@polarberry Agreed and I wish I could help put your mind at ease. I also would like to add that being President is also not like being king-- they cannot just make decrees and everything changes. Change still happens but it takes time. I feel like we need to start moving in the right direction and that direction is one where we as a people can be kind to each other again, can talk with our inlaws, take the rancor out of the pubic square. I feel he can show leadership in the acts and works of justice and peace by reminding each of us that are capable and have the power to do this in our own lives and communities while he can endeavor to remove the government and Trump created structures of injustice and war on the poor.
My mother was born in a warzone. Her entire village was blown up by the Allies during WW2. Her life was not easy either and one of the challenges she met as a young woman was pregnancy before marriage -- when she was in high school. She was sent away to another town to a "home" where after the baby was born, he was adopted by a childless couple.
She completed her schoolwork to qualify for graduation since she missed hers during that time and they tried to block her diploma for lack of a gymnasium credit (I would think childbirth should count....) which was very unfair and it took a number of letters and phone calls to get this corrected so she could apply for college classes as an adult.
She always thought of this child but it was a closed adoption. A year before she died, he found her and it brought so much emotion, gratitude and happiness to her. The adoption agency allowed for people to contact it and if both parties agreed, would release information.
Back in those days it was a scandal and girls were sent away to bear it in shame. Today it is no longer like that. So things do not always stay the same. Change happens. So it is good to look back and see the positive as well as the negative. I think we should always be looking to make positive changes and that's good. However, we are a nation filled with individuals who's ideas of change are all different --there are many solutions and that can be negotiated with respect.
FWIW, My long lost brother Ross is a missionary in Ecuador among their native people and worked for a long time rebuilding their church and village after the earthquakes they suffered. This year he and his wife have been involved with a mission helping Venezuelan refugees with corporeal works of mercy- bringing them food, clothing, diapers, medicine and praying with them. I am not of their religion but I think the work they are doing in Ecuador, in the face of increased public antagonism to the Venezuelans is brave, and a light in the world. I think my mother was a bit of a cipher to him being an astrologer.
I didn't intend to come off as insensitive to the experience of poverty and the intensity of the need for economic justice that is represented by Sanders's platform. In fact, I don't have healthcare now and rarely have in my entire adult life. I earn about $14,000 a year and only get by because I'm married; there are two times I've been in deep poverty, once on the edge of homelessness, and I can still recall crying bitterly when I burned a pot of beans because all we could afford were beans & rice. We ate the burned beans even though they were barely palatable; it was that or be even more hungry. I remember cheese as a luxury item, and I know just what you mean about apple$$. I feel rage over cuts to SNAP, as this program helped me keep my son fed when I was a single mom. Deeply grateful for SNAP, even though it wasn't enough to get 3 square meals a day. I also know how limited the resource of time can be when you're working hard and struggling just to get by. It is up to those with means--time and money--to offer what they can to invest in making our communities better for everyone, and I didn't mean to suggest that you or anyone else who is struggling should work harder.
Locally, we have a wonderful model of the kind of community work in my vision--just one example: https://belovedasheville.com/projects/
Any little bit of energy, time, money--whatever--toward initiatives like this will help them grow. More people will see the possibilities of folks coming together to strengthen community and lift each other up--acts of collective liberation rather than benevolent rich people or leaders on high offering help. It is more like the power comes from the ground up rather than top down, and I do feel hope in the visions of progressive national leadership! It may be that we need more of a groundswell within our communities--more trust built that we're truly working for that goal of collective liberation and empowerment. We enrich the soil and water the seeds and our goals will blossom.
@triciaCT Regarding that NY Times piece against Bernie that focused on his 1988 visit to the Soviet Union, the Russian-born prize-winning journalist Masha Gessen, just wrote a piece about that article showing how the article had tried to find something sinister in Sanders' relationship with the Soviets when there was nothing sinister about it. The Innocuous Story of Bernie Sanders' Trip to Russia
Few American journalists know more about Russia than Masha Gessen. She shows how the NYTimes reporter was trying to make something out of nothing. I remember in the 1980's how lots of towns were reaching out to Soviet sister communities in an effort to lesson the dangers of nuclear holocaust. I especially remember one such effort in my own town in which the local youth soccer team reached out to a Soviet youth soccer team. The result had a humorous unexpected twist but I won't elaborate.
I was catching up on the posts.
Not being American, I have no real skin in the game. However, I get to observe from outside. [ humour most of your major news sites are all running stories on the virus, save one. When I loaded it up to see how the other half was living today, the story was "Daylight Savings, what is it." Sigh ]
What strikes me is Sanders hits the same cord as Trump. Given that, I would see Sanders as a more of a knee jerk reaction that your country is not ready for. Given the hard vein that exists in the US with regard to not grasping the nuance of socialism, a Sanders candidacy would be hard to swallow for many.
