Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week

A year ago September, David Dayen at The American Prospect  wrote The Day One Agenda. The Next Administration: Using Presidential Power for Good. Now that we’re on the cusp of President Joe Biden’s administration, it’s valuable reading again.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the current leader in the presidential race, spoke briefly on Wednesday afternoon to call for every vote to be counted—something Donald Trump really, really doesn’t want to happen—and to affirm his confidence that he and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, will win the election.

As Democrats try to make sense of a disappointing election night, one stubborn fact that has become clearer than ever is just how broad and deep the conservative disinformation machine is.

“This won’t be a popular take, probably, but: if Biden wins, it will be an achievement,” writer Elon Green observed Wednesday morning.

Young voters brought the heat to this election year. Millennials and Gen Z not only made a wave in voter turnout but encouraged others to do so via technology and social media. Since the start of the year, prominent young people have taken to social media to share political information and opinions.

As I write this, almost every major media outlet has called Wisconsin and Michigan for Joe Biden!

But the election isn’t over yet. Several crucial states are still counting ballots and results are trickling in. With record turnout and many Americans voting by mail due to the pandemic, election officials need time to properly count every vote, verify the results, and get it right.

Trump is a desperate, small man who knows he is losing.