Biden His Time

I had something else prepared for this morning, but we'll put that aside for a few quick, random, first-reaction thoughts for a far better reason -- MSNBC, which has been very conservative in making its calls, has just called the election for Joe Biden.  And so has the Wall Street Journal.  And the BBC.  All that to go with other venues that have called it previously.  This doesn't make it so -- that's what counting all the votes is about -- but given the reticence of MSNBC and the clear direction of the results, it seems the next best thing.

Phew.

We're still in for another two months of hell, as Trump and his team of fascists keep lying to the public and making lawsuits, and then likely taking retributions.  But we've weathered four years of this and had plenty of practice, two months is nothing by comparison.

I think back at what Biden has long-said was his motivation to get into the race.  And that was at Charlottesville when Trump said that many neo-Nazis were very fine people.  I think too at how his campaign seemed over after the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries when he finished far-back in the pack, finishing fourth and fifth -- and then South Carolina and Rep. James Clybourn's endorsement happened.

I think too about how the biggest hit he took during the debates was from blunt questioning by Kamala Harris -- and it was Sen. Harris who Biden chose to be his running mate.  And from that, we'll have the first woman elected as Vice President of the United States.  And a black woman at that.

I also think about how Biden first ran for president 38 years go.  And ran several times since then.  And how he didn't run four years ago when many thought he might and that that would have been his last chance to become president.  

And I think, as well, that what's fascinating about all this is for however close and nail-biting this race has been, edge of the seats close where it seems like the results could have flipped, Biden will win the general popular vote by around 5 million votes and may win as many as 306 Electoral votes, possibly less but maybe more.  In some regards, without knowing all the details of how it all played out, this angst-ridden and deeply divided race may actually be looked at as dancing around a landslide.

(Which makes me think that what has to be addressed is the Electoral College.  For all its reasons for existence and historical importance, life has change long ago, and it's time to try to address change.  Here's hoping the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact moves even more close, as it nears fruition.  You can find out more about it here, though perhaps I'll write about it upcoming.)

Mainly, I think about the hell the country would have been in had the results been different.  Election Night had disturbing aspects to the results, for showing the country's division, for continuing to enable aspects of the Republican Party, for seemingly retaining Senate control with the GOP (though that's still don't completely settled.)  But for all that, there was still only one race that mattered most and towered above all.  And that was the presidency.  So, for all the very real disappointments, the end results are joyous.