A Fascist Will Return to the White House

There’s not much to say this morning. We’re in a nightmare from which we cannot wake. The Democrats got thrashed on election day, and the only solace is that they ripped the band-aid off quickly to reveal a sore that will continue to ooze for another four years. The polls once again undercounted Donald Trump’s support. Rural white people could not entertain the possibility of voting for a Black Indian woman. Young people whose grocery bills have gone up in recent years and do not see a future where they can buy a home took that frustration out on Democrats.

I have no interest in pointing fingers. This wasn’t about Joe Rogan, the Uncommitted Movement, or a lousy candidate. Fuck the recriminations. Kamala Harris ran an exceptional campaign in the 104 days she had. She raised an insane amount of money, amassed all the endorsements, and worked her ass off. This was a heavy dose of racism, sexism, and inflation. There’s not much a great get-out-the-vote machine or Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, LeBron James, or Lady Gaga can do to combat that. There’s no point in second-guessing anything.

Those numbers in rural counties in swing states were striking and say a lot about the current state of our country. I don’t have a kumbaya, we’re all-in-this together message to take solace in this morning, either. A fascist will return to the White House, and the guardrails have given way. There will be four more years of this guy, and that’s if we’re lucky.

Mass deportations will occur. Elon Musk will be tasked with massive budget reductions. Robert F. Kennedy will oversee food and health. The DOJ will be used against Trump’s political enemies. There will be chaos and massive corruption within the government. The Supreme Court will not protect us. Every cabinet member he announces will make our souls wince. The price of groceries will not go down. Housing will not be more affordable.

What we can do is this: We don’t allow Donald Trump to normalize fascism. We call it out. If that man is going to make a fascism, we let the world know about it. And we otherwise render that man a lame duck as soon as possible, and we do not let him become the main character in our lives for another four years.

But we do not do any of that today. Today, we lick our wounds. We avoid social media. We sift through the rubble for bits of good news. We commiserate, and we eat a lot of terrible food and go on long walks and listen to music and watch bad TV and pray to our gods that we make it through this. Dona nobis pacem. Fuck that guy.