So many of us continue to live in denial... [View all]

...looking for all kinds of reasons why Harris didn't just lose, but lost in a stunning fashion. I wrote here months ago the "Biden's age" was the proxy for "that black lady who takes over if he dies". I can understand why it's difficult for so many to wrap their heads around the fact "inflation" became the replacement for that because it means admitting a truth that might be scary, painful, embarrassing, or all of the above.

Kamala Harris lost because of sexism, racism, and bigotry. It's just that simple. I underestimated the impact of the transgender prisoner ads, and I guess the campaign did too. While the black men who voted did vote for Harris in huge numbers, a lot of them, particularly in the South stayed home. Numbers from NC and GA are going to show that. There was already a cohort of Latino men who openly expressed they wouldn't vote for a woman for president, and those ads buttressed their reluctance. Areas known to have large Puerto Rican populations still went for Trump in spite of being insulted by his campaign.

People have become sophisticated enough to say things like "inflation", or "I don't know enough about her", or "I have to do my research" as opposed to channeling their inner Archie Bunker, but the conclusion is the same. This is why they polls don't reflect the results: people aren't obligated to tell the truth, so they don't. Trump has provided the permission structure and the attitude, and, as his supporters have said, he says what people really think. And he doesn't suffer any punishment for it. They can let their votes do their talking.

So if the result isn't making sense to you, it's because of the denial. The media continues to do it as well. When you come to the wrong conclusions you can't arrive at the right corrections.