I would argue a Biden presidency would open the door for the likes of AOC et al. to become acceptably more prominent, and a Sanders presidency to cause AOC et al to end up being more like shooting stars. Sanders is not inclined to take on an establishment VP, why would he, he's not even a democrat except for convenience come presidential nomination time.
Biden, on the other hand, could and should take on a progressive VP. That VP would reach the same voter block as Trump/Sanders, Biden could essentially caretake (aka stability) as major reversals have to occur, and the American population would hopefully experience 4-8 years of learning that "progressive" and "liberal" are not some manifestation of evil. That would be the ideal situation and would recognize that in the end politics is the art of the possible.
Experiencing whiplash going from Trump to Sanders would only ensure you will experience yet another whiplash the other way in 4 or 8 years.
You will return to the art of the possible; the question is when. If you vote based on your own best self-interest, whatever that is, then the correct person will become president. If you continue to vote tribal, it will not. Sadly two of the three potential candidates in Trump and Sanders are very tribal, and the third, Biden, is seen as internally tribal merely by being part of the establishment.
Hard choices for you guys.
As for the generational blame game, that is a constant of the human condition. Few generations get it right, and when they do, it's fleeting. Funny though, the solution to that in a democracy is... vote your own self-interest.
So well said.
I don’t blame Obama for not achieving unity- I saw him try hard. But what I learned from that experience is that we are responsible for our role in how things are. If I want unity then I have to be unifying and reach to others with lovingkindness- I have to embody the change I want to see. I Recognize my agency in the way things are- no one is going to save us or destroy us- Bernie isn’t our savior, and Biden isn’t going to stop us from changing things either. We’ve seen over and over that our local communities will be far more impactful than the federal government. But if we look for opportunities to connect with those we may not agree with we change things and if we don’t things stay the same or get worse. The opportunity to connect doesn’t just mean listening to others- it’s about sharing your experience too- it’s a powerful narrative.
@anumidium -- I hear your fears and frustrations. They've been mine too. I grew up as a tail-end boomer/early Gen Xer. The economy was crap, interest rates were sky high (does anyone remember 18% interest to buy a car, 9% for student loans? I do!). The minimum wage was stagnant and jobs were hard to get. Nevertheless, people LOVED Reagan, who only made these conditions worse. Being young during those years when it seemed that just about everyone loved that man was hard. I often felt like I was losing my mind because people couldn't SEE what he was doing to the country and economy, how he was starting what has become serious divisions. In addition, everything seemed so expensive and so hard to achieve. I lived with my parents well into young adulthood just so I could afford school, and paying off my loans. Things have been this way for 40 years. I hope they change, and I certainly hope things for you get better, and soon. Please know there are many of us who never bought into the economic arguments that have wrecked our economy and our planet. Many of us have spent years, decades, voting for progressive causes, marching, protesting, and helping others. Maybe we haven't gotten a lot of attention, but we exist.
I am so sorry that we weren't able to marshal the numbers needed to affect true change, but many of us tried, and we can't give up now. I think we'll live long enough to see real change, and I so hope that change reaches you.
It is my gut feeling, partly influenced by my own history of trauma and how it affects the nervous system. Since T’s election we’ve all been collectively traumatized and need to heal from it. We can have different views on how best to accomplish that, but ultimately, we need breathing room.
That could be partly why many people voted for the person they view as the safer choice, Biden. Plus many people seem to connect with him on an emotional, almost personal level. I myself am a Warren supporter, and am very disappointed that she hasn’t gained much traction. But that disappointment won’t stop me from doing all that I can to support the Dem nominee and boot that orange monster out of office.
If Bernie ends up not getting the nomination, I believe he’s played a pivotal role in mobilizing people to wake up and see what’s going on, and will continue to do so. Without Sanders and Warren, we wouldn’t be talking about any of these issues. And, most importantly, without Sanders and Warren, we wouldn’t believe that we have the power to actually change this country for the better. So even if we do step back to take that breather, it’s temporary. There’s no going back to the way things were.
I will say, though, that I don’t see Biden as President. I’m not seeing Bernie, but I’m not seeing Biden. Maybe it's just me, but energetically things seem slightly calmer to me now. And yet, it’s all a big jumble. This is one crazy ride we’re on.
