Reflections on Post-Election Mayhem

THE HARD WORK AHEAD
JOANNE YOUNG

We always knew, didn’t we, that electing a woman to be president would be hard work. We hoped it wouldn’t be this hard. We know the benefits. We know their capabilities. It’s harder than we thought. Even so, Kamala Harris said after Tuesday’s setback that the fight will continue.

If I don’t see a woman in the Oval Office in my lifetime, at least I will know that we fought for it, and to hell with those who stood in our way.

In the meantime, I will choose to fight locally. Historically, local efforts have been a key to keeping democracy alive.

“If people have more of a foothold in their own communities, they are then more likely to support the kinds of legislation that supports the community:  education, health care, you know. And that may be the future of democracy, if not a national democracy,” says historian Heather Cox Richardson.

There are many politicians here making important decisions for us – people being elected to the state Legislature, for example, that is stuck with a stagnant minority of women, around 30 percent, if we’re lucky. With the recent election, six of those women will be Democrats, one an Independent, and seven will be Republicans, including Kathleen Kauth, who will continue her work on a bill that would define K-12 school locker rooms, bathrooms and sporting teams as either male or female, based on a student’s sex at birth, and Tanya Storer, who has vowed to “attack the woke left”.

Our Legislature has 15 Democrats and one Independent, again, less than one-third of the 49 senators. Historically, the diversity has also been woeful.

I’ll also mention that all six of the state elected executive offices are held by Republican white men, some of whom continually try to subvert the rights of women, children and the electorate.

We have hard work ahead. But hard work is good work and can be joyful work, Harris said. And the fight for our country and state and community is always worth it.

It is always worth it.

***

WHITE HOT ANGER
MARILYN MOORE

I’m trying, really trying, to bring some order, some thoughtfulness, some peace of mind to this post-election time.  I’ve tuned out of the news…I do not need, nor want, to hear boasting, bragging, blaming, fault-finding.  I’ve taken lots of long walks, good for the soul, good to counter the excessive leftover Halloween candy bars I’m eating.  I’ve spent time with friends; we’ve commiserated, laughed, cried, and sat in quiet contemplation of a horror too great to put into words.  I’ve sent checks to organizations that amplify my voice.  I’ve sent checks to organizations that meet the basic needs of members of our community; the demands for their services will only increase in the coming years.  I’ve tried to identify the issues I care about most, the ones about which I’ll be especially watchful and outspoken in the coming years.

 But with all those reasonable, rational, somewhat indulgent responses, I have to admit that deep within me is a white-hot anger, a huge WTF? trying to get out.  And sometimes that anger is not deep within at all; it’s right at the surface, as evidence by the WTF.  That is language I do not use…and there are moments now that I want to stand on the front step and shout it out to the universe. The anger is that once again, a truly competent, capable, and well-prepared woman has been defeated by a man that is none of those things.  And that in the process, he bullied, he belittled, he threatened.  Especially women.  The language in this election has coarsened our society (see the endless repetitions of Your Body, My Choice said by men about women), and it will not easily nor quickly be diminished.  This dangerous language, which denigrates women, will be what our daughters and granddaughters and nieces and great nieces and all women, young and old, of color and white, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, of every education and income level, will live with for years to come.  And that makes me very angry.

***

10.5
MARY REIMAN

On November 1^st, NPR reported ‘More than $10 billion has been spent on ads in the 2024 election.’

“Altogether, $10.5 billion has been spent on campaign ads in the 2024 election cycle, on races from president down to county commissioner, according to data compiled by the ad-tracking firm AdImpact and analyzed by NPR. That total is up $1 billion from four years ago.”

10.5 billion dollars.

What purpose did those ads serve? Did we not know who we planned to vote for by October 1^st, when it seems an extraordinary abundance of vicious ads began rolling across our screens, whether through television, newspaper, or social media.

$10,500,000,000

A few million could have been used for one week (I would prefer one day only) of campaign commercials. The rest should have been used to provide food, shelter, healthcare in our communities. There are so many ways our country could be a better place for all.

***

WALKING THE LINE BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARK....
MARY KAY ROTH

 I barely pulled myself out of bed Wednesday morning but my dog, Pip, was blissfully unaware of the previous day’s nightmarish election.  So, we walked and marveled that the sun did actually rise – quite beautifully.

Nature has always calmed my rawest tears and fears. 

Meanwhile I’m also calmed by actually doing something tangible. Subsequently, last week I gave money to the ACLU and OutNebraska. Subscribed to a few national publications that bravely covered the campaign. Started exploring meaningful local initiatives. Held my loved ones close.

