The status of the 2020 General Election is inconclusive, but we can conclude that the country remains sharply divided over the best way to navigate the serious challenges that lie ahead for America. In the early morning hours today, former Vice President Joe Biden encouraged his supporters to “keep the faith,” predicting confidently that he will prevail when all of the votes are counted.
Soon thereafter, President Donald Trump addressed his supporters in the White House, asserting that the election was a “fraud on the American public,” and “an embarrassment to our country." "We were getting ready to win this election,” he said. “Frankly, we did win this election.”
It is a predictable playbook for Mr. Trump that he presaged over the past several months, using his rallies to prepare the soil to plant the seed of distrust in the electoral process...
Regardless of which candidate ultimately prevails, he will inherit a country that is sicker than it was just weeks ago, in ways both physical and psychological. If Mr. Trump wins, the country will be faced with a moment of reckoning unlike any other moment in our history. If Biden prevails, his efforts to unify the nation will face fervid opposition.
There were no surprises in local contests. All the incumbent members of the Maryland congressional delegation won re-election easily. Voters strongly repudiated a well-funded campaign in the 7th District by Kimberly Klacik, choosing incumbent Kweisi Mfume by a margin of 45 points.
And, as Jean Marbella noted in the Baltimore Sun, “as two septuagenarians battled for the White House, Baltimore sent its youngest Mayor ever to City Hall.” Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott is our Mayor-elect. Two other young politicians, Nick Mosby and Bill Henry, will join Scott in a troika that represents a complete overhaul of city-wide leadership.
We’re going to talk about last night and the road forward with two keen political observers. Later this hour, Tom is joined by Farai Chideya, a multimedia journalist, author, broadcaster and scholar. She's also the creator and host of the new show, Our Body Politic, which airs Tuesday nights at 9 here on WYPR.
But we begin with Jayne Miller, the chief investigative reporter with the 11 Investigates I-Team at Baltimore's WBAL-TV.
