I have always felt that people - no matter how they voted - do not deserve the harm that will come from all of this. … Even those who have and continue to wish others harm; but I think we must be very careful about what must be done to right the so-called ship when we welcome them aboard. We cannot accept their policies or any scrap of their ideologies. We cannot find middle ground with fascism.
We are on the same page. Last week I put it this way (on Threads):
A lot of us believe it's not possible or a good use of energy to try to win over anyone who voted for P4547. And in general, I'm more interested in providing info for others like me who want Dems to WIN.
That being said, only ~30% of voters self-identify as Republicans (not all states release party reg, so it's tough to have exact data), and only ~50% of Republicans identify as MAGA. That means a whole lot of people who probably voted for P4547 like to believe they are not MAGA (even as they have facilitated MAGA).
We know such folks live in a different information ecosystem and, whatever other issues they have, they have undoubtedly been misled & misdirected. Maybe they've started to question...whether losing their job, seeing their retirement fund evaporate, or having some personal experience that felt wrong, they're wavering. I'm not interested in bad faith debates, or in all the Internet debate tropes from sea-lioning to what-aboutism. And I'm not interested in doing unpaid labor when GIYF*. And free.
I'm also not interested in being holier than thou, because I know most voters pay about 10% the attention to this as I do. So, if you are one of the likely millions feeling unsure right now; if you wonder how a liberal can see the world so differently from you & if you wonder if liberals have some things right, I'm happy to share a few simple reasons I want Dems to win and think P4547 & his GOP regime are dangerous and damaging. Ask me an *honest* question, I'll give an honest reply IOW.
OK, I can't disagree with:) I love a good cite. Except when people ask for a cite for something that's been reported everywhere ad infinitum. I guess judging "good faith" is a judgment call!
This is such a great piece, thank you. I’m reading “The Power of Bridging” by john a powell right now and this is what it’s all about. Being a bridge is powerful work and so needed right now.
So true and so hard. I've been trying to work through this idea as it's something I'm committed to but also, my brother regrets his vote for Trump. And I know from his disingenuous call the day after the election, the reason was "Because fuck you, that's why." He voted for that guy and he knew what it would mean to me, his lesbian sister. He took the time to call me for a victory lap.
These are the moments we are called to be the best version of ourselves. And while it's easy to forgive those I don't know, I struggle to forgive my family. Because they listened to the speeches and said, "This will hurt my sister, my aunt, my cousin. I will actively support this person who wants to suppress and remove their rights, and maybe even their freedom. This action will cause her, specifically, pain and sadness." Personal. Destructive.
Or, perhaps more horrible, they didn't think of me at all.
I know that only forgiveness can free me from these thoughts. I cannot hang onto this grudge. But it's so much harder than I thought it would be to release it. To forgive. To be the best, wisest version of me.
So if anyone else is in this same position, maybe we can help each other.
Sorry this wasn't funny. I promise I'm usually pretty darn witty.
Forgiveness is deeply personal. Whether you let them back into your heart and your life is up to you and I would never judge you for your decision. If you bring him into the voting bloc though, because he shows signs of regret (if only for his vote) maybe that’s a little different? Only you can figure that out.
Thank you so much for writing this! You perfectly captured what I've been feeling lately. I really appreciate the guidance on how to ask open ended questions to allow people space to choose another path. We have to allow people the ability to join together in community or we'll never move past the partisan strife.
Amen. I posted that I know Lisa Murkowski is late to the party but I'm still pleased that she spoke up because maybe that means others will too. You know, those who don't want to be first. I got a lot of pushback from friends (my FB is so curated that I rarely have input from people I don't know). And many of them made excellent points that I totally agree with. And while I'll never fully forgive the markowskis and Collins for their shortsightedness that resulted in a lot of this pickle, I still feel that if we aren't willing to listen without reminding them of their bad judgement, we won't reach the tipping point necessary to put down the hyenas. It's rough out here
I'm with you! If we are lucky enough to save things (which I hope and believe we will), there will be plenty of time to look back at where things fell off and who contributed. There will be plenty of mea culpas. Right now, we just need to point the hose at the fire and turn on all the hydrants.
Good points here. I still might schadenfreude in private, but (deep breath) then be welcoming.
That is reasonable!
I have always felt that people - no matter how they voted - do not deserve the harm that will come from all of this. … Even those who have and continue to wish others harm; but I think we must be very careful about what must be done to right the so-called ship when we welcome them aboard. We cannot accept their policies or any scrap of their ideologies. We cannot find middle ground with fascism.
I could not agree more. We can't say "the cruelty is the point" in protest, only to turn around and enable cruel policies.
“The time is always right to do what is right” comes to mind. King always left the door open for others to come around and so should we.
