I am so with you on this. Where there are practical things I can do to counter the madness, I will do so. For example, I'm joining a neighborhood group, organized by a resident who's an immigration lawyer, to provide support for neighborhood immigrants.
I'm all out of performative outrage following the first Trump administration. Like you…
I am so with you on this. Where there are practical things I can do to counter the madness, I will do so. For example, I'm joining a neighborhood group, organized by a resident who's an immigration lawyer, to provide support for neighborhood immigrants.
I'm all out of performative outrage following the first Trump administration. Like you, I expect Democrats to use the power of their votes, and to use their platform to speak out against the onslaught of awfulness that the next 4 years will create. And to hammer home the consequences regularly, especially during election season.
But I'm done with giving the opposition an off ramp in the hope that they'll return to normalcy. Let them fly their crazy. The voters who opted to elect Team Trump have the right to experience the full impact of that decision. Maybe in 2-4 years they'll still be on board, but given the notorious fickleness of the American voter, I wouldn't count on it.
Similar, we can build community and resilience on the ground. My community meeting is on 11/30. We're going to start making sure that we have emergency supplies in place for the next fire, flood, etc and help our neighbors. We were joyfully excited to work for the Harris campaign. There are 2 America's, the other one clearly rejects us. It doesn't make sense to make targets of ourselves and try to save them from themselves when we can use that energy to save each other. Half of American voters chose this and more citizens didn't choose at all. They should get what they wanted or what didn't bother them enough to vote against. They should see what they could have voted for.
It can get even smaller than that. I plan a conversation with the resident resource person to see what I can do for children in my 100 unit building. As far as I know, few are likely to be at risk, but maybe there’s some way to brighten their lives a little. And possibly brighten mine, too.
This is definitely the place to put our grassroots energy. Into our local communities. I’ve been telling my 42 year old son this since he was in 10th grade and struggling to figure out how he could be another Mother Teresa. We don’t need to reach for the stars; just help our neighbors and communities as best we can.
So grateful I found a purpose for my post-career life in the aftermath of the 2016 election. That community involvement in the grassiest of grass roots - my local city neighborhood -- has been a gift to me. I can do little to help the U.S., but I and other like-minded people in my community and my city have risen up in the past 8 years to do a lot of good locally.
Barbara, thank you for all you have done since 2016 and for sharing. May I ask you to be more explicit about the nature of your community and the “lot of good you have done”? I ask because every website I’ve visited since Nov. 6 has advised this: “get together in community and work at the community level”. But it seems so vague! Do what, exactly? I can’t picture any one thing that I could pull off with the like-minded in my small Iowa town that would actually make me say in 8 years “I did a lot of good locally”.
Sorry for my lack of imagination— any advice gratefully received!
Barbara hopefully will comment but I noticed your Iowa small town roots. I have a friend who also lives in a small Iowa town and she sent me this as a resource for you. I hope it helps!
I am so with you on this. Where there are practical things I can do to counter the madness, I will do so. For example, I'm joining a neighborhood group, organized by a resident who's an immigration lawyer, to provide support for neighborhood immigrants.
I'm all out of performative outrage following the first Trump administration. Like you, I expect Democrats to use the power of their votes, and to use their platform to speak out against the onslaught of awfulness that the next 4 years will create. And to hammer home the consequences regularly, especially during election season.
But I'm done with giving the opposition an off ramp in the hope that they'll return to normalcy. Let them fly their crazy. The voters who opted to elect Team Trump have the right to experience the full impact of that decision. Maybe in 2-4 years they'll still be on board, but given the notorious fickleness of the American voter, I wouldn't count on it.
Similar, we can build community and resilience on the ground. My community meeting is on 11/30. We're going to start making sure that we have emergency supplies in place for the next fire, flood, etc and help our neighbors. We were joyfully excited to work for the Harris campaign. There are 2 America's, the other one clearly rejects us. It doesn't make sense to make targets of ourselves and try to save them from themselves when we can use that energy to save each other. Half of American voters chose this and more citizens didn't choose at all. They should get what they wanted or what didn't bother them enough to vote against. They should see what they could have voted for.
It can get even smaller than that. I plan a conversation with the resident resource person to see what I can do for children in my 100 unit building. As far as I know, few are likely to be at risk, but maybe there’s some way to brighten their lives a little. And possibly brighten mine, too.
This is definitely the place to put our grassroots energy. Into our local communities. I’ve been telling my 42 year old son this since he was in 10th grade and struggling to figure out how he could be another Mother Teresa. We don’t need to reach for the stars; just help our neighbors and communities as best we can.
So grateful I found a purpose for my post-career life in the aftermath of the 2016 election. That community involvement in the grassiest of grass roots - my local city neighborhood -- has been a gift to me. I can do little to help the U.S., but I and other like-minded people in my community and my city have risen up in the past 8 years to do a lot of good locally.
Barbara, thank you for all you have done since 2016 and for sharing. May I ask you to be more explicit about the nature of your community and the “lot of good you have done”? I ask because every website I’ve visited since Nov. 6 has advised this: “get together in community and work at the community level”. But it seems so vague! Do what, exactly? I can’t picture any one thing that I could pull off with the like-minded in my small Iowa town that would actually make me say in 8 years “I did a lot of good locally”.
Sorry for my lack of imagination— any advice gratefully received!
Barbara hopefully will comment but I noticed your Iowa small town roots. I have a friend who also lives in a small Iowa town and she sent me this as a resource for you. I hope it helps!
https://www.promotingdemocracy.com/activism/iowa/organizations/index.php
Thanks, Prairy - all suggestions gratefully received!