I am only slightly surprised by the number of people who have mentioned catching up on their sleep since Election Night. Not just after staying up late on Nov. 3, but after several years of insomnia-inducing stress. I am one of many, it seems, who has been released from worried wakefulness. By a large blue map.
All the blue! So much blue! Extreme blueness!
Now, I’m not color blind – I know there are still red states, but the amount of blue is just oceanic.
Now, instead of waking up in the middle of the night to worry about rapidly approaching doom, it’s different. I wake up on the middle of the night, and remember the election, and I’m back to sleep in a moment, sawing metaphorical logs.
As someone who has been deeply disappointed by almost every election I ever voted in, this was refreshing. It gives proof to the slogan, when we all vote, we all win.
I was also heartened by hearing from many different sources that independent news made the difference. The small newsrooms across the nation that practice journalism and keep facts available when people were smothering in social media posts and propaganda allowed people to make real choices. Those real choices allowed dozens of first time, genuinely liberal candidates to win.
Of course, in California, it’s not a fight between major parties. It’s a struggle to build effective coalitions that really serve everyone.
And Then Mississippi. I mean, MISSISSIPPI.
I’m not holding my breath over Alaska; there might be another round of ‘ranked choice’ before a winner is declared, but I’m confident Peltola will take it.
And this is not where we float off into happily ever after. This is just the beginning of the next chapter. But I’m pretty damn delighted.
It’s also a great reason to just cue the Gershwin.
Judith Martin-Straw
