Yeah, sorry, but not jubilant in any way. Depressed. This election result is better than a Trump presidency, but the fact that it was even remotely close reveals just how deeply broken American politics is. You nearly re-elected a man who is openly a fascist imbecile. There was no repudiation of Trumpism, so his playbook remains open to others in the Republican party. Despite four years of inaction, the Democrats did not gain the senate, and so I expect little to no legislation to be passed. Any Biden picks for judges at the Supreme Court or appellate level will not be filled. Without the Senate, and with Mitch McConnell as Senate leader, the damage of the Trump presidency will not be repaired. This election confirmed what I started to believe during the Trump presidency: America is failing as a democratic country. I believe that in my lifetime, the United States will either cease to be a democracy, or undergo a fundamental, and probably violent, shift in politics and government structure.
I posted this on the election-following thread, but my journey’s mood was perfectly matched by my (fantastic) local radio station KEXP that has had 4 straight days of Election playlist keeping me sane.
Highlights from Tuesday:
Sleep Now in the Fire
Galvanize
Revolution
The Rising
Things Can Only Get Better
Time Has Come Today
Highlights from Wed/Thu:
Running Up That Hill
Maps
Don’t Give Up
Swim Until You Can’t See Land
Tomorrow Never Knows
Where Is My Mind?
Comfortably Numb
Highlights from Friday, after Biden pulled ahead in PA:
Dancing in the Street
Philadelphia Freedom
Georgia on My Mind
All You Fascists Bound To Lose
Another One Bites the Dust
Heroes
Vote 'Em Out
Hit the Road Jack
Tears of a Clown
shrug. You take something the opposition said, claim that they secretly want something 10x worse, demand that the moderates denounce your imaginary bugbear.
Perhaps you broke your brain this way all by yourself, but it really sounds like Fox did it, because that’s their playbook.
And it’s not 50.1%. Biden took the popular vote by at least 7 million and the EC by at least a 90 vote margin. Trump didn’t do that well and he acted like he had a mandate from God himself. Biden would be justified in doing the same, but he won’t.
Perhaps you’re exaggerating. Perhaps you’re also in the habit of exaggerating so breathlessly that you don’t realize you’re doing it anymore.
No Dem ever said that. None in any position of power anyway. It was Fox, Trump and the entire Rep party that said that and too many people believed them.
I pretty much went through the stages described in most of the posts above. I went to bed around midnight Tuesday convinced it was a replay of 2016, but I scarcely slept. Got up around 3 AM to sneak a glance at my computer which showed not much difference (except for the west coast which was scarcely in doubt). A little hope on Wednesday morning and by Thursday much more confident.
But here is my view of the future. Without much hope of winning the senate, the first two years will be utter gridlock. Sure some executive orders can be lifted, but no cabinet will be approved, no bills enacted, government shutdown over the budget, no economic bailouts, etc. Come 2022, the Reps will be crowing about how ineffectual Biden has been and the Dems will lose the house and lost seats in the senate. Then in 2024, DJT II will be elected and the Merry-Go-Round start all over again.