CHAUDHURY: Future is bright for U.S.
Before November 5, experts considered the U.S. election to be unpredictable. The expectation was for a tight battle that would persist for days. Instead, Americans went to bed that day knowing that Republicans would be in charge as Conservatives had control of the presidency, Supreme Court, Senate and House of Representatives.
Americans considered this election quintessential for the future of democracy, and they voted for those who they believed would protect it. President-elect Donald J. Trump won his second presidency and his first popular vote. The election was a landslide victory for Trump. Despite this, the future is bright for Americans.
With the unprecedented loss, the Democratic establishment is grieving while looking for answers. Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky on CNN blamed the loss on communication failure for alienating the party from modern Americans.
She specifically cited the failure of Democrats to call out protesting college students in Columbia due to President Joseph R. Biden's policies in the Middle East. She continued to call for the party to become the "party of common sense again." Still, she defended Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, saying the loss was not their fault.
Although I disagree with Roginsky and her perspective on the loss, her views demonstrate the blame game the Left has fallen into. Ultimately, numerous factors drove this loss: Biden's unpopularity, a shortened campaign, failure to separate from the previous administration, inability to connect with voters on key issues and a drift toward the Right. The problem with this "blame game" is that it further alienates voters by implicitly making the election results their fault.
Calling for leaders to condemn young voters who had a significantly lower turnout than expected is not the solution the establishment should seek. Similarly, there have been articles implicitly blaming Muslim-Americans for the loss, again citing the Biden-Harris stance on the Israel-Hamas War.
We must not succumb to blaming each other for this result. Conformity was the issue: the Democrats failed to win because they tried to reach the right rather than appeal to their base.
An example of this was Harris flexing her endorsement from former Vice President Dick Cheney, who is remembered as a war criminal and one of the most controversial figures in modern American politics. Still, because he represented something so vehemently against the values of Democrats, his endorsement was viewed as a tool to prove the Democrats' righteousness.
The Democratic Party must rebuild. The process will be long and arduous, but the future is bright because the party will be rebuilt by us. Millennials and Generation Z are collectively the most diverse and well-educated in American history. Both are significantly more politically active than the generations directly preceding them and will be able to facilitate the change we want.
Change starts at the local level: In a 2023 survey of 1,000 young professionals in government jobs, 67 percent said improving their communities was one of the most critical aspects of their work.
Pew Research Center surveys conducted in 2018 found that members of Generation Z are progressive, see the country's growing racial and ethnic diversity as a good thing and often do not see the U.S. as superior to other nations.
We decide the future. That was also the main message Harris portrayed in her concession speech on Wednesday. While maintaining the American precedent of a peaceful transition of power, Harris chose to put forth a message of hope. Even though this election was lost, the fight has not been. The future is not just decided by us — it is in our hands and ripe for the taking.
The speech was incredibly powerful and reminiscent of a call to action rather than a forfeit. Harris said, "I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions and aspirations … the fight for our country is always worth it. It is always worth it." Harris proclaimed to the youth, "To the young people who are watching, it is okay to feel sad and disappointed. But please know it's going to be okay."
Regardless of the part Harris played in this loss, her speech serves as a great reminder: the future is bright for the U.S.
Shayan Chaudhury is a first-year in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in philosophy and economics and minoring in philosophy, politics and economics. Shayan Chaudhury’s column, “Keeping up with the Capitol,” runs on alternate Wednesdays.
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