Resolve: 8 Reasons That Keep Me Going

My Response To A Difficult Email

An email arrived in my inbox early this week, from a friend I’ve come to know in recent years who also happens to be an expert in democracy and the rule of law, in the United States and globally:

“Hi, David--

I am in a state of deep sadness--but more than that, fear. I think the [T]rump guys are totalitarians--even madmen.  I have never felt anything like this before. It's like the end of the world as we have known it.

I have always been in favor of tough disqualification rules, so that democracy would never put a fascist like this on the ballot. But with the addition of the tech billionaires to the "coalition", everything is different, and worse.

I am shocked that Dems seem to be all about "moving on", but I don't see the future. I am terrified.

I think they want us to die--I mean, how else to understand RFK Jr having any role?

And why do we think they will allow future elections? Elon Musk is showing contempt for any notion of separation of powers...Nothing makes any sense….

Tell me, are you frightened? I am trying to find a reason to feel safe or protected, but this feels more like a war than an election.

All my best to you and thanks for everything you tried to do.”

I share this email (after asking for and receiving her permission to do so) because I know my friend is not alone in feeling this way.

I also know this cauldron of emotions will continue to roil all of us—and get worse at times—as Trump and his parade of cabinet picks and cast of characters take the stage, then begin implementing the policies they have promised along with new ones they haven’t even talked about. We will also be horrified to witness too may others go along with the worst of it, including people we know or thought we knew.

I wrote a short email back to be responsive, but I wanted to take some time to write a more full and thoughtful response.

So here it is:

My REPLY

Thank you for writing. I’ve talked to so many who feel the same way.

I too am fearful of all that you describe. Trump himself. All the promises he and the far right have made, and which they will move quickly to implement. Those he’s now surrounding himself with: Musk, RFK, Gabbard and so many others. And those who will go along with it all—trading our country’s security and well-being for their own greed, ambition and/or sense of security.

There are so many risks to our nation, the democracy we’ve known, our communities and the lives of countless Americans. The entire planet will pay a price for these policies.

So we should all worry. And be disturbed. And like you, see as clear-eyed as we can—and prepare for—the worst possibilities of what is coming. History instructs us that it only places us more at risk if we deny to ourselves that the worst of them can happen.

So, as you say, there’s no “moving on” from that reality, or putting our head in the sand.

We must see it, and confront it.

BUT with all that said, the one word that describes my current mood is:

RESOLUTE.

Why?

FIRST—HISTORY

Because I know that people in this country have overcome worse than what we must overcome now. It’s the part of our history that is often the first to be censored, but groups of Americans have overcome far worse than this.

To me, that’s actually the most heroic part of our nation’s history. The through line, and pinnacle, of the American story. Those who did overcome those challenges in order to perfect American democracy are the patriots and founding mothers and fathers of our modern nation, as much as the original founding fathers (who get most of the credit.) We only reached the peak of our nation’s democracy in the late 20th century because those later patriots—that more diverse cast of brave Americans—did all they did.

And they waged their fight for democracy and freedom and justice from far more perilous ground than where most of us stand today. They did it even though they largely experienced no rule of law (but often felt the sting of the law, used to lock them out) and were not permitted to participate in democracy in any way—risking violence or death if they even tried.

Still, they overcame it all.

So can we.

Current generations must accept the role American history has now placed on us. We are not simply the beneficiaries of the heroic struggle and sacrifice by those who came before us, as if the battle for American democracy had been settled once and for all (the lesson is, it never is) for us to enjoy.

No, our role is clearly to grab the baton from the pro-democracy heroes who came before us, and carry that baton forward as they did, countering the anti-democracy forces who are always there, pushing the other way.

I accept this role.

SECOND—MINIMIZING THE DAMAGE

One lesson from past periods of backsliding is that how we react now shapes the extent of the damage done by the forces who want to subvert democracy and the rule of law.

There will of course be damage either way.

But history tells us that the risk of anti-democratic moments like this is that they can set in for long periods of time—lifetimes, even.

Or…

These dark moments can be overcome in far shorter periods of time, through spirited resistance, communication and organized activity—building to popular backlash, and even new awakenings.

What we do in the coming days, weeks and months will likely determine if we spend the rest of our lives feeling as you understandably expressed, or if we are able to overcome our challenges far sooner than that.

Let’s choose the latter.

THIRD—PRESERVING OUR LIVED MEMORY

One reason the passage of time amid these dark moments is dangerous is because of how quickly the collective memory of Americans evolves, and can fade entirely. This underscores an especially weighty responsibility on those of us of a certain age: to preserve and pass on our lived memories of how liberal (the classic definition of the word), representative democracy operates in its best days.

