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Democrats have completed the trifecta. In tightly contested elections for control of Congress, Democrats maintained the House and captured the Senate in two Georgia runoff elections, voting in its first Jewish and African-American senators.
And how can we forget about the big ticket, the presidential election? This past November, Americans elected Joe Biden as their leader of the Free World to refute the Donald Trump presidency. Joe Biden’s message of national unity overcame Donald Trump’s divisive and hateful rhetoric. However, Biden’s victory was not a sole accomplishment; he didn’t achieve it alone.
While Joe Biden spoke on national television about why he should get your vote, Democratic grassroots movements, nationwide, prioritized solidifying his victory. They accrued a number of volunteers and worked sleeplessly, vying over Zoom and telephone calls for people to vote. Just how Donald Trump gave speeches to rally and rejuvenate his supporters, Democratic grassroots rallied their own support.
In Georgia, Swing Left — a liberal grassroots organization — made 1.7 million calls and sent 4.1 million letters to Georgia voters. The result? A Joe Biden and Kamala Harris victory in this state by a 12,000 vote margin; and, Jon Ossof and Raphael Warnock winning as senators in the state, handedly. Turning the state blue for the first time in 28 years.
History repeated itself in Arizona, where volunteers called approximately one million voters and sent one million letters. The result was an eked out victory by Joe and Kamala, as well as a flipped Senate seat, courtesy of Mark Kelly. Arizona hasn’t been blue since 1996.
In total, Swing Left wrote 21.5 million letters, made 9.1 million phone calls and raised $26.7 million for campaigns. Now that is one way to let your presence be known.
Joe Biden is now in office. Congress has been flipped blue. Mission accomplished. What happens next? Well, it shouldn’t be unity with Republicans. It should be compensating your base.
The new president has built a campaign on “national unity” and “restoring the fabric of the nation.” Joe Biden is not only the Commander-in-Chief, but he has to play the role of “Healer-in-Chief” as well. An insurrection, divisive speech and lack of duty have all preceded him, but he still maintains his central message. But how can you unify with those who won’t (and possibly never) accept you as President?
Following the insurrection, a combined 147 members of Congress voted against the certification of the election. Of those members, eight were senators and 139 were House members. Rioters knocked down windows of the Capitol, ready to inflict harm. They defiled the workspaces of members of Congress. Private property was stolen, as others scaled the scaffolding. Five lives were lost, including that of a Capitol police officer. All of this happened at the precipice of Trump’s election lies. And still, as these 147 members returned to work, after being urgently hurried out of their chambers, they remained convicted in trying to object to the election. An election that is one of the most secure in American history.
Joe Biden is not obligated to compromise for said people — individuals who are willing to spread election lies for political or personal gain. Lies that have trickled down to the staunchest of Donald Trump supporters, who at one point were going to attack all 50 state capitals. Joe Biden has all the tools to pass the legislature he was elected for. Progessive leaders such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez instructed their constituency to vote for Biden with the expectation he will keep his promises.
This not only resonated with political leaders. Latinos voted in large numbers to support Joe Biden this past November, even when his predecessor, President Obama, deported more Latinos than any other President.
African-Americans and people of color continue to die at the hands of police, as seen in 2020 with George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Politicians can’t run on the “Black Lives Matter” movement, yet not convey the same support in policy.
Joe Biden has the right idea about unity, but he needs to understand soon that trying to unite with people who believe you’re an illegitimate President is a fantasy. These people will view you as a crook, and therefore shouldn't be America’s leader. You can’t look to help your opponent before you help your supporters.
Joe Biden has made plenty of promises over the campaign trail which granted him victory, but he needs to repay those who put him there.
