Well, fuck.
I specifically did not write a post before the election about how Harris would win because I didn’t want to jinx it like I did in 2016. Instead, I donated money, wrote letters to voters in swing states, and smugly watched Republicans panic.
I flew a “Harris-Walz” flag and put up a yard sign:
My dad, my friend JM, and even Brilliant Blonde Lawyer Sister were not so sanguine about a Democratic victory. Not even when I extolled the virtues of the Dem’s ground game, the problem with polling Gen Z and Millennials, and the fact that surely America had figured out that TRUMP IS A DODDERING IDIOT AND CONVICTED FELON WHO KILLED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS WITH A BOTCHED COVID RESPONSE AND THEN ATTEMPTED A COUP.
Sorry, fam. I will never underestimate the stupidity of my fellow white Americans again.
More than one of my social media friends in Europe asked me, “How the hell could this happen?”
The mathematical answer? Based on the projected final vote count, approximately 6 million fewer people voted for Harris than voted for Biden in 2020, while about 2 million MORE people voted for Trump this time around. (Harris will probably get 9-10 million more than Hillary Clinton did in 2016, in case you are wondering.) The loss of blue voters isn’t due to a declining population, either. The United States has added approximately 6 million eligible voters to the rolls since 2020.
So at least 8 million people couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a Black woman. There’s a word for that: misogynoir.
And 6 million people went from, “Biden’s old, but Trump must be stopped” to “The options are a treasonous, convicted felon rapist or a Black woman? I can’t vote for either. Oh, well.”
As for the 76 million people who actually vote for Trump? Originally I wrote a long historical explanation for this post. It had dozens of hyperlinks and theories about this country’s glorification of rugged individualism (i.e., willful ignorance and toxic masculinity), the impact of our inability to apologize/make amends for slavery or genocide, and the Republican agenda of defunding education after the Vietnam War.
But I’m gonna spare you all that. Since this country is so enamored of someone who “tells it like it is,”* here’s me, telling it like it really is.
If you’re well-off and you voted for Trump, you’re a selfish asshole. You got yours. You have no empathy and do not care about women dying, the planet becoming unlivable, or Putin annexing Europe. Your money and privilege are, after all, so much more important than mere people.
If you’re middle class and you voted for Trump, you can’t math. Trump plans on more tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, plus tariffs to destroy the strong economy President Biden painstaking rebuilt from the LAST inept Trump administration.
If you are a white woman who voted for Trump, congrats to you, you good little foot soldier for the white supremacist patriarchy. Welcome to the Republic of Gilead. Kiss your birth control, bodily autonomy, and other rights goodbye, sweetie, especially if you live in a red state. At least that red robe matches the blood on your hands real nice.
And if you’re a naturalized or first generation Trump voter who isn’t a white, male billionaire? You think you’re “one of the good ones,” and are utterly unprepared to be rounded up and deported. Too bad the ICE goons are coming for you no matter how many MAGA hats you wear.
Oh, and if you’re Christian and voted for Trump? No, you’re not. You’re not about feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, and loving your neighbor. You’re a Christo-fascist (and Old Testament, at best).
And when any of you Trumpers land in the hole you dug by voting for that vile, fascist monster?
I’m gonna be the first to toss in a shovel full of dirt and say, “We fucking told you so.”
“TWICE.”
*Yes, I know Trump doesn’t actually tell it like it is. He just lies.
Thank you. Maybe there should have been more straight talk all along.
We tried. We really did. Harris did her best to appeal to the Independents. She told the truth in the debates and her speeches. The horror that is America is that the Republicans have used hate and fear for decades to get Republicans to vote against their own self-interest. And every time, those idiots have to hit rock bottom before they grab the lifeline that is a Democratic administration. EVERY TIME. If the Republicans get control of the House of Representatives, I am not entirely sure the lifeline will be available again.
Just a reasonable post, though I hear your rage. I’m European and mindboggled about how this can happen. Didn’t even the convicted felon part cause a problem?
I listened to part of an Obama speech during the elections and got the impression that, more than being of a sunnier skin colour than ghost white, the problem seemed to culminate in Harris being female. As a woman, I feel oddly offended by this (though I’m white and live far away). Mostly though, I’m very concerned about the climate agreements Trump will pull out of, while we are already experiencing the effects of climate change and really need to act now. Also the wars need to end. It’s just very depressing.
Thank you for writing this!
The convicted felon thing is just so insane. If he’d actually been sentenced, he wouldn’t be able to vote in Florida. But they withheld sentencing him because the Dems are overly moral and don’t realize they are in a street fight: we have a thing about it not being ethical to prosecute someone running for office, especially if they are the opposing party. Never mind that Trump is going to prosecute anyone he even imagine hates him, of course.
