The Red and The Blue
At 8 p.m. on November 4, 2020, approximately 24 hours after most polls closed in the United States, Jim, John, Peg, and Shelly, joined by their special guest, Beth Shannon, discuss the election. At the time of their discussion, it was still unknown who the next President of the United States would be. Notwithstanding the lack of certainty they had a far-ranging and serious discussion about the implications of the contest.
John spent election night trying to toggle between the election returns and caring for his infant son. Peg tried to ignore all of the election news and went to bed early. Beth spent election day helping to get out the vote in Philadelphia and election night listening to the Rolling Stones and watching Netflix. Shelly watched a smattering of news on election night before switching to watch Crimson River. During Tuesday night and into Wednesday, Jim had three election information tabs open on his computer, CNN on his TV, and a text chain on his telephone. Peg would prefer that there be a news blackout until all the votes are tallied and the results are announced in the manner of an awards show. Beth related her heartfelt experience of interacting with voters in majority minority neighborhoods in Philadelphia where the indicia of poverty was overwhelming. The contrast between the earnestness of individuals who have every reason to be cynical about this country but are not, and the apparent amorality of half of the country that wanted to re-elect Trump was particularly striking for Beth. John attempted to categorize the types of people who voted for Trump and what their respective motivations are. All five attempted to grapple with the fact of the stark divisions within the United States.
Guest
Beth Shannon is a world traveler and local activist. She lives in Silver Spring.