As I’ve written previously, younger generations in our country have only endured truly broken politics (born around 9/11, young during war, seeing our first Black president attacked as a foreigner, then Trumpism as they hit their teenage years, and all that’s followed). The generation below them (my son was born in November 2016) will have only seen the Trump era.

Sadly, they’ve never seen anything better. And what they have seen, again and again, is the consistent rewarding of qualities and values that are the opposite of all they have been taught.

Contrast that to many of us who are a little older, and who still believe politics and democracy can be about coming together toward a positive form of public service, one that serves the public good and rewards the best qualities humans exhibit. We believe that in part because we’ve seen it or been part of it.

Or as I sometimes like to put it: many of us have thought of politics as the “West Wing.” All younger generations have witnessed is a very dark and divisive version of “House of Cards.”

And every year that goes by, there are more with their experience and memory than there are with our’s. And that clock ticking is dangerous. Because at a certain point, a critical mass of Americans has no recollection of those better days. The recent past becomes the distant past, and soon, the lost past. The old world and norms are forgotten. Which means that most don’t know to expect, imagine or demand any better.

Think about this effect in the era where Reconstruction fell into the hell of Jim Crow—when 60% Black voter turnout of the late 1800s plunged to near 0% turnout only decades later. The experience of young black Americans in the late 1800s was that they were surrounded by regular Black voters and led by Black elected officials (only men, of course); if you had told them that all of that would be gone later in their lives, they likely wouldn’t have believed you. Decades later, young black Americans would grow up in a world where no one that looked like them either voted or was in office, and that’s all they would’ve ever known. Haunting, I know.

That same phenomenon now risks that a world with abortion bans and neo-Nazi marches and massive income inequality and regular mass shootings and deeply corrupted and divisive government will settle in as how the world works. If it’s all younger generations have known, it becomes the new status quo. And once led to believe that’s all normal, far fewer will demand better. Again, it all settles in.

We can’t let that happen.

Which means that those of us who’ve known and experienced better times have a special responsibility to keep our collective knowledge and memories alive and real. To recall and fight for them now, so younger generations still understand what is attainable. And what our recent past was—what we can be again.

I’ll be doing that as best I can. And with that clock ticking, time is of the essence.

FOURTH—THEY WILL MOVE FAST

The prior points are especially important for another reason: Trump and his minions will act quickly. History also tells us that.

They will throw as much at the country at once. Test boundaries and barriers. Offend our sensibilities. Cross red lines and tear down barriers in order to eliminate as many obstacles and democratic safeguards as possible.

And this will happen on multiple fronts to keep us occupied and distracted, despondent and in chaos. Matt Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard thrown our way at the same time, so we focus on Gaetz without the time to focus on Gabbard. Disturbing events on the ground, like white supremacy rallies, etc.

And that means the coming months are key. How we respond NOW is key. Every win (like stopping Gaetz) is key. The immediate pushback in Columbus to the neo-Nazi rally was inspiring to see. Every convert or Republican who we convince to join us now, key (kudos to those who stopped Gaetz, for example).

I wrote a piece on this the other day about 10 things to keep in mind as the onslaught occurs. You can read it HERE.

FIFTH—PEOPLE WILL NEED OUR HELP

While we are all at risk, certain people and communities are clearly the first and most obvious targets of this administration. They will need our protection and help. We can’t look away as they are attacked.

We must stand up for others.

SIXTH—THEY HAVE NO MANDATE, AND WILL OVERREACH

In many ways, the 2024 election was simple: like many recent elections around the world, it was a referendum on an unpopular incumbent in a time of deep dissatiafaction—and Kamala Harris standing in for that unpopular incumbent was not able to change that fundamental and difficult dynamic (although she countered it to some degree).

Still, even within this highly predictable dynamic, Trump did not win with a large margin. He won, of course, but by a sliver, which keeps shrinking. He did not gain a popular majority. He lost seats in the House. There IS no mandate for his policies or politics.

But as they always do, the right will act as if they won with an overwhelming mandate. They are already framing the election that way, and using that “big mandate” to justify everything so far.

They are wrong, which means they will overreach.

That overreach will include dangerous and disturbing actions. It will involve policies that harm the lives and well-being of everyday Americans. It will involve words and actions that offend the sensibilities of most Americans. It will involve unforced errors. And it will involve decisions that prove to be politically toxic at the moment, or over time.

And this overreach after a very close election presents near-term opportunity.

We must seize it.

