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Carter's avatar

I've been trying to find a way to describe how I feel today watching Trump blow past his 2016 vote numbers by multiple millions, as people choose to double down on his brand of moral turpitude rather than attempt to put some space between themselves and it, and I keep coming back to "profound sense of loss".

Biden can win and it will be important, but I don't think it'll be enough to overcome the feeling that we have all collectively lost something that is never coming back.

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Abby's avatar

My friend forwarded me this post, so this is my first encounter with your thinking. Thank you. It's very helpful to hear other voices than the ones that constantly echo doom.

I would like to point out that when Biden wins, and is up against an obstructionist Senate that will make new legislation very difficult, that the Administration will change. No more Miller or Kushner. No more political appointees who are inherently hostile to the ideas of governance. Administrations are where much of the daily work of government actually happens. They write rules and regulations. They establish policies. We can reenter the Paris Accord, for example, or proceed with disarmament talks - all without the "approval" of Congress. The corrosive narratives about "law and order" and civil disobedience can change. And on and on.

It's really too soon to look at the future and despair (and no, I won't quote homilies about justice.) We have made enormous progress in my lifetime. There is still much to be done. That's the way life is.

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