Electability

My thoughts on electability — (for those pondering the Democratic Party primary)

I spend a lot of time worrying about things. Probably because I’m very good at that.

But lately I have had the irony of worrying that other people worry too much. Please bear with me.

A lot of people are so tired, angry & still anguished by everything that has ensued since the 2016 presidential election.

I know. I feel the same way too.

Because it has been a heavy load to bear. It’s hard to suffer. And it’s hard to watch suffering.

It’s hard to watch the shredding of norms & loss of values. And a loss of innocence about American national identity, even if that was never right all along.

But because I am an expert, Ph-D level worrier, I’m sorry to tell you this — we are potentially stumbling into even bigger problems if we don’t address them head on.

Our country has slipped into authoritarianism, led by one racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, dangerous, mentally unstable dude.

And a lot of our fellow Americans are still okay with that.

But we do not win elections by being accommodating to what we perceive those particular fellow Americans might like to vote for.

We do not reclaim the promise & beauty of America (and it DOES have promise & beauty) by catering to Trump voters.

Hiding one’s views, accommodating others who hurt the vulnerable in our communities, making peace with wrongdoers, not speaking up against injustice — that’s what got us in this mess in the first place.

Trying to find an “electable” candidate to win over Trump voters who went down the wrong path but who haven’t figured it out yet?

It’s going to lead us to the same mistakes. A candidate electable to voters who still like Trump, if elected, is going to lead us down more of the same path as Donald Trump, but just not as rapidly. More likely, tho, those voters will just pick Trump himself.

I know the possibility of Trump being in office four more years is terrifying. It really is. But we all need to take heart. Have courage.

We are in the majority, in voter registrations in this blessed state of Florida, and in popular vote across the United States. Donald Trump is historically unpopular.

Vote for what you believe, at least in a primary, because ultimately you don’t know what other people think.

Public opinion is fluid in a primary field. Polling has tricky aspects to it that require interpretation. Our country is big & diverse. You don’t know what other people think.

And I know that In a red county & community or any space that doesn’t feel welcoming, it’s hard to defend a candidate on your side who is getting slammed in the media, who bullies like Trump are repeatedly attacking, or who are even simply being ignored.

No one wants to be put on the defensive instantly in a hostile crowd, especially if that’s a crowd in your own community, with neighbors you want to get along with, & potential friends you want to make.

But think about something else: How many times in your life have you shared what you really thought? And then found out it was not only okay that you did so, but other people smiled. And accepted you for that.

Or, even if they didn’t, you felt the pride of standing your ground for what you believed, even when you knew it would be hard? Because you knew there were whole communities outside that room that had your back, and children, grandchildren, and future generations who would want to hear the story of you doing the right thing.

There are more Democrats out there than you realize. And more people everyday who are realizing that politics matters & they need to start paying attention to figure out what is going on. And more people who realize that the Trump administration has just been going too far. They leave the Trump train in dribs & drabs.

We can’t try to accommodate Trump voters just to find someone “electable.” We have to stand for what we believe & know to be true. And then we simply hold out hope & faith in a vision that is loving, compelling & true enough for them to want another try at a better America.

But here’s the other hard part — for that vision to work & to be compelling, it will need to be one that repairs the wounds picked open over & over again of the founding American scar of white supremacy, because the very nightmare we’re dealing with was driven by white nationalism.

Support whomever you like for the primary.

But make sure it’s a candidate with a vision of inclusion, and who speaks for working families who are struggling, people who need help, and people who just believe in common decency. And someone who has backed that up with not just word but deed.

That is what will drive turnout — a candidate with leadership and authenticity. But that needs to be backed up with organizing on the ground, because it doesn’t happen on its own.

That’s how we get to the America we believe in.