Thread by @frodofied

I knew what was going to happen.

I wrote a very dark thread the Fri before the election. In that thread I said, Russia won. She's going to lose.

Many of my followers freaked out.
You're so wrong!
Others were worried b/c for most of the campaign I had been the surest of a win.

https://twitter.com/frodofied/status/795821785795047425

In the end, some argued that people looked up to me to calm their doubts. I had positioned myself among a group of recognized leaders and I had a responsibility to everyone.

They were right and I deleted my thread.

But I think @aiddya, probably remembers all of it.

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Though I had deleted the thread and returned to my normal gunho state of "We've got this," it was all fake.

I couldn't shake the feeling.

On Monday I was on a cliff's edge and became so bold as to question the projections of my friend and mentor, the amazing @AlGiordano.

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Al is a seasoned organizer with tons of real world political and social justice cred. He used to produce a monthly political newsletter via #narconews, which became essential reading throughout the campaign. And he would always include his projections for all upcoming races.

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On Monday Nov 7I politely told him on Twitter I thought he was wrong on some of his projections. The first tweet in this thread, includes a tweet from that day when i eorrectly predicted Michigan would go red.

Al politely told me I was off my rocker.

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Part of my doubt was actually inspired by two troll / bot conversations I had on Twitter and another I had with a violent white supremacist group who threatened my life.

All of them were highly, arrogantly confident of a Trump win. More sure really.

Each time I pushed back to defend the campaign, however, the conversation would be cut short & all three departed with some variation of "I know something that you don't."

It's was unsettling.

I knew what Putin was capable of, and I knew his hatred of HRC was deep.

7/

Then I started to fixate on 2016. I'm not a superstitious person but that year was the worst year of my life.

I lost so much.

And everyone died
David Bowie, Prince, George Michael, Carrie Fisher, and, of course, my mom.

2016 wasn't going to let me have Hillary.

8/

I spent the entire day on Monday knocking on doors. Chicago wasn't a worry for the campaign so direct voter outeach was non-existent. Resources were needed elsewhere.

But canvassing is largely second nature to me now, so I had started cold canvassing all over Chi in August.

9/

I had started doing it because I was angry that there wasn't tons going on in the city, but again, you pick your battles.

GOTV for Chicago was community based and phone outreach. But I had made over 20,000 calls for the campaign by this time. I needed to be on the street.

10/

Little did I know when I started my independent effort in August that it was helping me build a foundation for the solo resistance street work I'd take up for 8 full months full-time after the election.

Anyway, I had not been able to sleep on Sun or Mon.

I was fraying.

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Many people know the story of the first time I met @HillaryClinton in 1992 while volunteering full-time for then Gov. Clinton in Chicago.

At one point, for no reason at all, I blurted out (in front of many confused looking folks) "You're going to be President someday."

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It was a surreal moment, but I had put it out into the world and it became mine.

From then on I was certain it was her destiny. Even in 2008 this only faded between her beautiful concession at the National Building Museum in DC & the moment I first heard the SOS rumors.

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For me her running & her winning had become a part of my identity. I thought she'
d get there on mine & Bill's belief alone.

Not long after deciding that @HillaryClinton would be President, I began telling folks 'The only person who wants her to run more than me is Bill. '

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I know that sounds crazy, but so has my relationship to the Clintons via the work I've done on both of their Presidential campaigns--twice each.

So, much of who I am as a person, the confidence I have in my abilities I gained through their campaigns.

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I've met Bill Clinton about 10 times and I seen him speak on behalf of his campaign, then his adminstration, then her campaign, then Obama's campaign, then hers, again.

I've never not learned something new from watching him and listening to him.

Fact.

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I always say, and I am being sincere, that every single thing of value I know about politics I learned directly from @BillClinton. And some of the most important simply from watching him in action.

Still, I've learned much more from his wife. It's not even close.

17/

If you've ever been to Clinton rally, speaking event, a meet and greet or, well, almost anything really, then you know that they are almost always late. I would go so far as to say that Bill is always late.

But there's always a good reason, and it's usually a voter.

18/

That goes for both of them, though Hillary was more disciplined in 2016.

But everyone who works with them & for them knows that if they decide to go out into the crowd post event, and Bill almost always does, that at least 45 mins has just been added to the days schedule.

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Now that might not sound too bad unless you have been in line waiting since 3 pm for a 6 pm event which is the fourth event of the day. Well, you do the math.

Their commitment is extraordinary, their memories some of the most impressive I've ever seen.

20/