Hindsight being something less than 20/20, post-election discourse, however rancorous, at least sheds some light on what was going on behind the scenes in the presidential contest.

Trump remains Trump and seems to have every intention of doing what he said he’d do if elected. Except, maybe, nominate Matt Gaetz for attorney general.

Harris, on the other hand, is a story unwinding.

I can’t say I follow every word of every talking head, but a certain narrative is beginning to emerge. After leading a ticket that lost the presidency, both houses of Congress and the popular vote, it is clear Harris sees herself as a viable candidate for high office going forward.

She may run for California governor and if that succeeds, take another try (I almost wrote “shot”) at the presidency. Dick Nixon ran for governor of California in ’62, lost, and spent some time in the wilderness before making it to the White House in ’68. Unlike Nixon, Harris was twice elected to statewide office in the Golden State.

Following a three-week vacation in Hawaii, which she richly deserves, Harris returned full of “fight.”

While the vice president was recharging her batteries in the 50th state, there was much debate on how the Harris campaign could have spent almost $1.5 billion on a losing campaign.

Somehow, Harris turned that apparent mortification on its head. Returning to the stage, she looked straight into the camera and declared that one of the positives about her campaign was that she raised $1.5 billion. How the campaign spent it or wasted it was left in the minds of viewers.

While candidates are ultimately responsible for their campaigns and suffer the most in a loss, Harris, who had never run in a national election and who had precious little time to learn the ropes, deserves something of a pass.

One-point-five billion buys the best talent available — consultants, pollsters, campaign staff, private jets. And endless hours of TV advertising. That this A-team failed to see the shift coming, that they weren’t connecting even with their own people, that they believed until the very end that demonizing Trump was a winning strategy, is why the campaign went wrong. This same crew of best guessers will be back in four years, with or without Harris.

Delgado Makes a Move

New York Lt. Governor and former local congressman Antonio Delgado has been popping up on left wing TV of late with a message of party renewal and leadership and sharp criticism of the last campaign.

Delgado, the very unpopular Kathy Hochul’s running mate two years ago, appeared on MSNBC last week with Morning Joe, Katy Tur and Chris Hayes, a gig to die for politicians on the prowl.

Undoubtedly, Delgado created some buzz by asserting that not only did Joe Biden drop out of the race too late, he should have never declared for a second term in the first place. I don’t recall Delgado taking any such position during the election, but, what the heck, all’s fair in war and politics.

In working to get his name out there, Delgado may be positioning himself for a primary run against Hochul in 2026. It could happen, but he’ll need a crowded field. While Hochul, an accidental governor, was an exception, upstate Democrats rarely compete for the governorship.

Recall, Delgado moved to Rhinebeck from New Jersey to run in a Democratic primary against seven rivals for Congress in 2018. He took about 28 percent of the vote, with prodigal son Pat Ryan finishing a solid second.

If Hochul’s numbers continue to tank, look for a crowded field of Democrats come ’26. At 6’4”, Delgado will be a head above.

Working on the Railroad

Jeff Collins, D-Woodstock, chairman of the seven-member special Corridor Committee of the county legislature, adjourned its last meeting in November in anticipation of new committees being appointed in January.

“Corridor” refers to is the Esopus Creek as it flows through seven legislative districts from Shandaken to Saugerties. Members include Herb Litts, R-Highland, its vice chairman, Jason Kovacs, R-Ulster, Greg McCollough, D-Kingston, Kathy Nolan, D-Mount Tremper, Megan Sperry, D-Rifton, and Abe Uchitelle, D-Kingston, the legislature’s vice chairman.

Next year’s legislature chairman, presumably Peter Criswell, D-Kingston, will name all committees.

The Corridor Committee, which has been around for several years now, is tasked with recommending policy to the full legislature regarding railroad and trail use along its length.

It’s not quite the Hatfields and McCoys, but it’s been a battle for the better part of a decade between railroaders and trail and bike supporters.

In 2013 at the height of the former Mike Hein administration, the railroad advanced the idea of a kind of glasnost between warring factions: A combination of rail and trails in certain sections of the county-owned railroad right-of-way between Hurley and Shandaken could prove beneficial to both. Some called it synergy.

I find that a capital idea in terms of what’s best for the county and perhaps for both entities. But it takes two to tango.

With perhaps the image of a train chugging through pristine Catskill wilderness foremost in their minds, trail people, who paved paradise to put up a walking trail, remain unalterably opposed to the railroad proposal. It will be those seven legislators, if reappointed, who will make that decision.

In the meantime, both sides seem to have prospered. Rail/bike trails have sprung up all over the county and the railroad has set passenger records for the last five years.

These two entities have much in common. It’s too bad personalities and politics have gotten in the way of real progress.