I wrote all this on my FB page. And I now repeat it here, with slight edits, for blogging posterity. :)
My daughter called around 1:30 am my time in New Mexico when I had been sleeping. My initial thoughts in response to her disbelief (she was shocked, but not surprised) were as follows:
1. Harris put Israel above the Republic. Her strategy to get white women Republican voters failed. Arab- and Muslim-Americans in Michigan appear to be deciding to put themselves at risk rather than even tacitly support genocide of their relatives. College kids in Michigan decided risking real fascism was better than supporting genocide, too. Just as I feared across the board. And it looks like this had an effect in Wisconsin and the now largely pro-union, but minority-led union, Nevada (where "none of the above"--a Nevada innovation--won 1.3%).
2. This is the angry male election, including Gen-Z men and high school diploma working-class men. And these men wonder why women in their statuses won't fuck them anymore. Also, for black and Latino men who supported Trump, your families need to have an intervention with you. Seriously.
3. The late poll in Iowa? Dead wrong. Waaay wrong.
4. Harris won NM by five points and the Greens didn't even make 1%. RFK, Jr. got twice as many votes. Cryptobros rejoice at 1% My vote didn't cause Harris to lose, but Stein votes will cause Trump to win Michigan. But, see #1. This is on you, Kamala. On. You.
I'm going back to sleep. I have class tomorrow (later this morning?). Oh well.
UPDATE AT 4:25 AM AFTER A FITFUL SLEEP:
May I offer the macroeconomic analysis here? Inflation was generally higher in other economically advanced nations than in the US. Most voters in most of these nations didn't know about inflation except in their own nation. Since 2022, most incumbent executive leaders lost their spots. The Dems were always going to have a hard time in 2024 because the US marginal or swing voters don't know about inflation in Europe or elsewhere. And they never really understood how much corporate oligopolistic practices drove inflation, starting with the oligopolistic oil companies.
Therefore, to overcome that structural and economic based political disadvantage, this was a get-out-the-base-vote election. And true to form, the Republicans leaned into their smaller base and picked up the marginal swing voters they needed in enough states under our Electoral College system. The Dems? Well, the Dems pissed on their larger coalition or base. This was ultimately proving once and for all, David Frum's formulation: The Republican Party leadership fears its base. The Democratic Party leadership hates its base.
The biggest constitutional irony is Harris may still likely prevail in the popular vote, though we would need to count "none of the above" and "Green" votes, I think. But, right now, Trump may win 51% per the NYT. Still, our Founders, if they could be brought back, would be appalled at what just occurred. The reason they compromised on the Electoral College was not only to please enslavement states, but because they did not trust even their white male (and minute black male numbered) property owners to get things right for president. We know they would not have supported Trump because, in the 1800 election, the elite people ensured that Burr would not win. We know that because we must remember how Hamilton, Jefferson's nemesis through the 1790s, switched to Jefferson rather than let Burr win. Burr was seen by most of the influential people and elites as too ethically-challenged. And Burr looks like a saint compared to Trump in that department. Oh, a sad irony for our still-brilliant, though flawed, Founders.
(UPDATE: November 7, 2024: Man, was I wrong on this last part! Harris lost the popular vote by about four million. More startling, she underperformed Biden from 2020 by over 10 million. Trump also lost around 2 million from 2020. I think one has to count COVID deaths in small part. However, I do believe Harris' tamping down enthusiasm from various parts of the Democratic Party base had its effects for Harris, and not just the sexism and racism people often have. What I also have read is the economy did push those marginal-can't decide voters Trump's way, which is, again, what I am talking about further above and why the Dems' larger base needed to be far more excited.)
"UPDATE: November 12, 2024: Well, now it looks like the missing votes were far, far less. Looks like a 2020 vs. 2024 delta of 1.5 million more in 2020, if that. And Trump may be closer to 50% than 51%. Still, that's a lot of people who couldn't vote in 2020 but got to vote in 2024, and COVID deaths and normal mortality rates on top of that may not be netting out. I remain convinced Dems pissing on their base had an adverse effect.)
And perhaps this is the long-awaited karma of Comanches, Dine, Chickasaws, Creeks, and Iroquois, among others. As my scientific son has said for months now, as he played with Tarot Cards,"The Tarot Cards say we will get what we deserve." The problem, of course, is a lot of people who don't deserve it will suffer.
As for me, in this moment, I am now more alienated from most people than I think I've ever been. I am sick of resistance liberals, and disgusted with Zionists and Republicans. Oh well. Again.
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I titled this post based upon two progressive rock instrumentals from the early to mid 1970s. The melodies and overall musical structures capture my mood. "After the Ordeal" is from Genesis' 1973 album, "Selling England By the Pound." The song comes right after "The Battle of Epping Forest", which is about the always-senseless gangland warfare in a British forest. The last lines of the Battle song are: "There's no one left alive/Must be a draw/So the Black Barons toss a coin to settle the score." The other song, "Out of Season," musically captures my alienation, but also my determination to move forward The song is from the legendary Canterbury prog rock band, Soft Machine, released in 1975.
