Queens Beyond Compare

Well, holy shit, Alabama did it. Let me rephrase that, black voters and particularly black women in Alabama did it. They elected Doug Jones the next senator from Alabama and rejected Roy Moore for being a repulsive pedophile and hate monger. Not that it should have been a contest in the first place, but I’ll take the damn win.

Honestly, this is the most emotionally invested I've been in anything happening in Alabama since Ruth tried to teach Idgie how to cook fried green tomatoes.

Here’s the thing: We needed this. Granted, we always need a man who successfully prosecuted the KKK to beat a man who was permanently banned from the mall for perving on 14-year-old girls. But on a larger scale we, Democratic and progressive voters, needed this. We needed to be reminded that not every American voter is awful. We needed to have our faith in (some) of the American electorate is restored.

And, most importantly, we need to be reminded that black women have been trying to save us from ourselves for pretty much ever. In yesterday’s special election 98 percent of black women voted for Doug Jones. Yes, 98 PERCENT. Compare that to the 63 percent of white women who voted for Roy Moore. Add that to the 94 percent of black women who voted for Hillary Clinton (not to mention the 52 percent of white women who voted for Trump) and, well, a trend emerges. Righters of wrongs, queens beyond compare.

To the parts of the party who keep insisting we need to shift all of our focus to the white working class at the exclusion of so-called “identity politics,” let me be perfectly clear. Black women and people of color have been the left’s most reliable and resilient voting base. You ignore and downplay us at your own peril.

The other lesson, of course, is voting matters. We cannot become so disillusioned from the process and simply throw up our hands. Democracy is often disappointing. But your vote is your voice. So use it.

Expect a lot of sound and fury from a bunch of pundits in the coming days about what it all means. And, of course, there will be the inevitable 3 a.m. Trump dump tweet. But, remember, the secret’s in the sauce.

And, if they wont listen to reason, there’s always Towanda.

E.T.A.: The Idgie and Ruth gif is in reference to the joke in the second paragraph, not a celebration of white women's voting records. Also, I actually did try to find a gif of Sipsey saying "Secret's in the sauce," but there isn't one. Which, I guess, is its own comment on things.