Afterthoughts

There’s no way to sugarcoat that election.  It was a whuppin.

The newspapers are full of analysis.  The Democrats didn’t understand, or they did it wrong, and here’s what they should have done, and finally, here’s what they must do.  There’s a lot that needs to be said, and a lot that just wants to be said.

I’ll just say a few things.  Here’s my answer to the question I posed in July.  I’m sorry to say that Biden choosing Harris as his running mate was one of his mistakes.  This is not because she was unworthy.  It was because Biden chose someone he did not have confidence in to carry forward.  That inflated his conceit that only he could do it.  It also reduced his party to tongue-tied indecision.

Kamala, for her part, ran a spirited campaign, but one obviously missing any forethought.  She was light on her feet and did a creditable job of making it up as she went along.  That wasn’t enough.

I can’t say much about how Trump won.  I do know that a majority of voters were willing to risk the destruction of our democracy in order to get off the track we’re on now.  That should be clarifying.

What can we do?  In the short term, compromise where we can, resist where we must, and fight where we have the people with us.   But we have some big long-term work to do.  Thinking to do.  First we must think philosophically, then strategically, then intentionally, and then tactically.  Don’t rush this.  It’s important.