As of right now, 10:30 AM US East on November 4th, the election is supremely close: Biden with slight leads in Wisconsin and Michigan (approximately 95% reporting), a smattering of other states up for grabs, and my home state of Pennsylvania – the last in a trifecta of swing states necessary for a clear Democratic victory – waiting for the counting of mail-in votes that will heavily favor Biden (probably).
That this hasn’t been a blow-out for Biden is disappointing in a rather specific way for me, but this wasn’t unexpected. It shouldn’t have been for anyone. For other people, particularly women, minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, this is something much more imminently frightening than disappointing as their rights will be at stake, possibly in the very near future.
This lukewarm showing for Biden is disappointing to me, specifically, because I saw in this election a repeat of 2016 in the works: an old white person, a career politician, whose popularity was largely pegged to a previous president, who himself is minimally charismatic, and a favorite of the DNC. What could go wrong?
Trump gained support among minority voters, and one poll “found that 35 percent of 18-to-29-year-old Black adults agreed that although they didn’t always like Trump’s policies, they liked his strong demeanor and defiance of the establishment.”
Democrats have eschewed the power of populism by burying Sanders’s center left platform and grassroots candor for fears that he’d be labeled “socialist”, which by the way the Trump campaign successfully applied to Biden anyway. The Democrats have lost touch with the simple importance of charisma in politics, which they themselves saw deliver handily under Obama. And while it may seem like many Americans are voting against their own interests by supporting Trump (they are), the simple fact is that Democrats have not offered a compelling alternative (candidate or platform) to Trump which is their job.
So, is our country full of idiots, racists, and selfish individuals? Oh yes, we’ve got more than our fair share. But it can’t be that simple, can it? I don’t think so. This is a cascade a failures decades in the making, and a confluence of events and conspiracy theories this year added to the uncertainty of voters, who liked Trump better. Examining what that must mean is something that will take quite a bit longer to unpack.
Biden still has a pretty good shot at winning, but we can expect a legal battle to ensue regardless of the outcome. Trump has already claimed victory and suggested that mail-in votes in key states be ignored in his latest fascist act that should concern everyone but doesn’t for a variety of reasons. For a (long) but hopefully interesting discussion, you can listen to my friend Bob and I discuss Trump’s brand of fascism in Episode 66 of his podcast (to be posted soon).
More soon, I’m sure.
Brains in Vats 