Ten pro-tips on how to survive this presidency — from the people of North Carolina
I’m sorry you’ve been dragged down with us. But we’re here for you with some tips on staying Resistance-fit.
October 12, 2018: Twenty-two months later — generally speaking this all remains the same. Take care of each other out there!
The last five years in the Old North State have been politically cringe-worthy. Now known as the new crazy Carolina sister, North Carolina has been fertile ground for GOP extremism — part of the Koch-enhanced political project of the Republican elite. While the rest of the country shook their heads and laughed at us in the endless skits on the Colbert Report, The Daily Show, SNL, etc., the people of North Carolina organized. And I hate to tell you this — now you’re in the trenches with us.
For nearly a decade, the people of North Carolina have been defining and fighting the new Civil Rights battlefront of our time — what Reverend Dr. William Barber of the NC NAACP calls The Third Reconstruction. This is a struggle we’ve seen before, and it’s no surprise it emerged — again — in the South.
Most recently, our state has battled HB2 — the nationally recognized and infamous “bathroom bill” that, among other things, legalizes institutionalized and gendered discrimination — demanding that transgender men and women use the bathroom of the sex listed on their birth certificate.
So now that the grinches of the NCGOP have left Raleigh with their wrecking ball behind them (no, wait they’re back!) and no promise of their hearts ever growing larger, the people of North Carolina have some tips we’d like to share with the rest of the country on how to survive this presidency…and move forward.
1 — Get healthy: You’re going to be protesting A LOT and you will absorb more of the most hateful politics of our time, so take care of yourselves. Eat right, exercise, meditate, pray, surround yourselves with loving friends and family. Do something nice for yourself each day. You need to be strong.
Maintain your sense of humor. It’s one of your best weapons.
2 — Expect the worst: In the early days, you may be tempted to think, “Oh he’d never do that.” Yes he would. And yes they will. State religion? Check. Guns in bars? Check. Bathroom bill? Check. Attack crown jewel public university? Check.
Understand that this is an ideological project aimed at stopping the browning and feminizing and gay-ing of power in the United States and silencing progressive thought. Think Civil War — because that’s what we’re fighting in the South. This is serious business, so buckle up.
3 — Organize & give to established groups already doing the work: Find your people. Glom on to organizations who’ve been fighting the fight. Not every state has a Reverend Barber to lead the movement, but someone will emerge near you. Give to the NAACP — they’ve been here before, they know how to get the job done and they do it with love, nonviolence and the spirit of common humanity.
Start your own informal network online, get an email list together and use it as a megaphone for information dissemination; use every tool of social media, organize a carpool because you’ll be heading to the state or US Capitol nonstop. Remember, they will try everything. Call us if you need help.
4 — Get your workboots on: Facts don’t mean the same thing to the GOP elite as they mean to you and me— they’re like acid on skin. It’s why they attack our institutions of higher learning in an effort to flip the ideological bent of sacred progressive ground. Now y’all know this too (see 2016 election anti-science rhetoric and #AlternativeFacts).
Understand that they live and work in the manure-filled, fertile fields of fear, so get your boots on and prepare to jump in. Then strategize on how to get out of it.
5 — Read up on the Civil Rights movement and civil disobedience: We’ve become accustomed to our friends and family being arrested at the state capitol in Raleigh. The NC NAACP preps those who plan to be arrested and then cares for them afterward — including legal assistance, food and medical help. If you ever want to see a modern twist on the Civil Rights movement of the ‘60’s, come on down.
6 — Shame doesn’t work: Last week, the NCGOP arrested Santa Claus. No one is safe. At Christmas time, under the guise of hurricane relief, the GOP elite chose to call a special session to exact a vendetta on newly-elected Governor Roy Cooper — a democrat — and spent hours devising ways to cripple him. I’m remembering back to when our ex-Governor Pat McCrory earmarked $500k from our state disaster relief fund to defend HB2 — then Hurricane Matthew hit the flood plains of NC. These folks have no shame. Keep hold of your own moral compass, but don’t expect them to have one.
7 — Volunteer and get out the vote: We’re here to tell you that voter suppression works, and it’s coming to a state house near you. Commit to call, knock on doors and get a carpooling minivan parked in every neighborhood in every election. GOP elite will yell “voter fraud!” “rigged!” because they are the ones perpetrating it. Remember that the real voter fraud is suppression.
October 5, 2016 Check out this op-ed by NC Senator Jeff Jackson regarding another form of voter fraud: extreme partisan and racist gerrymandering.
8 — Brace yourselves: The power-grab will go deep. Passage of regressive laws aren’t enough for this bunch. They will introduce more bills and sign more laws to keep more people from voting, to install more of their ilk in our courts and elections boards that review the bad laws they’ve passed. Think this headline: “NC lawmakers create partisan election process for courts that review their laws.”
https://www.charlotteagenda.com/102661/gerrymandering-jeff-jackson-north-carolina-public-comments/ See current NCGA special session HB717, a bill to gerrymander judicial districts in an attempt to eliminate urban (code: progressive, black) judges and replace them with those from rural areas (code: conservative, white). This move makes sense, as the courts are our last hope for the protections of the Constitution and a democracy that values every voter’s voice. Heads-up to the rest of the country, we’re your crystal ball…
Be vigilant, always.
9 — Find discarded Republicans & support your allies: The GOP elite will eat their own. In our state house, moderates (what’s left of them) have been kicked out of their own offices and off committees — punished for not siding with leadership. ONE Republican voted against the supermajority in the NC Senate as they passed a bill to strip our incoming Governor of some of his power. Senator John Alexander of Raleigh, you are now on my Christmas list.
Think it’s hard to get up every day and see this news? Imagine being a Democrat in the NC General Assembly. Call your lawmaker friends and tell them “Thanks. We’re here for you.” Bake them cookies or bring them a cup of coffee. They need you.
10 — Run for office: RUN. Find a mentor and start planning. The only way we will change course in this country is if we have representation for all at every level of government — PTA, city council, county board, state legislature, courts, US Congress. If you are a woman and ready to jump in to amplify the voices and concerns of women and families in our politics, check out Emerge America, Emily’s List, Lillian’s List or others that seem to crop up nearly every day. In 2018, more women than ever before are running for elected office, both nationally and in NC. We’ve seen the destruction wreaked on our families and have taken matters into our own hands — you can too!
Finally, we tarheels have some words of comfort for the rest of the country: We’re here for you. We’ll get you through this. In just three short years, and despite the worst voter suppression law in the country, we’ve overcome the high-fiving circus of the NCGOP to elect three Democrats to top-level positions in our state — and boy has this made them mad — including Governor Roy Cooper, Attorney General Josh Stein and NC Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan — a move that not only sways the court left-of-center but also adds an African American voice on a court that had previously rubber-stamped racially gerrymandered districts.
We’re here to tell you that it’s hard work and seemingly never-ending. They’re going to throw every piece of ludicrous legislation at you all at once in the hopes of fatiguing and crushing you. Don’t let them. Don’t let them have your hope. Don’t let them steal your optimism.
So repeat step one and bring political power home to the people. As the Rev. Dr. Barber says, “Forward together, not one step back.”
