The foreknowledge that the outcome of Tuesday’s election was possible—and the sinking feeling that it was probable—has not made it any easier to process. This is not to say that The Baffler was thrilled at the prospect of a Kamala Harris presidency. Far from it. But full-throttle fascism has returned with Donald Trump at the reins in an already dark era of U.S.-aided genocide, escalating inequality, and climate doom.
By now, you’ve probably heard many pundits mislaying blame. They are calling out those who “bailed” for third-party candidates. They are castigating the Uncommitted movement. They are pinning it on voters who couldn’t get excited for the limp centrism that the Democratic party offered in this and all recent presidential elections.
It goes without saying that The Baffler won’t lend its voice to the chorus scapegoating anyone but the DNC elites. But we will continue, in the weeks and months and (hopefully) years to come, to scour the authoritarian sludge seeping from beneath the doors of the White House and urge the return of leftism in American politics.
It feels crass to ask for money at a time like this. Yes, The Baffler is a not-for-profit publication. Yes, we need your help to keep going. We certainly wouldn’t turn down a donation, and we would love for you to subscribe, but that’s not what this letter is about. This is a thank-you to our community of readers for their commitment and engagement. When you share our stories on social media, lend an issue copy to a friend, or send us a pitch, you help our cause. We couldn’t—wouldn’t!—keep doing this without you.
Oh, we’ll absolutely hit you up for money later. It’s almost end-of-year giving season, after all. But it is your readership we value most today.
Plus, isn’t endless solicitation what got us into this mess? Writing in Baffler no. 65 back in 2022, senior editor Dave Denison summed up the blueprint the Democrats opted for in the nineties: “They became the party that asked not what it could do for you, but what you could do for it—by way of a donation.” This was not a winning strategy. This cannot keep happening. And The Baffler will work its hardest, with the tools at its disposal, to stop this madness. It’s the least we can do.
Yours,
The Baffler staff
