Today is the 2022 Mid-Term Elections. These elections are crucial to say the least but to me, they’re just buying time. I think the Democrats will hold both the House and the Senate and some states will go Blue. But the opposition is dug in deeper than Hell and I think the Red side will bleed hard at their losses.
My optimism is tempered by the fact that this isn’t 1992, or 2002, or any other election year. The first wave of Generation Z voters are coming online and if the numbers play out like they’re projected to, they’ll be the deciding vote. And that’s a good thing, and something that’s going to be fought against harder than ever. But these kids know just how hard life can come at them, and in a way they remind me of the Greatest Generation who lived through the Depression and fought Nazis and Fascists and won. But us oldsters need to get off our lazy butts and stand with them, fight alongside them, and be there for them, especially Generation X. Us X’ers have the attitude and we need to tell the Young Republicans that grew up into MAGA-assholes to go fuck themselves once and for all.
I say this election is just buying time because I’ve seen the euphoria of a win wear off so many times before along with the shock and sadness of a loss, too. But we don’t have time for either one of those things right now. Because what the people of the United States of America are facing is like nothing we’ve ever faced before.
I’ve read articles saying that the right-wing hate-and-outrage machine began in the 1980’s but in reality construction on that machine began in 1972 with the election of Richard Nixon and when the Democrat and Republican Parties made their final, fundamental switch complete. The Democrats truly began to fully embrace a progressive agenda of equality for all Americans and the Republican Party rejected the values of Abraham Lincoln and became the party of racists, and also Communists.
I grew up in the 1980’s and saw straight through the lies and bullshit of Regan Republicans, and George Bush, Sr. made me want to projectile vomit with his talk of ‘compassionate conservativism’ because there is NO compassion in conservative ideology. I rode the euphoria of Bill Clinton and Al Gore in ’92 and watched it crash and burn by 2000. Barack Obama is one of the best leaders this country has ever produced but my faith in the system for correcting itself was gone by the time he was elected. I had hope in 2016 but that hope was destroyed that year and although 2020 was won, it wasn’t by a landslide. Today’s election is still to be determined and although I feel good in seeing record numbers of young people voting and know they skew heavily towards democratic progressive ideology I still say this: today is just about buying time.
We should be out colonizing our solar system now and healing our planet and not killing each other over stupid shit. But because white-power mongering assholes and giant corporations couldn’t profit off of equality and advancement, they decided if they couldn’t get everyone under their control they’d burn the motherfucker down. And they tried to do that on January 6, 2021, and will do it again if given the opportunity.
How do we keep right-wing fascist traitors from destroying everything:
Vote them out of office and keep them out of power as much as possible.
Stand up to them and don’t back down in the face of their threats, harassment, and intimidation.
Don’t minimize their agendas or excuse their bad behavior.
Keep as much money out of their party apparatus (Republican) and their media outlets to where they can’t fund their hate and disinformation campaigns.
And most of all, to anyone reading this who voted Republican in 2016 and 2020, ask yourself why. Listen to the monsters you voted into office and read the agendas they’ve set out. Then make your choices, and know that if you chose hate you won’t win.
To young people reading this: enjoy the euphoria of a win then get back to work and don’t ever stop working towards a better future. Don’t turn away from the values of kindness, compassion, and empathy no matter how hard someone tries to destroy those things inside you.
Most of all know this: politics is personal. In the last six years I’ve learned just how personal it is and not just to myself. I’m still working on putting that into words, but I stand by my words here, and I vote accordingly.
And like Jyn Erso said in the movie ‘Star Wars: Rogue One’:
“Rebellions are built on hope.”
Michelesayre.com 