I didn't vote in the midterm elections
A bad democrat
In 2018, I was so angry at our nation for having allowed Trump to be president and so pumped up to make a change, that I applied for a role with DigiDems, an organization that sends digital experts to democratic campaigns around the country. I was ecstatic to be selected for Sharice Davids’ congressional campaign in Kansas City, Kansas as their digital and communications arm. I was sent to help craft social media campaigns and help with eblasts but I had the pleasure of taking on other tasks like being in charge of the candidate’s schedule, helping to plan a victory party (because we did in fact turn a red seat blue woohoo), and dialing for dollars and knocking for votes (sometimes facing scary dogs and scary bearded Trump supporters with guns and thick country accents).
It was only 3 months of my life but I loved it. I loved the back and forth of the campaign - the opponent said what? Oh let’s get him! Sharice nailed a debate? Let’s play that on repeat! Community events to attend, parades, early voting, volunteering. Early mornings, late nights, a poor diet, and little exercise but oh did I love it. It was so exciting and it was so fun to see close up how campaigns are run, how money is spent, and how a group of incredibly bright and passionate 20 somethings quite literally change history in a matter of months.
In 2019, the first time I felt flutters in my belly was at an Elizabeth Warren rally, and I waited a long time with my still hiding pregnant belly to shake her hand and hug her. It still felt like change was possible. At some point when Leo was barely walking, I took him with me to the polls for a local election, and we showed up in the local newspaper. Voting mattered so much that I wanted my offspring to witness how important it was.
Jump to 2022 and I did not vote. I sent in an absentee ballot in 2020 reluctantly for Biden because he was the only choice, but I have since given up. 2018 felt like the people had a choice against the bigger machine, and I suppose they still do in local politics. Sharice Davids is a former MMA fighter, a Native American, and a lesbian in the actual middle of the country, where supposedly people only care about guns and barbecue. And she won, and she keeps winning. The people spoke. But at a national level the democratic machine doesn’t let the people speak. In Mexico, the current president can choose the next nominee with a dedazo, which means a finger pointing. Sometimes there’s a primary of a selected few representatives, but mostly the next presidential nominee is selected by the current president. It’s a machine, but no one is naive to the fact that it’s anything different.
From 2020 to 2022 while I was glad that orange guy was far gone from the oval office, I felt betrayed by the party I gave up a chunk of my life to serve. 2018 felt like there was hope. It felt like a real blue wave, a real care for what actual breathing humans wanted. 2020 felt like politics as usual. Millions of dollars spent to campaign for a guy who was basically selected by a dedazo. Cool aviators and charming grin aside, how is this guy better than the last?
I’ve stopped following the news and politics in general so I’m not going to get into whether or not inflation is his fault or the price of gas or the rolling back of 50 years of women’s rights. I don’t feel educated enough on the subject matter to debate about it. All I know is that I didn’t vote in 2022 and I’m not sure if I will in 2024. Maybe by 2026 I’ll find something to care about or if we ever do move to Texas, as we’ve been planning, I’ll feel like I can make some change in a red state, but for now I’m putting politics away to focus on real life, where my opinions and decisions on how to run my business, manage my home, and care for the people I love matter.
I wrote a little bit about where I sit politically in my last post. Similar to you, I am a bit jaded about the political parties. At a national level, they both show that their corporate donors run the show. And I am left without answers because many (most) people of any political stripe are more concerned with identity and/or cultural politics.
It isn't that there are no important cultural issues but the decline of the middle class going back to the 1970's is the only issue that has any chance of uniting culturally disparate groups. I tend to believe that most people want to be able to make a decent wage, have a reasonably comfortable home, be able to get their teeth cleaned now and again, have a nice meal once in awhile, and, perhaps, have someone to squeeze and get squeezed back by.
I want a politician who doesn't have all the answers, admits it, but creates a clear vision that provides societal stability to as many people as possible. But that is far to simple objective and doesn't involve stoking fear or hate. And we can't let go of those two gems in political discourse.