November 05, 2024
Today is the last day to cast your vote in the US presidential election. We may know the results of the election tonight, but it’s more likely we won’t know for a few days or even a week. There will be as many hot takes as there are pundits, most of which will be a version of “I told you so.”
The outcomes of the presidential election, the elections for the US House and Senate, and all of the other races around the country, matter. The person who controls the White House and the political parties that control the House and Senate matter.
One thing the outcome is not is the last word on the United States. Electing Kamala Harris as the first woman president does not mean that the US magically “solved” sexism. Electing Donald Trump does not mean that all of America agrees with his views on immigration. The outcome of the election means that more voters in a few places decided to support one candidate over the other. The supporters of the losing candidate don’t go away or suddenly change their minds. And those who voted may, or may not, reflect the views of those who didn’t vote. No single election, no one candidate, can possibly stand in for the dreams, hopes, fears, and daily lives of 340+ million people who call the United States home.
Over the next few weeks, we will talk about what happened, why it happened, and what happens next. We will debate strategies and tactics, talk about the role of the media, and keep at the business of studying, shaping, and telling the stories that matter. This is SMPA, that’s what we do.