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I worked late into the night on Election Day 2016. I remember the shocking news of Trump's victory reaching Clinton campaign headquarters, her supporters howling in anguish and sobbing. Many of those images have been sarcastically memed over the years since that night.
I remember my first thought was feeling bad for them. I know those people would have lashed out in blind rage at every Republican in sight, they were brimming with hatred for people who share my beliefs, but I still didn't feel any pleasure at seeing them in pain.
I thought it was terrible that we've come to the point where people were so invested in politics that losing an election could rend their very souls. I was furious at Hillary Clinton for hanging her supporters out to dry, hiding in her room instead of addressing them.
But you have to admit, people are not wrong to think these national elections have incredibly high stakes. I wish it were not so, it's not the way America is supposed to work, but here we are. And now we routinely hear about friendships and family bonds shredded over politics.
It seems like a growing number of people are motivated to vote largely because they DO want to see the other side lose, enjoy their rage, and gain the power to punish them for disagreeing. That's pretty explicitly the case in this weird "referendum on Trump" election.
Many of the people I felt a pang of sympathy for on Election Night 2016 went on to nurse their hatred, becoming even more bitter partisans, absurdly styling themselves as "resistance fighters" against a tyrannical overlord. And you know what? I don't regret feeling bad for them.
What they feel, and how they act on their feelings - whether they indulge in tides of emotion, or control emotion in favor of reason - is on them. I'm responsible for me. I strongly believe they must be defeated in this election, but I feel not the slightest urge to punish them.
If Trump scores a seemingly even more shocking victory today (or next week, you know, whenever) I still won't enjoy watching Biden supporters suffer - not the ordinary people who got involved in an election and voted in accordance with their beliefs.
Yes, I know that feeling is not widely reciprocated, and it won't be much in evidence on the Left if Trump loses, but it's still where I am. Politicians and professional operatives are one thing, but voters are another. I worry that we've grown too bitter, lost too much empathy.
Which is always something I worried about, something I anticipated, as the size and power of government grew. The stakes are too high. Too many people expect the central State to manage everything, settle great debates with terrible finality, and destroy everything they dislike.
There was less bitterness and rage inherent when the local and state elections were more important, when people didn't expect titans to stride forth from Washington and crush their enemies, when you could opt out of crusades or move to towns that shared your deep beliefs.
I think I'm concerned with empathy because throwing it away marks that first step toward totalitarianism. A nation where everyone gets juiced about voting against people they hate is a nation open to total political domination of private life. I think it's getting worse.
Look at all the totalitarian ideas that are becoming commonplace now: Hate speech isn't free speech, you can't be my friend if you disagree with my politics, everything you say or do is a political statement, you should be judged by the color of your skin, silence is violence...
All of that gets a LOT worse if Democrats win, and they're growing comfortable with the ultimate instrument of totalitarianism, political violence. They must be defeated. The path away from totalitarianism is clear in this election, and it's voting Republican.
The other side whined about Orange Hitler for years, but Trump clearly isn't the one telling you how you MUST live, how you MUST speak, what you MUST do with your money, and how you MUST be judged and punished for an endless list of social "crimes."
But I'm pushing to defeat toxic Democrat ideas and hideous policies, not individual people. I loathe the notion of punitive politics. I didn't vote because I want to see the other side cry, and I sure as hell didn't vote to empower officials to punish them for dissenting.
