24 hours later: post-election reflections

Time to complicate our narratives

Last night I went to bed with an all-too familiar feeling of dread: it took me back to 2016, and to 2004 before that. Feeling so many things, but sadness prominent among them. After four years of what by any reasonable metric is among the worst Administrations in American history, almost half of American voters decided to try it again. But 24 hours later I’m feeling more grounded and hopeful, and wanted to take a moment to share some topline takeaways (in keeping with a tradition I started four years ago).

It looks like the worst will not happen: Trump appears on pace to lose. But quite clearly, the best did not happen either: there was no landslide, no massive repudiation of Trumpism, no blue wave; it looks like the Senate will remain under the leadership of one of the most anti-democratic legislators of the post-Civil Rights era.

This isn’t the time for a comprehensive post-mortem: votes are still being tabulated. But I do want to capture some initial reflections:

1) Progressive politics thrives beyond the Democratic Party: From what I know, the most successful progressive organizing around the country (measured by flipping votes and expanding the electorate) largely took place OUTSIDE the auspices of the Democratic party, thanks largely to leadership anchored in communities of color (organizations like LUCHA in AZ, We the People in MI, the Texas Organizing Project, the New Georgia Project, Lancaster Stands Up in PA, and national coalition efforts like the Working Families Party or People’s Action). This has been true for awhile now, but this year it felt determinative, especially because in many cases these groups aren’t actually advocating for the Democratic Party; they’re advocating despite the Democratic Party. These organizations — and the constituencies they represent — will rightfully want to have a seat at the table.

2) Democratic Party leadership has largely failed. This is a different version of the above point: mainstream Democratic politics largely failed. Biden is going to squeak by against the worst president in modern times; the main DNC-backed candidates failed (see McGrath, Amy); we failed to take the Senate and looks like even lost seats in the House; and all the energy in the party is in candidates from the progressive wing of the party (see the Squad). I hope Schumer steps down or someone primaries him. And with appropriate respect and gratitude to Pelosi for tireless work over the years, it’s time to pass the gavel to the next generation. (This will be the primary site of contest in the coming months: which vision of the Democratic Party’s future should be at the center? If we agree on the need to move beyond Schumer/Pelosi, which many even in the “moderate” wing do as well… where do we go from here?)

3) We need to complicate our narratives. There was a temptation to treat Trump as an aberration; this is the silver-lining of nail-biter results. People chose this, it wasn’t an accident, we can’t sweep it under the rug. While the focus needs to remain on the work white people have to do (every other racial group went for Biden), we also need to understand how Trump managed to INCREASE his share of the POC vote across almost every demographic. While white supremacy is a powerful force (as is patriarchy, since most of his POC support is also disproportionately male), neither of these are completely explanatory. We need to accept this truth: people do not vote against their interests. They always vote for their interests. Efforts to understand must start from this premise. Perhaps a less loaded way to look at this beyond race: 10% of people who identify as “liberal” voted for Trump (caveat that this is preliminary data from exit polls, but it tracks broader electoral trends beyond election night). So too did nearly 30% of people who identify as LGBT. We need to understand why, because the complexity we will uncover there is also true within the other monoliths we construct.

4) It’s the belonging, stupid. I confess to some confirmation bias here, but it seems clear to me that this election is a referendum on that all-important question: who belongs? Who decides? My last post spoke to how I understand this in the context of electoral politics, but this feels like the most important lesson for the “Left”: we need to anchor our narrative in a politics of belonging, one that doesn’t flinch from difficult truths about our past, but is not forever confined by them either. This is the work of building a more perfect union. This election at least gives us a chance.

Finally, a closing note of deep gratitude to the many organizers who have been doing the hard work for years and especially in the run-up to this election… particularly since many of them did it for a candidate that wasn’t their first choice, and for a party whose love hasn’t always been reciprocal. It isn’t yet time to relax (Trump is already desperately trying various gambits to continue his efforts to undermine democracy), but show your local community organizers some love: they deserve it.