What better way to polarize Americans than a “good, old-fashioned” election season? Voters have had enough time to sulk, to cheer or to yell at each other — cue the reality check.
On social media, I am bombarded with two truths: people lamenting the results of the election or staying silent about the whole affair. In the storm of virtue signaling and cursing liberals, like all elections, the peacekeepers rise, stating, “Why can’t we all just agree?” or “We can still be friends even if we vote differently.” This proves futile. Friends and families across the country are falling apart once again. Case in point: the Kennedys, a family with deep-rooted political influence, closed in on Robert Kennedy, Jr. after he endorsed President-Elect Donald Trump. Poor Bobby, Jr. — though, it seems the endorsement worked well for his political ambitions. I digress.
Especially with Thanksgiving on the horizon, this widespread division across the United States is disheartening — on both sides. I anticipate many voters will find it difficult to talk to family members who voted differently at the table; however, do think about the silver lining: This ability to openly and passionately disagree is part of what makes America a unique, operational democracy. With public discourse, even when too intense, it paves the way for change and opens the door to new ideas. Many veterans gave their lives to fight for this very cause and, while no one (including me) wants to hear that, it does not make it any less important to remember in this polarized time.
I understand the sentiment behind a post-election kumbaya, but the unfortunate reality is people feel spurned, hopeless and angry by this election. It is not anyone’s place to tell others with whom they should not associate. I would reject someone I knew to be a bigot without hesitation. But, in true American fashion, we tend to point the finger at one another rather than those pulling the strings. And, of course, as many did in 2020, we wonder why our Instagram infographics and rampages on TikTok do not inspire change.
However, the answer is simple: We are often going after the wrong boogeyman. We should direct this unbridled passion for progressive change inward, or I fear we serve nothing but our egos.
Now that we are past the kumbaya, let’s delve into how we Democratic voters should hold our leaders accountable instead of pointing the finger.
The reason why Democrats fumbled the election is not because everyone who voted against then-candidate Kamala Harris is a bigot. It is because Democrats have repeatedly failed, and thus lost, the American working class desperate for change. Where Harris teetered between supporting the Biden administration and differentiating her campaign, Trump established a simple yet effective message: the country is in ruin; you want someone to fix it, and I am the only man suited to do the job. It is like Christmas for someone who wants to see the border crisis alleviated, grocery prices slashed and the housing market restored — getting people to the polls to vote for their red-white-and-orange champion. Harris spent her short time on the campaign trail largely misunderstanding the Democratic base, running on a platform that targeted moderates instead of her base and left much progressive policy on the sidelines.
In my lifetime, no significant progressive change under a Democratic administration has happened since gay marriage was legalized in 2015 under Obama. Since then, Democrats cannot seem to escape the Obama administration — Obama’s vice president ran and won in 2020, and his vice president ran and lost in 2024, propping up Obama-era policy for nearly a decade. But, let’s not forget, both Obama and his running mate disagreed with legalizing gay marriage in their first campaign. They changed their tune in 2012 in a reelection bid amid a surge in public support for same-sex marriage.
In her multiple bids for office, Harris flirted with progressivism when it impacted her candidacy. For example, she supported the legalization of marijuana in 2018, yet prosecutors convicted more than 1,900 individuals on marijuana charges when she served as San Francisco’s district attorney — though, it is important to clarify that a minority of those were put into state prison. When running for reelection as California’s attorney general, Harris said she did not endorse legalizing recreational marijuana use. Public opinion was well into a shift toward a pro-marijuana stance in 2019, with the Pew Research Center reporting that 59% of Americans surveyed supported its legalization.
She pledged to ban fracking in 2019 yet affirms she will not in 2024. The policy shifts are endless as stated in the presidential debate. She claims her values have not changed, yet they clearly have — does one’s values not influence one’s stance, especially in campaigns running on morality, or does public opinion supersede it? Harris’s record suggests the latter — akin to her predecessors.
Let’s not fail to mention her reluctance to address her and Biden’s failures regarding the war in Gaza or Ukraine — key progressive stances amid campus encampments, support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and public outcry against genocide. Equally troubling and ironic is that individual donors associated with Lockheed Martin, a mega-rich defense contractor, gave more to Harris’ campaign than Trump’s. Nothing drives profit for the defense industry more than war, after all.
Regardless, the corporate oligarchy does not discriminate between donkey or elephant, and voters would do well to remember that. And, of course, we cannot ignore the elephant in the room: the GOP has proven itself no real solution. Trump’s record speaks for itself. Amid Matt Gaetz being previously endorsed for attorney general and a FOX news host as secretary of defense, I hope Lady Liberty gets her head back on straight — and soon. Democrats fail to offer a viable alternative, leaving a vacuum that Trump and his allies are all the more eager to fill.
Despite its failings, it is no surprise why many still rally behind Democrats. Progressive change has happened and can happen again, but the hard truth is these wins come slowly and incrementally — leaving Americans feeling short-changed, especially those in need of real, structural change. However, if we continue purporting this style of campaign, of candidate, of platform — anticipate handing Republicans the election year after year as they continue to consolidate its base.
The Democratic Party must reevaluate its priorities — it is not enough to give lip service to progressive policies without action. We need a leader who delivers for those who feel left behind and challenges big-money interests instead of maintaining the status quo. The old guard of the party cannot save them from a Republican Party that grows ever more aggressive in its appeal to voters; I say, in these next four years, look in the mirror — modern Democrats are seldom champions of human rights despite what they sell you.
Follow the money, read or watch beyond a headline, talk to those across party lines, be skeptical and hold your leaders accountable. We will all be better for it.