And yes, it’s depressing as all get out. I alternate between that and rage. I’m barely restraining myself from ripping down a neighbor’s Trump flag and choking him with it.
I’m so happy I haven’t seen any of those over here!!! Most people I know are as shocked as I am. Some were expecting it because they are pessimists But no one was cheering for him!
I can’t imagine anyone in NATO cheering for the dismantling of NATO. Which I am SURE will be on the agenda. Sorry.
I chuckled at the very vivid image of you choking your neighbor with the trump flag. I also have a neighbor down the street with a trump flag and I routinely flip the house off on my drive home
Oh, I flip off all those fucking flags in my neighborhood. This guy recently built a giant castle on top of the hill in our neighborhood and flies an enormous Trump flag. I’m trying to figure out how to get rid of it. For now, I’m flying the California flag and refusing to take down my yard signs. Carry on with your middle finger. I’m debating making little yard signs with a swastika and the slogan: “You may as well fly this one, too” and sticking them in front of every Trumper’s house.
Thank you for thanking me for writing it. I know that sounds weird, but it sort of helps.
Good!
Typo: just should be ”such”!
Don’t worry, I speak fluent typo.
The 13m fewer votes havent been counted yet.
It’s projected to be a 5m swing from Dems to Reps.
Thanks, H. I was working off the vote totals I had yesterday, and you make a good point. The West Coast still has a lot of outstanding ballots. I’ll put in an edit. Trump will have 75-76 million and Harris will probably have 74-75 million votes. So you could say she only lost 6-7 million Biden voters.
“only lost 6 million”
I felt that It is a catastrophic step backwards.
Right? And many of those crucial votes were lost in the swing states. Catastrophic is correct.
Rage suits you. I’m with you 100% on all counts, and rest assured, Tara too. This country absolutely disgusts me, and if there were any reasonable way to leave, I would do so in a heartbeat and never look back.
Despite all the Monday morning quarterbacking and finger-pointing (how quickly people have turned on Kamala!), she was an amazing candidate who would have done a ton of good. We should really hold Merrick Garland accountable…and I guess, if we do that, we have to hold Biden accountable for extending an olive branch and hiring him in the first place. I am done with the whole “when you go low, we go high” bullshit. Nice guys finish last, each and every time.
Thank you, good thing rage is my color. I’ll be wearing it exclusively for the next 4 years. Yeah, the old school Dems are trying to duel politely against a monster with no regard for rules, civility, or human life. They should have used every weapon at their disposal to stomp him into oblivion.
The campaign was moving in that direction. It was just too little, too late. Gotta fight fire with fire.
Well, the campaign moved that way, but the Biden administration did not.
Well said, clearly explained, a cogent response that will fall on deaf ears of those who have the most to lose from this election. Like you when things go south, and they will, I’ll be watching, not all that sympathetic to their self-inflicted plight.
It’s so true. You can always trust the willful ignorant to do the wrong thing. *bangs head on desk*
I felt sick when I woke up and heard, and I don’t even live there. I’d listened to Rory Stewart (UK political commentator) explaining why Kamala Harris would win and how he was putting his money where his mouth was (quite a lot of money as it happened), and I’d allowed myself to believe, not just hope. I was hoping our UK election result was a sign of things turning round from the idiots to the grown-ups, but I was clearly wrong. I have been reading some commentary on why people didn’t vote for the Harris/Walz ticket and I’m aghast. The job was clear. Even if you didn’t love them and could pick some fault with various aspects, they were better than the other option. Just do your job and vote. Sigh. My sympathies. Oh, and you do rage most eloquently and factually.
I, too, believed. And I usually catastrophize. I don’t know whether to feel foolish or grateful that I had months of hope.Thanks for the compliment on my diatribe. It helps.
Yes. This. ALL of this. “Oh, the face-eating leopard party is eating MY face? But but but…”
I’ve gone from deep despair to slow-boil fury and I guess have (AGAIN) to stay furious for four years.
4 more years of rage. 4 more years of hoping their ineptitude will save the institutions protecting people. It’s exhausting to think about waking up every morning like:
I’m honestly getting too old for this shit. Like, I was protesting about women’s reproductive rights and immigrant issues 40+ f’ing years ago and at some point a girl just wants to be done, y’know? But I guess not. On the plus side, definitely finding a LOT of other silver-haired women who are just so sick of all this we’re willing to get out the flame throwers… Roll on this 2026 mid-terms.
Yeah. Flame throwers are sounding pretty good. Could barbecue a lot of cyber trucks.
Thank you for giving words to this outrage. I teeter between grief, anger and the injustice of it all. We will be the determined rebellion, once we pick ourselves up off the floor.
Yeah. The floor does beckon. But the rage keeps me going. Mostly.
Sigh. I have nothing to add but I’m with you. x
Many hugs back at you.
