The acrimony and finger pointing here at DailyKos these last few days since the election has shaken me to the core. The magnitude of what we lost this election is immeasurable and beyond comprehension. We, and all who believe in progressive values as we do, have been pushed by the other side to the edge of a cliff. Yes, it is that bad. We’ve lost just about everything – from municipal level all the way up to federal. There are some strongholds still left, but let’s face it we were wiped out. We have been set back, not years, but decades since that is how long it will be before we have any real chance again of taking control of SCOTUS.
It is understandable that the “Bernie Bros” want to have their “I told you so.” I supported Bernie in the primaries and feared we would lose with Hillary. I understand. The “Hillary Bots” point to the popular vote and that she actually won the people, just not in enough in different places. The media also failed in spectacular fashion this election cycle placing her email “scandal” on par with Trump’s fascist demagoguery and complete disregard for the rule-of-law. I hear them and agree that that had a lot to do for why she lost. It wasn’t all because she was a flawed candidate. It all stacked up. We should all understand this and we should all make an effort to see beyond our blinders and agree we need to move forward. We cannot change what happened, but we can influence the future.
There are millions of Americans who are frightened; rightfully so. There are millions of Americans who will lose their health insurance. There are millions of Americans who will lose the franchise because of voter suppression laws. There are millions of Americans who hide in the shadows because they are afraid to be deported. There are millions of Americans that will wake-up everyday wondering if this is the day they will get beaten to death because of the color of their skin or the beliefs they hold. There are many journalists who lives will be (already have been) threatened (let’s hope nothing worse). There are millions of Americans who will be treated unequally because of who they are, what they believe, where they came from, and whom they love. That all is far larger than our bickering.
Here we stand, at the edge of the cliff. Our backs are against a deep precipice – we cannot give any more. Not.One.More.Step.Back! We all had our say these past few days. We’re all very angry and our emotions are raw. What do we do now? We need to move forward. We need to UNITE! We need to organize ourselves for 2018 immediately! This is the fight of our lives. We must let the few Democrats left in office know to not give anymore. There is no compromising on the issues we hold most dear. This is life or death for millions of Americans – and that is not an exaggeration. It is literally the truth.
We cannot take for granted demographics and think we are going to win. We cannot expect voters to vote for us (or turn out) because the other candidate/party is too unacceptable. We must give them a reason to believe in us. A reason to vote. A reason to get their family and friends to vote. We cannot do this by arguing amongst each other. We have very little time to turn this around. 2018 will be here sooner than we think. Let’s work together.