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Now What?

Navigating the uncertain road ahead

Dan Rather and Team Steady Nov 6

Credit: Getty Images

I had hoped, and cautiously believed, that I might be writing a different Steady today. Instead, I see today’s newsletter as a catharsis for all of us … as I try to wrap my head around our new collective reality.

First, take care of yourself, and check in on your friends and loved ones. Last night’s result was a shock, and many people are reeling. Wanting to stay in bed, curled into the fetal position, is an understandable reaction. Let yourself grieve, but don’t surrender to despair.

Second, I want to promise you that for as long as I am able, and for as long as my opinion is valued, I will be here. Staying silent is what fascists count on. I won’t be staying silent. A majority of Americans has spoken, and we must accept their choice. But there’s nothing that says we have to like it, and that we can’t write about what’s going on — what’s REALLY going on. There will be much to say.

Third, I’m so proud that many in the Steady community became politically engaged, some for the first time. It is for you that I feel the most disappointment. Please, don’t be discouraged. This country needs your participation in our process. Now more than ever.

Now for a few thoughts on the campaign cycle itself.

Disbelief is my overriding emotion. America didn’t know what it was getting in 2016, but we certainly do now, and many of our fellow citizens voted for him anyway. I believed Kamala Harris might have hit on a winning strategy and message. Perhaps we all suffered from confirmation bias. Today, the Democrats are taking a long look in the mirror and will need to figure out what the American people want and how to be the party to give them a viable, sellable alternative.

We need to completely rethink political polling — how it is done, and if we can ever trust it. According to the polls, this year’s election was supposedly tick tight. It ended up anything but. Trump over performed the polls. Again. 

While it was a big loss for pollsters, the same can be said for American media. Trust and respect for journalistic institutions has declined precipitously. Our next president has had a significant hand in sowing doubt in the veracity of the news media. Distrust in the press played a big role in yesterday’s outcome. How could half the country rationally think the former president’s behavior and plans for a second term are OK if they were consuming and believing reputable reporting? 

There is a possibility that Americans will experience buyer’s remorse, and quickly. For whatever it may be worth (if anything), polls indicated the economy was voters’ most important issue. Many of the new administration’s plans and policies will have adverse effects on Americans’ wallets. If history is our guide, there is reason to doubt that all of his audacious plans will ever come to fruition.

There is no way to sugarcoat what is to come and reasons to fear for our country. But we cannot quit on America. No, our job now more than ever is to be strong and move forward, and we need to do it together. Are you with me?

As I sit and write this, ringing in my ears is a Winston Churchill quote, some version of which has been used by every athletic coach I ever had. “Never, never, never give up.”

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No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading.

Stay Steady,

Dan