Looking for sand to stick my head into for 4 years. The phrase uttered most in my house over the last six months is “what’s wrong with people?” I agree that it was the “woman” thing that had a lot to do with it. We are not really that progressive. Obviously, Latinos are not offended when they are called garbage. Don’t get that either. Sending hugs although there is nothing that works in this situation.
Thanks for the hugs. it’s going to be a long 4 years. Hopefully not more than that.
We can only wish for the best.
Or boils on Republican butts.
I like that!
I love this.
Or rather, I hate it and hate the fact you had to write it… but it sums up my feelings perfectly.
I’m disappointed, disgusted and quite frankly ashamed of us as a nation right now.
Thanks.The shame, and the stupid…they burn.
Thank you for writing this!
You are welcome! Even if the relatives who should read it never do.
Safe to say none of my relatives read your blog, except may be one BIL, but I don’t think even he would read this one and I’ll bet you $5 that family went back to the dark side after briefly seeing the light in 2020.
Just from my own connections and fam, sticking to swing states, I can see why it’s tough for decent and intelligent people to understand this country. Here are examples by state of what they say:
PA – Planned Parenthood is a liberal conspiracy designed to kill all the black babies. Also, Americans aren’t racist anymore. We dealt with all that during the Civil Rights movement. So, we’re done with it and people just need to stop complaining and move on.
GA – That lovely bunch sends/posts memes of Satan sewing a pride flag.
NC – Solid WCN. Also, marry and dump women until you produce a boy, a la Henry VIII. Make sure that kid stays a boy and is a “real man.”
FL – Come here legally or don’t come. If you didn’t play by the rules, get out.
MI – To white people elsewhere – move here to a community where you don’t have to deal with black people. I’ve heard flavors of this from other states, but from MI? Really?
In fairness, I’d have to write a book if I shared the utter rot I’ve heard in my own state of CA. There’s a lot of stupid and evil to fight no matter where you live. Dig a little and the stuff will slither out. In the meantime, I never thought that watching Voldemort, the Emperor or Sauron’s stories would feel more like a documentary.
An excellent snapshot of Trump voters across the nation, demonstrating our lovely post-truth society. Thank you for sharing the insanity.
I’m waiting for all of the “Well, I didn’t know he was going to do *that*” statements to start.
Right? This is one of my favs from our last go round: https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/05/us/undocumented-husband-deported/index.html
Oh, jeez.♀️
I don’t know why the emoji changed. It was supposed to be a facepalm.
I kind of like the female symbol that showed up in WP.
Exactly. On all counts. My first thought for the Trump voters was FAFO. The trouble is, we’ll all find out. Besides the racist and sexist voters, I blame lazy ignorance and selfishness.
Yeah. Just swallowing Fox News whole.
As you rightfully shamed every type of Trump voter in this post, all I could do was furiously nod my head in agreement. The amount of people who voted against their best interests is astounding. At the end of this election I have lost even more faith in the American public, which I thought was hard to do considering 2016.
Also as I read this through the comments from your overseas readers and my own friends abroad, I have to echo a line I saw on Bloomberg earlier this week: “America deserves trump, but the rest of the world doesn’t.”
I think only 76 million Americans deserve Trump. Their children don’t, the rest of us certainly don’t. But we’re stuck with him. All we can hope for is 4 more years of utter ineptitude. Wheeeee.
Amidst the rage, I sense grief.
I grieve with you, the serious threat to democracy, peace and safety. This past Sept.-Oct. I visited and stayed with some U.S. bloggers I’ve gotten to know over the past 15 years ..well via each other’s blogs. In Chicago and northern Minnesota by Lake Superior in the fall. During that special time, I felt as a Canadian, I was spending good time with American friends during a golden sliver of time in your history — before the storm.
Canadians are concerned….because we are your neighbour but need to self-protect. There is some extreme infection of negative attitudes leaching into Canada… Long story.
Anyway, may your little guy grow strong and happy with you and hubby. We must live our lives now as well as we can and with honour to those who we care for and hope for.
Oh, yes, such grief. It could be debilitating, which is why I choose rage. And sadly, the US doesn’t have a monopoly on racism, misogyny, or fascism.
I had so much hope leading up to election night, but when the AP called Georgia for @!#$%, I got the ‘oh no’ feeling and decided to go to bed so I didn’t stay up all night bemoaning our future fate. Can we really handle 4 more years of FAFO, face-eating leopards, incredibly ridiculous statements, rampant ignorance, etc., etc. at best? Or full rollout of Project 2025 and dismantling of our country’s government as we know it? I’ve had to calm my wife down by mentioning we need to pare down our debt in preparation to move out if we go down the German 1930’s path. We really are living in ‘interesting’ times….
You are so right. On all counts. I had hope, too. I’m not entirely sure I do anymore. I’m really not sure this country is smart enough to turn itself around. But at least I still have rage?