The Aftermath. Fighting Fascism by Building On All That We Achieved During the Campaign
Some were shocked, others less so at the “tremendous” victory of convicted felon Donald Trump (to use one of his favorite words). He will now return to the White House with a robust popular mandate, control of the Senate (at this writing, the House is still undecided) and immunity for whatever “official acts” he will commit as he seeks to destroy our democracy.
There will be time for a big analysis of this Democratic defeat. Right now, it’s important to sit with our feelings. We were keyed up and mobilized, and then we were in anxious waiting mode. Now we can exhale, but many likely feel heaviness and foreboding rather than relief. So be kind to yourselves: connect with friends and loved ones, go for a walk, look at art, do whatever soothes you. Getting our systems back into balance is important for resilience—a quality we will need in the coming years.
For now, here are a few thoughts on how we got here and what is to come.
Racism and misogyny played a huge role in this electoral outcome, as they have in authoritarian ascents throughout history, starting with the Fascists. Trump’s vile and dehumanizing campaign messages and behaviors did not cost him votes because racism and misogyny are deeply held worldviews in America. Millions of Americans simply could not accept the idea of a non-White and female president. Racism and misogyny have also been institutionalized by the GOP and are central to the party’s doctrine and political practice, and they are also enshrined in the worldview of Christian nationalists.
Disinformation and propaganda also played into Trump’s victory. In keeping with the power of psychological conditioning through propaganda, millions voted for Republicans because they were led to believe that the economy was terrible, inflation was rampant, and America was going down the drain due to Democratic governance. In reality, as The Economist stated just a few weeks before the election, the American economy was “bigger and better than ever” and “the envy of the world.”
The cult-like information bubble created by Trump, Fox, and other right-wing media allies required the denial of fact-based reality and the maintenance of associations planted by MAGA propagandists. To link Democrats to crime, anarchy, and the ruin of “our way of life,” the economy had to be failing after four years of Biden-Harris governance, no matter what the statistics said.
As in other authoritarian contexts, the leader’s party had the job of maintaining the lies that benefit him —lying for the leader being a sure path to status within the party. The Vances and Ramaswamys and Youngkins performed the lies over and over until they had the ring of truth.
Of course, in classic strongman fashion, as soon as Trump takes office, he will take credit for the roaring economy, which will be used as proof that he and he alone can “make America great again.” The period of Democratic rule between his presidencies will be depicted as a dark time of hardship and depravity, and his return to power as a heroic journey. .That sets up the new master narrative of the “rebirth” of America, with Trump hailed as an instrument of God’s will by a rotating cast of sycophantic religious charlatans.
This glimpse of a coming American Fascism may be frightening, but being prepared is key to staying resilient and continuing your work in the face of setbacks. Dissidents who endure long authoritarian regimes know all about that.
Resilience seems a good frame to think about this campaign, which failed as an effort to elect Harris but can continue as a pro-democracy movement. As I wrote a few days ago, the campaign has laid the foundation for such a movement, and our organizing, messaging, fund-raising, canvassing, conversing, and strategizing was not in vain.
The new networks, circuits of communication, memes, slogans, and images that came out of this period will not disappear just because we did not prevail. The experiences and knowledge and connections we gained in this process will help us in the years to come as we organize to win back whatever freedoms we lose and remain vocal and visible in the face of attempts to silence us.
In that spirit, I was pleased to see this passage from the resistance chapter of Strongmen quoted by media critic Margaret Sullivan in her newsletter American Crisis:
“Individual actions designed to be seen by the public break through the screen of official media and offer models of resistance that can be transformative…For millions, acts of resistance have been a path to the recovery of the self and the reaffirmation of dignity, empathy and solidarity — all qualities the strongman seeks to destroy in his people.”
We may feel injured and dispirited today, but we will recover and return to the work of protecting our democracy, including by promoting and embodying the values of solidarity, unity, care, decency, and justice. “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” Harris said in today’s speech at Howard University. The campaign may be over, but a new phase of resistance to authoritarianism begins now.
I thought that Kamala Harris could overcome the misogyny and racism, but clearly she could not. I find myself wondering if our country will ever get beyond those two issues. I am somewhat amazed that people would look at her and see her as too emotional. To me that means they see her as flighty, which means they don't really see her, they only see their stereotypes. This, IMO, is a sad day for our country. Harris did a good job of encouraging us to keep going in her concession speech. For me, in that speech, she showed why she would have made a great president.
A convicted felon was elected President by Americans driven by fears of problems that don’t actually exist. They silenced dissent through intimidation, and now millions of us are expected to accept this?