The Day After the Big Day

This isn’t the note I was hoping to write. Harris lost. Trump won. You know all that. 

Trump’s win wasn’t a trick of the Electoral College. He handily on track to win the popular vote. His party took back the Senate. The House of Representatives is still in play, but is currently leaning Republican. U.S. voters voted. The election was decisive. We have our answer. 

By this morning, my text chains were boiling over: What? Explain! How can it be? 

It’s simple. Donald Trump reached voters who liked what he had to sell: masculinity, machismo, an airing of grievances, a kick in the face to the so-called system, an eff-you to the so-called elites. A taking back from the people who have taken away from “us.” 

Them. Us. 

Us. Them. 

Trump appealed to young white men. But he also appealed to women. White women without a college degree voted for Trump in droves. A smaller share of women voted for Harris than voted for Biden four years ago, and Hillary Clinton four years before that. Many voters felt frustrated with what the Democratic party had to offer; Trump seemed like something new—to those voters at least, Trump wasn’t the Biden administration. 

But…but… but?

What of reproductive rights? What of family-friendly policies? What about democracy? What of the violent rhetoric, the hateful language, the sexual harassment—why weren’t these things dealbreakers?

You have to remember this wasn’t a normal election—on either side. On the one hand, a convicted felon. On the other, an 11th hour drop-out followed by a staggeringly abridged run for office by Harris. She was fresh and new and “brat,” (remember brat?) except to those who didn’t see her that way at all. 

Come January, Trump will take the oath of office for what will be his final term. We have heard countless times how much worse this presidency will be. With whom will he surround himself? What draconian measures will he take? Will Project 2025 play out as part of the agenda?

And what will all this mean for women? Not just some women, but all women. It’s time to get out of our headspace, to look around, to ask questions, to analyze and dissect.  

At The Persistent, we are—and always will be—staunchly committed to our mission of amplifying women’s voices, stories, perspectives and ideas. However the news cycle unfolds, we stand ready to give a platform to those who deserve to be heard. We feel privileged to be able to do the work we do, and are grateful to you, our readers, for your support and trust.

The pendulum always swings: The Democrats had their turn, now America swings the other way. Remember that for every tear shed in America today, someone else shed tears of joy. Next time around, your delight might be someone else’s sorrow.