Thoughts on a Lost Election

[cahwyguy]

I’ve been down all day with the results from last night, with only the Austin Lounge Lizards to cheer me up.:

You say the last election didn’t turn out like you planned.
You’re feeling blue and clueless, you just don’t understand.
You’re sad, sulky, sullen, moping and morose.
You’re woefully weak and weary, semi-comatose.
You stare at your computer screen devoid of any joy and hope.
You’re so depressed, you can’t get dressed, you’re noosing up a rope.
Just remind yourself, when you can’t stand it any more:

That we’ve been through some crappy times before
We’ve been though some crappy times before.
Slavery, unbridled knavery and the civil war.
Don’t stop caring, stop despairing, get up off the floor.
Because we’ve been through some crappy times before.

So, I thought I would share some thoughts on a lost election:

• Voters rejected both candidates, but they rejected Harris more. From what I’ve read, 20 million fewer folks voted: 3 million fewer for Trump, and 17 million fewer for Harris. In short, that’s why Trump won.
• I truly believe that number would have been worse had Biden stayed in. Biden, in many ways, was to blame for this loss: Had he kept his promise to keep things to a single transition term, and then let the normal primary process happen, the candidates would have been stronger and better known. It might not have been Harris (although I think she was strong). But with Biden dropping when he did, Harris was really the only option due to campaign financing and wanting a unified convention.
• One thing that did Harris in was far too many Democrats put their desire for their perfect candidate, on the issue close to their heart, above beating Trump. Whether that issue was war in general, the war in Gaza, the economy, the distance from Joe Biden’s policies — because Harris’ position wasn’t perfect on it, they just sat on their hands on Election Day.  The quest for the perfect solution is often the enemy of making progress. Progress, not perfection.
• Another problem what Harris’ VP choice. Although Walz was good, what was more important was that he was safe and she felt comfortable with him. Could another choice have been stronger? Josh Shapiro? Mark Kelly? We’ll never know, but folks upset that their choice wasn’t picked probably led them to sit on their hands.
• A third problem was… sigh… that I’m not sure this country was ready for Harris. We like to think of all the progress this country has made in terms of equality, and that’s likely true in the big urban areas. But in the rural areas and the more traditional areas, the country is still stuck with 1950s mores. That’s why Trump’s transgender ad was so effective. That’s also why a lot of men — esp. Latino men — voted for the man over the woman. We may not get a woman leader until we can get the ERA passed, demonstrating that the country is ready.
• A big question is: Did Trump win? Yes, he got the most electoral votes. But I mean this in the sense of: Did he convince voters that his positions were better? There I think the answer is “no”. The larger number of people that voted for Biden but didn’t vote for Harris meant that Harris lost. Trump mostly held on to his support from 2020, but that also eroded.
• It is also disappointing that the Proposition to remove involuntary servitude from the California constitution failed. People still believe that punitive punishment is the answer.

So, what do we do going forward:

• Pray that the judiciary — at all levels — puts the Constitution first and not party, and renders wise and just decisions. They are the only firewall left, and Biden appointed a lot of judges.
• Pray that the military stays true to their oath: To protect and defend the Constitution, not any particular individual or party.
• Pray that the Democrats eke out a majority in the House
• Work together and resist in the next four years, to the extent you can safely.
• Rebuild the Democratic party. We need a new younger base to achieve a generational change. We need new candidates who can be that candidate of change.
• Take care of yourself, and remember that we’ve been through crappy times before, and we’ve made it through.

 

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Thoughts on a Lost Election by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.