This is only the second day post election, but already it seems the Kamala Harris campaign was something that happened a hundred years ago. Various pundits have blamed just about everyone in North America for why Harris lost, especially Harris. She went too far left. She didn’t go left enough. Blah blah blah. I don’t fault her or her campaign, which I think was brilliant. But I see now the deck was stacked against her in many ways, and her being a woman of color was just part of that.
The best thing I’ve read so far about the election is by Rebecca Solnit at The Guardian, Our mistake was to think we lived in a better country than we do. It begins:
Our mistake was to think we lived in a better country than we do. Our mistake was to see the joy, the extraordinary balance between idealism and pragmatism, the energy, the generosity, the coalition-building of the Kamala Harris campaign and think that it must triumph over the politics of lies and resentment. Our mistake was to think that racism and misogyny were not as bad as they are, whether it applied to who was willing to vote for a supremely qualified Black woman or who was willing to vote for an adjudicated rapist and convicted criminal who admires Hitler. Our mistake was to think we could row this boat across the acid lake before the acid dissolved it.
The three primary causes of our dysfunction, Solnit says, are “the crisis of masculinity, the failure of the mainstream news media and the rise of Silicon Valley,” But let’s look first at the failure of the mainstream news media, which to me is the most obvious problem.
The media might be the simplest to describe. A democracy requires an informed citizenry, and the US media over the past eight years in particular created an increasingly misinformed citizenry.
This is a problem that goes back a whole lot further than eight years. And part of the problem isn’t really media’s fault, exactly. The media infrastructure is massively fragmented, much more so than it was back when most folks caught Walter Cronkite or Huntley-Brinkley at least a few times every week. I suspect a whole lot of U,.S. citizens have very little exposure to anything resembling “mainstream media” and instead are relying on social media and the massive right-wing media bubble. Still, mainstream media wasn’t exactly doing its job.
When people are more concerned that a trans girl might play on a softball team than that the climate crisis might profoundly devastate the biosphere and much of life on it, human and otherwise, for the next 10,000 years, the media has failed. When people worry about crime when it is low, an economy when it is thriving and immigrants when they do much of the hard work that sustains that economy and commit fewer crimes than the native-born, the media has failed.
When it came to Donald Trump, they went easy on him, and they again and again let him and the far right set the agenda. They constantly treated asymmetrical issues as symmetrical ones – if the Democrats resisted Republican outrages, both sides were “polarized”. In the media everything had two sides, even if one side was the truth and the other was the lie, one side was the human rights or the law and the other side was their violation.
The “sanewashing” of Trump and hyper-criticism of Harris were just too blatant to not notice, yet many cannot see it. I give some credit to the New York Times and a few other outlets for sounding the alarm on Trump’s mental issues in the final three weeks or so of the campaign, but that was after us small-fry bloggers and independent media had been screaming at them about it for a long, long time,
[Update: See Ryan Cooper at The American Prospect, Time for Democrats to Abandon the Mainstream Media for another perspective.]
I’ve written about the “masculinity crisis” before, such as here. This may be a problem that goes back to the beginnings of human history, frankly. Joseph Campbell was writing about it back in the late 1940s. But exacerbating this is the rise of influence of the infinitely weatlhy Silicon Valley tech bros, like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, who now have the money and connections to remake the political landscape to their liking. These guys do all seem to have massive gender identification issues.
And another problem is that too many Americans don’t seem to know the first thing about how government actually works.
One mistake I think Joe Biden made — and Barack Obama before him — is that he didn’t find a way to communicate directly and frequently to the American people about what he was doing and why he was doing it. I’m thinking about FDR’s fireside chats, which unfortunately wouldn’t work today because of the aforementioned fracturing of media infrastructure and the nation’s attention. But it’s obvious most Americans had no clue what caused the inflation they hated or even that it was a global phenomenon and not just something Biden caused. Biden was hailed around the globe for his skill at bringing inflation down without causing a recession, but most U.S. citizens never heard any of that. They just knew eggs cost more than they used to (mostly because of a bird flu).
[Update: I just saw this at TPM, and it speaks to the previous paragraph —
From TPM Reader CK …
I’ve been a reporter in North Carolina for 30 years, covering the coast and rural counties. For many months, and continuing to this day, there are millions and millions of dollars of Biden Infrastructure and IRA funds pouring into rural communities here for projects to address needs that have been neglected or ignored for decades: wastewater treatment system upgrades, removal of lead pipes in water systems; repairs of rotting boardwalks and docks in small waterfront and fishing communities; mitigation of saltwater intrusion in farm fields, flood resilience in low-elevations; etc, etc. They’re all necessities that will result in real honest-to-god improvements in people’s lives. Virtually none of the beneficiaries — fishers, farmers, residents in communities vulnerable to sea level rise— have any idea that Biden was the reason they have those improvements, or will be getting them soon (when Trump will no doubt take credit.) The Democrats and the administration should have been bragging constantly and everywhere about the funds and the economic recovery. Government subsidies have lifted a nascent renewables industry into a booming profitable job-creator. Again, the messaging to the public about all of these economic factors should have been short, sweet and constant.