SEVENTH—WE CAN GO ON OFFENSE AGAINST THEIR TOXIC AGENDA

We seize that opportunity by going on offense about how backward and damaging the Trump/Project 2025/MAGA/billionaire agenda is to everyday Americans.

I spelled it all out in the book/substack series/podcast “2025”—their agenda is about to upend America, its communities, and everyday lives. So many individual items in that agenda are a nightmare. Together, a disaster.

For years, the far right has been able to shield the failings and unpopularity of its agenda, and evade electoral accountability for it. They’re shielded behind gerrymandered districts. They’ve fear-mongered, scapegoated, and falsely but effectively blamed Democrats. Disinformation is their latest tool. In the same way, they lied and said they knew nothing about Project 2025 (something the media shamefully echoed); but the initial appointments show how false that was.

But now, they control it all. Their policies will not succeed. The painful proof of that will come in short order.

For anyone paying attention, and experiencing the harm of these policies, it will not be deniable. For those not paying attention, including those who sat out the last election, it will be on us to proactively call it all out. To connect the dots. To communicate.

Sure, some won’t change their minds politically even with all that damage.

But others will. And others unmotivated to vote before will be motivated to vote next time, if we react effectively.

They will break it; we must ensure they own it.

EIGHTH—TIMING IN OUR FAVOR

The timing of going on offense is in our favor.

Think of it this way—the next two years are the second Trump term.

The first term was interrupted by COVID, which of course was a big factor in Biden’s win, but also—in a twisted way—served to memory hole just how terrible those first two Trump years were. Our economy had already begun to sink under his tax giveaway and erratic policies (Ohio lost jobs in 2019). The hate and dysfunction and corruption were all palpable in those first two years. He tried to destroy health care, and only McCain stopped him. The Court appointments (that ultimately led to Dobbs) took place. There were marches and rallies all over America, all the time. It’s why 2018 went so decisively in our favor.

But all these developments were sent to the back burner once COVID hit. And, unfortunately, that remained the case as Trump ran for reelection—either forgotten completely, or attributed as a result of COVID (when in fact his failures preceded COVID, and his ineptitude made COVID so much worse). Yes, this was all a huge failure of both the campaign and the media.

Well, the inevitable failures of his policies, incompetence and toxic and divisive politics are about to make their ugly return.

And they will be returning amid the build-up to the midterm of Trump’s second term. And we all know what happens in the midterms of second terms, right?

Remember 2006?

I do.

While the problems of Bush’s first term hadn’t quite set in yet for 2002 or 2004, they were clear by 2006. That’s when Democrats swept to power across the nation, including in Ohio for the first time in years.

Remember 2014?

I do—I was a candidate. Obama’s second term.  Democrats were less enthused, Republicans were focused, and it was an absolute disaster.

2026?

It’s the midterm of Trump’s second term. His assurance that he knew nothing about Project 2025 will have proven to be a lie; those and other toxic policies will have hurt everyday Americans by the millions; his entire approach will have offended a wide swath of Americans; his extremism will motivate others who sat out this election, or didn’t believe the worst of our warnings.

But that will only happen if we are on offense and engaging Americans everywhere to see it all, and respond.

I’m committed to doing that work.

Keep Moving Forward

So that’s where I am.

Resolute. To keep going.

Of course, two other things must happen if we are to make progress against the onslaught.

First, we must take a deep and honest look at how to do better in this battle. We must listen better, then communicate better, in this complex modern era. Engage a wider swath of Americans more effectively, and all the time. Propose better and bolder solutions to modern-day problems—and not only battle the symptoms of the larger causes. Learn from the failures of 2024, and from before. (FWIW, any post-mortem must include authentic conversations on the ground—not just discussions among elites.) Unite around a longer-term and more strategic plan.

And then we must choose actions, tactics and strategies that accomplish what I’ve framed above. Some may be loud, others quiet. Some won’t involve politics at all; others will involve engaging voters, better messaging, and running everywhere. All will involve fierce pro-democracy activism.

I’ve written about some of these here and in my books, am constantly reading others’ wisdom on these actions (Tim Snyder, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Heather Cox Richardson, Indivisible, Steve Levitsky, Stacey Abrams, Steve Phillips, to name a few). I will keep sharing with you all that I see as strategic steps to take in the short- and long-run, including steps anyone who subscribes here can take.

But in order for any of those conversations and actions to fuel success, the first thing we must do is channel our legitimate fears and worries and frustrations into resolution to stay in the fight.

These are all the reasons motivating me.

I hope they and others help fuel you in spite of the challenges times.

Thanks again for writing.

Hang in there, and stay in touch.

David