Election | Whistle Blower
Election Season Stakes Are Even Higher Now
Is there a constant in the changes ahead?
Friends who watched the Republican convention this week — and then found out President Biden won’t run again — are asking what I think. A few days ago, I wrote a completely different post, and in all honesty was pretty depressed. But on Sunday evening, all I could think about as I deleted my previous post is the possibility of new beginnings.
I first need to say I’m a registered Democrat and was raised in a family of same; I can also tell you I tend to be more of a centrist than most, and it’s not a good time for centrists. Nobody seems to want to compromise, or even consider the possibility.
Being a Democrat doesn’t mean I don’t have Republican family members or friends. We can talk with each other because we’ve been careful to set ground rules: not to belittle someone else’s point of view or mock people if you don’t agree with them. While talking can be hard for me, listening makes it easier— and I think listening is vital right now.
This week, I decided I need to take a breath, learn more about what people and politicians are saying, consider what moves and scares me the most — and follow my instincts.
I know what I don’t want; automatic weapons available to anyone and everyone; and an endless parade of fires and tornados and hurricanes because of climate change. I want to be able to afford my groceries too, and I don’t want our social security or health insurance whittled away to nothing.
There are numerous changes I do want to see, but to boil it down quickly I want us all to have the opportunities we need to live healthy lives and play to our strengths. That may seem easy, but it’s become very hard. The last decade, it seems, has made it next to impossible to do anything but vote for the “lesser of two evils” in presidential elections. This year seemed to be the worst of all.
At this point, it looks like there’s a chance for a do-over — which is invigorating me, though I hadn’t even realized it until now. At the same time, the President’s decision to leave the race also puts Democrats in uncharted waters — and I have no idea how we’re going to navigate them.
Back in 2000, Democrat Al Gore said of Republicans, “They [Republicans] are for the powerful! We are the party of the people!” Democrats were also said to be the party of workers and the poor. Yet, year by year and decade by decade, the perception of the Republican party has changed.
Ten years of Reuters/Ipsos polls (among others) show Donald Trump gained significant ground among working-class voters. Are they attracted to the Republican ticket because President Biden’s presidency emphasized more action than words? Or because Democrats as a whole are being portrayed as wealthy elites? The truth is, both parties have similar numbers of wealthy people, although the Democratic party has more low-income members, too.
Thoughts about the Republican convention aside, we now have a huge new wrinkle to process. President Biden’s decision at this very eleventh hour means Democrats have little time to figure out next steps.
While I’m assuming Kamala Harris will be confirmed as the Democratic candidate, there is no way of knowing how things will play out, or if the right decision was made. Yet, somehow or other, this uncertainty is turning my previous depression into optimism and a little more clarity. Anything can happen, but one constant keeps surfacing in my mind.
I don’t want to count on what will occur in the presidential race—though I hope the Democratic candidate wins. What I keep thinking about is how crucial the lesser-known races are.
I know we all put a lot of weight into presidential contests, but I don’t believe they’re even half as important as we think. The truth we all seem to know and ignore is that presidents have very little connection to most people’s lives. They make speeches about how the world ought to be, or isn’t, or could be; they share broad visions with the country; they speak to and about the country.
Exciting if you like that sort of thing (though I prefer my politics to be boring). But how much do presidents really affect what goes on in America and the world?
The real business of government is done in statehouses, governor’s offices and Congress, and that’s why we need to pay more attention to the “down ballot” races, as they are called. While presidents can veto congressional bills, they can’t make their own laws without the House and Senate. I know there are executive orders, but those can be rescinded by a new president after the previous one leaves office.
While the House has had its share of self-inflicted messes this year, we a very real opportunity to make long-lasting changes. These changes could be the most important part of our elections in 2024.
There are at least eleven House races to watch in November; you can see more information here about them. Not sexy, not funny, nowhere near as dramatic as what we’ve been treated to lately. But if you want any kind of change in policy or even tone, the House (and local races) are where you need to start. Why?
It’s a case of simple numbers. Republicans have a five-seat advantage in the House of Representatives. Democrats outnumber Republicans by two in the U. S. Senate. There are four more Republican governors than Democrats in mainland U. S. A., but if you count American territories, it’s a dead heat of twenty-seven on each side plus one Independent governor, according to the National Governors Association.
What kind of issues are decided by Congress, governors and state houses? Health care, long-term care access, support for family caregivers, child care funding, retirement savings plans, prescription drugs, the right to choose, gun control, education policies, social security taxes and the voting process itself. And a whole lot more I don’t have time to mention.
I am hoping you, like me, will make sure to vote for local candidates as well as your senators and representatives (and whoever your choice is for president). I’m also hoping you won’t stay home out of some misguided idea that the executive branch is the only one that matters. We’ve all seen how the Supreme Court can influence laws we thought would never change. Congress and your state legislators can do the same.
When I was growing up, I was taught to “shop local” because doing so would have a strong effect on food availability across the country. I still think that’s true, only I am expanding the idea to voting locally, too.
What most worries me now is how a third of the country has been staying home for way too long on Election Day. At a time when so much is at stake — please don’t sit on the sidelines. We need you.
Thank you for reading this!
