The elections are over. Or are they not? After excitedly writing on the predictions, I was eager to make a detailed analysis of the 2020 results. But these results never came. Not in the conventional sense. First, the results were delayed by over four days due to large amounts of mail-in votes. Second, Trump refused to concede and made several accusations of voter fraud. While these two were expected to happen, the third, the falling in line of so many Republican leaders and Congresspersons and the filing of a petition in the Supreme Court by Texas invoking the original jurisdiction in inter-State disputes was a stretch.

At last, the day the Electoral College officially votes for the President – 14th December – has come. This will seal the victory and, officially, make Joe Biden the next President of the United States.

After every Presidential election, the mainstream media in the US follows a pattern. With a tendency of complicating the problems and simplifying the solutions, the media outlets tend to claim that the losing party has lost its relevance in the present time and age. It uses ALL CAPS to shout and scream that this party needs a fresh face, a new approach to policy, and a new way to connect to the voters. This was the case with Democrats in 2004 and 2016, and with Republicans in 2008 and 2012.

The 2020 Elections, however, are an outlier. The way they turned out, it appears that the winning party – the Democrats – have lost their shine. Sure, they won the Presidency, and yes, they’ve won the popular vote (which they in 7 out of 8 previous elections), but the 2020 results have allowed them to pass the finish line only barely.

Consider how well the Democrats were placed this time. The incumbent Trump was a gift that kept giving, and gave a thousand reasons to construct a robust campaign around it. Obama, in 2012, used one comment made by his opponent, Romney, that he would care only for the 47% that pays taxes, and created a pro-rich image that weighed heavy on Romney. But Trump, despite several unhinged and insensitive statements, went scot-free as the Dems failed at articulating a proper counter to anything he said. From QAnon to Quid Pro Quo, every conspiracy that Trump encouraged and every provocation he made went unanswered.

When it came to social media, no one used it better than Trump. For every nasty thing Trump would throw on Twitter, the Democracts, from their self-righteous pedestal, condemn it and make an elaborate comment on the standards of decency. It is true that a good sit-down with a bully may tame him. But when such bully is the President of the United States, who found his way using all the elbowing that he did, talking sense to him is not the best strategy. Despite being given a personal nicknames (Sleepy Joe, Crooked Hillary, Pocahontas, etc.), the Dems never considered talking to him in the language that he understands.

The Dems did plan the best Democratic National Convention there ever was. It was articulate, peaceful, and pulled out all the big guns – from Obama to some Reps like John Kasich. But in the environment defined by the alternative facts and conspiracy theories, all this barely had any affect. The worst of all the sins was how they could not exploit Trump’s inaction towards Covid, not just with how it caused an avoidable public health crisis, but also the fact that Trump himself got the virus.

Yes, despite all this, the Dems won. They crossed the 270-mark needed. But is it really a victory if it’s as razor-thin as it turned out to be? Georgia (16 votes) and Arizona (11 votes) would have gone for Trump had he got six thousand Dem votes in each of these States. Pennsylvania (20 votes) was won by Biden with barely a margin of above one percent. Had these three States voted for Trump, he would have won. Perhaps, had there been no pandemic, Trump would’ve won all three with ease. It was that close! For the campaign which hoped to win Florida, and even Texas, this is embarrassingly close.

The final number stood at 306-232 (Ironically, the same number that was seen in 2016). This is hardly a victory. Recall that Obama, even in his re-election in 2012 when most polls predicted defeat, pulled a 332. And Biden, with all the arsenal and anti-incumbency he could exploit against Trump, wins a pathetic 306.

Trump may leave the White House soon, but Trumpism is here to stay. Not just directly in the form of his own Political Action Committee funding Rep candidates, but also as an ideology. And this wave is much stronger in opposition than when in power. The liberals may find joy in seeing Biden as the President, but if the elections are any indication, there are some dark times ahead for the US.