When I sat down to write this post originally, I discovered that even though this blog is anonymous, and part of why I created it was to share my thoughts, I feel very uncomfortable actually sharing my thoughts. Sad trombone noise.
I’m hoping that it’s something that will become easier over time. Maybe it will be easier if I ever get an audience. Maybe I’m like Tinkerbell, clap your hands if you believe.
Anyways
I think it’s really important to talk about why the Dems had such a fundamentally poor showing on election day this year. And obviously that’s a big question, with big answers that can reach back decades if you’re looking closely. Hell, I’ve seen a few hot takes that when Lincoln offered the CSA indemnity in 1865 the ball started rolling.
But, like, it’s also not a big question, and the answer is simple. People didn’t vote for Kamala Harris because Kamala Harris didn’t offer anything to vote for. I’m not saying that Harris had no redeeming qualities or was somehow unfit for the presidency. Honestly in a different time with a different Congress I can see the Harris/Walz ticket doing very well, even (very) gently pushing left over the course of their administration. No what I mean is that their campaign centered around what to vote against. I don’t think I ever saw an official campaign message from them that offered a “pro Harris” argument so much as an “anti Trump/MAGA” argument. Their official campaign slogan was “we’re not going back” for fucks sake. All of their major talking points were about stopping the backslide, or saving rights we already have or could lose at a federal level. And the entire apparatus supporting their campaign was doing the same. Every Mayor Pete appearance on Fox News, despite being eloquent and charming, was fundamentally only ever him saying “they want things to get worse, and we don’t,” which is not enough.
I think it’s maybe reductive to compare this messaging to Obama, but famously his campaign slogan in 2008 was “Change.” People were unhappy with the status quo, and he said “I am too, let’s change.” And that was powerful! It’s what Trump has been doing this campaign cycle. Obviously not as eloquently, and the changes he has in mind are fascist, stupid, or both, but it was change.
People have been going on and on in (especially white) liberal spaces about how um actually the economy is doing great and look at all this stuff Biden did and bleep blorp blah-dee bloo. And my response has always been the same: who gives a shit if it feels like things are worse. Humans, generally, are all about perception. We, especially Americans, are completely vibes-based. And I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but the vibes have been bad. And we had one person shouting and ranting that yes, it IS bad. You’re right for feeling that way, and I am going to do something different. And my opponent is actually responsible for the bad vibes, because she has been in power for four years. On the other hand, you have Harris who made no meaningful moves to distance herself from the “play it safe” Democratic establishment or Bidens quietly effective but loudly disengaged administration, made no claims to be an agent of change, and focused her most intense messaging on how the status quo is GOOD ACTUALLY, and you need to vote for her to save it. Especially for the majority of Americans who are not cursed to follow every single news story and be informed on every little thing like me, who are just trying to get through their day and are struggling to afford rent and groceries and are begging for something different, the Dems were telling them was either they thought the voters were stupid for being unhappy, or they were so insulated by money or power that they weren’t suffering alongside us. Both bad options.
Imagine, for just a moment, if the Democratic Party swung big. Imagine if they committed to being the progressive opposition party. Picture it: it’s 2023, and Gretchen Whitmer or Pete Buttigieg or whoever announces they’re running for President. They run on big promises that probably won’t live through a stalled out Congress or a hostile Supreme Court. Federal minimum wage will be $17, free universal daycare and/or Pre-K and/or Kindergarten, maximum rent prices will be tied to a cities median income, free 2-year associates degree programs or federal scholarships for trade schools. Policies that the majority of Americans regardless of political affiliation consistently show support for. Can you imagine the blowout election? And even if they never believed they could pass those things, but they tried anyway and pointed to the GOP obstruction of every single inch of progress when they inevitably failed, I think it would be the start of a new age. And if they pushed all of these “extreme” policies, maybe the easy or boring stuff like abortion protection or better funding for the IRS could slip through. The Overton Window™ could actually shift.
Okay daydream over, because they didn’t. Because the Democratic establishment doesn’t actually trust the progressive voting bloc. They court republicans instead of pushing back. They have a billionaire speak at the DNC and refuse a Palestinian American. They play it safe to the point of impotence and lose big time, and 100 million people don’t even show up to vote (which is the norm, granted, but I like to think this could have been a special occasion if they tried).
IF American is able to hold a free and fair election in two and four years, I really hope the Dems learned the right lesson. I know deep in my bones that they didn’t, that they’ll ride this “at least we’re not dumb fascists, we don’t need progress” train into hell. But I really HOPE I’m wrong. I guess we’ll see.
~Inchoate Clay
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