I woke up to an inbox filled with emails from people who are pushing back against my essay. In short, many people are saying that I underestimate how bad things will get and that democracy may end in 2022 whether we give up on it or not.
Things could get very bad. But let’s not underestimate the power of 180 million Americans who will still be a force for good. We aren’t giving up and will not let democracy die.
If we focus on how bad things may get to the exclusion of the political force of 180 million people, we can talk ourselves into fatalism and defeatism. The surest way to lose our democracy is to quit. The second way is to tell everyone that all is lost.
Whatever happens, no matter how bad it gets, I am not giving up. I ask you to join me and millions of other Americans who will not give up.
Robert, You had me in your opening “essay” until you portrayed losing control of Congress in 22 and the Presidency in 24 as “disappointing and maddening.” Though I never will abandon the fight to preserve the cherished, albeit deeply flawed, American experiment in self-government, I wish to use this opportunity to present, in my view, a more, I dare say, realistic assessment of this terrifying moment in our nation’s history.
I imagine the false grievance that the 2020 election was stolen (combined with other deceptive grievances) could lay the groundwork for Republicans, in 22, to retake both the House and the Senate, let alone prevail in several battleground state and local contests. Were that to happen, Republicans largely would have captured the dynamic of the country’s political conversation, conceivably leaving but a small window to protect the key mechanisms of American democracy. Further down the road, plausibly in 24, Republicans could retain control of Congress and win the White House, perhaps precipitating both a near fatal weakening of American civic institutions and also a Presidency eager and able to consolidate power, wherein the rule of law could be subjugated to an individual.
Here I would note my purpose in relating this hardly far-fetched narrative largely is to underscore, when faced with repeated frustration and failure, that the only fatal failure is quitting.
A Time reporter came to the Democrats Abroad UK campaign office in London this week and covered what our committed group of volunteers is doing. Could you please publicise this in your newsletter and remind all of your readers who live outside the US or know people who do: our votes matter and our votes are counted! And it’s not too late for many of us to vote.
Key states (including AZ, NC) allow voters outside the country to request their ballots by email up until Election Day and thirty states allow for some form of electronic ballot return (fax, email, online upload). Many states that require ballots to be returned by postal mail have extended deadlines to receive them. Voters outside the country can also use an emergency backup ballot to vote if they requested but have not received their ballots. All information on ballot request, state deadlines and more on votefromabroad.org
Your message reminds me of the Civil Rights song "We'll Never Turn Back." We, who have to choice to turn away, can take heart from this recording by two of the original SNCC Freedom Singers.
Remember Michael Moore, who predicted a Trump win in 2016? He believes that there will be a blue wave on Tuesday due to the power and determination of women. Let’s hope he is still gifted with powerful insight into American voters!
Thank you, Robert, I will save this evening's addition somewhere special
But as a woman, I cannot resist emphasizing this quote for the possible use of your Managing Editor when she needs it. I do not remember her blog:
Quote" I always follow my Managing Editor’s advice." Unquote. :) If you are near a Redwood's cousin, once again, pat it for me. We are off to Yosemite tomorrow, where sadly summer seems to have left into winter in the Valley, depriving us of the autumn leaves I miss from childhood. The only time we were in Sequoia there were yellow bushes against bark of nondeciuous giant, and the fresh fall of the season's first snow.
I find the best cure for politics to be nature, though nature's 900% increase in Covid in Mariposa Country will keep me from the pleasures of my beloved Yosemite dining room, to me a chapel.
I loved todays edition of the newsletters because it was the type of comments we all need to hear. Frankly I don’t think anyone reliably knows what the results of the election will really be until the voting is completed and counted. Realistically there will be different “ winners and losers” so maybe Fetterman wins in Pennsylvania and Lake wins in Arizona because not all the good guys will win. Winning to me is getting people who never were involved in an election involved, introducing young people to the process and electing people who never held office before and bringing new blood into the system. We need to remember that elections are really local and some communities will embrace and fight for democracy and some will not. Not all the election deniers will win office and if we reduce their numbers is that considered a win, or if a majority of Trump endorsed candidates lose is that a win and I could go on. The 2022 midterms is a warm up for the 2024 elections and hopefully a learning experience.
