Claggy Post Mortems

In the aftermath of an election that shook this nation to its core, it is understandable that there is a desperate search for answers. Losing begets incessant analysis, finger pointing, and second guessing, especially when the stakes are this dire.

Elections are about the past and the future, not just the present. So it is also inevitable that those who now find themselves in an unpleasant wilderness will fiercely debate the correct path forward, with different perspectives and constituencies trying to claim their essential role in shaping the narrative.

Yesterday, I set out to write my own version of a post mortem. I wrote about the economy (of course) and the disparity between broadly good economic news and the disorientation felt by many. I explored the effects of a broken media ecosystem, where lies are allowed to proliferate. I included a discussion of a general pervasive dissatisfaction with the status quo—a feeling that seems to be a global phenomenon in the wake of COVID as seen by the electoral failures of incumbent governments worldwide. I explained that it is the duty of citizens to be informed and that ignorance shouldn’t be an excuse. I considered the role of campaign messaging and demographics.

The paragraphs began to proliferate. Sadly, I found that clarity was heading in the opposite direction. Not exactly ideal when the goal is to see through the fog. I wondered what I could say that wasn’t already being said elsewhere. But even more so, I felt that there were so many factors, and we are still only in the immediate aftermath. Yes, Democrats will need to figure out how to move forward, but isn’t it hard to think clearly when you’re in a state of grief?

In searching for an adjective to express my dissatisfaction with my previous essay, I landed on “claggy”—a wonderful term I learned from the TV series The Great British Baking Show. It means dense, heavy, sticky, and hard to pick apart. And whether we’re talking about cake or political analysis, it is something that should be avoided.

In baking, there are many possible causes for clagginess. It can be undercooking, overmixing the batter, adding too much liquid (or not accounting for the liquid from something like a fruit), not having the right ratio of ingredients, having the wrong oven temperature, or opening the oven door too soon. All of these seem like they could also be perfect metaphors for a failed political campaign and the recriminations that follow.

The world is invariably complicated, and the factors that shape it mix together in ways that defy anticipation or full explanation. All of us are prone to our biases, and searching for the “complete picture” is an exercise in futility. We all should hesitate to speak with any definiteness about what went wrong, let alone what should happen going forward—especially as so much is still being sorted out.

One of the frustrations I have with the way journalism has developed in recent years is that we live in an environment of nanosecond news cycles where far too much premium is put on speed and hot takes on social media. With the Internet, anything can be published at any time. That has liberated our news consumption from the pace of morning papers or evening newscasts. But information flies at such a rate that there is rarely time to go back and see what actually was correct. This is also certainly true of political analysis.

Right now, we have entered a new reality, and we don’t know what will unfold. Democrats can and should strategize, but a successful approach will inevitably be shaped by the actions of the incoming administration and how those are received by the American people. The future is, by definition, unknowable, so any plans Democrats make will be influenced by uncertainty.

It is certainly interesting to hear what political strategists, politicians, and savvy commentators have to say about our current state of affairs. But I would caution that if you feel overwhelmed, as I sometimes do, a perfectly rational response is to step back and wait a bit to see how things develop.

This is a struggle for American democracy, and it will require strategic thinking, but also nimbleness and perseverance. There is a long history of American politics shifting into new eras and paradigms. I do not discount all the damage a Trump administration will likely do. I do not dismiss the desperation of many who stand to suffer. This is a dark turn in the history of this country.

But I also think that we should be careful about overreacting in passing verdicts on what went wrong. This is a complicated nation filled with millions of people who embody their own complications. Clearly there is a lot of dissatisfaction. 

There were many things Democrats could have and maybe should have done differently. But like a half-baked cake, let’s maybe put some of the analysis back in the oven to see what happens next before we speak with any certainty about the future.