October 20th
Remember when we used to get together on Election Night to watch the returns? In 2008, there were kids on our living room floor, coloring in electoral maps, and a potluck on the table made by friends and neighbors. So many things about that memory seem incredible.
We are two long weeks away from Election Day, but an unknown distance from the end of the era of “Corruption. Anger. Chaos. Incompetence. Lies. Decay.” We are getting out the vote and making last-minute donations to candidates who need us. And we need to get ready for phase 1 of the period between Election Day and Inauguration Day. The states have to certify the results by December 14. The good people who trained me to help stop a coup pointed out that those first days following Election Day are very critical, and that our presence in the streets can change the course of history. I promised you I would read Hold The Line: A Guide to Defending Democracy; I’m still slogging through, with breaks for distress and self-pity. The authors identify the three scenarios we need to be ready for:
SCENARIO 1: Election day results are unclear, and Trump declares victory anyway.
SCENARIO 2: Election results show significant irregularities and/or signs of tampering, and Trump declares victory.
SCENARIO 3: Trump loses the election but refuses to leave office.
The first two may happen as early as Election night and any time during phase 1. Make a plan to NOT go to work. This is especially important if you are a government worker or a teacher of any kind. The more important your work is, the more people rely on you, the more critical it is that you withhold your cooperation. Start to talk about this with colleagues, friends, and family.
Here’s a fun assignment. I asked you a while back to think about friends and family around the country so that you could implore them to sign the choosedemocracy.us pledge. I hope you signed it and sent it to some people. Please send a care package (an I-know-you-care-about-democracy package) to a friend in a swing state for under $13. Yesterday, I sent 25 posters to a friend in Carrboro, North Carolina. This is perfect for college students (anywhere), but especially in Arizona, Iowa, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. Remember, college students in blue states go to school with young people from red and purple states.
I’m battling the joyless curmudgeon within by visualizing people all over the country hanging these posters in their windows. If, like me, you have already developed an unhealthy relationship with the work of Nate Silver and his cadre of researchers and data-heads, you may have seen his 8 Tips To Stay Sane In The Final 15 Days Of The Campaign. I find daily meditation at 8 AM more key to my sanity, but I appreciate 538’s excellent graphics and up-to-date information. Their work has guided my exhortations to support particular candidates.
If you need some climate activism to take your mind off the election, you can sign up to participate in Corporate Accountability’s Make Big Polluters Pay Action Planning Call tonight at 5 PM.
with love,
L