By David M. Greenwald
In 2016 my daughter, then age 6, was excited. She thought she was going to see a “girl” elected president for the first time. She didn’t quite understand the historical implications of it all, but it was important to her and she was brokenhearted when Hillary didn’t win.
To make matters worse, Donald Trump won, which for my kids was a horrible outcome—they saw him as mean, uncaring, and not particularly bright. I may be polishing up the language slightly.
This year has been about primarily two things—a gross mishandling of a pandemic that has disproportionately struck communities of color, and a series of protests following the death of George Floyd that has brought back forward the issue of racial inequality and structural racism.
But missing from that conscious conversation has been another issue—women’s rights. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Black people, for all the horrible injustices that they have suffered in this nation’s history, were granted at least the legal right to vote more than 50 years before women were.
It was half a century before there was a woman on the ballot for one of the major parties. It took until 1984, when the doomed Mondale campaign put Geraldine Ferraro on the ticket as his Vice President. In 2008, Sarah Palin (nearly a quarter century later) was the next candidate. 2016 is when Hillary Clinton became the first woman as Presidential Candidate for a major party. And, finally in 2020, Kamala Harris became the first woman to be elected Vice President in the history of this nation.
When she got up there, my talented and beautiful daughter and all of my amazing and beautiful nieces could look up and see their own possibilities. They will grow up in a nation where they know that Kamala Harris may be the first, but she certainly won’t be the last woman in a position of leadership and power.
The issue of women’s rights becomes much clearer to someone who starts to see the world through the eyes of his daughter.
But it was an eye-opening experience a few years ago, as I sat in the Vanguard office chatting with one of my assistants and a few of the interns we had at that time.
The young women described walking down the street and having men—sometimes college age but often a good deal older than them, follow them. Sometimes they would get grabbed on their rear. Sometimes the guys just followed them. Sometimes the guys stayed quiet, other times they said horrible things.
The eye-opening part of all of this—this happened on a regular basis. This wasn’t something that was rare. It had become part of their lives.
This was something that I had never experienced as a man in the modern world. It was something I had no idea was occurring. It was stunning to me.
It was around this time that the me-too movement had started to bloom and people all over the nation became aware of what women have to endure in the workplace on a regular basis.
The notion of believing all women does not mean to literally take all complaints as a valid truth, but rather it means to take seriously all complaints and do not sweep them under the rug.
We have allowed women to be treated as second-class citizens in our midst too long, and that is not the world that I want my daughter to have to grow up in.
Those thoughts raced through my mind as I watched Kamala Harris go up there and realized that, for millions of young girls, this moment meant so much. Seeing a strong and smart and successful woman, a woman of color no less, get up there as Vice President-elect was a reminder to them that they can accomplish so much in this world.
At the end of a very horrible year, I simply broke down crying. It was not the first time I did so. The first time I lost it is when Van Jones of CNN broke down as he talked about the year.
The year was a really horrible year. On a personal level it is hard to accurately describe this year. The loss of my brother-in-law to COVID early on. The mental health struggles that our oldest child had on an ongoing basis. The mental strain on the two younger kids of having their worlds ripped away from them. The utter frustration at this nation’s political landscape.
The national political scene bleeds over into the personal life now all too often. My daughter worries about the kids separated from their families. I worry as a parent of three mixed-race kids about the interactions they will have with police as they get older. How will the police respond to a large man of color who may not respond the right way to their commands because of mental illness? It keeps you up, it wears on you.
The emotions flooded out. I am not naïve. This isn’t a fairy tale. This isn’t a Hollywood movie where the hero takes the oath of office as the credits scroll across the screen. There is no happily ever after in real life. We simply close one chapter and open another.
But I slept last night better than I have in months, knowing that in the morning it would be a new day. And hopefully for millions of little girls like my daughter, they dreamed of the day when they would be the one up there speaking to tens of millions of Americans.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
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Sometimes they were touched or their stories were swept under the rug like these Biden accusers? Even Kamala Harris stated that she believed Biden’s accusers, ““I believe them, and I respect them being able to tell their story and having the courage to do it,” the California senator told reporters in April 2019.”
