In the wake of Tuesday’s election, I have been getting a lot of messages and poems from proponents of the losing candidate. These messages encourage us to keep our heads up, accept the result, and to look forward to better days. Wonderful sentiments, but, frankly, I am not there and may never be.
My state of mind recalls a scene from one of my favorite movies – Young Frankenstein. The good Doctor has just tried to animate his creation but seems to have failed. He turns to Igor and Inga* and softly says, “Be of good cheer. If science teaches us anything, it teaches us to accept our failures as well as our successes with quiet dignity and grace.” The three look revenantly down for a moment, before Gene Wilder loses it, as only he can, throttling the creature, while screaming “SON OF A BITCH BASTARD. I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?” I can relate.
Don’t worry, I am not going to be one of those pathetic people who wring their hands and whine, “I want my country back.” If anything, this election has brought to the fore what my country is and always has been. The moments when the angels of our better nature seemed to shine through were clearly just chimeras masking hate and paranoia.
I cannot be sanguine about this loss. The Republican reaction to their defeat in 2020 is too fresh in my mind. They lost, as the Democrats have here, but instead of accepting it as anyone would who cares about their country more than naked power, they decided to embrace lies that subverted the democratic foundation of our nation – fair elections.
I expected such behavior from He Who I Would Rather Not Name but was sickened by the sight of supposedly patriotic Republicans merrily jumping on that bandwagon. Many initially acknowledged the loss, but once they saw the political advantage of the lies, they quickly swallowed their courage and repeated what they knew to be untrue. In fact, it became a political litmus test for the faithful – country be damned.
All of this led to the abomination of January 6. More than 100 police officers reported injuries, some significant. All in the name of the party that purports to stand for law and order. Apparently, we should be tough on crime so long as those committing those crimes are not our supporters, or our candidate.
It will be interesting to see how this is swept under the carpet by the new administration. Will the Department of Education be kept around long enough to issue an edict that all be taught that the Great Orange One won the 2020 election and that the January 6 rioters where ANTIFA hoodlums pretending to be his minions? Will the 300 some convicted of participating in that riot be pardoned, and given medals for standing up for “Truth”?
While this was only one lie, and one easily disabused, once it was repeated and repeated by supposedly intelligent people, it set the tone for an entire campaign. If we need to bash immigrants let’s just make up stories about them eating household pets. If we want to paint the current administration as out of touch and uncaring, let’s falsely claim that they ignored the devastation of Hurricane Helene. If any news organization dares to “fact-check”, let’s vilify them as biased and venal.
Yes, it worked. That does not mean that I can sit back and ignore the genesis of this “triumph”. It is not worthy of acquiescence. The “triumph” is one of cynicism and nihilism.
I have no illusions about the history of this country. I do not think that it was created by moral giants. You cannot embrace slavery and claim that designation. Nor do I think that we are the greatest nation on earth, or somehow a manifestation of God’s will.
I do think that no country was founded upon greater ideals than the United States. As flawed as the founders were, their embrace of concepts like equality, free speech, democratic elections and rule of law stand as pillars of what a nation should be, even if they failed to implement them. These ideals may never be reached, but they should be what we strive and fight for.
This nation has seen movements like Black Power, Women’s Liberation and Gay Rights struggle valiantly for recognition of those left behind. These are the most American of movements, seeking to apply the ideals embedded in our Constitution and other originating documents. They are also the ones most at risk with this election result. The leaders of these movements didn’t prevail by taking defeat with quiet grace and dignity. They faced setbacks by screaming “SON OF A BITCH BASTARD. I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS.”
I am not sure what to do with this anger. I do not see many avenues to channel it positively. I just know that I intend to hold on to it and see where it leads. I know it will color anything done over the next four years, and I am OK with that. The election result may be valid, but that does not mean that I must accept this administration as legitimate.
So, once again, thank you to all who circulated those constructive, forward-looking, reasonable homilies. I know that they were drafted with the best of intentions. Forgive me if I tore them up and flushed them down the proverbial toilet. I am just not through throttling the monster yet, and hopefully never will be.
*RIP to the immortal Teri Garr
I too was showered with pep talks, and also discarded them as violently as I could. I share your rage, but decided for the foreseeable moment I need to insulate myself, shut out any and all news, and focus only the the things that bring me joy: movies, gardens/nature and needlepoint. In the 5 days since the election I have visited 5 gardens, seen 5 films (including a newly restored Amadeus, brilliant as I remembered it) and wore out my stitching arm doing needlepoint. It has been bliss. Mary Trump said she is “exquisitely detached” and while she knows it won’t last, she is holding onto it as long as possible. Free free to flush this down the toilet if it seems too sweetness and light preachy.
Films are definitely part of my coping mechanism. I saw 6 during the Film Festival and have seen a few since. In fact, I am going to a double-feature later today!!!! You’ve got to do something to survive.
It’s not just that Kamala Harris lost. We were made to believe it was a possible outcome, that the candidates were neck and neck and it could go either way. But the extent to which the American voters chose Trump is the real conundrum to me! I don’t really blame Trump or the Republican Party but I find it shocking that the American public has made such a rapid and drastic shift to the right. Perhaps it is Biden and the Democratic Party to blame. How did we let our values of democracy, freedom, unity, opportunity, tolerance, and dignity slip away, only to be dominated by hatred, fear, anger, and greed? As much as I hate to go there myself, perhaps anger is the catalyst for change.
I also don’t understand the shift to the right, and can only imagine it was always lurking there. I am not sure what Biden could have done differently. Neither he or Harris is the far left monster as the were caricatured. Part of my anger is certainly my own confusion. It’s hard to separate the two.