Why Did Harris Lose? Ignorance. Misogyny. Racism. Hate. Greed. Take your Pick!  

Congratulations to all the voters (mainstream and minority) who chose Trump. Wait for buyer’s remorse; it shouldn’t be long! Writing in The Guardian, Martin Kettle gave voice to worldwide shock: “American voters have done a terrible and unforgivable thing...”

Analysts are blaming the economy but it’s not just the price of bread and milk! (1) Nor is it wokeness and trans kids on sports teams or other outlandish GOP rationale! How easy it is to fool people and play to their insecurities. 

It boiled down to voters preferring the “raw authenticity” of the convicted felon-rapist-conman to a highly qualified woman of color! It’s straightforward misogyny and racism — embraced even by groups most affected. Let’s own it: Americans cannot accept a Black/Asian woman as president or a woman at all.

It’s tough to fathom how right wing propaganda outlets like Fox News and Twitter so easily conned Americans into believing they should vote for a dictator, never mind stomping on their freedoms. But fascists are good at exploiting people's fears, not to mention their civic (and real) illiteracy. 

Yes to Mass Deportation

And to think that Latinos, Blacks, Arabs, Asians (even Indians) voted GOP: that’s a lot of voters saying yes to detention camps and mass deportations (2) of their fellow countrymen! Was that deliberate? Did they not understand what was at stake, or didn’t they care? 

When local police and sheriffs raid factories and round-up non-White people to deport, they won’t ask if you were born here. If you happen to be in a sketchy neighborhood (sorry, bruh, wrong place-wrong time), or live in a red state, or speak with an accent, or aren’t the right skin color, good luck to you, mate/ bhai/ habibi/ mi hermano/ mon frère! Of course, no one thinks it will happen to them; Trump is their savior!  

As far as blaming Democrats for failure to persuade, I call BS! Should Democrats accept responsibility if voters are uninformed about the harsh consequences of electing a raging narcissist? The low info Trumpers responsible for this debacle will get the government they deserve; unfortunately, so will the rest of us.

Different Outcome?

 

What could Harris have done differently? Had Biden decided a year earlier not to run for reelection and allowed a primary process to play out, there may have been a different outcome — perhaps with a White male nominee that Americans found more palatable. We will never know. With an anti-incumbency mood in the country, could anything have made a difference?

This election was also about voter victimhood, mostly imagined: a divided electorate high on rage and resentment and hopped up on GOP disinformation needed someone to blame.  Illegal or undocumented Immigrants were the convenient scapegoat; when are they not? 

Was there a choice between Trump and Harris? If you think there was, stop reading; this blog is not for you!

Arabs, Latinos Punishing Harris

Why did Arab Americans vote for Trump in places like Dearborn, Michigan? They were punishing the Biden Administration for its pro-Israel stance and Harris for not distancing herself — even though Trump (with his 2016 Muslim ban) is less likely to curb Netanyahu.

Latinos breaking for a populist pushing a message of machismo was no surprise: we saw it in 2016 and 2020. Those with undocumented family members (mixed status families) voted for Trump, forgetting he once called them rapists, murderers, and drug dealers! Many said they would not vote for a woman! 

Latinos were willing to risk having a family member deported — but voting for a woman was a bridge too far! Democrats had taken them for granted for too long, they said. According to exit polls, 55 percent of Latino men voted for Trump while 60 percent of Latino women broke for Harris. 

The Ugly American?

Are Americans blinded by greed and self-interest? All we want is to make a buck, pay fewer taxes, never mind our neighbors or the rest of the world! What happened to the post-1945 Pax Americana and the left liberal agenda? Are we the selfish and ugly nation that Trump describes: embracing dictators, vicious to our southern neighbors, and uncaring about Ukraine or Taiwan or Gaza? According to the election results — alas — that answer is an emphatic “yes.”

What is more unsettling is that Trump didn’t just win the antiquated electoral college; he also won the popular vote! Democrats will have much angst and self-recrimination in the weeks ahead about how they lost the working class, and how they let the GOP muddle their message despite Biden’s early legislative triumphs. This is about the national zeitgeist and the national soul — and that should scare us more.

Crystal Ball Nightmare!

After the next four years of extremist rule and an end to constitutional checks and balances, will there still be an America we recognize? Environmental regulations could be down to zero with wildlife decimated and a proliferation of monster storms; health care could be drastically reduced and social safety nets shrunk. Do we say goodbye to Social Security and the Affordable Care Act? How about vaccines?  Will trade unions be a thing of the past? Will Trump go after his “political enemies?” (3) Will Ukraine be compelled to cede territory to Putin and Taiwan be swallowed by China? Elon Musk (or some other unelected tech bro billionaire) could be running the country and gutting the federal government while Trump plays golf! Didn’t Rome burn while Nero fiddled - but that’s what the American people voted for!

Looking Ahead

How do you court an electorate that votes against its own best interests and doesn’t respond to reason? How best to counter GOP assaults on press freedom, voter rolls, climate regulations, abortion rights, the civil service, and the rest of the destructive Project 2025 agenda? (4) In the first Trump Administration we had Muslim bans and children being snatched from parents. Let’s see what perils await us now.

Instead of wallowing, take steps to limit the GOP to one White House term and win back the Senate by refocusing on core issues (job opportunity, minimum wage, support for working families). Democratic governors in 23 states (5) can curb Trump’s most egregious policies and be an effective bulwark against unjust federal power. 

The legit media must take a cold hard inward look: did they let Trump skate or did they demonstrate his unfitness for office? In the end it comes down to an informed electorate. This one was clearly not!  But let’s not get bogged down: look to the 2026 midterms, the upcoming women’s march, climate demonstrations, and community organization. Life goes on! 

A word about the malaise and despondency felt by millennials and first time Gen. Z voters. It is your world to navigate; find ways to survive; have faith, have hope, be vigilant!

Ludi Joseph

New York

November 10, 2024

(1) According to most experts, the U.S. economy is booming, unemployment is low, and wages outpace inflation — but prices are too high for those living paycheck to paycheck. However, governments do not set prices; businesses and corporations do. Congressmen intent on pleasing corporate donors created the issue — not Biden, Harris, or liberals. The best way forward is to provide tax breaks to businesses and corporations based on job creation and sustainability.  

(2) Trump has invoked the deportations of the 1950s conducted by the Eisenhower Administration’s “Operation Wetback” program and pledged to use the 1789 Alien Enemies Act to detain and deport non-citizens. He has threatened to withhold federal grants to police that don’t cooperate and use the National Guard to carry out deportations. Naturalized citizens could also be targeted under close advisor Stephen Miller’s “denaturalization campaign.”

(3) Trump’s list of “political enemies” is endless. Here are some names targeted for “retribution” by him: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Former Rep. Liz Cheney, Special Counsel Jack Smith, NY Attorney General Leticia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, former FBI Director James Comey, Rep. Adam Schiff, Hunter Biden, Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, members of the January 6 Select Committee, reporters, editors, publishers, and TV news anchors. 

(4) Project 2025 is a set of ultra conservative policies from the Heritage Foundation which recommend putting the civil service under direct White House control, eliminating whistleblower and job protections, and replacing career personnel with political appointees. Other controversial proposals include implementing the "largest deportation program in American history” of undocumented immigrants including a denaturalization campaign against legal immigrants, continuing the unchecked exploitation of fossil fuels (“drill, baby, drill”), eliminating the Department of Education, and ending DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) programs in schools and government departments as part of a larger crackdown on woke ideology.

(5) https://democraticgovernors.org/governors

Harris Concedes Election to Trump