Yes, yes, and yes, @deetoo. I feel the same things. I've actually felt for a while that we shouldn't count Warren out, even when it seems totally impossible. I don't have a strong sense of her winning, though, so who knows? Like you, it still feels very jumbled. The event horizon is getting closer. But there's more light at the edges now, a feeling of a little more spaciousness.
As for Bernie, it's undeniable: He's ignited a movement that will continue on after him, and it will be a strong current in the tidal return, bring us back from the brink of global fascism and autocracy. But that current will need other progressive voices to flourish. I believe that's started.
@vestralux Since the Super Tuesday last week, I felt that Biden will take the Democratic nomination, which will lead to Trump's second term. However, I did a quick scan of the nomination and saw that Sanders is slightly behind Biden in delegates, that a Democrat will win the White House, House of Representatives, and House of Senate, but with a small majority.
What can we expect by Summer?
@enkasongwriter We can expect that the Coronavirus will affect the election. We will be in full recession by summer with Donald Trump blaming the democrats for the recession. People have historically voted their economic situation during the eight months prior to the election. So November will be 8 months exactly of a crashed economy.
@saokymo Same. I'm not a millennial (40 yr old GenXer), but I too, am beyond exhausted and tired. I am a daughter to two immigrants (Mexico) and Poland (Holocaust survivor too). As a Jew-ish (mostly agnostic now) Latina and bisexual woman, I've watched all of my communities suffer under Trump, but the suffering has always existed and has always been fueled by implicit bias which further fuels white supremacist views. It is cyclical and if people at the individual level refuse to check their biases, it helps to continue the cycle. So if anyone is interested in checking to see what biases they hold -- we all have them including myself -- the test can be found here: removed link
In addition, there are nuances here that get lost with focusing on just beating Trump and voting in a moderate that people deem 'safe' for Americans. The question is which Americans? Because I can tell you a moderate's policies still don't help my community and never have. Not much changes for us even if Trump is voted out. Sure, a moderate isn't a dictator or an authoritarian, but to believe that our communities will suffer dramatically less demonstrates the cognitive dissonance people have due to not being exposed to people who are different than them. Our stories are often told by white people so I encourage everyone to subscribe to independent outlets run by marginalized groups. Ta-Nehisi Coates recently talked about how beating Trump is a really low bar for us to have and explains why ( removed link ). I also recommend reading what Rev. Jesse Jackson stated in his endorsement for Bernie because it's relevant to many marginalized groups experiences regarding the harm of moderate's policies and Biden's history which isn't as progressive as you all might think: removed link
It's not our fault that we were generally raised in neighborhoods where people around us look like us; the system was created to work this way so we would not work together. I read a really wonderful book on marginalized groups for my class (working on my BS in Psychology) that I highly recommend: Race, Class and Gender in the United States: An integrated study by Paula S. Rothenberg. Most people don't realize just how much of our history is flat out inaccurate, white washed or purposefully omitted so certain systems/people (read white male billionaires/corporations who are the elite) can remain in power. The media does a wonderful job of catering to them. Hence, why independent sources are best. I encourage everyone to not get lost in 'just defeating Trump' but to also question what you're going to do as allies to help our communities because if Biden does become the nominee and wins the presidency, I'll still be over here struggling as will many of us. I am one person; I can only do so much and I've listened to people's stories who've sought asylum here and the treatment they've been subjected to by I.C.E. The desperation in my Latinx community is unreal here and the resources are few and far between, not to mention Spanish speakers with law or counseling degrees are limited.
Let's be better humans and remember the nuances and the grey areas because 'all or nothing' thinking obscures the complexities of our experiences. As Anthony Clark recently stated: "Centrism takes away the focus from injustice and places it on the behaviors of those protesting it. This is how we get 'Your supporters are rude the way they call out oppression.' Instead of oppression is wrong and must end no matter what! Civility is the tool of the oppressor." So remember this when you hear that Bernie supporters are mean, divisive or rude. Who's really narrating the story here?
Food for thought. Sorry this is so long. Felt compelled to write given the results coming in. Don't forget us if Trump gets defeated and a moderate wins. That's all I ask. Oh, and hi, this is my first post, but I've been a lurker for years.
@dnakali I can’t agree with you more. Thank you. The moderate Democrats leave many out of the equation. I have hoped, however, that assuming Biden gets the nomination, that he will adopt many of Bernie Sanders’ policies in order to unite the Democrats.
It's going to take a lot of pressure to make that happen. I turned on NPR to hear Biden’s Deputy Campaign Manager spouting a lot of evasive nonsense.
Although I was a Bernie, Warren supporter, I had begun to feel that Biden might being peace to America, and I had started to feel hopeful about Biden.
