welp

Let me start with the good news! A lot of you were horrified that I would vote for Jill Stein, even in a protest vote. At the booth, I was reminded that I could do a write-in instead, so that’s what I did. I also voted for Chris Murphy on the Working Family Party line, was thrilled to vote for Rosa DeLauro, and also supported Connecticut’s absentee ballot initiative. As I said the other day, I would have voted for Kamala Harris if I lived in a competitive state, but I don’t. And well… it sure looks like it wouldn’t have mattered if I did.

This sucks, for the record. I find it strange that people are unable to parse the idea that I and people like me are so critical of the Democrats in large part because they have proven themselves incapable of producing a durable winning coalition. You know my theories on American politics, and core to that is a set of claims about why Democrats lose. Maybe they’re wrong! Maybe so. But my endless frustration with the professional triangulators is motivated not just by my profound disagreements over policy and values but also because I think we need a good opposition party to fight the Republicans and we don’t have one.

I’ll have a piece in another publication tomorrow afternoon or Thursday morning, and I’ll have my analysis there. But let me say this. As of this moment, Harris is projected to lose the popular vote and all seven swing states. I’m hoping that gets better over time, even if it’s just for optics. But that looks like the reality. And here is what I have to say.

You can’t blame losing the popular vote and all seven swing states on Jill Stein.

You can’t blame losing the popular vote and all seven swing states on Putin and the Russians.

You can’t blame losing the popular vote and all seven swing states on Bernie Sanders and his supporters.

You can’t blame losing the popular vote and all seven swing states on Joe Rogan.

You can’t blame losing the popular vote and all seven swing states on Glenn Greenwald and The Young Turks.

You can’t blame losing the popular vote and all seven swing states on the decision to run with Tim Walz.

You can’t blame losing the popular vote and all seven swing states on the New York Times and its occasional Democrat-skeptical opinion pieces.

You can’t blame losing the popular vote and all seven swing states on Joe Biden for getting out of the race too late.

You can’t pull all the usual Democrat tricks. You have to actually figure out what’s wrong with your party, root and branch. Because you called the guy a fascist, again, and he walked right through that insult to the Oval Office, again. And the eternal question presents itself: what are you going to do about it?

The thread’s open, but I’m going to bed. Non-electoral-politics content coming on Thursday.