Yep.]
It’s a weird thing about group psychology that has long been noted by social psychologsts. A person who talks a lot about morality is perceived as being moral even if his behavior really isn’t. The most assertive/aggressive people in a group end up being leaders even if they are morons. Likewise, Trump is always bragging about what a great job he did or is doing, no matter how incompetent he is, and somehow a least some people assume he must be doing a good job. And the news sources they may consume don’t say otherwise, at least not strongly enough.
Control of the House still hasn’t been determined, althugh at the moment Republicans are somewhat ahead. This may take a few more days, I understand.
On a more practical level, Harris was thrust into the hot seat only 3-4 months ago. Had Biden announced early on that he would not be a candidate, this would've allowed the normal primary vetting to occur, and the normal testing of messages – in essence a competitive process that might've produced a better result.
That Harris and her team performed at such a high level, flawlessly hitting all the emotional notes with the base, and fearlessly winning at so many of the typical campaign events is nothing short of remarkable, but it just wasn't enough to win most of the country.
We definitely don't live in a better country, which can't easily be changed, but we should've listened more carefully to what Trump voters were complaining about, and addressed them properly. And yes, Biden was terrible at PR (what do you expect from an 80-year-old who talks in a whisper).
Wanted to share something that came across my Facebook feed (from "Seniors for a Democratic Society"):
Jimmy Kimmel reacts to Trump's win. Around 7:45 he recites a long list of people and causes for whom Nov 5 was a terrible day – even breaking up in the middle of it – and concludes: it was also a terrible night for everyone who voted For Trump, they just don't know it yet.
By "flawlessly hitting all the emotional notes with the base" are you referring to campaigning hand-in-hand with Liz Cheney, festooning the DNC with cops and Republicans, or sending the most pro-Israel Dem (and Bill Clinton) to lecture Mulsim voters in Michigan? Perhaps you were referring to Obama hectoring black men for being misogynists if they didn't vote Harris? Good lord!
No, I meant knocking the enthusiasm out of the galaxy with top name entertainers, music, fantastic use of social media and so on. She did great on Saturday Night Live, and their campaign had a week-long ad running on Las Vegas' Sphere. Genius marketing.
All of the things you mention, while real, aren't that important. There will always be imperfections. The main goal was to reach as many people as you can.
If you want perfection, you're on the wrong planet.
I will leave the link to a short scene from Star Trek TNG, but the significant line (from Piccard to Data) is: "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness—That is life."
https://youtu.be/t4A-Ml8YHyM
There is a premise among some Democrats doing the autopsy that playing the cards in a different order would have yielded victory. I don't think that's true this time. I think Harris was a good candidate. I think her message was good, and properly delivered. President Biden and VP Harris did a VERY good job over four years. Consider that Covid was peaking when Biden took over. By any objective measure, we were better off after four years of Biden/Harris than we were with four years of Trump.
There's an interesting article from Salon I will link to. To summarize, Don Lemon did a lot of "man on the street" interviews that show "the profound extent to which the public's aversion to facts and information has reorganized our reality." Or less politely – a big chunk of the electorate is bat-shit crazy. Not addressed in the article is how COVID hysteria fed the insanity. I'm referring to the kooks who felt that I was violating their rights if I wore a mask. The same people who see vaccines as a health hazard. Untethered from reality cannot describe the interstellar gulf between their opinions and objective fact.
If this is true, how did Biden win in 2020? Simple – enough people were aware that Trump was failing to contain COVID-19 and he had no grasp on what to do. (The very public gaffe of proposing we drink Lysol and shine a bright light up … where the sun don't shine proved what a buffon Trump is. And nobody was laughing while so many were dying. This election, not enough people were afraid for their lives in a very real way. IMO, that was the difference.
So we had two "Covid" elections. One we won because the death toll was climbing and none of Trump's promises or proposals were working. But COVID created some deep-seated distrust of public health despite the obvious fact that the proper application of prudent health policies brought COVID-19 under control. In 2024, the crazies are not in fear of their lives, so they are fighting imaginary monsters.
