Election Eve Thoughts Ending in Optimism

It May Not Be Easy, But on January 20, Kamala Harris Will Be Sworn in as Our Next President

As we head into Election Day, thoughts are whirling and clanking around in my brain like all the change that fell out of my pockets the last time our washing machine went on spin cycle.

Here they are in no particular order:

• I realize why we should not condemn all MAGA Republican voters as idiots because it gets them riled up and it may alienate those who might be considering switching away from the Dark Side. But when this is over, let’s talk, ok? Because as bad as Trump has been throughout his career—and let’s be crystal clear, he has been the worst—he has been an even more repugnant version of himself during the final stretch of his campaign. There is nothing about him that a rational thinking human being should support. And that makes those who support him…er…wonderful people until the moment tomorrow they make their final voting decision. Thereafter, if they’ve voted for him…I think it is time for some straight talk.

• I’m privy to much informed commentary about the inner workings of the Harris campaign. Considering how exceptionally run and well-executed the campaign has been in terms of its outward facing pieces, you would think that internally everything was running like a top. But of course, that’s not how campaigns work. There are always disputes and tensions and it only stands to reason that the special circumstances that prevailed during this truncated high-stakes effort would add to that. Those who have managed the campaign and held it together deserve special credit for those efforts. But I want to be clear, based on what I know, the person who deserves the most credit for the big successes of this campaign is Vice President Kamala Harris. Not only has she delivered when it mattered on television and on the stump, she has done so behind the scenes. She has made the right strategic decisions in real time. She has brought in good people she trusts who are close to her to ensure that the campaign is truly the Harris campaign and not a warmed over version of what was intended for Joe Biden. That bodes well for the future when she is president. But it also should, if it is reported fairly, undo the bullshit that circulated about her management style early in her Vice Presidency. I know many people who have worked with her for a long time and they are deeply loyal for a reason. Some bad staffing decisions were made when she first assumed the Vice Presidency. But they were not entirely her doing and she corrected them and put together an excellent team that has served her extremely well during the unexpected circumstances of this summer and autumn.

• I will hunker down tomorrow and watch the returns at home. I will avoid parties because I have had bad experiences with election night parties in the past. In 2000, 2004 and 2016 in particular, the parties made the outcomes of the election much harder to take. Not only were they full exuberant optimism until they weren’t but here in DC, such parties are full of people saying or thinking things like “How’re the exit polls? I’m going to be ambassador to Argentina.” It’s insufferable. And then as the news turns bad and the egos deflate, they’re drunk and grumpy and the fact that many of them have no personality at all becomes apparent in the worst ways. In 2016, I had the bright idea of doing an election night party at the Comedy Cellar in New York. We had experts and comedians commenting on the election as it unfolded. For the first hour, I, as the emcee, was brilliant. At least, I thought I was since everything I said got big laughs. That’s because the audience was 97 percent pro-Hillary Clinton (we were in Manhattan, after all) and they were lightly tipsy. But then around 9 o’clock or so everyone started checking their phones. They were watching the little gauge that the New York Times had on its home page that was showing the odds re: who would win. At about that time, it tipped over from Hillary to Trump and the room grew quieter and then it grew more hostile. Nothing I said was funny anymore (as you can see, my priorities were perfectly aligned with those of the American people.) I looked over at my wife and she started making the universal “let’s wrap this up” gesture and I did. And we walked uptown to our then apartment through a deserted city that seemed like something out of a nuclear holocaust movie. The entire island of Manhattan was in stunned shock. It lasted days actually. It was a blow to our collective psyches something akin to being smacked in the forehead by a two by four. I don’t want to do that again. My wife will probably not want to spend the whole evening staring at the screen as I do (the stakes are different for her…she actually works in the administration) and so she will pop in and out checking on status and then working to pass the time. I will be switching channels, checking multiple screens on social media, probably offering Twitter, Threads and Substack commentary for those of you who wish to suffer along with me, and hitting mute often because there are a number of commentators who I just can’t abide and frankly who I believe have contributed to the whole political mess in which this country finds itself.

• I believe that at some point in the evening Trump will declare victory. He won’t have won, of course. It is all part of his plan to challenge the election results, a plan that has already been mobilized in a big way for weeks and that has gained momentum during the past week as it has become clearer and clearer that Trump will not only lose the popular vote (guaranteed) but also very likely the electoral college vote (in which some states are likely to be close enough to make his challenges seem worthwhile at least on the face of it.) I wrote about this Plan B at the Daily Beast today. Here it is. (Sorry I can’t do anything about the paywall.)

• We won’t know the final results by bedtime. And so, to be honest, I probably won’t sleep. But as I have indicated before, I believe the results in a normal world in which the VP was running against a decent, moral, patriotic human being, would be sufficient for all to conclude she has won. That should be some comfort. Because I believe that when all is said and done, she actually will win. But it won’t be as simple and straightforward as it should be because Trump is Trump.

• You should know that there will be many people watching this, including folks you know from the media, who will be watching with one hand on their suitcase. The number of folks I have spoken to—serious people who are not just flapping their lips—who have spent considerable time and effort planning to leave the country if Trump is elected. It is not merely because he is distasteful to them or because they don’t agree with his politics. Many are people who he or those close to him have threatened with retribution who believe there is a real chance they will end up in jail if Trump prevails (fairly or via other means).

• One person mentioned to me that betting markets on the outcome of the race—which are worse than a scam (see the Daily Beast article)—are now putting the date of January 7 as the point at which they will decide who has won precisely because they’re are baking electoral and Congressional and judicial shenanigans into the cake. That should be chilling to everyone and while I wrote yesterday I am hopeful the VP wins by a sufficient amount to take the wind out of the sales of the pro-Trump Plan B, that’s no sure thing and that means that in all likelihood, no matter how good the results are on election night, we will not only be sleepless the next day we will probably also be holding our breath.

• Nonetheless, as I have been all along, I am optimistic that in the end Kamala Harris will be inaugurated on January 20 as the next president of the United States. And whatever gets us there is worth the effort. And then we can begin the process of healing. (Although that may also come with a little healthy venting. See point one above.)