Democrat Nov. 5 election losses have brought gratitude and immense relief to moderates and conservatives. We have long yearned for a return to rational government and normal life. While gloating is a temptation to be avoided, celebration is natural, even a must!

For more than half of our American population, the election rejuvenated hope for a law-abiding government characterized by sanity and justice. No longer will the ruling power be able to enforce their ideas as “truth” and the ideas of those who differ as “disinformation.” The return of respect— for free speech, borders, objectivity, biology, women and women’s sports —naturally generates joy.

However, what about the up to half of our fellow Americans whose party lost? If that had been us, we’d be fearful, in pain, and trying to ward off despair.

Because evil always shows up, we must avoid the delusion that those Democrats who are leftists/Marxists will disappear. We must also avoid adopting their practice of superficially judging individuals by group, e.g., Republicans are “deplorable,” “garbage,” “White supremacists,” “racists,” “sexists,” “misogynists.” We must not assume the worst about all Democrats.

In the epic baseball poem, “Casey At The Bat,” the town of Mudville’s fans had great hopes that Casey would save the day. The poem ends, “there is no joy in Mudville —mighty Casey has struck out.” In this election, there’s no Democrat joy — their mighty Marxists have struck out.

Casey raised hope for Mudville’s fans, and Kamala Harris did for her leftist/Marxist supporters. Their mudslinging at Donald Trump and his supporters was Democrats’ main way to win the election. “Mudville” is an apt name for the ideological dwelling place of leftism/Marxism: “Any who differ with us are ignorant and bad; we know what’s best and get to force it on everyone else.” Yet, on a personal level, many of our Democrat family members and friends are loving and kind. What to do?

Their election distress has two sources:

1)Hatred toward Trump, whom they’ve demonized for nine years. Only they can decide what to do with that.

2)Believing that Trump is what a billion dollars of “messaging” has said about him: he’s a fascist, would-be Hitler who if elected will destroy democracy and wield tyrannical power over Americans.

We can offer relief for the latter source of our loved ones’ distress. There’s a silver lining for them in Trump’s reelection. The drumbeat of pejorative indoctrination was never more than Democrats’ major tactic for winning. Because it was made up, in the next four years none of it will happen. In this election, the maxim, “‘Big Lies’ repeated often enough become truth,” didn’t prevail. Neither will it in Trump’s second term.

There is substantial evidence for this prediction:

1)President Joe Biden and candidate for President Harris repeatedly quoted Trump as saying White supremacists were “very fine people.” CNN’s Jake Tapper confirmed the falseness of what came to be known as “The Charlottesville Lie”: “the President did condemn neo-Nazis and White supremacists. So he’s not saying that the neo-Nazis and White supremacists are very fine people.”

2) Jan. 6, 2021, was not an insurrection. One to two weapons were found among the protesters in the Capitol (some of whom were escorted in).

Also, based on a video Nancy Pelosi recorded, the House Administration’s Subcommittee on Oversight later concluded: 1)“As [she] was being evacuated from the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, she admitted that, as speaker of the House, she was responsible for the security failures, and for not having the National Guard at the Capitol.”

2) “Days before,” Jan. 6, Trump directed Pentagon leaders to “keep Jan. 6 peaceful.” Insurrectionists don’t request forceful opposition to themselves.

Attorney Andrew Schlafly (Phyllis’ son) had an active role in developing the argument to be presented to Congress on Jan. 6. It was based on an interpretation of the Constitution’s Amendment XII. Trump had told the protesters, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” (That he should have spoken out sooner once the violence started is legitimate criticism.)

3) Regarding the Harris campaign’s fearmongering accusations that a reelected President Trump would use illegitimate force against Americans: In his first term, he avoided war with Russia, China, North Korea and Iran; with the Abraham Accords he brought peace between Israel and four Arab countries.

One can acknowledge these and other merits (border, economic well-being, no suppression of free speech) and still hate Trump. I acknowledge that it’s harder to keep hating one whose good deeds we acknowledge. Trump’s reelection can provide relief not only to moderates and conservatives but also to nonleftist/Marxist Democrats.

Deane Shore Berson, M.D., retired in 2024 after 50 years as a psychiatrist in Colorado Springs. Contact him at deaneberson@gmail.com.