The list is of monsters is ridiculous – dangerous criminals from all over the world have been brought to the US by Harris to rape and pillage anyone white. The FBI is evil. The DOJ is evil. The justice system is corrupt. "They" are out to turn your girl into a boy and your boy into a girl – without your permission. I mentioned vaccines. Do away with the education system. Climate change is a hoax, Russia was justified in invading Ukraine. Muslims alone are at fault for what Israel is doing to Gaza. NATO is an oppressive force in Europe. Tariffs won't drive up consumer costs. We must not tax the rich. The media is lying to you – you can only trust Trump. The Deep State is (fill in the blank with your favorite conspiracy theory.)
https://www.salon.com/2024/11/07/don-man-on-the-street/
If the price of winning an election is joining the kooks, I'd advocate for continuing to lose. The GOP did that (patronizing the nuts) when they thought they could control the monster they made. They have been consumed.
It's a tenet of mine that you can ignore reality but reality will not ignore you. What Trump and the GOP propose to do will bring misery to us all (where "us" is the working class.) This happened a century ago when stupid policy by the GOP brought on the Great Depression. A majority Republican country turned liberal – when the pain was severe enough. Democrats are not gonna bring the pain – it will all be the fault of the GOP.
Some have said a female minority person was a mistake. America is not "ready" and the Harris defeat proves it. I had no reservations about voting for Harris because I think when was totally qualified for the job. I'd have foted for almost anything and anyone over Trump but Harris was not a bottom-of-the-barrel candidate. I'd probably vote for her again – and the only reason I say "probably" is I don't know the other potential candidates. In the primary, I will support the "best" candidate without considering race or gender as a qualifying ot disqualifying factor.
The old great depression may pale in comparison to the one Trumpism will bring. Didn't the great one start at the end of the roaring twenties?
This one might start about 2026. We will see.
Dad said a lot of things, some with wisdom and some from Lala Land (A notional place characterized by fantasy, self-absorption and blissful lack of touch with reality). Both of his worlds seem to be in play a bit. Why not start in Lala Land.
Moonbat's story says much about what we are up against. They get no Christmas or Happy Holidays. They now get the reality smack down. (The pronoun they, is here defined as the Trump voters.) Hey man, when you vote for a con man what do you expect? Too late to reach them now.
I think this is what the greater Bernie was talking about when he was on his rant yesterday. The party failed to reach the working person. Yes. The greater Bernie did too. He did get some airtime on the BBC news, which is not in the world of the working stiff. He talks way over their heads or at least most of their heads. They get their view from the psycho feed.
The Guardian and Rebeca Solnit nailed it, the party was playing to Lala Land, and not the Lala Land working people live in. Not the world of most union workers either, but those around where I live, in a red right to work (aka slave) state Lala Land. Here where bigotry and misogyny are taught daily and twice at church on Sunday by men in robes generally. The local college once had a slogan about making its students "world ready". No way. Not a copy of the NYT on campus anymore and the diversity word is tabu and its people banished. Xenophobia training comes with the degree and if you are not neurotic enough. they might not give you any degree. Now the fake Trannies in the Trump ads…that got through to them. Conned again.
There is way more about Lala Lands, and the mass psychosis this country faces. I still have not touched on dad's wisdom.
He always said, and he often repeated himself, when you told him problems you were up against to just make the best of it.
So, I guess we make the best of it.
That is, if we can define what the pronoun it is. So far, progress on that is good.
Much more hard work to do.
I think the ability to communicate with people will be key to Democrats regaining and keeping any level of power. One person to keep an eye on is Jeff Jackson, the NC rep who just won the state Attorney General race. He wasn't my rep., but he still communicated well with Democrats (and probably Republicans, if they didn't unsubscribe) state-wide about issues he was working on in the state house. I think he's a rising star in the party and worth watching/supporting.
What Went Wrong?
1. As Bernie Sanders says, the Dem Party abandoned the working class, so it shouldn't be surprised that the working class abandoned it. To be fair, I don't see how the Dem Party could have avoided bankruptcy and (permanent?) collapse in the early 1990's if the Clintons hadn't cut deals with Wall Street and Silicon Valley.
2. GOP micro-marketing to separate ethnic/linguistic/religious groups was FAR more successful than Dem attempts to get all those groups to subsume their cultural identity under the banner of "POC".
2a. Mainstream GOP institutions and Donors backed Trump this time, so those micro-marketing campaigns had plenty of resources (money, smart managers, etc).
3. Backing Transgender Rights was a /political/ mistake for Dems. (*Every* GOP ad I heard here in CT made a big deal out of that).
