A colleague sent a text at 3:30 this morning: “Trump wins!!” Family members rejoice at the Republican victory. Three-quarters of Idaho citizens voted for a vision of the world antithetical to hope, justice, and the rule of law. The people have spoken. Our future is riotously unclear. Voters who felt squeezed by inflation and frightened by stories of uncontrolled immigration returned a convicted felon and twice-impeached wrecking ball to the most powerful office in the world. How does one respond to that?
Psychologists share the insight that people have three options when facing conflict. They can turn toward, turn away, or turn against the other. The danger now is that we, the minority, either turn away from or turn against the processes that hold our communities together. It would be easy to retreat into a shell of cynicism, to give up on organizing, protesting, making our voices heard. That is exactly what Mr. Trump and his lackeys in government want. It is how MAGA took over the Republican party. Once, principled voices of opposition within the party spoke up against what MAGA represents. Those voices are now silent.
If we become silent, we are also complicit.
We cannot change the outcome of the election. Donald J. Trump will be the 47th president. Fortunately, the sun will rise on November 6th. gratefully, we must return to our jobs. Passionately, the issues over which we organize and argued over remain. We must begin today to embody the change in the world we want to see. That means speaking up. The librarian who is being bullied over their book choices needs our support. The mother scared about an unwanted pregnancy needs our love. The Arab American who is grieving over the destruction of Gaza requires our shared strength. The Soup Kitchen or Food Basket must continue feeding our neighbors.
Voters have spoken. Our side lost. They turned out more people. If we give up now, the forces of MAGA will win and the American dream will change forever. We can perhaps prevent that from happening by acting together and sharing our values. When grief strikes the heart, remember the voices of hope that have inspired us: Martin Luther King, Mahatma Ghandi, Alexei Navalni, and many others. Put down the phone and turn off the television. Take a social media break. Think deeply about the values that empower action. Then, jump back into the stream of life. Dance like nobody’s watching!
Todd DeVries is a local mental health professional. He is the state committeeman for the Bonneville County Democratic Central Committee.