Will We Find Our Creativity and Nerve?

A Saturday prompt with additional thoughts on the path forward

It’s clear that Trump and his enablers will be unleashed. We’re seeing the reactionary signs already. Masks off, hate emboldened, raw anger mixed with utter glee. White nationalist and Trump dinner guest Nick Fuentes posted on X after the election, “Your body, my choice. Forever.” A Trump lawyer, Mike Davis, grossly warned New York Attorney General Letitia James that her “fat ass” will end up in prison if she doesn’t drop her case against Trump that resulted in 34 felony convictions: “Listen, sweetheart, we’re not messing around this time.” And then there’s Trump adviser Steve Bannon promising “rough justice” and no pity for “stealing” the 2020 election, insisting Trump “may be a good man, but we’re not.”

This is not just about the depravity and cruelty of a hateful president. This is about all the loyalists and sycophants believing they have the license to do and be whatever they want, no matter how vicious or vile, aided by the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, the assumption of authority because they won both the Electoral College and the popular vote, and a White House occupant who despises and rejects constitutional restraint.

That’s why the response will be so crucial. That’s why the early reaction from state and local officials is so important—to draw a line in the sand and say, we will not let you abuse our populations and pursue unconstitutional and discriminatory policies and practices. “To anyone who intends to come take away the freedom and opportunity and dignity of Illinoisans, I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said. “You come for my people, you come through me.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called a special legislative session in early December “to safeguard California values and fundamental rights in the face of an incoming Trump administration.” The office of California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, has reviewed more than 120 lawsuits the state pursued in Trump’s previous term to confront likely federal actions now. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned, “If you try to harm New Yorkers or roll back their rights, I will fight you every step of the way.”

And then there’s Manhattan Borough President, Mark Levine, who noted hearing from many fearful New Yorkers since the election, “especially women, LGBT NYers and immigrants.” He insisted that “our City and State governments have enormous capacity to protect our people, our interests, and our values,” including “robust” government resources and programs. And that concerns not only addressing anti-discrimination and women’s reproductive rights, but also the legal rights of immigrants endangered by Trump’s plan for mass deportation without due process. “There is no place in America with a prouder immigrant tradition than NYC. And we have the programs to back that up,” Levine posted, including “legal help at a trusted network of community organizations.”

Of course, not every state and local government will be as aggressive in opposing draconian over-reach as Democrat-backed states like California, Illinois and New York. And that’s where the efforts of local groups and neighborhoods and a variety of motivated individuals forming new coalitions will be so critical.

This should and must go beyond traditional politics. As tough as it will be for many of us to feel capable of managing the onslaught at a national level, each of us can identify activities and coalitions within our own communities that can lift up threatened individuals. This is part of how we confront a sense of powerlessness.

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch spoke to On Tyranny author and Yale historian Timothy Snyder after the election to discuss this issue of powerlessness and isolation. “They want you to be alone,” Snyder told him, because that minimizes impediments as these autocrats careen forward with their plans. “Nobody is going to fix this alone. That’s not how this works.” Snyder also had a smart action item to keep in mind what matters to you: “Take a moment and write down a letter about the things you care about, that you’re willing to take a stand about…and take it out of your desk as we’re going through these things” in the months ahead.

Look, I know many of us are grieving both for what has happened and what will happen. Those feelings are real and require our honest attention. There will be many actions of the Trump presidency that will be painful and infuriating that will leave us feeling stranded, unable to do anything. But that need not define your life and the nature of your engagement with the body politic in the coming months and years.

I believe that we can address this period with creativity and nerve. I think it’s even possible to be joyful warriors, honoring the efforts of Kamala Harris to usher in a new era in America along with people like JB Pritzker who will not be cowed into silence or inaction. And that doesn’t necessitate having the power and the institutional backing that they have.

It can be volunteer work that you do with a local church group to address hunger and homelessness. It can be a letter-writing or fundraising campaign you do with a small group of your neighbors to encourage your local community to support women or immigrants or others facing danger and needing legal or other emotional support. It might mean forming a new issue-oriented or interest-based group that captures your passion and makes your life and the lives of others better. It might be posting about media failure to speak truth to power as it adapts to Trump’s fascist behavior. It might be a simple act of kindness each day to counteract the rising conflict and cruelty. Perhaps it’s a book club focused on pro-democracy ideas, civics or American values. All these are ways that we resist the expected efforts to tear up the country’s progressive agenda, turn our world upside down, and make us feel isolated and powerless.

As I said in Friday’s post, “Keeping Sane, Staying in the Fight, Moving Forward,” “I’ve given Donald Trump too much space in my head. I’ve let him make me angry and frustrated, sometimes causing those feelings to wrongly bleed into my family life.” He wins if I let that happen over the next four years. That’s why my goal—and, I admit, it’s not an easy one to achieve—is to be as joyful a pro-democracy advocate as I can. I’m counting on each success, however small, to feed that plan and help sustain me. Rather than indulge in anger and outrage—and oh, there will be infuriating and outrageous days—I am aiming for a healthy balance of politics and creativity and love.

So what do you think? Will we find our nerve and creativity? What do you have in mind for the coming months? Rather than simply putting the pieces back together after the heartbreaking election—as we sort through our next moves—is there another combination of pieces or new pieces that will reinvigorate you for the coming years? Perhaps you have examples of local heroes that we all should know about. Please do share them.

As always, I look forward to reading your observations and the opportunity for this thoughtful community to learn from each other. Please do be respectful in your remarks. Trolling will not be tolerated.

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*Photo by Floarea Maxim via Getty Images.