Let’s talk about brunch. There was a popular phrase after Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump that goes “If Hillary won, we’d be at brunch.” This phrase is the epitome of complacency. A “life back to normal,” which is what “at brunch” suggests, is not something that every person in this country can have, even with a Democratic president. Black, LGBTQ+, disabled, non-Christian, and women communities are in danger under any president and we need to push any candidate, no matter how progressive, to continue to fight for the minority and disenfranchised people in our country.
We need to push Joe Biden to be the best president for every community and keep him in check. The same goes for Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris. This is a rush article– I’m writing this minutes after CNN declared Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election and President-Elect. Obviously, I believe Joe Biden is the lesser of the two evils at hand this election, but I can’t help but feel worried. I consider myself a progressive and leftist, not necessarily a liberal nor Democrat, and a lot of people like me feel a bit cheated by this election. Joe Biden was by no means the most progressive person on the Democratic primary ballot, and has adopted little progressive views since his nomination in August.
That being said, of course I’m glad Joe Biden won the election. A Democratic president allows more room for some progressive change to be made, as long as we don’t fall into complacency with a Democratic president. They will inevitably make mistakes, and it’s the people’s job to push for better and better policy.
Don’t go back to brunch. Continue fighting for the disenfranchised, no matter who is in power. The people as a whole have so much power, and we should exercise it. Don’t let our minority communities down. Fight like hell for them, no matter who is the president.