New Orleans       Wow!  Reading the papers today in the aftermath of the US election and Trump’s unbelievable win for a second term after a defeat in 2020, matching only Grover Cleveland in pulling this off over the last 100 years, it seems I’m the only one who didn’t see this coming and know exactly what we are supposed to do now to deal with this new reality.  All the pollsters seem now to think it was obvious.  All the pundits seem to be pretending that it was inevitable and that they can see the future as clearly as they now claim they understood the past.  How could I have been the only one who was surprised at the shellacking that brought down Vice-President Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House.

I can’t quite bring myself to read them yet.  I may have a mild form of PTSD still, but looking at the headlines for the Times’ columnists give me a clue that I was somehow behind the door when the brains were passed out.  One says, “Kamala Harris Failed to Read the Room.”  Another says, “Kamala Harris Took Women for Granted.”  I’m so dense, I can’t even imagine how that is remotely possible.  Yet another says, “Democrats Ignored Gaza and Brought Down Their Party.”  The headline writer must have decided to give whoever this Kamala Harris is a break and not blame her in the deadline, but, really, how can anyone ignore Gaza, and who in their right mind believes that this across-the-board defeat was about Gaza?  Whoops, that’s me not thinking again and pretending that I have full and competent facilities on the second story, when I’m sure whoever this is who wrote the column must know everything.  And, of course, Nicholas Kristof weighs in with “My Manifesto for Despairing Democrats,” which I have no doubt even on my best day, which is definitely not this day, would be insufferable.

The other big-league columnists at the Times certainly must know best:  Ezar Klein is there on “Where Does This Leave Democrats?” I think I can guess without reading that “up a creek without a paddle” is the correct answer.  David Brooks says “Voters to Elites:  Do You See Me Now?” Brooks writes mostly for elites and every once in blue moon goes on the wild side to see what other Americans think, so, gee, how did he get this news? Another gang weighed in for the title of Ms Obvious with “Democrats Had a Theory of the Election:  They Were Wrong.”  No, duh!

Certainly, the Wall Street Journal columnists and editorialists knew this all the time, so their job was easier.  They didn’t have to pretend they saw it coming, because they were certain, and they knew who to blame, even as they chortled to themselves.  The loss came down to a rejection of “Bidenomics,” ignoring how Biden’s policies allowed the country to escape recession.  They are also clear that ALL Democrats are to blame for the loss, not just VP Harris, and in one case that this is a rejection of the “party of scolds.”  Columnists for the Washington Post were more restrained in comparison, but that might be because under Jeff Bezos’ ownership they may be wondering still if they are even allowed to have an opinion on politics or national elections.

Here on the Group W bench, it seems like this might be a time for reflection and maybe even grieving, but what do I know.  I don’t feel sorry for myself, but I do for my people.  I also can’t help thinking how much worse these days must feel for Palestinians and Ukrainians who now may face an even more unbridled Putin and Netanyahu.

Actually, looking at the physical paper, Michelle Goldberg has a column with the headline: “We Can Fight Later.  Now is the Time to Grieve.” Since everyone else is omniscient, you can’t find her column that way via a Google search.  Online, the title is “This is Who We Are Now.” Nonetheless, her column I might actually feel like reading, but like I said, I must have been the only one out there who didn’t see it all coming and have a plan ready for the apocalypse.