Unable to agree on what was right, we didn’t know which way to go. And if we can’t trust each other, we can’t get there together. And everything big and hard needs to be done together.
So our enemies are wiser not to leave us to die, but we are even wiser not to conclude that, because we have avoided the worst, they We have secured the best in the future.
Everything is not fine.
We are as divided when we come out of this election as we are when we enter it. But to the extent that the red wave doesn’t manifest itself – especially in swing states like Pennsylvania, where John Fetterman won a Senate seat ahead of Trump-approved Dr. Oz, and in swing counties like the center. Virginia Center, where Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger was re-elected by defeating another Trump-backed candidate – that’s enough independence and moderate Republicans and Democrats showed up to put Fetterman and Spanberger on top.
“There is still a group of viable centrist voters out there who, when presented with a valid choice – not everywhere and not always, but in a few key districts – assert themselves. ,” Don Baer, who served as the communications director of the Clinton White House, told me. “I think there are still a lot of voters who say, ‘We want to have a viable hub where we can figure out how to make things happen that can really help people, even if it doesn’t work. imperfect or all at once. We don’t want every election to exist. ‘”
The challenge, added Baer, is “how do you bring that sentiment to scale and make it work regularly in Washington?”
I don’t know, but, if this election is a sign that we are at least moving back from the brink, it’s because enough Americans still fall into this independence camp or center and don’t want to continue. continue to indulge in grievances, lies, and Donald Trump fantasies, which they can see are driving the GOP crazy and rocking the country. Nor do they want to be shackled by the awakened enforcers of the left, and they are appalled by the spread of the kind of sick political violence that has just befallen Nancy Pelosi’s husband.
We owe a huge debt to Republicans Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger and Democratic Representative Elaine Luria for keeping this center alive. Three of them helped lead the January 6 investigation in Congress and were forced out of their jobs as a result. But the committee’s message to enough voters – that we must never let something like this happen again – also certainly contributed to the lack of support for Trump in the midterms. this.
