I'm happy. I really am. It's an opportunity for a reset. And as a person who embraces hope when reality is tough (not optimism - that's different. But I'm good at hope), I take the hope where I can find it. We need to celebrate every good thing, because that's how we keep going.
I take issue with people who refuse to celebrate this moment because they're so dissatisfied with how we got here. Life is messy, and humanity is messy, and therefore, big social problems are messy. It stands to reason that social change is messy too. Yes, I have my disappointments in us as a nation. I can't wrap my mind around the rationalizations and justifications people use to defend their terrible behaviors, opinions, and ultimately . . . votes. But I won't allow that to steal my joy. More than half of all voters rejected the cynical, hateful, greedy leadership that has been installed in the White House for the past four years. That makes me hopeful.
I also worry about our tendency (as people, and honestly, as Democrats) to be sprinters and not long-distance runners. There is great risk that all this celebration will lead to . . . status quo. We cannot continue to accept the status quo. We must continue to agitate for change, because this is only the first step, and all the hard work is still ahead of us.
I need to embrace both — the celebration and hopefulness, and the gritty determination to keep my head in the fight. I'm:
- Celebrating and hopeful.
- Expecting Kamala Harris to take what she understands of the criminal justice system, and use it to reform the criminal justice system and begin to expunge systemic racism from it. She has the platform now, and I want her to use it.
- Celebrating and hopeful.
- Ready to go to work to un-do the damage that was done to international relationships, environmental protection, social justice, healthcare, and tax justice the past four years. It's not just on Joe . . . it's on all of us.
- Celebrating and hopeful.
- Disheartened by the fact that nearly half of all Americans thought Trump was a choice they could make. To me, that's like saying "David Duke may be a douche, but he has his good points too. Like, he's a good dad, right?" No. No. Someone's "good points" do not get to outweigh racism and human rights abuses.
- Celebrating and hopeful.
- Nervous about how the next 3 months will play out, and sad (very sad) that I just asked my brown-skinned children to please try to stay home and stay safe the next few weeks.
- But also celebrating and hopeful.
We have a lot of work to do to ensure that four years from now is not another replay of 2016. Let's not get cocky, confident, or complacent. Our work is not done until we live in a truly just, inclusive, economically stable nation.