Love the football analogy. Continuing it... no sports team that loses in one season gives up being a team and playing the sport. They come back for the next season!
Thank you for this. If you want to hear depression, you should be active in a red county in Florida.
Not giving up, to me, means that it is essential we take a long view of what is happening in our country, and of course, worldwide. We are clearly in a battle between plutocrats and people who want to live in a democratic country that regulates capitalism and provides a social safety net for those who are not wealthy enough to be able to provide for their own essentials. Again, this battle is worldwide. Take it out of the Democrat/Republican context. It takes different forms depending upon what part of the world it is in.
Right now, plutocrats are winning in too many places, because they have figured out how to appeal to the worst of human nature. I am not able to give up on appealing to the best of human nature. Regardless of what happens, after the election we will regroup and figure out how to go forward.
If a few errant Republicans get elected in this midterm cycle causing the Democrats to lose their majority, is it time to give up on democracy? As you repeatedly and correctly say, no way, at least not now. Maybe the time will eventually come to give up and stop resisting the fascist threat to truth, liberty and justice for all, perhaps in a billion years or so, around the same time that scientists except the Sun to burn out and cease to energize our lovely little planet Earth. Meanwhile, there is only one right course of action: Resist! In matters like this, perspective is important. The message I get from Today's Edition Newsletter is always calming, enduring and reassuring. For all intents and purposes as far as us mere mortals are concerned, the order of battle is to do the next right thing no matter what, which in this case is to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. Never yield to bullies who seek to destroy your autonomy and rights as a citizen of the greatest democracy that has existed in modern times. If unwise Americans continue to vote against their own interests for the sake of a miscreant, fascist fool and he and his lackeys take power again, well, that will just make the struggle more challenging, but it's not a reason to give up.
What do you do when you're in combat and under fire? You fire back, and in the aftermath of the heated battles, initiate the guerrilla tactics deemed the most efficacious to achieve victory. Another important perspective in all this is the agenda of Pacha Mama, the great Earth Mother, the overarching reality that in the end will be the arbiter of outcomes in all of mankind's schemes to dominate the world. It's also important to remember that unless all the people on the planet learn to settle their political differences and unify around the issues affecting global warming, the current hullabaloo in the realm of politics won't amount to a hill of beans.
you are always providing a voice of reason. it's in deed a calming voice in the midst of the cacophony from the press!!! so here's hoping we can pull some home runs and if not, not to give up! thank you as always Lynda Levy
This election cycle provided us all with opportunities to grow our civic engagement which is instrumental to democracy. Thank you, Robert and everyone here for all you do and have done. For me it’s been an evolving and deepening series of engagements that has and still requires stretching beyond my comfort zones. On Election Day, I will be a non-partisan poll monitor in my largely, nonwhite neighborhood in Boston, MA. (I am a 68 year old white woman). It will be interesting to see if there will be an increased presence of law enforcement as predicted in some places where the FBI threat tracking indicates a reasonable threat to poll workers. While I don’t expect to see trouble nor will I engage with anyone who does, it still requires some courage to show up in this polarized political moment, help those who need help to vote, and report any problems. I’ve surprised myself by how passionate I am about defending our democracy and take inspiration from many folks infinitely braver than I (e.g. John Lewis, MLK, RFK). May this election be safe, peaceful, and free and may democracy be the winner!
I woke up to an inbox filled with emails from people who are pushing back against my essay. In short, many people are saying that I underestimate how bad things will get and that democracy may end in 2022 whether we give up on it or not.
Things could get very bad. But let’s not underestimate the power of 180 million Americans who will still be a force for good. We aren’t giving up and will not let democracy die.
If we focus on how bad things may get to the exclusion of the political force of 180 million people, we can talk ourselves into fatalism and defeatism. The surest way to lose our democracy is to quit. The second way is to tell everyone that all is lost.
Whatever happens, no matter how bad it gets, I am not giving up. I ask you to join me and millions of other Americans who will not give up.
A comment about Twitter:
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." - Søren Kierkegaard
As an Aspergian, I got a laugh out of a pundit writing about Musk today: "Putting the ass in Asperger's."
