Joy and the 2020 Election
Joy and American politics are two things that do not go together too often. Living under a constitution that was specifically written to hinder change in a country that
desperately needs change is simply not a very joyful thing. However, there are moments where the joy does miraculously shine through the rockiness of American politics. November 7, 2020, the day that Biden officially won the presidential election, was one of those moments for me. In fact, it was the most joy triggered by politics that I had felt in my entire lifetime.
The amount of buildup to the results of the 2020 election was enormous. I remember trying to fall asleep on Tuesday night only to wake up every thirty minutes, anxiously checking my phone to see if the election had been called. Again and again, there were no final results.
The next few days were similar. I would sit all day at school reloading the New York Times instead of listening to my teachers, fretfully awaiting some form of an update. Then I would go home and spend hours upon hours perched in front of the TV watching CNN. By the time Saturday was here, I was beyond ready for the anticipation to be over, and everyone I knew was too.
And then everything changed. At approximately 11AM on November 7, the major news networks instantly notified the entire planet that Joe Biden was the winner of the 2020 election, and that we would no longer have to put up with the joke of an administration that Donald Trump had run for the past four years. At the time the results were announced, I was shopping at Target with a few friends. Immediately, one of them started shouting “Biden won!” and quite literally ran up and down the aisles telling everyone about the latest news. The energy in the Target immediately became electrifying. Clapping and cheering reverberated all around, and a buzz of excitement took over people’s conversations.
That night we went into the city of Philadelphia to celebrate. The streets were filled with hundreds and hundreds of people blasting music, marching, and shouting with joy. We joined a group of about 30 other people walking toward the art museum, screaming the words “this is what democracy looks like!” and “USA!” Walking at least two miles with these complete strangers was a magical experience. We all instantly bonded together over the deep elation we felt in that moment. The buildup to those election results had caused an explosion of passion not just in the city of Philadelphia, but all over the country.
“USA! USA!” is not something I am used to chanting as someone who has grown up left-leaning. Patriotism and great love and support for America are not among my core values as a Democrat. After all, between police brutality, mass incarceration, and the lack of women’s rights in this country, there is a lot to be angry about and there is a lot of change that needs to be made. But November 7, 2020 made everything feel different. This was our moment. Our moment as liberals to be patriotic, realize there was hope in our country, and feel joy. And for that reason, we celebrated America that night like we had never before.
Two years have gone by since the 2020 election, and those moments of joy taught me a lot of important things. Just because politics may feel dreary and hopeless at one point does not mean they will always be that way. For example, when COVID-19 was on the rise in the early months of 2020 and Trump was not taking any form of decisive action, politics in America definitely felt bleak. The lack of organization and mixed messages from the White House made it impossible to feel settled. But despite how hopeless things felt at that moment, just eight months later, a president was elected who took control of the situation, respected the science, and helped restore America.
Politics are not just going to change instantly, though. We have to work hard for the change we want. Part of the reason why the results of the 2020 election were so special to me was because of the effort I put into the election with phone banking for the Democratic Party. By no means was this why Joe Biden won the election. However, it was good to feel my work paid off to some extent and it felt satisfying to know I contributed to the group effort.
No matter how dreary the political situation can seem in America, what I feel like we need to get out of the joy of the 2020 election is that collective action really does work wonders. Despite how awful American politics can sometimes feel, by working together, there’s going to be hope, change will be made, and joy will be felt.