We’re a few days away from a hyper-critical election. Tension is through the roof. Fear is high. We’ve had a major escalation in political violence with an assassination attempt on the Speaker of the House.
Bigotry, aggression, and intolerance are on the rise. People hang black flags and “F*** BIDEN” flags in neighborhoods where kids can see them. Anti-anyone-who-isn’t-a-white-male is on the rise, with extra targeting for anti-trans hate and anti-Semitism.
It’s terrorism, for sure. Threats and actual political violence are terrorism. They’re intended to scare us; to keep us at home. To keep us cowed. To keep us in shock… while the powerful seize more power. Shock is used as a tool for authoritarians to keep people down and grab what they can while folks are hiding out.
It’s critical now to get out the moral courage… and to use it.
Any one of us can do that over the next few days by having perhaps uncomfortable talks with people about voting, and by helping to make sure people vote. By offering rides. By sharing voting info. By sharing our stories about what’s important, what’s hurting us, how we’re threatened, or what’s at stake. By following up with people who we need to vote to help our survival, our rights, and our future.
Moral courage will be even more critical as things intensify during and after the election.
The risk landscape is evolving fast, and likely to keep doing so as this election happens, as results come in, and as people react.
We need to hold the line. We need to stand up for what’s right. We need to not panic. We need to find our words for these tough topics, and getting better at using them.
For those of use who were around after 9/11… despite the actual terror (which was the point), there was also a big collective pushback to that terror. We need to build that kind of collective pusback, and we can. Shift the Country is putting together online workshops to help with this for after the election — follow this Substack to get those announcements.
If you’re wondering what moral courage looks like, check out this bit of awesome from Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow. She puts on a master class in how it’s done. It’s fabulous:
Videos like these need to become the norm — not the exception. That’s what we’re talking about. More of this.
It’s something to think about as these last days before the election unfold. We can all find ways to fight differently, to advocate, and to use our voices. We’re going to need to be brave, to be vulnerable, and to take different risks.
We cannot let the hate stand. We cannot let the anti-science stand. We cannot let the anti-education stand. We cannot let so very, very many things stand. It’s time to find ways to fight back better.
Shift the Country is getting into the game. Sign up here to volunteer. Help fund this shift here.
Keep the faith — in good people, and in democracy. And in yourself.
We need us.
Yes, yes, yes, yes!
I submitted my ballot...got confirmation it was received and my signature validated...now I'm waiting for it to be counted. I live in a bubble in a blue state. Seattle is one of the most liberal cities in the country. Washington state, not so much. Especially this year. We are being tested to see whether we will maintain our strong blue edge in Congress. Patty Murray, running for a sixth term, is in the battle of her political career; she often gets nearly 80 percent of the vote. That's not going to happen this year. We are in danger of electing a Marjorie Taylor Greene mini-me in Joe Kent. He is a veteran, charismatic--and as wacko and dangerous as she is. The House of Representatives may lose its only female doctor, Kim Schrier, who has been extraordinarily effective for her wide-ranging (urban/rural) district. My point in sharing this information is that a state as solidly progressive as Washington is facing the same kinds of challenges as the rest of the country. Oregon, another progressive bastion, is facing a similar array of challengers to its liberal representation. If states like these lose our strong Democratic base, it will have an impact on the entire country. Anyone who thinks just because she is fortunate enough to live in what is currently a progressive state is "safe" is deluding herself. We must all vote--we cannot afford to sit it out and assume that all will be well. And whatever the outcome of the election, we need to be prepared to take action to protect our democracy. Moral courage will be the currency of the realm. We need to dig deep and prepare ourselves for the task ahead.