A post-election reckoning

There will be a lot of soul-searching over the next few days, months, and years, but this is how I feel post-election—

For Democrats to win nationwide, they need to learn how to communicate. 

Right now, they speak AT Americans instead of TO Americans. 

A tremendous level of smugness, self-righteousness, and condescension permeates the hierarchy of Democratic leadership. Americans see, hear, and feel this. If the party is ever to regain the trust of the working class, it cannot continue to look down on that segment of the electorate. 

Interestingly, Democratic policies are generally popular, but voters fail to grasp their benefits, not because of ignorance but because of the Democratic Party's massive communication failures.

Democrats need to stop focusing on identity politics and caving to the far left. 

They are spending far too much time catering to individuals who are “woke" and represent a small fraction of the electorate. 

We can and should continue to support marginalized communities without alienating ourselves from others.

Joe Biden has been a phenomenal president. 

I had my doubts but he proved me wrong time and time again. 

Under his leadership, Congress has passed some of the most consequential pieces of legislation in my lifetime. I consider his team one of the most accomplished in recent memory. 

When he made the agonizing (but right) decision to stand down, the world saw his leadership and love of his country firsthand. 

He will go down as one of the all-time greats. 

I am so immensely proud of Kamala Harris. 

Even senior Trump campaign staff would agree that she ran an incredible campaign. 

Yes, you can come up short and run an amazing campaign (see Jason Kander’s 2016 campaign for the US Senate in Missouri). 

The odds were against her, especially with just 100 days to cobble together a campaign, but she energized and excited millions of people. Millions of Americans voted FOR something, not AGAINST someone.

Donald Trump won fair and square. 

There was no fraud or a grand conspiracy. 

I’m glad we will see a peaceful transition of power come January 20. 

Millions of Americans voted FOR him and the message he has continued to hammer over the last eight years. His message has always been simple: Make America Great Again. Americans can take that message however they see fit. It resonates and the results reflect that. Americans of all political stripes should want to follow that message. We all want to Make America Great Again. We may have different ways of going about it and different ideas on what it might mean, but it is a unifying message. 

Democrats have much to learn from Trump, and I hope they take this opportunity to do just that.

I abhor just about everything about Donald Trump on a personal level. 

I find him revolting and disgraceful. 

But I am rooting for him. 

Yes, really. 

I want him to succeed. 

I want our leaders to leave office better than they inherited it and he will inherit a strong and great country from Biden. I have faith that Trump can build on that. 

I hope he works to extend an olive branch to all Americans — regardless of whether or not they voted for him.

I am profoundly grateful to people like Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Joe Walsh, and many more who have sacrificed their time in electoral politics to defend our democratic institutions. 

They are profound examples of #CountryOverParty and I know history will treat them kindly.

Americans are far too polarized. 

We cannot continue to spurn people simply because they are on opposite sides of us politically. 

I am a fierce liberal and I proudly count hardcore conservatives as some of my dearest friends. They are our family, friends, neighbors, and more. We have far more similarities than differences. 

I learned long ago that politics cannot get in the way of our relationships. We will all be more well-rounded should we take stock of the opinions and feelings of those different from us. 

I implore liberals and conservatives to take a moment to listen and learn. You won’t agree on everything, but you will find more commonality than you might expect.

The future of the Democratic Party is bright. 

We have governors like Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Shapiro, and Wes Moore. 

We have senators like Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, Elissa Slotkin, and Ruben Gallego. 

We have representatives like Jason Crow, Jasmine Crockett, Ritchie Torres, and Sarah McBride. 

We have state attorneys general like Jeff Jackson. 

We have talent, promise, and conviction.

To those hurting: you are not alone; because I am hurting too. 

Today, we will grieve. 

But we will endure. 

Tomorrow, we will keep marching because the work is never over.