“Yes, we did.”
- A victory for America and American democracy and a win for the Democratic Party: In that order.
- “America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country. The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a president for all Americans—whether you voted for me or not.” What really helps is that you know Joe Biden means it.
- “The voters have spoken, and they have chosen Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to be our next president and vice president. It’s a history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump and a new page for America.”—Hillary Clinton, who would have made history if the popular vote meant what it should have.
- BTW, federal law allows states more than a month after the election to finalize the results—and possibly satisfy the concession resistance.
- Congress—in a joint session–officially counts the electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. The president of the Senate presides—and ultimately declares a winner. And, oh yeah, the president of the Senate is the sitting vice president. You can bet that the cold opening of “Saturday Night Live” will be all over the Mike Pence winner-declaring performance.
- Joe Biden won more votes than any president in American history. Too bad that doesn’t impress–or assuage the Trumpster base.
- “The United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”—Biden Spokesman Andrew Bates.
- Nice touch for former President George W. Bush to give a congratulatory call to President-elect Biden. “I know Joe Biden to be a good man,” said Bush, “who has won his opportunity to lead and unify our country.”
- You have to wonder if the lack of a stimulus bill contributed to the Dems losing House seats and maybe coming up short in retaking the Senate.
- Florida turnout–11 million–was encouraging; that’s 76 percent. But turnout also included enough democratic turncoats to make the state even redder. Another reminder that just showing up is too low a bar for a democratic republic.
- That was a disappointing Latino vote in South Florida where the Trump “anti-socialist” message resonated at COVID-defying, festival-like rallies. Biden’s message—at socially-distanced gatherings–was about unity. Maybe that came across as more of an abstraction in an emotional, zero-sum rhetorical world of disingenuous and divisive labels. Surely those fleeing from authoritarian societies with government-directed economies would know the socialism of, say, Denmark—or the progressive, safety net provisions of America—are hardly similar to Cuban and Venezuelan “socialism.” Surely.
- “Welcome back, America.” That was Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, speaking for a sizable chunk of the international community.