4. Israel Lobby got mad at Progressive Dems and backed Trump & GOP as more "reliable" supporters of Israel. Biden/Harris thought they could thread the needle – pacify young pro-Palestinian Voters without alienating pro-Israel Donors – but (inevitably?) failed. (I think this explains *some* of MSM choices too)
5. Avoiding "divisive" Primaries meant that Candidate (Harris) and Messaging were chosen by Dem power-brokers, not voters. Personally, I never found her to be a compelling speaker, and based on results, it seems like I'm not alone. (OTOH, IMO Trump is an absolutely *repulsive* speaker; I can't fathom how anyone can like or trust him)
6. Dems cornered themselves into running on a Status Quo, Everything Is Fine kinda platform, at a time in US history when a bunch of bad long-term trends are finally becoming acute (concentration of wealth, End-of-Empire military over-extension, loss of industrial base, infrastructure decay, Climate Change, etc). The sad thing is, Dems have *much* better policies for dealing with those things, but they were afraid to mention them.
6a. Inflation: rather than fighting back & blaming recent inflation on Trump & GOP, Dems asked us to trust economists who explained in TLDR detail how "inflation is coming down" (which was technically true but a *terrible* campaign platform).
7. Biden's Infrastructure programs are tremendously important for America, *in the long run*. In the short run, they are decent Jobs Programs, but I suspect that most of the people doing that work don't understand that they wouldn't have those jobs if it wasn't for Biden. Neither short- nor long-term benefits were communicated well enough.
8. GOP has focused – for decades (see Powell Memo) – on the long game, while Dems reinvent their wheels every four years for "the most important election in US history".
9, 10, 11, etc: Everything else [went wrong].
Lots of things went wrong but I don't really Blame Harris for most of it. She did better than most people would have with 3 months to wage a campaign against our wing-nut media behemoth and their spokesman. It didn't help that she didn't run a primary campaign and ascended to the top of the ticket only after Biden won the nomination and was forced out by his own party. This obviously was a deep hole to dig out of. It also didn't help that she received very little public help from high profile democrats. Many of the same democrats who publicly called for Biden's removal. The only familiar face I saw on tee-vee on a regular basis enthusiastically supporting her was MI gov. Whitmer. I never saw much of Chuck Schumer, Bernie, Durbin or most of the leadership in the house or senate. Amy Klobuchar held her seat but I never saw her promoting Harris in a high profile way. They all ran away from Biden/Harris like they had the Chickenpox. The best employment numbers in decades, record stock markets, higher wages but most of them sat on their hands. It's too hard to explain inflation. Most democrats who would publicly support Harris were doing so as an after thought while plugging their own campaign. I did see that Nancy got on on the tee-vee today and threw Joe Biden under the bus. Was that really necessary, the election is over, thanks for nothing Nancy. My only real fault with Harris's campaign (and it's a big one) is that she stayed the high road for way to long, I don’t think she ever got off it did she? While Stump was spending millions running nasty anti-immigrant, anti-trans ads and ads lying about everything under the sun the Harris campaign tried to stick to a mostly positive message about turning the page. Running an idealistic campaign makes us liberals feel good but when you are running against a treasonous rapist and you have damming well known video of it maybe someone in the campaign should have said: hey should we use some of that? Should we use J6 footage, cops being crushed by Trump flag yielding thugs, insurrectionists trashing the senate floor, video of Mike Pence running for his life from Trumps mob, should we use some of that footage in an ad? Or news footage from the E. Jean Carroll trial or his 34 felony convictions or hey how about Stump checking out women at a party with convicted pedophile and best Bro Jeffery Epstein. Would it be fair to use that? How about all of the criminals that Stump pardoned on the way out the door in 2020? How about the million and half Americans that died of covid while Stump was playing golf? Nope never used any of it, why would they? The high road is not going work anymore. In the end I don't think she really could have won anyway, but they damn sure could have tried harder. The GOP controls most of the media in this country and Stumps man bro owns twitter. We democrats have msnbc which is full of prime time opinion folks that nobody bothers to watch. Democrats have a lot of work to do. Mike Tomasky had a good rant about the media's role in all of this today.
https://archive.li/e29Os
Too many of us forgot what a sexist, mysogynist country the US of A is. That, in itself, gave trump the win.
Ho hum. To fix something you best know how it works. The other options are to call someone who might know how it works or replace it with a new one. These options both take power and/or money which are almost synonymous.
Ben Rhodes (not the stock car driver) might know how it works. Here is a sample and a link:
Opinion | Democrats Walked Into a Trap Republicans Set for Them – The New York Times