Back in March 2024 I asked “what else you got” regarding our politics here in the U.S. and it really didn’t resonate with many folks. Back in July I mentioned my desire for an awakening down the ballot  because a blue W wasn’t likely at the top. I watched countless podcasts and interviews, the debates, news stories and so on, at no point did it look like Kamala would do anything besides lose badly. And I said this many times loud enough for someone listening to my communications to hear. So as I write this on November 6^th…the day after America decided to select agent dumb ass over Kamala, I feel the “I fuckin’ told you so” bubbling up in my spirit. But I ain’t tripping, this is about moving on. 😏

 

Dumb Decision

Many of Trump’s supporters (especially new Black and Hispanic ones) don’t know how dumb their decision was. In my estimation it’s worse than “this milk expired 2 months ago but fuck it” dumb, or even “raw dogging one of Magic Johnson’s exes from the 90’s” dumb. That to say, the chance of catastrophe is way higher and more likely than saying “that wasn’t so bad after all” on the other side of the decision. Ignorance and/or stupidity, add greed and a splash of racism and that’s the Trump electorate in a nutshell. The thing about it though, is you can easily define them for better or worse. They unite in these things he represents, even if they don’t gel with the other flawed folks, they gel with their trash opinions. It helps that he also doesn’t think in clear sentences so, much like the bible, his supporters can pull what they want out of his ramblings.

Keep it 💯

Kamala was unpopular from the gitty up if we’re keeping it a buck with ourselves. And because I know how people are…yes, I voted for Kamala. However, I voted for Kamala with the exact same enthusiasm as I have when I fly first class and I have to select between a ham and cheese quiche or a berry and cream cheese crepe. For a bit of context, I gave up eating pork over 20 years ago and never really liked the taste of it when I did eat it. No to pork EVERY TIME! However, I also don’t like crepes, but I’ll still try one every now and then. Naturally, given two choices I don’t want, I’m choosing the one I would actually eat over the swine every time. In this metaphor, Kamala was the fig and date crepe that I ain’t even really want like that, but since the other option was hog mawls and goddamn pre-washed chit’lins, I will pretend that crepe is a Ruth’s Chris filet because I’m still hungry.

Keeping with that metaphor, given the choices, A LOT of people on this ride decided “know what, I ain’t really that hungry I’ll eat when we get wherever we headed” and sat this meal selection out. In addition to that, a few others decided they’d just drink the water and make do with the 1-ounce chex mix bag or unsalted peanuts by way of voting for 3^rd party candidates…a la Jill Stein and Cornel West in 2024. Not that either of them siphoned enough votes from Kamala in places that matter, it simply added an additional option which inevitably reduces buy in for one or both of the two main options. 

It’s THE Question

So, to address that burning question of “what happened”! First we need to know the why’s that are important, and from there we have to keep it real with ourselves. We already know the candidates and for the most part, this vote was either in favor of reproductive rights, or simply anti-Trump. There’s a minority of us that believe, though a deeply flawed candidate, she represents more of what we want to see in politics. There’s an even smaller minority that voted for “pick an identity” reason i.e. Black, Indian, Jamaican, Female, HBCU Grad, Lawyer, Californian and so on. All that to say, our personal “why” kinda sheds light on why so many decided to sit this one out.

Strike 1: Reproductive rights and the style in which the argument was made for them, was only going to connect with a small fraction of male voters on a good day. I am very much pro-choice, I believe I even made the case (jokingly, but kinda for real) that men should have the ability to be pro-choice as well, but I digress. Since I’m already set on that issue, there is nothing about that specific message to hammer home for me so any additional oxygen spent on it is a missed opportunity. Looking at it as if I were a pro-life male, but cared more about the pocketbook issues as they say, there was no message for me. There was almost no emphasis on bridging the gap on the things that impact that person on a day-to-day basis or even a message that they’d relate to. Also, there are a lot of men and women in general that can’t relate to the heart strings aspect of that argument. Meanwhile, the young and the reckless don’t care either way.

Foul Ball: Kamala had to defend her identity from friends and foes alike. It’s always going to be four times as hard for a Black woman in politics as it is for White males, even in ideal conditions. However, a biracial (Indian and Jamaican) woman, that married a Jewish White guy, is not “ideal”. It actually leaves a lot of room for the Dr. Umar types to question your Blackness. I don’t agree with that, but if we’re being reasonable, one should prepare for known obstacles and potential obstacles when traversing roads such as these. The onslaught of negative social media posts by the Hotep ass, gatekeepers of Blackness when you’re biracial, should be a known obstacle. For whatever value it is worth, she was also up against Dr. Cornel West, who is in general a respectable guy. He definitely stole a few votes in many of the states she needed to win, but not enough to sway her towards winning. Cornel is the same man that once worked the varying networks to defend Barack Obama left and right in 2008. In 2024 facing even worse prospects for the future, he kicked off a Powerball Jackpot, slim chance campaign against her. I can’t respect that. If nothing else, that lack of unity signals to the easily swayed Black people that she can’t be trusted. Resulting in staying home, or votes for the opposition. 

