Decompression

It was unexpectedly sunny in Seattle today. The trails and parks were full. Perhaps we were all decompressing.

Even with the ample sun and fresh air, it was impossible not to dwell:

We can say it was about the economy. We can say it was (sigh) about immigrants taking jobs and importing crime. We can say it was about misogyny and racism 1.

It was about these things, to some degree.

But I think they also miss the mark. As I write, the GOP looks poised to sweep it all: the popular vote, both houses of Congress, everything.

I see this election as a resounding affirmative vote for Trump and Trumpism. I see it as a strident repudiation of much that came before, the political order of America since at least the Reagan administration. I see it as a statement that our norms and our mores and our rule of law no longer matter except to a minority of us.

America is changed. Mending it will require the work not of another election, but of an entire generation.

(1) Update on Thursday the 7th: or maybe not. Today’s release of more detailed data shows that, in 2024, Trump grew his support across all demographics, including African Americans, Latinos, and women.