One More Question III: We Get the Government We Deserve
Introducing our next series
Optional listening for this edition:
The story of the Pied Piper is a folktale most of us learned as children. The story goes that a town was infested with rats and a mysterious piper appeared offering to rid the town of the rodents. The townspeople agreed to pay him a sum of money, and the piper played his magical pipe, luring the rats into the river where they drowned. However, when the townspeople refused to pay the piper the agreed-upon amount, he sought revenge. He played his pipe once again, but this time it mesmerized the town's children. The children followed him as he led them out of the town and into a hidden mountain, never to be seen again.
And that’s sort of where we were on the morning of November 6 as most of us woke up to the news1 that Donald Trump had been reelected to a second non-consecutive term as President of the United States.
He rode into town in 2016 promising a populist, nationalist government. He was driven out in 2020 by the townspeople after four years of chaos, and in 2024 has come back to finish the job2.
All of the polls and focus groups and projections and vibes didn’t matter in the end. Trump and the Republicans managed to do something that Democrats once excelled at — getting out droves of people to the polls3 with a unifying message.
There’s a lot to write about grief, emotions and anxiety in the wake of political elections — this one in particular — and the groups who feel they will be attacked by another term of Trump in office. There’s more to say about the loss of hope and what a rebuke of Kamala Harris’ campaign means in the bigger picture, nationally and globally. We’ll get there.
If you’re experiencing grief, despair or hopelessness regarding the election results, first, talk to someone. And, if you feel up to it, I want to hear from you. What’s your state of mind today? What’s at the end of the tunnel? Light? Rage? Action? Nothing yet?
I already have a small chorus of voices that have reached out. You can add your anonymous voice at jaredpaventi@gmail.com. Length is up to you.
Anyhow, exit poll takeaways are about as reliable as the polls that got us here but I’m certain they say:
The two most important issues for voters were the economy and immigration.
Voters with those on their minds broke hard to the right, seeing Trump as the keyholder on each issue.
Trump’s past statements, criminal convictions and indictments, civil penalties, associates, and potential threats to (small d) democratic principles meant little to the people who voted for him and even less to the people who couldn’t be bothered to vote at all.
It marked our first truly vibes-based election. Harris ran on positivity and optimism. She brought out celebrities and attracted Never Trump Republicans. Her message was protecting women and threats to democracy. Trump ran on a narrative of nationalism and a dark picture of our nation, and that he (and only he) was God’s choice to resolve our ills. And that’s the narrative our nation chose, collectively. As I sit here and think more and more about this, the election wasn’t decided on Nov. 5, but July 13:
That. Those are the vibes of strength projected on a populace that believes they have been wronged by <insert marginalized group here> and/or Bidenomics.
I’m not going to demonize Trump voters for following the piper into the hills, nor will I decry the Democrats that stayed home4. We could stomp our feet about the arrogance of the Democratic campaign machine or the fear-mongering of the Republican’s, but politics isn’t our focus here. The fact is that, as much as some of us don’t want to admit it, this election was a reflection of who we are and what we aspire to be.
On Wednesday morning, I read a lot of rapid reactions from all sides and the one that aligns closest to my mood comes from
, who publishes and was best known for his work at the Weekly Standard:
The best election recap, non hand-wringing/pearl clutching edition, that I’ve read so far is from
. I don’t agree with it all, but it’s worth the read.
Either way, both of these writers get to the same point: We get the government we deserve.
Things I’ve Read Recently…
Book I’m Slogging Through and Is Slowly Gaining Steam: The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz. A shame because I enjoy this author a lot.
Non-Political Thing(s) I’ve Read/Heard Recently Worth Sharing:
A Milton mystery solved: Who left thousands of cots in Trop as roof shredded (Tampa Bay Times): Weeks later, cots setup for first responders remain on the field and nobody knew who was supposed to pick them up.
Cracked Pools and Drained Savings: How “Concrete Cancer” Ruined Summer (Texas Monthly): As a newly-minted pool owner, this one caught my eye.
Firecracker: The Murder of Carol Ryan (Wondery/Syracuse.com): My editor at Syracuse.com, Katrina Tulloch, narrates and contributes to the production of this series about an unsolved murder from nearly 30 years ago. Katrina and the team there won an Emmy for this. I just finally go around to listening.
The spirits at Erie Canal Museum keep its staff company (The Daily Orange): This was a really neat piece from a writer at Syracuse University’s student paper.
Coming Friday…
Coming up this week at Dirt Nap, it’s National Alzheimer’s Disease Month in the United States and we’re going to commemorate the occasion.
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I bailed at 10 p.m., the earliest I ever went to bed on election night. When I woke up to pee at 2:30(?) I saw that he won Pennsylvania and decided to go back to bed. Steve Inskeep broke the news to me this morning when my alarm went off.
Whatever that may be.
Big crowds used to equal Democratic wins.
Actually, I will. Harris got 61 million votes in 2024. Biden, in 2020, got 81 million. Clinton got 65 million in 2016. So, yeah, you get the government you deserve.
Thanks, Jared!