Good News!

Good news at the polls yesterday. Democrats gained ground in New Jersey, Virginia and many other places. I was especially heartened by the results of the governor’s race in Virginia where Ralph Northam defeated his Republican opponent, Ed Gillespie by a significant margin. For the most part of his career, Gillespie has apparently been fairly moderate and was reluctant to support Trump and his excesses. But during the last months of the governor’s race, Gillespie began the immigrant bashing and touting a Confederate nostalgia that are Trump’s signature call to white supremacists and other hate mongers. AND HE LOST!

Republicans in Congress, whom I continue to try to assume are decent and well-meaning human beings, are faced with an impossible situation. Anyone who has the courage to stand up to Trump’s lies or to name his wild narcissism (thank you Jeff Flake) are immediately attacked by the furies of the white nationalist hate movement. Trump shows loyalty only to himself. Even though he supported Gillespie during the election, the moment Gillespie lost, Trump abandoned and attacked him. No honor among thieves.

Writing this, I’m aware of how satisfying it is to be right and to have my version of reality supported in the stories I read and the stories I tell. I am suspicious of myself, and yet I am still heartened by the turn of events at the polls this past Tuesday. For me, these results signal an awakening of forces of moderation and inclusiveness over Trumps dark cabal of hate and fear.

One more heartening story from the NYTimes Editorial this morning:

In January, a local New Jersey Republican politician, John Carman, mocked the anti-Trump Women’s March by asking on Facebook whether the protest would be “over in time for them to cook dinner.” That so upset Ashley Bennett, a 32-year-old health care worker, that she challenged Mr. Carman for his seat on the Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders. “Elected officials shouldn’t be on social media mocking and belittling people who are expressing their concerns about their community and the nation,” she said during her campaign. If Mr. Carman does it again, it will be as a private citizen. Ms. Bennett defeated him on Tuesday. 

May we all continue to do whatever we can to stand up for all human dignities as we learn to honor each piece of this global web of interdependent life.