But it is still in women and men that we must place our hope.
The people in the streets, in their peaceful protests, are holding a line that President Trump and the alt-right thought would not hold. The people in the streets are buying valuable time and shining a terrible and wonderful light on the baby steps to fascism. But the people in the streets can only stay peaceful and relevant so long.
And quite the oddball cabal: Susan Rice, Sally Yates, Bill freaking Kristol, Evan McMullin, George Takei, Seth Moulton, Chuck Schumer, John McCain, Kal freaking Penn, unnamed brave souls at the National Park Service, a host of scientist have been the parts and technical crew deconstructing lies of procedure and policy via social media. Ain't no fun when rabbit's got the gun!
Meanwhile, Paul Ryan is wetting the bed and Mitch McConnell is shaking his Magic 8-Ball of Nihilism looking for answers. And the Democratic Party as a whole continues to await its discharge paperwork from a voluntary admission to the psychiatric ward for severe apathetic depression.
Now more than ever, those of us who believe in liberal democracy must talk rather than tweet and act rather than insult. Everyday cannot be a protest and a Twitter tag team barrage. Most days have to be a conversation.
So it's you and me, dudes in our homes, who are left with the critical mission -- starting a conversation. NOT a national dialogue, NOT building momentum. Simply talking by phone or even more shockingly in the same room with a family member, a friend, a co-worker (when appropriate) about the last eleven days. Here are some suggested conversation starters -- "what do you think?" and "how are you feeling right now?" Make the goal not to convince anyone of anything. Start much smaller -- make the goal to listen much, talk little and agree to another time and another place for another conversation. And when that conversation ends, mention to them that you're going to serve your community in some way (Meals on Wheels, green space preservation, afterschool mentorship, etc) and ask that person if they want to come along. And if the other person becomes suspicious and asks why you are doing all this talking and modeling of citizenship, tell them the truth -- "I want your heart and your vote."
Whether I write this with extreme schadenfraude or in desiccated seriousness, every day gets more screwy. I fear for the day it becomes unhinged. The sane people of this country -- those who are not charmed by demagoguery and paralyzed by xenophobia -- must unite at the most basic level of commonality which is a belief in and a demand for leadership of inclusion and optimism. It's an alliance (perhaps a first, last and only alliance) of liberals, moderates and conservatives, truly anyone who remembers why America is great (rather than was great) that will see us through this time of trial.
The people in the streets, in their peaceful protests, are holding a line that President Trump and the alt-right thought would not hold. The people in the streets are buying valuable time and shining a terrible and wonderful light on the baby steps to fascism. But the people in the streets can only stay peaceful and relevant so long.
And quite the oddball cabal: Susan Rice, Sally Yates, Bill freaking Kristol, Evan McMullin, George Takei, Seth Moulton, Chuck Schumer, John McCain, Kal freaking Penn, unnamed brave souls at the National Park Service, a host of scientist have been the parts and technical crew deconstructing lies of procedure and policy via social media. Ain't no fun when rabbit's got the gun!
Meanwhile, Paul Ryan is wetting the bed and Mitch McConnell is shaking his Magic 8-Ball of Nihilism looking for answers. And the Democratic Party as a whole continues to await its discharge paperwork from a voluntary admission to the psychiatric ward for severe apathetic depression.
Now more than ever, those of us who believe in liberal democracy must talk rather than tweet and act rather than insult. Everyday cannot be a protest and a Twitter tag team barrage. Most days have to be a conversation.
So it's you and me, dudes in our homes, who are left with the critical mission -- starting a conversation. NOT a national dialogue, NOT building momentum. Simply talking by phone or even more shockingly in the same room with a family member, a friend, a co-worker (when appropriate) about the last eleven days. Here are some suggested conversation starters -- "what do you think?" and "how are you feeling right now?" Make the goal not to convince anyone of anything. Start much smaller -- make the goal to listen much, talk little and agree to another time and another place for another conversation. And when that conversation ends, mention to them that you're going to serve your community in some way (Meals on Wheels, green space preservation, afterschool mentorship, etc) and ask that person if they want to come along. And if the other person becomes suspicious and asks why you are doing all this talking and modeling of citizenship, tell them the truth -- "I want your heart and your vote."
Whether I write this with extreme schadenfraude or in desiccated seriousness, every day gets more screwy. I fear for the day it becomes unhinged. The sane people of this country -- those who are not charmed by demagoguery and paralyzed by xenophobia -- must unite at the most basic level of commonality which is a belief in and a demand for leadership of inclusion and optimism. It's an alliance (perhaps a first, last and only alliance) of liberals, moderates and conservatives, truly anyone who remembers why America is great (rather than was great) that will see us through this time of trial.