I’ve had many thoughts since the election, and gone through stages of grief. First, not exactly denial, but numbness and avoidance. For a week or so I avoided political news almost completely. I’m still not much interested in the constant post-mortems — naming, blaming, shaming — nor in predictions. I skim the headlines, though, and have a general picture of what’s happening.
For me, what matters is what I can do. I’m sifting through issues I care about most, looking for ways to do something – anything -- on their behalf. Most urgently, I want the carnage in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon to end. And, of course, I want Israel to be safe.
The election promises to extend the bloodshed indefinitely. Biden never reined in Netanyahu, but there was at least a chance that Harris would. Trump almost surely will not. Just as Hamas endangers its own people, so Netanyahu undermines his. The savagery in Gaza is making Israel a pariah state. Outside Israel, the Prime Minister’s tactics further the anti-Semitism which lies dormant almost everywhere. Finally, his cruelty endangers the hostages, whose freedom is what most Israelis want most.
On that issue, immediate and agonizing, there is little I can do.
I’m less helpless on some long-term projects, irrelevant to Trump’s agenda. As I frequently write, I’m convinced that our country needs fundamental changes in its political structure. Last summer I analyzed proposed term limits on the Supreme Court. A different current project would moot the Electoral College in favor of the national popular vote. That proposal is alive right now in the Michigan legislature, and so I’m going to focus on it today.
I’ve attached a video to this post explaining the proposal. It’s a video I made recently for the local League of Women Voters; it’s informal, but I think clear. Working through specific plans is always enlightening, not just about the project itself, but about the way our government works (and doesn’t).
The video ends in a puzzle: For many years leaders of both parties endorsed the project, but by the early 2020s only progressive groups did. I didn’t know why; now I do. In 2019 an extensive analysis showed that inversions (elections where Electoral College results contradict the popular vote) are increasingly likely. Furthermore, those inversions will usually favor Republicans. The likelihood is an accident of history; most small states, with their disproportionate Electoral College power, are currently Republican. Because the Electoral College right now so favors them, the GOP opposes the National Popular Vote initiative. No doubt the Democratic Party would do the same if the situation were reversed.
That’s just one more casualty of a political landscape ruled by only two parties. But watch the video and let me know if you agree: The National Popular Vote initiative would strengthen the country. If you agree, Michiganders, contact your legislators.
One comment. The video was made in a softly lit room. If it had been filmed in full sunlight, you’d have no doubt that I can speak for octogenarians.
Anyone can make a comment, but it’s easier for subscribers.
I share your feelings, and I agree about the National Popular Vote. I worry most about our young people. My trans grandchild is terrified. Young women are stocking up on contraceptives. College decisions are being made on the basis of what states feel like a safe place to be. All of this polarizes and silos us further. We mustn't forget that Russian disinformation and Putin's shrewd tactics are playing a large role in getting citizens of a democracy to distrust, fear and hate each other. Destabilizing democracies is his game plan.
Personally, I feel safe. I'm an old white lady. No one cares about what I'm doing. But as a member of the Jewish community I see how we are having to spend money we don't have on security for our synagogue. Some parents are afraid to have their children in the Sunday school. Concerns on the left about the despicable right-wing PM of Israel are translated by the uninformed into statements of hatred toward Israel and Jews.
I find refuge in my subversive activity of restoring nature by planting native plants in my own yard. No government is interested in preventing that. So as Voltaire recommends, I will continue to "tend my own garden."