Keith O
Until you acknowledge the relative scale of Trump’s problems with sexual harassment and even assault, and how he and his children so heavily exploited government resources, opportunities and access to enrich themselves, you have no standing in commenting on whether Biden has violated these standards of behavior. You are simply unable to judge these issues in a credible manner, and the rest of us fully dismiss whatever you have to say on these matters until you acknowledge the legitimacy of our pointed and well documented accusations (some of which Trump has even admitted to.) Why should we respect anything that you say when you refuse to respect our opinions and even solid evidence?
So I have to respect your opinions as you disrespect mine?
Okay Daddy.
” . . . you have no standing in commenting on whether Biden has violated these standards of behavior. You are simply unable to judge these issues in a credible manner, and the
rest of us(insert Richard’s name here) fully dismiss whatever you have to say on these matters until you acknowledge the legitimacy ofour(insert Richard’s name here) pointed and well documented accusations (some of which Trump has even admitted to.) Why shouldwe(insert Richard’s name here) respect anything that you say when you refuse to respectour(insert Richard’s name here) opinions and even solid evidence?”(Fixed, for accuracy.)
A woman of color that even Democrats couldn’t vote for in the primaries. She pulled out of the race with only 3% support among voters and zero delegates.
That’s so far beyond ironic that its more like copperic. And another example of where blind supporters see what they want to see, and politically-driven media suppresses what it wants to suppress.
I know Alan, it boggles the mind, was Biden’s past or what Kamala has said about him even considered when this article was written?
Alan M
Given the hypocrisy of Trump’s supporters on overlooking his clear violation of every one of the seven deadly sins, this was a non issue simply due to the relative scales of the violations (if valid). The actual aim of the accusers in Biden’s case was an attempt to slay the viable alternative to their favored choice (which generally was the more evil alternative of Trump on the basis of that single scale.)
Today’s Doonesbury captures well the height of this hypocrisy:
https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2020/11/08
Much (if not all) of this likely consists of a reflection of parents’ views, imparted to their kids.
Just as in other parts of the country, 6-year-old kids may have a completely different view. Again – imparted from their parents.
Ok – but why does that comment matter? We know from decades of study that children’s views reflect their parents especially during childhood.
Your article features your “kids’ views”.
Your family is probably even more unique, in that most young kids don’t have “political views” that they’re aware of, at all.
Until it comes to “school funding”, at which point they’re sometimes more-directly “recruited”.
Here’s a hint: If you’re so emotional about this that you come to “tears”, your kids are likely picking up on that.
Personally, I think it’s best to at least try to provide some objective perspective – regardless of parents’ views. Or at least make it clear that there’s not a “right way” and a “wrong way”. (That’s how divisiveness is “born” and festers.)
My article was more about the importance of providing my daughter with role models that she can aspire to – though it was an unstated point. It did not attempt to ascribe causation to the views, nor do I believe that was an important point to the one I was making.
Ron O
David is clearly writing this from a personal perspective. How do you go from there to a generalization about all 6 year olds?
And what is particularly concerning is if any parents are holding up Trump as a role model for 6 year olds! This Comedy Central parody captures his current behavior perfectly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th5uVIhQ8VY
Pretty easily, actually.
Hey – wasn’t there a ballot proposition to allow 6-year-olds to vote? 😉
And they voting for more deserts, less vegetables. (Well, some of them actually like vegetables, as well.)
I hope not, although some may think he acts like a 6-year-old.
I’ll probably check out the video link, later.
I did make it pretty clear that I was talking about my kids specifically: ” which for my kids was a horrible outcome”
You made it that way.
I suspect that many 6-year olds can’t even tell you who the president is, much less the “ramifications” of it.
David – I was in tears too, and it meant so much to witness this moment in history with my 14 year-old daughter.
Thanks Cindy.
In her short life my daughter has seen a woman elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, Vice-President of the United States and to lead a major party ticket for the Presidency.
A woman was recently nominated and confirmed to the Supreme Court, as well.
Sarah Palin was the vice-presidential pick of McCain.
Just sayin’, not supportin’.
Neither of those things were firsts.
True, as well.
But I don’t think that one side has a monopoly on such issues.
Although not the U.S., Margaret Thatcher comes to mind. Highly respected by president Reagan, as well.
I believe there’s other powerful women who are conservatives.
