A COUPLE DAYS UNTIL THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS - A THOUGHT OR TWO REGARDING DESPAIR

 With the midterm election just a couple days away I think we'll take this post in a slightly different direction and talk about despair for a moment.

If one is paying attention to the polls it would appear that people are more than willing to sacrifice their rights and personal freedoms under the illusions that letting the GOP retake Congress would improve the economy. Some of the mainstream poles have even suggested that women have calmed down since the dogs ruling from SCOTUS in late June and are more concerned about gas prices and the cost of groceries they are trying to protect bodily autonomy or the right to make decisions what to do with pregnancy.  As a result, a lot of people who lean democratic are freaking out and assuming the election news is all bleak. It's important to realize that the midterms are still not set in stone until every vote is counted but that does little to assuage people who are doom scrolling and in a constant state of worry after witnessing the last six or so years.

Should people despair just yet? I would suggest being cautious but don't assume that it's hopeless just yet. Having said that, I want to briefly look out why people might despair at a time like this.

Imagine you're a person that leans liberal living in a conservative state. Be it because of family emergency, job transfer, or simply can't afford to move. In that scenario it's likely that a person might be in a situation surrounded by people with opposing points of view. If we were still in normal times that might be fine. However, given that a good chunk of the Coupublicans are trying to downplay the coup attempt that happened on January 6th 2021 and many of those are still claiming the stolen from the Mad Fuhrer of Mar-A-Lago, we are currently in a time where that becomes a lot more stressful. If someone ne lives in a city in said state it may seem a little less bleak because it's a little bit easier to find like-minded people. But what about those people who may be in rural areas or  in the outer suburbs/exhurbs?

For people who have to exist in those areas the despair might be a little more existential. We're talking about areas where bring me up the actual history of this country, especially when it comes to race, is seen seen and attacked us being divisive. The sort of areas where there's a tendency to downplay the events of January 6, 2021 rather than address what really went on and is going on today to some degree. The places where where someone who might not be MAGA risks being silenced parlance by those around them who have drank that particular non-carbonated drink mix. It is in situations like that, where someone who might lean left could feel increasingly isolated - especially in the aftermath of how most people in those areas reacted to the pandemic- and feel they have to suffer in silence or pretend that nothing is wrong while many of the people around them spout out rhetoric that can be easily disproved and seems to have more and more anti-democratic leanings. It is a not scenario where I can see it being easy to fall into despair.

It would be easy to say that these people need just to find organizations are interested in and and volunteer for them (and I'm not necessarily talking about working with the local chapter of the Democrats). This is good advice good advice, but it's easier to follow if you're in a city or even an inner-ring suburb then for people living in rural areas who might have to drive a relatively significant distance to find these organizations. Add to this the fact that even in the age of the internet it's not always easy to find organizations that will think global and act local.

So how should these people react in the face of current poll numbers lovers and the possible fear created by "poll watchers" that are more likely to act on misinformation than actual facts? Should they be scared?

It's okay to be scared, or even feel overwhelmed. However you have to put that in the back of your mind and cash your vote anyway.  As I said before, vpting isn't only thing we need to do to help make this a better place. In fact it's the bare minimum in what we can do. For some people though it might be the only thing they're able to do at the moment because of work schedules, family commitments and the like.

So outside of voting how should we deal with the feelings of despair and being overwhelmed over the next couple days? Breathe and take the polls with a container of salt. Remember that while they might be right (it would be dishonest not to consider that) they have also been wrong in the past and might be wrong this year. If you have friends they're on the fence but might lean against the GOP who haven't voted yet talk with them and let them know what's at stake. If it all just boils down to perceptions on the economy let them know that there is no free enterprise under an authoritarian state.

Well something like this take care of all of the pre-election despair right now? Not all of it, but regardless of what happens the fight will continue. It just might get a hell of a lot more dire and bleak if the group of election deniers and conspiracy theorists controlling much of the GOP manages to win. 

ONE WEEK, OKAY SIX DAYS ACTUALLY BUT YOU GET THE IDEA, UNTIL THE 2022 MIDTERMS

 Hey!  I was hoping to get this post done and online yesterday. However, oversleeping and recovering form finishing up another project had me needing a break.  With that in mind, let’s get to another post regarding the midterms next week. 

This time around I want to focus on how people should take into account when looking at polls, the news, et al.  I admit this likely only touches the surface but I hope this helps some people who may be freaking out right now.  As the mainstream media reports poll gaps closing and how things are razor thin in some key states, it’s easy to worry and think that all is lost.  However, since it’s not always that simple, I feel it could help to offer a few tips on how to react to the hell-ride that the midterms are being presented as.

First of all – BREATHE.  I cannot stress this enough.  Being close to hyperventilating and freaking out is perfectly understandable. However, it can also be the worst thing you can do.  Take a deep breath and take a step back.  Assess things quickly. The polls don’t always tell the whole story (we’ll get to that shortly) and constantly checking the news when they’re recycling the same talking points might actually be meant to keep you afraid and thinking your vote (if you haven’t voted already) doesn’t matter so why bother.  Instead, take a breath, think for a moment or two and figure out the next step to take.

