Where Do We Go From Here?
Trying not to lose hope when it feels like everything is crazy.
The other day I posted on Facebook a graphic of an upcoming rally in Evansville that I plan to attend. It’s rare that I post anything on Facebook anymore, but I wanted to get the word out about the rally. Interest in resistance movements is growing, and it’s important to capitalize on that energy. The image is below, and the event will be at the Four Freedoms Monument on the riverfront in Evansville, Indiana, on Saturday, April 5, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
I admire the young people who are behind this movement - they are organizing and energized, which helps my old bones get energized as well. Friends and acquaintances have expressed interest in the event as well.
What was disconcerting about posting it on Facebook was my brother-in-law’s comment on it. He wrote, “Well I hope both sides come up with better candidates.” I’m sorry, what? Kamala Harris was an amazing candidate. She handled herself with grace throughout her extraordinarily brief campaign (and seriously, shouldn’t every presidential campaign be limited to three-to-four months rather than eighteen?). Do I wish the process could have been different? Maybe, a little. Biden could have decided early on to serve only one term to get the country back on track after Trump’s disastrous first term (does anybody remember watching the news every night to see how many people died from COVID that day?). But Kamala Harris ran a nearly-flawless campaign. Her platform was strong. The Democratic convention was full of optimism and hope. I wanted her to be President because she WAS the better candidate!
I saw a post on Bluesky the other week that was a great analogy of where we are right now.
People are flocking to a restaurant because they have a popular item on the menu: Turd Soup. People order it, then realize what’s in it. “Waiter, there are turds in my soup!” So they stop going to the restaurant. Four years later, they return to the restaurant. “Hey, y’all still have that turd soup?”
Seriously, there was not a majority of people who wanted another helping of turd soup. Trump did not get 50% of the vote; more people voted for someone else. Because of our absurd and archaic Electoral College, he won states by very slim margins, which gave him all of that states electoral votes. (My new home state of Kentucky was more generous both in the popular vote and the electoral vote, but that’s because the dominant blue thing in Kentucky is UK basketball.) But one-third of eligible voters didn’t vote for president. AT. ALL. That’s the biggest disgrace about last year’s election. People wouldn’t vote for Trump, but they couldn’t vote for a woman. It happened in 2016 and repeated in 2024.
I cannot comprehend why we have such a terrible attitude toward women. Where men are capable, women are bitches. Where men are assertive, women are bossy. Where men are broad thinkers, women are too emotional. No matter what women do, our culture labels them with a pejorative. I find it ridiculous and aggravating. Women are so much more than that, and they absolutely have the capacity and ability to serve in the top job in the country. I do hope that in my lifetime, I can say with pride, “Madam President.” (Just so long as it’s not Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, or any other republican.)
Where would we be right now if we had President Harris instead of President Musk?
We would still be providing aid to other countries who need help and support to feed the hungry, treat the sick, and ensure safety and tranquility around the world.
We wouldn’t be worried about whether our Social Security bank deposits would appear or not.
Federal agencies would be functioning with qualified employees working to ensure that our National Parks are staffed, museums and libraries are funded, and students are supported so that they can learn effectively.
Air travel would be safer.
Measles would not be reaching epidemic proportion.
Scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center would go on.
…and many other good things.
Instead, we get messages from Republican congressional representatives that continue to spin lies and manufacture crises to keep the base riled up. Here’s a portion of what our congressman, James Comer, sent out in an email this week:
At the start of each new Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) publishes a High-Risk List to update us on the federal programs ripe for congressional oversight and action.
Since 1990, these GAO reports have found that many federal programs funded by Congress are bloated, struggle to meet their objectives, and have become vulnerable to serious waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.
This year’s GAO report revealed more of the same. Federal programs managed by the unchecked bureaucracy continue to fall short of their goals and are often plagued by fraud and abuse. Trillions of taxpayer dollars are at serious risk.
Americans are tired of the federal government failing its report card. Kentuckians work too hard to see their tax dollars squandered.
The American people elected President Trump to drain the Swamp and rein in the runaway bureaucracy. And President Trump wasted no time delivering on this promise.
The Trump Administration is conducting a government-wide audit at this moment to eliminate Washington waste. GAO’s extensive reports and recommendations to the executive branch have given the President a roadmap and strong starting point as he takes on the federal bureaucracy. Utilizing GAO’s critical work, we have now identified trillions of dollars lost to improper payments made by programs like Medicaid and Unemployment Insurance.
Trillions? Seriously? You better be working on getting those dollars back, bro. And how are you going to do that when a third of the people who work in the federal government have all been fired?
We know the reality is far different than what Comer suggests. The fact that he’s a product of the Kentucky education system (which ranks 34 out of 50 nationally) says a lot about who he is and what he stands for. He’s been a Toady for Trump for years. I would love to see the Dems put forth a candidate that could at least give him a run for his money. Unfortunately, the district is so gerrymandered (it even includes the state capital of Frankfort, which is three hours away from here) that it stays reliably red.
Kentucky Congressional Districts by Twotwofourtysix - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=130800598
The green that covers Western Kentucky and then snakes around and up is our District that elects Comer every two years. With supermajorities in the state assembly and senate, it’s unlikely that future electoral maps will ever be fair and balanced toward both parties. Oh, well.
So where do we go now? I’m going to the rally on April 5. I encourage you to find one near you on that day. Go to https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/ to find an event nearby or go to your state capital. If you have the means, go to Washington, DC, which I expect will have an enormous turnout. Make your voice heard by joining a chorus of fellow believers. We know that staying silent will not solve anything.
You can also visit handsoff2025.com and indivisible.org to learn more about upcoming rallies and events. There are great newsletters on Substack to help you stay informed about all the damage the current administration is doing. If I had to pick one that is a must read, I would say Robert Hubbell’s Today’s Edition newsletter. He has a way of providing updates that is calm and measured. If you have time for more, Heather Cox Richardson, Jay Kuo, Jeff Tiedrich, Jessica Craven, Public Notice, Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance, and others are all great. Links to all of these and more are on my Recommendations page. And a special shoutout to Bill Svelmoe, who recently launched his Substack newsletter. I had been following him on Facebook for years, and I’m glad to now get his thoughts in my inbox.
I’ll try to take lots of pics at the rally in two weeks, and I look forward to seeing what happens in other jurisdictions. Find your tribe and share your voice! It matters. You matter.
Stay strong.