I wanted to write a note to all of you at the edge of the cliff.Please, stop worrying!Yes, we want to keep working in these final days but it is Trump who wants us to worry, it is the media who wants us to worry and it is our own Democrats who want us to worry. But I do not want you to worry! Trump should be the guy worrying.
For the media, worry and fear create click bait. Fear capitalism. Fear is a huge driver of human behavior and media companies make money the more we read watch and click their papers, shows and articles. If they were to say, “Nothing Changed in Polls for Months Biden Still Ahead” versus “Trump Catching Up, Could This Be 2016 Again?” which article do you think would get more clicks? Cherry picking data to support narratives, i.e. that this is a close election for instance…keeps us watching, clicking, reading and media making money.
Why does Trump want us to worry that the post office won’t deliver your ballot, that there could be armed poll watchers at your poll, that he’s going to steal the election and the Supreme Court is going to rule for him etc. It is to discourage us. To deflate us. To give up and NOT VOTE because “it won’t matter” or “it won’t count”!He knows he (and many Republicans) can’t win fair and square. So they suppress the vote. Fear tactics are a way to suppress the vote (don’t forward them or retweet them). Republicans have exercised voter suppression in a kazillion ways this year (and every year in my life) from voter roll purges, gerrymandering, disqualifying ballots, slowing down mail, eliminating drop boxes, suing to prevent extended deadlines, forcing voters to vote in person during a pandemic, requiring exact match signatures, and closing polling stations in minority neighborhoods. But the democratic response has been to block suits, sue back, wait in line, create organizations like pizza to the polls to feed waiting voters, curing ballots, and to not be scared to vote. In 2016 130 million people voted. This year already 93,000,000 ballots have been accepted. A full 25% of the 2020 early voters didn’t vote in 2016. Trump doesn’t suppress votes, he gets people to the polls like no one else…unfortunately for him, they are mostly Democrats and left-leaning independents. So while analysts say don’t look at early voting as a predictor of the outcome, I say…look at early voting as evidence that the Republican efforts to suppress the vote are major-league failing…just like everything else Trump does. And know that voting rights have expanded not contracted under Trump. We have more opportunities to vote early, vote by mail and have our ballot arrive late and still be counted. You can thank Trump for this too.His failed response to Covid has done more to expand voting rights than anything since the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
And the Democrats want us to worry so we vote, volunteer and donate.Understand there is nothing like fear to motivate people. They want us motivated…”I need $250,000 by midnight tonight or I might fall short of flipping this senate seat…”It’s good to motivate us and certainly our efforts have paid big dividends in making it much more likely that we win the presidency, the senate and add more house seats to our majority. Keep donating, keep volunteering and vote and get your friends and family to also but understand these scary tweets and asks are for motivating you…ignore the scary stuff.
And then there’s the civil war that we are told might ensue after the election. We think half the country is nuts.Remember Trump got 63 million votes (Clinton got 66 million) which is 19% of our 330 million people. That means 81% of the people in the U.S. did NOT vote for him (which is 267 million). There isn’t going to be a civil war with 19% of the people when 500 people in the military and IC endorsed Biden and zero endorsed Trump. If you don’t have the military and you don’t have the public you aren’t going to have a civil war.
What if he doesn’t leave office? The Supreme Court could hand him the election. Donald Trump has lost more Supreme Court decision than any president in modern history. We have a minority of 3-6 but that doesn’t mean that they will steal a presidency for an unpopular president. Kavanaugh and Gorsuch have sided with the liberal wing at times. Roberts has more often. Are voting rights under threat? Yes, but at the same time, they are still expanding because even Republican voters believe in democracy. Public opinion plays a role. Roberts wants his court to be seen as legitimate. There isn’t going to be a civil war and the Supreme Court is not going to overrule an election to put in their guy.
But if you must worry, here’s what you need to worry about. Is your champagne in a cool dry place? Do you have flutes to serve it in? Have you decided what dessert to serve it with? These are my concerns as I approach November 3rd.
Stop worrying, keep working and stay safe!
Kris Moe