Though the results are not yet final, it appears that Donald Trump will be defeated. Assuming this outcome holds, it is undeniably good news. Even amid all the bad news — and there is a lot of it — we should all take some time to feel genuine gratitude. Even the most hardened cynic should be able to experience at least some twinge of relief that he will probably be gone. 

That said, even the most loyal MSNBC-watching liberal should probably understand that because of the down-ballot results, this election is only guaranteed to give us one very important thing. But everything else will have to be fought for — and almost certainly, a lot of people will continue to suffer and perish.

During this pandemic, we are not guaranteed to get much more relief. Joe Biden has recently changed his tune about deficit spending under pressure from progressives. But he has also spent decades touting himself as the guy who wants to work with Republican lawmakers to cut Social Security in the name of debt reduction.