What a beautiful time to run for office! Few times in a country’s history does fate deal a collective awakening. This is the Second Great American Awakening in a century–the last one we witnessed when Dr. King graced us with his presence. The ingredients for this have been cooking in the pan for a while. (Entertain the following allegory for a little while.)
“The last remaining fruit of the plot of the evil vine planted by Gingrich bore fruit. The plot had spread like wildfire, supplanting truth with self serving lies about what was “good for America.” The undecided had come to believe the lies. The pharisees that had taken over the temple first abhorred the head sprouting from the great deceiver only to succumb to its fire and wrath. The party lead by a great deceiver gave way to the megaphone of hate of the sprouted ugly Trumpian head, shaped boiling red with a mirror at the center, allowing you to see yourself when staring at it.
Few held on to their inner truth and escaped the temple upturned by the head’s wrath. Others managed to cowardly hold on to silence even though they knew that they were still carrying the weight of this evil head on their backs, enabling it. Others drank its juices and became wild and insistent purveyors of all the lies and hate the vines had to offer.
Along came the Angel of Justice to punish the evildoers all over the Earth and a great plague was sent. Invisible and deadly, the plague infected millions…”
To bring heft, setting it in biblical terms, is fitting. Covid-19 quarantines forced us to stay inside physically and it forced us, often, to simply be; to delve within; to discover our worse and our best parts. Most importantly, stopping made us awaken and made us recognize truth, plain and simple. When the video of George Floyd came, we saw it for what it was and, having stopped to catch a conscious breath, we began to march. We began to expose America’s truth throughout time and added names to this forming collective quilt. The flood gates opened and once these torrents that clamor for peace and justice and accountability and equality, they cannot be ever again shut. We echoed acts as subversive as the declaration of independence.
This is the political landscape that Biden/Harris enter. So to reflect it, these actions must be taken:
1.- No debates unless Trump releases his tax returns. The frame of this narrative is to be presidential. It is to put a full stop to the nonsense. Let’s be clear, the man in the White House has so maligned our democracy and integrity as a nation that he does not deserve yet another bully pulpit. Full Stop.
2.- Begin a “Speak To America Tour” on TV and via zoom. Explain the decision on debates and hold your ground, put it all out in the open. Harris can hit all the women TV shows as well. The country does not need to know more about Biden or Harris. Biden would not benefit from debates. We know who you two are and, most importantly, we know who you are not. (We do need concrete statements on what you would do differently.)
3.- Focus instead in the most massive registration and bring out the vote effort in American history. The country has not been this ripe for activism in decades, take full advantage of it. (You have She the People and Stacey Abrams for starters.)
4.- Be present in the American consciousness. Talk every week about what you would be doing differently if your were in charge. Speak with kindness, respect, and understanding.
5.- Last, and most importantly, make sure that this fact is drilled into the American consciousness: ELECTING A PRESIDENT TO OFFICE WITHOUT ELECTING HIS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS IS LIKE VOTING HIM INTO OFFICE WITH HIS HANDS TIED BEHIND HIS BACK. So spread this simple fact that we seem to not understand as Americans. (We can only blame ourselves for gridlock, tbh.)
Take this opportunity to show up at events that buttress congressional House and Senate candidates. Show your support throughout all the down ballot races. Introduce the idea that the possibility of tabulating all votes may take weeks after election day in some places; the virtue of patience so democracy can do its proper job is needed; set the expectation and continue to encourage mail in voting.
I believe that if this strategy is practiced not only will you be known at every dinner table with what you would do but also we will know your heart and what you need to make you win and be a successful president. This strategy shifts the focus away from Trump on a weekly basis, almost as if not mentioning him but when you do it is because you are laying out the facts of what you would do differently.
Let it be known that the veil has been lifted, we have come to know that the great silent majority is actually made up of us, not them. We march together, from all walks of life, not only in America but in the entire planet. We are the beacon on a hill. Now let’s recapture America and the liberty, democracy, and freedom for which it stands.
sentientpolitics 