The midterm election outcome screamed:
- end the corruption;
- get prices at the pump, housing, and the grocery store prices back to pre-Trump presidency;
- end the war in Iran;
- make ICE accountable and stop kidnapping POC off the streets;
- make healthcare affordable like it is in the rest of the world;
- make and hold tech accountable, especially A.I.
- tax the rich;
Look who WE, THE PEOPLE voted into office! Those without white privilege, those who are not supremacists, and those who are not Christian Nationalists. We voted in POC, LGBTQ, Jewish, Native American, and WOMEN. Elon Musk’s $470 million spending on his choice of politicians couldn't stop what WE, THE PEOPLE voted for.
WE, THE PEOPLE voted for kindness, empathy, service to others, fearlessness, balance, character, competence, subject-matter experts, science, and better angels.
The midterm election outcome was so strong that Trump could not deny it. He doesn’t like it and has said he will be the VETO president. His choice of Stephen Miller as Chief of Staff shows he does not care what WE, THE PEOPLE want. Trump’s revenge, cruelty, and immorality will continue.
“Hatred is the coward’s revenge for being intimidated.”
- George Bernard Shaw
If you are a supporter of the Trump regime, what do you do?
Do not view yourself as a victim. Examine your role in this event. Own your responses and actions rather than blame others or see this as bad luck. Recognize the changes you could make in your thinking and actions. Seek positive, constructive solutions rather than sympathy and validation in your silos and echo chambers.
If you call yourself conservative, make sure you understand what conservative is and what conservative values and ideals are. Being conservative is not being anti-Democrat or anti-liberal. Conservatives do not have evil intentions, practice cruelty, or use Gestapo tactics. Conservative role models are John McCain and Mitt Romney, not Vivek Ramaswamy or J.D. Vance.
If you call yourself a Christian, study and understand the difference between Christ’s teachings and Christian Nationalists. Christianity serves the poor, seeks peace and justice, and models humility. Christianity is inclusive, equitable, and values diversity. It is not about power and domination. Christians ask questions like Jesus did 339 times in the Gospels. They don’t tell, yell, or force their beliefs on non-believers. Their actions speak louder than words. Christian role models are Richard Rohr, Otis Moss III, and Kate Bowler, not Franklin Graham, Nick Fuentes, or Paula White-Cain.
Learn that a person’s ideals, values, and worldview are not connected to their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, education, age, or physical ability. Every voice is worth hearing.
Three nations have created a caste system, including the United States. If you want evidence, look at the average wealth of a white family versus black family. Look at how much longer a college graduate will live versus a high school graduate. Look at the infant mortality rate of Black/brown baby versus a white baby. Look at the hate crime rate of Asian Americans versus white Americans. We need to overcome this caste system.
“Civics is the social science and study of the rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizens within a society, as well as how government functions and how individuals participate in the democratic process.” - Merriam-Webster
Many high schools and colleges no longer require taking civics classes. Take civics classes at your community college or online, like at The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Consider reading Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Read about our founding fathers, like Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Leadership in Turbulent Times.
“You have to know the past to understand the present.”
- Karl Sagan
Finally, go sit and talk with people who don’t look, think, or believe like you. Go have difficult conversations. Be curious and not judgmental. Practice listening more and talking less. Use the Braver Angel L.A.P.P. approach: Listen for what is said and for what is not said; Acknowledge what you heard. Ask if what you heard is correct; Pivot - ask if you can share what you have heard, your opinion, your observations; Perspective - share your perspective with facts and evidence.
Your thoughts?
