John Heilemann: “For Democrats, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance—are typically preceded by five other stages: second-guessing, finger-pointing, blame-casting, shit-talking, and backstabbing.” “Given the enormous stakes of this year’s race, the severity of the drubbing the party took, and the unprecedented plot twists that led to Kamala Harris’s last-minute elevation to the top of the ticket, it’s no surprise that in the five days since the Democratic Armageddon, intraparty invective and inculpation has been garishly and voluminously on display—with a great deal more to come (trust me).” “But not far beneath the gratuitous nastiness are the first stirrings of the crucial but painful endeavor that most Democrats now believe, or say they believe, their party must undertake to regain its relevance in this new era: a process of deep, candid self-scrutiny, involving reform to its policies, messaging strategies, and not least, its leadership.”