As much as I have feared acts of violence during the election, I am relieved that there have been so few real incidents during the vote and the count. We’ve endured rat-fucking disinformation by amateur and Russian intelligence personnel alike. We’ve endured armed groups roaming the polls. We’ve endured public calls to violence by the Ol’ Pussy Grabber and his sycophants. But, through the voting and counting, there were protests and demonstrations but no real violence.

Just like at the beginning of the Great Depression, the American people have expressed themselves through their vote and not through violence in the street. Remember, that the Stock Market Crash of 1929 occurred at the beginning of Hoover’s term, so it would be four years until the next opportunity to elect a new president. There was palpable fear of a Communist revolution, but, Americans did not revolt. We waited and suffered and hoped until the next election and brought in FDR and the New Deal — the biggest victory of American progressives in US history.

The American people did not descend into chaos and violence despite the exhortation of the Ol’ Pussy Grabber and his Russian bot allies. We waited until the election. We followed our social norms and customs of democracy. Democracy is part of the fabric of America, it is part of our deep culture. It is instinctual. It is as if we have said, Of course, we’ll hold an election to decide the direction of the country. How else would we change directions?

The GOP and the Ol’ Pussy Grabber’s authoritarian attempts did not work. Their calls for non-democratic actions were not heeded.

We can be proud and relieved, but the fight for our democracy is not over. The GOP still abhors democracy, but that is another blog post. For today it is enough to celebrate our democracy. And be vigilant to protect the peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Image Attribution

“Hall of Democracy” by national museum of american history is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0