Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, depending on what time of day you find yourself in. Today is 536 days of alcohol retirement and this is Call Me Donovan for Wednesday, November 13, 2024. We’re in the short rows of the year now, with Thanksgiving about 2 weeks away, then Christmas, and onward to 2025.I haven’t done one of these in a little while—probably since before the election. I try to keep politics out of this podcast because it’s really about sobriety, my “alcohol retirement,” and other aspects of my life as an aging Gen Xer, father of three, and husband of 34 years.Usually, I don't bring politics into this. I'm not going to get too political here, either. That's what *Good Talk, America* is for, although I haven't done anything over there recently. It’s challenging to line up my thoughts about what’s been going on. My friend Sam checked in on me after the election, and it’s strange how these recent elections have affected people's mental health. My first vote was in the 1988 election for George H.W. Bush. Growing up in a Republican household, influenced by my father—a Republican and, to be honest, a racist—my views initially mirrored those of my family.It wasn’t until Obama’s first successful election that I switched from being a registered Republican to a Democrat. I consider myself an independent nowBack in 2016, I remember watching people devastated by Hillary Clinton’s loss. That level of despair was foreign to me at the time. My thinking was that elections come and go. But looking back, I now understand a little more of that feeling, even though I’m disappointed, as my candidate didn't win this time.There's a meme I saw recently about privilege, and I’m paraphrasing here: you're privileged if you don’t care about issues that don’t directly affect you. For instance, I’m a white male in the southern United States—the demographic that largely voted for Trump. I may not be directly impacted by issues affecting women or the LGBTQ+ community, but I still care about the people those issues do affect. My kids, for example, have chosen not to have children because of the state of the world, and while that may change, it reflects a lot about their outlook on society.Reflecting on the Democratic Party's post-election analysis, it seemed like their messaging missed the mark. There’s been criticism that Democrats were too “highbrow” and didn’t connect with some voters who felt ignored. And as Jon Stewart highlighted recently, many accusations of “wokeism” in the Democratic campaign were misplaced. While they talked about women's rights, price gouging, and small business support, none of it was particularly “woke” in the way it’s often accused of being.In some ways, Trump’s appeal lies in his ability to communicate on a very simple level—studies have shown that he speaks at a fifth-grade level. His messaging is easily consumable, which resonates with many people, even if his intelligence might be questionable. It saddens me to think that perhaps this reflects the overall intelligence of the electorate, who may not be as informed as we’d like to believe.Looking at the election analytically, I think the Democrats’ failure lay partly in a condescending attitude that turned people off. Knocking on doors multiple times was annoying rather than persuasive. The Democrats led with ego, much like in 2016, assuming they couldn’t lose. However, as recent events show, it’s essential to understand that economic metrics might show progress overall, but many people don't feel that improvement directly in their daily lives.It’s difficult to explain inflation and economic factors to the general public. The pandemic’s economic impact, inflation spikes, and wage stagnation have made people feel economically strained. Historically, inflation means prices go up, but rarely do they come back down, which can be hard for people to accept.I'm sorry if this discussion went in a different direction than planned. Either way, thank you for reading and listening. I'll talk to you soon.Contact Informationemail: [email protected]/Insta/Threads: donadkissonBlueSky: donadkisson.bsky.social(When played) Music generated by Mubert https://mubert.com/renderThanks for reading Call Me Donovan! This post is public so feel free to share it.
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