NOVEMBER 24, 2020 – Among the 79 million who voted for Biden/Harris, many of us are concerned about the long-term damage that the Trump has done to our democracy by his baseless claim of voter fraud and other electoral irregularities. His rantings and ravings about a “stolen” election would have little impact if a big chunk of his supporters weren’t drinking the Kool-Aid that he and his enablers have been dispensing. As it turns out, many people still buy Trump’s nonsense. To the dismay of us who detest GoebbelsNews, we learn that many Kool-Aid addicts switched to the crack cocaine pushed by QAnon and NewsMax—“infotainment” sources even more adept than Fox at injecting credibility into falsehoods.
But maybe there’s an opposite narrative that’s equally valid. Perhaps we shouldn’t be wringing our hands as much as clapping them. Maybe as November days grow shorter there’s something to celebrate.
First is the vote count. Biden garnered over six million more votes than the Narcissist. That’s more than the combined populations of nearly all the red states of the Wild West besides Texas, which, by the way, could well “go all the way blue by twenty-twenty-two.” Also, the national turnout exceeded two-thirds of eligible voters—the highest in 120 years—despite a raging pandemic. Biden’s convincing victory under such circumstances was the return of a robust pulse to a democracy whose heart had nearly failed. This was particularly true among groups that Republicans had targeted in their voter suppression campaign.
Second and central to the matter of hope is that “Stop the Steal” never passed “Go!” As critical as the result is the underlying “why”: despite our splintered laws and rules governing elections—welcome again to “states rights,” alive and kicking hard despite the modern age—the system(s) is (are) remarkably secure, devoid of material irregularities, and competently administered. Ironically, the frontal assault that was fraudulent in its intent proved the very absence of fraud in our electoral process. Republican-appointed judges sealed the deal by taking Trump’s lawyers to task. As it turns out, Rudy the cartoon caricature and Donald the comic book villain—and their Republican enablers—didn’t weaken confidence in our electoral process. They strengthened it, however inadvertently.
Third is the second chance. Or maybe it’s our eleventeenth chance, given our checkered history in running this ol’ democracy. We still have to grapple with the fact that 74 million people voted for the biggest fraudster-in-your-face ever to occupy the People’s House (but again, six million more voted him out). We still have to deal with the Age of Disinformation—with ignorance, gullibility, and darker elements of the human heart and mind. But maybe, just maybe, the crazed cry of “Fraud!” awoke an electorate that had heretofore slumbered or surrendered. Maybe now people see the connection between “politics” and their personal well-being. Maybe henceforth people will take greater responsibility for their fragile democracy.
Maybe hope is on the way, brought to us by buffoonish over-reach of people unfit for public service.
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© 2020 by Eric Nilsson
