I
think it's fair to say that for the majority of us it came as a huge
seismic shock as we sat hunkered down in front of our TV's surrounded
by our friends and loved ones witnessing what took place on election
evening. It took me a little while to digest the altered national
political landscape and to sift through the data and try to make
sense of it all.
What
did I come away with?? Well, I came away with this...... Heart beat
the machine. For much of this general election we heard often that
the ground game organizational machine of the Democratic Party and
the Clinton campaign would carry the day in an increasingly tight
race. Another term we heard frequently was "enthusiasm gap",
that term being used to describe the gulf between one party's rabid
vociferous support versus a more cooler moderated tone from the other
side. As misguided as it is, no one can deny that those who like and
support Trump aren't shy about that fact, and they will go to great
lengths to make sure everybody knows it. Now I'm not saying that
those who like me voted for Hillary don't feel just as passionate
about our belief in our candidate, I'm not saying that at all. I am
saying that it is a little more complex than that. The will of the
heart will always outdo the machine. We saw that in 2008 and it's
just as valid now. There are some hard truths here that we have got
to come to terms with if we are to learn from this.
The
first hard truth is that there are a whole lot of people out there
that frankly don't like Hillary Clinton and haven't for a very long
time. I voted for Hillary because I honestly think that she is more
qualified, has a better temperament, and is a vastly better candidate
than Trump, and if you have listened at all to the show you know
that.
The
second hard truth is that the Democratic Party has lost it's
connection to the average blue collar working class American. Usual
blue states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and even Pennsylvania turned
red in this election. Blue collar union workers for decades have
been the backbone of the Democrats, and sadly their cries stemming
from deep economic woes have gone largely unheard.
The
third hard truth is that the leadership of the DNC has failed, failed
to hear those warning signs from middle america, failed to hear
different opinions from the different wings within the party. They failed to hear the voices of Vice President Joe Biden who for the
last year tried to bring more awareness about the plight of working
men and women. They failed to hear the voices of advocates and
activists such as Filmmaker Michael Moore who's latest film "Michael
Moore in Trumpland" was literally a flashcard held up to us all.
And the biggest voice they failed to hear was the clarion call of
Bernie Sanders. Bernie's candidacy and crusade is a bright light that
resonates with millennials, us Gen X'ers, and everyone who is tired of
taking it in the shorts from Big Money, Big Pharma, and the 1%'ers.
What
we need as progressives to do is take these hard truths to heart.
Yes, it's a bitter pill, but we will be much better for this and come
out the other side focused and ready for the challenges ahead in the
the next 4 years.
Now
that we've heard the hard news, let's get to the inspirational
portion of this monologue. I know there are a lot of us out there
tonight who are scared. There are those out there tonight scared
that they are going to be thrown out of the country, scared that
their marriage is going to be invalidated, scared that women are no
longer going to be in control over their reproductive rights, scared
that they will be persecuted over the color of their skin, what their
faith is, who they choose to love.
As
scary as all that is, and believe me I know it's scary, we have
something on our side. Math. Math can comfort us in our time of need.
It let's us know that we're not alone. For example, did you know
that more people voted for Hillary Clinton than Donald Trump. Yes,
and if this election was a popularity contest, Hillary would've won.
Sorry GOP'ers, I know for this campaign you've lived in a fact free
zone but numbers don't and can't lie.
There
is strength in numbers, it isn't just a cliche and we're going to
need numbers and yes heart, over the next 4 years. Tuesday night I
went to sleep depressed, depressed and confused. Wednesday I woke up
determined and fired up. The upcoming struggle is going to be fought
in the arena of principles and ideals. What can I do, you do, we all
do ?? Get involved.... Get active in your own community, get
involved with a non profit organization. Go down to your local
democratic party headquarters and tell them you want to volunteer and
help. Organize, advocate, let your voice be heard. But also listen.
Listen to those who think differently than you. Don't mock (let me
do that) and engage in a dialogue. Give this machine a heart, let it
be known that there is a alternative to the hate and bigotry of the
right. Have empathy, let them know you understand and feel for how
tough things are right now. In these numbers, we can move mountains
and we can make progress towards a future where the populist
demagoguery of Trumpism will be read in history books with disdain.
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