United We Stand, Divided We Fall: A Wake Up Call for Democracy

While the saying has become somewhat cliché, it’s important to note that right now, These United States are not exactly living up to their namesake. There is much that divides us, rather than unites us. Have we hit rock bottom? Can we only go up from here? I certainly hope so, at least for the latter.

In the interests of transparency, I must first admit I have always disliked politics. I am introverted and don’t really care for crowds, so I don’t make much of an activist. I never really felt willing or compelled to stick my neck out, when taking care of my family and career first felt more important.

For two decades as a voter, I have faithfully done my research on each candidate and chosen someone who I feel would be best suited to lead, and had solid ideas. That was my democratic duty, at a minimum: to diligently vote for the best option to win. Does any of this sound familiar? What I have come to realize recently is that a vote alone is not enough. Silence and apathy is no longer an option. To protect our families and the generations to come, we have to get more directly involved in our democracy.

I’m usually an optimistic person, but every time I look deeply at how the world “plays politics”, I realize how much of a dirty, greedy, shit show it is. It begins to make you question, can one person really make a difference? Seeing more evidence that the elections are fixed, politicians can potentially be bought and sold to the highest bidders, and that they often have to cheat to win, really lets all the gas out of the motivation to participate in such a flawed system. So why bother to get involved, right? Then seemingly out of nowhere, a shining star comes along and speaks to your soul, awakens you, gives you hope, and renews your faith in humanity. For many recently, that person was Bernie Sanders. For me, it was Andrew Gillum. I actually knew of Andrew from high school, and the second I heard he was running, something deep within me was activated. I went all-in and volunteered with some grass roots efforts supporting Gillum for Governor. We knew many years ago that Andrew was destined for greatness. He is one of the most genuine individuals I have ever met, and of outstanding character. That’s why it hurt his supporters so badly to see the hate and lies being spun about him; they were downright horrible. Even running attack ads about hurricane response, during a hurricane. Despite the tireless efforts of countless grassroots organizations, the Republican propaganda machine, along with stirring the racism pot, sprinkled with some major campaign missteps (that others will be covering more in detail) ultimately worked against Andrew.

One of my favorite pictures from the Gillum Campaign trail. Source: Andrew Gillum link, fair use intended.

This was one of the most important elections for our state in recent history. And Floridians blew it once again. It was one hell of a roller coaster ride, and many of us are still sick from the vertigo. But we don’t have time to wait for the room to stop spinning. The next thrill ride is starting soon, candidates are already lining up for 2020, so we need to be ready. It’s time to find our center, dust ourselves off, pick up the pieces, and get organized. What I’ve been telling people to do is harness that disappointment, focus that rage, heed those emotional feels that have you upset about the results as a call to action, and channel them into DOING something about it. We have a LOT of power in numbers if we work together to shine the light on the shadiness that has pushed itself into our politics, and use this tragically slim-margined loss as a learning and growth opportunity.

What exactly can we do? Here are my suggestions: