So, what just happened?

[EarlG]

30. It feels like relief from fear

It’s been fear driving this whole thing, on all sides. My fear, and I think yours too, was that if Biden dropped out the consequences would be the loss of incumbency, an ugly fight over the nomination, and ultimately a disaster at the polls as we became the “chaos party.”

Others, meanwhile, were afraid that with Joe Biden at the head of the ticket, we would lose. Everyone was afraid.

And these were not small fears because the consequence of failure would be the first American dictatorship, headed by Donald Trump. It’s a terrifying thought.

In the end, big donors and party leaders decided for us. Enough pressure was applied to Biden — along with, as I understand it, his own realization that he was sinking in the polls — and he chose to drop out.

It turns out that my personal fears were unfounded. The party immediately pivoted to Harris. Joe Biden ended up looking like one of the greatest American statesmen of all time. And Trump is now solidly on the back foot. Ultimately, I don’t even feel resentful about my primary vote being negated, because in some ways it wasn’t. I voted for Biden/Harris, and I ended up with Harris. That’s okay with me.

Of course, we don’t know — and never will know — if this was the right choice. Either path was a gamble, and the election is not over yet.

But what HAS happened, I think, is that the real fear of a Trump presidency has been replaced by real hope that we can take Trump down. And after all this time living in fear, hope is a pretty refreshing sensation. It’s no wonder that so many people are basking in it right now.