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I mostly stay away from political commentary because nobody follows me for my view.
But I wanted to offer a (nonpartisan) message of hope - why I think Americans of all political stripes can take away from this election that we're less divided and polarized than we think.
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But I wanted to offer a (nonpartisan) message of hope - why I think Americans of all political stripes can take away from this election that we're less divided and polarized than we think.
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2/ Assuming current results hold, we're going to get a Biden win (by a narrower margin than expected), R gains in the house, and smaller-than-expected R losses in the senate.
What's more interesting, to me anyway, is *how* we got there...
What's more interesting, to me anyway, is *how* we got there...
3/ On one hand, I personally know many business Republican types who are turned off by Trump's norm-shattering, "unpresidential" behavior.
Looking at purple to red suburbs swinging left, and Biden's overall victory, many voters crossed traditional allegiances to repudiate this.
Looking at purple to red suburbs swinging left, and Biden's overall victory, many voters crossed traditional allegiances to repudiate this.
4/ On the other hand, Trump (as well as the GOP) did well with Latinos across the country - many HRC Latino voters crossed over to the GOP this cycle.
Moreover, we see support for GOP reps/senators outpacing Trump... https://twitter.com/AskeladdenTX/status/1324046335880925184
Moreover, we see support for GOP reps/senators outpacing Trump... https://twitter.com/AskeladdenTX/status/1324046335880925184
5/ Suggesting that voters are generally not enamored with some of the excesses of the left either (police abolition, critical race theory, COVID lockdowns.)
So you can read this as a significant fraction of the electorate repudiating the worst elements of both parties at once...
So you can read this as a significant fraction of the electorate repudiating the worst elements of both parties at once...
6/ I view this as a "centrist" election where everyone can find something to be happy about - it was neither a blue wave nor a red wave. People from retirees to suburbs to union members were willing to vote across party lines.
7/ I didn't get everything I voted for, nor did many/most people - but that's OK. I don't think bitter polarization is healthy, and one of the best parts of this year has been making friends on Twitter with people who often have very different political ideologies than me.
Is this an overly optimistic interpretation? Perhaps. Polarization is real. But I personally want to try to build bridges rather than burn them. Let's make civil disagreement great again.