And apparently, Trump appealed to a significant (larger-than-expected) number of “minorities” (e.g., in Florida).
Belonging to a minority class does not necessarily correspond with political views, despite what some seem to imply.
And the same goes for gender.
I’ve seen quite a few reports that many voters essentially agreed with Trump, regarding not “locking down” the country. Lots of businesses and individuals hurting. (Again, just noting it, not taking a position.)
I think Sandra Day O’Connor is rightly venerated as was Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Palin might have been too had she been less of a pre-Trumpian figure.
“This year has been about primarily two things—a gross mishandling of a pandemic that has disproportionately struck communities of color, and a series of protests following the death of George Floyd that has brought back forward the issue of racial inequality and structural racism.”
Those Are important things but for me the main thing this year has been about was a referendum on the President, his policies, his abuses of power and the role of the President in this republic.
Thankfully,Trump lost. The center has held.
“But I slept last night better than I have in months,”
Me, too.
Even though part of the message of 2020 is that a disturbing number of white Americans are more inclined to hate than understanding, the majority of Americans voted for decency and democracy. That majority now needs to make manifest the promise of equality and opportunity by supporting the ideals of American democracy and loudly rejecting the hateful, racially and culturally divisive rhetoric of authoritarianism.
Good piece, David.
And probably the bigger story of the election is that the “blue wave” did not materialize (and in fact, Democrats lost some seats in Congress), and the presidential election was much closer than most predicted.
This suggests that publications such as the Vanguard are out-of-touch with America at large.
What you won’t see on here is actual debate/alternative views. Instead, those folks are attacked until they no longer bother commenting. (We’ve seen that regarding local growth/development issues as well, with “yours truly” being one of the last hold-outs.) 😉
Leaving aside the gratuitous shots at the Vanguard, I think you are missing something here. There was a blue wave – probably 81 million people will have voted for Biden when all votes are counted. However, there was also a smaller and weaker red wave. Prior to this election 69.5 was the most votes ever for a president. Biden will shatter that. But so will Trump. On the one hand, I have some concerns about Trump, but in terms of voter participation, this is a high point for democracy. I hope both parties can focus on that point into the future – get people involved and voting.
I’m glad you changed your comment, from a reactive one to a more balanced one.
The “shot at the Vanguard” was intended as an observation (e.g., based upon some of the comments in this article and others). As well as the increasing lack thereof, from those with opposing views. In that sense, it is not a “shot” or “complaint”.
Bottom line though, is that there are lots of Trump supporters who don’t see things the way that you (or I) do. And you’re not going to hear from them much, on here.
I do find it interesting that (even) Trump received more “minority” support than expected. I suspect that those on the left over-estimate the support for their (larger/broader) views within various minority communities, and that this chasm will become more evident in the future.
Lots of “white” protesters, on the left.
It’s hard to really know on the minority vote.
This map shows that Biden won the people of color vote in every state, but loses among whites in most states, and white men even in California. (Not sure what is going on with their Iowa numbers, that’s clearly wrong).
Well, that is surprising (regarding “white men” in California).
How do they know what skin color you have, when you vote? (For that matter, sometimes names don’t necessarily indicate gender.) Is this based upon some kind of survey?
Bottom line might be that as support for conservatives “grows” (or becomes more apparent) within various minority communities, it can be enough to combine with the majority to ensure a win (as in the apparent case in Florida, maybe Texas).
Trump received more minority vote than any GOP presidential candidate since 1960. That’s a fact and hard to be ignored. But I’m sure we’ll see some whitesplaining from those on the left who want to tell us why people of color increasingly voted for Trump. People of color have their reasons why they voted for Trump.
Ron to answer your question it is based on exit polls. And to be honest I am not sure how much we can trust the exit polls this year because of the ways people voted. We will have to see when everything is done an analysis of the vote.
That gets me to Keith’s comment: “That’s a fact and hard to be ignored.”
As I pointed out last week, and you never responded, the number are well within the margin of error and only slightly higher than 2016. You are overstating the data when you say “that’s a fact.”
As I point out to Ron, the exit poll data is a bit less trustworthy than prior years and so I would caution against the strong conclusion you make especially when the polled numbers are a difference of 4 percent for blacks and Latinos and two percent for Asians – can you really draw a conclusion from these numbers? Until we have a better sense for the numbers, I would say no.
