At Last, The Election
Is Over
Nov 9, 2024
Rolland Kidder
It seems like eons ago when Joe Biden was still a
candidate, and the election seemed over. After the June debate, it was clear
that he could no longer articulate and lead a campaign for the Presidency.
Biden eventually stepped aside, and endorsed his Vice
President, Kamala Harris, to be the nominee in his stead. After that, we again
had an election going on in the country.
It has been an exhausting one. Just this past week, I
read a news article full of advice from a psychiatrist as to how people should
deal with election angst. Now, I expect that same person is providing advice as
to how supporters of Harris should deal with post-election depression.
Yet, remember, fair and free elections are central to
our democracy. The silver lining for every American is that we have just
undertaken another one. Some may not like the result, but all should rejoice in
the fact that we had an election…and a vigorous one at that.
My own view is that Harris acquitted herself well. In
the time that she had, she was able to make a case for why she should be the
next President.
There were two major things, out of her control, that I
believe contributed to her defeat. First, she didn’t have a lot of time to
organize and establish a campaign. President Biden waited too long, until just
weeks before the Democratic Convention, before stepping aside.
The second strike against her was inflation. Though the
economy is now humming along, people are still upset about inflation…especially
the rise in food and housing prices. The party in power always gets blamed for
that, as was the case this time around.
We must also not forget that she was also running
against an incumbent. Donald Trump is a former President. He has his own way of
campaigning and is effective at it.
An old Republican friend contacted me about a week
before the election asking who I thought would win the election. Though I sided
with Harris, my response to him was: “It is still Trump’s and for him to lose.”
I had no scientific basis for making that statement, except for my “gut”
reaction and years of experience watching and being involved in elected
politics.
Despite my dislike of his divisive approach to politics
and the way he demeans his opponents, you have to admit that Donald Trump is
skillful in the public arena. As one columnist said: “He bonds with supporters
in an intimate, spontaneous, confessional way, unlike typical politicians….”
Now, we must hope for the best. We have seen him in
action before. What will now happen with Ukraine and the Middle East? Will he
go after his political enemies? Maybe… and we can hope… he will want to leave a
legacy of positive accomplishment for his final term as President of the United
States. We want our Presidents to succeed, not fail.
The election is over. It was not “stolen” either this
time or the last time. Harris has conceded and congratulated Mr. Trump. There
will be a peaceful transition of power. The people have spoken. The decision
has been made. Democracy has worked its way once again. We move on from here.