Until I listened to his deputy campaign director talking today. Perhaps they will change over time.
She was asked if Biden would attempt to adopt some of Bernie’s policies in order to reach out to Bernie supporters. Without saying no, her non answer told me No they will not reach out to Bernie’s supporters’ needs unless the Bernie policies already overlap with Bidens.
She put it in such a b.s. way that I understood for the first time why many Bernie supporters have said they refuse to vote Democrat if Bernie is not the nominee.
And then after all that 0bfuscation, she had the nerve to proclaim that Joe Biden will be the most progressive American president America has ever seen.” Really? Someone please teach that person to answer the question.
I pray that this kind of political insincerity will change.
Just want to try a little bit of hope here.
I'm a legal services lawyer at an organization that covers the Texas border among other parts of Texas and the Southeast. Our clientele are indigent Americans, legal permanent residents, migrant workers, undocumented persons, victims of human trafficking, victims of crimes, workers who have been unlawfully fired, children who have been taken from their parents; families who have been separated at the border or returned to Mexico; refugees and asylum seekers. I am sure that everyone I work with would say that immigration law (and related laws) was not good before Trump - detentions and family separations were happening in the US all the time without much attention. But I also know that everyone I work for would say that there is NO QUESTION that the Trump administration has made it worse. The public charge rule; the reduction in refugees; the Muslim ban; the changes in the definition of what constitutes grounds for asylum; the family detention centers and mass separations; the policies requiring refugees to return to Mexico - these are TERRIBLE policies with massive effects on millions of people. I know we all know this. But I want to caution people about worrying that there is not much difference between a "moderate" and Trump. There definitely is. I'm not saying a moderate is going to resolve all of our systemic deeply prejudicial problems, but it will AT LEAST undo some of the incredibly damaging policies that the trump administration has rammed through in the last three years - it will at least stop the flooding of the judiciary with McConnell's evil rightwing picks.
I also think we risk underestimating Bernie (and Warren and AOC's) successes - they have already pushed the entire conversation left, including Biden, and they - and we! - can continue to do so. I'm not sure I can link here but I read a good article about this by Jamelle Bouie: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/opinion/columnists/biden-sanders-2020.html
called This is Not the Moment for Progressives to Despair. We CAN keep pushing Biden left, we CAN keep fighting, and by getting him in, we start a shift that might be slower than what many of us were hoping, but can begin. Don't give up hope. Keep fighting - we can do this. Keep showing up. Keep asking for more. Don't despair. My favorite prediction of all on this site is the following, which I keep on a sticky note taped to me desk, apt for this moment: "Do not despair. You came to do good work and you have the opportunity to do it now! It is an honor to be here. You get to rise. You are rising." Keep rising!
@meliaamal I love what you wrote. And I pray too that Biden Will feel the pressure. I for one do not plan to let up on that pressure. We can be hopeful and at the same time be demanding.
@meliaamal -- I so agree. As "moderate" as Biden is, I have no doubt he'll undo the damaging policies that have inflicted so much harm. I can't wait until he starts reversing them. I'm living for Jan 2021.
Btw, I do the same type of work in NYC. Kudos to you for being on the front lines. xoxo
But I want to caution people about worrying that there is not much difference between a "moderate" and Trump. There definitely is. I'm not saying a moderate is going to resolve all of our systemic deeply prejudicial problems, but it will AT LEAST undo some of the incredibly damaging policies that the trump administration has rammed through in the last three years - it will at least stop the flooding of the judiciary with McConnell's evil rightwing picks.
I totally agree. Besides the judiciary (which in and of itself is huge), I would say a really potent example of this is what's going on now with the COVID-19 pandemic and the current administration's response (and lack thereof).
I don't think any of us knew that that the administration had dismantled the task force in charge of responding to pandemics, but here we are, and it is well within possibility that hundreds of thousands could die in the next year.
@jeanne-mayell Oh my God, yes! I happened to be listening to it today on the way back from class so you must've heard it at the same time I heard it. I was upset and screaming in the car. It won't cause me to be a non-voter, but it does alienate our demographic. As much as I'd like to say that not all Bernie people will vote from a place of bitterness or pain, I know that's not true. I know people who will write Bernie's name in even if it's between Trump and Biden, or flat out refuse to vote at all. I was grateful to see AOC try and quell some of the pain and anxiety in the collective because I think they/we need to hear it.
On another note, thank you all for being so welcoming on the threads and in tonight's meditation. I apologize for not really getting into the conversation tonight; I'm actually rather introverted and don't do too well in group dynamics. I do much better one-on-one as it's hard for me to multi-task and focus on many people simultaneously. I'm just now realizing most of my difficulties in life (depression, anxiety, suicidality) stem from not just undiagnosed ADD, but also historical trauma.
