GOTFV
by Erika Piquero & Leah Goldmann
In May 2019 — long before COVID-19 and prior to the primaries — Rebecca Traister wrote an article “Breaking: Nobody Knows What’s Going to Happen in 2020.” She argued that none of us, including pundits and pollsters, have any way of predicting the outcome of the 2020 election. The 2016 election illustrated this plainly: there can be an overwhelming amount of coverage and statistics that expect one person will win, and she still will lose. Regardless of why you think 2016 played out the way it did (Russia, Comey, Hillary’s being “unlikeable”, Bernie Bros, etc.), the majority of people in this country never thought Trump would win. Traister similarly accounted for other elections where certain politicians had the odds stacked against them — including Barack Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Lauren Underwood — and yet managed to win.
So here we are: every day of 2020 we seem to get news confirming our doom and impending global collapse into authoritarianism, white supremacist violence, and climate disaster. Over the last year, we have heard friends and family argue definitively that Trump will get four more years (or more!), or that there is no way he will make it another term. They cite their personal feelings (2020 has already been a disaster; wouldn’t it be on point if Trump were re-elected?), statistics, or their favorite politicians’/celebrities’/authors’/activists’ predictions.
For women like us, politics is inherent in and to everything we do or think. We get it — we have discussed possibilities of either candidate winning, and have had many conversations about what Democrats can and should be doing better (while also anguishing over our country’s terrible two-party system). We have also despaired at the overt and sustained attacks on our voting system through voter suppression tactics, and continue to wonder how it will inevitably impact the outcome of this election. For some, talking politics is part and parcel of their every day while for others, it is not something to discuss publicly.
“As soon as we admit that the “narrative” is yet unwritten, and that what makes someone “electable” is doing the work of electing them, and that none of us knows what’s ahead, we will all be more scared,” Traister points out. This is where we are. After a disappointing primary for many (most?), we are stuck with two candidates and we know that one of them will become the next president. But no matter how much we vent with one another, listen to podcasts, read the news, or follow rants on Facebook, we still have absolutely no idea what the outcome will be.
We have had countless conversations with folks in our circles about their anger, despair, nervousness, rage, frustration, helplessness, hopelessness, and more around the current state of…well, everything. Yet, despite this, many people we know — those who are “informed,” “like to play devil’s advocate,” are “passionate about social justice,” and more — are unaware that we can play a part in shaping elections (surprise: it does not involve sharing articles on social media).
Our country is literally and figuratively on fire. Uncertainty and despair abound. This year has shown us both that the only things we have control over are our own actions and responses to our circumstances. Voting is a bare minimum. We must commit to getting out the vote through every tactic available to us: phonebanking, textbanking, postcard writing, canvassing (if it is safe), speaking directly with other family & friends. If none of these options are available to you, consider donating financial resources or volunteering your time to progressive candidates in tightly contested races across the country (especially in swing states). There are seemingly infinite ways to get involved from the comfort of your own couch or bed these days. Pick something, and do it — regularly. Get others to join you. Channel all of that despair and anger and frustration into something actionable.
If you’re wondering if phonebanking is effective and that has you stuck in inaction, know that it is proven to help move the needle! Canvassing is of course a more effective technique, but volunteering to phonebank can actually free up campaign leaders on the ground to do more critical work — and provide them with really useful, up-to-date data on voters in their areas. Mobilizing voters across all levels, and through all possible channels, is critical — so if you are feeling uninterested or fatigued by the general election, pick a local / state ballot initiative that speaks to you or find candidates you more strongly identify with.
We understand the disillusionment and complete loss of faith in our so-called democratic and election systems. We know they are a farce, and that what we have seen is a true mockery of what a democratic process should or could be (look no further than last week’s supposed “presidential debate” where we were subjected to three men bicker, interrupt, and speak over each other in a splendid display of toxic masculinity). And yet, the reality is that this is our system at this moment in time. This is what we’ve got to work with; this is one of the systems through which we must fight back. You better believe that this orange narcissistic shitstain will do anything he can to avoid relinquishing power. The way that he wins is if we let him. That was one of the ways he won in 2016; so many of us watched idly by, under the assumption that he would surely be defeated. If we resign ourselves to thinking we are powerless because this poll or pundit claims to see the future, we will most certainly have another four years of crimes against humanity, public health catastrophes, climate change acceleration, children locked in cages, police brutality, loss of bodily autonomy, and a host of other horrors that you probably also never thought were possible (did you anticipate ICE using forced sterilization against detainees?). Your level of enthusiasm is irrelevant — whether you love Biden or simply see him as the “lesser of two evils” (which we do), we all have a responsibility to take action.
We know these systems are not designed to help us. We know voting will not save us. We know voting Biden and Harris into office will not save us. But we also know that we are presented with two options: one provides at least a fighting chance to bring about a world we can imagine wanting to live in, while the other almost literally drives a nail into our collective coffin. As Stacey Abrams put it, “Voting will not save us from harm, but silence will surely damn us all.”
We recognize the complexity of unpaid, volunteer work; not everyone has the luxury and / or emotional bandwidth to take time out of their day to make calls. As people who battle anxiety and depression, have each lost incredibly close family members this year, navigated (or are currently navigating) this country’s fucked up immigration system, we understand that the weight of the world can be too much some days. Be honest with yourself about what you can sustain over the next few weeks (we are less than a month out from this election, people). Take care of yourself, and remember that rest and self-care (not the commodified capitalist kind, though) is a form of resistance.
However, if your primary excuse is something along the lines of, “I’m sorry to disappoint you but the last thing I want to do is engage strangers in discussions about politics over the phone in my free time” (a verbatim response that Leah received from a friend), is the possible discomfort of a 2-minute phone conversation really worth more than four years of hatred, injustice, and intolerance (and the knowledge that if we all tried a little harder that we might tip the scales in our favor)? We are asking that each person watch one less Netflix episode each day, and use that time instead to make phone calls,send texts, volunteer your time, or donate some money. Every single one of us in this country has a responsibility to do our part. Let’s step up in any way we can.
Are you registered to vote? If not, register here. Confirm your polling place, and consider early voting if your state allows it. Consider working the polls on Election Day.
