let’s make sure she wins.

[Michael McFaul @McFaul]

No American president has ever talked like this. Trump is so wrong on this. This approach to foreign policy will deeply damage American security interests.

[Senator Adam Schiff @SenAdamSchiff]

Russia is already manufacturing fake videos and spreading misinformation about the Presidential election.

Just as before, Moscow is going to try to undermine trust in our elections, divide the American people, and boost the former President’s candidacy.

[LeBron James @KingJames]

What are we even talking about here?? When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me. VOTE KAMALA HARRIS!!!

[Arnold Schwarzenegger @Schwarzenegger]

I don’t really do endorsements. I’m not shy about sharing my views, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians.

I also understand that people want to hear from me because I am not just a celebrity, I am a former Republican Governor.

My time as Governor taught me to love policy and ignore politics. I’m proud of the work I did to help clean up our air, create jobs, balance the budget, make the biggest infrastructure investment in state history, and take power from the politicians and give it back to the people when it comes to our redistricting process and our primaries in California.

That’s policy. It requires working with the other side, not insulting them to win your next election, and I know it isn’t sexy to most people, but I love it when I can help make people’s lives better with policies, like I still do through my institute at USC, where we fight for clean air and stripping the power from the politicians who rig the system against the people.

Let me be honest with you: I don’t like either party right now. My Republicans have forgotten the beauty of the free market, driven up deficits, and rejected election results. Democrats aren’t any better at dealing with deficits, and I worry about their local policies hurting our cities with increased crime.

It is probably not a surprise that I hate politics more than ever, which, if you are a normal person who isn’t addicted to this crap, you probably understand.

I want to tune out.

But I can’t. Because rejecting the results of an election is as un-American as it gets. To someone like me who talks to people all over the world and still knows America is the shining city on a hill, calling America is a trash can for the world is so unpatriotic, it makes me furious.

And I will always be an American before I am a Republican.

That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

I’m sharing it with all of you because I think there are a lot of you who feel like I do. You don’t recognize our country. And you are right to be furious.

For decades, we’ve talked about the national debt. For decades, we’ve talked about comprehensive immigration reform that secures the border while fixing our broken immigration system. And Washington does nothing.

The problems just keep rolling, and we all keep getting angrier, because the only people that benefit from problems aren’t you, the people. The only people that benefit from this crap are the politicians who prefer having talking points to win elections to the public service that will make Americans’ lives better.

It is a just game to them. But it is life for my fellow Americans. We should be pissed!

But a candidate who won’t respect your vote unless it is for him, a candidate who will send his followers to storm the Capitol while he watches with a Diet Coke, a candidate who has shown no ability to work to pass any policy besides a tax cut that helped his donors and other rich people like me but helped no one else else, a candidate who thinks Americans who disagree with him are the bigger enemies than China, Russia, or North Korea - that won’t solve our problems.

It will just be four more years of bullshit with no results that makes us angrier and angrier, more divided, and more hateful.

We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won’t do that. He will divide, he will insult, he will find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been, and we, the people, will get nothing but more anger.

That’s enough reason for me to share my vote with all of you. I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz.

Vote this week. Turn the page and put this junk behind us.

And even if you disagree with me, vote, because that’s what we do as Americans. https://t.co/eHFZ723I4H

[Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads/Insta)🌻 @AWeissmann_]

Remarkable!

[The Editorial Board @johnastoehr]

At the VP debate, JD Vance perfectly distilled "Wilhoit’s law." A THREAD.

[Janey Godley @JaneyGodley]

No president of America has ever given birth - I don’t understand why it’s suddenly an issue

[Alex Cole @acnewsitics]

Wow! 🔥🔥🔥 I wish every American could see this. Make it happen, folks!

[Joyce Alene @JoyceWhiteVance]

The New York Times jumped on this bandwagon today. I hope you'll take a moment to read my thoughts and their opinion (gift link included) https://t.co/jnn9lHDulH

[Keith Olbermann @KeithOlbermann]

CNN's decision to abrogate its journalistic responsibilities by not fact checking Trump's firehose of lies is unforgivable.

This debate is Biden vs the tag team of Trump and CNN's utter failure as a news organization

[Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @HC_Richardson]

We're looking at an authoritarian trying to convince us to adopt his version of the country as an apocalyptic hell scape when in fact the economy is booming, employment is high, and the US standing in the world is stronger than it's been in ages. Will it work? I think no.

[Coach Julio @FitnessFoundry]

Mark 🗳️This is the election to determine if we will have future elections.

🇩🇴I’m a First-Generation Adult Child of Immigrants. My love for America 🇺🇸 compels me to fight against fascism, hate and intolerance in all its forms.

The twice-impeached wannabe dictator and his allies' objective is to dismantle democratic norms, consolidate power within an authoritarian administration, and erode the separation of powers. To learn more about their plans, look up “Project 2025”.

🗣️Never Forget:
- He disparaged fallen service members as ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’.
- The twice-impeached wannabe dictator consistently belittled the intelligence of military personnel. He even requested that wounded veterans be excluded from military parades.

Also Remember:
- The same individual openly advocates for Russia to **‘do whatever the hell they want’** to any NATO country that falls short on payments.
- He elevates and supports elected leaders, individuals, and groups with a documented history of hate, affiliation with white nationalism, and fascism.

👉🏽Words Turn Into Actions:
- “Nobody has any idea where these people are coming from… It’s poisoning the blood of our country.” This statement is hate speech.
- Hate speech is linked to hate crimes. We cannot ignore this connection.

🇺🇦Lastly, there exists a significant correlation between withholding aid from Ukraine, endorsing the Russian invasion, expressing admiration for dictators with a history of violence and fascism, banning books, spreading hate, and engaging in election interference.

🌍Such actions, when taken collectively, constitute a grave threat to the very foundations of democracy and present a clear and present danger to the security of our nation and the stability of the international order.

📣To those who speak out against elected leaders, individuals, or groups with a documented history of hate, affiliation with white nationalism, and fascism:
You give hope to us all.🗳️

🎙️“We don’t take an oath to a king, or a queen, or to a tyrant or dictator, and we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We don’t take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution, and we take an oath to the idea that is America, and we’re willing to die to protect it.” - Ret. Gen. Mark Milley

[Mark Verlinde @verlinde_mark]

Charles Barkey is way better at being a credit card commercial personality than a basketball analyst.
#GoGreen

[FitzManMSU @FitzManMSU]

AIR TYSON

[Mark Verlinde @verlinde_mark]

@postmaer While we're young!

[Michigan State Men's Basketball @MSU_Basketball]

Today definitely called for celebration 🥳