It’s been a while. I haven’t felt worked up enough to write anything. Just content to lurk as it were. But I thought I’d add my 1 cent to all the ink being written as post mortem to the 2016 election.
First, I really wished I had written something during the primaries because I knew then that the challenge for the Democratic nominee was not whether they had my vote, but whether their campaign, their vision was compelling enough to make me enthusiastic. That is, enthusiastic enough for me to donate ($20 is how I roll!) and to make calls.
Second, it is disheartening to find out that WE didn’t show up. AGAIN. That there were millions of people who had been worn down by the constant circus that the media was selling us. That lazy false equivalencies won over fact based realities in the fact based community! That once again (check my nom de Kos), folks were sold that voting their “conscience” for Stein or Johnson (really?) was not the same as evangelicals voting for an odious, philandering, narcissistic con man because he was on the right side of the single issue they cared most about.
Third, we had been warned that Democrats and progressives needed to learn how to speak to white working class voters again. It was not enough to have policies that would help them, we actually needed to interact an speak to them on a granular level.
Fourth, because these white working class voters were/are so desperate for the realignment, Trump has a very low bar to be a success in their eyes. Most of his voters don’t believe he will do anything that he promised to do, let alone the magic stuff (believe me!)
I’m sure that the DNC will do an autopsy. But for me, my real come to Jesus moment was when I realized that the lack of enthusiasm I had in not making calls is the same as for those who didn’t vote. We didn’t feel it would make a difference. We were WRONG.
So what am I pledged to do? I’m pledging to work my tail off to get a Democratic Senate and get out the vote in 2018. After 2 years of a Trump/Pence administration, hopefully, you will, too.