Here is something quite encouraging. It was an ad on the back of a county shopper (mailer) in an area of upstate NY that leans red. It read:
WE THE PEOPLE
reject lies and fear, reject hate and violence
reject extremism and insurrectionism
WE THE PEOPLE
defend democracy, defend human rights
defend justice
WE THE PEOPLE
must vote Democrat to save personal liberty
to save our Social Security, to save our Medicare
to save our families and
to save our American Democracy.
It is signed by "OFAD". We cannot figure out who paid for this, but it's concise and to the point.
You all have a great weekend and GOTV!
Robert, You had me in your opening “essay” until you portrayed losing control of Congress in 22 and the Presidency in 24 as “disappointing and maddening.” Though I never will abandon the fight to preserve the cherished, albeit deeply flawed, American experiment in self-government, I wish to use this opportunity to present, in my view, a more, I dare say, realistic assessment of this terrifying moment in our nation’s history.
I imagine the false grievance that the 2020 election was stolen (combined with other deceptive grievances) could lay the groundwork for Republicans, in 22, to retake both the House and the Senate, let alone prevail in several battleground state and local contests. Were that to happen, Republicans largely would have captured the dynamic of the country’s political conversation, conceivably leaving but a small window to protect the key mechanisms of American democracy. Further down the road, plausibly in 24, Republicans could retain control of Congress and win the White House, perhaps precipitating both a near fatal weakening of American civic institutions and also a Presidency eager and able to consolidate power, wherein the rule of law could be subjugated to an individual.
Here I would note my purpose in relating this hardly far-fetched narrative largely is to underscore, when faced with repeated frustration and failure, that the only fatal failure is quitting.
"Remain calm, stay strong, and lead by example!" Words to live by. Thank you, Robert!
Dear Robert,
Not giving up here in the UK.
A Time reporter came to the Democrats Abroad UK campaign office in London this week and covered what our committed group of volunteers is doing. Could you please publicise this in your newsletter and remind all of your readers who live outside the US or know people who do: our votes matter and our votes are counted! And it’s not too late for many of us to vote.
Key states (including AZ, NC) allow voters outside the country to request their ballots by email up until Election Day and thirty states allow for some form of electronic ballot return (fax, email, online upload). Many states that require ballots to be returned by postal mail have extended deadlines to receive them. Voters outside the country can also use an emergency backup ballot to vote if they requested but have not received their ballots. All information on ballot request, state deadlines and more on votefromabroad.org
Please help us spread the word!
Thanks
Laura Mosedale
https://time.com/6228023/overseas-voters-us-midterms-2022/
Your message reminds me of the Civil Rights song "We'll Never Turn Back." We, who have to choice to turn away, can take heart from this recording by two of the original SNCC Freedom Singers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Wg4Zm1B_Y
We've been 'buked and we've been scorned,
We've been talked about, sure 's you're born.
But we'll never turn back,
But we 'll never turn back
Until we have all been free.
We have walked through the shadow of death,
We had to walk it all by ourselves,
But we'll never turn back
Until we have all been free
Until we have all been free
And we have equality.
We have hung our heads and cried,
Cried for the ones who had to die,
Died for you and died for me,
Died for the cost of equality.
But we'll never turn back
Until we have all been free
No, we'll never turn back,
No, we'll never turn back.
Remember Michael Moore, who predicted a Trump win in 2016? He believes that there will be a blue wave on Tuesday due to the power and determination of women. Let’s hope he is still gifted with powerful insight into American voters!
Thank you, Robert, I will save this evening's addition somewhere special
But as a woman, I cannot resist emphasizing this quote for the possible use of your Managing Editor when she needs it. I do not remember her blog:
Quote" I always follow my Managing Editor’s advice." Unquote. :) If you are near a Redwood's cousin, once again, pat it for me. We are off to Yosemite tomorrow, where sadly summer seems to have left into winter in the Valley, depriving us of the autumn leaves I miss from childhood. The only time we were in Sequoia there were yellow bushes against bark of nondeciuous giant, and the fresh fall of the season's first snow.
I find the best cure for politics to be nature, though nature's 900% increase in Covid in Mariposa Country will keep me from the pleasures of my beloved Yosemite dining room, to me a chapel.
