Thread by @djrothkopf

Some hard truths for everybody here:
--Joe Biden won the election
--He won by a substantial popular margin
--However his six million vote margin does not make it into the top 15 in US presidential elections
--His electoral margin was solid

--But the votes by which he won the electoral college were close in key states
--The more than 79 million who voted for Biden were the most ever for a presidential candidate
--The more than 73 million who voted for Trump were the second most ever for a presidential candidate

--The GOP did well in the Senate, in the House, and in state races
--We are a deeply divided country and those divisions show no sign of healing
--The GOP voters supported a corrupt, unfit president who repeatedly has betrayed the country

--Racism & greed are still the driving motivations beyond the GOP
--Our electoral system is broken, red states have a huge advantage in the Senate & electoral college, & it is not going away anytime soon
--Pro-inequality forces continue to have the edge over pro-equality forces

--The leadership of both parties is still largely a gerontocracy unwilling to make way for new younger voices
--Biden will be able to undo much damage done by Trump
--He can make a big difference in re-normalizing US foreign policy where president has much latitude

--He can make a big difference with executive orders
--He can restore decency and important norms and guardrails to our government
--But he will likely be stymied on his legislative agenda
--2022 and the battle for majorities in the Congress will be key as to Dem fortunes in 2024

--If we enter another period of pro-longed gridlock, fail to initiate vital reforms that restore equity and functionality to our electoral, campaign finance and legislative systems, fail to address growing inequality, competitiveness & other issues, we will falter

--It is hard not to look at America's broken system and deep divisions and not despair for the fortunes of the country
--It is also difficult to write off Americans' resilience and ability to innovate and change in a crisis...once we embrace new thinking and the right leadership

--This election did nothing to answer the question of which of these forces--entropy or innovation--will ultimately prevail. It gave both sides hope and advantages. The work & struggle to determine where the balance of power lies is ahead of us...and will likely take decades.