Thanks – I guess we’d have to see how those polls are conducted, especially with all the mail-in ballots.
I also suspect that folks (in general) are going to be increasingly disinclined to provide “racial” information, voluntarily. (Not necessarily limited to “white” people.) As we saw the threat to college enrollments for Asians, as a result of the affirmative action effort.
Government collection of such data might increasingly be viewed as a risk, for lack of a better word.
Once again, everyone is just playing the hand that favors their side. It’s true minorities across the board voted in higher percentages for Trump than last time. It’s also true that this is currently based mainly on exit polls, and therefore is likely skewed towards The Donald sort of voters. The majority map is rather disingenuous, as it doesn’t dispel the point, it only shows that the majority of most minorities voted for Biden, which isn’t exactly rocket or poll science.
” It’s true minorities across the board voted in higher percentages for Trump than last time. It’s also true that this is currently based mainly on exit polls, and therefore is likely skewed towards The Donald sort of voters.”
So if we don’t have good data – how do we arrive at the conclusion about minorities across the board voting for Trump in higher percentages? That’s been my point. The data that we do have is not only questionable but inside the margin of error.
I hadn’t noticed.
I’m glad you called him out on it. Do you have a screen shot?
Too bad none of us mere mortals get to repost with reconsidered comments when the censors take us down.
I think they just did that. And for some reason I have the opposite — seems Fall 2020 is a low point for democracy. My belief regardless of what outcome.
You can argue it’s a low point as well, I was speaking from the standpoint of 160 million people voting.
It’s not a case of being out of touch. Unfortunately, Lincoln was wrong about fooling most of the people most of the time… That this large group headed by reactionaries continue to deny reality is an endemic problem. The LA Times best captured it here: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-11-06/the-enduring-support-for-donald-j-trump
Sounds like why people supported Ronald Reagan . . . also a screen entertainment guy turned politician . . . and Donald Trump did it without a chimp partner.
Alan M
Yes, this problem started 40 years ago when the GOP consultants figured out how to manipulate people’s perspectives so effectively. At least Reagan didn’t threaten democracy directly. And it’s been a problem to overcome for quite a while. The emergence of social media has made this even more difficult. The reemergence of white nationalism is one example. It had been pushed to the shadows by the 1990s, but the Internet gave it a place to hide and communicate and it has grown steadily again. Qanon is an emergent, virulent and dangerous strand.
A key difference between Reagan and Trump is that Reagan had some political experience, and maybe as a result knew how to read whether and how much his audience (the voting public) was with him. Trump seems to be more clueless on that.
My point is that as long as the American people elect entertainers (or politicians) to political office, we are doomed.
Alan
I completely agree. Celebrities are too wrapped up in themselves to govern well.
More than a blue wave the red tide went out and Trump got sucked into the undertow. The fact that Republican Senators outperformed Trump tells us that many Republicans rejected Trump. Many thanks to the Lincoln Project. They raised my respect for Republicans who love this country more than any one person.
I shudder to think of the name-calling that would have occurred if Trump had won. Not to mention what would have happened in the streets.
Gracious winners, I guess. 😉
Still don’t know what is going to be the reaction to the election by Trump supporters once the fraud claims are shut down.
Nothing, I suspect.
But really, you might want to do a better job protecting minority opinions (regarding some of the comments on here). Or at least not have Don “join in” (or initiate it), given his other role on this blog.
I highly doubt nothing.
You guys are all pretty tame, but I wonder if Frankly is done throwing furniture around yet. His online tirade after Romney’s loss in 2012 is still a classic.
Scary though that Mitt Romney is seen a a ‘liberal’ (or, at least, a ‘moderate’) by many Republicans… I put Romney close to John McCain… a ‘conservative’ Republican who actually had morals/values above party ideology… just an opinion…
I find the entire premise of this article disingenuous. Would DG and others be sitting in front of the TV with their daughters if Nikki Haley, Condoleeza Rice, Joni Ernst, Liz Cheney, Marsha Blackburn, Betsy Devos, Sarah Palin, Martha McSally, Sarah Sanders or Ronna McDaniel had been coming in as full on President, glowing in the light of a woman president? I think not.