We are on the same page. Last week I put it this way (on Threads):
A lot of us believe it's not possible or a good use of energy to try to win over anyone who voted for P4547. And in general, I'm more interested in providing info for others like me who want Dems to WIN.
That being said, only ~30% of voters self-identify as Republicans (not all states release party reg, so it's tough to have exact data), and only ~50% of Republicans identify as MAGA. That means a whole lot of people who probably voted for P4547 like to believe they are not MAGA (even as they have facilitated MAGA).
We know such folks live in a different information ecosystem and, whatever other issues they have, they have undoubtedly been misled & misdirected. Maybe they've started to question...whether losing their job, seeing their retirement fund evaporate, or having some personal experience that felt wrong, they're wavering. I'm not interested in bad faith debates, or in all the Internet debate tropes from sea-lioning to what-aboutism. And I'm not interested in doing unpaid labor when GIYF*. And free.
I'm also not interested in being holier than thou, because I know most voters pay about 10% the attention to this as I do. So, if you are one of the likely millions feeling unsure right now; if you wonder how a liberal can see the world so differently from you & if you wonder if liberals have some things right, I'm happy to share a few simple reasons I want Dems to win and think P4547 & his GOP regime are dangerous and damaging. Ask me an *honest* question, I'll give an honest reply IOW.
*Google is your friend
So thoughtful and well said as always, Elisa!
(Though I may be 2.7% more inclined to provide links and information in good faith. GIMFT - Google is my friend too?)
OK, I can't disagree with:) I love a good cite. Except when people ask for a cite for something that's been reported everywhere ad infinitum. I guess judging "good faith" is a judgment call!
This is such a great piece, thank you. I’m reading “The Power of Bridging” by john a powell right now and this is what it’s all about. Being a bridge is powerful work and so needed right now.
Thank you for the reco. I have never read it. Being a bridge is really hard work, but I suppose a lot of work that’s worth doing is.
Socrates is smiling down on you today. “It’s the questions, stupid.” I paraphrase.
So true and so hard. I've been trying to work through this idea as it's something I'm committed to but also, my brother regrets his vote for Trump. And I know from his disingenuous call the day after the election, the reason was "Because fuck you, that's why." He voted for that guy and he knew what it would mean to me, his lesbian sister. He took the time to call me for a victory lap.
These are the moments we are called to be the best version of ourselves. And while it's easy to forgive those I don't know, I struggle to forgive my family. Because they listened to the speeches and said, "This will hurt my sister, my aunt, my cousin. I will actively support this person who wants to suppress and remove their rights, and maybe even their freedom. This action will cause her, specifically, pain and sadness." Personal. Destructive.
Or, perhaps more horrible, they didn't think of me at all.
I know that only forgiveness can free me from these thoughts. I cannot hang onto this grudge. But it's so much harder than I thought it would be to release it. To forgive. To be the best, wisest version of me.
So if anyone else is in this same position, maybe we can help each other.
Sorry this wasn't funny. I promise I'm usually pretty darn witty.
Forgiveness is deeply personal. Whether you let them back into your heart and your life is up to you and I would never judge you for your decision. If you bring him into the voting bloc though, because he shows signs of regret (if only for his vote) maybe that’s a little different? Only you can figure that out.
They hurt you a lot. And I am so sorry. ❤️🩹
Thank you so much for writing this! You perfectly captured what I've been feeling lately. I really appreciate the guidance on how to ask open ended questions to allow people space to choose another path. We have to allow people the ability to join together in community or we'll never move past the partisan strife.
Amen. I posted that I know Lisa Murkowski is late to the party but I'm still pleased that she spoke up because maybe that means others will too. You know, those who don't want to be first. I got a lot of pushback from friends (my FB is so curated that I rarely have input from people I don't know). And many of them made excellent points that I totally agree with. And while I'll never fully forgive the markowskis and Collins for their shortsightedness that resulted in a lot of this pickle, I still feel that if we aren't willing to listen without reminding them of their bad judgement, we won't reach the tipping point necessary to put down the hyenas. It's rough out here
I'm with you! If we are lucky enough to save things (which I hope and believe we will), there will be plenty of time to look back at where things fell off and who contributed. There will be plenty of mea culpas. Right now, we just need to point the hose at the fire and turn on all the hydrants.
Thank you for this. While I was sort of enjoying the "have the day you voted for" sentiments, it's harmful to all.
I get it! Like I said, schadenfreude is real, and the line is clever. But it kind of ends there.
Bernie, AOC,
Cory, Elizabeth, Pete,
Welcome Adam, Liz, +++!
(Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, Booker, Warren, Buttigieg, Kinzinger, Cheney, and more!)
Progressive Haiku!
And hopefully growing +++…!
‘Them’ is us when duped,
when misguided, misinformed,
when disoriented.
❤️❤️🩹
Preach!