OPEN DISCUSSION on American Election ‘24 - post-mortem

So what do we do now?
For those who think as I do, the election feels devastating. My country has elected a felon whose former top aides have described him as a fascist and “the most dangerous person to this country.” Yet in an election that wasn’t even close, voters not only chose him but also picked a Republican Senate to empower him further.

This will be a test of our country and of each of us, so let me offer a manifesto for how ordinary Americans of my ilk can respond.

1. I accept Donald Trump’s victory. If we are to stand up to Trump, we must first resist the impulse to be like Trump. We lost. We were outvoted. In a democracy, the majority rules, and that was not us. Yes, there is a contradiction when a democratic election elevates someone working to undermine democracy, but our first obligation is still to respect the voters’ choice.

2. I will be a watchdog, not a lap dog. Accepting Trump as president-elect does not mean surrendering to authoritarianism. In particular, I will be extra vigilant about attempts to abuse the legal system to go after Trump’s critics, and I will support institutions that are the backbone of democracy, such as the legal system, journalism and the civil service. I may hug a lawyer.
3. I will back organizations fighting to uphold human values. During Trump’s first term, the ACLU did heroic work battling family separation at the border. Planned Parenthood fought to preserve access to reproductive health. So many other organizations stepped up to assist the vulnerable. Let’s support them.

4. I will subscribe to a news organization. This is self-serving and God knows that we in journalism make mistakes all the time, but it remains true that journalism is critical to hold officials accountable. Oversight from news organizations will be particularly crucial if Republicans end up controlling both houses of Congress. As the corollary for that subscription: Hold us in the news business accountable for holding Trump accountable. We journalists shouldn’t dispassionately observe a journey to authoritarianism; we shouldn’t be neutral about upholding democracy.

5. I will try to understand why so many Americans disagree with me. Too many Democrats reflexively assume that any person backing Trump must be a bigot or an idiot. But let’s beware of invidious stereotypes, for finger-wagging condescension alienates centrist voters; it’s difficult to win support from people you’re calling idiots and racists. Many working-class Americans have been left behind economically and have reason to feel angry. And Democrats aren’t going to win elections as long as they seethe at a majority of voters.

6. I will keep my cool. Conservatives regularly accused liberals like me of suffering “Trump derangement syndrome,” and perhaps they had a point. When he was president, Trump pushed us liberals leftward on issues like immigration and policing, with some Democrats calling to abolish the police or to eliminate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. That may have felt noble, but the outcome was more support for Trump.

7. I will care for my mental health. There’ll be many, many times in the next four years when we’ll be irritated, anxious and alarmed, probably with good reason, so we need to find a way to relax and mellow out. For me, that’s backpacking and wine- and cider-making. In my day job, I shout at the world, and it pays no attention, so it’s a relief to raise grapes and apples and have them listen to me. And remember that sometimes the best therapist has four legs. A few years ago, many families got a pandemic dog, and for some this may be time to get a Trump dog.
8. I will be alert to gender nastiness. This campaign saw Trump gleefully engaging in vulgarity and misogyny, and one result was a widening gender divide. I suspect we may see more such nastiness targeting feminists, and it will be important — particularly for men — to uphold norms and push back at this tide of degradation.

9. I will help Ukrainians. One of the big winners of this election is Vladimir Putin, and one of the big losers is Ukraine. This will be a brutal winter for Ukrainians not just because of the cold and the North Korean troops joining Russian forces but also because America may soon abandon Ukraine. So consider supporting an organization that helps Ukraine, such as Razom.

10. I will back humanitarians around the world. Trump is likely to cut funds for the U.N. Population Fund and other reproductive health organizations, as he did before. The Trump administration may cut support for the U.N. agency providing education and assistance to Palestinians, UNRWA, and it is much less likely to speak out about Israeli abuses in Gaza and the West Bank. It will be less likely to work for peace in Sudan, now probably the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. One way to fight back against isolationism and indifference is to support organizations with a global humanitarian mission.

11. I will push for blue places to govern themselves better. Trump isn’t the only one we should hold accountable; we must also hold ourselves accountable. The truth is that some blue cities out west have fumbled issues like homelessness and public order: San Francisco and Portland are now Republican talking points. And even if liberal policies are stymied at the national level, federalism still allows Democratic cities and states to experiment and devise new approaches to improve education, chip away at poverty and increase the housing supply. Let’s take that opportunity seriously.

12. I will temper my strong views with humility. The challenge is to unflinchingly proclaim our values even as we appreciate that we are fallible and may eventually be proven wrong. Accepting that contradiction curbs the tendency toward arrogance and self-righteousness, which in any case are utterly unhelpful in promoting those values.
13. I will share Thanksgiving with relatives, even if I think they’re nuts. There’s too much division in America, and we hang out too much with people who think just as we do. So if you’re debating whether to break bread with family members whose politics you can’t stand, go for it. Don’t let Trump get between you and your family or friendships.

14. I will start planning for recovery. It’s time to start working for the 2026 congressional elections. That will mean more focus on winning elections nationwide. Too often, Democrats in safe districts in New York or California stake out far-left positions that hurt Democrats in Ohio or Georgia, damaging the causes we believe in. America is a centrist nation, and just because Trump takes extreme stances does not mean we should.

15. Instead of despairing, I will find purpose. For four decades, I’ve reported on pro-democracy activists struggling against dictatorships. I saw them massacred in 1989 at Tiananmen in China, and I’ve had too many friends tortured and imprisoned in other countries, but I also saw democracy come to Eastern Europe, South Korea and South Africa. What I’ve learned from people like Archbishop Desmond Tutu is that despair — even a quite reasonable despair — is self-fulfilling, while democratic activists with a sense of purpose can sometimes, unpredictably and imperfectly, make unexpected progress. To avoid being crushed over the next four years, that sense of purpose must be our north star guiding us forward.