Love trumps hate. It’s a nice sentiment, but is it true? Arguably, fear and anger are stronger motivators, and bipartisan to boot: Trump capitalized on those passions to propel himself to electoral college victory, and fear and anger are also fueling the strong opposition that’s emerged since his election.
So what’s love got to do with it? Listening, connecting, empathy—the small and steady force that goes to work on hearts and minds like water on rock. That’s the spirit behind the canvassing I’m doing each month with Swing Left. We travel outside our deep blue bubble to engage with people in the nearest swing district to try to turn a red House seat blue. Door-to-door canvassing is like phone banking with exercise—moving down the list of people who mostly don’t answer. But when they do, something small and miraculous happens: listening, connecting, caring about the other person.
We ask people about their local concerns, how they’re feeling about the direction of the country. Talking to people helps me curb my own tendencies toward writing off those with different viewpoints. Of course we are trying to identify votes for Democrats in the mid-terms. But we also seek to understand what matters to people. I can assure you, it is not the Russians, or Trump’s tweets, or shutting down the government (a move that generally generates disgust, not kudos). Mostly, people are concerned with traffic, healthcare costs, jobs. Danica Roem, the Democrat who unseated a long-term Republican in Virginia’s House of Delegates last fall, understood this. She may have won a place in history by being an out transwoman, but she won her campaign by focusing on fixing the congestion on Route 28.
She also won because of voter turnout: the highest statewide in 20 years for an off-year race, with the youth vote doubling in less than a decade.
Which brings us back to love and hate. Love’s opposite is not hate but indifference. We hear it all the time: “It doesn’t matter.” “Both parties are the same.” “My vote doesn’t count.” “Nothing will change.” Political demoralization is rampant across party lines, and it’s easy to understand why people who feel that politicians are indifferent to them are indifferent to voting.
The silver lining to the 2016 election is that many people who have never before participated in politics now see that elections have consequences, the outcomes are not the same, and that their involvement matters very much.
A sign I saw at this year’s San Francisco Women’s March sums it up:
This past election was not determined by Trump voters.
It was not determined by Democrats.
It was determined by non-voters.
Love won’t trump Trump and his GOP enablers. Voting will.
Yes! And hopefully, those who have been denied the right to vote will get their say as well. So many people, mostly of color, who were turned away from polls for one flimsy reason or another.
Nice to hear a report from an area outside of my deep blue bubble. Voter suppression was one of the most underreported factors of 2016. Disgraceful.
I am in SUCH a red state! My stomach gets sick when I read some of the facebook posts that people I know write or share.
Are you familiar with Jason Kander and his Let America Vote movement? He’s from Kansas City and was secretary of state, then ran against Roy Blunt for senator and unfortunately lost, but he has turned his loss into a cause.
Gee, wasn’t that long ago that MO was a lovely shade of purple. Maybe someday . . . like when all of us Californians are driven out by housing costs and lack of water.
Yes, I know Jason Kander and very much admire him (beyond his amazing firearm-assembly skills). I suspect he has a bright future ahead, and I like how he has pursued this cause while he awaits another red seat to run for.