2022: What Does All This Energy Suggest?
2022: What Does All This Energy Suggest?
At least we're not calling it an "off-cycle" anymore. This is way more than just deciding who controls Congress for the "next two years" because it's going to actually determine a whole lot more
Joint Composition | Ellison & Potter
Ellison
This is more than just another average midterm election cycle. Thank goodness, it's safe to assume that this particular cycle also forced us to do away with that dastardly "off-cycle" brand that's infected public conversation for so many generations around what a midterm election is and how important it always was. And it is way more than just deciding who controls Congress for the "next two years," because it's going to actually determine a whole lot more: from whether or not white nationalists get to solidify their hostile takeover of government (manifested by a failed coup attempt on that same Congress over a year ago) to the trajectory of critical decisions needed to save the planet from complete climate-collapse destruction.
Don't let them tell you this is another midterm or that it's, simply, checking off boxes to determine the next cycle. This is classic good vs. evil. If you haven’t voted, yet, vote like you’re on the good side … and we all know what side that is: Democrat. If we don't get this right, there may not be another election, at least not one that's fully democratic or representative. Get this wrong, we officially slide into autocracy and thereby set the stage for a fully fascist, multi-generational white nationalist junta in the 21st century. We shouldn’t reward Republicans - anti-Black & anti-Earth folks who attacked the U.S. Capitol just a little over a year ago - with an election win. That makes no sense. We should be prepared to answer that with an electoral punishment of epic proportions. As historian William Horne recently notes ...
It will be important then to keep this type of energy today and, perhaps, all throughout the week ...
There are a lot of questions about today's outcome. What does all the early vote enthusiasm suggest? Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg believes it suggests a lot ...
With all this energy and early vote enthusiasm, do Democrats have a shot at defying conventional wisdom and keeping steady control of the House and the Senate? What will be the outcomes of Senate races in states like AZ, FL, GA, NC, NV, PA, WI and gubernatorial races in places like FL, MI, NY, WI. We should also be watching key Secretary of State races in AZ, MI, NV. Watch those closely …
Attorney General races will be hotly contested, too …
What is driving people to the polls in these states? Which voting blocs are going to play the most pivotal roles? What kind of suppression tactics will cause the most trouble? How much of a role will election subversion play? It’s safe to say that many of these elections will not be over on election day. What kind of stop the steal nonsense should we expect to see after the election? Do we think these attempts will be successful? And will there be violence (on top of the criminal violence spiking in major cities and battlegrounds like Philadelphia)? One wonders how planned or staged some of that violence is so close to and on the day of a such crucial, down-to-the-wire races in states like Pennsylvania. Leave nothing to chance.
Potter
Today is a great day for people who hate white supremacists. If you love to make bigots sad and watch as their hopes and dreams are destroyed right before their eyes, this election is for you.
If you want to watch the MAGAs lose their minds because a coalition of our BIPOC, LGBTQ, migrant, disabled and youth friends and family kicked their nazi asses back into the Reconstruction era, go get your cups compadres, we have bigot tears to collect! So yes, today is a great day.
Why am I feeling so good about this? Glad you asked.
First, the Democrats have made a historic push to turn out voters for this midterm elections. Just a few months ago all of the experts and pundits were repeating the same nonsense that Republicans would take control of Congress because of historical precedent. Historical precedent. Can you imagine? We’ve been through a pandemic, a white nationalist gameshow host president-led insurgency, plus a racial reckoning, and folks are still out there talking about some kind of precedent. If it was about precedent to help preserve voting rights or protect affirmative action, no one would have anything to say. It was ridiculous then and it’s even more ridiculous now to watch these same people saying most of these races are too close to call.
So point of optimism number one: The Democrats have already started revolutionizing their voter mobilization efforts. Communities of color and anyone that meets the requirements of white power are mobilizing themselves to fight this very clear and real threat to their survival. And they are breaking records. Whether or not we expand our control on Congress, this is the momentum we need to start building on for 2022. A lost election hasn’t stopped MAGA from continuing to fight. They’ve been rebuilding since they lost the Civil War. We can’t let it stop us either.
Second, Republicans are scared. They are throwing everything they can into these elections. We’ve seen voter suppression, election subversion, social media takeovers, endless bots, blatantly racist attack ads, a flood of false polls, and a Trump tour. They were supposed to just walk away with the midterm elections, but they are literally scrambling for territory they should be comfortably winning right now. If the white nationalists felt like they had these elections in the bag, they wouldn’t have Kid Rock and Kanye doing a full court press. And yet here we are.
So point of optimism number two: The GOP is acting like they are on the defensive. So despite their fake pools and Red Wave propaganda, they know they are losing and it shows.
Third, my BIPOC folks in struggle are not stupid. We know the stakes are high. Was 2016 the most important election of our lifetime? Yes, it was. Because of that election we now have a packed SCOTUS that has overturned Roe, destroyed the Fifteenth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act, and stands to demolish the Fourteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act. Because of the election of 2016, a pandemic was used to institute a Confederacy and domestic terrorism became a norm.
Was 2018 the most important election of our lifetimes? Yes, it was. Because if we didn’t maintain control of the House, the white nationalists would have had full control of the Legislative and Executive branch. There would have been nothing in the way to block their agenda which includes the dissolution of the Department of Education, the end of our participation in NATO, a federal ban on abortions, state control of elections through legislators, an end to social security and worse.
Was 2020 the most important election of our lifetimes? Yes, it was. If we didn’t take the White House and hold a majority in Congress, he would have fully instituted a Confederacy. Trump would have handed Europe to Russia. He and his Congress would have removed every single right we have had since the Antebellum era. That’s what we were fighting in 2020. That’s what we are fighting today in 2022. And that is what we will be fighting in 2024. So for folks that say that Democrats are always saying that this is the most important election, well, yes, yes we are.
So my third point of optimism is that our communities are smart, strong and doing the work. Even if we don’t win, we know what’s at stake, we’ve made historic gains and there’s only going up from here. I believe in us.
Finally, early voting numbers are strong. They youth vote is leading the Democratic surge and while this advantage may not be as significant when it comes to in person voting, despite the polls, actual turnout is impressive. So my final point of optimism is that there is hope in our youth.
So if you believe in our youth, you believe in our people, you like watching the GOP squirm and you hate white supremacy, today is a fantastic day. Be part of this epic battle between good and evil. Go cast your ballot if you haven’t already. Take a friend. Take a family member. Get your finest bigot-tear holding mug and enjoy today. Whether we win or not, this is our foundation for 2024. And we’re already coming out strong.