Next – KEEP THE DOOM SCROLLING TO A MINIMUM. It’s easy to keep your eyes glued to the news like the election is a horserace in your free time and freak out. The mainstream media, whether they want to admit it or not, gives the right wing a wide berth and is more than willing to take their messaging and run with it.  But, as I said earlier, it isn’t the whole story.  Polls have been wrong in the past (remember when the majority of then predicted that Hillary Clinton would easily win the 2016 Presidential election) and as the 2020 election shows, we might not have the whole picture even as November 8^th turns to November 9^th and beyond. 

As a friend of mine in Los Angeles pointed out on social media – if you already voted doom scrolling is worthless. Instead focus on getting people out to the polls who haven’t voted yet and encourage others to do the same.  If you haven’t voted yet, make a plan and make sure you’re able to cast your ballot.  Focusing on the prize rather than the potential and possible obstacles to the prize can possibly do more good than doom scrolling and freaking out.

With this in mind let’s get to the next point: THE POLLS DON’T TELL THE WHOLE STORY:.  This should be obvious to anyone who remembers 2016 where the man we’d later come to know as the Mad Fuhrer of Mar-A-Lago had a less than 20% approval rating on election day yet somehow won the electoral vote and defeated Hillary Clinton.  In some cases this is because polls and surveys often rely on landlines (or at least used to) and don’t generally talk to people with cell phones (this may have changed given the decrease in people with land lines).  In other cases it’s because people generally try to avoid taking those surveys which leaves to room wide open for what I’m about to say.

SOMETIMES PEOPLE FLAT OUT LIE WHEN TAKING A SURVEY. Some have suggested it’s because those people who supported the Mad Fuhrer, either in 2016, 2020, or now, voters might not want their neighbors to know who they’re voting for. That;’s a possibility though one I doubt given how the MAGA crowd likes to shout from the rooftops.  Instead I want to throw this out there – they may be lying on purpose. 

Think about it. You suddenly see Democrats who, while remembering how the GOP was like under the Mad Fuhrer, who suddenly lean towards the GOP because of the economy and are willing to let their rights go away in the process. Sure it’s entirely possible there may be some low information voters like that (i.e.: those who vote a party line because their parents did et al).  But, even with that, there’s still a lot of anger over SCOTUS overturning Roe alone as well as the possible threats to a number of other rights and the coup attempt of January 6, 2021 that makes this more of an outlier than a solid movement.

Instead I think it may be likely that a lot of people who were going to vote for the GOP anyway may lie to pollsters and claim to be Democrats for the purposes of political dirty tricks. Not everyone may have done this (and yes, there’s a chance that those on the other side might do this as well) but there are some people on the right who follow bad faith actors be they pundits, politicians, and the like and have learned that keeping your side in power is the only thing and that any step they take is justified in the process. 

As a result this line of thinking could lead to people lying to pollsters in order to keep the other side scared and thinking that all is hopeless.  So, take this into account whenever you see the poll results – espeacilly as razor thin as most of them have been recently.

In addition, THINK SEVERAL STEPS AHEAD.  As I said in a previous post I don’t know how the election next week is going to go and neither do you.  Therefore it’s important to remember that voting alone doesn’t end this battle.  The fight will continue regardless of who wins next week.  If the GOP wins the fight will be steeper and a lot more bleak (yes it’s true that the GOP is becoming more and more fascist adjacent and a lot of people will be on the chopping block if they regain control of Congress).  However, don’t think that is the right wing loses that they’ll try and understand where their neighbors, friends, and family members who lean left are coming from and try to reach common ground.  In the past the right wing has gotten more extreme regardless of their outcome  - add extremist conspiracy theory garbage from groups we won’t name here to the mix and the fight will continue regardless. 

Ultimately though there’s one thing to mention – if you haven’t done so already VOTE. 

Right now it’s easy to look at the polls and think that all hope is lost. It’s even possible to fall into despair and think that, since they paint the election as already done, then there’s no point in voting.  This is understandable but one should remember that if you don’t vote then the other side wins. 

I know there’s no guarantee that one’s side will win the election, especially when factoring in the voter suppression laws that the GOP has pushed for since 2020. However assuming that all is lost means that you will almost definitely lose.  The only thing that matters now is for as many people to vote as possible and overpower the GOP’s plans.  It will be a little more difficult now than two years ago but it needs to be done.

As a friend of mine shared on social media – if you’ve already voted early limit the doom scrolling and get your friends and family members out to vote.  If you haven’t voted yet make a plan to do so  and make sure your ballot is cast.  As I said earlier in this post we might not know the results on election night but, regardless of what happens, the fight will continue. 

Just remember that, if you care about reproductive freedom LGBTQ rights and want voting to be more accessible (not harder) the side that’s not trying to marginalize people and try and make certain rights illegal on a Federal level will make the fight easier than if the Coupublicans win. 

Keep that in mind when you vote and vote your conscience.