2024 Election
I don’t like to post about politics. I’d much prefer to focus entirely on the things I enjoy, especially on my blog. I like to talk about games, television, storytelling, anything but reality. But this is an election year and one of the political parties is going out of its way to live up to the villainous hyperbole we would normally think was just… hyperbole. With the Republican party hell bent on establishing a fundamentalist theocratical dictatorship, I feel like I’m going to have to post about politics considerably more this year.
I have had a lot of privilege in my life. I’m privileged enough to normally spend my time reading, playing games, watching movies, simultaneously learning about this world and actively participating in escapism. Even if he doesn’t get the dictatorship he’s now actively stating he seeks, a Trump presidency will greatly make it difficult to enjoy any of those things I hold dear. It’s much easier to enjoy these things when the world isn’t on fire. For whatever faults they have the Democrats are a much steadier set of leaders. At their best they are committed to bringing the sort of privilege I have to others who do not. Since I want to go on doing enjoying these things, and would also like everyone to be able to enjoy such privilege, I have to do something to try and help.
What can be done?
Obviously the number one thing to do is vote. Vote Democrat and not just for president. I know a lot of people are sick of every election seeming like it’s needed to save democracy. One thing that will help prevent that from happening in four years is a resounding victory. Maybe, just maybe if the Republicans get thrashed badly enough they’ll stop running on policies that three quarters of the populace are opposed to. Another way to help stop that cycle is to deliver not only a Democratic president but also to give her a congress that will actually pass a Democratic agenda. Part of the trouble in past cycles was that the was no majority or a small enough majority that it makes it difficult to accomplish anything in the narrow window before the midterms. Vote and encourage everyone you know to do so as well.
Beyond voting, donating time and or money can also be helpful. If you are looking for someone to donate to beyond the presidential campaign, I recommend picking a race in a swing state. Consider contributing to the senate, gubernatorial, house, or state legislature races and focus on these states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. These donations have extra efficacy. They not only help the candidate you are donating to, but also every person that candidate reaches who might not otherwise have voted is likely to vote Democrat at the top of the ticket as well. I’m sure there are others, but ActBlue seems a good place for making these donations.
Posting on social media may be infuriating and often pointless, but it can also be helpful. As tempting as it can be to scream or rant, try to be calm. The Republican agenda is unpopular with everyone not in their tiny base, but people need to be reminded what that agenda is, because when they get desperate republicans try to pretend they don’t have said agenda. They tried to slide Project 2025 under the rug to pretend it’s not their agenda but they got caught. Keep reminding people of it. If you’re unfamiliar with the particulars, here are some good places to look: People , John Oliver . Republicans are pretending to move away from Project 2025 because it was exposed for what it is, but renaming it and planning to still use the policies amounts to the same thing. Would a turd by any other name not still smell as foul? If elected this is their plan, they’re just lying about it now because they got caught.
People have short memories. It wouldn’t hurt to remind people of the chaos of the Trump administration. I know it can be infuriating that Trump seems to get away with things that would destroy any Democratic president. He had so many scandals that it’s easy for one to get lost in the chaos and for all the instability of his administration to seem like background noise. There are countless other scandals, including the two that got him impeached, but here’s one I feel people need reminding of. At the very start of his administration, his National Security Advisor had to resign because it turned out he was an unregistered agent of a foreign government. If a Democrat president had done this, the media wouldn’t have let it go. They would have hounded every member of the party about it. People need reminding of it. Trump complained that Biden hasn’t fired anyone. I’d argue that you don’t need to fire a lot of people if you’re not bad at hiring people. The stability of the Biden administration versus the chaos of the Trump era is noticeable.
It is also important to remember that this is a marathon and not a sprint and it’s important for your own mental health to do the things that you enjoy. In my case this will involve reading, gaming, and generally nerding out. Here’s hoping that in a few months we can all concentrate entirely on those things free from the chaos and doom of another Republican administration.
