I didn’t sleep well Monday night. Actually I haven’t slept well the previous few nights. I was very anxious heading into the mid-term elections here in the U.S. That anxiety actually led to me getting sick to my stomach Monday morning. Certainly, if you have a pulse you know why I was anxious.
Last night, following an unmistakable electoral rebuke of all things MAGA, I didn’t sleep well either. Not from anxiety, but from trying to come down from the series of highs and rushes throughout the night as it appeared enough Americans in enough places stood up and voted to stop the bleeding that was quickly draining the life out of this country and the republic that governs it. Ben Franklin would be proud.
Across the country in races for the House of Representatives, the Senate, governors’ mansions, and state houses, Democrats did what we’re supposed to do and took back control. They said enough. Enough of the madness. Enough of the corruption. Enough of the abuse. Enough of the dividing line between the haves and the growing number of have-nots.
The big story will be the Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress. Perhaps as it should be, because that’s where the headline battles in the last two years of the Trump administration will be fought. And it will be a fight. There are no veto-proof super majorities in either party. Basking in the glow of a stupendous victory is one thing, trudging through the hard work to deliver results will see that glow quickly fade. It’s a a very temporary currency.
The governors’ races are just as important as are the various state house races, because like it or not, those power centers will have as much influence as what goes on in the U.S. Capitol and in the elections to come. In fact, those victories may influence more in Washington than those that are bringing so many new and, more importantly, younger members to serve there.
And make no mistake, there’s a wounded, somewhat caged beast still desecrating the White House or what remains of it. It would take a complete reversal of character for him not to strike back hard and with all the cruelty he can summon. To be frank I’m worried more about his subdued, seemingly humbled reactions so far than I would be if he continued punching back the way we’ve sadly grown accustomed to.
The other story that I hope gets focus in the rushing aftermath of so much happening is the strike back at big money (largely tech) players and the political mechanics who tried to gerrymander their way into hanging on to power. These victories didn’t erase the disgrace and disaster of Citizens United, but they provide some hope that its illicit and fictional foundations don’t hold up as much as some think they should.
There’s a fight ahead. A big one. Actually, many big ones. If there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s that the small frame of these two-year election cycles can provide enough room for all sorts of chaos, agony, and destruction. The Democrats have an enormous challenge ahead. Anger swept many of them in. That anger will not subside when the hangover of victory eases. The young voters that have now brought many of them to power want to see not just action, but retribution. I sincerely hope those now burdened with governing and cleaning up the mess we’re in can find the balance for both. Because both are needed.
Am I happy. Yes. Ecstatic. I don’t know many of the winning candidates well, but to my eye it seems like decency won last night. Decency matters. Or it should.
I’m also humbled by all those who stood up, were measured and were not found wanting when it counted. I’ve lived through more turbulent history in the last decade plus than I have for the six decades that came before. I don’t think the turbulence is over by any stretch of the imagination. The one thing I learned in those seemingly, but not actually less trying times, when progress seemed to be steadily made, is that it can all be undone more quickly than it can be built. My fervent hope is that those who stood up remain standing, keeping the pressure up so this historic victory and more than deserved rebuke and near-thing resurrection will pay off.
Perhaps I’ll take a nap today.
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