I’m truly gutted, reading conflicting analysis of what happened Tuesday, trying to comprehend the thick, black Sharpie line that divides our country.  

I actually worked the polls this election for the very first time, a 14-hour day with nary a confrontation and record numbers of voters.  My favorites were the first-time voters and most especially brand-new citizens who so proudly announced their delight in voting – as poll workers handed them ballots and applauded.  

In those moments I was feeling so good about democracy – I’ll absolutely work the polls again,

Today, however, I’m wondering about those migrant voters.  Legal or not, I’m terrified for them, as well as other underserved, marginalized humans of different gender orientations, racial identities.

My grown kids and I cried together a few days after the election.  My son pointed out that our family – middle class with privilege – may have our ethics crushed over the coming four years but will likely not be harmed significantly.

The question that looms large for me is whether those of us with privilege will be willing to stand up for those without – in a toxic climate that could put us at risk.

Yes, I’ll continue to bask in the golden light of sunrises. But I’ll also be asking myself if I have the courage to do battle with the dark. As the days have passed, I’m not really questioning who we are as a nation. Instead, I’m asking myself, “Who am I and what am I willing to do?”  

I’ll know, sooner than later.

***

OH, FOR THE LOVE OF DOG!
PENNY COSTELLO

In 1996, I moved to Lincoln, Nebraska from Minneapolis to be with my partner, Kate. As a single mom, she put herself through law school, became an attorney, and began her 38-year career as a legislative staffer in the Nebraska Unicameral. She always drew a clear distinction that she was a “policy wonk”, not a litigator. And in the coming years I would learn the difference between policy and politics. And I gained tremendous respect for those passionate souls in government who worked long and hard to formulate policy that would improve peoples’ lives, as opposed to the politicians who set their sites and their priorities on one election cycle after another.

I came to my political awareness with some reticence. I really didn’t want to spend much time thinking about what was going on in the legislature, either at the state or national level. Kate challenged me on my apathy at one point, and my response was anything but apathetic.

“I have a right to be apathetic!” I said. “In my first ten years, they assassinated John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. Not long after that, Watergate happened, and we all learned that our government lies to us and sells us out. So, yeah, I’m apathetic!”

“Well,” she chuckled, “you’re pretty passionate about your apathy…” She had a point.

Then near the end of the 20^th century came the state constitutional amendment that declared that Nebraska would never recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions. One of the most stringent such laws in the country. So, in 2005, we created our own commitment ceremony, surrounded by friends and family, including our dog, Dexter, who made sure he was standing with us as we exchanged our vows. That ceremony made a difference for us. We felt like a real couple, committed to ‘the we that is us’, as we like to say.

Ten years later, the U.S Supreme Court mandated that same-sex marriage would be legal and recognized in the United States. We both happened to be home that day, and had the TV on when the news broke. A month later, we became the first same-sex couple to be married in the Rotunda at the Nebraska Stae Capitol, officiated by Senator Ernie Chambers, the firebrand from Omaha who had been fighting for equal rights for all for over 30 years. It was a day filled with unsurpassed hope, love, jubilation, and validation. Definitely one of the best days of our lives.

When Hilary Clinton ran for President against Donald Trump in 2016, I got my hopes up for the possibility that finally, after nearly a quarter of a millenium, this nation would select a woman to lead it.

And when President Biden withdrew from the race this past year, and Kamala Harris became the nominee, that hope was rekindled, until it was Trumped again. Those hopes were dashed, smashed, and trashed. I don’t need to regurgitate the outrage, the WTF?!, the how the hell could this happen? There’s plenty of that all over the news, on social media, and none of it changes the result.

At least for now, and hopefully for the rest of my life I am still married to the love of my life. And it’s very clear that I’ll have to leave that old apathy behind, and make sure to stay informed, involved, and fulfill my responsibility as a citizen of this democratic country.

In the midst of all this, my two dogs, Boone and Idgy, have been especially sweet and present. They have been very snuggly, staying very close by, and giving me that look that says, “You know, if you take us for a ride in the car, and we go to the dog park, we know you’d feel a whole lot better. And if we stopped at the drive in on the way home and you got us each a pup cup, everything would be even better!”

Wise pups. Turns out they were right. Fresh air, dog romps, looking up at the sky and saying hello to the trees and the birds and the butterflies, these are the things that ground me, that remind me that, for now, in this moment, life is pretty darned good. We’ll see what happens in the weeks to come, but for now, we’re hanging onto those pure, good moments. 
They need to be savored, not squandered in doom scrolling and diatribes on social media. I can choose where my energy goes, every moment. And as often as possible, I’m going to hug a snuggly dog. Hit me up if you want to join us for a romp and a pup cup.

                    ***

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