I loved todays edition of the newsletters because it was the type of comments we all need to hear. Frankly I don’t think anyone reliably knows what the results of the election will really be until the voting is completed and counted. Realistically there will be different “ winners and losers” so maybe Fetterman wins in Pennsylvania and Lake wins in Arizona because not all the good guys will win. Winning to me is getting people who never were involved in an election involved, introducing young people to the process and electing people who never held office before and bringing new blood into the system. We need to remember that elections are really local and some communities will embrace and fight for democracy and some will not. Not all the election deniers will win office and if we reduce their numbers is that considered a win, or if a majority of Trump endorsed candidates lose is that a win and I could go on. The 2022 midterms is a warm up for the 2024 elections and hopefully a learning experience.
Love the football analogy. Continuing it... no sports team that loses in one season gives up being a team and playing the sport. They come back for the next season!
Thank you for this. If you want to hear depression, you should be active in a red county in Florida.
Not giving up, to me, means that it is essential we take a long view of what is happening in our country, and of course, worldwide. We are clearly in a battle between plutocrats and people who want to live in a democratic country that regulates capitalism and provides a social safety net for those who are not wealthy enough to be able to provide for their own essentials. Again, this battle is worldwide. Take it out of the Democrat/Republican context. It takes different forms depending upon what part of the world it is in.
Right now, plutocrats are winning in too many places, because they have figured out how to appeal to the worst of human nature. I am not able to give up on appealing to the best of human nature. Regardless of what happens, after the election we will regroup and figure out how to go forward.
If a few errant Republicans get elected in this midterm cycle causing the Democrats to lose their majority, is it time to give up on democracy? As you repeatedly and correctly say, no way, at least not now. Maybe the time will eventually come to give up and stop resisting the fascist threat to truth, liberty and justice for all, perhaps in a billion years or so, around the same time that scientists except the Sun to burn out and cease to energize our lovely little planet Earth. Meanwhile, there is only one right course of action: Resist! In matters like this, perspective is important. The message I get from Today's Edition Newsletter is always calming, enduring and reassuring. For all intents and purposes as far as us mere mortals are concerned, the order of battle is to do the next right thing no matter what, which in this case is to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. Never yield to bullies who seek to destroy your autonomy and rights as a citizen of the greatest democracy that has existed in modern times. If unwise Americans continue to vote against their own interests for the sake of a miscreant, fascist fool and he and his lackeys take power again, well, that will just make the struggle more challenging, but it's not a reason to give up.
What do you do when you're in combat and under fire? You fire back, and in the aftermath of the heated battles, initiate the guerrilla tactics deemed the most efficacious to achieve victory. Another important perspective in all this is the agenda of Pacha Mama, the great Earth Mother, the overarching reality that in the end will be the arbiter of outcomes in all of mankind's schemes to dominate the world. It's also important to remember that unless all the people on the planet learn to settle their political differences and unify around the issues affecting global warming, the current hullabaloo in the realm of politics won't amount to a hill of beans.
you are always providing a voice of reason. it's in deed a calming voice in the midst of the cacophony from the press!!! so here's hoping we can pull some home runs and if not, not to give up! thank you as always Lynda Levy
Thank you for the reminder to stay strong.
This election cycle provided us all with opportunities to grow our civic engagement which is instrumental to democracy. Thank you, Robert and everyone here for all you do and have done. For me it’s been an evolving and deepening series of engagements that has and still requires stretching beyond my comfort zones. On Election Day, I will be a non-partisan poll monitor in my largely, nonwhite neighborhood in Boston, MA. (I am a 68 year old white woman). It will be interesting to see if there will be an increased presence of law enforcement as predicted in some places where the FBI threat tracking indicates a reasonable threat to poll workers. While I don’t expect to see trouble nor will I engage with anyone who does, it still requires some courage to show up in this polarized political moment, help those who need help to vote, and report any problems. I’ve surprised myself by how passionate I am about defending our democracy and take inspiration from many folks infinitely braver than I (e.g. John Lewis, MLK, RFK). May this election be safe, peaceful, and free and may democracy be the winner!