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GRIEVING BUT NOT GIVING UP
This is a tough and emotional moment. Donald Trump has won the Presidency, the Republicans will take over the Senate, and the fate of the House of Representatives is still undetermined. There will be much time in the days and months ahead for analysis and reflection about how this happened. In this moment, let’s take pride in how we came together and worked hard in protecting our democracy. People who had never engaged before stepped up and rolled up their sleeves. Even if we had achieved the electoral results that we had wanted, our work would not have been done. Our democracy is fragile and needs constant protection as it evolves. The always-on-point Robert Hubbell wrote a post this morning that included the following:
Before the election, many commentators warned about the end of democracy if Trump won. That isn’t going to happen—not on our watch. America is bigger than Trump and his extremism. Democracy will end only if we give up. I am not going to give up. You aren’t going to give up, either. It won’t be easy. It may get worse before it gets better. But it will get better if we refuse to give up the fight.
The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols wrote a crisp perspective that is worth a quick read for encouragement about the path forward. Among other points, he invokes Winston Churchill in the midst of the Second World War: “This is not the end or the beginning of the end; it is the end of the beginning.”
We should celebrate some good news here in Connecticut: Chris Murphy was re-elected as US Senator and Jahana Hayes won a highly-contested race, returning her as our Representative in the US House and preserving a seat for Democrats. Maria Horn was re-elected as our State Rep. We are fortunate to have her continuing to work hard for us in Hartford at this critical time when Connecticut needs to be a bulwark against expected Trumpian excesses in Washington. And voters approved a ballot question that will enable Connecticut to adopt no-excuse mail-in voting, an important step forward in expanding access to voting in our state.
We may not yet know precisely how our work will continue, but it will, and we will be doing it together. For the moment, take a break, treat yourself well, and do something kind for someone else.
Finally, please take a moment to thank our elections officials, unsung guardians who do the critical work all year long to maintain and run our democratic electoral processes, and the supporting cast of poll workers and volunteers.
With gratitude for your support,
Your Faithful Editor
P.S. Please hold on to your yard signs. They are expensive and we hope to be able to re-use them in future elections. We will communicate shortly about how you can have your signs collected for future use.
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