The opposite of loving America is not criticizing it. The opposite of loving America is needing America to be innocent.
Matt Moberg
Two years ago, in the lead-up to the last presidential election, my church’s senior minister, the Reverend Dr. Oscar Sinclair, spoke these words.
I know the sermon I’m preaching next Sunday if Kamala Harris is elected president. I know the sermon I’m preaching next Sunday if Donald Trump is elected president. I know the sermon I’m preaching next Sunday if we do not yet know who has been elected president. Because they are all the same sermon.
He goes on to say:
What is the church called to do in the world? Who are we called to be? Feed the hungry. Set the captives free. Make what meaning we can in the world. Testify to what happens when we center love, dismantling hatred and oppression.
The conscience that can divine the arc of the moral universe, beyond my sight or my reason, is not dependent on the result of any single election. The day after the election, we’ll get up and get to work bending it, no matter who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Waking up early Wednesday morning to learn the extent of what is rightfully being called the Blue Tsunami was exhilarating. Despite going to sleep Tuesday night feeling hopeful, there was still a sense of dread hidden deep within my bones. It wasn’t all that long ago that I awoke on a similar Wednesday to find that Hillary Clinton had lost her presidential bid. A gut-wrenching pain like that can never be completely forgotten. Nor should it be. It is essential to forever remind ourselves that the path towards a more perfect union must be walked with courage, strength, and determination.
Of course, as Reverend Sinclair says, winning an election, no matter how decisive, is not the end of the journey. The even bigger work ahead of us will not be easy. In two short years, the current Republican administration has wreaked incredible harm upon my country. Whether it’s the rollback of environmental protections, the historic transfer of money to the top one percent, the attacks on women’s rights, the horrific things being done to my immigrant neighbors, or the dismantling of government safety nets, undoing the mess will require years.
It has also been made clear to me that the American voter can be a fickle creature. Many of the same people who voted Republican in the last election cycle did an about-face and this time around cast their ballots for Democrats. It’s not because they love the color blue. Rather, they want a government that addresses their needs and not those of the billionaire class. If, in two years, they don’t see positive improvements in their lives, they will search for something new. We live in malleable times.
These new state and federal majorities need to choose the right issues and set aside their own personal ambitions in order to make a real difference in the lives of all Americans. They need to address corruption, unchecked AI disruption, the cost of gas and groceries, tariffs, data center expansion, protecting the environment, preserving our democracy from oligarchs, and stopping the war in Iran.
While I am not against serious inquiries into how the Trump family and their cronies have enriched themselves through the power of the presidency, that is not where we need to start.
Don’t get me wrong. We need to expose and prosecute the grift and fraud of the past two years, and this must not come at the expense of addressing the needs of the American people. It is possible to investigate Jared Kushner while protecting children from school shootings, and as much as I would like to see justice served as quickly as possible, saving innocent lives needs to be higher on the to-do list. We can chew gum and pat our heads at the same time as long as we don’t choke on the gum.
You gotta put one foot in front of the other and lead with love. Melanie DeMore
The newly elected need to start from a place of kindness and compassion. Above all else, that is what this country has been lacking for too many years. The constant anger and vitriol do nothing to help the family forced to choose between buying food and paying next month’s rent. Why has so much legislative energy gone into restricting trans kids’ participation in sports, while universal healthcare remains out of reach? How do we shift the governing narrative from tearing us apart with wedge issues to lifting everyone up?
Fun fact. In addition to the bigger, more important issues such as the appointment of fair federal judges and reining in the Department of Justice, I want this new Congress to put an end to the desecration of Washington, D.C. No more ballrooms and arches. Tear down the Trump banners that are being plastered across our public buildings.
While this ranks far below ending ICE raids and the deportation of hard-working immigrants, it sends a message to the world. We are not an authoritarian, idol-worshiping nation. Here in America, we say “no kings” and we mean it.
Won’t Get Fooled Again
Elections matter, but what matters even more is a population centered on love and committed to building the beloved community. Whether it’s a constitutional amendment, a Supreme Court ruling, a school board hearing, or an EPA policy, we need a mindset that puts people over profits, inclusion over division, and equity over exclusion. For the past two years, that has not been the world we’ve lived in.
Pete Townshend famously wrote, “Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.” That is the opposite of what I hope for from this blue tsunami. In fact, I don’t want bosses. I’ve seen where that takes us. I want partners who are committed to bending the arc of the moral universe ever closer to justice.
Spoiler alert. The arc won’t bend on its own.
We Are Called
Reverend Sinclair asked, “What is the church called to do in the world?” I would like to extend that question: “What are we called to do?” It’s foolish to think that now that we’ve voted, it’s fine to sit back and relax. Far from it. This is when the real work truly begins — the hard work to build lasting change.
I’m a Unitarian Universalist minister, and the practice of democracy is a thing that we hold sacred. Reverend Dr. Oscar Sinclair
Keep writing letters. Don’t stop talking to friends and neighbors. Volunteer. Give money to worthy causes. Stand on bridges and wave signs. Organize and attend rallies. And most of all, stay aware. We elected people we believe will make the right choices, but it’s up to us to ensure that they do. Hold them to their campaign promises as we help carry the load.
Now that the election dust has mostly settled (there are still a few undecided races), make what meaning you can in the world. That is the tsunami I choose to ride.
Thank you for reading.
P. S. A few short days after an election that decisively rejected the past two years, Trump doubled down on Christian Nationalist rhetoric by naming Stephen Miller—a white supremacist and architect of his administration’s catastrophic deportation policies—as his new Chief of Staff. Clearly, the White House learned nothing from last week and has signaled that it intends to govern even further from the right. Even more clear is that our work has only just begun.
It was a vote to say “no” to the politics of hatred and division
It was a vote to prove that America is still the land of opportunity and dreams
It was a vote to bring together all peoples of peace and justice
It was a vote to say “yes” to the future
It was a vote to bring hope to our children
It was a vote to say that all people matter regardless of age, gender, identity, or race
It was a vote to say “yes” to inclusion
It was a vote to prove that democracy is still alive
It was a vote of strength
It was a vote of confidence
It was a vote of courage
It was a vote of love
It was a vote to proclaim the audacity of hope and the fierce urgency of now
And that vote was mine
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