A Sociological Eye

 What You’ve Heard Before This has been a very difficult week for those who voted for Kamala Harris. Harris lost the Electoral College by a lot (226-301), and over on the right, they’re calling it a landslide. It’s probably true that she lost the popular vote as well—but by a much, much smaller margin than the electoral vote gap, and one that continues to shrink as votes continue to be counted. (Thirteen states are still counting their votes as I write, the weekend after the election, and that includes the massive state of California.) The reaction of those who voted Republican has been predictable. If you looked at the rightwing news or social media, you saw a lot of exulting about the joy of “drinking delicious liberal tears.” Scenes of Democrats looking shocked or depressed and hugging one another were looped with gloating and laughs. That’s how things go today: when MAGA voters win, they taunt their opponents, and when they lose, they rant that the process was rigged and th...

You think I’m joking, but I am not. I would vote for Gloop the Goldfish for president. Yes, even if Gloop’s running mate turns out to be an old apple core, or a singleton sock, or a chipped coffee cup. In fact, I’d campaign for Gloop the Goldfish and An Old Apple Core 2020. So let me start now: if they are nominated, I plead with you to vote for them, because anything will be better than four more years of the destructiveness of Team Trump. I know many of my fellow progressives don’t feel that way right now. I see a lot of anger and depression on the left, wrought by the Democratic primaries. A large field has suddenly narrowed, and many have seen their favored candidates drop out of the race. This has made fans of those candidates feel burned by other Democratic voters, and frustrated with the two old straight white men left standing. This week, for example, Warren backers have been mourning, as their fiercely smart and well-prepared candidate fell amidst a media narrativ...