For those interested, historical trauma is similar to PTSD but the difference is it is intergenerational so it is passed on from one generation to the next generation through the genes even if one has no personal memory of the original traumatic event. An example would be Native people and the Massacre at Wounded Knee and how that still affects each successive Native generation especially because the grieving process was interrupted. We see this a lot in descendants of Holocaust survivors (the foundational work the theory was based on) and Black populations (slavery, genocide, forced displacement from their land). Dr Maria Yellow Horse Braveheart discusses historical trauma in Native communities.
My professor did work with her and he kind of summarized it on the genetic level. Our bodies release cortisol (stress hormone) that keep us stuck in a physiological, trauma response so the adrenaline starts causing symptoms like diabetes because cortisol interferes with the body's use of insulin, which in turn causes weight gain, and diabetes. It's kind of a cycle we see repeated generation after generation. A reason we see high levels of diabetes in Mexican Americans too (trauma from Spanish colonization and genocide). We are also seeing research supporting the link between high blood pressure in African Americans and historical trauma related to everyday racism and slavery.
Anyway, I'm getting off topic. I find the whole subject fascinating as a psych major and daughter to a Holocaust survivor. I just wanted to say thank you all for your kindness. I might currently be a light complected Latina, but that has not always been the case. I've experienced what it's like to have brown skin and light skin and the perceptions people place on me because of it. It still shocks me when people think they can confide their racist views with me b/c I'm white passing (at least at the moment) or when I'm darker, being told I'm the perfect kind of medium tone and 'not too dark'. I'm not even getting into the colorism in our Latinx communities either. It's a doozy (I can't believe I typed that out...I'm spending too much time with my white husband...haha)
Anyway, I tend to only seek people of color and rarely white people just because I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'm thankful today's meditation didn't turn out negatively. I'm working on removing my biases towards white people and giving people the benefit of the doubt so truly, thank you all for being rather welcoming and kind.
Thank you two so much for your words and your work! I was born and raised in Brownsville, TX so I know what's been going on at the border and I have friends that go across the border (up until recently as that's become more difficult) to feed and help the asylum seekers in Matamoros. You are correct in what you stated. I just worry among the feeds I've seen in my threads on Facebook b/c I see a lot of people wanting a 'return to normalcy' and that suddenly everything will be right as rain with Biden and that's not enough for me or my people. However, I do see your points and obviously like I said, Biden isn't an authoritarian; I just hope people don't forget us is all. I went and helped translate in Spanish for a pro bono lawyer who was helping an asylum seeker. This person's lawyer told me about how without knowing anything about this person's history, his first response was "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just deport X now." These assholes don't care at all. The Native community here in OK is also suffering tremendously as is the Black community. I didn't even know about the Tulsa Race Massacre until I moved to OK 4 years ago! It's unreal what gets obscured and purposely scrubbed from the history books in our educational systems.
Anyway, thank you two so much. I really need to remember we're not here on own and like you said @jeanne we need to remember that it's not all on our shoulders either. This is a group effort. <3
What a joy to have you with us at the meditation last night and I am so pleased that you are not only sharing but so eloquently with us today. A very, very large number of here consider ourselves introverts and even reclusive but when we need to we rise to the occasion and join groups or even appear to be extroverts with others by empathucskly bonding with others even in public situations. It's a strange but happy paradox. And many carry great sadness and pain but can still care about and reach out with love to others.
Our own @vestralux has extensive and an in-depth knowledge base of historical and collective trauma and (I believe) writes about it professionally.
The topic is hugely complex as are all forms of trauma and PTSD. M any here can relate and emotionally understand
Blessings and welcome to our tribe. We are so happy you have joined us.
The New York Times:
Elizabeth Warren Is Unlikely to Endorse Bernie Sanders.
'Senator Elizabeth Warren, whose endorsement became highly coveted in the Democratic presidential race after she dropped out last week, is unlikely to endorse her ideological ally Senator Bernie Sanders, according to several people close to her, even though Mr. Sanders is looking for political lifelines as he struggles against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Ms. Warren is expected to withhold her endorsement from Mr. Sanders as well as Mr. Biden at this point, choosing to let the primary play out rather than seek to change its course...
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/us/politics/elizabeth-warren-endorsement-bernie-sanders.html
Welcome to the forum! I appreciated what you wrote and found it fascinating. I love hearing the different sides and perspectives on this site.
PS: I think your avatar is one of the cutest cat pictures I have ever seen! ? ❤️