November 5, 2020--Election Post Mortem

The morning after the vote, yesterday morning, with the counting well under way, I sent the following note to some of my friends--

"I know it isn't good news, but what does it mean and what is going to happen? I'm all out of explanations and insights. You?"

My favorite initial responses were from Rona and Jill Davenport.

From Rona--

"Not what we hoped for but still pretty much what David Plouffe and the Biden campaign thought would happen.  Don't forget the 'red mirage' followed by the 'blue wave.'  And that's what we're beginning to see this morning as the mail-in votes, overwhelmingly Democratic, begin to be counted in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.  Florida and Texas were long-shots and North Carolina and Georgia still haven't been called.  

The Senate races are also still happening.  Susan Collins looked like she had a big lead last night.  Not so much this morning with only 69% of the Maine vote in, likely a lot of it from the more rural less democratic counties.  Patience. . ."

And from Jill--

"Oh, God, I can hardly breathe.  

I don’t know what’s happening and for the past couple of hours I’ve been watching the Vuelta a Espagne.  Now I’m going to take Ivy for a walk.  

Things were getting weird last night pretty early.  Dinnertime.  I went to bed and got up at midnight and things were even more weird.  There seems to be a shred of hope in the uncounted ballots and so I’m not knowing how to escape from this emotional whiplash.  

Perhaps we should be prepared for the worst--a quick descent into third worldism.  We can’t escape now, though, even if we wanted to, had the means to do so, and the youthfulness and energy to pursue an escape avenue.  

I love my country and I love baseball and peanut butter and the friendliness which we used to have.  I can’t just roll over and kiss these things goodbye without some kind of fight.  

50 years of robbing us of our bright educations and our finest sensibilities have created the empty fools who follow the empty leader.  And all of this to own the libs, to get back at Obama, to shut down women, and to kill us.  I have little illusion.  

Thanks for geting in touch.  It helps."

Anyone who loves baseball and peanut butter is a good friend to have.