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Tuesday’s results were, to say the least, somewhat disappointing. Not only was an easy Biden victory possible, but so was a Democratic U.S. Senate and an expanded majority in the House. It looks like only one of those things is still in play.
The Democratic Party is going to have to figure itself out and all of us who are anything left of center need to do some soul searching.
It’s probably inevitable that progressives will say that the Democrats have tried two mainstream liberals in a row against the worst man ever to be president. They lost once and, at best, they’ll squeak it out this time. Time to move hard left, they’ll say.
Moderate liberals will point to Republican attacks on “socialism” and civil unrest that seemed to have gained traction. My own view is that the party needs to find a way to reconnect with blue collar voters.
But all that should be for another day. Up until today progressives and liberals have stayed remarkably focused and united in their quest to defeat Donald Trump. And, look, for all the disappointment of Tuesday that primary goal is still within our grasp.
As of this writing it looks like Biden will squeeze out a narrow victory in Wisconsin, though that might also be subject to a recount. No matter. It appears that we have shaken off the sour taste of 2016 when we were part of the blue wall that crumbled. We all would have liked a better margin, but let’s take the victory.
Biden may also eke out wins in Michigan and Pennsylvania and the game isn’t even over yet in North Carolina and Georgia. Arizona should go his way, representing a major shift in that state. It looks like the blue wall has been rebuilt. Yes, it’s way too fragile, but the same Midwestern states that brought us Donald Trump seem to have also brought Trump down.
So, I know it’s hard to believe it, but the country still trends in a blue direction. We were once again the victim of high expectations, but if you take the long view, things aren’t as bad as they seem. Trump flipped no states to him and Biden will certainly flip at least one and possibly as many as a half dozen. If Arizona and Georgia move into the blue column and Texas continues to trend in that direction, that will be huge. It’s all taking longer than anybody thought, but the basic direction is unchanged.
But here’s the main thing. We always knew Trump would continue to undermine our democracy no matter what happened. It looks like we’re in for probably more than a long week. The counts, the recounts and the court actions may take weeks to sort out. During this time everybody from Democratic Socialists on the left to the Lincoln Project on the right needs to keep their eyes on the prize.
The last thing we need right now is finger pointing. There needs to be some deep dive analysis and there will be plenty of time for that, but let’s not do it with the game on the line in extra innings.
If, when the smoke clears, Trump is gone from the White House that will be more than enough for me. Let’s make sure that happens.