The joy is in one of your side’s women coming in a president, not in a women. It’s the same reason you so meaninglessly dismiss the increase in the rate of minorities that voted for Trump, however large this turns out to be – evoking Godwin’s Law instead of asking why and really trying to understand what is going on politically, not simply demonizing or demeaning – which in this case I consider racist (dismissively putting down a person of color for their political views, or implying they are being as stupid as the Jews who voted for Hitler).
The main reason I didn’t pick Biden was because he picked Harris. I’ve never liked Harris, and those voting in the primary didn’t seem to like her much either. I’d never seen a picture or heard a racial description of her until the word came out Biden was looking for a woman of color for the VP seat; all those years I’d heard about her is SF I had no idea her ‘race’. As I’ve said before I was ready to vote for Biden when Keisha Lance Bottoms was rumored for a time to be #1 on Biden’s list. KLB rocks!
My point here is this isn’t about having some token woman in the White House. This is about the particular human being that you pick to be in the White House. Let’s not play games with that notion.
I agree with this 100 times over. Good post Alan, the truth hurts.
9.9 / 10… good call… pegged landing…
Seems someone referred to the equivalent of a “red tide” receding as opposed to a blue wave… “red tides” are synonymous with ‘food that is poisoned… don’t eat…’
Sounds like someone was trying to mussel in a subtle implication.
An important question is to what extent will Trump supporters turn out to vote if he’s no longer on the ballot. We saw the inverse of this in 2016 after Obama wasn’t on the ballot and Blacks turned out in lower numbers. Trump supporters have a particular disdain for government and it looks like a strong attraction to celebrity. When the latter is gone, how motivated will they be? We might see in the Georgia Senate runoff races.
Georgia could be interesting… several levels… not normally 2 US Senate races, same State, on same ballot… uncharted waters, as far as I know… particularly a “run-off”… goes to ‘divisive’…
There’s a great article in the Atlantic on this subject:
The Most Important Divide in American Politics Isn’t Race
The polarization of place and the depolarization of race are the stories of the moment.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/2020-election-results-prove-density-destiny/617027/
Key line in this:
The depolarization of race will make it harder for Democrats to count on demography as a glide path to a permanent majority. It should make them think hard about how a president they excoriate as a white supremacist somehow grew his support among nonwhite Americans.
And here’s a part of why it’s important to consider the why, instead of continuing the narrative I was critical of:
. . . in the long run, racial depolarization might be good for America. A lily-white Republican Party that relies on minority demonization as an engine for voter turnout is dangerous for a pluralist country. But a GOP that sees its path to victory winding through a diverse working class might be more likely to embrace worker-friendly policies that raise living standards for all Americans.
On another hand (there are more than two hands), in Vox:
We need to talk about the white people who voted for Donald Trump
https://www.vox.com/2020/11/7/21551364/white-trump-voters-2020
Some quotes in here:
• This year, the majority of white Americans voted for Trump . . . and if we simply treat this fact as obvious while Black and Latinx votes are worthy of analysis, we essentially give white voters a pass for backing a racist campaign — twice.
• A Bree Newsome is quoted as tweeting: The past 48 hrs has been folks trying unsuccessfully to scapegoat Black voters for a close election while denying that the 2020 results lay bare the realities of white America’s racism even more than 2016
• . . . white people buying anti-racism books probably weren’t going to vote for Trump in the first place. (I agree with that, if they mean ‘most of the white people who were buying . . . ‘)
• America has long taken for granted that white people will vote in their best interest — and that’s voting for whiteness regardless of their socioeconomic status or the level of education they’ve attained. (I was amused by the concept of ‘voting for whiteness’ — perhaps I could ‘vote for Jewness’ – oops, didn’t vote for Sanders)
What I found interesting is that, despite the title and Vox making the point that people of color are not monolithic, the article goes out of its way to use wording that paints white people as monolithic, even if the point could be made without that wording.
So, choose a viewpoint that you feel will do the most to bring our nation forward towards a healing of racial tension.
I don’t think the data bears that out. Race wasn’t quite as overriding a factor as it was in 2016, but it was still the most heavy variable followed by gender and education. I have been waiting on some of this until there is clearer data, the exit poll data is pretty unreliable so far. The ANES study will be far better in determining these factors.