Consider how dramatically she’s progressed in her 107-day campaign — and what that says about how deep the issues we need to address are.
Vice President Kamala Harris recognizes the presidential election at Howard University in Washington, DC.
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
She deserved better.
Kamala Harris lost by such a wide margin that it doesn’t make sense for me to look for reasons now. Certainly not because of one glaring mistake made by her company that would have been the magic bullet in the race. In time we will find explanations. But they will probably not be the reasons that are our priors. Except for my priors. She’s a black woman — and no, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Trump’s two wins came against female candidates.
Yes, there are other reasons and we will find them. But watching Harris concede Wednesday at her alma mater, Howard University, where her expected victory party was held last night, I just couldn’t fault her. I called her flawless on social media last night, but that’s bullshit; no one is flawless. Consider, however, how dramatically she has succeeded in her 107-day campaign: closing the gap in the polls between her and Trump when she became the nominee; in mopping the floor with Trump in her only debate against him; at the convention; raise more money, much more from small donors, than the Trump campaign did; in her ground game. How Glenn Thrush spoke up“Democrats have completely appropriated/dominated the forms and conventions of great normal American politics… One problem: normal American politics no longer exists.”
At the same time, she put forward serious arguments about the future of democracy invest millions in attracting voters through advertising on the cost of groceries and prescription drugs, and on a truly game-changing proposal to expand Medicare to cover home care. Should she have distanced herself more from Joe Biden? Throughout his tenure, Biden has been called the most labor-friendly president since FDR, for appointing agency heads who aggressively protected workers and consumers, and for passing legislation that invests billions of dollars in the nation’s jobs. There are no easy answers here, and I think this week is for mourning, anger, and gathering strength for the long fight ahead. The people who elected Trump may not consider themselves good with fascism, but that’s what awaits us if we’re not ready to fight back.
I had to make the round trip from Harris’ no-win party on Tuesday night to her concession performance on Wednesday afternoon. It was quite devastating. There were many people who were crying. Perhaps I was among them. The crowd was large enough that I couldn’t find my daughter and her friend, but there was a large empty space in the center of the yard that seemed to symbolize all the people who had told the pollsters they would vote for Harris but ended up not.
But Harris held her head, so we should too.
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She clearly didn’t threaten rebellion: “A basic tenet of American democracy is that if we lose an election, we accept the results,” she said. “This principle, like any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And he who seeks public trust must respect it.”
But she continued: “At the same time, in our country, we owe loyalty not to the president or the party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My loyalty to all three is why I’m here to say that I’m conceding this election, but I’m not conceding the struggle that fueled this campaign — the struggle: the struggle for freedom, for opportunity, for justice and dignity for all people. Fighting for the ideals at the heart of our nation, ideals that represent America at our best. It’s a fight I will never give up on.”
I found the following reflection to be uplifting and a little sad at the same time.
“The saying goes: you can only see the stars when it’s dark enough. I know that many people feel that we are entering a dark time, but for the sake of all of us, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America, if that’s the case, let’s fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion stars.”
I don’t really know how we do it. There is no sugarcoating these results; there is no way to find better overlays in an environment where the work against fascism and for rights, equality and dignity for all is so monumental. I could only take solace in one small moment of human connection at Howard that made me glad I made the round trip. A charming little black girl ran up and threw herself into my arms. Her mom said her name was Joan (not knowing my name). As I stood holding this bundle of happiness, her mom told me that her Joan was very shy and never did anything like that. Maybe this Joan will make the world a better place. We didn’t do it for her this election, but we can’t stop trying.
We cannot retreat
We now face a second Trump presidency.
There is nothing to lose. We must use our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger to oppose the dangerous policies that Donald Trump is unleashing on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as principled and honest journalists and authors.
Today we are also preparing for the future struggle. It will require a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis and humane resistance. We are faced with the passage of Project 2025, a far-right Supreme Court, political authoritarianism, rising inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis and conflicts abroad. Nation will expose and propose, develop investigative reporting and act together as a community to preserve hope and opportunity. NationThe work will continue — as it has in good times and bad — to develop alternative ideas and visions, deepen our mission of truth-telling and in-depth reporting, and expand solidarity in a divided nation.
Armed with 160 years of courageous independent journalism, our mandate remains the same today as it was when the Abolitionists were founded Nation— to defend the principles of democracy and freedom, to serve as a beacon in the darkest days of resistance, and to see and fight for a bright future.
The day is dark, the forces are building tenaciously, but it’s too late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is just the time when artists go to work. No time for despair, no room for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we make language. This is how civilizations heal.”
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Katrina Vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, Nation
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