Foul Ball: To a small degree delusion and hubris played a role in this crazy L. The idea that the masses would buy into the candidate that wasn’t even their 2^nd or 3^rd choice in the first place is crazy. There was an assumption by the establishment that abortion rights would be just as galvanizing as the laundry list of issues we voted for and/or against in 2020. Kamala didn’t really defend the accomplishments of the Biden administration besides capping the cost of insulin for seniors. I’m sure she mentioned more, but most things pivoted to the same two talking points; Prescription drug caps and reproductive rights. These are two minor concerns when considering the masses and the opposing party. Also, unlike Trump, in her position she has to make a claim for herself. She distanced herself from Biden’s economic policy by way of silence on the topic, but when asked at the most critical moment what she’d do differently she fumbled and said she didn’t know. 

Pop Fly, Out: Who is Tim Walz? That’s a question that almost no one in the country could answer in June of 2024. In fact, leading up to her selecting him it was 71% of Americans never knowing this guy. Of the 29% that did, I’d wager, outside of his home state, most were like me. Heard of him back in 2020 in relation to George Floyd, didn’t notice him again until 2024. Two days after selecting him, people had the initial reaction of “hey, I like this guy”, then all of the potholes regarding his life stories started tearing up the frame on their ride to the finish line. The overall impact of this confusion was skepticism. If you’ve ever been to a shop and looked at a product that resembled what you like, but didn’t feel right; like those Jordan’s with the Jumpman logo with a dangling penis on it; if so then you know how a large swath of voters felt. 

Pimping since been pimping!

I personally believe Donald Trump is a horrible human being, however, his win doesn’t have me upset like many of my friends. Partially because I was expecting it, as I believe many others should have as well. The main reason I’m not angry is because I believe losses should at very least provide insight on how to win the next one. The Democratic establishment no longer has a guaranteed “Black vote”, “Hispanic vote”, “Gay vote”, “EV Owner vote” or whatever. Corporate greed and overt bigotry play a vital role in the MAGA landscape, whereas the Democrats try to hide that shared trait. Donald has been very vocal about who he hates, and doesn’t tolerate, and somehow that was effective in convincing those same people to vote red or chill on the couch. 

Dislike him or hate him, Donald Trump has a very straightforward approach. Abrasive, ignorant, fabricated, fear mongering and full of shit, but he’s consistent with his identity the entire time. He’s a narcissistic reality TV star with dick envy and a lot of money. That’s a horrible resume for “President of the United States” but psychologically, it is exactly what his supporters want. I blame the school system and social media for that. If nothing else, this gives you a blueprint of what is needed in a person opposing him and his legion of doom and gloom ass people. 

Bring my change please

Barack Obama ran his campaign on “Hope and Change”. There were themes of Black excellence playing in the background, the dude played ball, knew pop culture (genuinely so), had a sense of humor and wasn’t constantly reaching, in a way that felt less than authentic. There was a culture in Washington, as well as stereotypes about Washington that he ran against. He mentioned the promise of a brighter future while tackling the dark challenges of the day. There were a lot of points to touch on, and he got to all of them. He wasn’t rocking with gay marriage, but was smooth enough to say “I evolved on that topic” when he changed his mind, or went along with the hidden agenda. That to say, even his fuck ups were smooth. There won’t be another Barack, but we need to find someone that is 80% as good as that.

Everybody can’t go!

First, the voters need a choice. These were unconventional circumstances, and much like RBG fucking us over by not doing the right thing, at the right time, the old person was stubborn until it was too late. But yeah, we need to have a primary of only a few smart people. We need a person that is genuinely good, or at least a positive, no-nonsense person. The next Commander in Chief candidate needs to be someone the unhyphenated Americans (White men) can relate to; as in a fellow White man. The subject matter/aim of the campaign has to be fixing what’s universally broken BEFORE fixing the special interests. It would be foolish to run with the “reproductive rights” issue spearheading things when it’s the lowest concern of the largest voting bloc. Seems obvious reading it, but this is what they let Kamala run on. We need someone younger, with fresh ideas and a worthwhile personality to explain them. Someone with charm that is charismatic enough to appeal to the hyphenated minority while gelling with the Unhyphenated Americans. That’s the type of candidate needed in 2028. 

I know what you should be thinking…” Doug, if you know so much, you should run for President”. Damn that, I like driving, and I appreciate a good curse word, along with politically incorrect humor. Not to mention, I’m gonna be busy chilling in 2028 if my master plan goes well. I won’t 100% rule it out though if that make you feel better. We all know at least 1 Trump supporter, they’re living their wet dream today, and I’m sure he’s trying to make their dreams cum true, like when he was fellating the microphone. Weirdo. This is just game 1 in a long series of getting this country moving in the right direction. The Democratic party needed a cold water bath, to wake up to this reality they’ve been preparing since 2020. That said, prepare for 2026 now and don’t get angry, get active out here. Deuces, for now again. 😁