Tuesday night was rough. Wednesday night may have been even rougher. Thursday and Friday blended together, but Saturday morning brought tears of joy. Although the prospect of Joe Biden’s victory seemed promising when I shut my eyes on Friday night, my general skepticism towards popping the champagne before anything is final prevailed. Saturday morning, however, crushed this skepticism in its entirety.
Perhaps I overheard my roommates celebrating Biden’s win before I actually woke up, because the moment I opened my eyes I felt an overwhelming air of enthusiasm and relief. I immediately checked my phone and saw the Apple News notification: “Joe Biden has defeated Donald Trump and will become the 46th President, according to the Associated Press.” I took a big deep breath and let out a loud, long and satisfied “yep,” before putting my phone back down to smile at the ceiling for a while.
I walked to Dunkin’ Donuts for my breakfast, appreciating the glistening sun as if I’d never seen it before. My smile got bigger and bigger with each honking, Biden-decorated car that drove by. Strangers who would usually keep their eyes glued to their phone smiled back at me. I waited for my coffee, subtle tears dripping onto my mask as I watched Kamala Harris say “we did it, Joe” over and over on my phone. My caramel iced coffee tasted better than usual.
It is important that I now reveal my own political inclinations, as my excitement towards Biden has nothing to do with his tax plan or his healthcare policies. At the risk of sparking outrage, I must admit that politically, I lean further right than the average Brown student, and certainly further right than most of my close friends. (Slow your heart rate, I’m not some “conservative monster:” I believe in a woman’s right to choose, I support gay marriage, etc…). I do generally believe in limited government, and sure I’d prefer lower taxes. But this election is about more than that. It is, as Van Jones explained through tears on CNN, about character. Character matters. I am proud to have helped elect a president whose character does not outrage me. I am proud to have elected a President who speaks with respectful language towards all Americans. I am proud to have elected a President who doesn’t say things like “grab ‘em by the p****.” I am proud to have elected a President who tells more truth than lies. As you may notice, this criteria employs a pretty low bar. But that’s the point. To me, Biden simply represents raising the bar for the kind of individual we trust to lead the free world– politics aside.
Now, while I cherish this victory, I want to touch upon two matters that, to me, are worth acknowledging. First, this election was not those with morals defeating those without– the so-called “deplorables:” those uneducated, racist white men living in the deep south. This was nearly one half of our country defeating nearly the other half. Dismissing Trump supporters as uneducated or hateful can be seriously harmful to productive political discourse. While I was a character-driven voter, I personally believe that being able to vote on character is a privilege. Some have sufficiently strong views on policy matters that they might choose to vote for Trump– despite the character issues that I suspect many of these voters may recognize– because they are concerned for their livelihood. Others, of course, voted for Biden based on concerns about how another Trump presidency might impact their livelihood. I understand and respect the choice to vote on issues, even though I might disagree with these issues and have chosen to vote on character.
Secondly, we still have ways to go. Yes, this change is exciting, but let’s remember a few things in addition to the fact that we still have two more months under President Trump’s leadership, and he has not yet agreed to a peaceful transfer of power. At this time, COVID-19 cases are peaking at unseen levels. Millions of Americans are facing loss, unemployment, poverty, and food insecurity among many other hardships. So, while we can in fact pop a bottle of champagne for Biden, the work has only just begun.