What Do We Do Now?

I stopped regular posting on this blog after the 2023 Claverack Town Board elections. I was disappointed in the Democratic campaign for the two available seats: two good candidates, a numerical voter advantage, and such poor messaging that they could not pull off a win. More on that in another post.

I think I need to get back to posting more regularly after last night's results. I will admit up front - I didn't vote for Trump, I thought Harris had possibilities as a president, although I didn't favor all of her positions. I thought the polls were likely underestimating the enthusiasm for her more upbeat campaign. Obviously I was wrong on that last one.

The best headline I read this morning was something like "Stop Pretending Trump Is Not Who We Are". Many in the US feel a lack of opportunity, individually and due to structural issues, and they are angry. I think that anger is justified. The people who voted for Trump are not those who attend rally after rally and cheer for the veiled racist tropes or the stolen election lines. They are not Proud Boys and their like, young men who haven't a moral code and just want to burn it all to the ground. These are people who feel a real hurt and want change.

My neighbors, and yours, are Trump voters. I like and respect them.

It might have been different if the Democratic Party had embraced change, say if Biden had stepped aside in January to clear the way for a primary process, or if he'd said "Enough of this" to the knee-jerk support of everything the Israeli government wants and does. That might have caught the attention of some of the nearly 75% of voters who, in polls, say that the country is on the wrong track.

It may be, as some say, that Project 2025 will not be implemented. It may be that high tariffs and their negative impacts on the less wealthy were really just a campaign talking point. It may be that women's rights and health will not be threatened as many have claimed. Maybe Elon Musk won't actually be appointed to manage the economy, and Kennedy won't be managing our health. Maybe it was all just to get the win.

But - there are people in both parties whose agenda is control and power. They have no interest in outcomes other than their own gain. They want to put in place legal and structural changes that ensure perpetual control by their party. Think local judges, local election officials, local legislatures and town boards. Think of officials who have limited access to voting in ways that tend toward disenfranchising certain groups - we've even seen that here in Claverack with the Taconic Hills School Board.

If you're feeling discouraged in the wake of the election, remember this: the democratic process worked. Maybe you don't like the outcome, but we have to live with it. The work that must be done now is for the future - making sure that we, the voting public, continue to ensure the safety of democracy going forward. That means paying much more attention to what happens with our local governments - town, county, state - and our party leaders.

If you or I were surprised be the results from last night, we have no one to blame but ourselves for not paying attention. We cannot trust that our leaders, our trusted media outlets, our pundits, our polls, or our parties are any smarter than we are. We can't trust that Russians or Iranians or Chinese are not monkeying around with our news.

We have to, as citizens, participate. That means going to town meetings, questioning processes, asking to help, joining committees. Stuff that probably doesn't sound like fun at all, at least compared with scrolling our phones and clicking those little thumbs and hearts.

By the way, remember to take down your yard signs!