Golden For Congress

Winning the Race, but willfully choosing to lose the battle.

One of the only accurately forecasted pieces of the election is underway. That is that Trump would carry the day proper, only to contest the reality of Biden taking the win on mail-in ballots. That win I think is still huge as for me Trump is and always has been an awful individual with no moral or ethical center aside from a me-first mentality in every form.

I still understand however why so many have voted and continue to support Trump. Their sentiments, of providing a big middle finger to the political establishment, as a cry that too many of their communities have been crushed by false promises of politicians of any Party, disillusionment with corporate and biased media, the decimation of real economies of communities, and a felt slide of values, straight identity politics, of using him despite his faults as a tool to achieve common party or ideological goals. I think those feelings are commonly shared and justified.

That's not to say that historical values were not skewed to a white male power culture, or that for far too many, America was ever "Great" for them, that it was a nation founded on racism and sexism...but there's still validity to much of the sentiments if not acknowledging them as real feelings of real individuals, or that feeling both sets are mutually exclusive.

Biden will take the win, and with more votes than any Presidential candidate in the history of the nation, despite as many not voting at all. But I'd argue that the battle is continuing to be lost, with down-ballot races across the country, particularly in non-urban areas, echoing that as bad as Trump may be, the control of the federal Democratic Party (speaking from a 40,000 foot view and in federal races), and candidates who toe that line, are no more in touch or on the right path, if not echoing a further polarized path, split between the rural and urban divide. And willfully so as I believe the established neoliberal's or increasingly libertarians controlling each major party would rather lose than cede control to a progressive or populist message or contingent.

In many cases, the unfortunate reality is that they actually raise more money and power if they do lose or are significantly challenged. It's also much easier to chalk up total ineffectiveness in getting anything done to saying that it's only because that you don't maintain full or majority control.

The intent to lose before ceding control was echoed in O'Bama openly indicating that he'd do all in his power to ensure that Bernie and the Progressive Movement would not win the Primary, regardless of projections or the cost. And that he saw to doing just that. And to continue that legacy, anoint a donor-class chosen successor in Harris despite a complete failure of her as a candidate chosen by the people and in her forgoing policy positions she once appeared to stand firm on. Of the current mechanics of insuring that Progressives such as Warren or Sanders would not be eligible for cabinet positions, with a guise of maintaining positions in the Senate.

The chosen strategy would be to continue taking minorities for granted, to talk of the working class but to go all-in on the educated Suburban vote and donor-class desires and forgoing connection with rural America and labor. And the ramifications of that are felt, with Trump picking up a stronger minority vote than many liberals can make any sense of. That he won the majority of Organized Labor in Ohio. That the actual vote tally and margin are much closer than the skewed polls had anyone believe.

And what will be the takeaways. Republican leadership is already spinning the narrative to say that it was rebuke of the American people to Socialist policies. Bu****it, the Democratic Establishment rebuked those policies, and ran softly on any inroads. $15 minimum wage passed in Florida, drug legalization formalized in various states in some form, Progressive Democrats sailed through with wins in their Districts. Pelosi is getting rumblings of a soft challenge from a nomination of Jefferies. Neoliberals and Libertarians will continue to obfuscate the real balls and keep each other from getting anything done. The nation will continue to Polarize towards a breaking point.

An actually centrist democrat would run hard on policies favoring the working class, labor and beating back world trade association pacts, socialized health care, corruption and big money controlling politics, equal rights and access, and the Federal Government doing what it has the capacity to do which is to economically stabilize State and Local economies and industry. They are policies that would benefit most Americans. That should be our center. Biden and the established Party will celebrate winning the race, and risk taking nothing away from understanding that they're choosing to lose the war. And people like me, those outside of politics, working hard to balance family, work, and community, will be left wondering what if any Party they fit into.

Thank you for all those who poured yourselves into making change. To local legislators doing amazing jobs on the ground in this and other communities. To those actually in the fight on so many levels with an eye to what's best for all people, not just themselves. For those of us who have the luxury of being on the sidelines, you are appreciated.